Landlord in the Arctic

Feng Shan seemed to hear them talking and glanced back.

Just then, the main door opened from the outside, and Black Hide’s complaining voice drifted in.

"What are you guys doing?! You didn’t even answer my call. Come help me out, this is killing me."

Lost in his memories, Hu Zi was jolted back to the present and trotted to the entrance.

Black Hide was covered in white and black plastic bags, with another one clenched in his teeth.

In his arms, he cradled a heavy case of beer, clearly struggling under the weight.

"I only asked you to get some pig’s head meat. Why’d you buy so much?" Hu Zi hurriedly reached out to help.

Black Hide shot Hu Zi a contemptuous look and caught his breath. "Of course I did. This is Brother Shan’s first visit. Are we really going to embarrass him with just some pig’s head meat? I drove across half of Hai City to buy all the best food. We’re going to drink and eat well tonight."

Xiaohua wasn’t idle, either. She grabbed a tablecloth, spread it over the dining table, and set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Soon, the rich aroma of fish wafted out from the kitchen.

The fragrance was so enticing it went straight to your head, making your mouth water.

"That smells amazing! What’s Brother Shan making?" Black Hide followed the scent to the kitchen doorway and took a deep sniff.

Hu Zi’s face was full of pride as he boasted, "Ever seen a wild large yellow croaker a meter long? It’s got to be over ten pounds! Brother Shan caught it himself, just for Hua’Er, to help her build up her strength. Let me tell you, you don’t get to eat a fish like this just any day!"

What!

A meter-long, wild large yellow croaker weighing over ten pounds.

’What nonsense are you spouting?’

Black Hide’s eyes went wide, his face a mask of disbelief.

He’d been driving a taxi for seven years, meeting all sorts of customers from all over the country.

When he picked up tourists, he’d often recommend some seafood restaurants to earn a little commission on the side.

But tourists these days were savvy. Afraid of getting ripped off, they rarely listened to a driver’s recommendation.

This was when a taxi driver’s silver tongue was truly put to the test.

You not only had to have a deep understanding of seafood and know all the different ways to cook it, but you also had to cleverly convey this information to the tourists to win them over.

Wild large yellow croaker was one of the top seafood dishes Black Hide recommended to tourists.

After all, the entire country hyped up large yellow croakers to mythical proportions, and tourists bought into it.

But Black Hide never cheated or scammed anyone.

Every time he made a recommendation, he would honestly tell the tourists that you could basically never find wild large yellow croaker in Hai City.

And that the restaurants mostly served the farmed variety.

Although the texture wasn’t all that different from the wild kind, the price was much cheaper.

Sometimes tourists wouldn’t believe the truth, but they’d listen with great interest to the lies, which left Black Hide feeling a bit helpless.

As for whether real wild large yellow croakers existed, of course they did, but they were extremely rare.

If you wanted to eat one, the starting price was several thousand yuan, and you had to book it in advance.

Besides, there were new methods for farming large yellow croakers now. They weren’t raised in fish ponds anymore but in enormous net pens in the sea, fed with bait fish.

For tourists, unless they were true connoisseurs, they couldn’t tell the difference between wild and farmed and would end up wasting their money for nothing.

But a large yellow croaker of the size Hu Zi was talking about...

...forget wild, it would be rare to find one that big even if it was farmed.

Black Hide immediately retorted, "Do you have any idea what a meter-long, over ten-pound wild large yellow croaker costs? It would sell for tens of thousands at least! You can’t just get one that easily!"

Hu Zi said with conviction, "I’m telling you, Brother Shan caught this fish with his own hands out at sea! When he brought it over, it was shimmering gold, just like real gold. The genuine article!"

"You two, stop your bickering and get ready to serve the food!"

Feng Shan’s voice, tinged with a bit of exasperation, came from the kitchen.

The two of them immediately stopped arguing and went into the kitchen.

Feng Shan had prepared the precious wild large yellow croaker in four different ways.

The head was stewed into a soup with tofu, part of the body was braised in soy sauce, another part was pan-fried, and the tail was prepared with chopped chili peppers.

The dishes had just been brought to the table.

Xiaohua, unable to wait, sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks, and popped a piece of the braised fish into her mouth.

The fish was tender and delicate, with a delicious flavor that melted in her mouth.

Before Xiaohua could even exclaim in delight, Black Hide also quickly grabbed a piece of the pan-fried fish, his eyes instantly lighting up.

"Whoa, Brother Shan, your cooking skills are incredible! This fish tastes amazing!"

Hu Zi, who was bringing another dish to the table, widened his eyes.

"Brother Shan isn’t even at the table yet! How can you two start eating? Have you no manners!"

SMACK!

Having just walked out of the kitchen, Feng Shan heard this and brought his hand down on the back of Hu Zi’s head. He then looked dotingly at Xiaohua.

"What’s wrong with Hua’Er wanting to eat? There are no elders here, so what’s with all the rules? Hua’Er, eat while it’s hot. Don’t mind him."

Xiaohua smiled, a little embarrassed. "Brother, I was just so hungry. The fish smelled so good."

"If you’re hungry, then eat up." As Feng Shan spoke, he sat down next to Xiaohua and placed another large piece of fish in her bowl. "This fish is to help you build up your strength."

’Such a double standard!!’

Hu Zi clutched his head, his face a picture of comic grief.

Beside him, Black Hide and Xiaohua snickered, gloating over his misfortune.

Black Hide clapped Hu Zi on the shoulder and teased, "Alright, you know Brother Shan dotes on Hua’Er. Stop crying foul."

Feng Shan looked at Hu Zi’s expression and shook his head helplessly.

"Hu Zi, you brat, stop playing pitiful. Hurry up and eat before the food gets cold."

Hu Zi pouted, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed a piece of fish. "Brother Shan, you can’t have such double standards next time."

Black Hide laughed heartily. "Hu Zi, don’t be so serious. Come on, let’s have a toast."

Everyone raised their glasses, and after clinking them together, they began to feast.

The room was once again filled with cheerful chatter and laughter, and the small incident from before dissipated with it.

As they ate, Black Hide suddenly said, "Brother Shan, we really have you to thank for resolving the Mei Jia Chain issue. Otherwise, we would’ve lost the supermarket. Someone from the store just said that people came by with flower baskets and fruit to apologize."

Feng Shan waved his hand. "We’re all brothers here. If I don’t take care of it, who will? You guys just focus on making money. Tell me if anything comes up."

Xiaohua asked, looking lost, "Apologize? What happened at the supermarket?"

"Come on, let’s drink!" Feng Shan deliberately changed the subject, raising his glass. Hu Zi and Black Hide grinned and raised their glasses as well.

"You guys are the worst." Seeing she wouldn’t get an answer, Xiaohua huffily took out her frustration on the fish with her chopsticks.

「Twilight descended.」

Outside the window, Hai City lit up with colorful neon lights.

The brilliant lights streamed through the window, lending the warm room a different kind of hue.

They all sat around the table. With no outsiders present, the atmosphere grew even warmer.

Xiaohua, with her big belly, couldn’t drink alcohol and could only have juice.

But the delicious large yellow croaker in front of her did much to ease her slight frustration.

Meanwhile, the three men toasted and drank, and with each clink of their glasses, memories came flooding back like a tide.

They talked about the funny stories from their youth, about the days they spent making their way in the world together.

There was laughter, there were tears, there was passion, and there was confusion.

When the emotions ran deep, someone’s eyes would redden, and tears would fall unconsciously before they tilted their head back and drained their glass in one go.

Watching the scene before him, Feng Shan felt a strange sense of loss.

Back when they were young, their meals could fill two large tables, a boisterous crowd of more than twenty people.

But now, only the lonely four of them remained.

His heart was filled with emotion. It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel a sense of regret.

But Feng Shan also understood that everyone has their own path to walk. Life is like that—meetings and partings are unpredictable.

Not everyone can walk with you to the very end.

To end up with two or three true brothers to support each other was already a rare and precious happiness.

Black Hide took a sip of alcohol, looked at Feng Shan, and grinned. "Brother, even though the group has scattered, our bond hasn’t faded one bit. No matter what happens in the future, we brothers will face it together!"

Hu Zi nodded eagerly. "That’s right. With you, Xiaohua, and Black Hide here, our lives are bound to get better and better."

Xiaohua also smiled and said, "Brother, with you all here, Hu Zi and I feel at ease. From now on, our family will live a good life together."

Feng Shan looked at them, a gratified smile on his face, and raised his glass.

"Alright. From now on, our family will work together. Our lives will definitely get better and better."

"Come on, cheers!"

The four of them clinked their glasses again.

The sound echoed in the room, filled with hope for the future.

The neon lights outside continued to flicker, but the warmth inside the room was more reassuring than any light.

...