Chapter 23

Qin Yi had just secured the small boat and turned to pick up his fishing rod when he noticed Lai Pi, that rascal, enthusiastically munching on an apple! Qin Yi couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. This little guy was so carefree; he had been sleeping soundly in the boat just a moment ago, and now that he was awake, he started eating!

Ignoring him, Qin Yi baited the hook with a worm and stood at the bow of the boat, ready to cast his line!

A few more minutes passed, but Qin Yi still had no luck. Looking at the shimmering water around him, he began to lose focus. He cast his line intermittently, watching the clear stream where groups of trout, speckled with black dots, swam leisurely through the water plants.

As for the Asian carp that had caused problems in the Mississippi River and were also abundant in the Sun River, there were only a few in this stream, not many. Qin Yi had read that the wild trout population in this area was quite good. To protect the habitat of the wild trout, the ranch used to hire people to clear the Asian carp from the streams and lakes. They also set up high barriers at the confluence of the stream and the Sun River to prevent the carp from jumping over.

While this couldn't completely eliminate the Asian carp, it could basically ensure that the wild trout were not affected. Of course, hiring people to clear the carp regularly was quite expensive, but the well-protected trout and the beautiful scenery attracted many tourists who loved fishing for trout. Thus, trout fishing had become a source of income for the ranch. As long as the streams and lakes on the ranch didn't become infested, Qin Yi didn't care about the rest! However, clearing the carp was something that still needed to be done.

After a while of daydreaming, he snapped back to reality and looked at the plump carp and grass carp in the water. Qin Yi's thoughts wandered again. Back in China, he could go a month or two without eating fish, but here, there were so many, and the foreigners didn't know how to enjoy them!

Suddenly, the boat jolted slightly, and Ye Fang whispered urgently, "Xiao Yi, quick, get the net! I've caught one!"

Qin Yi quickly put down his fishing rod and grabbed the small net from the boat. However, the fish was a bit far away, and even when he leaned over the side of the boat, he couldn't reach it with the net.

"I'll row the boat closer, and then we can use the net!" Qin Yi put down the net and untied the rope, rowing quickly toward the fish.

Lai Pi stopped eating the apple and watched the struggling trout with wide, curious eyes, probably never having seen such a scene before.

By now, Ye Fang had calmed down from his initial excitement and was reeling in the fish as the boat moved.

"Ha, it's not small at all! We can grill it tonight. Wild trout like this is hard to come by in China!" Ye Fang was delighted, as he had never eaten wild trout more than a few times, even though there were trout farms in Beijing.

Qin Yi smacked his lips. He had never even eaten farmed trout before. In China, farmed trout cost several dozen yuan per pound, and he couldn't afford it back then!

Both food lovers were looking forward to the barbecue that night!

It didn't take long to row the few meters to the fish. Qin Yi stopped the boat, leaned over, and extended the net. Ye Fang helped by pulling the fish toward the net. With little effort, they managed to scoop the trout onto the boat.

"It's not small at all, almost 40 centimeters, and it must weigh about 3 pounds!" Qin Yi handed the net to Ye Fang for him to take a look.

"This is probably a rainbow trout. Look at the red stripe on its belly."

The trout struggled fiercely in the water but stopped once it was out. Ye Fang held the fish and examined it from all angles.

Lai Pi, curious, watched from the side, pointing at the rainbow trout and chirping excitedly, probably because it was the first time he had seen a fish.

"Ha, let's have Susie cook it tonight!" Qin Yi wouldn't know how to cook it, and he was afraid of wasting such high-quality ingredients!

"I'll catch a few more. You can try braising one tonight. You have to learn, and once you do, I'll get to eat for free!" Ye Fang laughed, feeling energized after catching the first rainbow trout and immediately getting back to work.

"Sure, you catch the trout. I'm not having much luck, so I'll catch some carp and grass carp. The Americans don't like them, but we can eat them ourselves!"

They divided the tasks and got to work.

Without trying to catch trout, the fishing became simpler. Qin Yi just baited the hook and cast the line, as there were plenty of fish. He placed the fishing rod on the side of the boat and gave Lai Pi half an apple, while he himself took a big apple and started munching on it. Time passed quickly, and in less than an hour, Qin Yi had caught over a dozen fish, mostly large ones about half a meter long. Each time he caught one, he had to play it for a while before reeling it in. He also caught a few smaller ones, but they were still about 20 centimeters long, perfect for braising. The larger ones he planned to salt and fry later.

After catching so many, Qin Yi stopped and slowly rowed the boat, moving around areas with strong currents or many rocks. Whenever Ye Fang had a bite, Qin Yi would help with the net.

By 5 PM, Ye Fang had caught seven trout, all over 30 centimeters long, and he had released the smaller ones back into the water to continue growing. Seeing that it was almost time to prepare for the barbecue, Qin Yi decided to head back. They arrived at the dock and switched to the pickup truck, reaching home by 6 PM. Qin Yi didn't have time to clean the fish, so he and Ye Fang went to the warehouse to get the barbecue grill and table and chairs, and then to the wine cellar to fetch beer and red wine.

In the wine cellar, looking at the winemaking equipment, Qin Yi thought about the large pile of fruit in his space. He couldn't finish it all, so maybe he could use it to make wine? High-quality fruit should make good fruit wine, right? Sigh, he had only wanted to enjoy delicious fruit, but now he had so much that it could be a meal!

After setting everything up, Qin Yi called Ryan and asked him and Susie to come over and help. The salad and trout would rely on Susie's skills, and the other cowboys would come over after finishing their work.

After hanging up, he asked Ye Fang to cut the frozen beef into pieces and let it thaw at room temperature, while he cleaned the carp and grass carp. In his hometown, these fish were called by different names, like "mud carp" and "mullet," and he used to catch them in the clear river water. Now, many river sections were almost devoid of fish!

The kitchen had a small automatic fish-cleaning machine that could clean 3-4 fish per minute. Although he still had to wash the cleaned fish twice, it saved a lot of time. After cleaning the fish, Ryan and Susie arrived. With the vegetable seedlings growing well, Susie no longer went out to herd and focused on the garden. Ryan, who worked in the office, was also nearby, so they arrived quickly.

They were all familiar with each other, so Qin Yi didn't bother with formalities and asked them to help directly.

"Susie, is it okay to use the machine to clean the trout?"

"I don't think it will affect the meat. We usually use the machine at home. Only top chefs might be more particular, but for regular use, it's fine."

Susie took over the fish cleaning, and Qin Yi asked Ryan to help cut the meat. Ye Fang, who had never cooked before, cut the meat in a very unique way, swinging the knife and chopping loudly, but the pieces were of different sizes and thicknesses. He was sweating profusely, and Qin Yi and Ryan were also sweating from watching him!

But since he had never cooked before, it was good that he was helping.

"Third Brother, take a break. Let Ryan do it."

Ye Fang, being casual, didn't feel embarrassed, "I'm exhausted. You guys make it look so easy!"

Ryan laughed and explained, "The meat is frozen, so you need to cut it quickly and steadily."

He demonstrated by placing the meat flat, pressing lightly with his left hand, and slicing quickly with his right. The cut was smooth and even, impressing Ye Fang, who stopped resting and stood by to learn. Qin Yi nodded, knowing that such cuts would ensure even cooking and a better texture.

After watching for a while, Qin Yi didn't idle. He cut the large carp into pieces and salted them, planning to fry them the next day. The smaller ones he salted whole, deciding later whether to braise them or dry them.

"Yi, how do you plan to cook the trout?"

"Making sashimi requires low-temperature freezing for over 20 hours, so we'll grill them tonight. Susie, who's better at grilling, you or Ryan?"

"Definitely Susie. Yi, you don't know, Susie is amazing at grilling! It's been a while since I've had her grilled fish, so we're in for a treat today!" Ryan laughed, and Susie smiled without saying anything.

"Then let Susie grill the fish. I want to try it too. We'll keep one for braising and grill the rest." Susie nodded and asked Qin Yi to help slice the fish.

Qin Yi knew how to do this. After a while, Susie took the slices and marinated them. He didn't throw away the bones, planning to make a soup later to enjoy after the barbecue.

By 7 PM, they had moved all the ingredients to the barbecue grill. Susie brought out the desserts she had made and arranged them. They started the fire and began grilling the meat, as the cowboys would arrive soon.

Qin Yi stood by, learning how to grill fish.

It was similar to grilling meat. After marinating, they brushed the fish with sauce and oil, and then repeated the process every few minutes. It looked easy, and Qin Yi planned to try it himself later.

They set up two grills, with Susie grilling the fish and Ryan grilling the meat. Qin Yi helped Ryan flip the meat skewers, practicing his skills. Eventually, Ryan let Qin Yi grill while he gave pointers, seemingly eager to pass on his skills.

The cowboys arrived quickly, with Burke and Rachele coming first, followed by the others. Qin Yi rushed back to the kitchen to start the fish soup and then came out to help with the barbecue. The cowboys didn't need much attention, as they were all ranch workers and could chat and drink beer on their own.

"Hey, guys, there's plenty of beer and grilled meat. Of course, those on night duty shouldn't drink too much. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future! Wait and see my cooking skills!"

The cowboys responded enthusiastically, chatting and drinking, making the lawn lively!

Burke, seeing Qin Yi helping, didn't interfere. He poured a beer and chatted casually with Ye Fang, occasionally introducing him to the cowboys. They drank and talked, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Rachele, meanwhile, was making a salad while eating a dessert.

After about ten minutes, the meat was ready, and the fish would take a few more minutes. Qin Yi asked Ryan to try the meat he had grilled. If it was good, he would call the cowboys to start eating.

PS: The support for the recommendations these past two days has been great. Thank you all for your support!