It's unrealistic and impolite to ask the fishmonger to go home, have lunch, and come back later, since we don't know how late we'll be catching fish in the afternoon.

So, for convenience and out of hospitality, Cheng Qingyan generously treated everyone to a meal, setting up a stove right there in the field and using local ingredients to make fish soup, rice, and stir-fried vegetables. Everyone who worked and the vendors were fed to their heart's content.

They didn't do anything special; including Yun Yue, they all ate by the fishpond.

The sun wasn't very strong today, and it was mostly cloudy. Cheng Qingyan got up early and set up a thatched shed in an open space. Combined with the existing thatched shed, Ye Lingyu and Yun Yue weren't exposed to the sun.

The fish soup and rice were prepared by Ye Lingyu and her team.

The large fish, just pulled from the water, were stunned in a few moments, then gutted and cleaned.

The fish scales were scraped off very cleanly, and the fish was chopped into large chunks.

First, pour cold oil into the pan. After heating the pan, add the chopped fish pieces and fry until golden brown on both sides. Then, add water.

I casually picked a basket of perilla leaves from the vegetable garden, added some to the fish soup, and also had someone make a cold perilla leaf salad.

A huge iron pot, tender fish, and fragrant rice. After a long day of hard labor, everyone was starving.

When the aroma wafted from the pot, Cheng Qingyan's stomach started rumbling.

For a group of twenty or thirty people, one pot was obviously not enough; two pots were used just to cook rice.

The fish soup was cooked in three large pots.

Fortunately, there were many people, so cooking rice was quick.

The main people in charge of cooking were Hu Feng's wife and his daughter. Meng Jia's wife, Meng An's wife, and Chen Sheng's wife were also helping out.

Several people from the village chief's family had been helping Cheng Qingyan catch fish from the very beginning.

Although we didn't originally need them, since they came to help so enthusiastically, we won't complain about having too many people helping us.

People holding bowls gathered in small groups wherever they could find a spot to eat.

Cheng Qingyan, also holding a bowl, watched as the others ate quickly, leaving their bowls empty, and felt embarrassed to refill them.

They were shy and afraid their employers would say they ate too much.

Cheng Qingyan, holding his chopsticks, said to the people eating around him, "Everyone, eat your fill today. Make sure you eat your fill and enjoy your meal."

"I don't mind you eating. How can you have the energy to work if you're not full? Besides, it's such a waste to cook this food and then not eat it. I don't encourage that."

A fishmonger, sipping his fish soup, praised Cheng Qingyan: "Young Master Cheng is so generous. This meal is excellent. Although it's called fish soup, the pot is basically full of fish meat."

“These fish could be sold for money if they weren’t killed. But Cheng Langjun killed only the big fish so that everyone could have enough to eat and eat well.”

"So since Young Master Cheng is treating everyone to dinner, he's naturally not afraid of everyone eating. Today, I'm also taking advantage of everyone's hospitality to eat such delicious fish."

Some people shouted from afar, "Thank you, Young Master Cheng, this meal is delicious!"

"Thank you very much, Young Master Cheng!"

"Thank you very much, Young Master Cheng!"

We're all just working people; many employers only pay us but don't provide meals.

Even if it's far from home, if the employer doesn't provide food, you'll have to buy your own food or bring your own, otherwise you'll go hungry.

Many times, after a meal, when it's time to settle wages, they don't pay the full amount but deduct the cost of the meal.

But they had worked for Cheng Qingyan for so long, since the fishpond was dug, that they had no worries about Cheng Qingyan pocketing their wages.

The monthly allowance is always paid in advance; there has never been a delay.

Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu were both kind and never punished them, which is why some of them felt embarrassed to take wages and eat so many meals at the same time.

I felt guilty, and I felt that I couldn't accept being taken advantage of for my efforts.

After being persuaded by Cheng Qingyan and the fishmonger, the two pots of rice and three pots of fish soup were all eaten and drunk up.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Cheng Qingyan did not let them go into the water to catch fish and shrimp immediately, but instead let them rest for half an hour.

They are only allowed to continue working after their food has been absorbed by their bodies.

It was hot, and we had just eaten. Although the pond wasn't deep, suddenly going into the water could cause an accident. So everyone rested for a while, and we counted the number of people before starting to fish.

In the afternoon, Ye Lingyu led Jiang Jiang and the others to light a bonfire by the fishpond.

Cheng Qingyan skewered several shrimps and small fish for Jiang Jiang and the others with bamboo sticks and grilled them over a fire.

When shrimp come into contact with fire, they quickly turn from transparent to red.

The shrimp's whiskers were also burned to ash, and the shrimp meat cooked very easily.

Jiang Jiang squatted beside the fire, watching the shrimp gradually change color. She then took a string of shrimp from Cheng Qingyan's hand and began to learn how to grill shrimp in a very professional manner.

The shrimp cooked quickly, but Cheng Qingyan hadn't prepared the seasoning yet.

Just as she was about to get up to get the soy sauce and other things, a tray appeared on the ground next to her.

The tray contained seasonings such as salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and pepper, which were used for cooking lunch.

Turning my head, I saw Ye Lingyu, and standing next to her was a young woman, Hu Feng's daughter, Hu Xiaoxiao.

This girl doesn't look like a typical child; she has big eyes and looks very cute.

Cheng Qingyan pulled Ye Lingyu over and made her sit next to him. He sprinkled some salt on the grilled shrimp, grilled them again, smelled them, and handed one skewer to Yun Yue and the other to Ye Lingyu.

"Mother, wife, you should try this. Grilled shrimp has a unique flavor."

She grilled two skewers, one for Yun Yue and one for Ye Lingyu.

Jiang Jiang's grilled shrimp skewers were already burnt and charred in some places.

She looked at the burnt shrimp in her hand, feeling wronged, and pouted, "Father is biased. Grandmother and Mother got some, but Jiangjiang didn't. Jiangjiang is crying~"

Cheng Qingyan flicked her forehead: "Stop acting, didn't you just snatch the shrimp from my hand?"

Jiang Jiang retorted, "It's different! Dad didn't bake for Jiang Jiang! Jiang Jiang wants Dad to bake for her too!"

Cheng Qingyan continued working, taking a few more skewers of shrimp from Shen Ziyu: "Jiangjiang, you only know after you've done something that's not right for you."

"If you want to learn how to grill shrimp, you should first learn properly from your father, instead of thinking you can grill shrimp just because your father grills them well."

"If either your ability or your desire is lacking, you'll burn the shrimp. Do you understand?"

Jiang Jiang nodded as if she understood, but not quite. "Jiang Jiang seems to understand, but also seems not to understand. Sister Meng, do you understand? Can you explain it to Jiang Jiang when we get back?"

Meng Chuying smiled indulgently at Jiang Jiang and said, "Okay, if there's anything Jiang Jiang doesn't understand, don't ask your sister Meng. Your sister Meng will answer all your questions."

At that moment, no one knew that when Jiang Jiang truly needed an answer, Meng Chuying would not provide it.