Cheng Yan didn't actually get to eat any crab meat a few days ago. After all, there were only two crabs. As an old man, he would definitely save the best for his children and grandchildren. He only took a few bites of the crab legs and then spat them out. He thought that the crabs were not only ugly but also tasted terrible, but he was too embarrassed to say it to Ruyi.
Today, when I saw my daughter bring home so many crabs again, I was thinking that I could only eat a few bites and not spoil her fun. But now, looking at the tempting sauce in the bowl, it actually looks quite delicious, so I couldn't resist trying a bite.
One bite and I was stunned. The indescribable taste filled my mouth with rich umami and abundant oil. It was delicate and smooth with a slightly grainy texture. It was more delicious than any river fish I had ever eaten before, but without a trace of fishiness. It left a lingering fragrance on my palate, making me want to savor it forever.
When he came to his senses, he found that he had actually finished the whole bowl of rice. Thinking about his previous thoughts, Cheng Yan felt a little embarrassed.
"Cough cough, it really is delicious, and the texture is unique. If I hadn't watched how you made it, I really wouldn't have been able to imagine what it was made of." As he spoke, Cheng Yan suddenly became puzzled, "Ruyi, how did you come up with the idea of scooping out all the meat from that crab and making it into a sauce?"
Looking at her father's deep gaze, Cheng Ruyi felt too embarrassed to use her cheap husband as a shield again. "I've been dealing with Zhiwei Restaurant a lot lately, and I've discovered that their meat sauce is really delicious. It's perfect for mixing with noodles or rice!"
This wasn't just something Ruyi made up; she really did eat a bowl of meat sauce noodles at Zhiwei Restaurant. The menu listed it at 150 wen a bowl, and it was said to be made with the finest meat and many more precious spices, making it an "imported" product from the capital.
"What did you say? One hundred and fifty coins for a bowl of noodles! You might as well rob someone, is there gold in it or not?" Xu Cui said while eating her second bowl of crab roe sauce rice.
"So, I was thinking, since sauces sell so well, could I create my own sauce to sell? So I racked my brains for several days and searched around the East and West Markets for a long time before finally finding crab, a niche ingredient."
"These crabs are inherently difficult to catch, so they are scarce in the market. Moreover, a single crab doesn't contain much meat, and they are troublesome to eat. It's extremely difficult to eat crab meat in big bites. Since ancient times, things have been valued for their rarity. If I put some effort into making this rare crab meat into a sauce, allowing people to skip the troublesome steps and eat it directly in one bite, wouldn't I be able to sell it for a good price?"
This statement is logical, well-founded, and reasonable; there is absolutely no flaw in it.
As a result, Ruyi successfully gained the affirmation and support of the Cheng family, and everyone expressed their belief that this crab roe sauce would definitely make money.
Looking at the crab roe sauce that had been completely eaten and the ring of butter around everyone's mouth, Ruyi smiled and nodded with satisfaction. Yes, she also felt that she could definitely make a fortune.
Early the next morning, Ruyi went out carrying two empty large baskets and arrived at a corner of the dock on time as agreed, only to find that the small boat was already waiting there.
"Good morning, boatman~~ Have you had breakfast yet? These are homemade pancakes. Let's not rush, let's finish breakfast before we set off!" Ruyi saw that the other party had arrived earlier than the agreed time, so he must have gotten up very early and probably just had a quick breakfast before leaving.
The woman was surprised that Ruyi would bring them breakfast, and felt a little embarrassed. "Madam, you're too kind. We've already eaten breakfast and aren't hungry yet. Why don't we wait for you to finish eating before we set off?"
"It's alright, I've already had breakfast. Let's set off then!" Cheng Ruyi placed the basket inside the small boat's awning and took out the food box. "There are flatbreads and millet porridge in the food box. Everyone can help themselves if they're hungry!"
This was a lunch she had specially prepared. Knowing she would be working all day, she made some easy-to-carry food to bring along so she could eat it there and save time.
Ruyi thought about it last night. Twenty crabs can only produce about one and a half pounds of crab roe sauce. If she wants to sell it, she needs to prepare at least several dozen pounds. Conservatively speaking, she needs at least three or four hundred crabs. This is a huge project.
Although her family wanted to come out and help her after they found out, the house was already packed with things to do. She could manage on her own, but if another person was away for a whole day, the house would probably be in complete chaos. Besides, she didn't really want anyone around, since the water-repelling pearl couldn't be seen by anyone.
So early this morning, Xu Cui and Yun An prepared food for Ru Yi to take with her, and Cheng Yan also said that he would pick her up at the dock at the end of Shen Shi (3-5 PM).
On a hazy autumn morning, the sun had just risen, and the temperature was estimated to be only around ten degrees Celsius. The small boat traveled upstream, slowly making its way along the river. In the distance, fishing boats occasionally darted through the morning mist on the wide river surface, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
By the time we arrived at the wild lake from yesterday, the sun had already pierced through the clouds and scattered across the entire earth, quietly dispelling the chill of the night.
Ruyi walked to the bow of the boat to feel the temperature, and then did a simple warm-up exercise in the morning light. After her body was warmed up, she couldn't wait to get into the water.
Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon in the water, going in three times and only caught twenty crabs. The efficiency was really too low.
Fortunately, Ruyi came prepared today. After she dived to the bottom of the river, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, gently uncorked it, and a stream of clear water slowly dissipated, causing the calm lake surface to become slightly turbulent.
This idea suddenly came to her last night when she was feeding the animals at home with the spiritual spring water. Since the spiritual spring water could attract chickens and rabbits so much, it must be able to attract other animals as well. So she prepared a small bottle of diluted spiritual spring water to try it out.
However, the current situation is a bit beyond Cheng Ruyi's expectations. The spiritual energy has not only attracted the crabs, but also all the animals in the lake!
As Ruyi looked at the dense school of fish swimming towards her in the distance, she suddenly realized she had trypophobia and got goosebumps all over her body. She was so scared that she immediately stuffed the bottle cap in her mouth and swam to the surface before the fish completely submerged her.
After she climbed onto the boat, she belatedly broke out in a cold sweat. Was it just her imagination? She vaguely thought she saw a very large figure among the fish, but she didn't know what it was.
However, this wild lake is not very big, so it probably can't breed any lake monsters or anything like that. Maybe it's just a big fish.
Ruyi looked at the fishing net in her hand. A quick glance revealed more than twenty crabs, as well as a variety of fish that had swum into the net—her casual catch before swimming up.
It seems that although this method is a bit reckless, it is very effective. However, we need to be more careful next time we use it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com