Why bother with dating when you already have a cat?

Traditional steaming methods are even more complicated. You can't just put them directly into boiling water to cook them. Instead, you have to steam them with steam, and you can't cover the pot. You have to let the steam cook them slowly.

Alternatively, you can repeatedly pour water that hasn't fully boiled over the fish until it becomes tender.

However, this is just talk; restaurants certainly wouldn't go through all that trouble.

Being willing to keep fish in clean water for a few days is considered a skill.

However, in this situation, a sweet sauce is unlikely to suppress the fishy smell, and may even amplify the earthy odor.

Fortunately, Ai Qing isn't picky, and the fish itself tasted pretty good, so it can't be considered a bad experience.

To Ai Qing's surprise, Xiao Yu seemed to really enjoy the West Lake Vinegar Fish, picking it up bite after bite without stopping.

Is it that delicious?

"Huh? Of course it's delicious!" Xiaoyu looked up at Ai Qing and then said matter-of-factly, "Isn't this the best of the four dishes?"

Ai Qing: "Huh?"

and many more……

Ai Qing's mind went blank for a moment, then suddenly it occurred to her.

Even though the little fish has become a human, could it still have some inexplicable blood attraction to the smell of fish?

What others find unpalatable is a delicious treat in the mouths of small fish.

This sounds a bit outrageous.

I don't know if it's just my guess, or if it's simply that the little fish hasn't eaten much good food, so it enjoys every new dish.

"What's wrong? Does your brother not like the taste?"

"Not really, it's just that it's not that delicious." Ai Qing shook her head and chuckled. "As long as you like it, that's fine. Everyone's taste is different, and what matters most is that you think it tastes good."

……

Ai Qing was fairly satisfied with the meal; the chances of having a bad experience at a restaurant recommended by Xiao Youqian were indeed not high.

At least the little fish really enjoyed and was very satisfied with its meal.

She devoured the entire West Lake Vinegar Fish; Ai Qing only ate four or five bites in total.

Unfortunately, the only problem with this store is that it's too expensive.

The four dishes cost over 300 yuan, and my wallet immediately emptied a little more.

If Ai Qing hadn't brought Xiao Yu out to play, she probably would have just made do with a scallion pancake from a roadside stall if she were alone.

Ai Qing is only so generous when she brings Xiao Yu out to eat.

Fortunately, May is over.

The payment for the manuscript will be available on the 3rd of this month, and will be deposited into his bank account on the 12th.

Then they will be able to make a living again.

To be honest, after secretly preparing a surprise for Xiaoyu, Ai Qing is now a bit short of money, with only a few thousand yuan left in cash flow.

This lunch cost 300 yuan, which is a bit pricey.

Fortunately, there are still twelve days until the royalties arrive, otherwise he definitely wouldn't have taken Xiaoyu out for such a feast.

"let's go."

After paying, Ai Qing stood up and said to Xiao Yu, "I'll take you to West Lake to take a boat ride and see the lake."

"By boat?"

“It’s what you saw before,” Ai Qing said with a smile. “Those things that float on the water; you can go up and experience them if you pay.”

"Wow!" Little Fish recalled the boats floating on the lake that she had seen from the shore earlier, and the people sitting inside them, and couldn't help but feel excited. "Hurry up, brother, let's go, let's take a boat!"

She grabbed Ai Qing's hand, already eager to fly onto the ship.

"Don't rush, take your time," Ai Qing said with a laugh. "It's only one o'clock in the afternoon, we have plenty of time to take the boat. After we finish the boat ride, we'll be heading home soon."

"Little Fish thinks she can hold on for several more hours and can stay on the boat a little longer."

"But those small boats cost 150 yuan per person per hour."

"What?! How can it be so expensive?!" Little Fish exclaimed, then hesitated, "Maybe we shouldn't take the boat. I think it's fine to just look around from the shore."

Chapter 132 The Little Fish Has Grown Up

Whether a boat ride on West Lake is expensive or not depends mainly on the type of boat.

The 150 yuan per person per hour that Ai Qing just mentioned mainly applies to single-person rowing boats and paddle boats, which can seat six to eight people.

If the place is full, you can try to negotiate a price with the other party.

If it's a sightseeing boat, a large boat can seat dozens or even hundreds of people at a time, and the ticket costs around fifty or sixty yuan.

Although it's expensive, it's at least within an acceptable range.

The advantage of the former is that the boat is small, and it can be rowed to a designated location according to the customer's needs.

The latter is cheaper, but the sailing route is more fixed, and sightseeing can only be done along a predetermined route.

Xiaoyu wanted to save money, but Aiqing still pulled her onto a rowboat.

Neither of them were good at bargaining, but luckily, two of their aunties were also going to take the boat.

You could tell from her accent that she was a local auntie bringing her friends from out of town to visit West Lake. Ai Qing was amazed by her bargaining skills.

In the end, because they were on the same boat, they got a little advantage and only had to pay 100 each to board.

To be honest, the boatmen who row boats on West Lake make a lot of money on a regular basis thanks to this free scenic spot.

Ai Qing did a quick calculation and realized that if she could take one or two orders a day, her monthly income would be close to ten or twenty thousand yuan.

Is this money so easy to make?

But perhaps the boatman didn't pocket all the money?

With that in mind, Ai Qing stopped worrying about it. After all, the ticket price of 100 yuan each for him and Xiao Yu was already quite expensive.

The local auntie, however, was a bit resentful. After she and her friend boarded the boat, she kept muttering to herself, "Last time I brought people here, I could get an even cheaper price. Today there are just fewer people."

"If just two more people share the boat, I can lower the price to seventy or eighty, believe it or not."

The woman from out of town chuckled and agreed. After chatting for a while, the two started talking about other gossip.

Ai Qing and Xiao Yu sat at the bow of the boat, a row of seats between them and the two aunties, so they wouldn't disturb each other, which was just right.

The little fish sat on the boat with great interest, one hand supporting herself on the seat and the other gripping the edge of the boat. With just a slight reach, she could easily touch the lake water.

The summer sun was blazing. The rather young-looking boatman stood at the stern, rowing with his oars. Wearing a straw hat under the scorching sun, he called out, "Shall I take you to the center of the lake first, ma'am?"

“Hey, you know your stuff, you take care of it.” The local Hangzhou auntie turned around and called out, “If my friend enjoys the scenery, let’s add each other on WeChat later, and I’ll bring my friends here to take a boat trip with you from now on.”

The auntie was using this tactic when she was bargaining, and I didn't expect her to actually do it.

The young boatman, not holding out much hope, nodded with a smile and began rowing along his usual passenger route.

"It's moving! Brother's moving!" Little Fish excitedly patted Ai Qing's shoulder, feeling the small boat rocking and swaying gently. The bow of the boat cut through the blue waves, and ripples spread out.

With the boat awning overhead for shade, although it was still hot, the gentle breeze on the lake made it quite pleasant.

"Don't get too excited, be careful not to fall into the water." Ai Qing grabbed Xiao Yu's shoulder and helped her sit up straight. "If you fall in, you'll be soaked to the bone."

Why not a drowned cat?

"It's a common saying. If you're interested, you can look up the origin of the word online." Ai Qing's knowledge base is no longer able to immediately meet Xiao Yu's thirst for knowledge.

The only option was to have her ask the all-knowing internet.

"Then the older brother would also get soaked if he fell into the water."

"I'm not as restless as you. If I fall, it'll definitely be because of you."

"No way~" Little Fish said, dissatisfied. "Little Fish is very well-behaved."

"You're getting better and better at pretending now," Ai Qing said, tapping her head with a wry smile. "You're better than anyone at playing the victim. Don't you know how to learn something good?"

"I've seen couples in videos make up easily when the boyfriend gets angry, just by doing this," Xiaoyu said earnestly. "I've been studying these methods carefully."

Ai Qing: "...You should watch less of this kind of stuff in the future."

The two were bickering on the boat. As Xiaoyu talked, she couldn't help but reach out and stir the water in West Lake.

Despite the scorching summer sun, the lake water was refreshingly cool.

Xiaoyu pulled her water-covered hands back, and while Ai Qing wasn't looking, she flicked her fingers at him, splashing the water from her hands onto Ai Qing.

"Haha~"

"You just wait." Ai Qing rolled her eyes at her, then immediately dipped her hand in the cool lake water and launched a counterattack at the little fish.

The two were in a chaotic mess, but thankfully Ai Qing still had some sense, otherwise they really would have both jumped into the lake.

"Are you two here on a date?"

After the two calmed down, the aunt sitting in the back seemed to be at a loss for words, so the local aunt greeted Ai Qing and Xiao Yu and asked them a question.

Ai Qing has always found it difficult to deal with this kind of nagging auntie.

He hesitated, just about to say that this was his sister.

Little Fish, who was standing nearby, had already taken the lead and grabbed Ai Qing's arm, sweetly echoing, "Yes, yes, are you here with a friend, sister?"

"Oh dear, how can you call someone like that?" Although she said that, her face was already beaming with joy. The aunt waved her hand and laughed, "You have such a sweet tongue, much more sensible than my rascal."

"Your child is just a little mischievous, but has a good personality and does well in school," the aunt next to her said with a smile.

At this moment, the local auntie continued to look at the two people in front of her and chatted casually, "Are you still in school? Don't you have class today?"

"I'm almost graduating from my senior year, so I don't have many classes." At this point, Ai Qing saw no need to waste any more words explaining to the two strangers, and could only go along with the conversation.

Which university is it?

"From the Finance and Economics Institute."

"Oh my, so that's a top student too."

"Is your son also in school?" Xiaoyu asked curiously.