bestfiction Chapter 335
Chapter 335
The five Ji brothers weren’t really fishing seriously.They held their rods, but their eyes kept drifting toward Sheng Qingyan and Rong Yu.
Whenever Rong Yu and Sheng Qingyan held hands, Ji Zhuye would start snapping photos manically, whooping and hollering, until he was dragged away by Ji Mohan and Ji Yanting.
Even the usually composed Ji Zhiyuan and Ji Jingchuan couldn’t help sneaking glances, sitting quietly on the sidelines, occasionally getting a mouthful of the lovey-dovey display from their great-grandparents.
Under the intense stare of so many bright, eager eyes, Sheng Qingyan felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Rong Yu let out a soft sigh.
When she first found out Sheng Qingyan was Ji Zheng, she had also chosen to take him fishing, hoping it would jog his memory.
But it turned out to be useless.
After all this time, she had long accepted the situation as it was.
In this peaceful era, this golden age of peace, to start afresh and have a quiet, simple romance—wasn’t that nice too?
Rong Yu simply enjoyed the rare moment of leisure.
In less than an hour, two buckets were filled to the brim with lively, flipping big fish.
The group hurried back to the hospital.
Grandpa Ji’s room was a special luxury suite—a private room with a guest room and a kitchen, fully equipped with all the cookware.
When they came back carrying the live fish, the previously listless Grandpa Ji immediately sat up in bed: “You’re finally back! Wow, more than a dozen fish—enough for all of us to eat our fill!”
Like a playful old child, ignoring the IV drip on the back of his hand, he crouched down to grab a big fish. The fish slipped from his hand, flopped onto the floor, and skittered around wildly.
Sheng Qingyan stomped on the fish’s head, instantly stunning it into submission. He picked it up: “I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare dinner.”
Ji Zhuye rolled up his sleeves: “I’ll... I’ll help!”
Grandpa Ji grabbed a pillow and smacked it into his face: “You’d be lucky if you didn’t just cause trouble, let alone help. Go sit over there, out of the way.”
Ji Zhiyuan cleared his throat: “Last month, I visited Dr. Wen’s house and helped her clean fish. I’m up for this job.”
He put on gloves, picked up the knife with precision, and said seriously, “Dr. Wen said that cutting at an angle preserves the fish’s tenderness the best…”
The fish suddenly flicked its tail, splashing water all over his face with a loud slap.
Duoduo covered her mouth and giggled: “Haha, Daddy got bullied by the big fish!”
Ji Yanting was tasked with peeling garlic; however, his slender fingers weren’t great at the job, and he even broke a sweat on his forehead.
Ji Mohan was busy chopping scallions and chili peppers. Chopping wasn’t difficult, but he forgot he had cut the peppers and rubbed his eyes directly, causing him to yelp in pain and hop around.
Ji Jingchuan was shaping fish balls, handling it with no stress at all.
Sheng Qingyan stood by the stove, his movements fluid and natural, like an innate talent.
He scored the fish’s body, heated oil to sizzling, fried the scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, slid the fish meat into the pan, and with a loud crackle, the aroma instantly filled the entire room.
Duoduo peeked through the kitchen door, her big eyes sparkling: “Wow, Uncle Sheng is amazing! It smells so good. It’s definitely going to taste awesome!”
Grandpa Ji sniffed the air, unable to resist stepping closer.
He remembered that when he was very, very little, his mother had said his father could do everything—he could handle a gun and a spatula. His father’s cooking stayed in his mother’s memory for a lifetime.
He never expected that, in his lifetime, he would get to taste his father’s cooking.
What a lucky child he was in this world—as long as both his parents were around, even an old man could act like a kid.
An hour and a half later, the full fish feast was laid out on the table.
Steamed fish, the flesh as white as jade, with green scallions scattered on top for garnish.
Sweet-and-sour fish, golden and crispy, with sugar threads pulled into crystalline arcs.
Milky white fish soup, the broth as pale as snow, its fragrance wafting straight into the nostrils.
Handmade fish balls...
The hospital’s dining table was too small; ten dishes were a bit too much to fit, and there were only four seats around it.
Old Master Ji sat down, settling Duoduo onto his lap, then pulled Rong Yu and Sheng Qingyan to sit on his left and right. "I can't wait to taste what it's like," he said.
Sheng Qingyan cleared his throat. "This is the first time I’ve cooked as far back as I can remember. I hope everyone will forgive any shortcomings."
Ji Zhiyuan bent down to serve soup to the elders.
Old Master Ji was the first to pick up his chopsticks. The moment the fish touched his tongue, the old man’s eyes widened in surprise.
Duoduo tugged at his sleeve impatiently. "Great-grandpa, is it good?"
Ji Zhouye grabbed a meatball, blew on it to cool it down, and popped it into the little girl’s mouth. "Try it yourself and you’ll know."
"Mmm!" The little girl’s grape-like eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, it’s so delicious, I could swallow my own tongue!"
Rong Yu picked up her bowl. The milky white fish soup rose in a mist of steam. She blew on it gently, took a sip, and the moment the soup touched her tongue, her movements suddenly froze.
This taste...
It was exactly the same as the taste in her distant memories.
Her hand trembled, and some of the hot white soup splashed onto the back of her hand.
"Careful, it’s hot."
Sheng Qingyan took her hand and blew on it softly.
The five grandsons of the Ji family, who had been too busy savoring the food to pay attention, now nudged each other, winking and grinning as they all turned to look at Rong Yu and Sheng Qingyan.
"Ah Yuan, are you having a facial spasm? Ah Yan, where are your eyes looking? Hey, Ah Mo, why are you taking photos? Ah Chuan, stop messing around. Ah Ye, why are you squeezing in so close? Get lost!" Old Master Ji scolded them impatiently. "If you lot have nothing better to do, go deliver the leftover fish soup to the patients in the other wards instead of hanging around here getting in the way."
His parents had been reunited after so long apart. Was it so wrong for a legitimate married couple to hold hands and show a little affection? These towering grandsons standing around were ruining the atmosphere!
Ji Zhouye protested, "We haven’t even had any yet! Why give it to others?"
Old Master Ji shot him a glare. "Then you can all squat in the hallway outside and eat there..."
Ji Jingchuan said, "Someone should stay here to look after Grandpa. Can I stay to serve the dishes and rice?"
The family was in the middle of their lively banter when footsteps sounded at the door.
The voice of Old Madam Sheng drifted in. "Oh, how lively. Old Master Ji, surrounded by your grandsons, all so dutiful and staying by your bedside. Truly enviable."
Old Master Ji immediately dropped his casual demeanor and stood up. "Old Madam Sheng, what brings you here?"
"I heard early this morning from Yan’er that you were hospitalized, so of course I had to come visit." Old Madam Sheng stepped inside, accompanied by someone else—An Nuo, who had just been married yesterday.
An Nuo wore an elegant cheongsam, paired with a beige shawl, radiating a poised and graceful air.
"This is a premium nourishing supplement that can help strengthen the body," she said, placing the gift box she carried by the bedside. With concern, she added, "Yesterday, Old Master Ji attended the wedding banquet and suddenly fell ill after returning home. Could it be that he ate something he shouldn’t have at the feast?"
Old Master Ji frowned. "I ate the same things as everyone else. Why would I be the only one to get poisoned?"
Ano paused, her fingers stilling. "Are you sure it's poison?"
"Almost certain." Sheng Qingyan rubbed his fingers together, his gaze fixed on Ano's face. "The military has already identified the composition ratio of this toxin. They can clear the remaining poison from the body within three days."