Lu Yanlai noticed something and quietly leaned over to whisper in Ye Zhinan's ear, "You seem really happy. Have you been planning to raise fish for a long time?"
Ye Zhinan immediately put on a serious face and pointed at the soaked Chinese wolfberries, sighing.
"I'm just trying to minimize the loss. Look at my medicinal herbs. What should I do!"
Then she suddenly turned to Qin Yihuai. "One item."
Qin Yihuai was taken aback. His eyes darkened, but seeing the pity - inspiring face of the other person, he nodded helplessly. "Okay."
Lu Yanlai looked at the two of them in confusion. Ye Zhinan's expression brightened. She caught two fish and happily went home, leaving Qin Yihuai with a gloomy face to deal with the mess.
"We're having a special meal today."
Ye Zhinan had left home with a gloomy face. When she came back, not only had her anger turned into joy, but there were also two fish in her hands.
Han Xiangmei was both happy and worried. "Where did you get these fish?"
"Did you go into the river after coming down from the mountain?"
Ye Yingfeng took the two fish and weighed them. They were quite heavy.
"My land was flooded. This is the compensation."
Ye Zhinan said it casually and then turned into the kitchen to clean the fish.
The others were left stunned and looked at Lu Yanlai for an answer.
"The saline - alkaline land was flooded by the water from the mountain. But Sister Zhinan found there were fish in the water, so she quickly decided to turn the flooded land into a pond."
After hearing Lu Yanlai's explanation, the others felt relieved. But the stone that had just fallen in Han Xiangmei's heart rose again. She couldn't help but worry about her daughter's health, so she quickly walked into the kitchen.
Ye Zhinan was holding a knife to dissect the fish. As a doctor, her knife skills were flexible, delicate, and meticulous. Every cut separated the meat from the bone without a trace of blood. Soon, the fish bellies, intestines, livers, and other internal organs were cleaned and neatly placed on the chopping board.
Han Xiangmei stared with wide eyes when she saw this. Ye Zhinan noticed her and quickly asked, "These two fish are big. Let's keep it simple and have grilled fish. How about that?"
"Your father and I are old. We can't eat much at night. You young people can eat more!"
Han Xiangmei said as she stepped forward to help. Just as she was about to throw away the things cleaned out on the chopping board, Ye Zhinan rushed over immediately.
"Mom, these are all good things. We can't throw them away!"
Han Xiangmei was puzzled by her eagerness. "Can these be eaten?"
"Of course. Fish bellies can boost immunity and improve memory. They're one of the eight treasures of the sea. Fish intestines can not only fight aging but also improve eyesight and protect the stomach. If you don't want to eat the other fish internal organs, we can use them as fertilizer. They're extremely good things!"
Ye Zhinan was getting excited as she spoke, and Han Xiangmei listened intently. She rearranged the things and put them back in place.
As they were talking, Ye Zhinan had already put the two fish on wooden sticks. She walked into the yard with them, then made a simple grill, lit a fire, and put the fish on the grill. She sat beside it, turning the wooden sticks from time to time.
Ye Yingfeng watched curiously. But when his eyes swept over Ye Zhinan, there was a hint of inquiry in them.
When did his sister become so capable with her hands?
While he was watching her, Ye Shenyan was also looking at her. There was a deep light in his eyes. Through the wisps of smoke from the grilled fish, his gaze landed directly on Ye Zhinan's face.
Lu Yanlai curiously leaned forward and sniffed. "It smells so good. I've eaten grilled fish many times, but yours smells especially good!"
"With my secret seasoning, I guarantee you'll want to eat it a second time."
As she said this, Ye Zhinan took out a small bottle from the small bag on her waist. She flipped her hand, and some red powder sprinkled out.
Lu Yanlai leaned too close and took a big whiff. Immediately, her nose and mouth felt a sharp spiciness. She couldn't help but cough and sneeze.
"Cough, cough. What is this? It's so spicy!"
"I said it's a secret. How can I tell you!"
Ye Zhinan didn't want to tell her not because she didn't want to, but because it was hard to explain, so it was better to keep it mysterious.
As they were talking, the two grilled fish were done. Ye Zhinan carefully removed the fish bones, mixed the fish meat with the seasoning, stirred them evenly, put them on a plate, and placed it on the table.
"Dad, Mom, you must try it. Eat it while it's hot."
Although Han Xiangmei and Ye Shenyan said they wouldn't eat, they couldn't resist the delicious smell and took a couple of small bites.
"The taste is really good. There's not a bit of fishy smell."
Han Xiangmei was once again amazed by her daughter's cooking skills and couldn't help but praise, "It seems you have a bit of a talent for cooking."
"Zhinan doesn't just have a bit of talent. She has a lot, a lot."
Lu Yanlai also couldn't help but say what was on her mind.
Ye Yingfeng was too busy eating to talk and could only nod repeatedly.
Seeing everyone enjoying the food, Ye Zhinan held back her excitement and slowly said, "When we have a fishpond in the future, we can make more delicious fish dishes. We can sell them in the marinated food shop. What do you think?"
Hearing this, everyone stopped their chopsticks.
Ye Shenyan's eyebrows twitched slightly as he stared at her.
"You've had this plan for a long time?"
Ye Zhinan blinked her eyes but didn't say yes or no.
She had noticed the loophole when the canal was dug that day. Coupled with the Wei family's eagerness to do business with her, she had made up her mind.
The marinated food shop had been targeted before. To keep developing, besides sticking to the taste and quality, they also needed to keep innovating. Only by doing both inside and outside could it be a long - term solution.
Lu Yanlai was the first to nod in agreement. "New products are always good. Our marinated food is excellent, and the rabbit heads are selling better than before. But the better they sell, the more worried I am. I'm afraid someone will copy them one day. What are you going to do? Do you have any ideas?"
"From what you said, it seems you already have a choice in mind?"
Ye Zhinan saw the spark in Lu Yanlai's eyes and thus let her speak first.
"There's a kind of smoked fish in my hometown. It's sweet and sour, appetizing and goes well with wine."
"That's great. I'll leave this to you. Just tell me if you need anything."
Ye Zhinan and Lu Yanlai hit it off. They discussed the price and launch time of the smoked fish for a long time. The more they talked, the more excited they became.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Yanlai had no choice but to say goodbye and leave.
Just as Ye Zhinan was about to go back to her room to rest, Ye Shenyan called her.
"It's a good thing that you're making money to improve the situation in the northern border. But after all, our family's identity is special."
Ye Shenyan had already tacitly approved of her doing business, but they still needed to be extremely cautious in public.
Ye Zhinan understood her father's good intentions. She understood that the purpose of making money was not only to improve her family's situation but also to help the people in the northern border.
She was just one person with limited strength. If she could drive more people, they could create more wealth.
But all of this was limited by her father's status as a banished criminal. So she could only do it secretly.
"Dad, one day I'll help you get rid of that unjust accusation!"