Chapter 24: The Watchtower

Wading in the water and playing until tired, Zi Yan slipped into the nearby Farmhouse Restaurant for a short rest.

Zheng Quan said they would have lunch here, trying the local farmhouse dishes, and wouldn’t return to Luguang Shanse just yet.

The wait for the dishes to be cooked was a bit dull. Zi Yan lay on the bed inside the farmhouse restaurant, wanting to scroll through his phone to find something interesting to pass the time.

But maybe because this place was too far from the town, his phone kept switching between 4G and 2G, sometimes even losing signal altogether for a while.

Shouldn’t someone complain about how underdeveloped the rural infrastructure in Lake City is?

Putting down his phone, Zi Yan closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. The sound of fire crackling from the kitchen next door, where the wood for the stove was burning, was comforting to his ears.

This must be what they mean by the earthy countryside atmosphere.

Earlier, Zi Yan had followed Zheng Quan to order food at this farmhouse restaurant. Perhaps because the farmhouse was about to close, there was no menu.

They had to look at what ingredients were available and then simply tell the owner what kind of dishes they wanted.

In the farmhouse’s freezer, there were a few small Baibai Fish left. Zheng Quan ordered one to be braised in soy sauce.

Speaking of this Baibai Fish, the farmhouse owner and chef, an Uncle, proudly assured them that all the Baibai Fish in his restaurant were purely wild-caught.

Even the frozen ones were much fresher than those farm-raised Baibai Fish.

The fish weighed just over two jin (about a kilogram). This single fish cost Zheng Quan nearly three hundred yuan.

Then Zheng Quan noticed some eggplants in the refrigerated cabinet and ordered a serving of braised eggplant in soy sauce.

“Dear, do you want to eat anything else?” Zheng Quan asked Zi Yan.

“We’ve already ordered the braised Baibai Fish and the braised eggplant…” Zi Yan said.

He thought about it and figured the Baibai Fish would definitely have bones, making it a bit troublesome to eat.

The braised eggplant seemed quite oily, so he suggested ordering an additional scrambled egg dish.

After all, Zheng Quan had invited Xiao Chen to eat with them. With three people dining, even if the restaurant’s portions were large, the amount might still not be enough.

Just as Zheng Quan was about to order more dishes, the farmhouse owner and chef waved his hand.

“For three people, two dishes are actually enough.”

The Uncle was straightforward, thinking it would be wasteful. Zheng Quan wasn’t allowed to order more.

“Don’t worry, I guarantee you’ll be full!”

Seeing the Uncle’s stubbornness, Zheng Quan didn’t insist any further. If it wasn’t enough later, they could just order more.

The wood burning for the stove gave off a fresh fragrance.

Before long, the strong aroma of the dishes drifted over from the kitchen next door. Zi Yan caught the scent, and his appetite was awakened.

“The food’s ready!”

The Uncle carried the dishes in steadily and placed them on the table in front of the bed.

“Thank you,” Zheng Quan said, and he and Xiao Chen sat down at the table.

While waiting for the food, Zheng Quan and Xiao Chen had been chatting on the sofa inside about the recent development of Lake City and Yongcheng.

Xiao Chen said that in recent years, Lake City’s overall growth had slowed, and it wasn’t easy to make money anymore. He himself had paid to get his taxi license and worked as a taxi driver.

When he took on private guiding jobs at Qingling Lake, he drove his own car there and handed over his taxi to someone else on shift.

Tourism at Qingling Lake had decreased in recent years. Relying solely on private guiding wasn’t enough to support a family, so he had to find other ways to earn money.

“The Baibai Fish will be ready soon, you guys start eating first,” the chef Uncle said.

Because the fish was frozen solid, it would still take some time to cook through. But the scrambled eggs and braised eggplant cooked quickly and were brought out early.

Zi Yan finally understood why the Uncle said two dishes were enough for three people.

The plates were huge, at least thirty centimeters in diameter, and piled high with food, some of it stacked up.

The chef Uncle kindly added a plate of smashed cucumbers sprinkled with salt. Next to the cucumbers were corn and potatoes roasted over the stove’s firewood.

For three people, two dishes were indeed enough.

“Let’s eat together,” Zheng Quan said as he picked up some braised eggplant and scooped up a bowl of white rice, speaking to Xiao Chen.

“Big brother, you guys are really kind,” Xiao Chen smiled, thanking them.

Zi Yan grabbed a roasted corn cob and bit into it. The sweet, fragrant corn was not sticky at all.

Xiao Chen said, “For private guides like us, we usually bring our own lunch and dinner. Only occasionally do we get invited to eat with kind people like you.”

Just now, when Zheng Quan and the others went to find Xiao Chen in the car, Xiao Chen was about to chew on some bread he had brought.

“But sometimes, it really hurts,” Xiao Chen said between bites. “The year before last, I received a family of three tourists from Modu. When it came to lunch, they said, ‘We’re going out to eat ourselves; we won’t prepare anything for you. You have to manage on your own.’”

Xiao Chen smiled, but this time with a helpless expression.

“I would have handled lunch myself anyway, but being told ‘impossible’ like that doesn’t feel good.”

“Are people from big cities all like that?”

“…”

Zheng Quan listened quietly without responding.

…

The Baibai Fish was the last dish to arrive at lunch. Although it weighed only a bit over two jin, the white, tender belly meat soaked in the dark brown braised sauce looked plump and appetizing in clear contrast.

The aroma of the Baibai Fish’s freshness mixed with the fragrant garlic and the restaurant’s special sauce was mouthwatering.

Zheng Quan deliberately left the part of the fish belly with fewer fine bones for Zi Yan. Zi Yan ate cautiously, picking out the bones as he took each bite.

The Baibai Fish’s meat was tender and even better when dipped in the braised sauce. Zi Yan savored every bite, lips and teeth lingering with fragrance.

After a long meal, they set off again, arriving at Qingling West Lake by two in the afternoon.

The management here was much stricter than at East Lake. Xiao Chen could only park in the rest area and wait for them to return.

“There’s an observation tower here. You can see the whole Qingling Lake from the top. After that, I’ll take you to West Lake Beach, where you can ride yachts and helicopters. Then there’s the newly built Specimen Museum and Wetland Park,” Xiao Chen said.

The observation tower was nine stories tall. By the time Zi Yan reached the top, he was panting, looking much like the chubby boy from Huangniu Village who once carried meat inside.

The tempered glass railing on the top floor had a spiderweb crack on one panel. The staff said it was made by some mischievous kids throwing stones.

Tempered glass, huh? What kind of kids can break it like that?

Zi Yan was a little curious but quickly stopped thinking about the glass. He rested his hands on the railing and leaned out slightly to gaze into the distance—

The thin morning mist floating on the lake that they had seen earlier at Luguang Shanse had long since dissipated. Without that ethereal haze, the entire lake was fully visible, appearing fresh and clear.

The sun had shifted a few degrees westward, making the line between the sky and the mountain ridge on the shore particularly distinct.

The dividing line between the mountain base and the lake water was also exceptionally clear.

“Dada da da.”

He faintly heard the sound of a helicopter running. In the distance, a tiny black speck of a helicopter flew between the lake and the mountains, surely carrying tourists enjoying the scenery.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a flock of pure white birds—too unfamiliar to name — flew close in front of Zi Yan.

They flew off into the distance, gradually growing smaller until they disappeared completely.