"Alright, I'll gather the village representatives in the ancestral hall tonight, and you can speak to them then," Liu Huogen said, a man of action.
He disliked procrastination once he made a promise, which was why he was re-elected village chief after retirement.
Liu Yifeng nodded, "Okay, thank you, Second Grandpa!"
"You child, you're being too polite with me. Besides, this is a good thing, and I have no reason to refuse."
After a brief chat, Liu Yifeng left.
He walked to the crayfish pond wearing his straw hat, wanting to check if the crayfish had laid eggs yet.
However, the result was obvious: no eggs.
But he wasn't disappointed, because Tongtong had said it would take at least three to four days from mating to egg-laying for crayfish. It was only the second day, so there was no rush.
As long as the crayfish were all lively, he was fine. His only fear was that they might die naturally after being in the pond for too long.
It was a shame, though, that he wouldn't be able to sell crayfish for half a month.
He made sixty to seventy thousand yuan daily just from selling crayfish, which would amount to nearly a million in half a month.
It was hard not to feel the pinch from such a significant loss of income.
However, the thought of being able to breed his own fry in the future, having as many crayfish as he wanted, made it all worthwhile.
Meanwhile, the boss who sold crayfish to Liu Yifeng was ecstatic upon hearing that there were no more large crayfish on the market.
His clients, who bought crayfish from him, were clearly demanding larger quantities than before.
"Hmph, trying to leech off him? Not a chance," he thought.
But he didn't know that once Liu Yifeng's crayfish started laying eggs, his own crayfish sales would suffer even more.
It was past eleven o'clock when he returned home. Tongtong was drawing.
He hadn't drawn much recently, but he still did so occasionally.
Not for money, but to prevent his skills from regressing.
Only through consistent practice would his drawing skills improve.
Seeing Tongtong drawing intently, Liu Yifeng didn't disturb him.
He then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
The watermelons were still in the field; with over three thousand of them, they couldn't all be harvested at once.
After cleaning the abalone, prawns, and crucian carp from the refrigerator, Liu Yifeng went to start the fire.
Just as the oil heated up, he heard his third uncle's voice from the living room.
"Yifeng, Yifeng? Are you home?"
Liu Yifeng, still holding a spatula, walked over.
He saw his third uncle and Liu Kaichen carrying many things.
"I'm cooking. These are some nutritional supplements for your father and toys for your son that Kaichen bought. I'll put them on the table," Liu Chasheng said with a smile, placing the items on the dining table.
Seeing Liu Kaichen, Liu Yifeng knew why they had come.
But it was a futile visit; he would never agree.
"Yifeng, are you cooking? I'll help you with the fire," Liu Kaichen offered solicitously.
Without waiting for Liu Yifeng to refuse, he went straight to the kitchen.
In the past, helping with chores was out of the question for him.
Just as Liu Yifeng was about to refuse, he heard Liu Kaichen exclaim, "Yifeng, the pot is on fire!"
He suddenly remembered the oil in the pot and rushed to the kitchen. Seeing Liu Kaichen about to pour water into the pot to extinguish the flames, he yelled in alarm, "Don't pour water!"
Startled by his shout, Liu Kaichen froze, a basin of water in his hands, which he ultimately did not pour.
Liu Yifeng was surprised that Liu Kaichen not only lacked experience in life but also common sense.
Could one really pour water into a burning pot? Doing so would cause an explosion.
He himself was fine, being at a distance.
But Liu Kaichen might have been disfigured.
Ignoring the stunned Liu Kaichen, he grabbed the pot lid and covered the pot.
Then, he used tongs to remove the burning embers and placed them in water.
The reason the pot caught fire was the excessive heat.
Liu Chasheng, who had come over upon hearing the commotion, saw the basin of water in his son's hands and the embers Liu Yifeng had removed. He realized his son had almost done something foolish.
He took the basin from his son, his heart still pounding, "My dear son, how could you think of pouring water to put out a fire in a pot!
The splashing oil from that water could have disfigured you. You truly have no common sense in life."
It wasn't entirely Liu Kaichen's fault. Because of his good grades since childhood, he was never made to do farm work.
Unlike other children who started learning to cook at seven or eight, went to herd cattle, and did all sorts of chores.
His only responsibility was to study well, so he had never encountered such a situation.
That's why his first instinct upon seeing fire was to douse it with water.
Now, being lectured by his father made him feel very embarrassed.
Fortunately, Liu Yifeng had stopped him in time. Otherwise, if he had been disfigured, his life would have been ruined.
Especially since he wasn't married yet; who would marry him if he was disfigured?
"Yifeng, I'm truly sorry, Iā¦"
"It's fine, but if you encounter this situation again, never pour water into it. Disfigurement is a minor issue; if the flames were to spread to you, you could lose your life."
Hearing this, Liu Kaichen felt even more fearful and was now even more reluctant to cook.
As the fire in the stove subsided, the flames in the pot gradually extinguished.
Liu Yifeng opened the pot lid. The oil was still smoking, but there were no more open flames.
He said, "I haven't started cooking yet. We can talk about whatever it is later!"
Since they were asking for a favor, Liu Kaichen couldn't rush him. "Then you cook first. I have nothing else to do, and I can help you with the fire."
"Perhaps not. You've never done housework since you were a child. How can I let you do this? I'll do it myself." Liu Yifeng dared not let him manage the fire.
What if he was careless and poked a hole in the pot?
"It's okay. Although I haven't started a fire, I've seen pigs run, haven't I? Leave this to me.
Besides, my dad and I are having lunch here, and it wouldn't be right to eat without doing some work!" With that, he took the tongs from Liu Yifeng's hand without permission and started tending the fire with a semblance of skill.
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng let him be.
Liu Chasheng also helped Liu Yifeng by his side, not mentioning anything about asking for favors.
Whether they spoke of it or not, Liu Yifeng knew the outcome.
Originally, Liu Yifeng hadn't planned to cook many dishes, but seeing that both father and son were staying for lunch, he decided to cook all the seafood that Du Ziheng had gifted him.
Otherwise, if it wasn't enough, they might think he was stingy!
Liu Yifeng used two pots simultaneously to speed up the cooking.
He made a tofu and crucian carp soup. The method for this soup was slightly different from the usual.
He first pan-fried the crucian carp until golden brown on both sides, then mashed it. After that, he poured in well water and boiled it until it was simmering.
Finally, using a fine-mesh strainer, he scooped out all the fish residue, leaving only the soup behind.
Fortunately, the crucian carp Du Ziheng had given him was large, so the bones were also large and easy to scoop out.
After repeating this process several times, Liu Yifeng added the pre-cut tofu.
Since the soup was already very flavorful, Liu Yifeng only added a pinch of salt for seasoning and some pepper to remove any fishy smell.
He had to admit, the crucian carp soup made this way had a beautiful milky white color, making it very appetizing.