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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 again. Yan Kexing's hand was a full size larger than his.

Yan Kexing said, "I know you."

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 just caught some fish. Why don't you stay for lunch? This—Gong Jiang—looks a little frightened. Some tea would 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 entered the ranch.

Shi Wen shut the fence behind them. "I only got back recently, so I haven't had time to fix the ranch up. It's a bit messy, but the grass has grown well. You can let the horses loose and let them graze here."

The ranch was so vast that even if the horses grazed freely, they would not disturb the lambs.

Shi Wen pointed at the large water 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 toward the bucket.

After working for half the morning, Shi Wen had filled it halfway. Looking down from above, all they could see was a dense mass of dark fish backs.

Yan Kexing took one look and said, "One Class I, one Class II. You're quite lucky."

Shi Wen said, "W-what?!"

Shi Wen quickly understood, and now it was his turn to go pale.

He hurriedly pulled out his phone and unlocked it. "I noticed something was off when I was catching fish. I was just about to look it up. See, I'd already opened the page—I just didn't have time!"

At that moment, the page Shi Wen had opened loaded. The fish he had photographed for identification appeared on his phone—Chinese Paddlefish, a nationally protected Class I animal.

Shi Wen said, "..."

What terrible luck!

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

Gong Jiang was a beat slow before he understood what they were talking about. He 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 everything before keeping any of them anyway."

Yan Kexing had taken out his phone to photograph 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 one was the most unfamiliar; if there was a problem, it could only be this one.

Shi Wen put the fish back into the water and tipped the bucket sideways for them to see. "The rest definitely aren't a problem. They're all River Perch, Crucian Carp, and Swamp Eels. I know all of them."

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

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

Yan Kexing looked up and smiled at Shi Wen.

So it was. Shi Wen's cheeks immediately grew warm. He set the bucket down properly. "That's why I'm asking you to stay for lunch. You can help me keep an eye on things."

Yan Kexing said, "Sorry for intruding."

Shi Wen said, "Don't be so polite! It's getting late. We should start cooking. What do you want for lunch? How about hotpot?"

Shi Wen's cooking skills were average, but he could not go wrong with hotpot. The soup base and sliced beef and lamb in the refrigerator were ready-made. Once they cleaned the fish, sliced some potatoes, and washed some Chinese cabbage, they would be all set.

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

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

Shi Wen placed the bucket beside the well and led the other two into the living room for tea. "Sit down for a while. I'll go clean the fish."

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

Whenever he ate fish in the past, he always had the vendor handle the cleaning. He had never done it himself. Now, faced with lively wild fish, he could not help feeling hesitant and clumsy.

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

Yan Kexing came out of the house. "I'll do it."

Shi Wen gripped the knife and 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 cut vegetables in the kitchen."

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

Gong Jiang immediately answered from inside, "Okay!"

With all three of them working together, the hotpot 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. It cooked after only a few seconds in the fiery red broth.

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

He could not taste any fishiness at all, only the rich aroma of the meat.

This fish was so delicious!

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

Yan Kexing lightly dipped a slice of snow-white cooked 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 sea-caught fish."