Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 301 - 282: I Really Didn’t Want to Show Off at This Kind of Small Game

Chapter 301: Chapter 282: I Really Didn’t Want to Show Off at This Kind of Small Game

[This bait has a deadly attraction for freshwater fish and can catch fish of all sizes!]

Chen Mo started trying according to the recipe, after all, this stuff is meant to lure fish, unlike making gourmet food for people, which is more complex.

Basically, it’s made with cornmeal and honey, with some small spices like cinnamon for added aroma, and a bit of dried shrimp to attract carnivorous fish.

Finally, add cold water and mix until it becomes a paste.

"If this thing really works as the system says, then I won’t have to sell food anymore; I can just make bait directly!"

[Sorry... I forgot to tell you, it must be made through the food truck, and this bait has a shelf life. It loses its effectiveness in three hours after being made.]

Chen Mo was too embarrassed to argue with the system anymore; in fact, he thought that even three hours was enough.

Of course, this was just a thought, at most an additional feature of the system, using it to get rich might be overkill. In just a few minutes, Chen Mo had mixed a bowl of sticky golden paste.

He pinched a small piece, rolled it into a small ball effortlessly, and brought it to his nose. It had a corn scent and a very distinctive aroma.

This was a flavor absent in human food ingredients.

After finishing the bait, Chen Mo carried the bowl to the river, "Jingyi’s Mother, help me bring a few chairs over here, we can start fishing now."

"Right~~"

"And that folding table, too. Oh well, I’ll help you guys."

Chen Mo placed the bowl on the riverbank, turned back to the food truck, and helped a few young ladies bring out the folding tables and such, setting them up by the riverbank.

Then he returned to the food truck by himself, his heart following his desire!

Left hand the Black Blade, right hand the Blackboard, and he carried out the black pot and black ladle together as well.

Then, the replicable spice box, the purified water bucket, and he also pulled an extension cord from the food truck to the riverbank.

In doing so, a makeshift kitchen was quickly set up by the riverbank.

Li Jingyi’s Mother was stunned looking at it, "Xiaochen, you’ve got a treasure chest here!"

"Haha, I usually drive the food truck around to set up stalls; it’s all stuff for making a living."

Despite this, the five young mothers didn’t look down on or underestimate Chen Mo.

Not to mention anything else, just the sight of that well-tailored suit was worth quite a bit. Someone who pays this much attention to their appearance even while setting up a stall is definitely not simple!

After setting up the riverbank’s makeshift kitchen, Jiang Wenqing brought Li Jingyi back at this time.

"Uncle Xiao Chen, do these sticks work?"

This kid Jiang Wenqing didn’t know where he got his hands on these things, long sticks with one end thick and one end sharp, some two meters long, the shortest one and a half meters or so. Moreover, the de-barked sticks had fire-charred marks on the surface, as if they were purposely made.

Seeing Chen Mo examining the sticks, Jiang Wenqing said, "The two of us went over there, and an old grandpa at his house had a lot of these sticks. I said we wanted to fish, and he gave us several."

Eight in total.

Chen Mo caressed the smooth stick body and picked the straightest and longest one, "This one is mine!"

"Now, call back your team members and let’s start making fishing rods."

"Okay!"

Chen Mo didn’t know how to fish, but in his understanding, fishing was just tying a string to a stick.

Then a hook is attached to the end of the string; if fish come to eat the bait, they get hooked. It’s that simple...

Three rebellious team members of Xiao Jiao were still lining up over there, eagerly waiting for Wu Jun to reward them with skewers. In the end, three young mothers had to drag them back.

"Stop fussing and hurry up to make fishing rods. We need to learn to be self-sufficient, haven’t you forgotten what I taught you?"

"Hurry up, whatever we catch today we’ll eat, if you can’t catch any fish, we’ll both have to go hungry."

When the three kids heard they were going fishing, thoughts of skewers flew out of their heads, and they each excitedly picked a fishing rod.

"There are actually fishing rods, Jiang Wenqing, you’re amazing!"

"I want this long one, today I’m definitely catching a big fish!"

"If I catch a fish later, we’ll have braised fish! My mom makes really good braised fish!"

The kids chattered away, picking out their fishing rods, then Jiang Wenqing gathered them together, standing opposite Chen Mo.

"Jingyi’s Mother, aren’t you picking a rod?"

"Huh? I’ll pass, I’ll start preparing some braised seasoning. If we really catch a fish later, I’ll braise a fish for everyone."

Chen Mo waved his fingers, "Nope. Leave the cooking to me. You four are responsible for keeping an eye on the kids, don’t let them fall into the water while fishing."

Chen Mo couldn’t be bothered with the small task of fishing.

But he still guided the five kids, randomly tying the strings from the truck onto one end of the sticks, then finding safety pins from a sewing kit to bend into fish hooks.

"Alright, you make a bait ball yourself, attach it to the hook, throw it in, and you can start fishing. Let’s see who catches the biggest fish today, and I’ll reward them with delicious juice."

The elementary school kids who’d had ice cream knew the magic of Chen Mo’s food truck. If the ice cream was so yummy, the juice couldn’t be bad, right?

The key is.

If this were in Jingzhou City, a cup of juice wouldn’t be much, just five or six yuan at a store like Mixue Bingcheng.

But this is the countryside!

Imagine, while everyone else is holding bottled soda, you’re the one with a freshly-made juice—that feeling?

Elementary school kids love this stuff.

Hearing Chen Mo even offered a reward, five elementary school kids eagerly lined up by the riverbank, trying to cast their hooks into the water.

Chen Mo stood behind, smiling as he watched them—kids are great, brimming with endless energy.

But these kids were a bit clumsy...

The hook was swung several times but couldn’t be cast out, or it was cast quite far, but with too much force, by the time the hook went out, the bait had already flung who knows where.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaofeng occasionally glanced over at Jingyi’s Mother.

Who doesn’t like a classmate’s mother in her early thirties who’s still charming and attractive?

Seeing five kids fishing by the riverside, Wu Xiaofeng smirked with one corner of his mouth, "Son, go to our trunk and bring out Dad’s fishing gear. I see your classmates fishing over there with just sticks; how can they catch anything? Let’s go give them a hand."

Wu Jun was also watching Li Jingyi just then. He got anxious seeing her attempt to cast the hook several times unsuccessfully, and was all fired up when he heard his dad’s words, "Okay!"

Usually, Wu Xiaofeng often went fishing as well. In any case, he was considered a minor boss in Jingzhou.

Nowadays, their circle doesn’t kick-start a one-stop service of dining, drinking, and karaoke. Instead, they’ve started trending towards fishing, drinking tea, and playing table tennis!

In the trunk of Wu Xiaofeng’s Land Rover, there are always two sets of fishing gear, some rackets, and premium tea leaves.

"Feel free to start grilling and eating first, everyone. I’ll take Wu Jun over to help other kids fish; otherwise, their little group will end up hungry today."

Wu Xiaofeng greeted the parents in the group and took Wu Jun with the fishing gear towards Chen Mo’s side.

"Jingyi’s Mother? Oh wow, you’re fishing?"

"Yeah, letting the little ones have fun by themselves. You guys are having quite a lively barbecue over there, huh?" Jingyi’s Mother casually greeted.

"Nah, just goofing around. How about you all come over and eat first? I’ve eaten plenty, and I’ll stay with the kids to fish." As he spoke, Wu Xiaofeng pulled out a fishing rod and attached a fishing line, "I also fish occasionally, so I can guide them a bit."

"Ah, this..."

Honestly, they originally thought they’d cook and eat as soon as they arrived in the countryside, so none of the mothers ate in advance before leaving home.

The kids had so many ice creams on the way that they weren’t hungry anymore, and when they’re having fun, they don’t care about hunger.

But after a delay of a few hours upon arriving, they hadn’t cooked a meal yet and ended up just messing around with various activities. Now, the four mothers were indeed a bit hungry.

Seeing Jingyi’s Mother hesitating, Wu Xiaofeng was about to speak again when Chen Mo walked over.

"Jingyi’s Mother, please take this."

Chen Mo handed Jingyi’s Mother a basin and a pair of long chopsticks they had used for communal cooking at Wanglong Mountain, "This river is called the Shenlong River, a tributary of our mother river, the Yellow River. Never mind the small flow, there are plenty of fish in here."

"Mostly big carps, though catching those relies on luck. There’s also the white southern fish and the minnows, but in this season both are not very big, still edible."

"So later, if we catch small white southern fish or minnows, I’ll do a simple prep and just fry them straight, dip them in some salt and pepper, and they’re delicious. Please help with handling it."

Chen Mo rambled on, leaving Jingyi’s Mother a bit muddled, but immediately she admired him, "Wow! Xiaochen, I didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable about fish! Okay then, I’ll stay by this oil pot, kids, go for it!"

Wu Xiaofeng, seeing his suggestion dismissed before even being considered, was a bit displeased. He found it amusing looking at the young man in the suit speaking so eloquently in front of him.

"What’s the point of saying so much? The key is, with those small accessories you’re providing the kids, can they even catch fish?" Wu Xiaofeng said with a seasoned demeanor, "At the very least, you need a rod like mine. Jingyi, step aside, let Uncle show you how to catch a fish."

With that, Wu Xiaofeng and Wu Jun father and son went straight to the riverside.

He glanced at the basin of yellowish mud paste, "The fish in the river aren’t silly, this is just silly."

Then took out a bag of unknown stuff from his fishing box, and molded a red mud ball from inside, hanging them on the hooks of both his and Wu Jun’s rods.

"Watch and learn!"

"Mm-hmm!!!"

The father and son simultaneously cast out their hooks, Wu Xiaofeng’s rod was softer and longer, casting further, seemingly reaching a deeper water level.

Wu Jun, being smaller, hadn’t mastered the skillful technique yet, casting not so far.

After casting, the father and son proudly looked at the five elementary students beside them.

At that moment, it felt like the regular army crushing ragtag troops.

Wu Jun put a finger to his lips, "Shhh... everyone quiet down, don’t scare the fish away."

Then, the two naturally stood there, quietly waiting.

Chen Mo, at the back, continued preparing his own seasonings.

Besides the seasonings for braised fish, he had also prepared lots of sliced green onions, ginger, garlic, and items like chili peppers and pickled vegetables.

Since they were eating fish, they ought to enjoy it to the fullest!

All the seasonings were prepared to a semi-finished state, nearly an hour had passed.

By this time, the other classmates who were eating barbecue and various stir-fried dishes over there had also eaten their fill. They found playing no longer interesting and all ran over here to watch the fishing.

The observing students, parents, and teachers gradually increased in numbers.

Wu Xiaofeng and Wu Jun stood in the middle of the crowd, and the floats on the water surface remained motionless.

Wu Xiaofeng’s legs were getting a bit numb, with a slight sweat emerging on his forehead.

Being watched while fishing, suddenly there was this much pressure!

Damn it, are there even fish in this river?

Wu Xiaofeng was becoming anxious.

Chen Mo watched for a few minutes and thought if this continued, they might not even have dinner before dark.

Afraid of clapping his hands, "Wenqing, hand me the rod."

Jiang Wenqing pointed at his stick and then at Chen Mo’s long rod.

"Mine will do."

"Oh."

Chen Mo grabbed his two-meter-long wooden stick.

Walked slowly towards the shore.