Liu Guochuan, as usual, carried his professional fishing gear and strolled early to Moonbridge Lake.
He hoped today’s catch would be as good as yesterday’s.
After casting his line, half an hour passed without a single bite.
Same as before.
Frustrated, he sent a message to Jiang Mo.
When he saw her arrive on her beloved electric scooter, Liu Guochuan felt redeemed.
"Grandpa, you came pretty early, huh?" Jiang Mo still carried her cheap, basic fishing gear.
"Been here for three hours already. Old age—can’t sleep, nothing to do, so I just came out for a walk," Liu Guochuan chatted casually. "Oh, I forgot to ask, which family do you work for as a nanny?"
From their conversation yesterday, he knew she worked as a nanny in Long Island Villas, but he wasn’t sure which household.
Three hours and still no fish—his skills really weren’t up to par.
Plenty of room for improvement.
"I work for the Gu family."
If she had said the Wang or Li families, there were indeed a few of those in the villa area.
But the Gu family? Only one. Hearing this, Liu Guochuan immediately understood.
Watching the young girl mix her bait, Liu Guochuan leaned in curiously. "What’s in that mix?"
He’d been wondering about it since yesterday.
Jiang Mo listed them off one by one. "Back in my hometown, my grandpa used these for bait. It’s our family’s secret recipe."
"Your family’s secret recipe must work wonders. The stuff I bought online is useless—guess you get what you pay for," Liu Guochuan grumbled, even showing her the purchase page on Douyin.
"Yours wasn’t even cheap! That could’ve bought four Haidilao hotpot meals."
"Really?"
"You could ask for a refund, you know."
Online sellers love targeting elderly customers—they buy things, often end up with defective or unsuitable products, and don’t know how to return them.
Liu Guochuan waved his hand dismissively. "Too much hassle. It’s not much money anyway."
Jiang Mo was speechless. Was this the mindset of the wealthy?
Meanwhile, she’d write fifteen-word reviews with photos just to get a few bucks in cashback.
After scattering the bait, she pulled out a small stool and waited for the fish to bite.
She’d brought some snacks when she left earlier, and now was the perfect time to munch on them.
"Grandpa, want to try this? These pumpkin crisps are amazing."
"What’s this stuff?" Liu Guochuan watched as Jiang Mo ate with relish.
She immediately handed him a bag. "Fried snacks. Try them—you won’t be able to stop."
Curious, Liu Guochuan took it.
"And these rice crackers are great too…"
"Want a Wahaha? Here, have one."
…
His own grandchildren were all grown up, so he rarely had a chance to eat snacks like these at home. After trying them, Liu Guochuan found they weren’t half bad.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Mo probed, "Grandpa Liu, what kind of hobbies do people like you usually have?"
"Us? We usually exercise, fish, play chess, tend to flowers, watch military programs—that sort of thing."
Good. Now she knew which topics to brush up on for future conversations.
Liu Guochuan asked, "You’re still quite young, aren’t you?"
"Sharp eye. I just graduated last year."
"That makes you a few years younger than my grandson. So why did you decide to become a nanny?"
"No job is beneath anyone. Being a nanny is fine," Jiang Mo said between bites of spicy strips. "Plus, it includes room and board."
The spicy strips were too pungent, so she didn’t offer him any.
"Grandpa Liu, what did you do before retiring?"
"Me? Just ran a few hotels, dabbled in tourism," Liu Guochuan said casually. "Ever stayed at the Wahler? That’s one of mine."
The Wahler—a nationally renowned five-star hotel.
Jiang Mo shook her head. "I’ve heard of it, but never stayed there. Thousands a night? Way too expensive."
Liu Guochuan: …Was it really that expensive?
As they chatted, a fish finally took the bait.
Today’s luck was better—the catch was noticeably larger than yesterday’s.
Liu Guochuan beamed, even filming a short video to share gleefully with his friends.
After about an hour by the lake, Jiang Mo prepared to head back.
Liu Guochuan seemed reluctant to see her go. Pulling out his phone, he sent her a money transfer.
"Grandpa Liu, why are you sending me so much money?"
"Just a little red envelope for keeping me company—fishing and chatting."
Jiang Mo stared at the 3,000-yuan transfer. Tempted as she was, she made to return it.
"Don’t be polite. This is just pocket change—barely covers a pot of tea for me."
The life of the wealthy truly was something else.
Hearing that, Jiang Mo accepted it without hesitation. "Well, thank you then!"
She couldn’t help but wonder when she’d be rich enough to say something so casually extravagant.
She packed up the leftover snacks and handed them to him before giving him a ride home on her scooter.
"Grandpa Liu, once the new bait arrives, I’ll bring some over for you."
"Sure, sure. Let’s meet up again soon."
Wang Xia noticed her return and nagged, "Since when did you get so into fishing?"
"With such a big lake right there, I couldn’t resist casting a line," Jiang Mo fibbed, not mentioning her networking with the big shot.
Changing into her work clothes, she briskly got to deep cleaning.
"Cleaning" was an understatement—it felt more like a full-scale purge.
The house was enormous, and keeping it spotless was exhausting.
Why did so few people need so much space?
Answer: Because they didn’t have to clean it themselves.
By the time she’d mostly finished, the milk tea she’d ordered arrived.
A uniformed security guard on an electric scooter delivered two Mixue-branded bags.
She’d ordered six cups—with the recent food delivery platform wars, they’d been dirt cheap.
Perfect for taking advantage of discounts.
"The milk tea’s here! Lots of flavors—everyone pick what you like," Jiang Mo announced, handing an extra-large fruit tea to Chef Li. "Master, this one’s taro ball grape—I know you like grapes."
"Oh my, such a huge cup! You really shouldn’t have," Chef Li said cheerfully.
"With all the coupons lately, it didn’t cost much. Besides, you’ve been teaching me cooking—I owe you."
"It’s nothing. As long as you’re eager to learn, I’m happy to pass on my skills. Just let me know what you want to try next."
Jiang Mo took a hearty sip of her milk tea. Bliss!
"Your cooking is incredible. Lots of food bloggers are huge online—have you ever thought about filming your recipes?"
Chef Li waved his hand. "I’m fifty. That tech stuff’s beyond me—no idea how it works."
"Beyond me" didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t interested, though.
Jiang Mo thought for a moment, then volunteered, "What if I helped? You handle the cooking, and I’ll film and edit?"
Chef Li scratched his balding head. "You think that’d work?"
"Why not? Let’s give it a shot. You’d be teaching people recipes and maybe even making some side income. Who knows—we might end up as famous as that ‘Scholar’ guy!"
Scholar—Chef Li knew him. That pretty-boy who somehow had his wife glued to the screen.
Just like those internet celebrities, Chef Li fantasized, as if he could already see himself reaching the pinnacle of life.
Eager to give it a try, he said, "Shall we give it a shot?"
"Sure."
The two hit it off immediately.
Action speaks louder than words, and the go-getters always succeed first.
That evening, as soon as the ingredients were laid out for cooking, Jiang Mo sprang into action. At first, Chef Li seemed a little hesitant.
"Just cook as you normally would—no need to mind the camera or anything else. Leave the rest to me. We’re going for authenticity and naturalness."
They shot plenty of footage, and Jiang Mo deleted a lot of unusable clips. Before bedtime, she edited everything into a three-minute video.
After some thought, she added a title: "A Day in the Life of a Chef for the Wealthy—What Does High Society Eat?"
