Chapter 113: A Beautiful Little Misunderstanding

The Chopped Chili Fish Head gave off a rich aroma, and the chopped chili peppers on top looked very bright. At least in appearance, it immediately attracted everyone.

“This dish is also a very famous dish in China, called ‘Chopped Chili Fish Head’,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

“Of course, the flavor of what I made now is still far from the authentic version. It’s hard to find so many suitable seasonings for our Chinese Cuisine here. Although there are many chili peppers, it won’t be very spicy. Everyone can give it a try.”

Even though he extended the invitation, none of them reached out to eat. They truly didn’t know how to eat it. Robin wanted to just fork half the fish head over but felt too embarrassed to be that bold.

Liu Heming thought for a moment, then had to use chopsticks to pick off some meat from the fish head himself. He gave everyone a small portion, some more, some less. Of course, when it came to his daughter and Sasha, he gave them larger portions.

After distributing the meat, he and Robin each took one fish head for themselves. Whether the others liked it or not, the rest wouldn’t be given to them anyway.

As soon as the fish head meat entered his mouth, it was incredibly fragrant. Mixed with the aroma of chopped chili peppers and minced garlic, along with the tender fish head meat, it was rich but not greasy. Moreover, the soft, glutinous texture was different from the meat on the fish body. The only slight drawback was that the spiciness was a bit lacking—his chopped chili peppers still had some distance from the authentic ones.

The flavor of Boiled Fish in Chili Oil mainly comes from the numbing and spicy taste, along with its firm and plump texture. Chopped Chili Fish Head was fundamentally different from it.

Liu Heming couldn’t help but reflect that the same ingredients, prepared with different cooking methods, resulted in dishes with vastly different flavors. If paired with some Baijiu now, the taste would be indescribably wonderful.

Just as he was about to take a second bite, he saw his daughter blinking her big eyes at him. She had already finished the fish head meat on her small plate and clearly wanted more.

What else was there to say? He didn’t hesitate at all. Liu Heming carefully picked the meat bit by bit from the fish head and placed it on his daughter’s plate.

The little one narrowed her eyes, looking very pleased, and then used her small fork to pick up the fish head meat from her plate.

Everyone was sitting around, and the interaction between the father and daughter was noticed by all. Regardless of anything else, the way Liu Heming doted on the little girl made everyone silently give him a thumbs-up in their hearts.

Although the fish head was not small, there were many people. After distributing one round, not much meat remained on the fish head. After picking meat for his daughter, only a pile of bones was left.

Liu Heming didn’t idle around; he went to the pot and fished out another Snakehead fish head. Although the fish head meat was delicious, these foreigners really didn’t know how to eat it properly. Then again, forks were nowhere as convenient as chopsticks.

The Snakehead fish head was also quite large, with plenty of meat on it. Seeing that his daughter loved the fish head meat, Liu Heming gave her some more and also put some on Sasha’s plate.

He honestly didn’t think much of it—among these people, his own family was the closest. Even though Sasha was still his pretend wife, she was Alex’s real mother.

However, this ordinary action, in the eyes of the others, took on a different meaning.

They had no idea about the complicated relationship within this family. They had just given Liu Heming a new label as a doting father, and now, in an instant, they added another label: a loving husband.

In the United States, everyone eats their own portion. Even when a family eats together, the food is usually served onto individual plates. It wasn’t that there were no instances of husbands serving food to their wives, but it was rare. So, everyone formed a slight misunderstanding, thinking that he was showing affection. Janet even winked at Sasha.

Sasha, who was eating the fish, paused for a moment with the piece of fish near her mouth before finally eating it. Now, she felt the taste of the fish was somewhat “strange.”

Having lived here for a long time, Liu Heming often served food to everyone, whether there was an occasion or not. Not only her and Alex, but even George and the others had been served by Liu Heming. The only one who hadn’t enjoyed this treatment was Robin, since he had a great appetite and was the envy of the Bear Kids.

Earlier, she hadn’t thought much of it and habitually forked the food to eat. Janet’s glance reminded her, but in this situation, she could only brace herself and eat it.

Sometimes misunderstandings arise just like that. In everyone’s eyes, Sasha seemed a bit embarrassed, while Liu Heming appeared completely accustomed to it.

But in reality, he truly hadn’t thought of anything else. He was busy carefully picking meat off the fish head. Even with fish heads, there were small bones—what if his daughter got poked?

The only one who knew what was really going on was Robin, but he had no intention of explaining it to everyone. He had always hoped the two of them would get together, so this suited him just fine. Besides, the fish head was genuinely delicious, and he needed to eat quickly.

The meal of Boiled Fish in Chili Oil and Chopped Chili Fish Head once again proved that delicious food sometimes truly knows no borders. Of course, except for those with unique smells, like stinky tofu, durian, or cilantro. Even without borders, it still depends on personal preference.

The ones who felt this most deeply were Alfred and the others from the Wildlife Management Bureau. They knew how destructive these two types of fish were to the rivers in the United States. They had only heard before that Chinese people loved eating them, but today they not only saw it but also tasted it.

During after-dinner conversation, these people sat together and briefly discussed feasible solutions for dealing with these two types of fish. It was a topic that had been discussed many times before. Although they knew the best solution was to eat them, once trading was involved, control would become very difficult, and some people were bound to exploit loopholes.

“Adelaide, is your work usually very busy? I’ve noticed that sometimes when I need Jenny and Bill to come over, it takes a long time,” Liu Heming asked after they had chatted for a while.

“Not just busy—it’s very busy,” Adelaide shook his head and said.

“Our salaries are not high compared to other public servants, but most of our work takes place outdoors, which makes it very tiring. Like them, they have to patrol nearby protected areas and breeding grounds every day to see if anything unusual is happening.”

“Human life is becoming more and more comfortable, but the damage to the natural environment is also becoming more severe. Like your Ranch here—there used to be many wild animals in the Forest, but with the ongoing drought, they have chosen to leave. And the fur or body parts of some rare species have become decorative items favored by many wealthy people.”

After Alfred finished speaking, his expression darkened considerably.