Chapter 71

After lunch, Qin Yi roughly outlined the plans for the next few days. They would explore the area in the afternoon, go on a picnic and camping the next two days, and then decide whether to go to the Sun River for jet skiing or something else later on.

Kolo and the others had no objections. They were unfamiliar with the ranch and felt that whatever Qin Yi arranged would definitely be interesting.

With the plans set, Qin Yi took Kolo and the others to go horseback riding. Everyone knew how to ride, and their skills were quite good. They rode around the living area of the ranch and then went back to find fishing gear to catch trout in the stream.

Qin Yi, Anqi, Susa, and Liu Qimeng took one boat, while Kolo and the other three took another. The group cast their lines back and forth in the stream, finding it quite enjoyable.

Susa's skills were excellent, and Trevor and Colin were also quite good. The three of them caught the most fish, each with 5 or 6 trout, all over 30 centimeters long.

Liu Qimeng, on the other hand, had no idea how to catch trout. Fortunately, there were some carp in the water, so she focused on catching them. Qin Yi said that if the catch was good, they would have boiled fish for dinner, which made Liu Qimeng drool. These two had no resistance to food!

The other one, of course, was Anqi. Initially, they thought this girl was just here for sightseeing, but surprisingly, she managed to catch a fish with a children's toy fishing rod, even though it was only about ten centimeters long. She was so happy that she showed all her teeth in a big smile!

Kolo and Christina had no interest in fishing but were very interested in catching fish with a net. Whenever a fish was hooked, they would excitedly lean over the side of the boat, extending the net to scoop it up.

Speaking of the largest trout caught, it might be Qin Yi. The last time he accompanied Ye Fang, he didn't catch a single trout, which made him quite frustrated.

Unexpectedly, this time he had great luck, catching three trout, two of which were over 40 centimeters long, and one was even about 50 centimeters. He was so happy that he held the fish and laughed foolishly, but the boat almost capsized due to Liu Qimeng's struggle with a large carp, nearly causing him to lose his balance and drop the fish.

In the evening, back at home, Liu Qimeng's catch was not bad. Qin Yi asked Kolo and the others for their opinion, as boiled fish was served in a pot with fish slices, breaking the American habit of individual servings. They had to agree to enjoy the meal.

Fortunately, they were quite curious about boiled fish and said they could accept this dining style. At lunch, it was the first time Kolo and the others had tasted authentic Chinese cuisine, and they found it really great. The flavors were rich and novel, and it was delicious, though the preparation was quite complex!

At that time, Kolo particularly liked stir-fried green peppers and potato shreds. She asked how to make it, and Qin Yi briefly explained: cut the potatoes into thin strips, soak them in salt water for a while, rinse them twice with clear water to remove the starch, heat the oil, add chopped green onions, and then add the potato shreds to stir-fry...

Before he finished, Qin Yi noticed that not only Kolo but also Christina and the others were completely lost. He almost thought his teaching method was wrong, but seeing Susa's interested face, he realized that these foreigners who had never been exposed to Chinese cuisine would find his explanations useless. He immediately told Kolo that he would make it for her another day, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief!

Since there were no issues, Qin Yi started cooking.

Considering Kolo and the others' tastes, Qin Yi deboned the trout and sliced the meat, so there were no bones, making it easier to eat and ensuring everyone would be satisfied. He thought for a moment and then went to the storage to find a copper hot pot he had brought from home. He added the fish bones and spices to make a broth, poured it into the hot pot, heated it with charcoal, and then added the trout slices and mushrooms. He also prepared a lot of lettuce and oil lettuce. In the end, he decided to make a fish hot pot!

Qin Yi got busy, taking frozen beef from the fridge and slicing it thinly, cutting tofu into blocks, slicing potatoes into large rounds, and soaking dried golden needle mushrooms. The bear meat and bear paws from a few days ago were still in the fridge, but he hadn't eaten them yet because he was still figuring out how to prepare them. In China, these were protected animals, and eating them was illegal, but he never thought he would get to taste them one day.

Forget it, he cut a plate of bear meat and added other vegetables like lettuce and asparagus, regardless of whether they were suitable. After all, a hot pot was a mix of everything, and nothing was off-limits!

Qin Yi also took out a smaller hot pot from the storage, which he made into a spicy broth. Since Americans don't often eat spicy food, the larger hot pot was a clear broth, giving everyone a choice.

Qin Yi ran back and forth, busy with various tasks, and the few people sitting in the living room watched, marveling at how complicated Chinese cooking was!

He didn't keep everyone waiting long. First, he took the half-cooked large carp from the oven and fed it to Meggie, Teddy, and the dogs. Then he called everyone to the dining room.

Seeing this novel way of eating, everyone found it interesting. Following Qin Yi and Liu Qimeng's example, they helped themselves. The meat was tender, and the vegetables were refreshing, and they quickly fell in love with it, especially the spicy broth. Qin Yi thought they might not be used to it, but they exclaimed that the spicy food made them sweat, and drinking cold beer afterward was an incredible experience!

The women naturally loved the spicy hot pot too, but to maintain their skin, they tried to eat less. Only Anqi, the little girl, had no such worries and ate with relish!

After the meal, Qin Yi received a lot of praise. The spicy hot pot made everyone lose their composure but also quickly brought them closer together. Sometimes, the transition from strangers to friends was that simple!

After dinner, Susa made a cup of space coffee for each of them. The wonderful aroma and taste naturally drew exclamations of amazement, but when they heard that the coffee was brought from China and that the monthly supply was only enough for a few people, they were disappointed and decided to stay a few more days. Qin Yi was so hospitable, and the delicious coffee and fruit wine were not to be missed, so they had to take the opportunity to drink more!

Kolo and the others played with Lai Pi and Teddy for a while and then went back to their rooms, leaving Qin Yi and Susa to prepare for the next day's camping trip.

Liu Qimeng also had a task: to play with Anqi. Unfortunately, this big girl came from a well-off family and, apart from throwing clothes in the washing machine, had never done any housework. Preparing for a camping trip was a high-level task she knew nothing about!

This time, Ryan was going with them, and with his experienced cowboy skills, the trip would be much smoother.

Before going to bed, Qin Yi divided a few small aloe plants from the garden and moved them into the space for cultivation. This aloe was brought by Susa, and since the small farm had no income, they couldn't afford high-end skincare products, which might not be very effective anyway. This aloe was both economical and practical.

The aloe in the space grew quickly, and soon it became large with wide, thick, and juicy leaves. Qin Yi picked the leaves, extracted the aloe juice, and put it in small glass bottles, then gave it to Susa.

Knocking on the door, he found Susa in her pajamas, apparently about to go to bed. Qin Yi was pleasantly surprised by her alluring and sexy appearance, never expecting the always rugged Susa to have such a feminine side.

He rubbed his nose and quickly handed her the aloe. "This aloe essence is extracted using Chinese medical techniques. It can whiten and nourish the skin. Take a drop before bed, dilute it to half a cup, and apply it to your face. That's it. Good night!"

Susa, hearing about the whitening and skin care, realized her little trick at lunch had been noticed. Although she knew Qin Yi meant no harm, she felt a bit awkward. However, when she heard it was processed using medical techniques, she smiled, thinking her skin problems might finally be solved!

The next morning, Susa woke up, washed her face, and was shocked. Her face looked white and tender, and she couldn't resist touching it. It was smooth, moisturized, and elastic. Was this her face? Even her hands were white and tender. It was amazing!

Thinking of Qin Yi's magical "medical techniques," she felt relieved, picked up the aloe essence bottle, and smiled to herself.

After a few minutes, Susa happily went downstairs to cook.

Liu Qimeng, as usual, came downstairs after Susa had almost finished cooking. She looked at the busy Susa in the kitchen and let out a surprised exclamation, pointing at Susa's face in disbelief.

Realizing her impolite gesture, she quickly retracted her hand and apologized, "Sorry, Susa, I'm just so surprised! I didn't mean anything by it, but your skin looks much better. What did you use to see such results in just one night?"

Liu Qimeng spoke tactfully, as if Susa's skin had only improved slightly. She couldn't say that a woman's skin was poor to her face, as that would be too insulting!

Susa wasn't upset. She knew her skin's condition best and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, Qimeng. I know what my skin was like before, but that's all in the past. I'm doing much better now, right?"

Seeing that Susa wasn't bothered, Liu Qimeng quickly smiled and pulled her, trying to flatter her. "So, Susa, what did you use? I'm a bit envious of your skin now!"

"Qin Yi gave it to me. You can ask him for it!" Susa didn't hide anything. Living under the same roof, Qin Yi hadn't asked her to keep it a secret, so she spoke freely.

"I'll go find him!" Liu Qimeng's eyes lit up, and she ran upstairs. Susa watched her, thinking about stopping her but decided against it. Let her go; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sit still.

Liu Qimeng ran upstairs and found Qin Yi's room door open, but he was already gone. She remembered that Qin Yi was the earliest riser among them, waking up at 5 a.m. to practice boxing, brush the horses, and take them for a walk. It was now 6:30, so he should be back soon.

She ran to the porch, eagerly waiting. After all, white and tender skin was too attractive to women!

PS: Thanks for the recommendations and donations!

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