Poisoning in the Dead of Night

Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye, marking the last day of work for the year at the factory.

Work wouldn't resume until the eighth day of the first lunar month next year.

After getting off work, as soon as Lin Zhen entered the courtyard, Third Master greeted him with a smile, "Lin Zhen, do you have plans for tomorrow?"

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"I was hoping to borrow your bicycle tomorrow. You have two, right? Lend me one, and Jie Fang and I can each take one to go fishing by the lake."

He had clearly tasted the benefits of fishing last week. His eldest, Yan Jiecheng, had taken his wife back to her parents' home, so Third Master had dragged his second son, Yan Jiefang, along to the lake.

Lin Zhen shook his head and chuckled, "Not this time, Third Master. I'm planning to go fishing tomorrow too. I'll be using both bicycles, one for Lou Xiao'e and one for myself."

"Oh, is that so? Then I can't borrow the fishing rods and shrimp traps either, I suppose."

"Hahaha, I help those in urgent need, not those who are always poor. You've already helped Yan Jiecheng with his wedding, so you don't have any pressing matters. Of course, I need to use them myself."

The next day, after breakfast, Lin Zhen took his wife and children to the lake in the suburbs.

Third Master had already arrived early, at the same spot where Lin Zhen had had success last time. He had already caught five or six crucian carp.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, most people were busy preparing for the festivities after their work units closed for the holidays. There was hardly anyone else ice fishing in the lake.

Looking around, apart from Lin Zhen's family, only Third Master was there.

In truth, the environment was much less polluted in those days, and any body of water in the wild was teeming with fish.

However, very few people actually had the time for wild fishing.

Rural folk were busy earning work points in the production team, and even the children were assigned tasks.

Want to catch fish in the river? Only if you've earned enough work points.

But those who had earned enough work points were exhausted after work and just wanted to rest, with no energy left to catch fish.

City workers had one day off each week, and most of them spent it queuing at supply and marketing cooperatives to buy goods.

Even with some free time, visiting relatives and friends would take up the whole day.

Work schedules were tight, and those who had the leisure time for wild fishing were, to put it mildly, few and far between.

"You're late! I've already caught five or six!" Yan Bugui said triumphantly upon seeing Lin Zhen arrive.

"Heh heh, Third Master, just because you arrived early doesn't mean you'll leave early. I'll have a full basket in a bit!"

Lin Zhen could quickly calculate the location of fish schools based on the water's current and terrain.

It was now eleven in the morning, and the ice on the river surface was not as thick as it had been earlier.

The fish that had overwintered were gathered by the sun-facing banks.

Lin Zhen used a wooden stick to pry open a section of ice and dropped in the shrimp trap baited with chicken bones.

He then found a sunny cove, pried open the ice near the bank, and scattered millet soaked in yellow wine to attract the fish.

The millet used for bait had been soaking for several days and was proving very effective, quickly activating the fish beneath the water.

"Wife, get ready to collect the fish." As Lin Zhen pulled up his line, a crucian carp weighing over eight taels was hooked.

For Lin Zhen, whose body techniques had reached maximum level, fishing required no traditional bait. He only needed to bait the area to attract the fish.

His eyesight was sharp, allowing him to see through several feet of water.

His grip was strong and firm, casting the fishing rod like a whip. The hook could easily catch a fish as it entered the water.

Third Master Yan Bugui was using bait to fish, while Lin Zhen was using his hook to snag fish underwater.

This skill was not something ordinary people could achieve. Without sharp eyes and powerful strength, it was simply out of the question.

Yan Bugui exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? You got a fish as soon as you cast? It seems I need to bait the area too!"

Lin Zhen didn't have time to chat with him. While the bait was still effective, he cast his line again and again, pulling fish onto the bank.

Lou Xiao'e was busy collecting the fish on the bank, while their four sons happily played nearby.

Five minutes later, Lin Zhen reeled in his line.

He moved to another spot, pried open the ice by the water's edge, and scattered the yellow wine-soaked millet.

Once the fish had gathered around, he continued to hook them directly with his fishing line.

The fish he caught were rarely hooked in the mouth; they were usually snagged in the belly or tail.

An hour later.

Lin Zhen had caught over twenty catties of fish, almost all of them crucian carp larger than his palm.

The shrimp trap also yielded over a catty of river shrimp.

"Not bad. Wild fishing is indeed worthwhile. Third Master, we've caught enough. We won't be chatting with you anymore, we're leaving now, hahaha."

Yan Bugui pursed his lips enviously, "You weren't chatting with me either; you were just fishing the whole time."

"As long as we've caught enough. It's not good to stay by the lake for too long. We'll chat when we get back."

Yan Bugui looked at the sky; it was already past noon. It was indeed not advisable to stay by the lake for too long.

He also hurriedly reeled in his line and headed home.

After the family of six arrived home, the four sons ran off to play, Lou Xiao'e started making lunch, and Lin Zhen cleaned the fish and shrimp.

Lou Xiao'e steamed over a pound of river shrimp for lunch.

All the crucian carp were made into vinegar and lees fish.

This type of preserved fish was troublesome to make, but it was sour, fragrant, tender, and fresh, with an endless aftertaste.

Lin Zhen had eaten it a few times before his transmigration. After arriving in this world with his culinary skills maxed out, his understanding of vinegar and lees fish deepened considerably.

He split the fish open, removed the gills, but did not scrape off the scales. After cleaning them, he laid them out one by one on a bamboo sieve and placed them in the sun to dry.

They needed to be dried in clear weather for at least three days, allowing two-thirds of the moisture to evaporate from the crucian carp before proceeding to the next step.

As Lin Zhen was preparing the fish, Silly Zhu returned from outside.

Seeing this, he chuckled, "Not scraping off the scales, are you making wine-preserved fish? Want me to teach you?"

Lin Zhen smiled, "Go away. A defeated opponent dares to challenge me again? I'm preparing to make vinegar and lees fish."

Silly Zhu scoffed, "Vinegar and lees fish? The kind you braise overnight? It'll be too sour, it's hard to get right. Listen to me, just make sweet and sour preserved fish for the kids. This is over twenty pounds, right? It'd be a shame to ruin it by braising."

"Haha, you don't need to worry about it. I'll let you try it when it's done in a few days."

"Alright! If you really pull it off on the first try, I'll steal your technique."

"Stealing techniques is not allowed. If you want to learn, you have to properly kowtow and become my disciple!"

"Get lost. Don't brag. Let's see it when it's done!"

Spring arrived early this year, with the start of spring on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Coupled with several days of clear skies and warm sunshine, the crucian carp dried out in three days.

On the evening of the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lin Zhen brushed a layer of honey onto the dried crucian carp.

He then laid a layer of prepared spices and scallions and ginger on the bottom of the pot.

Next, he arranged the fish one by one with their heads facing the center.

He then added another layer of scallions and ginger, followed by more fish.

After arranging the fish, he mixed a pound of vinegar, three taels of soy sauce, and a small amount of salt with cold water. He added this to the pot until it covered the fish.

After bringing it to a boil over high heat, he reduced the heat to a low simmer.

He simmered it from 8 PM until 1 AM before turning off the heat and letting it braise overnight.

While Lin Zhen was enjoying the process of making vinegar and lees fish, the entire courtyard was driven to the brink of madness by him.

The aroma of the preserved fish had already spread throughout the courtyard, and it was more enticing than the smell wafting from the cooked food shops.

The crucian carp, which had already lost two-thirds of its moisture, had fully absorbed the marinade.

Lin Zhen had adjusted the marinade to a golden ratio.

Combined with his masterful control of the heat, the crucian carp and the various spices achieved a perfect fusion.

The penetrating aroma of vinegar pushed the integration of the fish and the sauce to a new peak.

The entire courtyard was filled with a intoxicatingly fresh, sour, and mellow fragrance.

Lin Zhen's actions were undoubtedly a late-night temptation.