Chapter 129 Simple Happiness
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After all, he was a novice fisherman. Although he went out early and came back late every day, his harvest in the first few days was not ideal. The neighbor next to him, who had sufficient staff and rich experience, had already had a bumper harvest, and there was only a thin layer of fish and crabs on the deck of the Wind Wing.
As the saying goes, the first time is new, the second time is familiar, Gu Mengran was not discouraged.
Besides, there are few of them, few people working, and few people eating.
A group of young people in their early twenties, full of strength and brains, after the three-day "internship period", the diesel boats brought back larger and larger quantities of fish.
This sea area is rich in bluefin bream and croaker. Although they are not big in size, they are numerous. Two or three cabins can be pulled back almost every day, and the pile of fish on the deck is growing day by day.
The second is orchid crabs. The number of crab cages has increased from 20 to 60. They are released every morning and collected the next morning before being released again. The bait has been improved and the effect is very good. Once rotten fish and shrimp are stuffed into the bait cages, crabs within a radius of ten miles can smell the smell.
Gu Mengran made a rough estimate. Now a crab cage can harvest an average of 5-7 orchid crabs every day. Excluding the cages that mysteriously disappeared and the small juvenile crabs that need to be released, they can catch at least 200 orchid crabs every day.
This number is already amazing. You have to know that with so many people on the Yongyue, they only catch about a hundred crabs a day. Moreover, catching crabs is not their main business. It only takes about two hours to collect and put away the crab cages in the morning. It can be said to be a very profitable job.
In addition to common fish and crabs, you can occasionally harvest some rare species, such as hairtail, octopus, Manson's needleless squid...
It's just that the number is pitifully small.
The only advantage of cold weather is that it makes it easier to store fish.
I've been so busy and tired these days that I simply don't have time to process the fish.
There was a smell when they were kept in the house, and the refrigerator or freezer could not hold all the fish. Gu Mengran could not directly reclaim the space, so he had to spread a waterproof cloth on the deck and pile the miscellaneous fish on the deck.
The pure natural large refrigerator is very easy to use. When the fish is shipped back, it is rinsed with fresh water to wash away the seawater with high salt content and low freezing point. The next day, it will become a lump of ice. There is no need to worry about the fish and crabs going bad.
When people are busy, time always passes especially quickly. In a blink of an eye, only the last three days are left in the half-month period.
At 9:30 in the morning, a snowstorm came quietly.
The snowflakes were falling like a tide, and the temperature dropped by five or six degrees in a short period of time. To prevent freezing to death outside, Gu Mengran and others who had already gone out collected the crab cages and hurried back home.
It's cold. When the snow falls and the wind blows, the biting cold makes people shiver.
The cotton jacket was soaked by the snow, but the first thing Gu Mengran did when he got on the boat was not to change clothes. Instead, he ran back to the kitchen to bring out a few stainless steel basins and pulled others to select fish together.
After working for more than ten days, Gu Mengran still hadn't eaten a bite of the spoils, and he was itching to catch more. Although there was no shortage of food at home, the fish he caught himself should have a different flavor.
With heavy snow falling overhead, Gu Mengran took the lead, squatting on the chilly deck and knocking on the ice with a hammer.
The four of them worked hard for more than half an hour and managed to put together three pots of ingredients: one pot for the bluefin bream and the croaker, one pot for the orchid crab, and one pot for the assorted hairtail and octopus.
After putting the ingredients in the kitchen, the four of them went back to their rooms to change clothes.
After being cold all morning, worried that they would catch a cold, Gu Mengran asked Liang Zhao to boil a kettle of water and make four cups of cold medicine in disposable paper cups after changing clothes and coming out of the room.
It's almost time for lunch. Apparently they didn't know they would suddenly come back today, so the three vegetable-growing team worked so hard that they forgot to eat and sleep, and haven't prepared lunch yet.
What a coincidence! Gu Mengran raised his head and drank the cold medicine in one gulp, then walked into the kitchen with three helpers.
It was getting late, and everyone was more or less a little hungry, but no one was in the mood to just cook in one pot and have a quick meal. The three helpers had clear division of labor: Zheng Yijie and Xu Xinghe cleaned the crabs and cleared the miscellaneous fish, while Liang Zhao was in charge of cutting the fish.
More people means less work. Gu Mengran has prepared the ingredients and side dishes, and a pot of plump orchid crabs has been cleaned.
There were too many crabs to steam in one pot, so Gu Mengran took out a double-layer steamer from the cupboard, washed it, added appropriate amount of water, put in ginger slices and scallion segments, and then poured in a little cooking wine to remove the fishy smell.
Put the crabs in the pot, turn on the fire, and place them neatly on the steamer with their bellies facing upwards. The two layers of the steamer were just full, and Gu Mengran roughly counted them, more than 40 crabs, an average of five per person.
Cover the pot and mark the time, and ignore the orchid crab for now.
Considering that most of them have strong tastes, Gu Mengran took this opportunity to prepare two plates of delicious dipping sauces using soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and other seasonings.
Clean out the internal organs of the croaker, cut off the head and tail, and only half of the half basin of fish is left.
Liang Zhao was very considerate. Not only did he wash the balanga fish thoroughly, he also cut cuts on both sides of the fish body according to Gu Mengran's request. Gu Mengran could then add seasonings and marinate it directly.
Time was short, and the balang fish was only marinated for about ten minutes. Gu Mengran immediately heated the oil in a pan. When the oil temperature reached 70% to 80% hot, he put the balang fish in the pan and slowly fried it over medium-low heat until both sides were golden brown.
After the fish is fried, take it out and set aside. Wash the pot again and add oil. Increase the oil temperature and add ginger, garlic, peppercorns and dried chilies to stir-fry until fragrant. Then pour the fried balan fish into the pot.
Add salt, chicken essence, cooking wine and other seasonings in turn, stir-fry the croaker evenly. At this time, add appropriate amount of water, boil the water over high heat first, then turn to low heat and simmer.
After an hour and a half of hard work, the hot dishes were served one after another, including braised croaker, steamed crab, deep-fried green fish, and dry pot stew...
Four main dishes plus dipping saucers almost filled the table. Hot smoke hovered over the restaurant. The unique fragrance of seafood was fully blended with the seasonings, and the fresh aroma that permeated the air was mouth-watering.
The dishes were placed on the table one by one, and Gu Mengran washed his hands and came out of the kitchen. He was already starving, but his grandpa and his family had not come back yet. Gu Mengran was about to go downstairs to call them, but before he could take a step, the living room door was suddenly opened from outside.
"What smells so good?"
Pushing the door open, Meng Gaoyang was stunned for a moment, then sniffed twice with the tip of his nose.
The entrance door was in a straight line with the restaurant. He raised his chin and took a look from a distance. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he rushed to the dining table in a hurry, "Wow, what day is today? Such a sumptuous meal."
"What day do we have to have to eat delicious food? Then today is a good day!" Gu Mengran said with a smile, and then helped his grandfather pull out the chair next to him. "It's almost two o'clock and you just came back. Do you usually eat so late?"
There was no way to fish nearby, so Gu Mengran and his team had to drive the boat for an hour or two every day to a slightly farther sea area. The trip back and forth took up time, so they brought dry food with them and basically didn't come back for lunch.
The old man shook his head. "How can that be possible? Man is made of iron and rice is made of steel. If you don't eat, you will be hungry. We are finishing up today and there are not many boxes left, so we thought we could finish it in one go and sit in the house to rest in the afternoon."
"All planted? So fast!" Gu Mengran was a little surprised.
The old man looked very proud. "Well, the three of us are doing a good job, right?"
"That's neat and powerful, awesome!" Gu Mengran gave a thumbs up and praised without reservation.
The old man laughed, his eyes fell back on the dining table, and he licked his lips subconsciously, "What about you guys? When did you come back? Did you make this table by yourselves?"
"Of course, Grandpa Meng, can we still order takeout now?" Zheng Yijie was so greedy that he joked and quickly asked everyone to sit down, "Okay, okay, sit down and eat while chatting, the food is almost cold."
He was very attentive. As he spoke, he moved all the chairs under the table out and waved to Xu Xingran who was behind the old man, "Come on, Xingran, sit here."
Xu Xingran was very moved but refused: "You sit down first. Xu Yuan, let's go wash our hands."
"Oh yeah, I have to go wash my hands too." The old man reluctantly moved his eyes away from the dining table and followed the two sisters into the kitchen.
They were all hungry, and as soon as the people who had gone to wash their hands came back, everyone picked up their chopsticks to pick up food. There was no such thing as politeness or courtesy, there was no such thing in my home.
The balang fish was soft and tasty, and melted in the mouth. The orchid crab was plump and sweet, with rich crab roe and excellent taste. The green croaker was fried very crispy, and it made a "crunching" sound when you took a bite, and you could even chew and swallow a piece of the fish bone.
It was a busy period recently and it was the first time that the Xu siblings had a meal cooked by Gu Mengran.
After eating a braised croaker, Xu Xinghe's eyes changed when he looked at Gu Mengran. His eyes were as hot as fire. He praised sincerely, "Brother Gu, you are amazing. I was surprised that you can cook, but I didn't expect it to be so delicious."
"Indeed, Xiao Gu is very skilled. He has such skills that he can open a shop." Xu Xingran also praised while breaking a crab.
Everyone praised him until Gu Mengran blushed. He waved his hands and said, "No, no, no, don't praise me like that. It's just a home-cooked dish. Just eat it."
"You still call this compromising? Gu Mengran, your cooking skills have improved again!"
"That's right, you can't be too humble!"
Gu Mengran: ...
It's not that he is modest, he just knows his own cooking skills best.
The reason why today's dishes taste so good is because of the ingredients.
It's not an illusion, nor is it a psychological factor. The fish and crabs that you catch with great effort are really much more delicious, because you live by the sea and the food is fresh enough.
They ate at such a fast pace that soon most of the food on the table was gone.
Gu Mengran put down his chopsticks early and watched them eat after smelling the cooking fumes. One of the great pleasures of being a cook is watching others eat the food you cook. The more delicious it is, the better.
But as he watched... Gu Mengran's gaze gradually shifted from the dining table to the window. Looking at the heavy snow flying in the sky outside the window, his thoughts wandered uncontrollably.
It’s different from the previous life, completely different.
In the cold winter, staying in the air-conditioned room, there are grandpa, Liang Zhao, and four new members. The family sits around the dining table, enjoying delicious and sumptuous food, without worrying about schoolwork or work, or buying a house or a car.
So what if it’s the end of the world? They still live well, happily and contentedly.
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