Chapter 77 River Crabs and River Fish

"Wow, what a big tilapia! We can eat it when we get back. What a great haul today!" Su Yun shook the iron bucket, and the screws inside made a rustling sound.

Su Yun was quite happy to finally be able to eat something different today after eating chicken for so many days.

First, put the snails in a basin with salt water to let them spit out the sand. Then Su Yun picked out the golden apple snails and gave them to Ye Feng to cook. Then she smashed the shells and prepared to mix them with chopped vegetables before feeding them to the ducks and chickens.

Su Yun began preparing lunch.

Tilapia has delicious flesh and few bones, which they both like.

Make diagonal cuts on the fish fillet, then pour in white wine and sugar, and marinate for a while.

After preparing the ingredients, heat oil in a pan, add the marinated tilapia, and start frying the fish over low heat until both sides are crispy and slightly golden brown. Then remove it from the pan.

No need to wash the pan. Directly pour in minced garlic and shredded ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Then pour in diced tomatoes and stir-fry until tomato juice is released. Wait for the tomato juice to thicken, then pour in the fish that has been pan-fried once, allowing the tomato juice to soak in and infuse the fish with flavor. Finally, sprinkle a small handful of chopped green onions on top.

"Tomato Tilapia~" This is Su Yun's favorite way to eat tilapia. The crispy fish skin is soaked in tomato juice, and the crispy and delicious taste is sweet and sour. Su Yun can eat a bowl of rice in one go with the tomato sauce. Unfortunately, there is not much rice to begin with, so she can only eat it sparingly. It is also good to pick up some green vegetables.

"Tomato and egg stir-fry, tomato and green beans, tomato and eggplant, they're all delicious," Night Breeze concluded. "The tomatoes are excellent."

"Yes, tomatoes are a cure-all."

"Make more next time."

"Okay." Su Yun covered her mouth and chuckled. Ye Feng, who initially didn't understand why she wanted to grow vegetables, now actively asked to grow more. It seems that the best way to teach is through hands-on experience!

However, there is still one problem: the strange "partnership" between the two of them seems to remain unclear.

Looking at the tall figure busy in the yard, Su Yun suddenly recalled the embrace from last night...

Is it wrong to take advantage of young, handsome men?

Su Yun blushed slightly, feeling that this matter had to be put on the agenda, otherwise she would be so embarrassed that she would dig her toes into the ground if the other party realized it later.

But how can we explain it clearly?

Teaching in person?

Su Yun was in a dilemma.

Ah, it's just the two of them here. Come to think of it, a relationship really can only be between two people.

Ah, no, no, what am I thinking?

It's probably because there are only two people; it's impossible to demonstrate that way!

We need to think of a solution.

After lunch, Su Yun moved the wooden basin containing the snails to under the eaves. She and Ye Feng each took a small stool and a small brush and began to wash the snail shells.

Actually, the snail shells in the stream were quite clean, with almost no mud or sand. The two of us just brushed them a little to prevent them from having a muddy taste when we cooked them.

The rain gradually intensified, and the rainwater began to drip down the roof tiles like a glistening beaded curtain, string after string, like crystal, connecting the eaves.

"Pat-pat," "Pat-pat," "Pat-pat"—

Raindrops fell on the bluestone steps, making a crisp sound.

And there was the sound of rain pattering down.

The sound of raindrops hitting the metal bucket.

The sounds intertwined, lively yet not noisy, and as Su Yun listened, she gradually grew tired. No wonder there used to be audio recordings of rain sounds to help her fall asleep.

I really felt like I just wanted to curl up in bed and take a nap.

"What's wrong? Are you sleepy? Why don't you go back and get some sleep? I'll take care of the rest," Ye Feng kindly suggested when he saw her eyelids were slightly closed.

Su Yun's head was spinning, and she subconsciously said, "No need, no need, it'll be faster if we do it together. Then we can sleep together."

"Okay, let's sleep together." Ye Feng readily agreed and quickened his pace.

Watching the kitten suddenly quicken its movements, its ears stand up straight, and its tail sway slightly.

This guy seems quite happy to sleep together?

Su Yun looked again at the guest room, which hadn't been occupied for a long time, and thought, "Well, okay."

There's a hint of ambiguity in it.

No, no, explaining the situation is imperative. Su Yun racked her brains, trying to figure out how to make the other party understand.

She had considered saying it directly, but what if she messed it up and people thought she was trying to seduce them?

Σ（дlll）

To preserve what little integrity he had left, Su Yun decided to be subtle. "Um, Ye Feng, do you know why chicks can hatch from eggs?"

Night Breeze: "Hmm? Because it was laid by a hen?"

Wow, perfect answer. Su Yun couldn't help but give her cat a thumbs up, but this was clearly not the answer she wanted, so she had to continue steer the conversation in the right direction...

"Yes, but, but, a hen alone isn't enough; you also need a rooster to hatch chicks."

"But when we only caught the hen before, it was already laying eggs!"

Su Yun was speechless. That was true. They had caught a hen earlier, but hadn't had time to eat it. The next morning, they found its eggs in the cage.

Actually, chickens lay eggs at any time. The only difference is that unfertilized eggs cannot hatch into chicks, while eggs that are startled can hatch.

But this thing...

It's really hard to say!

Su Yun blushed, closed her eyes, and made up a reason: "Maybe it just separated from its rooster. Anyway, hatching chicks requires the effort of a mate. If they're not mates, they won't have babies..."

"Is your partner having a baby?"

Seeing Ye Feng's slightly furrowed brow and pensive expression, Su Yun suddenly felt victory was in sight and continued, "That's right, a true partner is someone with whom you have a child, someone with whom you can have a baby. Ordinary friends and family are just about companionship and mutual dependence..."

Su Yun stared intently at Ye Feng, hoping that the other party would have some kind of sudden realization.

Night Breeze stroked his chin, pondering for a long time. Seeing Su Yun looking at him expectantly, seemingly very eager, he suddenly realized: "You want to have a baby with me? But you won't sleep with me... Rose said we have to sleep together to have a baby..."

Su Yun: ......

Since the last time...

She righteously refused the "bedtime activity," but what does that have to do with wanting a baby? It's really...

The conversation is getting more and more tangential!

Su Yun could only give up, thinking that it would be nice if she happened to pass by a couple someday.

After cleaning the screws, the two took a nap.

In the afternoon, it was time to start cooking the snails. Ye Feng was in charge of using pliers to cut off the snails' tails, partly to remove their excrement and partly to ensure they were fully cooked and flavorful.

"Like this, put the tail of the screw into the middle of the pliers, and then clamp it off forcefully." Su Yun picked up the pliers and demonstrated, "If it's too small to clamp, then forget it."

"Mmm." Ye Feng learned how to use the learning tools very quickly and got the hang of it in no time.

Su Yun went to the vegetable garden to pick side dishes. The best match for stir-fried snails is perilla. She found a lot of it in the stream and transplanted it to her own backyard vegetable garden. Now it has grown into a big clump. When needed, she can pick a few leaves and it will grow back in a few days. It's very convenient.

Besides perilla leaves, there are tomatoes, peppers, scallions, ginger, garlic, quail eggs, and most importantly, pickled bamboo shoots.

Su Yun opened the jar, and a strong, sour smell wafted out. "So fragrant~" This sour smell after pickling has always been her favorite.

Whether stir-fried with meat or served as a side dish, it tastes delicious no matter how you stir-fry it.

"There seem to be a lot of chili peppers lately, I can make some pickled chili peppers," Su Yun muttered, finding clean chopsticks and picking up a large bowl of pickled bamboo shoots.

Before we knew it, we had more and more food at home, and the seeds we brought back from Hongdu City had all been planted.

The vegetables they brought back were plentiful, including pumpkin, cilantro, radish, soybeans, and more... most importantly, they even brought back wheat.

Taking advantage of the rainy and humid weather, Su Yun separated half of the seeds, so that she would have the other half to use in case of failure.

There's still a bunch left that I can't tell the difference between.

Those that couldn't be distinguished were basically rummaged up from the ground, because the grocery store had been ransacked by that group beforehand. Su Yunyefeng could only pick up scraps from the nooks and crannies, rummaging through the corners of the shelves to find a bag or two of forgotten vegetable seeds, and picking up seeds scattered on the ground.

Su Yun found a broom and swept up the dust along with the plants, not wasting a single grain. She packed them all up and brought them back, figuring she could just scatter them in the ground anyway, and she wasn't worried about not recognizing them once they grew.

The wheat was planted in the paddy field, and Su Yun had never planted it before, so he could only try it out haphazardly.

Su Yun planted the remaining seeds, those that needed to be bred, in the seedling nursery. He first loosened the soil, mixed it with fermented manure, then poked small holes, sprinkled the seeds that had been soaked overnight into the holes, and covered them with soil.

All that's left is to till the soil and plant the vegetable seeds.

If all goes well, radishes can also be pickled, as can that bunch of seeds (I don't know what they are). If you have lettuce, you can also put it in the jar to pickle. In the summer, a bowl of this is sour, crisp, and refreshing, and it's especially appetizing.

As she thought about it, Su Yun started to crave pickled radishes.

But there was nothing there now, so Su Yun could only pick up two more pieces of pickled bamboo shoots and eat them to satisfy her craving.

Blanch the snails (without their tails) in boiling water with ginger slices to remove the fishy smell. Then drain the water and start a new pot with lard.

When the oil started to steam slightly, Su Yun quickly poured the sliced ​​ginger, scallions, and chili peppers into the hot oil with a "sizzle," stir-frying them until fragrant.

The hot flames licked at the bottom of the pot. The iron pot conducts heat very quickly, so the food is heated evenly. It is also easier to perceive slight changes in the heat, so the resulting reactions are also different.

Therefore, stir-frying vegetables in a firewood-fired iron wok produces a very fragrant flavor, especially when done quickly over high heat.

Su Yun was about to stir-fry the snails, so she quickly poured them into the pot with a "whoosh."

"Night wind, big fire!"

"Um!"

Then Su Yun gripped the spatula and began to stir-fry quickly. The snail shells collided in the iron pot, making various sizzling and crackling sounds, and the aroma of river delicacies slowly began to spread from the iron pot.

With the help of a high flame, Su Yun stir-fried for several minutes, then added pickled bamboo shoots and tomatoes, and continued to stir-fry over high heat until all the ingredients were cooked through and the tomatoes had softened into juice. Then she poured in a large bowl of white wine, a large bowl of water, homemade straw mushroom sauce, sugar, and several boiled and peeled quail eggs. She then covered the pot and began to simmer.

"I don't know if there are any parasites, so let it simmer for a while longer. Ye Feng, you can turn the heat down a bit."

"Um."

"You stay here and watch the fire, I'll go kill the crabs."

"good."

Su Yun went to the well, picked up a pair of scissors, and began to "dissect" the crab. The crab's heart and gills were inedible, but after removing them and rinsing it, it could be stir-fried directly.

Crabs don't require much effort; simply steam them without any seasoning to enjoy their unique freshness.

However, these river crabs are too small. These small river crabs basically don't grow very big; the largest is only about half a palm's width, and the rest are even smaller. So steaming them is not an option.

Although they are small, it doesn't detract from their delicious taste. They can be deep-fried to make a spicy crab dish, but the oil at home is lard rendered from wild boars, which is very precious, so we can't make such a luxurious dish.

Su Yun decided to just stir-fry it with ginger and scallions, since there was someone in the family with strong teeth who could probably chew it up, shell and all.

"That's a good idea," Su Yun thought, preparing to get started!

Heat oil in a wok, add sliced ​​garlic, scallions, and chili peppers, and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add the dismembered crab and stir-fry until the shells turn completely red and begin to crisp. Next, add a large amount of shredded ginger and scallions, stir-fry, and finally add white wine to remove any fishy smell, chili peppers to enhance the flavor, reduce the sauce, and turn off the heat!

A dish of white scallions and red crab—ginger and scallion river crab—is ready to be served.

The night breeze, smelling the aroma in the air, raised its head from under the stove, its eyes shining brightly.

"Dinner's ready!"

"Um!"

By this time, the screws had almost completely absorbed the juices.

Su Yun added the remaining chili peppers, scallions, and perilla leaves, seasoned with salt, and then had Ye Feng turn up the fire to stir-fry. Finally, once the ingredients were cooked through, she served them.

A large bowl full of food, with its red and green colors, looks very appetizing.

At this point, words were superfluous, so Su Yun immediately announced, "Go wash your hands, let's eat!"

So, without bothering to clean up the messy stove, the two quickly sat down at the dining table after washing their hands.

"Let me eat a small crab first~" Su Yun reached out and picked up a small crab.

To be honest, although she had caught many of these small river crabs when she was little, this was the first time she had ever eaten them.

I remember when I was little, there were these little river crabs everywhere under the stones in the river. They were easy to catch; you could just flip over the stones and catch one every time.

Su Yun and her friends would usually take these little crabs home after catching them, put them in a basin with some water, build a stone house with some small stones, pretend they were aquatic plants with a few grasses, and then ask their grandmother for some lean pork and white rice to feed them.

When I was a child, I always dreamed of raising the little crabs in the basin to be giants. Unfortunately, these river crabs were hard to raise. Often, within a week, their bodies would turn white and they would stop moving. Then we would have to go back to the river to catch them again. After a while, everyone realized that these crabs couldn't be raised, and eventually no one liked to catch them anymore.

But catching crabs is really fun; you flip them over, I search, and we see who catches the biggest one...

I really miss those days~

The stir-fried crab shells were fragrant with scallions, and the aroma was so enticing that just licking the shells was delicious. As for the meat, since the crabs were so small, Su Yun could only taste a tiny bit of freshness through the cracks. He didn't actually get to eat any meat at all.

"It's a pity there's not much meat. If it were a king crab from the sea, its claws alone would be as big as a fist, with lots of meat, tender and delicious," Su Yun sighed, reminiscing about the king crab he had eaten in his "past life."

"Are there really crabs this big? Are they really that delicious? But I think the ones you stir-fried, Su Yun, are really good!" Ye Feng has very strong teeth, so he can basically eat these kinds of crispy shellfish one bite at a time, crunchy and crunchy.

"I'm glad you like it. Actually, it's not that bad. When it comes to freshness, river fish are fresher, and sea fish are just bigger."

"Hmm, but I think everything you cook is delicious!" Ye Feng's eyes sparkled as he spoke what he believed to be true. He used to live alone in the mountains and had eaten almost everything edible, including these small river crabs, but none of them had ever tasted as good as Su Yun's cooking. So, from the bottom of his heart, he felt that Su Yun's cooking was the best thing in the world.

Seeing Ye Feng's sincere expression, Su Yun knew perfectly well that these were his heartfelt words.

Her face flushed slightly, and she said evasively, "Just eat your food and don't suddenly say anything cheesy."

"Huh? Corny pickup lines?" the cat asked, puzzled.

After finishing the river crabs and waiting for the snails to cool down a bit, Su Yun began to demonstrate how to eat them: "Like this, use a bamboo skewer to pick them out, and then only eat the black head."

"Hmm? Can't I just bite it with the shell on?"

"The shell is hard to digest, so don't eat it. Also, the intestines at the back are not tasty and are not clean. Just eat the front part."

Night Breeze obediently said "Oh." and then obediently picked up the snails with a bamboo skewer, her movements quite professional.

However—the bamboo skewers were hastily made, a bit thick and rough, making them a bit difficult to handle. Plus, Ye Feng's hands are quite large, making it even more difficult to operate.

He held the small skewer and tried for several minutes, but couldn't get any snail meat out.

Dejected, frustrated.

He was skeptical of cat life. He looked at the dull skewer that wasn't very useful, then at his own palm, and finally raised a finger, extended his sharp claw, and began to pry open the snail meat.

The claws of the night wind have a slight curve, and the front end is very sharp. With just a gentle hook, the snail meat can be pulled out of the shell.

Then, with a flick of the night wind, they hooked one after another, completely abandoning the bamboo skewers.

Su Yun was very impressed.

Actually, she's not used to using bamboo skewers either, but she doesn't have claws. However, she doesn't need bamboo skewers; as a true snail-eating enthusiast, she just uses her mouth, enjoying them one after another!

The snails were braised for about half an hour and were very flavorful, especially the pickled bamboo shoots, which were soaked in the sauce. One bite was sour, crisp, salty and fragrant, a true delicacy.

There were also quail eggs that were braised together. Because they were braised for a long time, the outer egg white had begun to absorb the flavor, making them truly savory and delicious with a perfect balance of taste.

The best part of stir-fried snails is the side dishes. Just like snail rice noodles, as long as the snails have a fresh flavor, these ordinary vegetables and soups will become very delicious.

As a sophisticated foodie, Su Yun was well aware of this. While Ye Feng was frantically eating snails, she was frantically eating the side dishes. In the end, Ye Feng saw that she was specifically picking out these side dishes. After curiously taking a bite, he started competing with her to rummage through the bowl for pickled bamboo shoots.

By this time, Su Yun had already eaten most of the pickled bamboo shoots.

Ye Feng spent a long time rummaging through the chopsticks, finally finding a target, only to have it snatched away by Su Yun's swift hand.

Su Yun deliberately snatched it from him. She just wanted to tease him and wait until he got angry before giving it to him. She knew his expression would be hilarious.

Unexpectedly, when Ye Feng saw the pickled bamboo shoots he had painstakingly found being snatched away, he didn't show any particular expression. He was just slightly surprised, glanced at Su Yun a few times, and then regained his composure and continued searching.

So calm?

"Then I won't give it to you. Let's see what you do then." Su Yun muttered to herself as she chewed on a slice of bamboo shoot.

The night wind continued to rummage through the basin, and finally found another fish that had slipped through the net.

Looking at those tender white bamboo shoot slices.

Su Yun thought: Should I rob it again?

Ye Feng's eyes were already shining, and a happy smile appeared on his lips as he manipulated his chopsticks to pick up a slice of bamboo shoot.

Are you that happy?

Alright, alright, let's not tease them since they've worked so hard.

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Ye Feng didn't eat the bamboo shoots. Instead, he put them in her bowl and said with a smile, "Here, have some."

The sudden reversal left Su Yun stunned. This—

My goodness, what an amazing cat! Her cat is just so well-behaved!

"How can you be so kind, Night Breeze?"

"Because you are my partner."

"Huh?" This time Su Yun was stunned. Looking at the cat-eared boy in front of her, who was looking at her seriously with a doting smile, her heart started beating restlessly again.