Chapter 97: Boss Qian: The cooks here can

In the past nobody mentioned this, so it was fine, but once she said it she felt a little itchy.

What is this called?

This is called manufacturing anxiety; nowadays parents sit in groups every day, being manipulated to death by experts and professors who hawk courses.

After Ye Cheng finished his meal, Jiang Yunxiang brought him several more pairs of insoles she had sewn herself.

Speaking of this, Ye Cheng hadn't seen such a thing in a long time; as a child he always needed them, but suddenly they disappeared when he grew up.

These handmade insoles feel especially comfortable when stepped on, with just the right firmness, and they even give a slight lift.

"A Cheng, this is a mask I made myself; wear it when you ride your bike, otherwise there'll be too much dust." Jiang Yunxiang then pulled a black object from beside the bed.

Ye Cheng looked at it; it resembled the headgear of future electric scooters, covering the head with eyes exposed, good for blocking wind and rain, though it looked a bit like a bank‑robbing bandit.

"Sister‑in‑law, you're sending me out to rob a bank." Ye Cheng joked after putting it on.

"Uncle Two, you've turned bad." Dou Dou happily pointed at Ye Cheng and laughed; this kid probably didn't yet know that Uncle Two planned to send him to the city for school and then start endless homework.

If he knew, I bet Uncle Two wouldn't even want to acknowledge him.

"What bad person, don't talk nonsense." After saying that to her son, Jiang Yunxiang turned to Ye Cheng and said,

"There's a lot of dust on the road; wear this to keep it out, or it'll be bad for your lungs."

"Okay, I'll wear this tomorrow; it'll not only block dust but also keep me a bit warmer, since it's still chilly early in the morning."

In his previous life Ye Cheng also commuted on an electric mule; in winter it was freezing, with nowhere to hide from the cold.

The past few days, when he went into town in the morning, it was also bitterly cold, and with the wind his face went a bit numb.

After chatting idly for a while longer, Ye Cheng got up and headed home.

On his way back, Ye Cheng ran into Duan Yong's father, squatting by the roadside smoking a dry cigarette with a worried look.

Duan Yong's father, properly named Duan Chunsheng, was an honest, hardworking man who years ago earned his first fortune fishing at sea, then borrowed some money to buy a boat.

After a few years he had repaid the loan, never expecting the boat to disappear as well.

Looking at him, I'd guess he still hasn't scraped together enough money for the boat.

I don't know what nonsense Duan Shen stirred up with others back then, insisting on repaying the money to herself.

"Uncle Chunsheng." Ye Cheng called out and passed him a cigarette.

Duan Chunsheng turned his head, saw it was Ye Cheng, quickly took the cigarette and stood up, his expression a bit unnatural,

"It's Lao Er."

Ye Cheng lit the cigarette for him and casually asked, "Uncle, have you raised enough money for the boat?"

Duan Chunsheng shook his head. "No, it's not that easy; boats are expensive now, with raw material and labor costs up, a single boat costs tens of thousands."

"Yeah, prices are rising fast these days." Ye Cheng agreed, adding that it's just the start and will get worse, especially in real‑estate‑related industries where all kinds of raw materials will go up.

"Don't take to heart the last time you borrowed money," Duan Chunsheng said quietly, "women just don't understand." He avoided looking at Ye Cheng.

Ye Cheng hadn't expected Duan Chunsheng to be so reasonable; "Uncle, I thought you also blamed me for your trouble."

Duan Chunsheng shook his head. "I've been out there for years and have some sea experience; if I hadn't come back early that day, I'd surely have died out there."

"My wife's easily swayed; she listens to gossip and insists it's your fault."

Duan Chunsheng let out a long sigh.

A middle‑aged man's suffering sometimes has no outlet; Ye Cheng suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for this 50‑year‑old man before him.

But he only felt sympathy; there are many suffering people in the world, and he doesn't have enough money or love to look after them all.

Besides, he's planning to buy a house—where would he get that kind of money?

After chatting a few more sentences with Duan Chunsheng, Ye Cheng went straight home; behind him, Duan Chunsheng watched Ye Cheng's back, opening his mouth several times but stopping himself.

Back home, Ye Cheng checked his seafood, found it alright, and lay down to sleep with peace of mind.

He woke up to find it was already 6:50 a. m.

First he checked the system:

Luck Value: 10+20;

Points: 723;

Savings: 13,000—really, making money is hard work.

Ye Cheng quickly washed his face, then put the tuna into a separate water tank and dumped ice cubes in it—this precious catch needs to be well protected.

To ensure the effect, Ye Cheng called Xiao Hu to bring over the ice from home.

Meanwhile he exchanged for some bait exclusive to the fish trap and handed it to Xiao Hu.

Looking at today's Luck Value, it feels like a waste to go foraging; better just to set the fish trap.

I just don't know how many people are still using fish traps these days.

Everything ready, Ye Cheng mounted his beloved little scooter and set off for town.

Going into town each day is fun; although sister‑in‑law's mask looks a bit terrorist‑like, it really is warm.

Boss Qian had grown used to Ye Cheng's routine; after hanging up the phone he came over to collect the goods.

Today there were unusually many boxes; seeing them made Boss Qian a bit excited, "With this many, I'm actually a little eager."

"You're eager, and so am I," Ye Cheng thought to himself.

He first lifted the tuna out, then said solemnly, "Boss Qian, take a look at this—it's relatively rare."

Having heard it was relatively rare, Boss Qian's interest spiked; as soon as he touched it he felt a chill, and he eyed Ye Cheng suspiciously, asking, "Did you add ice to keep it fresh?"

"Yeah, have a look; it should still be holding up well."

Not only Boss Qian, but the other kitchen helpers also gathered; the head chef could come later, since they needed to arrive early to prep the ingredients.

Boss Qian lifted the lid of the water tank and exclaimed, "It's this big!"

The tuna is a meter long; Ye Cheng had to wrestle it a bit to get it in.

"Is this tuna?" Boss Qian was a bit unsure.

Hmm, tuna, washed ashore by the tide, a longfin tuna — not common, right? Seeing Boss Qian also not sure what it was, Ye Cheng knew this thing was indeed uncommon.

However, Boss Qian's expression looking at the tuna was a bit strange, an indescribable feeling.

Finally, Boss Qian stood up with a wry smile and sincerely said to Ye Cheng, "Brother, this is a good thing, but I can't accept it."

"What do you mean? A protected animal?" Ye Cheng thought it over, seeming not to be a protected animal either; in later times, tuna is eaten a lot.

"No, no." Boss Qian waved his hands repeatedly, then pointed at the assistant cook beside him and said,

"The main reason is that the cook here doesn't know how to handle this."

"Huh?" Upon hearing that reason, Ye Cheng didn't quite know what to say.

Can't handle it?

Isn't this thing hard to handle?