Super Zoo

Men like it when a woman bats her eyes at them, but fellows like Zhao Yun, who had been married for many years, knew all too well that a wife batting her eyes for no reason was definitely not a good thing.

That flirtatious look meant that Zhao Yun could start doing hard labor!

"You wouldn't think of slacking off either. Come with me to kill the fish." The two of them carried a big basin full of fish to the backyard of Zhao Yun's villa and set it by the tap.

Zhao Yun turned out to be quite skilled at household chores. The fish were all thrashing about, but with a confident tap of the back of the kitchen knife behind their heads, Zhao Yun rendered them motionless. Then, with scissors, he swiftly sliced open their bellies and scooped out their innards.

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Watching, Suming's eyelids twitched. It was only fish they were killing, but with Zhao Yun's technique, he could have been a professional assassin. So, the two men began a bloody butchering task in the backyard of Zhao's house, which resembled a garden...

Chengcheng squatted to one side. The little girl was quite brave; she watched the bloody scene of killing fish without blushing or batting an eyelid. Unlike most little girls who would scream about cruelty, she instead perched on a small stool, thoroughly engrossed in watching, showing she truly was her father's daughter, likely to become adept at fish slaughtering in the future.

"How did your talk go with those few restaurants? Is there any chance for future business?" Zhao Yun asked, his hands covered in blood, as he casually plucked a clump of viscera from the belly of a blackfish and tossed it into the nearby trash can.

"I delivered a batch to each of them, and they all accepted it, paying me market price. But," Suming rinsed off a silver carp that had been gutted, saying, "it seems that they don't plan to order fish from me in the future. After I delivered the fish, they didn't keep my phone number or business card. I hinted at further business, and they didn't bite."

"I see..." Zhao Yun wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm, thought for a moment, and said, "That's understandable, after all, they're used to purchasing fish from Huating Reservoir, and changing suppliers suddenly carries certain risks. Let's take it slow. Since they bought this batch of fish from you, if the quality is good, we can discuss further."

That was true, but Suming was in urgent need of money. Without selling this batch of fish quickly, he wouldn't have the funds for many other things, such as investing in the brewery or developing the hillside behind his home.

"Otherwise, shall I step in to help you negotiate?" Zhao Yun offered.

Zhao Yun had good relationships with the owners of several restaurants, even holding shares in some. If he stepped in, they would definitely consider buying a portion of their fish from Suming to honor his rapport with them.

After thinking for a moment, Suming replied, "Let's not. If you step in, it would seem like I'm using connections to get favors. Even if they do purchase from me, it might not be a lot, and it could make everyone's situation awkward."

"As long as your fish is good, you shouldn't worry about sales," Zhao Yun said.

That was easy to say, but what defines good or bad? Average fish might not be discernible to most people. Besides, Suming didn't have the time to slowly explore the market; it would take too much time.

"So, what do you plan to do?" asked Zhao Yun.

"I do have a plan, something I thought of a long time ago, but I'm not sure whether it will work or not... Let's not talk about this now. We'll discuss it after lunch," Suming replied.

Zhao Yun looked at him curiously, "Why do I feel like you're talking as if you're about to eat a last meal..."

Suming laughed heartily, chopping off a fish head and swinging it about, "That's exactly what it is, a last meal."

Chengcheng clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Big brother, your knife skills are amazing!"

Zhao Yun: "..."

At noon, the Zhao family's meal was oddly 'lavish'.

It was called lavish because there were many dishes, a total of ten dishes and one soup with stir-fried, pan-fried, boiled, and deep-fried varieties, filling the entire table;

But it was odd because apart from that one soup, all ten dishes were fish-based, including spicy diced fish head, braised carp, pan-fried fish chunks, steamed bighead carp, tofu stewed with blackfish, fish soup...

Zhaoqian didn't dare to kill fish, but her cooking skills were pretty good. Even though they were all fish dishes, she managed a variety, so they didn't look monotonous on the table. With colorful seasonings and variously shaped plates, dishes, and bowls, it looked like a feast that was very appetizing.

"Let's start, let's start, Chengcheng eat slowly, don't choke on a bone!" Zhaoqian took off her apron and waved her hand with a burst of enthusiasm.

Suming and Su Meng weren't shy either, and started eating right away. Suming had been eating fish from his own lake quite often lately, so he was used to it, regardless if it was tasty or not. However, Zhaoqian's cooking skills were much better than his own, so he found himself enjoying the meal. Su Meng couldn't really care less about taste; he ate fish like a meat grinder, with the main goal of filling his stomach. Even if the fish was raw, he'd chew it up and swallow it down, leaving nothing behind, not even skin or bones.

The Zhao family of three ate their meal in a much more genteel manner compared to the two from the Su family. Zhao Yun casually picked up a piece of the braised carp's belly with his chopsticks and just as it reached his mouth, his eyes lit up. After smacking his lips a couple of times to finish the fish, he looked up at Zhaoqian with a smile, "It's very good, you've improved a lot recently."

"Stop flattering me, it's always been like this. There's no increase or decrease," retorted Zhaoqian coquettishly, then picked up a piece of the tofu that had been stewed along with the fish for Chengcheng, saying, "Eat more tofu, it's good for your health."

Chengcheng probably didn't like tofu that much, as she poked at it with her chopsticks, making a few honeycomb-like holes, then reluctantly sucked on her chopsticks.

"Wow, it's so fresh!" Chengcheng looked up with wide eyes and said in surprise.

"Are you trying to sweet-talk me like your dad? I cooked for you every day and never heard you say it was tasty," Zhaoqian said with a laugh.

"No, no, no." Chengcheng shook her head vigorously, her pigtails swinging back and forth, as she seriously said, "Mom, it's true, I'm not lying to you, your cooking skills have really improved, the tofu tastes pretty good." After finishing that small piece of tofu, she picked up another.

"Ah, you two, always saying nice things in front of Su." Women like to hear compliments, and although Zhaoqian knew that Zhao Yun and Chengcheng were probably just trying to make her happy, she was still quite delighted, scooping up a spoonful of fish soup and sipping it daintily.

After tasting it, Zhaoqian was stunned. She stared at the milky white fish soup and mumbled to herself, "That's not right, why is it so delicious? I didn't even add MSG?"

.........

PS: I just realized it's been over a month since I last asked for votes, no wonder I've been feeling off lately! Must request some votes!