After finishing her meal, Jiang Heng was just about to feed the puppies. As she turned her head, she saw the two Jiang Heng’s Dogs lying side by side on the living room tiles.
They were both sound asleep.
Their chubby little legs would twitch now and then, their mouths slightly open, and their round bellies rose and fell with each breath.
Could just that bit of fish meat have filled them up?
Or was it that there was too much Spiritual Energy for them to digest?
Jiang Heng went over to check. Confirming there was nothing wrong, she picked one up in each hand and sent them back to their dog bed.
Even with the movement, the two only woke up briefly. When they saw it was Jiang Heng, they relaxed, nudged each other in the bed, and continued sleeping.
After tidying up the leftover food scraps and using the Dust Removal Technique to clean up, Jiang Heng lazily lay back on the sofa.
She had eaten plenty of rice, plenty of fish, lots of Mushroom, and drank a fair bit of soup—now she was a bit drowsy herself.
Squinting, she pulled out her phone and happened to see a reply from Song Ming.
The variety of Mushroom left today added up to nearly four jin. Song Ming, in her usual generous way, wanted them all.
Once Jiang Heng calculated the price—two hundred and thirty in total—Song Ming transferred the money swiftly. The very next second, a pile of messages flooded in.
[Song Ming: I was wrong! The fish at your place is so delicious!!!]
[Song Ming: It was too late last night, so I just kept it alive in water when I got home. When I checked today, it was still alive. At noon, we made grilled fish. I usually like the side dishes more than the fish, but today, nobody touched the side dishes—the fish was wiped clean (burp)]
[Song Ming: I didn’t have time to reply just now because I accidentally ate too much and was dizzy for half the day]
[Song Ming: By the way, are you selling fish today?! I want to buy some! (starry eyes)]
Jiang Heng couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a bit smug.
Of course the fish was tasty!
And who raised it, after all?
Seeing the last message, she thought for a moment and typed a reply—
[Jiang Heng: Not selling fish for now, they’re all from the Water Pond. The bigger ones are all gone.]
As for the few she still had left, the amount of Spiritual Energy infused in them was a bit much, making them quite different from ordinary fish. Better to keep them for herself.
So she’d wait until she had that big Water Pond and could personally raise a batch, then sell them!
Song Ming stared at Jiang Heng’s reply in a daze.
She really wasn’t selling anymore?!
She thought she’d at least be able to buy some for a few days.
Did that mean it’d be hard to eat more anytime soon?
Song Ming rolled around on her bed in regret.
If she’d known, she would have accepted when Jiang Heng offered her two fish yesterday!
Who says they don’t like eating fish?
That was just because they hadn’t come across tasty fish before!
At noon, since Song Ming insisted on grilled fish, Song Dad and Song Mom went early to the market to buy all sorts of side dishes.
Their family loved spicy food, and though they didn’t usually care for fish, they really liked the side dishes boiled in spicy broth, so they bought plenty.
In the end, they made a big pot of lavish grilled fish.
But when the fish was served, everything changed.
At first, only Song Ming tried a bite.
The fish meat was tender and soft, melting on her tongue without even needing to chew.
After the spicy broth flavor passed, her tongue was greeted by a particularly pronounced freshness and sweetness.
That sweetness came from the fish itself.
Song Ming was stunned.
Eh? Eh? Eh?!
Why did this fish taste so different from what she remembered???
To confirm her suspicion, Song Ming deliberately picked a spot on the fish that hadn’t soaked up much of the spicy sauce, carefully parted it, revealing the tender white meat, and took a bite.
That section had hardly any seasoning at all, almost no saltiness.
So the freshness and sweetness on her tongue was even more distinct, pairing perfectly with the soft, tender meat—it was unbeatable!
That part was also the boniest, and normally Song Ming would avoid it. But right now, with such flavor, even the bones didn’t bother her; she just felt there was plenty of meat, so tender, so delicious!
She immediately persuaded her parents, “Dad, Mom, you have to try this fish, it’s really good!”
Song Dad and Song Mom were busy eating the side dishes—one loved duck blood, the other loved frozen tofu. The duck blood was tender, the tofu had soaked up all the broth, both were delicious, so they didn’t pay it much mind.
Song Dad muttered, “Can it really be that good?”
Song Mom sighed, “All these years, thanks to your dad, I’ve had enough of fish.”
Song Dad immediately didn’t dare say a word, quietly picking up a piece of belly meat.
He dipped it in the spicy sauce before putting it in his mouth. Hot pot base was really something—most foods tasted better after a roll in it.
But as soon as he tasted the fish, his eyebrows lifted in surprise.
As a middle-aged man who loved fishing, he actually knew a thing or two about fish.
He could tell, just from seeing how lively the fish was after spending a night in their place and splashing water everywhere in the kitchen, that the place that raised this fish must have great water quality.
But he didn’t expect it to taste like this!
Tender, soft, fresh, sweet!
The spicy flavor he’d purposely added seemed completely unnecessary.
The palate that used to be sick of fish now didn’t mind at all, and he instinctively gobbled it up.
Glancing at Song Mom, who’d been upset just a moment ago—she already felt plagued enough by her husband’s fishing habit, and now her daughter seemed to love fish too—but now, her eyes were wide with surprise, and she was quickly reaching for more.
Seeing their reactions, Song Ming was smug, “Didn’t I say so?! Everything my friend sells is delicious. Even those Mulberry Fruit I brought back—you two didn’t want them at first…”
Mulberry Fruit was everywhere, and it sold for thirty-one per jin.
It was one thing for someone to give a bit as a gift, but their daughter even bought some with her own money—they’d felt sorry for her wallet at first.
Of course, after tasting it, they didn’t feel bad anymore.
At this moment, the two kept their heads down, Song Mom eating big bites of fish, mumbling, “Mm, mm, you’re right! Ah, this fish is so good!”
Song Dad took a piece from the tail, savoring it carefully.
The fish tail was often exercised, so the meat there was especially firm and smooth. If not for the bones, he could slurp it right down his throat.
He couldn’t help but exclaim, “This fish is really great. I wonder what kind of water it was raised in—must’ve taken a lot of effort to maintain the source.”
Song Mom, seeing her husband so happy, also took some tail meat and nodded with satisfaction, “Just too many bones, what a pity.”
Song Dad: “That’s just how freshwater fish are. But the meat is really tender. Fish raised in good water are even tastier than sea fish! I remember eating a kind of fish when I was a kid, caught from the Longjiang—it was delicious. This one tastes pretty close to that.”
Song Ming was curious, “What kind of fish was it? Can we still buy it now? Even if it’s expensive, I’d like to try!”
She had truly experienced what it meant for quality ingredients to bring out supreme flavor!
Song Dad: “Can’t buy it anymore—it’s a First-Class Protected Fish.”
Song Ming:
As they chatted, their chopsticks never slowed. Song Ming was listening until she suddenly realized something was wrong and hurriedly joined the scramble for fish, “Dad, Mom, save some for me!”
The carp was only two jin to begin with, and now more than half was gone!
Seeing the fish nearly finished, she carefully picked a piece from the edge, with fin and a large patch of fish skin.
The skin, fried first then boiled, was a little wrinkled and full of spicy flavor.
With one bite, the grilled fish’s spiciness burst in her mouth. After savoring the tender, spicy fish skin, she nibbled the fin, pulling the tender meat off and swallowing it smoothly.
Song Ming was so satisfied she stomped her feet twice.
So delicious!
But there wasn’t much fish left!
Song Dad and Song Mom, sneaking bites: … guilty.
They’d accidentally eaten a bit too much.
Maybe they should restrain themselves and save some for their daughter?
But as their tongues recalled the taste of that fish, their hands reached out for more. They could only offer some consolation, “We’re saving it, saving it—why don’t you ask your friend to reserve two more?”
Song Ming reminded them, “It’s fifty-one per jin.”
Song Dad and Song Mom: “!”
Their chopsticks paused.
But soon, after a couple more bites, the two gritted their teeth, “We’ll buy! We’ll pay for it, don’t worry!”
Song Ming cheered, “Alright! I’ll make sure to buy the biggest ones!”
And so… she ended up stuffed full after “fighting” for the fish with her parents.
The fish was long gone.
She’d eaten a lot of rice, too.
Only the usual favorite side dishes were mostly left—there’d be plenty for dinner.
This grilled fish really went well with rice.
After overeating, she felt a bit sluggish, so she went to lie down in her room for a while before remembering her phone. Once she started chatting, she discovered her friend wasn’t selling fish for the time being!
Song Ming felt crushed.
She hadn’t had enough!
At that moment, another message came in:
[Jiang Heng: When I catch fish in a few days, I’ll save two for you?]
Song Ming instantly revived at full power.
[Song Ming: Yes!!!]
[Song Ming: I’ll pay the original price, okay~]
[Jiang Heng: No problem]
Song Ming was relieved—good thing they’d exchanged contacts, so she could always get in through the “back door.”
Hehe~
Just before four o’clock, Jiang Heng headed downstairs.
Feeling refreshed.
Because she had reached the Second Layer of Qi Refining!
After ten days of cultivation, she broke through again. This speed was much faster than even in the Cultivation World.
Besides her previous experience, she owed it all to the endless supply of Spiritual Energy.
Of course, the difference between Qi Refining First Layer and Second Layer of Qi Refining wasn’t much.
In the Cultivation World, she was still a rookie, but in this technology-driven world where no one could cultivate, Jiang Heng could now easily carry several hundred jin!
Like her Three-Wheeled Vehicle—if the road was blocked, she could just carry it over.
The thought made Jiang Heng laugh to herself.
As soon as she reached the downstairs, she heard the sound of puppy paws tapping on the tile.
Getting closer and closer.