Chapter 112: Is the Small Lake Acting Up Too?

“Dad, what are you thinking about?” Alex looked at Liu Heming and asked curiously.

“Nothing much. Let’s go fishing. With so many people here today, lunch is going to be a problem.” Liu Heming patted the little one’s head as he spoke.

He was a bit worried. He was afraid the Department of Agriculture would look too closely into the origin of the Finger Sweet Potato. If they did, his little lie would probably be easily exposed.

He decided to take things one step at a time. From how things looked today, Janet and the others didn’t seem overly concerned. So he wouldn’t worry about them for now. Getting the kitchen knife from John’s place today would have to wait. With so many people, he needed to prepare a proper meal.

Janet and her group were important guests because they were connected to the future value of his farm’s crops. As for people like Alfred, even though they seemed like idle folks, they actually held significant hidden influence. He was also the head of the office, making him an important guest too.

Father and daughter carried their fishing rods to the Small Lake. They stopped and stared at the lake surface in disbelief. Was this Small Lake also going to cause some trouble?

The lake water was incredibly clear. You could see fish of all sizes swimming at the bottom under the sunlight. There were so many fish that someone with a fear of crowded things wouldn’t be able to stand the sight.

He hadn’t come to look at this lake since that day he caught the Giant Black Fish. Who would have thought it would give him such a big surprise?

“Mr. Dexter, has the lake water on your ranch always been this clear?” asked a staff member from the Department of Agriculture who had come over to collect samples.

The father and daughter had been so absorbed in watching the lake that they hadn’t noticed when he arrived.

“It was somewhat clear before, but never this clear. It probably became like this after the last rainfall,” Liu Heming said somewhat uncertainly.

He didn’t know if this lake counted as a product of the System upgrade. Anyway, he chose to tell the truth. If they were curious, so was he. They could research it however they wanted.

Was it difficult to fish in such lake water? Not difficult at all. It was almost like picking up fish. If you liked a particular fish, you just tried to cast your hook near it. If it was greedy, you simply lifted the rod.

The fish here were all quite large. Although none were as big as that Giant Black Fish from before, the big ones were over half a meter long and felt heavy. Before long, the bucket they brought had six fish in it, enough to feed everyone present today.

Liu Heming even wondered if spreading some fish food on the lake surface would create a scene of ten thousand fish heads swarming together.

“Mom, look quickly! There are so many fish here. I caught two, but Dad is even better, he caught four,” Alex said to Sasha who had just arrived.

“This lake is really strange. Why has its water become so clear? And why are there so many fish? What do they eat?” Sasha said curiously.

“I don’t know either. It was just like this when we came today. I guess if they find there’s nothing to eat, they’ll leave. Looks like I’ll need to prepare some fish food tomorrow to feed them,” Liu Heming said somewhat helplessly.

He really didn’t want to let all these fish go. They were top-quality ingredients for Boiled Fish in Chili Oil. How wonderful it would be to eat one every few days.

“Dexter, are you making that Boiled Fish in Chili Oil again today?” Jenny asked with a little excitement, looking at the fish in the bucket.

“Yes. Last time, everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot. So today, I’ll let the newcomers try it too. It’s considered a specialty delicacy from China,” Liu Heming said with a smile and a nod.

Among the people who came today, only Jenny and Bill had eaten Boiled Fish in Chili Oil before. The others were very skeptical of what Liu Heming was saying now.

Liu Heming carried the two large buckets of fish by hand. They seemed light as a feather to him, which made everyone watching very curious. They were also amazed that Liu Heming, with his somewhat thin physique, had such great strength.

People didn’t pick many vegetables. Even though Liu Heming said they were free, you couldn’t just take them as if they were truly free. Just tasting a bit was enough.

Janet and her group also picked some vegetables to take back as samples for testing. This was considered doing it for Sasha’s sake; otherwise, their main concern would only be the Finger Sweet Potato.

Seeing that it was about time, Liu Heming picked up the kitchen knife and very skillfully began preparing the fish. He really was very skilled. As he worked, many people gathered around to watch. Some even took out their mobile phones to record videos.

This was all thanks to his practice with knife skills. These fish weren’t as huge as that Giant Black Fish anyway. With the kitchen knife in hand, his movements were smooth and fluid.

The fish they caught today weren’t just Snakeheads; there were Grass Carps too. Personally, Liu Heming preferred Snakehead, but Grass Carp wasn’t bad either.

He set aside two large Grass Carp heads. This time, he planned to prepare the fish heads properly; they were also an incredible delicacy. The Snakehead heads would go directly into the Boiled Fish in Chili Oil; they were also very tasty. Last time, comrade Robin really loved eating the fish heads.

He marinated the sliced fish in a basin. Then he cleaned the Grass Carp heads again, added some salt, shredded ginger, and cooking wine, and marinated them on a separate plate.

Next, he opened the kitchen cabinet door and pulled out a small earthen jar. Inside was his secret weapon for making the fish heads: chopped chili peppers.

He had made this a few days ago when he saw there were too many chili peppers and he genuinely couldn’t eat them all. Although these weren’t the small facing heaven peppers, they still worked well for making chopped chili.

When he opened the jar, a strong, pungent aroma of chili peppers wafted out. Little greedy Alex, who normally didn’t really like eating chili peppers, was also drawn in by this smell.

He scooped out several large spoonfuls and placed them on the two fish heads. Then Liu Heming started making the Boiled Fish in Chili Oil.

It was the same issue as last time: many people, few pots. For six fish, he needed to make almost six pots worth.

The chili aroma that drifted out while he was frying the sauce was enough to choke the onlookers standing nearby. Only Jenny, having learned from experience, had already slipped outside earlier.

Steaming bowls of Boiled Fish in Chili Oil were brought to the table one after another. The task of hosting these people fell to Sasha; after all, she was the nominal lady of the ranch.

This time, Alex wasn’t in a hurry to get to the table. She was clever enough to know that those two fish heads were a new dish her dad was making.

Liu Heming directly placed the two fish heads on a plate, put them in the largest steamer in the house, and started steaming. The steaming time wasn’t long, only about ten minutes. After taking the fish heads out, he sprinkled some chopped green onions and garlic paste on top.

Alex, standing nearby, sniffed and smacked her lips.

Chopped Chili Fish Head, just like the Boiled Fish in Chili Oil, had a final step involving hot oil, but this time he didn’t need to add any seasonings to the oil, just plain hot oil was fine.

When he poured the prepared hot oil over the fish heads, a rich, mouth watering aroma spread throughout the entire kitchen. Everyone eating at the dining table couldn’t help but look over.