"Mom and Dad, dinner's ready!"
Mingyue filled a basin with water and called out loudly into the house.
"Here I am!"
Ming Dahai walked out with Sun Yunmei, trembling slightly, and sniffed lightly.
"Why does it smell so good?"
"Mom and Dad, dinner's ready," Mingjing said, placing the moon shells on the wooden table in the main room.
Sun Yunmei sat down, blinked, and asked, "Mingjing, did you make this?"
"Hmm, Mom and Dad, try it, is it good?"
Ming Dahai picked up the bowl, took a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up. "Not bad! Delicious!"
"Sis, it smells so good!"
Mingyue doesn't really like eating moon clams, finding them too earthy. The only time she ate them was when Sun Yunmei marinated them raw, and they weren't very tasty. She never expected that she could make them taste so fresh.
"Mingjing, Mom didn't expect you to be such a good cook," Sun Yunmei said, her eyes reddening.
She lamented that her daughter was better than her son.
Mingjing smiled and said, "It's delicious, you should eat more."
The system's voice echoed in her ears.
[Add 50 points for praising!]
[Add 50 points for praising!]
[Add 50 points for praising!]
Just as she was feeling smug, Mingliang came in with his hands in his pockets and a blade of grass in his mouth.
"Mom and Dad, you didn't call me for dinner. What did you eat? Leave some for me!" Bright eyes lit up as she bent down to sit.
Ouch!
Mingjing promptly pulled away Mingjing's stool, causing Mingjing to fall flat on her back.
"Serves you right!" Sun Yunmei gritted her teeth in anger.
"Mingjing! Do you want a beating?" Mingliang got up, covering his buttocks and cursing.
Mingjing threw down the small wooden stool in her hand and sneered, "You still have the nerve to come back and freeload? You took everything from the house to the Qian family. Why don't you go to the Qian family and become a live-in son-in-law? What are you doing back here?"
There's no food for you today. If you want some, pick it up yourself.
Mingliang got angry, rubbing his sore bottom. "Mingjing, you've got some nerve! I was asking you to find a sister-in-law. Relying on my parents to find me a wife? When will that ever happen!"
Mingjing laughed angrily, "Mingliang, do you even have a brain? Qian Jiu'er agreed to marry you? If she really did, then you can go live with the Qian family."
"If you don't agree, don't even think about entering the house unless you pay off your debt!"
“You brat, Jiu’er said that 30,000 is a deposit, and their family still wants 100,000 for the bride price. You should hurry up and get married so I can get more bride price money.”
Bang!
Ming Dahai slammed his chopsticks down, his eyes wide with fury. "You bastard! How could I have given birth to such a heartless son? You're determined to empty the family's coffers!"
Sun Yunmei pointed at the door, her chest heaving with anger, "Get out of here! I don't have a son like you!"
Upon hearing this, Mingliang laughed, "Mom, if I leave, you won't have a son anymore, and people will laugh at you to death."
Every family here needs a son; if they don't have one, people will laugh at them. He's the only son in the family, so how could his parents really kick him out?
"Get out of here, and get as far away as possible!" Ming Dahai shouted angrily, his face red and neck bulging.
Mingliang didn't take it seriously, walked into the kitchen, picked up a bowl and chopsticks, and scooped out most of the moon shells.
"Fine, I'll get out of here, but I'll send some to Jiu'er to try!"
Ming Dahai was panting heavily, feeling disappointed and frustrated.
"Mom and Dad, don't worry about him, just eat," Mingjing thought, holding her breath, determined to get rid of this menace as soon as possible.
After eating clams for a few months, she pushed away the empty bowl, wiped her mouth, and said, "Mom and Dad, I'm full. I'm going back to my room now."
Mingjing got up, went back into the house, and closed the door. A line of numbers appeared on the display screen: Basic points 500, Praise points 150, Luck value 30
A line of small text popped up on the screen: [Praise points can help the host upgrade equipment.]
Mingjing thought about it and agreed. If hundreds of people praised a dish, wouldn't she be rich? Besides, there were no restrictions on the recipe, so she could do whatever she wanted.
The system seemed to sense Mingjing's thoughts and quickly replied, "[The system has fixed the vulnerability; you cannot try to exploit it.]"
Mingjing swiped the screen, and sure enough, the rules had been changed.
If more than ten people give a thumbs up, the points will be reduced to five points per person, and the ingredients for the recipes will also be specified, with detailed records of the raw materials for various delicacies.
She frowned as she looked at the ingredients.
"Some fish are already extinct, what should I do?"
In her previous life, she was a top student at an ocean university, with a thorough understanding of marine life, and she could tell at a glance that the menu above was extraordinary.
The system continued to display explanations: "What you can't find on the sea surface may still be there. Please search carefully, host. You currently have points; would you like to exchange them for equipment?"
Mingjing sighed and looked at the equipment on the fishing tackle shop shelves. She currently had 650 points, which could be exchanged for a good harpoon or a bunch of fishing hooks and lines, sun hats, sunscreen, and other small items.
After thinking it over, she realized that there was no future in collecting sea snails, and that beachcombing required the best equipment, so she decided to get a harpoon.
Harpoons are easy to retrieve, have many uses, and most importantly, can be used in the sea.
A harpoon costs 650 points, which isn't too expensive. After exchanging for the harpoon, Mingjing began to study it carefully.
The cleaver is so long that when the blade is relaxed and rotated for a short time, it can be used as a grappling hook. The handle is foldable and retractable, and when the handle is extended, it is more than a meter long, making it a trident.
The blades fold and overlap; with a gentle twist, it becomes a large pair of scissors.
One tool with three uses—Mingjing was very satisfied. Looking up at the numbers scrolling on the screen, her mood improved.
Points: 0, Praise Points: 40, Luck Value: 100
Mingjing remembered that Mingliang had served a bowl to the Qian family, which must have been the result of the Qian family's influence.
Thinking this, Mingjing put the trident aside and went out.
It was just getting dark when Sun Yunmei finished eating and started clearing the dishes.
"Mom, take a break, I'll clean up," Mingjing said, rolling up her sleeves and taking the bowl and chopsticks from Sun Yunmei's hands. She then went to the well to fetch water and wash the dishes.
"Okay, fine." Sun Yunmei stood aside, stunned. She still couldn't believe that Mingjing had changed so much all of a sudden.
"Sister, black oysters are so delicious, I want to go pick some more," Mingyue said, gradually becoming bolder, and took the initiative to speak, leaning against the door frame and laughing.
"Next time, next time I'll take you to dig up something big!"
Mingjing was washing the dishes when she heard hurried footsteps outside the door, and a shrill voice cried out, "Auntie, something terrible has happened! Mingjing has fallen into the sea!"
A thin figure emerged from the doorway, panting heavily, and stood frozen in place after pushing the door open.
The girl's pupils dilated; she was so shocked she couldn't speak.
She clearly remembered that Mingjing fell into the sea. It was the deep sea. How could she possibly come back alive?
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