Early spring sunshine, cherry blossoms blooming on the branches.
Xicheng, already located in the Jiangnan region, was also beginning to be enveloped in an atmosphere of brilliant purples and reds.
A butterfly took flight from a Chinese rose in the roadside greenbelt, its pale yellow wings fluttering gracefully as it soared over the rows of shop fronts ahead.
At a medium-sized restaurant with a plaque inscribed "Fisherman's Home," customers entered intermittently.
The restaurant featured a glass display window, allowing passersby a clear view of the rows of transparent tanks behind it, filled with various types of river fish, shrimp, and crabs swimming in their compartments.
Outside the window, a plump gray-white tabby cat lay lazily on a cushion. Fed extremely well by the fish restaurant owner, the cat was so chubby that curled up there, it looked less like a feline and more like a bloated sea cucumber from a distance.
At this moment, the "bloated sea cucumber's" eyes first fixed intently on the gradually fluttering butterfly, only to be drawn away the next second by the sound of splashing water from someone scooping a fish behind the window.
A fish net was seen stirring constantly in a tank containing blackfish. The fish inside dodged left and right but couldn't escape. Soon, the largest and liveliest blackfish was scooped out.
"We'll have this one!" the customer who scooped the fish said to the shop owner beside him. The caught blackfish was full of vigor, thrashing incessantly in the net, splashing out large droplets of water.
"Coming right up!" The owner deftly placed the fish from the net onto a scale. "You've got a great eye, sir! This is the best blackfish in the shop right now!... That's two pounds and three ounces. How would you like it prepared, sir? Grilled or as sour cabbage fish soup?"
"Split the fish in half, do both ways." The customer consulted his companion and gave this reply.
"Alright, it'll be right out! Please find a seat first, folks. I'll take this to the back to be prepared." The owner immediately responded, signaling a waiting staff member to escort the guests to their seats. He then headed towards the kitchen with the fish, loudly calling out, "Table 10, one grilled fish, one sour cabbage fish soup!"
The diners seated near the entrance, hearing the owner's booming call, were all in high spirits, chatting and waiting for their food.
"This place has great flavor, the chef is amazing with fish!"
"Right, right! I came last month for the grilled fish, it was absolutely delicious!"
"We ordered the sour cabbage fish soup this time too, wonder how it tastes."
The diners' voices carried outside the door. The plump tabby outside twitched its ears, stood up from the cushion, and slipped familiarly into the restaurant. Weaving between the servers' feet, it made its way to the back kitchen.
In the kitchen, separated by a wall, the owner who had been holding the earlier blackfish tossed it into a different tank. Then, from another tank also containing fish, he scooped out a blackfish of similar weight but clearly half-dead and handed it to the chef. "Use this one."
Two tanks: one holding lively fish, the other holding listless, nearly dead fish. Combined with the owner's earlier actions, the picture was clear.
The kitchen helper responsible for gutting and scaling the fish raised no objection. Taking the listless fish, he went straight to the cleaning area and got to work, clearly accustomed to the routine.
The plump tabby, sitting in a corner by the kitchen door, watched this scene unfold. It licked the corner of its mouth, first casting a regretful glance at the tank holding the fresh, lively fish, then padded with its hefty cat-walk towards the fish cleaner.
"Meow—" Plump creatures often possess beautiful voices contrary to their appearance, and this fat tabby was no exception. Drawing out its tone in a coquettish meow towards the fish cleaner, its purring was truly something else.
Hearing the meow, the fish cleaner's face immediately broke into a smile. "Here for snacks again, huh? Just a moment, Meatball, I'll get some for you when I'm done."
A few minutes later, Meatball, the fat tabby, was given a portion of fish gills, entrails, and other fishy delicacies beloved by cats, and buried its head in the feast without looking up.
Its owner was the boss of this fish restaurant, sneaking it treats throughout the day. It was no surprise Meatball had grown so plump.
By the time Meatball leisurely finished its gourmet snack, the efficiently running kitchen had long since transformed the switched fish into two delicious dishes and sent them out. As Meatball padded out of the kitchen, the two guests at table 10 were eating with delighted expressions, completely unaware of the kitchen's secret.
In less than an hour, having eaten and drunk their fill, they walked out the door, patting their stomachs contentedly.
"Hey, the owner's cat is seeing us off at the door."
"Truly a cat from a fish restaurant, raised so fat."
Chatting and laughing, the two left. Only Meatball, leaning against the doorframe, watched their retreating backs and licked its lips again.
Hah, foolish humans, tricked by its owner once more.
Not long after, hearing familiar footsteps behind it, Meatball turned its head. A kitchen helper emerged from the back carrying a bucket. He poured the bucket's contents into the tank that had held the blackfish earlier. Several blackfish mixed into the tank from the bucket, replenishing the previously emptied space. The satiated diners who had left had no idea the fish they had ordered earlier had returned to their original place.
Meatball let out a big, bored yawn. It was already tired of its owner's routine. The only regret was never getting to eat that biggest blackfish. Meatball had had its eye on that blackfish since the day it arrived, but now the snow had melted and flowers had bloomed, and it still hadn't gotten a taste.
Just then, a blue car pulled into an empty parking space in front of the restaurant. After coming to a gradual stop, a man and a woman got out.
"Fisherman's Home?" Lin Lan looked up at the restaurant's signboard, then turned to Cheng Fengyang beside her. "Is this the place?"
"Yes, this is it." Putting the car keys in his pocket, Cheng Fengyang nodded with a smile. "It's my first time here too, but this place comes highly recommended by all the foodie colleagues at my company. They say the grilled fish here is exceptional, you won't be disappointed once you try it."
"If so many designers say that, then I definitely have to try it," Lin Lan replied. "Remember our deal, you're hosting but I'm paying. Once inside, I'll leave the arrangements to you."
"Absolutely!" He thumped his chest emphatically in assurance. "Leave the rest to me!"
As they talked, they walked towards the restaurant entrance. Just before entering, Lin Lan spotted the plump tabby in front of the display window. Because it was so fat, she couldn't help but take a second look.
Despite its plumpness, this tabby was quite sensitive to human gaze. It immediately looked up. As their eyes met, the fat tabby even meowed at Lin Lan.
Lin Lan's steps involuntarily paused.
"What's wrong?" asked Cheng Fengyang beside her, noticing her hesitation. Having finally managed to get his crush out alone again today, the young man was inwardly overjoyed. His face might seem casual, but he was actually paying close attention to every move of the person beside him.
"Nothing," Lin Lan shook her head. "Let's go in."
She couldn't very well tell Cheng Fengyang that the little fat cat had just said something like, "Here come two more foolish humans about to be fooled by my owner," could she?
Fooled? Fooled how?
Was the owner of this shop selling fake fish or engaging in some other customer fraud?
Lin Lan grew inwardly wary, but on the surface, she followed Cheng Fengyang into the restaurant. They were immediately greeted by the shop owner wearing an ingratiating smile. Cheng Fengyang had already taken the fishing net handed to him by the owner.
"For grilled fish, blackfish is the most flavorful," the young man said, holding the net and smiling at Lin Lan as he walked to the tank containing the blackfish. "Wait for me, Lan Lan, I'll pick the best one for you!"
The net stirred the water in the tank once more, and before long, the large blackfish that had been selected by the previous batch of customers was caught again. Having been tossed around several times in a short period, the big blackfish struggled with less force than before.
"You have a great eye, sir! This is currently the best blackfish in the shop!" The owner seized the moment to offer flattery, taking the fish from Cheng Fengyang and skillfully placing it on the nearby scale.
While the fish was being weighed, Lin Lan noticed the chubby cat from outside had already entered the shop. It sat beside the fish tank, its eyes fixed intently on the large blackfish in the net, letting out a meow.
"Meow—" (You definitely won't get to eat this fish, just like me. You can only look at it in the water.)
The plump tabby was merely muttering a casual, self-reflective sigh, but to Lin Lan's ears, it was packed with information. Within seconds, Lin Lan understood exactly what kind of restaurant trick the cat's words implied.
"Two jin and three liang in total. How would you like it prepared, sir? Grilled or made into sour cabbage fish?" The owner, having finished weighing the fish, enthusiastically asked how they wanted it cooked.
Lin Lan quickly stepped forward. "Cheng Fengyang..."
She had just started speaking when the young man in front, who was dealing with the owner, raised a hand. "Hold on."
While the owner stood there stunned and confused, Cheng Fengyang reached out, grabbed the fish from the scale, lifted it high, and slammed it forcefully onto the ground.
The fish was knocked motionless, and the people around were frozen in shock.
But the person who had thrown the fish didn't stop. He picked the fish up from the ground and slammed it down once more.
"Alright, now there's no problem," said Cheng Fengyang, now completely sure the fish was dead. He pulled a couple of tissues from the front counter to wipe his hands, then looked up at the dumbfounded owner. "Make it all into grilled fish. Also, bring us a serving of century egg with tofu and a bottle of beer. We'll sit at... table number 8."
By the time everyone regained their senses, the young man had already arranged everything perfectly.
The shop owner, holding the thoroughly dead blackfish, forced a slightly stiff smile onto his face. "Grilled fish and century egg with tofu, right? Coming right up!" Probably not wanting to see Cheng Fengyang's face any longer, he hurriedly rushed into the kitchen with the fish. "Table 8, grilled fish and century egg with tofu!"
The owner left in such a hurry that he didn't notice the plump tabby happily following him inside.
(Eat big fish, eat big fish! Fresh big fish!)
Lin Lan: "..." What to do, she suddenly felt like laughing.
No, she had to hold it in.
Even after sitting down at their table and the waitress who brought the utensils had left, Lin Lan still couldn't suppress her laughter, letting out low, muffled giggles.
Seeing her suddenly laugh, Cheng Fengyang immediately felt embarrassed. "I didn't do that on purpose, really. It's just that I'm so wary of the tricks restaurants play nowadays, this is the only way."
"What?" Lin Lan had originally thought Cheng Fengyang had discovered this shop's secret fish-swapping trick, but his tone suggested otherwise, leaving her momentarily stunned. "So you weren't actually sure?"
"It's my first time here, how could I be sure of anything?" Cheng Fengyang didn't hide anything and spoke directly. "I developed this habit last summer when I was eating at another fish restaurant with my buddies. At first, none of us knew some restaurants secretly swap the fish. But that day, after we left and were heading home, one of us realized he'd left something at the restaurant. When he went back, he happened to see the staff putting the fish we had originally picked back into the tank. I was the one who personally picked that fish, so of course I remembered it. I recognized it at a glance."
Faced with such a thing, the group of men obviously couldn't let it slide. They immediately charged back in to confront the owner. Although the shop later refunded their meal to smooth things over, Cheng Fengyang and the others were still left feeling extremely frustrated by the whole affair.
"Ever since then, whenever I eat at a fish restaurant, I do this," Cheng Fengyang said, his expression turning serious and earnest. "At worst, I just have to be thick-skinned and endure some eye-rolling. It's better than being taken advantage of without even knowing."
By the end of his story, Lin Lan was laughing uncontrollably. This was truly the wisdom of life experience; she had really learned something new.
Not long after, the grilled fish was served. On the rectangular grill plate, the blackfish, split in half, lay spread out generously. The savory aroma of the fish meat mixed with the sauce wafted straight to their noses, making their mouths water just from the smell.
Designer Cheng even critically examined the length of the fish body, finally nodding with an air of importance. "The length is correct. It's the one I picked." Only then did he pick up his chopsticks and start eating.
Lin Lan burst out laughing again.
"By the way, Lan Lan, do you remember what I mentioned to you earlier? About introducing some business to you?"
