Lakeside Night Camp

Chuigan was a dish unique to the Bai people. Fresh pork liver was inflated, rubbed with salt, then hung out to dry in the wind and sun. When it was time to eat, it was sliced directly and served cold with seasonings.

Shengpi was raw pigskin. The hair was burned off over fire, and the skin had to be roasted until cooked, then the blackened surface was scraped away, washed clean, sliced into strips, and tossed with seasonings.

Lin Qiye tried a little. To be honest, the texture was all right; it was just that this kind of specialty food felt a little strange.

But none of these were the main dishes they had prepared. The true star of the barbecue was still in the lake.

Three wooden boats came across the distant surface of the lake.

Once the wooden boats reached shore, they invited Lin Qiye and Tian Nina aboard to join in the fishing.

It was hard to refuse such warm hospitality, and they were genuinely curious too, so the two of them boarded the swaying wooden boat.

There was a wooden oar at the stern, and the Bai youth asked if the two of them wanted to try rowing for fun.

Lin Qiye shook his head. Tian Nina, however, was quite interested and sat over there, pulling hard on the oar.

Unfortunately, she could not get the hang of it at all. The wooden boat spun in place, drawing a burst of laughter.

Tian Nina, having given up on the idea of continuing to row, returned to her original seat and chose to watch the entire special fishing process from the sidelines.

They did not use fishing nets or hooks. Instead, each boat carried a fish hawk, also known as a cormorant.

When the owner judged that there was a school of fish in the nearby waters, he removed the fish hawk's muzzle and let it enter the water.

The moment the fish hawk entered the water, it became a Challenger Rank, diving nimbly beneath the surface, circling and darting swiftly about. Basically, it caught something every time.

And at that moment, the fish hawk would surface with a big fish in its mouth and swim toward the side of the boat on its own. The owner would also stretch the net bag over, and while the fish hawk stood on the net bag, he would take the fish from its beak and toss it into the net bag.

The fish hawk on Lin Qiye's boat was the largest, caught fish the fastest, and the fish it caught were the biggest too.

With man and fish hawk working together, it did not take long for them to have a basket of fish. The Bai youth was not greedy either, and turned the boat around to head back.

Once the boat reached shore, Tian Nina could not wait to get off, but she was also very concerned about that basket of fish.

She asked expectantly, "What kind of fish are all these?"

The young man poured the catch into a basin filled with water, prodded the fish, and introduced them aloud. "Mostly crucian carp, and there are some carp too. Huh, good luck. We caught a Gong Fish. This kind of fish is delicious, but there are too few of them, so they're hard to catch."

The so-called Gong Fish was also called tribute fish. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the Nanzhao Kingdom had offered this kind of fish as tribute to Chang'an.

It was a specialty economic fish of Erhai Lake.

But as industrialized fishing increased, the number of Gong Fish plummeted sharply, and now it had become a rare fish.

While they chatted on this side, the other two boats returned as well.

They began processing the catch, cutting open the various fish and removing the innards, then scraping off the scales. They used short knives to score decorative cuts into the fish, then marinated them to let the flavor soak in.

Then they brought over long stone slabs, set them above the fire, and once the slabs had heated up, poured on oil and began pan-grilling.

When both sides were browned and crisp, they sprinkled on Sichuan pepper salt, chili powder, chopped scallions, and grains of salt.

And with that, a Bai-style stone-slab Grilled Fish was done.

There was not only Grilled Fish, but also the local Fish Tofu Hotpot, or rather, Casserole Fish Tofu.

This dish had been specially prepared for the Gong Fish they had caught.

Gong Fish chunks, soft tofu, slices of ham, tender chicken pieces, shiitake mushrooms, egg rolls, slices of cured pork, Nanzhu bamboo shoot slices, and fresh meatballs were placed into a casserole, then simmered together in one pot.

Among them, the Gong Fish and soft tofu were the main ingredients. The Gong Fish meat was tender and fresh, and under high heat, its proteins dissolved into the soup, combining with the other ingredients to become a pot of delicious, savory broth, which was then absorbed by the soft tofu.

So the soft tofu was the soul of this dish.

After a flurry of work, the food was more or less ready. Everyone sat around the bonfire, drinking beer and reveling to their hearts' content.

All kinds of Bai specialties, as well as Tian Nina's Hungarian roast meat, fully comforted everyone's hungry stomachs.

Stimulated by the alcohol, the local youths fully displayed their love of music.

A young man held a Dragon-head Sanxian and accompanied himself while singing Bai songs, while the others danced around the fire.

Tian Nina and Lin Qiye, who had originally been sitting and watching, were no exception. Under their enthusiastic invitation, they joined the group dancing around the fire.

Gradually, the night grew deep. Their interest in playing faded, and the youths took their leave.

Before leaving, they put out the fire and cleaned up the trash, taking it away with them.

Throughout the entire process, everyone got along harmoniously, yet they had not even asked one another's names.

This was the tacit understanding between young people. No interests, no disputes, no formalities—just playing for the sake of playing. Why care whether they would meet again in the future?

Watching them leave with torches in hand, Tian Nina moved closer to Lin Qiye. "It's so dark here. I'm scared."

The surroundings were silent, with only the occasional chirp of insects and strange noises.

Lin Qiye felt a little creeped out too.

After all, the Intelligent AI he possessed currently had no way to conjure up a robot to protect him.

He pressed the key, and the RV's headlights lit up, only then driving back the darkness.

"Let's get in."

"Mm."

The two of them walked into the RV and shut the door properly.

Just then, Tian Nina's phone rang again.

There was no need to guess who was calling. After Tian Nina picked up, she complained, "Dad, stop calling all the time. I'm fine."

The voice on the phone was very loud. In such a quiet environment, Lin Qiye, who was standing not far away, could hear it too.

"How can I not worry? Your mother agreed to you dating, but she never said we'd stop caring. She told me to keep an eye on you so nothing happens."

"I'm fine, you... you..." Tian Nina was so anxious she could not get the words out.

"You child, give the phone to that Lin. I have something to say to him."

Lin Qiye took the phone. "Uncle, I'm Lin Qiye."

"You brat, listen up. We'll put aside the matter of you coaxing my daughter for now. I just want you to make me one promise. During these few days of National Day, you behave yourself. No getting handsy."

"Oh, don't worry. I absolutely won't get handsy."

"Hey, are you playing word games with me? No using your mouth either. If anything happens to my Dani, I'll tear you apart."

With words like that, any hot-blooded youngster would probably have already started yelling back at Tian Nina's father.

But Lin Qiye did not. Although he had never been a father, most of his colleagues and friends before he transmigrated had children. Putting himself in the man's shoes, he knew the other party was genuinely worried about his daughter.

Matters of the heart had to be built over time. Since he truly liked her, he had to let her family feel at ease.

Lin Qiye replied very sincerely, "Uncle, I swear to you, I'll definitely do it. If you're still worried, you can call every day to check in."

The other party's tone finally softened a little. "That's more like it. I know you're in an RV. Have Dani send me photos in a bit."

"Okay, Uncle."

Lin Qiye handed the phone back, and Tian Nina said a few more words before hanging up.

"I'm sorry, I..." Tian Nina did not know what to say.

"It's fine. If I were a girl, my parents would be the same. Besides, we've only just started dating. It really wouldn't be good to move too fast."

Such an honest answer made Tian Nina's sadness turn into a smile.

"All right, then I'm going to sleep. Good night."

"Wait."

Lin Qiye walked over, leaned in, and tapped his nose against hers.

"Good night. Your dad never said our noses couldn't touch."

"You big radish head." Laughing out loud, Tian Nina walked into the bedroom.

Lin Qiye also lay down on the floor bedding. After a whole day of fun, they really were tired. With the light still on, the two of them drifted off to sleep.