Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Daddy Blows and It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore

"Wow! Daddy’s the best, way better than Tongtong."

’Well, of course.’ A huge grin spread across Jiang Liu’s face at the praise. He unhooked the wriggling crucian carp from the line.

The fish was slippery; it almost squirmed out of his grasp.

Tongtong tiptoed forward and poked the carp’s mouth with her finger.

"Does the little fishy eat Tongtong’s finger?"

"Hehe, I’m not gonna let you."

Jiang Liu tossed the fish into a basin and rinsed his hands in the water.

His hands felt sticky. Ever since opening his food stall, he’d become very particular about his personal hygiene.

Jun Qingmeng also ran over to get a closer look and poke at the carp. Her parents had been very strict when she was growing up, so she had never done anything so novel.

"Jiang Liu, can you catch two more? One might not be enough for all of us."

"No problem."

"Teacher Qingmeng, Tongtong will catch a big fishy for you, one that will leave you with more than you can handle!"

Tongtong balled her little fists, her face serious as she spoke.

[????]

[More than you can handle... Are you serious right now?]

[Hahaha, I’m dead. What a filial daughter.]

LOL China Server No. 1 sent Porsche X3

Jun Qingmeng was speechless.

’What does she even mean by "more than you can handle"?’

"Is that how your teacher taught you to use that phrase?"

"Uh-huh, hehe."

Tongtong gave a goofy, adorable smile.

Jiang Liu’s mouth twitched. ’Looks like this new character build is a total failure.’

He helped Tongtong bait her hook.

The two of them continued fishing, huddled close together.

The dark water shimmered under the light of their headlamps.

"Daddy, come a little closer to me."

"A little more."

Jiang Liu got annoyed. "Any closer and our lines will get tangled!"

"Oh, then can you hold me while we fish?"

Tongtong was being very clingy. Picking up her fishing rod, she plopped herself right into Jiang Liu’s lap.

Her little butt wiggled and squirmed.

As if afraid her dad wouldn’t notice her.

Jiang Liu sighed and wrapped his arms around Tongtong.

’A daughter really is your lover from a past life and a drafty little jacket in this one.’

[You guys wanna bet? There’s no way Jiang Liu is gonna catch a fish.]

[If he catches a fish, I’ll eat shit upside down!!]

[Boss Jiang, just go back to making buns. Fishing really isn’t for you.]

[Hahaha, Brother Jiang’s technique is so unprofessional. He looks like a total amateur.]

The eight hundred or so viewers in the stream were all maliciously hoping to see Jiang Liu make a fool of himself.

Suddenly, Jiang Liu’s bobber twitched.

"Got one!"

He yanked the rod up sharply and immediately felt a powerful force pulling from under the water.

[Holy shit!!! For real?]

"It’s a big one!"

Jiang Liu shouted excitedly.

This was his first time ever catching such a big fish. Judging by the pull, it had to be at least seven or eight pounds!

"Tongtong, Qingmeng, come help me! This fish is strong!"

"Tongtong, go get the landing net."

"Yes, sir!"

Of course, Jiang Liu didn’t really need help. He just wanted to give Jun Qingmeng a chance to be more involved.

After all, he had brought her out to have fun.

Jun Qingmeng smiled. She looked happy and very beautiful.

’Sometimes, you can tell a man’s character from the little details.’

Jun Qingmeng placed her phone on the grill rack and eagerly trotted over to help Jiang Liu play the fish.

The two of them squeezed together.

The soft, sweet scent of gardenias washed over Jiang Liu.

"This fish is so strong! How are we going to get it in?"

Jun Qingmeng was nervous.

She gripped Jiang Liu’s hand tightly.

"Our rod is pretty basic, so don’t pull too hard. We’ll just tire it out slowly," Jiang Liu said, staring intently at the moving bobber.

’This was his first real fishing achievement.’

"Okay! I’ll listen to you!"

Nearby, Tongtong held the landing net with her full concentration. A dribble of drool escaped the corner of her mouth.

[That strong? Looks like it’s gotta be over ten pounds. I’ve never even caught one that big.]

[Did Boss Jiang hire an actor??]

[How could you hire an actor for this? Get real!]

[The scuba diver underwater sure can hold their breath for a long time.]

[????]

[Is this the power of money?]

The viewers in the stream chattered amongst themselves.

Some were amazed, others were skeptical.

Most of the disbelievers were fellow anglers; they’re the last people who want to see one of their own catch a bigger fish.

「Ten minutes later.」

The big fish was exhausted.

Jiang Liu lifted his rod and slowly pulled the fish toward the bank.

The stream chat was stunned, and the comments exploded.

It was another crucian carp, but this one was enormous. It was plump, forty centimeters long, its mouth opening and closing as it gasped.

"Wow, what a huge fish!"

Tongtong scooped the fish up with the landing net.

"The big fishy is so heavy! Daddy, hurry!"

Jiang Liu rushed over and helped lift the fish onto the bank.

"This fish must weigh a dozen pounds or so, right?" Jun Qingmeng tried to lift it, her delicate little arms straining tight.

The stream chat was filled with question marks.

[???? What a huge fish??]

[Holy shit, no way. Did he really catch a fish that big? It’s gotta be fake.]

[Boss Jiang is a legend! A role model for our generation!!]

[I’m on my way!]

[Wait for me! I wanna eat Boss Jiang’s fish too.]

[???]

The anglers were green with envy.

"Qingmeng, you and Tongtong get the charcoal started."

Jiang Liu deftly gutted the large and small crucian carp, washing them clean of blood in the water.

He scaled them, removed the gills, and smashed the backbones with the spine of his knife. Then he sprinkled them with the cooking wine, scallion and ginger water, salt, five-spice powder, vinegar, and chili peppers he’d brought, pressing them into a basin for five minutes.

Then he rinsed them clean again.

The viewers in the stream were dumbfounded.

Jiang Liu’s movements were too fluid, too precise and skilled.

It made them suspect that Jiang Liu had been holding out on them.

If he had such amazing grilled fish skills, why the hell wasn’t he selling it at his stall?? Damn it!

Jiang Liu spread the fish flat on the grill rack and brushed it with a blended oil. This oil had been specially infused with spices and seasonings.

The hot coals glowed.

The air shimmered and distorted from the heat.

Soon.

The oil on the fish skin began to let out a loud SIZZLE.

"It smells so good, Daddy."

Tongtong sat on her little stool, her eyes eagerly fixed on the grilled fish on the rack.

’The fish is so big. What if I can’t finish it in one bite?’

Jun Qingmeng sat with Tongtong, resting her chin in her hands as she stared at the busy Jiang Liu.

’This man seems to know how to do everything.’

’But he also seems to need me to teach him everything.’

’I like him so much.’

The occasional glimpse of Jiang Liu’s muscles made Jun Qingmeng’s face flush, and she couldn’t help but vaguely wonder what her first time would feel like.

「Eight o’clock.」

The mosquitos started coming out.

"Ah! A mosquito bit me! Teacher Qingmeng, quick, help me kill it!"

Tongtong stomped her little feet forcefully.

"Where did it bite you?" Jiang Liu crouched down to examine his daughter’s leg.

"Here! Look, it’s bleeding, wuu wuu."

Tongtong pouted, aggrieved.

Jiang Liu took a look and had to hold back a laugh. It was just a little red dot; there was no blood at all.

"It’s okay. I’ll spray some mosquito repellent on it for you."

Tongtong wasn’t having it. "Daddy, Tongtong is all bitten up! Aren’t you going to blow on it?"

’Is this any way to treat your precious little girl?’

[Don’t be scared, Tongtong. Big Sis will give you a shot, and it’ll be all better.]

[Hahaha, the person above is so mean.]

[Tongtong: Go ahead, give me a shot on the butt. You dare? If you do, Daddy won’t give you any more buns to eat!]

Jiang Liu was speechless, but she was his little darling, after all. So he put on a show of blowing on the spot.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Huh? As soon as Daddy blew on it, it stopped hurting."