Chapter 67 Shrimp and Crab Congee

Chapter 67 Shrimp and Crab Congee

Anyone else, except for Zhao Tong, Wang Sumo, and the other two, would be completely baffled if they went there with such determination, determined to bring back the stolen horse, only to be told upon their return that not only the horse but also the person had been brought back, and that the Eight Treasures Pavilion now had an accountant!

But this person is Zhao Tong.

Zhao Tong seemed unsurprised and didn't ask any further questions.

After Master He left, besides Wang Sumo, he, Bai Cen, and the old man took turns being responsible for night watch, driving, and logistics.

Since there's an extra accountant, he'll be staying there permanently.

The old man and Bai Cen had just returned from their trip, and Zhao Tong went to the carriage where bedding, blankets, and clothes were stored to fetch a clean set of blankets and bedding for Elder Weng.

Zhao Tong did as instructed: "The one that Old Master He used before has been washed and dried. We'll use it for now and change it when we get to another place."

Weng He looked at him and took the gift from his hand, saying, "Thank you."

Compared to Old Master Qu and Bai Cen, Zhao Tong was more aloof and didn't talk much.

Zhao Tong mostly did whatever Wang Sumo told him to do.

At most, he would offer his suggestions on how to improve the cooking process when he was the sous chef; most of the time, he simply didn't want to waste his breath.

Weng He could see the murderous aura in his eyes. Although he didn't carry any swords or knives, the size and location of the calluses on his hands indicated that he was a master swordsman.

They've wielded swords quite a bit, and those swords have been stained with blood.

He is not a kind person.

Ha, if even the Eight Treasures Restaurant has people like this, then he's not exactly an oddball.

“You can sleep here if you don’t mind. It’s too stuffy in the carriage. We didn’t go up to the Eight Treasures Pavilion today, so it’s more comfortable to sleep outside the carriage. Old Master Qu is also used to sleeping outside the carriage.” Zhao Tong added. Weng He could feel that the other party had no intention of probing or being curious about him at all, and didn’t even hesitate to turn around.

Weng He then looked at Wang Sumo, Bai Cen, and Lao Qu. They hadn't been together with Zhao Tong for long, so Wang Sumo probably hadn't had a chance to tell Zhao Tong the whole story, but Zhao Tong didn't ask any questions.

Weng He smiled and shook his head, suddenly feeling that the Bazhenlou restaurant was full of hidden talents.

Perhaps, coming here would actually be quite interesting...

On the carriage side, the old man and Bai Cen had just settled the two horses.

The Eight Treasures Pavilion only has eight horses in total.

When the Eight Treasures Pavilion was raised, the horses were already tied to the carriages. Swords and spears have no eyes, and the weather is unpredictable; no one knows who or what they will encounter. But when a situation arises, the reins are already secured, so the carriages can be quickly brought together and the driver can depart.

When the Eight Treasures Pavilion was being stored away, it was either on the road or in a place unsuitable for raising the pavilion, where they would rest overnight. When on the road, sometimes two horses would be used to pull the carriage containing pots, pans, clothes, and bedding, while the remaining six horses would pull the main carriage and the large wooden chest.

Therefore, in either case, the horses must be arranged in advance to avoid chaos.

Unlike other places, Bazhenlou is located on horseback, so naturally, it deals with horses the most.

Today, the horse was taken away by Old Man Weng. He probably didn't think much of it at first, but when it was about to return, it became very uneasy and restless. Such a situation is rare, so the old man stayed behind to calm it down.

Bai Cen and Wang Sumo turned back.

"Old Master Weng should be settled in, but Brother Zhao probably hasn't eaten yet," Bai Cen said thoughtfully.

Wang Sumo also looked at Old Man Weng.

Originally, she wanted to settle Old Man Weng here first, but Weng He saw that they had things to do and said decisively, "You take care of your business first, I'll look around."

Alright, Wang Sumo will ask Zhao Tong to take care of it.

Zhao Tong's understanding of "taking care" is simply telling the other person what to eat and where to sleep. What to eat at this time is decided by the host, and as for where to sleep, they can sleep wherever they want; just provide them with a blanket.

This led to the scene where Zhao Tong handed Weng He a quilt and a mattress.

"Grandpa Weng, can you eat river shrimp and crab?" Wang Sumo stepped forward. "Brother Zhao hasn't had dinner yet. I'd like us to make a pot of shrimp and crab porridge."

Upon hearing about shrimp and crab congee, Weng He couldn't help but drool.

He wasn't originally a particularly gluttonous person, but on the way to Shanhe Town, he had many concerns and was cautious, taking each step carefully and mostly just grabbing a bite or two on the road.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief and managed to get a chicken in Xishui Village, which he shared with four people, but he still wasn't very full.

Wang Sumo suddenly mentioned shrimp and crab porridge, and Weng He unconsciously swallowed. "Anything is fine, whatever the boss says."

Zhao Tong was referring to his employer, so he was the same as Zhao Tong.

Wang Sumo didn't expose him. "Wait for me a moment. You can ask Bai Cen if you have any questions. Bazhenlou probably won't be upgraded before we get to Liucun. Once we get to Liucun, we'll show Elder Weng the true face of Bazhenlou."

Who wouldn't like an owner who is eloquent, knows how to get along with people, is good-looking, and has great cooking skills?

Wang Sumo went to prepare the ingredients for making shrimp and crab porridge.

Bai Cen went to get pots and pans, and when he returned, he ran into Wang Sumo. Wang Sumo was very impressed with him.

Even the worms in his stomach probably don't have his sharp eyes.

Wang Sumo reached out to take it, but Bai Cen took a step back. "Master, I can do it. I'm just a guard who also does odd jobs."

Wang Sumo readily accepts good advice.

The area is not far from the lake town, and the shrimp and crabs here are quite fresh.

While the old man was still on the horse, Zhao Tong, Bai Cen, and Weng He also joined the crowd watching the shrimp and crab porridge being made—mainly because they were close by.

With the fire burning well, Wang Sumo put pork fat at the bottom of the pot, while Zhao Tong, the sous chef, helped prepare the shrimp and crab.

Besides slaughtering chickens, ducks, and fish, Zhao Tong is also skilled at removing shrimp shells and veins, and processing crabs. Although he is not as proficient as before, he quickly got the hang of it.

The exhaustion from a whole night of running around in Shanhe Town didn't seem to get better when he went to find the horse with Grandpa, Wang Sumo, and Bai Cen; but in the instant he was peeling shrimp and removing the shrimp veins, it was as if he suddenly found the source.

I felt inexplicably refreshed, completely dispelling the previous annoyances from my mind.

All thoughts of eagles and eagle gates seemed to vanish from my mind, leaving only the physical and mental pleasure of peeling shrimp and removing their veins.

He could feel the pleasure of not having to use a knife.

When Wang Sumo asked for the shrimp heads, he removed them without affecting the shrimp bodies.

After cleaning the shrimp heads, a bowl was handed to Wang Sumo.

The pork fat in the hot pot had just been cooked; I didn't scoop out too much, just enough to cover the bottom of the pot in a thin layer.

Place the shrimp heads on top, sprinkle with shredded ginger, and the bottom of the pan will immediately sizzle a few times. With these sizzling sounds, the rich shrimp flavor is first released by the hot oil.

Bai Cen: (⊙o⊙)…

It smells so good!

Weng He originally just wanted to casually look around with a few other people.

He had tried shrimp and crab congee before, but he wasn't particularly looking forward to it.

Seeing Zhao Tong's increasingly fluent shrimp-peeling speed after he got the hang of it, he couldn't help but take another look at him in surprise, wondering how the menacing aura emanating from him suddenly softened as he peeled shrimp and opened crabs.

Weng He couldn't quite see through Zhao Tong.

But watching Zhao Tong handle the shrimp and crabs with such skill and ease, it felt as if you were actually in the kitchen of a mobile restaurant.

Wow, that's really quite novel and interesting!

But when Wang Sumo poured the shrimp heads and ginger shreds into the pot and used lard to fry the shrimp oil from the shrimp heads, Weng He was suddenly attracted by the aroma of the whole pot.

He had clearly already eaten a quarter of the roast chicken, but suddenly, he felt an involuntary hunger in his internal organs. Only then did Weng He truly feel the atmosphere of watching a chef prepare a meal.

Weng Heye suddenly crossed his arms and began to get serious.

He'd tried countless shrimp and crab congee dishes, and was used to gimmicks like cooking live shrimp, but Wang Sumo's method made him smell the aroma of shrimp oil frying from the shrimp heads. Suddenly, Weng He perked up. Who knew, tonight's shrimp and crab congee might truly be unlike any he'd ever had before.

The moment Bai Cen, Zhao Tong, and Weng He started making the shrimp and crab congee, their eyes were glued to the pot. Zhao Tong had just been wondering what she wanted the shrimp heads for, especially when Wang Sumo poured them into the pot; he had even frowned slightly then. But now he suddenly understood.

The shrimp oil extracted from the shrimp heads is incredibly fragrant, and you don't need to overcook the shrimp meat.

The shrimp heads can be scooped out and discarded later, making the most of the shrimp.

I hadn't expected this.

"Boiling water," Wang Sumo said. Zhao Tong snapped out of his reverie. The water had been prepared earlier, and Zhao Tong fetched it for her.

Boiling water was poured into the pot, instantly turning it golden yellow. While it was cooking, Zhao Tong opened the crabs, and Wang Sumo went to rinse the rice.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the shrimp heads.

The shrimp heads have fulfilled their purpose, and this pot of shrimp soup is just the right amount of fresh. Pour the rice that you just rinsed into the shrimp soup and stir it constantly so that the flavor of the shrimp soup gradually blends into the rice that is desperately absorbing water, and also prevents the rice from sticking to the pot.

The process was a bit long. While Wang Sumo was cooking the porridge, he washed the coriander and chopped it into sections for later use.

With the extra time, he and Zhao Tong started eating crabs.

Remove the crab's internal organs, heart, and lungs, then cut it in half with scissors so it will absorb the flavor more easily when cooking porridge later.

She, the old man, Bai Cen, Zhao Tong, and Old Man Weng, a total of five people, could easily have more shrimp and crab.

The rice in the pot gradually absorbed the water and became plump.

Wang Sumo searched for a while and found that he had missed the dried scallops.

Scallops can enhance the flavor of dishes, but they are quite expensive, so they are not commonly found in ordinary households' meals.

"The ingredient cabinet is on the fourth shelf, the third one from the left. There's a scallop there. Please bring it to me; I forgot to get it earlier." Wang Sumo knew the location of the seasonings by heart and could recall them effortlessly without having to think.

"Alright~" Bai Cen said, his feet barely touching the ground.

Weng He clenched his fist and gently pressed it against the tip of his nose, not exposing the problem, but the rice in the pot gradually took shape.

Add the shrimp, then the crab, and some ginger to remove the fishy smell. Then, add the dried scallops that Bai Cen brought back. Wang Sumo added a handful, and the whole shrimp and crab porridge seemed to be enhanced with fragrance. Moreover, the dried scallops themselves tasted very good, no less than the shrimp and crab.

This pot of congee suddenly became quite substantial!

In the time it takes for one or two incense sticks to burn, the silky and thick shrimp and crab porridge was already fragrant. Bai Cen pretended to stretch out his paw to show that he was hungry, but Wang Sumo slapped his paw back.

Bai Cen wasn't angry.

Wang Sumo didn't argue with him, broke her promise, and added freshly ground pepper powder, followed by the chopped cilantro she had just prepared.

No need to cover it; just stir it a few times with a spoon, and the fresh aroma and sweetness of the seafood porridge will seep into your body through your nose.

Zhao Tong goes without saying, but Bai Cen and Weng He, who had already eaten roast chicken, were also craving it and wished they could have four or five bowls right away.

Zhao Tong went to call the old man. The first bowl was served to Old Man Weng. Bai Cen was arguing with Wang Sumo, wanting to use the big bowl. Wang Sumo told him to wake up from his dream. Old Man Weng and the first shrimp and crab porridge had already started eating.

Weng He lived a leisurely life in Zhenhu, enjoying all kinds of delicacies with his eyes closed. But when he took a bite of shrimp and crab porridge, he was filled with indescribable surprise and satisfaction.

If I had known that Bazhenlou served this kind of food, I wouldn't have been so reserved before!

He could drink five bowls of this shrimp and crab congee!

[Author's Note]

Let's go for some delicious food and explore the world of martial arts!

I'm going to send out the red envelopes from last weekend and National Day now, but I've completely forgotten... [covering face and peeking]