"The wife you found is even more virtuous; she handles all the housework perfectly. You are the most capable in our family!"
Zhao Feiyan's face instantly turned crimson. "Liu Kai Xuan, you're going too far!"
"I'm talking about serious matters with you, and you're comparing me to a hen?"
"Let's eat, let's eat!"
Liu Kai Xuan waved his hand. "Don't overthink it. How could I compare you to a hen!"
What Zhao Feiyan had just said was practically a "joke" with Liu Kai Xuan.
Both hens were "aces" at laying eggs, hand-picked by Liu Kai Xuan from the system farm.
It was only natural that they were good at laying eggs. Those that weren't, had already been slaughtered and eaten.
Here, Liu Kai Xuan's family was enjoying a harmonious and cheerful meal.
On the other hand, Yi Zhong Hai's family was locked in a cycle of scheming and calculation.
Yi Zhong Hai wanted to lure Bang Geng to Liu Kai Xuan's house to steal chickens, but Bang Geng didn't fall for it.
Meanwhile, Bang Geng successfully managed to get a dollar from Yi Zhong Hai.
This dollar was intended for Bang Geng to "do something big."
According to the original plan, Bang Geng intended to poison Yi Zhong Hai himself with a pufferfish from the river.
However, after he wandered by the river this afternoon, he realized it wasn't an easy task.
There were plenty of clever people around!
In this era of scarcity, many people would think of going to the river to catch fish to improve their lives.
There were more people fishing in the river than fish, and catching fish was no simple feat.
Since he couldn't catch fish himself, he decided to buy one.
Pufferfish toxin was potent; once poisoned, death was almost certain.
Only some experienced old chefs dared to handle such a thing.
Ordinary people would generally steer clear of pufferfish.
It wouldn't cost much to buy a pufferfish from someone else.
The dollar Bang Geng got from Yi Zhong Hai was his capital for buying the fish.
...
For the next month, Bang Geng would stroll by the river every afternoon.
His perseverance paid off. After more than forty days of arduous waiting, Bang Geng finally saw a glimmer of hope.
One afternoon, a middle-aged man of considerable girth caught a pufferfish in the river.
After catching the pufferfish, the fat man didn't dare to try this dangerous ingredient blindly.
He planned to kill it and throw it away, as it was simply too risky.
If handled improperly, his entire family could be in trouble.
"Uncle, please wait a moment!"
Bang Geng quickly approached and called out to the fat man. "I see the fish you caught is quite plump. How about selling it to me?"
Seeing that Bang Geng was young, the fat man kindly advised him.
"Child, this pufferfish is highly poisonous!"
"If not handled properly, eating it can be fatal!"
The other party was genuinely concerned that the child might be tempted to eat it out of curiosity and be poisoned to death.
Bang Geng, however, replied with a grin. "Don't worry, Uncle!"
"Of course, I know pufferfish is poisonous!"
"But it's okay. My father is a chef, he knows how to eat pufferfish. We'll be fine!"
"I see. Well, I caught this pufferfish with my own effort. You'll have to give me something for my trouble..."
"How about one cent?" Bang Geng suggested.
"One cent? Are you begging? Such a big pufferfish should be at least fifty cents!"
The fat man still wanted to get some benefits from Bang Geng.
Unexpectedly, Bang Geng turned and walked away. "If you don't want to sell it, fine. Anyway, no one else will want this pufferfish if I don't buy it!"
"Alright, alright. It's my bad luck. Fine, I'll sell it to you for one cent!"
The danger level of pufferfish was too high; ordinary people wouldn't risk their lives to try this delicacy.
It would be a shame to throw it away, and selling it for one cent would at least allow him to buy some candy for his children.
To avoid suspicion, Bang Geng also spent fifty cents to buy a medium-sized catfish from someone else.
After all, many people knew that pufferfish was poisonous.
If he directly stewed the pufferfish in a pot of water, and Yi Zhong Hai noticed something amiss, he definitely wouldn't eat it.
The safest method was to get a catfish and stew it for Yi Zhong Hai.
Then, he would chop up the pufferfish and mix it into the catfish stew. Yi Zhong Hai would think he was drinking catfish soup, but in reality, he would be drinking pufferfish soup.
This way, he could achieve his goal of killing without a trace.
The dinner that evening was prepared by Bang Geng himself.
Bang Geng was becoming more and more "sensible," which made Qin Huai Ru feel incredibly pleased.
After all, Qin Huai Ru had always dreamed of Bang Geng becoming successful.
This way, she would have someone to rely on in her old age.
But reality was cruel; Bang Geng had been very rebellious since he was young.
Later, when Bang Geng was sent to the detention center, it cast a huge shadow over Qin Huai Ru's heart.
Now that this rebellious teenager had suddenly "awakened," how could Qin Huai Ru not be happy?
In the kitchen, Bang Geng used a rather rough technique to chop up the catfish and pufferfish together.
The boy didn't know anything about cooking. He added half a pot of water, then dumped all the chopped fish into the pot.
After about half an hour of work, Bang Geng finally finished a pot of steaming fish soup.
Qin Huai Ru stood at the doorway, looking at the fragrant fish soup in the pot, her face beaming with joy.
"Oh my, oh my... Bang Geng is really becoming more sensible now!"
Qin Huai Ru said happily, "This pot of fish soup smells so good. Can I have a taste first!"
Bang Geng looked up at Qin Huai Ru, momentarily thinking of poisoning this wretched woman as well.
But then he changed his mind.
This pot of fish soup was carefully prepared for Yi Zhong Hai.
Once this soup was consumed, Yi Zhong Hai had to be guaranteed to die on the spot.
If Qin Huai Ru drank the pufferfish soup and died, how could Yi Zhong Hai dare to drink it?
Although Bang Geng also harbored hatred for Qin Huai Ru, Yi Zhong Hai was still his top priority target.
This was beyond doubt.
"Mom, don't taste it yet!"
As Qin Huai Ru stepped forward to taste the fish soup, Bang Geng stopped her. "This pot of fish soup is specially prepared for my father!"
"No matter what, my father has to be the first to drink it!"
"After my father drinks the first sip, then we can drink it. That way, it will be more meaningful!"
Bang Geng's words made Qin Huai Ru's heart bloom with joy.
"Hehehe... Our Bang Geng is truly becoming more sensible!"
"At such a young age, you already know how to show filial piety to your father. Mom will listen to your arrangements!"