Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Set sail!
*
The two of them were busy all morning, pulling out shrimp threads, washing crabs, and rubbing octopus. There were still several buckets of food left to be processed, and it was almost noon.
Not planning on making a separate lunch, Gu Mengran directly moved the cleaned ingredients to the stove. Just looking at the seafood in basins and barrels, he inexplicably had a sense of déjà vu as a chef in the school cafeteria reborn.
Of course, the food in the cafeteria is not that good.
The dazzling array of ingredients made it difficult to know where to start. Gu Mengran puffed up his cheeks and pondered for a while, then decided to start with the largest number of shrimps.
Clean the wok, add shallots, ginger slices, peppercorns, star anise and other spices, and finally add a small amount of water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, and when the aroma of the spices wafts out of the wok, pour the processed shrimps into the wok and cover it with a lid.
The method of blanched shrimp is very simple. Simmer for two minutes and then open the lid. The prawns will have turned red and their bellies will be bent into a U shape. You can smell the fragrance without getting close.
Gu Mengran really wanted to peel one on the spot, but looking at the ingredients crying out for food behind him, he quickly took out the cooked prawns from the pot and rinsed them with cold water.
There were many small shrimps in the pot. In order to speed up the process, Gu Mengran put two pots on the stove and continued his task of blanching the shrimps.
While waiting for the water to boil, he was not idle. He minced garlic, cut green onions, squeezed lemon juice, and finally added soy sauce and chili oil to make a soul-stirring dipping sauce for the bland boiled shrimp.
Five pots of boiled shrimps were out of the pot, and the shrimps in the extra-large stainless steel basin were almost half gone. Gu Mengran was going to try a different method for the remaining ones, but he had to clean the stove before that.
After the cooked shrimps were rinsed with cold water and the excess water was drained, Gu Mengran took out the disposable packaging boxes of different sizes that he had purchased online before and began the final packaging work.
It is troublesome to clean up but easy to eat. If you use a round lunch box with the largest capacity, one pot of boiled shrimp can only hold three boxes, and five pots will only hold fifteen boxes.
The key is that this stuff doesn’t take up too much space in the stomach. Four grown men can easily eat two boxes at a meal, and they’ll be finished in just a few meals.
However...Gu Mengran would not give them the opportunity to eat prawns every meal.
After packing the prawns and dipping sauce and putting them back in the space, Gu Mengran began to deal with the remaining shrimps.
He cooked the other half pot of shrimps in two ways: one was the homely dry-pot version, and the other was the more troublesome typhoon-safe fried shrimps.
It is a bit troublesome, but both methods can be added with side dishes. The prawns are stir-fried with potatoes, lotus roots, and rice cakes. Half a pot of prawns was finally packed into thirty-six boxes.
It was past dinner time, but Grandpa and Zheng Yiji had not returned yet, and Gu Mengran did not call them to eat. He simply took this opportunity to fry the orchid crabs and clams that Liang Zhao had washed and chopped.
There were not many orchid crabs, so Gu Mengran was reluctant to steam them. He chose to cook them in spicy sauce and stir-fried crab with ginger and scallions, which can be eaten by people who eat spicy food or not.
There are also two ways to cook clams, one is the classic stir-fried clams, and the other is a refreshing and appetizing cold-mixed clams.
At first, Gu Mengran also thought about making some of the marinated seafood that was very popular on the Internet some time ago, but after a little thought, he realized that they were not from coastal cities and might not be used to eating such novel things.
"Wow, it smells so good! What is Gu Mengran cooking?"
"It's spicy and fragrant, and smells a bit like hot pot."
Grandpa and Zheng Yijie smelled the smell and walked into the kitchen one after another. Gu Mengran had just put the last box of cold-mixed clams into the space. So the kitchen was left in a mess.
Buckets and stainless steel basins filled with raw seafood, pots and pans that hadn’t been cleaned up yet, and a messy sink and stove…
For a moment, Zheng Yijie thought he was hallucinating because of hunger. He immediately turned his head to look at the old man and said in disbelief: "Grandpa Meng, did you smell it just now?"
"I smell it, and it smells very good." The old man said confidently.
Zheng Yijie spread his hands, "Right, but where are the vegetables? Why are they all raw?"
After saying that, they both looked at the chef Gu Mengran at the same time.
"Stop playing double game here and go wipe the table." Gu Mengran turned on the faucet to wash his hands, picked up the rag on the chopping board and threw it to Zheng Yiji.
"Okay, okay!" Zheng Yiji walked out of the kitchen at the speed of light, holding a rag.
"Don't do it yet, wash your hands and eat, Liang Zhao."
"Um."
Fried shrimps in the typhoon shelter, blanched prawns, stir-fried crabs with green onions and ginger, spicy crabs... the dishes placed in the space will not get cold. All the fruits of this morning are placed on the table. The rising hot air brings out a rich aroma, and the dining table instantly becomes lively.
"Oh my gout feast, it smells so good, oh my God!" Looking at the table full of delicacies, Zheng Yiji's eyes turned green. Like a hungry wolf, he greedily sniffed the fragrance in the air with an intoxicated look on his face.
At this time of year, seafood feasts are very rare.
The old man was not much better. He was obviously very greedy. He picked up a boiled shrimp and put it into his mouth without even peeling the shell.
The prawn went into his mouth and he spat out a complete prawn shell. The old man smacked his lips and picked up the next one with great satisfaction. "It tastes delicious and fragrant, and has a chewy texture. The boy has good cooking skills. It was worth watching the teaching video."
Just eat, why are you exposing my past? Gu Mengran glared at his grandfather in dissatisfaction, picked up a piece of fried crab and put it in his bowl, "Eat more and talk less."
"Hey kid, hahaha..."
Let’s eat! Pour some juice and enjoy the rare seafood feast. The table soon becomes quiet, leaving only the sound of peeling shrimp shells and the old man smacking his lips.
The boiled shrimps were fresh and delicious, the spicy crabs were spicy and satisfying, the typhoon shelter shrimps were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the cold clams were refreshing and appetizing. Gu Mengran ate without any image and couldn't stop at all.
Soon, half of the food on the table was gone. Zheng Yijie took a tissue to wipe his mouth and shook his head as he commented: "It's delicious, but I always feel like something is missing."
After a quick glance at the kitchen, Zheng Yijie started to miss it. It was a pity that he didn't get to taste the big and plump lobster...
"Eat from the bowl and look at the pot." Gu Mengran looked up at him in his busy schedule and said unhappily, "Come and help wash in the afternoon, and you can eat in the evening."
"I'm just learning how to drive a boat." Zheng Yijie said with a grin.
Gu Mengran joked: "Study in the morning and cook in the afternoon. A good student should do both."
"No, no, no," Zheng Yijie refused faster than anyone else, fearing that Gu Mengran would bring it up again, so he quickly started to flatter her, "My cooking skills are just a waste of ingredients, unlike yours, whose food is so delicious, it's simply delicious and full of color, aroma and taste."
Learning to sail a boat is a good thing, well, it’s definitely not because of flattery. Gu Mengran was busy peeling shrimps, so let him go for now.
Zheng Yijie is a good person in every way except that he is a bad-mouthed person.
Gu Mengran had just let him go, and after swallowing a crab claw, he licked his lips with satisfaction and sighed, "Hey! Orchid crabs taste good, but they are a little small. By the way, why didn't you stock up on some king crabs or something?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole table fell silent. The old man stopped chewing and looked at him while holding half a shrimp tail. "King crab? That's a nice thought. Why didn't you give us some money at that time?"
"I do want to!" Zheng Yijie sighed. "It makes me sad just talking about this. Although I am a doomsday believer, I am not 100% sure that the end of the world is coming. I don't dare to gamble everything and spend all my money on stockpiling supplies."
"I used to think that the saddest thing is that one is alive but has no money. Who would have thought that now that one is alive and still has money, it has become a piece of waste paper... It is even sadder."
After understanding what he meant, Gu Mengran paused for a moment while picking up food. "How much money do you have left?"
"More than two million." Zheng Yiji frowned, feeling heartbroken.
"What a pity, how many king crabs are needed."
"Don't mention it. I wish I had known you guys earlier."
"I don't count on the king crabs anymore," the old man put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, looked at Gu Mengran and said, "But to be honest, today's meal is indeed lacking something."
Forgot to add salt? Not tasty enough?
Looking at the shrimp shells and clam shells piled up on the table, Gu Mengran couldn't help but begin to doubt himself.
But the next second, the old man raised his chin and grinned, "Such a sumptuous lunch, how can we only eat vegetables? We have to have something..."
The old man didn't finish his words. He made a cup shape with his right hand and raised his head to take a sip of air.
Gu Mengran understood immediately and peeled a shrimp and put it in his grandfather's bowl. "Don't even think about it. You can't drink alcohol when eating seafood."
"Beer is not okay, but a moderate amount of white wine is fine." Meng Gaoyang was craving for alcohol and felt itchy as if he was being scratched by a cat. He stared at Gu Mengran eagerly.
Gu Mengran said without even looking up: "That won't work either, you have to sail this afternoon."
"Ready to go?"
The old man was stunned for a moment, and immediately forgot about drinking. He turned his head to look at Zheng Yijie, cleared his throat and said seriously: "I have been talking about theoretical knowledge for the whole morning, and it is time to show you how to practice it in the afternoon."
Zheng Yijie nodded immediately, "Okay, Grandpa Meng."
Gu Mengran couldn't do anything about his grandfather's love of teaching, but the Fengyi couldn't have any accidents or damages.
So Gu Mengran put down his chopsticks and specifically told his grandfather: "Don't let Zheng Yijie take the helm within a week. Let's wait and see for a week. Even if he takes over the actual operation, you must keep an eye on him at all times, and you can't just sit back and do nothing."
The old man sensed something was wrong and asked hurriedly, "Wait, from what you said, you're leaving the responsibility of sailing to us? Where are you and Liang Zhao?"
"Liang Zhao and I will be in charge of the kitchen. Let's make some more cooked food these days and put it in the space in case of emergency." Gu Mengran took a sip of juice, looked up at his grandfather again, and said, "It's okay to take turns. How about you cook, and I'll take care of--"
"No need, I'll take care of it and drive the boat." Meng Gaoyang waved his hand to refuse.
Considering the ingredients in Mengran’s space, kitchen work is a big project.
Gu Mengran smiled and picked up the chopsticks again, "Then it's settled. Let's eat and then we'll leave."
…
After eating and drinking, Gu Mengran put the few leftovers into a box, and then handed the empty box to Liang Zhao to clean for next use.
Productivity is stagnant, and everything will be used less and less in the future, so they have to save as much as possible. No matter if it is disposable or reusable, just reuse it if it doesn't break.
Having just finished his meal, Gu Mengran didn't want to smell the fumes for the time being, so he and Liang Zhao cleaned up the kitchen and decided to clean up the Fengyi and help digest the food at the same time.
As soon as he took the mop in his hand, the floor suddenly shook violently. Gu Mengran was not surprised. He put down the mop and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window in the living room with Liang Zhao to watch the two banks recede and the river water surge.
After many days, the roar of the engine sounded again, the propeller stirred the calm river water, the Fengyi's hull swayed slightly, going upstream, and sailing steadily on the vast river surface.
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