Chapter 38

Qin Yi saw that Susa was bored at home, so he took her to the vegetable garden first, introducing her to Susie and the others. However, he didn't expect that they were already acquainted. Thinking about it, it made sense, as Susa had lived here since she was young and had returned from Los Angeles three years ago to take over her father's farm. They were neighbors, so it would be strange if they didn't know each other.

When Susie saw Susa and Angel come over, she was a bit surprised. Qin Yi briefly explained the car accident and the murder plot, which made Susie feel very nervous and even more sympathetic towards the unfortunate mother and daughter. She first cursed Bieber as a bastard and a scumbag, then comforted Susa by holding her hand.

"Susa, Yi is a good person. You can stay here with peace of mind. The ranch has many people and cattle dogs, so it's much safer than living alone! Besides, I'm always here, and we are all here. We will get through this together!"

Susie was like a caring mother, and her heartfelt words made Susa, who had lost her mother at a young age, feel her eyes well up with tears and her heart warm.

Qin Yi also sighed, indeed, women and women have more in common and can talk more freely. Look, they became good friends in no time!

After chatting for a while, Susie looked at Angel, wanting to greet this cute little girl, but she had heard that the poor child was a bit shy around strangers.

Angel was still a bit timid around people other than her mother and Uncle Yi. If not for Uncle Yi and Susa, the little girl wouldn't have dared to come over.

Qin Yi held Angel's hand and comforted her softly, "Angel, Uncle and Mom are here. Come, say hello to Grandma Susie!"

Susie looked at the adorable Angel with a smile, hoping she would call her grandma. In fact, Susie and Ryan had been hoping for a grandchild for years, but Burke, who was in his mid-twenties, didn't even have a steady girlfriend. The two could only hope in vain. But today, looking at Angel, Susie felt like she could experience the joy of being a grandmother!

Seeing her mother and Uncle Yi encouraging her with smiles, Angel's resistance faded. She slowly walked towards Susie and said softly, "Grandma Susie, I'm Angel!"

Susie exclaimed, "Oh, what a cute little fairy! Hello, Angel, would you like to be friends?"

Hearing this, Angel felt a bit excited. She had never had a friend before, except for her mother and Uncle Yi.

Angel looked at her mother and Uncle Yi, who both nodded and encouraged her with smiles.

Feeling the safety and confidence they gave her, Angel turned to Susie with a happy smile and tried to shake her hand like an adult, "Grandma Susie, I like being friends with you!"

Susie happily shook hands with Angel, praising her for being cute and well-behaved. Angel gradually relaxed and behaved like any other child in front of the three of them.

Susa watched all this with joy, feeling immensely grateful for the change in Angel. She glanced at Qin Yi, once again feeling that meeting him was a blessing, as he had brought a huge change to her and Angel's lives!

The three of them watched Angel playing in the vegetable garden, chatting casually about vegetables and children. After a while, Qin Yi had to go fishing, so he took Angel with him, leaving Susa and Susie to tend the garden.

Taking Angel to the shed, Qin Yi placed the net and a small bucket on the four-wheeler, packed the bait, and carried Angel up. They set off for the nearest small lake.

This was a small, rectangular lake about 20 meters wide, with clear water and grass growing along the shore. The water was not deep, only about a meter in the center. There weren't many large fish, mostly small fish swimming around. However, there were many lakes on the ranch, some of which were teeming with large fish, especially the areas where Chinese carp had proliferated.

Getting off the vehicle, Angel looked at the small lake, excited to play in the water. Qin Yi quickly held her back, as she was only about a meter tall, and it would be dangerous if she went to the center. Fortunately, Angel didn't fuss, just looked up at Qin Yi with big, expectant eyes, "Uncle Yi, can I walk by the water?"

Qin Yi couldn't bear to refuse her, "Okay, Angel, but you have to hold my hand."

Angel cheered, held out her hand, and ran to the lake with Qin Yi. At the water's edge, she took off her shoes, held them in her left hand, and happily walked in the cool water, occasionally scaring away a small fish or stepping on a freshwater snail, which delighted her.

Qin Yi, holding the giggling little girl, couldn't catch any fish because the noise scared them away. In the end, he placed the net in the water with some bait, waiting for the fish to come. Meanwhile, he held Angel's hand and played in the water around the lake, making her laugh nonstop.

After playing for about half an hour, Angel got tired. Qin Yi picked up the small bucket and took her to the lake's edge to collect freshwater snails. This was a childhood favorite, a dish of stir-fried snails or clams, filled with happy memories.

Freshwater clams were rare in the U.S., though they should exist, possibly at the bottom of the lake, but not visible. However, freshwater snails were abundant, not exactly everywhere, but easy to find.

Angel and Qin Yi carried the bucket together, picking up snails of various sizes. Angel, not understanding why Uncle Yi was collecting them, asked, "Uncle Yi, aren't we catching fish? I want to eat fried fish!"

"We are," Qin Yi smiled, pointing to the net on the other side of the lake, "It's right there. We'll go get it later, and we'll have fish."

Angel nodded and continued picking snails.

"Angel, snails are also delicious. I'll cook them for you tonight, just as tasty as fried fish!"

Hearing this, Angel's face lit up, and she picked even more enthusiastically!

Actually, Americans don't eat freshwater clams or snails, and they rarely eat freshwater fish. This is related to their dietary culture and environmental protection policies. Specifically, they don't know how to cook them well, and many freshwater fish don't taste good, with too many bones, making it unappealing to eat.

In terms of ecology, the U.S. is very strict. For example, large-scale fishing of wild trout on Qin Yi's ranch is illegal. Even organizing a large fishing or hunting event requires government approval, and participants need fishing and hunting licenses, with limits on the number and weight of catches. It's quite troublesome!

Of course, if you catch the invasive Asian carp, you could even be awarded a patriotic medal by the government!

After collecting two large bowls of snails, Qin Yi stopped Angel, who was still excitedly picking, "Angel, this is enough for us to eat. We can come back another day if you want more."

Angel tiptoed to look into the bucket Qin Yi was holding, and indeed, there were many! Qin Yi smiled, wanting to pat the little foodie's head, but his hands were muddy from the snails, so he decided against it.

They went to the other side of the lake, and when Qin Yi lifted the net, it was full of small fish and shrimp, about two large bowls. He put them in the bucket, mixed the snails and fish, and placed the net back in the water for future use.

Back at the ranch, Susa had returned and was helping Qin Yi clean the fish and snails. The snails were soaked in clear water to remove the mud, and Qin Yi added some salt to speed up the process.

The fish were small, about a finger long, and easy to clean. Qin Yi seasoned them with salt and sauce, then made beef wraps for Angel, who was eagerly watching, and then fried the fish.

Susa, unfamiliar with Chinese cooking, felt a bit out of place, so Qin Yi asked her to prepare a vegetable salad, combining meat and vegetables for a healthy meal.

After dinner, Angel was ready for bed, pulling Qin Yi to tell her a story. Qin Yi naturally obliged, telling her the story of the Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, which put the little girl to sleep. Back in the living room, he watched TV with Susa and chatted for a while before going to bed early.

The next afternoon, Susa went to the vegetable garden, and Qin Yi was sitting in a rocking chair, playing with Angel, when the phone rang. It was an unknown number, but as soon as the caller spoke, Qin Yi knew who it was. The detective's poker face flashed in his mind at the sound of his emotionless voice.

"Did you find the evidence?" Qin Yi got straight to the point.

"No!"

The detective's voice showed no embarrassment, which puzzled Qin Yi. Why call if you didn't find the evidence? He asked, as he always did, with a curious mind.

"What do you mean?" This was said in Chinese, which surprised the caller. Though he understood Chinese, he only knew basic grammar and common phrases, making this a bit challenging.

Qin Yi, seeing his confusion, thought about recommending him to watch "Empresses in the Palace."

"Why are you calling?"

"Bieber is dead!"

The detective's voice was as calm as ever, as if discussing the weather with a neighbor. But to Qin Yi, it was like a thunderclap, making him sit up from the recliner. Fortunately, he had sent Angel to play with Lai Pi, or she might have been thrown to the ground!

Bieber had plotted to murder Susa, and Qin Yi had been thinking about how to find evidence and report it without alarming him. He never expected the situation to escalate to this point.

"How did Bieber die? Tell me everything you know!" Qin Yi's voice was urgent, sensing that things might be out of control.

"The people from Salt Lake City did it!" The detective's first statement was unexpected but made sense, "Bieber owed them a lot of money. When he was caught while fleeing, he thought of murdering Susa to trade the farm for his life. They agreed. However, the car accident was unexpected, and your involvement made them realize that it wasn't wise to conflict with you over a few hundred thousand dollars. Killing Bieber served two purposes: to collect the debt and to show goodwill towards you, ensuring no further interference!"

"Show goodwill?" Today's surprises were too many. Qin Yi had expected trouble, not this turn of events, "Why? They are capable of murder, I thought they would come after me!"

"Come after you?" The detective's lips twitched, "Do you think they are fools? Bieber is a small fry, no one cares. But you are a major ranch owner, and any trouble would attract attention from higher-ups! They make money faster than robbing, why cause trouble?"

Hearing this, Qin Yi rubbed his nose, realizing that no one would choose to cause trouble when they could live comfortably.

"So, is this it? What about Price?" He almost forgot about the scoundrel!

"Forget about Price. This matter is over. We go our separate ways, and life will take its course."

PS: Thanks for the recommendations and the generous support from C Ya Fei! It seems the Three Rivers application didn't go through this Wednesday!