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Shi Wen said, "My name is Shi Wen. Shi as in time, Wen as in 'long admired.' It was nothing, don't mention it."

Only then did the two of them let go of each other's hands.

Shi Wen lowered his hand to his side, lightly clenched it, then relaxed it. Yan Kexing's hand was a full size larger than his.

Yan Kexing said, "I know who you are."

As he spoke, Yan Kexing's gaze fell on Shi Wen's mud-spattered clothes and overalls.

Shi Wen looked down at himself. "I was just clearing out the ranch ditches, right over there. Would you like to come to my place for some tea? I caught some fish just now, so why not stay for lunch? This gentleman—Gong Jiang—looks a little frightened. Some tea might help him calm down."

Shi Wen looked at Yan Kexing expectantly. Just when he thought Yan Kexing would refuse, the man gave a slight nod. "Sorry to trouble you."

The three of them led their horses around to the main entrance and walked into the ranch.

Shi Wen closed the fence behind them. "I only got back recently, so I haven't had time to tidy up the ranch. It's a little messy, but the grass is growing well. You can let the horses loose and have them graze here."

The ranch was so large that even if the horses grazed freely, they would not get in the lambs' way.

Shi Wen pointed at the large bucket ahead. "I was clearing the ditch over there. The ranch ditches may be small, but there are quite a lot of fish in them."

Yan Kexing and Gong Jiang released their horses and followed Shi Wen over to the bucket.

After working all morning, he had filled it halfway. Looking down from above, it was packed with dark fish backs.

Yan Kexing glanced at it and said, "One Class I, one Class II. You're pretty lucky."

Shi Wen said, "W-what?!"

Shi Wen quickly realized what he meant, and now it was his turn for his face to go pale.

He hurriedly pulled out his phone and unlocked it. "I felt something was off while I was catching fish, and I was just about to look it up. Look, I already had the page open, I just didn't get the chance!"

Just then, the page Shi Wen had opened loaded. The fish he had identified through a photo appeared on the screen—Chinese Paddlefish, a nationally protected Class I animal.

Shi Wen was speechless.

What terrible luck!

In a flurry, Shi Wen carefully fished out the Chinese Paddlefish and returned it to the ditch. "I'm very law-abiding!"

Gong Jiang was a beat slower in catching on to what they were discussing, then spoke up for Shi Wen. "Accidental catches do happen sometimes. It'll be fine as long as it's released."

Shi Wen nodded repeatedly. "I was planning to identify every fish before catching them anyway."

Yan Kexing took out his phone and snapped a photo of the Chinese Paddlefish. Without looking up, he said, "I know. I was just reminding you."

"Thanks for the reminder." Shi Wen reached into the bucket and pulled out the other fish he did not recognize. This was the one he was least familiar with, so if there was a problem, it could only be this one.

Shi Wen put the fish back into the water and tipped the bucket halfway over for them to see. "The rest must be fine. They're all River Perch, Crucian Carp, and Swamp Eels. I know those."

Yan Kexing took another photo. "The fish you just pulled out is called a Schizothorax Fish."

Shi Wen cautiously asked, "Is the Schizothorax Fish a Class II protected animal?"

Yan Kexing looked up and smiled at Shi Wen.

So it was. Shi Wen immediately felt his cheeks heat up. He set the bucket down properly. "That's why you should stay for lunch. You can help keep an eye on things for me."

Yan Kexing said, "Sorry to impose."

Shi Wen said, "Don't mention it! It's getting late, so it's about time to start cooking. What would you like for lunch? How about hot pot?"

Shi Wen's cooking was nothing special, but he could hardly go wrong with hot pot. The hot pot base and the sliced beef and lamb in the refrigerator were ready-made. All he needed to do was prepare the fish, slice some potatoes, wash some cabbage, and they would be set.

The three of them headed toward Shi Wen's house.

Shi Wen had only recently cleaned his home and disinfected it inside and out, so it looked exceptionally tidy.

Shi Wen set the bucket by the well and brought the two of them into the living room for tea. "Have a seat first. I'll go clean the fish."

Once everything was ready, Shi Wen awkwardly set himself up beside the well.

Whenever he ate fish before, he had always left the cleaning to the fishmonger. He had never handled it himself, and now, faced with lively wild fish, he could not quite bring himself to act freely.

After struggling by the well for quite some time, he had not managed to clean a single fish.

Yan Kexing came out of the house. "Let me do it."

Shi Wen held the knife but did not dare hand it over. "Are you sure?"

Yan Kexing said, "We conduct field surveys year-round. I'm a little more sure than you are."

Shi Wen said, "...Then I'll go slice vegetables in the kitchen."

Yan Kexing said, "Have Gong Jiang go with you. Gong Jiang—"

Gong Jiang hurriedly answered from inside the house, "Okay!"

With all three of them working together, the hot pot was soon set up.

Looking at the plates of crystal-clear fish slices, Shi Wen said to Yan Kexing, "Mr. Yan, you must cook at home often, right?"

Yan Kexing said, "Occasionally."

Shi Wen said, "Your family must be so lucky to get to eat your cooking."

Yan Kexing's gaze lingered on Shi Wen for an extra second. "I live alone."

Shi Wen smiled. "I see. When you live alone, you have to do everything yourself."

The soup soon came to a boil, and the three of them stopped chatting as they hurried to cook the meat.

The freshly sliced fish was thin and tender, needing only a few seconds in the fiery broth to cook through.

Perhaps because it was wild cold-water fish, the flesh was exceptionally fresh and tender. Shi Wen felt that it melted apart with the slightest press of his tongue, its sweet freshness filling his mouth.

He could not taste any fishiness at all, only the rich fragrance of the flesh.

This fish was so delicious!

Before tasting the fish, Shi Wen had devoted eighty percent of his attention to Yan Kexing. After tasting it, only twenty percent remained. He focused entirely on eating, feeling that the fish was so delicious it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Yan Kexing also lightly dipped a piece of blanched snow-white fish into the sauce dish. After tasting it, he said, "The fish here is good."

Shi Wen picked up the thread. "Right? I think it's delicious too."

Gong Jiang said, "I've eaten so many kinds of fish, but the fish here can rival fish caught at sea."