At 6:30 PM, the dishes were finally ready.
Steamed mandarin fish, crucian carp soup, braised crucian carp, twice-cooked pork, stir-fried lettuce, and scrambled eggs with chives.
Five dishes and one soup.
Perfect!
"Let's eat."
As soon as Chen Yang spoke, Xiao Bai and Da Hei eagerly began to dig in.
Chen Yang picked up a piece of mandarin fish with his chopsticks. The moment it entered his mouth, he couldn't help but close his eyes, savoring the taste.
"White egrets soar over Xisai Hill; peach blossom waters nourish the fat mandarin fish."
The mandarin fish's texture was tender and firm, perfectly infused with the sauce. The flavors of green onion, ginger, and garlic blended seamlessly into the fish. The only flaw was that the cooking time was slightly overdone.
Using a traditional stove made it harder to control the heat.
Even so, this dish would be considered a masterpiece by most chefs!
For Chen Yang, however, there was still room for improvement.
In less than 20 minutes, the table was spotless.
Even the plates were licked clean. Xiao Bai had even crunched down on the fish bones.
"Woof~"
Xiao Bai sprawled on the ground, rubbing its bloated belly with satisfaction.
Da Hei mimicked it, lying on the ground in utter contentment.
"You two…"
"Don't just eat and do nothing."
"Come with me."
Chen Yang carried the empty plates to the kitchen. "Starting today, I'm teaching you two how to wash dishes."
Wash dishes?
Xiao Bai and Da Hei looked puzzled.
Chen Yang demonstrated the process once. Afterward, he asked, "Got it?"
"Woof woof~"
"Hiss hiss~"
The two shook their heads, indicating they didn't understand.
"…" Chen Yang was speechless.
These two had learned how to slack off and lie in no time!
This trend couldn't continue—it had to be corrected.
"You didn't learn? That won't do. In this house, if you don't work, you don't eat."
"I'll show you again. Pay attention. If you don't get it this time, there'll be no food tomorrow."
Hearing this, the two immediately perked up.
After Chen Yang's second demonstration, they eagerly nodded, showing they understood.
"Alright, give it a try."
Chen Yang stepped back. Xiao Bai stood on its hind legs, holding a dish and a rag in its front paws, imitating Chen Yang's motions to clean the plate. Though clumsy at first, it quickly got the hang of it.
Da Hei wasn't as adept at this task, so Chen Yang taught it how to tend the stove instead.
From now on, one would handle the stove, and the other would wash the dishes, leaving Chen Yang to focus on cooking.
A well-defined division of labor.
After tidying up, Chen Yang opened an online shopping app.
Ever since acquiring Grandmaster-Level Culinary Skills, his standards for cooking had significantly risen, even to the point of being picky.
He needed better knives, pots, and—most importantly—a stove.
The two traditional stoves at home were simply insufficient.
He placed an order for three new stoves along with other kitchenware, with delivery expected the next day.
After his bath, Chen Yang sat in the courtyard, browsing Douyin and Weibo.
Prompted by netizens, he found Xiao Bei, who had played a significant role in his rise to fame.
Xiao Bei had posted three new videos:
1."Master Chen: I Went Bald and Became Stronger!"
2."Master Chen Battles a King Cobra with a Bamboo Rod!"
3."Master Chen Teaches You How to Fish!"
Chen Yang clicked on one of them. It was a compilation of his workout clips, which had already attracted a swarm of comments.
He then watched the second video.
Xiao Bei had edited footage of him dealing with the king cobra, syncing it with epic background music. The segment where the cobra glared at Chen Yang with malice was zoomed in for dramatic effect, making the danger palpable.
"Whoa, that's really a king cobra! Man, that glare is terrifying."
"I'm spooked. I need a fresh pair of pants!"
"Master Chen's got guts—who dares mess with a cobra like that?"
"This is what a true badass looks like!"
"Da Hei was so timid, hahaha. It's hilarious!"
"Xiao Bai is so warm-hearted. It even comforted a snake!"
"Honestly, anyone would freak out in that situation. Except for Master Chen, who else would dare stay calm?"
"Okay, I admit, I'd chicken out."
Chen Yang watched as the video's views skyrocketed from a few thousand to tens of thousands in real time.
At this moment, his phone buzzed.
Chu Chu: "Master Chen, there's a company interested in working with you."
Chen Yang: "What company? What product?"
Chu Chu: "Shimano."
Chen Yang: "Oh? They want me to use their fishing rods?"
Chu Chu: "Exactly."
In the fishing world, Shimano, Daiwa, Matagi, and Abu are iconic brands. Shimano and Daiwa, in particular, represent the high-end market, with some rods costing tens of thousands.
Chen Yang replied, "Alright, but make it clear to them—I won't blindly hype their products. I'll use them as they are, and I'll give honest feedback. If they can accept that, I'm in. If not, I'll pass."
Chu Chu added, "By the way, they're offering a pretty high rate."
"How high?"
"200,000 per session."
"Per session?"
Chen Yang chuckled.
200,000 per session was indeed generous. Given his million-view live streams, it was a fair deal.
However, the per-session arrangement showed their caution. If his performance faltered, they could simply end the collaboration.
Chen Yang said, "That's my condition. Relay it to them. If they agree, we'll cooperate."
"Alright, I'll get back to you soon."
It didn't take long for Chu Chu to respond:
"They've agreed to your terms. They said it's fine for you to evaluate the product objectively."
"Okay."
"I've already given them your address. They'll send the fishing rods to you soon."
"Thanks."
"By the way, Master Chen, don't you feel like you forgot to say something?"
Chen Yang was puzzled. "What?"
"Ah, never mind. Good night, Master Chen."
"Good night."
After hanging up, Chu Chu felt satisfied. "Got him to say good night again!"
Meanwhile, Chen Yang was left scratching his head.
What did I forget to say?
He thought about it for a while but couldn't figure it out.
...
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。