America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

Montana winters are rather long.

But in the days without the smoke of gunpowder and bloodshed, it reveals a tranquil and beautiful side, like a fairy tale.

For a whole week after that night's "big cleaning," not a single unfamiliar fly flew into Titan Manor.

Old Joe is in jail for good, TerraPower is in the process of handing over bankruptcy reorganization documents, and everything has been settled.

And so, life finally slowed down.

It's as slow as a spoonful of thick honey.

………………

11:00 AM.

The sun was high in the sky, shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the soft wool carpet in the living room.

Chen An lay on the Italian leather sofa, covered with a thin blanket, holding a copy of "The Montana Fishing Guide" in his hand.

I was watching it with great interest.

Zeus lay at his feet, occasionally turning over to expose his soft belly, enjoying his master's "foot massage".

No phone calls, no meetings, no damn gunshots.

"Boss, open your mouth."

Jessica was wearing a loose white sweater and only shorts on her lower body, kneeling barefoot beside the sofa.

She held a freshly peeled grape in her hand and fed it to Chen An.

"Hmm... these grapes are not bad." Chen An chewed a couple of times and lazily commented, "It's just that the peeling technique needs improvement; the flesh is a bit broken."

"You're already being kind by being peeled and fed! Why are you being so picky!"

Jessica gave him a playful glare, then wiped her juice-stained fingers on Chen An's robe. "Back in Seattle, I was always the one getting grapes peeled for me!"

"That was before."

Chen An closed the book, then pulled the restless little wildcat into his arms and let her lie on his chest.

"You're still a secretary working in debt. By the way, did you shovel the cow dung today?"

"I'll shovel your head!"

Jessica was so angry that she bit him on the chest, but not hard; it was more like grinding her teeth than biting.

"Those old men, including Tie Tou, are so idle they're braiding dogs' hair. They've already taken over all the work at the cowshed! I'm currently... unemployed!"

indeed.

With the Titan security team permanently stationed there, those dozen or so burly men with excess energy practically became free labor for the farm when there were no enemies.

Chopping wood, feeding cattle, shoveling snow, and even pruning flowers for Sarah—these suit-clad thugs did it all more enthusiastically than anyone else.

After all, the wages are high, the food is good, and the boss doesn't really manage things—it's practically paradise.

"Unemployed?"

Chen An ruffled her long, smooth hair. "That's perfect. Since we have nothing to do, let's go and do something 'unproductive'."

"Where are we going? Shopping?" Jessica's eyes lit up.

"No. This is a farm; we're going to do what farmers do."

Chen An sat up and stretched.

"Lake Flathead outside must be frozen solid. It's a nice day, let's go ice fishing."

………………

Half an hour later.

In the kitchen.

Sarah is preparing a picnic basket.

As the true "housekeeper" of this household, her virtuousness is outrageous.

"Sandwiches, mulled wine, freshly baked brownies, and your favorite smoked venison strips..."

Sarah counted the items and placed them into the delicate wicker basket. "Is there anything else I need to bring?"

"Bring a good mood with you."

Chen An hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek, which still smelled of flour.

"Honey, take a break today. Don't worry about the housework."

"Wife..." Sarah blushed. Although they hadn't registered their marriage yet, the term of address made her feel sweet inside.

"In broad daylight, what if the children hear this..."

"Those two kids are still studying in Seattle."

Chen An took the basket. "Let's go. Remember to dress warmly; it's windy on the lake."

………………

This time, I won't need to drive the menacing Raptor or the flashy Porsche.

Chen An drove out of the repaired old Ford tractor left behind by Uncle George.

He attached a wooden sled covered with hay and blankets to the back of the vehicle.

"Wow! Is that Santa's sleigh?"

Jessica excitedly jumped onto the sled, rolled around in the soft hay, and exclaimed, "This is so cool!"

Sarah smiled and sat down. Although it was a bit bumpy, the feeling of returning to simplicity reminded her of her youth.

Zeus was having a blast, running alongside the sled and occasionally plunging his head into the snowdrifts, getting his face covered in snow.

"Set off!"

Chen An sat in the driver's seat, wearing a cowboy hat and with a blade of grass in his mouth, and stepped on the gas.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—"

The tractor, billowing black smoke and carrying a load of laughter and chatter, swayed and wobbled as it drove toward the frozen lake.

This is life.

There were no contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and no gunfire.

All I saw was blue sky, white snow, and my family behind me.

………………

Lake Flathead.

The vast lake has been transformed into a white plain that stretches as far as the eye can see.

The ice layer is estimated to be more than half a meter thick; even a tank could drive up it without any problem.

Chen An found a sheltered bay area to stop.

"start."

He took out a hand-cranked ice drill and, with a "zzzz" sound, drilled a hole the size of a bowl in the ice.

The clear, cool lake water surged up.

"This is our fishing ground."

Chen An set up several folding chairs and handed the fishing rods to the two women.

"The fish here are really stupid; they're all wild trout that've never seen the world before."

"Just throw the hook down, and they'll run into it on their own."

"Really?" Jessica asked skeptically as she lowered the hook with the bloodworm bait.

Only five seconds passed.

"Huh? It moved! It moved!"

The fishing rod suddenly sank.

Jessica frantically started reeling in the cable. "My God! That's strong! Help me!"

Chen An didn't help; he just stood by and gave instructions with a smile: "Don't rush, take it slow. Let it run around a bit."

After some pulling and tugging.

A large crucian carp, as long as an arm, was pulled out of the water and bounced and splashed on the ice.

"I caught one! Hahahaha!"

Jessica blushed with excitement, looking even happier than if she had won a million dollars.

She grabbed the fish, wanting to show it off, but the fish flicked its tail, splashing her face with icy water.

"Looks like our lunch is sorted out."

Sarah smiled as she expertly spread out a picnic blanket and poured out steaming red wine.

One o'clock in the afternoon.

A makeshift barbecue grill was set up on the ice.

Freshly caught fish do not require complicated processing.

Remove the scales and entrails, stuff with lemon slices and rosemary, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and grill directly over charcoal.

The sizzling sound of oil, accompanied by the aroma, made Zeus, who was standing nearby, drool.

"Give."

Chen An divided the largest grilled fish in half, giving half to Sarah and half to Jessica.

"Try it. This is purely wild. It's extremely nutritious, several times more so than beef."

Jessica ignored the heat, took a bite, and her eyes instantly narrowed into slits.

"Delicious! Much better than those fancy Michelin-starred restaurants!"

"That's natural. The fruits of labor taste the best."