An hour later, the results were out.

There were no signs that the bugs or their eggs had survived inside the chickens and ducks.

In other words, these bugs were like leeches. Although they could suck blood, they could only burrow into a person’s body through a wound or under specific circumstances.

As long as people were careful, the risk could be avoided.

The main concern was to prevent them from reproducing too quickly and making everyone live in constant fear.

But as Qin Shen had just said, the bugs could only survive under specific conditions, so they didn’t need to get too ambitious with a solution.

If the bugs ever did become a problem, raising a few more chickens and ducks would be enough to take care of it.

It certainly wasn’t serious enough to warrant catching a few monkeys.

Jiang Si looked at Qin Shen. "We should still warn everyone to be careful around these monkeys. Even though we’re all wearing thick clothes, there’s still some risk. If someone accidentally brings the bugs back, they’ll know to deal with them immediately."

Qin Shen nodded. "Whatever you say."

A little while later, Zhang Qingfang and Shen Baoying helped Niu Niu bring back a large net bag full of seafood.

When Jiang Si had taken Niu Niu fishing, she had used large hooks, which meant they couldn’t catch some of the smaller things.

But when Niu Niu fished on her own that afternoon, she caught not only groupers but also sea cucumbers, shrimp, crabs, eels, and threadfin... When they poured out her catch, it filled two entire large baskets.

Zhang Qingfang was about to go into the cabin for some knives to clean the fish with Shen Baoying right on the deck.

Jiang Si and Qin Shen walked over, and Niu Niu, her face flushed with excitement, said, "Sister, Brother, I caught so much seafood with Grandma and Aunt Shen! Quick, look! There are even sea cucumbers."

As far as Niu Niu knew, sea cucumbers were a very expensive delicacy.

She was incredibly proud to have caught them.

Jiang Si smiled. "Catching sea cucumbers in this cold weather is really impressive. Later, we’ll have Aunt Shen prepare a plate of them as a salad to give our Niu Niu a good treat."

Niu Niu said shyly, "Everyone should eat. There are several of them."

More than sea cucumbers, Jiang Si loved crabs.

She could polish off seven or eight of them by herself.

Niu Niu had only caught two crabs. Knowing how much Jiang Si loved them, Shen Baoying said, "Sisi, there are big flower crabs here. Why don’t we put out a few traps and catch some more for everyone to share?"

Jiang Si looked at the two baskets of seafood and said with a smile, "Mom, look at all this. How long would it take us to finish it all? Let’s wait for another day. We’ll eat fish for now."

"Alrighty. Then let’s carry the fish to the kitchen first. You bring over a stool and help clean them. It’ll be dark soon, and if we don’t do it now, we’ll run out of time."

"Okay."

Hearing this, Qin Shen simply stacked the two baskets of fish and carried them to the kitchen in long strides.

By the time Jiang Si had changed her clothes and arrived in the kitchen, Qin Shen was already waiting for her, holding two small stools.

Shen Baoying smiled at Qin Shen. "You’ve been working on the greenhouse all day and must be tired. Go watch a movie with Niu Niu and get some rest."

Qin Shen shook his head. "I’m not tired."

His attitude was firm. Shen Baoying suppressed a smile and shot Jiang Si a meaningful glance. "Well then, you can teach Qin Shen how to clean fish."

Jiang Si glanced at him and chuckled. "He’s a doctor. How hard can cleaning a fish be for him?"

Qin Shen sat down and, sure enough, did not disappoint. His movements as he cleaned the fish were as smooth as flowing water, executed in one seamless motion. Both Shen Baoying and Zhang Qingfang couldn’t help but exclaim how capable he was at everything he did.

With Qin Shen’s help, it didn’t take long to clean the two baskets of seafood.

Shen Baoying had also been busy all day and was too tired to marinate anything. She decided to follow Jiang Si’s suggestion and just put the cleaned fish outside to freeze.

With so many fish, quite a few were suitable for sashimi.

Shen Baoying sliced one up and arranged it on a plate.

Jiang Si laughed. "Back in the day, just a few slices of this at a high-end Japanese restaurant would have cost several thousand."

Shen Baoying squeezed a bit of lemon juice into the wasabi. "Then you’d better eat up and get your money’s worth."

In addition to the sashimi, Shen Baoying also made a pot of spicy fish soup.

There was also a platter of boiled crab and mantis shrimp.

On top of that, there was a cucumber and sea cucumber salad, fried eel, and fresh, juicy tomatoes sprinkled with sugar.

The feast on the table made Big Black and Little Black stare intently, practically drooling.

But with Qin Shen sitting there, they both squatted obediently a meter away, watching with longing eyes.

Shen Baoying glanced at them and chuckled. "You’re hungry, aren’t you? I’ve cooked a big pot of fish for you. You can eat your fill later."

There was more than enough fish, and they could always catch more whenever they wanted.

Big Black and Little Black could eat as much as they wanted.

Big Black and Little Black weren’t picky eaters. They wagged their tails happily and waited patiently for their dinner.

The sun was about to set. On the horizon, it looked like a duck egg yolk, and its glow washed over the entire sky, painting a scene of exquisite beauty, like an oil painting.

Jiang Linhai and the others still hadn’t returned. Zhang Qingfang grew a little worried. "Sisi, why aren’t your dad and the others back yet?"

Jiang Si glanced at her watch. "I told them they had to wrap up by five-thirty. They should be on their way back now. Let’s just wait a little longer."

No sooner had she spoken than Shen Baoying pointed out the window. "They’re back!"

A moment later, Jiang Linhai and the others returned, looking travel-worn.

After changing out of their heavy clothes, they instantly felt lighter.

Lu Zhifeng had just taken a sip of hot tea when Niu Niu eagerly pulled him to the dining table. "Dad, look! This is the seafood I caught this afternoon!"

Lu Zhifeng’s eyes swept over the table. There was so much delicious food: not just sashimi and fish soup, but also shrimp, crab, and sea cucumber.

This was all the good stuff.

This table represented quite a haul.

Lu Zhifeng beamed. "Niu Niu, you’re amazing! Dad and the uncles are in for a real treat tonight."

Niu Niu shook her head shyly. "Sister taught me how. And there’s a lot more fish left out on the deck."

Lu Zhifeng looked over at Jiang Si. "Sisi, you’re a great teacher!"

Shen Baoying laughed. "That’s because Niu Niu is so clever!"

As everyone sat down to eat, Zhang Qingfang chose a good moment to say, "The radish seedlings can grow outside. Should we clear a plot of land and plant some radishes? The ones in our greenhouse seem to stop growing after they reach about two jin. Maybe they can only become giant radishes if they grow outdoors in the cold. The high temperatures might be causing them to have cerebellar atrophy."

That was the first time anyone had heard the term "cerebellar atrophy" applied to a radish.

Jiang Si chuckled. "Then let’s plant them! We have enough people, so clearing a plot of land won’t take long."

Shen Baoying said, "But aren’t we all busy building the greenhouses?"

Jiang Si replied, "You can never have too much land. Right now, radishes are the only thing that can grow in this ice and snow, but we still need to eat other vegetables and grains."

’If they planted more, she could plant less in her space.’

’Harvesting the rice the other day had exhausted her, even with a mechanical harvester.’

’The crucial thing was that her space was running out of room. Food would expire if stored for too long, and if she produced a large harvest too many times, her secret would be exposed sooner or later.’

Everyone unanimously agreed to clear land for the radishes. After dinner, Jiang Si led them all to the laboratory.