Reborn: The Rookie Detective

Lunch was simple: Aunt Molly had prepared grilled meat sandwiches in advance, and the old Thiago couple brought out Mexican-style coffee.

The brewed coffee had a beautiful black-brown color, and almost every Mexican family brewed a large pot of it every day. The taste was alright, not as good as the one from the city.

In any case, it was much better than the Dr Pepper drink that Walker and the others were drinking. Walker had casually tossed him a bottle while they were working, and Jack almost spat it out after taking a sip. Well, they were much better than those disgusting chingchong drinks.

This stuff reminded him of cherry-flavored cola he used to drink, but with an added safflower oil flavor. If it weren't for seeing the old and young Texas men drinking it with relish, Jack would have thought he'd been tricked.

After lunch, the ladies left first to take showers; they were going shopping in the city in the afternoon. The men continued working.

There was a little hiccup in the middle. Aunt Molly originally didn't want to go, planning to spend the afternoon preparing dinner for the family. In the end, it was only after Hannah confidently assured her that Jack could handle everything that she hesitantly nodded in agreement.

Jack guessed that it was probably seeing the long list of seasonings he had given Hannah that really convinced her.

After lunch, everyone rested for a short while before continuing their work. Jack assembled the wooden beams into a frame, nailed on the planks, and climbed onto the roof with the Walker brothers, while Bonham directed from below. They quickly repaired the damaged roof lining.

Then the brothers laid the waterproof layer on the outside, while Jack added insulation to the wooden frame inside. Finally, the most tiring and patience-demanding work began: the cement tiles were hoisted onto the roof and laid layer by layer. They were busy until 3 p.m. before finishing.

"Wow, I thought we'd be working until tomorrow. I didn't expect to finish so early today."

Bonham was clearly exhausted, leaning against the small truck with some difficulty. Augie went over to support him with concern.

"Are you alright, old man? You haven't been feeling well lately, maybe you should go to Austin for a checkup?" Walker suggested, packing his things.

Bonham waved his hand and laughed, "It's just that I'm getting old, but I had a rare good night's sleep last night, and I felt great when I woke up this morning. If this continues, maybe I can go to Double Wind Restaurant with you guys for a beer again."

"Oh, come on, don't say things like that in front of Augie." Walker waved his hand down a few times, looking disgusted.

Augie protested, "I'm 13 years old! Stella went there when I was that age, and Liam took her."

"Hey, you brat, you're dead meat. Don't even think about me taking you out again."

Before Liam could finish speaking, Walker pinned him to the ground, and the two brothers started fighting again.

"Stop! Emily was there too! Ouch, you hit too hard!" Liam screamed.

Jack looked at the two with a hint of envy. "The bond between your families is so enviable."

"You can consider us family too. Augie and Stella are almost adults. We haven't heard a baby cry here in so long. You and Hannah should come back and settle down soon." Bonham's tone carried a touch of sadness, but his eyes revealed the shrewdness typical of the elderly.

Jack was taken aback. He hadn't expected to be pressured to get married even in America.

"Maybe I should come back and visit with Hannah more often. Texans have given me a new perspective."

"Well be quick then, haha. It's still early, guys, how about we go catch some catfish in the lake?"

The Walker men cheered immediately. Jack was also very curious. He had seen many videos online in his previous life, but he had never seen one in real life. Although catfish teeth weren't sharp, catching them by hand like he had seen online was still very dangerous.

Fortunately, Texas wasn't the Great Lakes region, so heavy metal pollution wasn't serious.

Whether it was catfish or any other freshwater fish, as long as it wasn't a pleco or alligator gar, Jack had a thousand ways to turn them into something Americans would love to eat.

But before going fishing, he turned his attention to the farm's chicken coop. Old Thiago raised dozens of striped roosters on the farm, which were common in rural areas, and they were free-range.

These things were rare in supermarkets, not to mention that there were several young roosters that were barely adults.

Jack asked old Thiago to butcher two roosters for him to handle when he returned. Then the group sped off in their car towards a nearby lake.

To call it a lake was a stretch; strictly speaking, it was a bend in a small river, forming a small wetland. A huge ancient cypress tree grew along the riverbank, its massive aerial roots creating a small ecosystem.

Catfish like to hide in the mud burrows within the aerial roots. Walker and Liam stripped down to their shorts, donned thick rubber gloves, and jumped into the water to dig holes and lure the catfish.

Bonham, meanwhile, leisurely began fishing a short distance away, and within half an hour, he had a catch — a rather large one. The old man calmly began reeling it in.

Jack and Augie, watching the spectacle, became excited, each grabbing a landing net and intently watching the splashing water on the lake's surface.

Finally, a nearly 20-pound striped bass was brought ashore after Jack got soaked. The old man was overjoyed, thanking the novice for bringing him good luck.

Meanwhile, Walker and Liam also had their own catch; the brothers worked together to catch a catfish weighing over 30 pounds. Before five o'clock, the group returned home laden with two large fish.

Back at Hannah's small farm, the ladies had just returned. Hannah had bought a large bag of seasonings from the supermarket.

Jack used leftover cement tiles from the roof repair to build two makeshift stoves, and then began his performance to the astonishment of those around him.

He drizzled two prepared chickens with sugar syrup, fried them until golden brown, and then simmered them in a large pot. Lacking all the seasonings, Jack used Western herbs like rosemary, making a braised chicken dish.

A 30-pound catfish was used to fillet only half its fillet, which was then sliced into thick slices, simply marinated, and then deep-fried. Finally, it was served with German sauerkraut, Mexican chili peppers, and white pepper, creating a Western-style boiled fish dish.

Then Jack pulled off a spectacular feat, turning an 18-pound striped bass into a whole squirrel-style bass dish. Aunt Molly had to drive home and search the attic for ages before finding a large enough plate to hold the entire fish.