Chapter 6: Cook Whatever You Catch

The old man opened his mouth, fuming, ready to teach this impudent young man a lesson about manners, when his peripheral vision caught a slight movement in Qin Lang’s fishing float.

He took a deep breath and fell silent for the moment.

Qin Lang’s expression grew more serious. With practiced, skillful motions, he began to tire the fish out before pulling it in with a swift tug. A bass, nearly the length of a human forearm, thrashed violently.

"A three-pound bass," Qin Lang said, weighing the fish in his hand with a smile.

Once Qin Lang had landed the fish, the old man said in a deep voice, "Young man, I see you didn't even bring a keepnet. Now that you've got a catch, you’d better head back."

"That’s alright," Qin Lang replied cheerfully, tossing the bass into Zhou Qing’s keepnet. "I’ll just borrow yours for a bit."

The old man: "???"

His intention had been a subtle way to chase the boy off; how did things turn out like this? Using the fishing spot he had baited, and now borrowing his keepnet to store the fish? This was simply going too far!

The old man’s breathing grew heavy. Just as he was about to lash out, he heard Qin Lang speak again, quite nonchalantly.

"Besides, I’m heading to your house anyway after you finish fishing."

Hmm?

The old man narrowed his eyes, studying Qin Lang closely. Only then did he notice that Qin Lang was wearing a chef’s uniform. Normal people didn't wear chef’s whites to go fishing.

A hint of realization dawned in his eyes, and the old man asked slowly, "Are you here for the Food Scout examination?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhou Qing," Qin Lang said with a smile. "I heard that your examinations almost always involve fish, so I came to prepare the ingredients myself."

"I’ve never seen anyone prepare ingredients like this before," Zhou Qing said with a slight shake of his head. "In that case, don't blame me for giving you a difficult task."

Qin Lang’s eyes lit up at these words. Agreeing to set a task meant that Zhou Qing had accepted his application for the examination.

"Please go ahead, Mr. Zhou Qing," he said without hesitation.

Seeing Qin Lang’s reaction, a flicker of light crossed Zhou Qing’s eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he pointed to Qin Lang’s fishing rod.

"Use the very next fish you catch as the main ingredient for your dish."

"You cannot use any other seafood, though seasonings are at your discretion."

Hmm?

Qin Lang’s expression tightened slightly. This was indeed a difficult challenge. The difficulty lay in the uncertainty of fishing. The waters of the Xiayun River were rich in resources; he could hook a bass, a carp, a catfish, or any number of other river fish. If a chef who had prepared a specific fish dish beforehand faced this, they might be rendered helpless by catching an unfamiliar species.

Furthermore, the size of the fish would also affect the cooking—too small and there would be no meat; too large and the texture would be tough. This added another layer of difficulty to the culinary process.

However, after a brief moment, Qin Lang composed himself. He had solutions for all these problems. With countless recipes stored in his mind, he was confident in handling any river fish. Even if the fish were too large or too small, he could adapt his cooking techniques to suit the situation.

"No problem," Qin Lang stated decisively.

"Then let's begin." Zhou Qing, now intrigued, set his own rod aside and focused intently on watching Qin Lang bait his hook and cast his line.

"Baiting a spot" meant throwing a large amount of feed into the fishing area beforehand to attract a school of fish, thereby increasing the success rate. Zhou Qing had been an avid fisherman since his youth, and decades of experience had given him a unique, secret bait formula. He could mix different ingredients to attract specific types of fish, significantly increasing the odds of catching them.

Qin Lang was unaware of this, but Zhou Qing knew very well that his target for this baiting session was snakehead fish. At this time of year, the snakehead in the Xiayun River were at their most succulent. Zhou Qing hadn’t eaten snakehead in a long time and had intended to catch one for a delicious meal today. Having run into Qin Lang, he decided to use this as the candidate's test.

As for the probability of Qin Lang catching a different fish, Zhou Qing considered it very low. After all, the spot had already been "off" twice before.

Soon, the float moved.

"The fish is biting again!" Qin Lang’s eyes widened in surprise. "Mr. Zhou Qing, your baiting technique is truly impressive."

Zhou Qing, standing to the side, remained expressionless, though he couldn't help but stroke his goat-like beard, feeling a bit smug inside. This baiting technique of his was the result of decades of...

*Splash—*

*Hiss—*

Watching the fish struggle violently in mid-air, Zhou Qing’s hand, which had been stroking his beard, subconsciously tightened. He ripped out a few hairs, drawing in a sharp breath of pain. His elderly face twitched, looking somewhat ferocious.

Qin Lang weighed the catch casually, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"A one-pound mandarin fish!"

This was the perfect stage for a mandarin fish, where the meat had just matured and was at its most tender. His luck was absolutely explosive!

He turned back to look at Zhou Qing, but his smile faltered.

"Mr. Zhou Qing... are you alright?"

"I... I am fine." Zhou Qing forced his expression to remain calm, though he was roaring inside. *How could it be a mandarin fish? How could the snakehead spot be wrong three times?!*

He silently grabbed a handful of the bait and sniffed it, then set it down with a blank expression.

*Dammit! Someone swapped my bait!*

He suddenly remembered the cheeky expression his son had worn that morning when he asked what he planned to fish for. If he remembered correctly, that little brat loved eating mandarin fish.

Zhou Qing’s breathing grew heavy, and his fists clenched.

"Senior Zhou Qing, as per your requirements, I will use this mandarin fish as the main ingredient," Qin Lang said cheerfully, placing the fish into the keepnet. "There is still plenty of time; shall we continue?"

He was determined to mooch off this good fishing spot for the day!

"No," Zhou Qing replied, shaking his head expressionlessly. "I’ve suddenly lost the interest to fish. Let’s go back and start the examination."

Why continue fishing? He couldn't wait to get home and beat his son!

***

"The common seasonings are all in the kitchen."

Leading Qin Lang into his home kitchen, Zhou Qing spoke slowly. "If you need any special ingredients, feel free to ask."

"The main ingredient will be that mandarin fish."

"Everything else is unrestricted."

After laying out the rules, Zhou Qing took a look at Qin Lang and added, "Mandarin fish has few bones and a sweet, fresh, and tender taste; it’s hard to mess up no matter how you cook it."

"This is not a good choice for you."

The Food Scout examination did not merely judge the deliciousness of a dish, but the level of culinary skill; the inherent quality of the ingredients was supposed to be excluded from the assessment. The better the ingredient, the harder it was to demonstrate true mastery.

With that said, Zhou Qing turned and walked out of the kitchen. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw his son, Zhou Yun, peeking in.

"Dad, I just heard you—that young chef is making mandarin fish, right?" Zhou Yun rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Qing silently raised a foot and slipped off his slipper.

*Whack—*

"You're over forty and you still have no sense of propriety!"

*Whack—*

"I'll teach you to swap my bait!"

*Whack—*

"I'll teach you to eavesdrop!"