Chapter 72 No, These Are Piranhas

Chapter 72 No, These Are Piranhas

"Alright, let's go back."

Shen Que was holding a bucket that looked quite full.

"Mm."

Meng Ci had lost all interest since they arrived. Looking at these fish, he felt as if he were seeing a flood of monsters.

Shen Que carried the bucket onto the inflatable boat, puzzled by Meng Ci's sudden change in mood.

Could it be that teenagers are this unpredictable?

But Shen Que recalled his own eighteenth year and didn't remember being so mercurial.

When Shen Que saw only three fish at the back of the boat, he wondered if Meng Ci was upset because he hadn't caught more fish.

So, while turning the boat around, he sincerely but awkwardly praised him: "You're pretty good; you managed to catch fish while staying on the boat."

Meng Ci didn't like this praise and even wanted to soak his hands in disinfectant.

His hands had touched fish—fish that eat people!

On the way back, Meng Ci, looking at the fish in the bucket, suggested, "After we return, we can give some to the teachers."

He still had many fish in his space, though they were frozen.

Later, he would need to find a way to replace the remaining fish with those from his space.

As for the teachers, sorry.

If you mind that these fish have eaten before, just secretly throw them away.

Besides, these fish may not have eaten human flesh.

Back at the seventeenth floor, Meng Ci took half the fish and delivered them to Yun Jingcen.

In return, Yun Jingcen gave him a small piece of cured meat.

"This cured meat cost us a fortune during the heavy rain; don't waste it," Yun Jingcen instructed.

Meng Ci nodded, assuring her he wouldn't waste it.

He didn't have any cured meat in his space, which could be used to make braised rice with cured meat.

When Yun Jingcen asked where they had caught the fish, Meng Ci told her the location.

Yun Jingcen and her companions then went out in the boat and quickly returned with two buckets of fish.

Yun Jingcen generously handed one bucket to Meng Ci.

Thinking about the possibility that these fish might have eaten human flesh, Meng Ci firmly refused.

He also mentioned that if they wanted to eat fish, they could catch their own later.

Seeing Meng Ci refuse, Yun Jingcen didn't insist.

She thought that since Mao Xinyu taught biology and knew how to make preserved tofu and pickled radishes, she might also know how to cure fish.

Once these fish were processed, she could give some to Meng Ci and the others.

This way, the fish would last longer.

After returning, Meng Ci didn't immediately give the fish to Shen Que.

"I'll take these fish back and process them, then share half with you.

"If the fish stay out of water too long, they might spoil and become inedible."

If he ever ended up with Shen Que, the thought of Shen Que eating these piranhas made Meng Ci feel uneasy.

So, he decided to take the fish back, replace them with ones from his space, and then give them to Shen Que.

Fortunately, today's catch consisted mainly of common fish like bass and carp, similar to what he had in his space. Shen Que wouldn't notice the difference.

"Okay, thank you!"

Shen Que agreed without hesitation and said he would help after changing clothes.

Meng Ci refused, explaining awkwardly under Shen Que's puzzled gaze.

"There's nothing to do now that it's raining. Processing the fish will keep me busy and stop me from feeling bored.

"If you help, we'll finish quickly, and I'll have nothing else to do."

Shen Que didn't understand but respected his decision and didn't insist on helping.

Seeing Shen Que accept his explanation, Meng Ci praised himself for his quick thinking.

Then he suggested making braised fish for lunch and invited Shen Que over.

Shen Que nodded in agreement.

They parted ways. Meng Ci entered his space, washed his hair, wiped his body, changed clothes, and came out with a thawed fish in hand.

This fish had been directly transferred from a cold storage unit into his space, where everything remained in a static state.

It means that whatever goes in comes out the same way.

Therefore, even after so long, the fish remained frozen.

However, the fish Meng Ci had taken out when he entered the space and placed it in the microwave in the spatial kitchen to thaw.

Taking advantage of Shen Que not being there yet, Meng Ci scaled the fish, gutted it, removed the gills, and washed it thoroughly before preparing it for cooking.

He added oil to the pot and sprinkled a bit of salt to prevent sticking.

After placing the fish in the pot, he fried both sides until golden brown, then added chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic to enhance the aroma. He poured in a bowl of water and seasoned sauce, then simmered it for fifteen minutes.

When Shen Que arrived after changing his clothes, he was greeted by the scent of fish.

"The fish will be ready soon!" Meng Ci moved the fish with a spatula to prevent it from sticking.

"Later, I'll stir-fry some shredded potatoes and a simple dish of greens."

"Alright." Shen Que nodded.

After a glance around the kitchen, Shen Que turned and left for a moment.

When he returned, Meng Ci noticed what Shen Que was holding and said, "Didn't you say I don't need to bring anything anymore? Why did you bring something?"

Shen Que placed a ten-kilogram bag of rice on the counter and explained, "Didn't you run out of rice?"

Meng Ci replied, "I do have rice!"

He then opened a cabinet, revealing a bag of rice that was still mostly full.

Shen Que paused in his morning routine, "Oh!"

"I thought you were going to have noodles later. Seems like I misunderstood."

"I assumed you didn't have any rice, so I didn't cook any."

Upon hearing this, Meng Ci realized his mistake!

Damn, he felt foolish.

Earlier, Meng Ci had been focused on quickly preparing the fish to avoid raising suspicions with Shen Que.

He was also preoccupied with how to make the dish delicious enough to win Shen Que's heart, forgetting about cooking rice.

How embarrassing.

Meng Ci cleared his throat, "I was actually thinking of having noodles."

"But since you want rice, let's cook some rice."

With that, Meng Ci took out a clay pot and started adding rice.

Shen Que said, "No need. If you want noodles, just have noodles."

"I'm not picky."

Meng Ci scooped water from a bucket and shook his head, "Forget it, let's have rice."

"Braised fish goes well with rice."

"Alright," Shen Que agreed.

Once the braised fish was done, Meng Ci set the pot aside and began stir-frying vegetables.

Shen Que volunteered, taking off his coat and asking Meng Ci to guide him in cooking.

Meng Ci nodded.

A scene flashed through his mind.

A child learning to write, with a father holding their hand to help them write neatly.

Then the scene changed to Shen Que struggling with stir-frying, and Meng Ci standing behind him, guiding his arm as they cooked together.

Meng Ci smiled lightly.

Not bad, it gave them another chance for close interaction.