"Woof woof!"
Taotoubao was indignant at his owner's questioning.
Did you not even believe what this dog said?
Yesterday, when you invited me into your space, you also brought the three small fish from the pond in the backyard and released them into the pond.
There is indeed a small pond built next to the well in Cheng Xiaofan's backyard.
In recent days, Taotoubao has enjoyed releasing small fish and shrimp caught from the river into it. However, the fish released into the pond are usually only about two inches long.
He never expected that these small fish, after being released by Taotoubao into the pond in his space, would grow to over a foot long in the blink of an eye.
In fact, Cheng Xiaofan had already become accustomed to such abnormal phenomena occurring in his space and was not surprised at all.
"Potianying, are there any fish left in the pond?" Cheng Xiaofan asked directly.
"Jee—"
Yes, there are two more!
Potianying did not eat greedily. It only ate one of the three fish that Taotoubao had released into the space's pond.
"Go down and catch another one for me!"
Cheng Xiaofan had originally instructed Potianying, but Taotoubao leaped forward first and splashed into the pond with a "thump."
Splash!
Taotoubao emerged from the water with a fish in its mouth.
This fish was even larger than the one Potianying had caught earlier, appearing to be over two catties in weight.
It seemed that Potianying was considerate and only ate the smallest fish from the pond.
This was a Sand Goby, locally known as a "dullfish," "taobachi," or "tiger head baby" in the Zhuxi Village area.
This type of dullfish generally has a robust body, a large and wide, slightly flattened head, a round abdomen, and a flattened rear.
Dullfish usually prefer to live in rock crevices, and the largest only grow to about three taels. Because the flesh of this fish is tender and fresh, it is very popular when steamed or braised, with a delicious taste. It sells for around seventy yuan per catty in the market.
A fish of this kind growing to over two catties was likely only possible in the pond within the space.
Cheng Xiaofan picked up the fish. Before leaving the space, he casually picked two "fruit ginseng" and waved one at Potianying, asking, "Do you want to eat this?"
"Jee—"
Yes!
Upon hearing this, Taotoubao let out a wail.
Master, didn't you say this evil eagle doesn't eat vegetarian food?
Why should it compete with me for my fruit ginseng?
Cheng Xiaofan did not expect Potianying to answer so readily, with a single word: "Eat!"
He immediately threw the fruit ginseng in his hand to Potianying. Potianying quickly pecked the fruit ginseng into several pieces with its sharp beak and swallowed it in no time.
The speed was so fast that Cheng Xiaofan was dumbfounded.
He threw the other fruit ginseng in his hand. Taotoubao leaped angrily and snatched it out of the air, stuffing it directly into its mouth.
The early bird gets the worm. In front of his fickle owner, one had to snatch or be left behind.
After leaving the space, Cheng Xiaofan cleaned the oversized dullfish by the pond on the hillside, chopped it into pieces, and casually found a few wild onions in the nearby grass.
Fortunately, after his body was strengthened, Cheng Xiaofan's eyesight was exceptionally good. Under the moonlight, he could see and identify even tiny plants several meters away.
Returning to the vicinity of the cave, Cheng Xiaofan built a stove with stones and placed an iron pot he had brought from home on top.
Taotoubao quickly fetched a pile of firewood from nearby and brought it to Cheng Xiaofan.
Potianying had already eaten its fill and was resting with its eyes closed on a large tree nearby.
Cheng Xiaofan lit a fire in the pot stove. When the pot was hot, he poured a layer of sesame oil into the bottom. With a sizzling sound, he put all the chopped dullfish into the pot.
As the saying goes: "No delicacy on earth surpasses bamboo shoots, and no delicacy from the river surpasses fish."
As soon as the dullfish entered the pot and was flipped over by the spatula, a fragrant and fresh aroma immediately wafted out.
At that moment, Taotoubao's mouth began to water uncontrollably, with drool pouring onto Cheng Xiaofan's pant legs.
"Scram!"
Cheng Xiaofan was furious. This wretched dog was too much, deliberately letting its drool fall on him.
Taotoubao was startled and rolled on the ground, scurrying away. It thought, I caught this fish myself. With such a delicious meal in front of us, you want me to roll?
Doesn't your conscience ache?
He added some salt to the fish in the pot, sprinkled in some cooking wine, sliced garlic, chopped chili into rings, and minced green onions, sprinkling them into the pot. He added a small amount of water, covered the pot lid, and simmered the fish over low heat.
The rich aroma of fish squeezed out from the edge of the pot, lingering under his nose, and his stomach rumbled.
Some birds nesting in the trees, upon smelling the aroma drifting to their noses, became restless and chirped noisily.
"Chirp, so fragrant!"
"Jie'er, jie'er, so hungry!"
"Gudā, gudā..."
...
More than ten minutes later, the fish was fully cooked.
Cheng Xiaofan lifted the pot lid and first served the fish head and tail in a plate, which he presented to Taotoubao. He knew that if he didn't take care of it first, the dog would really try to put its paws into the pot and fight with him for it.
Smelling the rich and mellow aroma of fish from the pot, Cheng Xiaofan immediately noticed that the fish tasted different.
He poked a piece of fish with his chopsticks, piercing into the flesh. A faint fish oil oozed out, accompanied by wisps of fish fragrance.
As soon as the fish entered his mouth, he chewed it a few times, and a unique fresh and fragrant taste surged out, filling his entire mouth and seeping into his heart. His very soul seemed to ascend to a beautiful realm.
Damn it!
Is this fish going to heaven?
This is no longer a dullfish, it's clearly a celestial fish!
What dullfish? It's a fish caught from the Queen Mother's Jade Pool in heaven.
From today on, I, Cheng Xiaofan, will name it Celestial Fish!
The more Cheng Xiaofan thought about it, the more excited he became, planning to cultivate this fish species specifically in the pond within his space.
Although the spawning season for dullfish had passed, the Shen Nong Space was not limited by time. Moreover, Cheng Xiaofan could control species with his willpower within the space, so he was not afraid of producing a large number of celestial fish fry in the shortest possible time.
Once this fish was released to the market, it would definitely be in high demand.
With this thought, Cheng Xiaofan looked at his right hand and wondered if his spiritual energy could be used to catch fish, specifically dullfish!
He decided to try it tonight!
Fortunately, Cheng Xiaofan was no ordinary person and had extraordinary energy. Although he had been busy all day, he felt no fatigue at all.
No sooner said than done!
Cheng Xiaofan took a bucket, rode his motorcycle, and drove down the hillside.
Taotoubao saw that it was almost midnight and wondered what its young master was going to do.
No, I have to follow him closely!
With a whoosh, Taotoubao swooped down like a javelin and landed on the back seat of Cheng Xiaofan's motorcycle.
In the moonlight, a person and a dog sat on the motorcycle, and in a flash, they arrived at the riverbank east of the village.
It was the height of summer, and fireflies flitted everywhere in the reeds by the river, their lights blinking on and off.
From the banks of the Qingxi River, one could hear the croaking of frogs from time to time.
Dullfish were rarely active at night, usually hiding in rock crevices.
On the opposite bank of the river was the market area of Jinbao Town. There was a stone arch bridge built during the Qing Dynasty, spanning both sides of the river. The people of Zhuxi Village had to cross this stone arch bridge to go to town.
When he was a child, on summer nights, Cheng Xiaofan often went to the rock crevices under the bridge with his village friends, carrying flashlights, to catch dullfish.
The local people called the Sand Goby a "dullfish" because it moved slowly in the water. At night, when illuminated by a flashlight, it would remain motionless, allowing people to catch it.
Since going to college, Cheng Xiaofan had not been to catch fish under this bridge. He wondered if he could catch dullfish with his spiritual energy tonight.