Chapter 120 Typhoon Shelter Crab: A Family Reunion

After locking the school gate, Lin Yao and her group headed towards the eatery. Just as they turned the corner of the alley where the school was located, they saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance of the eatery.

Lin Cheng, who should have been overseeing the renovation of the restaurant in Lin'an Prefecture, was standing outside the shop, tiptoeing and peering towards the school, pacing back and forth as if he had something urgent to attend to.

"Brother, why are you back? Is there a problem at the restaurant?" Lin Yao walked up quickly.

Lin Cheng grabbed her wrist, not even bothering to greet Su Niang and the others, and hurriedly pulled her into the restaurant: "Come on!"

Lin Cheng rarely lost his composure like this. Lin Yao was practically dragged and pulled into the room by him, her steps faltering.

As soon as Lin Yao stepped across the threshold of the restaurant, she saw a tall, middle-aged man standing in the center of the main room.

He was looking at the menu hanging on the wall with his back to the door when he heard the noise and turned around.

The man's appearance gradually overlapped with the appearance of his father in the original owner's memories.

Lin Yao's breath hitched, and she slowly spoke, "Father...?"

Lin Changkang's eyes immediately reddened when he looked at the graceful young woman in front of him.

When I left home, my daughter was just a little girl, but now she has grown into a capable young woman.

He smiled and nodded: "My little girl, Daddy's back."

In the original owner's memories, Lin's father was a loving husband and father. In the past, only when he was at home would Lin's grandfather not dare to openly mistreat them.

Unfortunately, by the time he returned, his wife and daughter had already been killed by that evil family.

Lin Yao looked at the man in front of her, whose temples were already streaked with gray, and sighed silently in her heart.

Lin Changkang gently rubbed his daughter's head.

Lin Cheng wiped his face and said, "Father, all these years, it's all thanks to my sister who has supported the family, made the restaurant a great success, and even took over a restaurant in Lin'an Prefecture!"

Lin Yao sat down with her father in the backyard. Su Niang brought hot tea and handed Lin Cheng a handkerchief. She then tactfully led Wang Xiaoyu and the others to the kitchen, leaving the family, who had been separated for a long time, to have some space.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Lin Changkang's hair, making Lin Yao's nose sting with tears at the sight of those few strands of white hair.

She held her teacup and slowly recounted her experiences over the years.

“My aunt and uncle tried to steal our secret recipe before, but we caught them and took them to the authorities!” Lin Yao said with considerable pride. “My grandfather always tries to take advantage of us, so I argue with him that we earned our money through our own abilities, so why should we give it to him?”

Although Lin Changkang had already heard Lin Cheng talk about the experiences of his children over the years, hearing his daughter's story gave him a different feeling, and his eyes welled up with tears again.

“Dad, it’s all in the past.” Lin Yao reached out and patted her father’s hand. “Now that you’re back, our family is reunited, which is better than anything else.”

Her eyes sparkled. "By the way, a few days ago I asked a caravan I know to bring over some fresh seafood and river fish, including prawns, crabs, and fresh fish. I'll cook a big meal myself to celebrate our family reunion!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Cheng immediately perked up, forgetting his earlier sadness: "Great! A-Yao's fish dishes are the best, and I'm still thinking about the crabs we had last time!"

Lin Changkang laughed along, "Alright, Dad, you'd better try my Ayao's cooking and see how it compares to your mother's back then?"

Lin Yao smiled and walked towards the kitchen: "Then you'll have to try it!"

Once inside the kitchen, she quickly tied on her apron, and Su Niang hurried over to help.

Lin Yao leaned over and glanced at the water tank. The shrimp were jumping around, the crabs were waving their powerful claws, and several fresh fish were swimming around. She immediately made a decision: "Today we'll make Typhoon Shelter Crab, Boiled Shrimp, Tempura Shrimp, and the fattest sea bass to make Sichuan Pepper Baked Fish. You can make the rest of the fish into grilled fish!"

After assigning tasks, Lin Yao first scooped up the female crab, skillfully flipped it over, pinched its navel, and with a crisp sound, broke off the navel. Then she used scissors to cut open the crab shell, removed the gills and internal organs, leaving only the plump crab roe and tender crab meat.

She cut the crab in half, rolled it in a bowl of starch, making sure every part was coated with a thin layer of starch.

Su Niang had already chopped the ginger and garlic into fine paste, and chopped the dogwood for later use. Lin Yao poured rapeseed oil into the pot, and when the oil was heated to 60% of its maximum temperature, she put the crab pieces into the pot one by one. The fine oil bubbles coated the crab meat, and a rich and fresh aroma spread.

She held the spatula and kept stirring until the crab pieces turned golden brown and crispy before taking them out to drain the oil.

Leave a little oil in the pan, sauté ginger, garlic and dogwood until fragrant, then add a handful of golden breadcrumbs and stir-fry until they become fluffy and crispy. Season with a little salt and white pepper, then pour the fried crab pieces back into the pan and quickly toss to coat each piece with the fragrant breadcrumbs and garlic.

Finally, sprinkle on some bright green scallions, and the Typhoon Shelter Crab is ready. The golden and crispy shell wraps around the tender crab meat, and the aroma of garlic and pepper blends with the freshness of the crab, making Wang Xiaoyu, who was sitting by the stove, swallow his saliva.

As soon as the dish was served, Lin Yao turned to prepare the boiled shrimp.

She selected large, uniformly sized shrimp, trimmed off the whiskers and rostrum, used a toothpick to remove the vein from the second segment of the shrimp's back, rinsed them with clean water, and drained them.

Boil water in a pot, add a few slices of ginger, two sections of scallion, and a spoonful of cooking wine to remove any fishy smell. When the water is bubbling but not boiling, pour the prawns into the pot and gently stir with long chopsticks to ensure that each prawn is heated evenly.

In just a moment, the prawns shed their green shells and turned an enticing bright red. Lin Yao immediately turned off the heat, took the prawns out, and rinsed them in ice water. This step makes the prawn meat firmer and more springy.

When plating, she neatly arranged the shrimp on a plate, and placed a small dish of dipping sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar and fennel seeds next to it. The refreshing and appetizing boiled shrimp was ready.

Next up is tempura shrimp, a dish that requires precise control of the batter ratio and oil temperature.

Lin Yao took a clean bowl, poured in an appropriate amount of flour and a little cornstarch, added ice water to make a batter of moderate consistency, and then cracked an egg into the bowl and stirred it well for later use.

She picked out the largest shrimp, peeled them while leaving the tails on, removed the shrimp veins, patted them dry with kitchen paper, coated them with a thin layer of flour, dipped them in egg wash, and finally coated them with tempura batter.

She carefully placed the batter-coated shrimp one by one into the pot, gently pushing them with a slotted spoon to prevent them from sticking together.

As the prawns gradually took shape in the oil, turning golden and crispy, Lin Yao quickly scooped them out to drain the oil and placed them on a plate. The freshly fried tempura prawns were still steaming hot, with a crispy outer shell and tender inside, and a fragrant aroma.

Finally, there's the Sichuan peppercorn-baked fish.

Lin Yao selected a fresh sea bass, scraped off the scales, gutted it, cleaned it thoroughly, and then made several diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish to make it easier for the flavors to penetrate.

She took a clay pot, lined the bottom with a layer of ginger slices and scallion segments, sprinkled on a large amount of Sichuan peppercorns and a little dried dogwood, and then added a layer of pre-soaked vermicelli.

Place the sea bass in a casserole dish, drizzle with a spoonful of soy sauce and a little lard, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat.

The numbing aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and the fresh fragrance of fish wafted through the cracks of the clay pot. Lin Yao would occasionally lift the lid to check. When the fish changed color and could be easily pierced with chopsticks, she would sprinkle on some chopped green onions, turn off the heat, and let it simmer for two minutes to allow the aromas to fully meld.

The kitchen was filled with rising smoke and a variety of aromas that whetted one's appetite.

Lin Changkang and Lin Song were cleaning up the leftover food from the guests in the lobby.

Lin Song, munching on an apple, followed behind the two like a shadow.

Smelling the aroma wafting from the kitchen, Lin Song sniffed and couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister's cooking smells so good!"

Lin Changkang had always heard Wang Zhi say that his daughter had learned excellent cooking skills, but he had never actually eaten any of her cooking.

Now, smelling the aroma filling the air and feeling the cravings churning in his stomach, he finally understood why Wang Zhi couldn't stop thinking about the food A Yao had cooked.

He was also very much looking forward to it.

Before long, one dish after another was served.

The typhoon shelter-style stir-fried crab was golden and dazzling, the boiled shrimp was bright red and tempting, the tempura shrimp was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the Sichuan peppercorn-baked fish was numbing and fragrant, and the grilled fish made by Su Niang and her friends had a crispy skin. The table was full of an extremely sumptuous feast.

Lin Cheng had already brought out a large table, waiting for everyone to sit down.

Lin Yao introduced Su Niang, Zhao Niangzi and the others: "This is our father, Lin Changkang, who just returned from out of town."

Everyone quickly cupped their hands in greeting: "Hello, Uncle Lin!"

Lin Changkang smiled and nodded in response.

Lin Yao then turned to her father and introduced everyone to each person, which took quite a while.

Lin Song, who had been waiting impatiently, stared at the crab, eager to pounce.

Lin Yao noticed his little action and called everyone to start eating: "Come on, everyone, try today's dishes!"

Lin Cheng sat down and immediately picked up a piece of Typhoon Shelter Crab. Taking a bite, the crispy shell and the succulent crab meat burst in his mouth, the garlic and pepper flavors perfectly balanced. He couldn't help but praise, "Ah Yao's cooking skills are getting better and better! This tastes even better than the restaurants in Lin'an Prefecture!"

Zhao Niangzi picked up a boiled shrimp, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth. The shrimp meat was firm and chewy, and full of sweetness. She then picked up another one for Xiaoman.

Lin Song held a small piece of Typhoon Shelter Crab, bit into the breadcrumb part, and the crispy texture made his eyes widen. He looked up and asked Lin Yao, "Sister, what's this crispy stuff? It's so delicious!"

Lin Yao: "This is breadcrumbs."

"What are breadcrumbs?" Lin Song pressed, and Su Niang and the others looked over curiously, clearly having never heard of them before.

Lin Yao explained, "It's bread baked in the workshop's newly built kiln, dried and then ground into crumbs. These breadcrumbs can be used to make not only Typhoon Shelter Crab and Shrimp, but also fried chicken strips. They're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I'll make some for you to try later."

Zhao Niangzi suddenly realized: "No wonder the shopkeeper wanted to build a kiln before. I was wondering why such a fancy kiln was needed for making food. I didn't know it was for this purpose! This Typhoon Shelter Fried Crab tastes so good. If it were sold in a restaurant, it would definitely be a hit!"

Lin Yao smiled and picked up a piece of Sichuan peppercorn-baked fish for her father: "Dad, try this. It's baked with fresh Sichuan peppercorns."

Lin Changkang took a bite; the fish was tender and flavorful, with a subtle numbing aroma. The novel taste was incredibly tempting. "Delicious!"

Xu Zhiheng stood outside the closed door of Lin Family Restaurant, listening to the lively sounds inside, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Jin Yu followed Xu Zhiheng to the outside of the restaurant, thinking they were going to Lin Xiaoniangzi's house for a free meal, but it turned out they were just eavesdropping outside the door. He smelled the aroma that couldn't be contained by the door and tentatively asked, "Isn't my lord going in?"

Xu Zhiheng shook his head. "Let's go. Today is the day her family is reunited."

Jin Yu, unwilling to give up the delicious food so close at hand, urged him with her mischievous intent: "Young master, why don't you go and say hello to Uncle Lin? Maybe we'll be family in the future, why be so formal?"

Xu Zhiheng continued walking forward without looking back.

Jin Yu then gave up, taking one last deep breath of the aroma wafting from outside the restaurant, "My lord, wait for me!"

Inside the restaurant, Lin Yao paused in her act of eating crab.

Lin Changkang asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Lin Yao seemed to have heard Jin Yu's voice just now, but they had put up the closing sign early today. Jin Yu is so well-informed, she must be having dinner somewhere else right now.

Thinking she must have misheard, Lin Yao shook her head and continued eating the crab.

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Author's Note: Writing is hard work, please add this to your favorites! [cat emoji]

The recipes for Typhoon Shelter Crab and Sichuan Pepper Baked Fish are both from Baidu.