"Look, little sister, what's that in the water? Could it be a monster?"
The three men came to the shore and put the oil lamp aside. Suddenly, the second brother pointed to a spot in the water and asked a question.
By the moonlight, Ruan Meng saw what appeared to be a long, moving line underwater, more than half a zhang long.
Ruan Meng and Lao San approached, and Lao San found some tree branches and waded through the water to pick out the swimming creature...
Seeing that it was red, Ruan Meng breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't a sea snake, but a horsewhip.
The second and third brothers were shocked when they saw his face clearly. The second brother exclaimed:
"Little sister, what is this thing?! Will it bite me?"
Startled by the cry, the horsewhip fell into the water. The third brother looked at Ruan Meng, who said it was non-poisonous, and then scooped it up with his hands.
"Little sister, what is this? Can we eat it?"
Ruan Meng nodded, "This is called a horsewhip fish, also known as a pipe fish. Look at its head, doesn't it look like a horsewhip?" Horsewhip fish, picture from the internet. The second and third brothers nodded, finding it strange. They had never seen such a bright and special fish before.
Ruan Meng continued, "Mountain whip fish is edible. Except for the head and tail, only the middle section is edible; it tastes delicious. It can be used to make sashimi, but people with sensitive stomachs should avoid eating it..."
The second and third brothers had both read about raw fish in books. They heard that people in coastal areas like to slice off pieces of fish and eat them raw with vinegar and soy sauce.
Although there is a version in the capital called "fish sashimi," I've heard that the fish is most delicious when it's freshly prepared, right after it's come out of the sea.
The second brother stared blankly at the horsewhip fish, while the third brother couldn't help but swallow hard.
The third brother tentatively asked, "Little sister, I have a good stomach, can I eat raw fish?"
The second brother chimed in, "Second brother has a good stomach too..."
Ruan Meng shook her head. "There are many invisible worms inside raw fish, which can easily make people sick. So it's best to cook sea fish thoroughly before eating it."
"Although my two brothers' stomachs are still okay, they have already eaten spicy snails today and should not be stimulated by them again. Besides, we have a lot to do when we get back tomorrow. You don't have time to be sick, and I don't have time to treat you either."
Ruan Meng said this, and it was really difficult for the second and third children to insist.
The third brother was still unwilling to give up and asked:
"Little sister, are horsewhip fish common?"
Once I'm done with this busy period, is there any chance I'll catch it again?
Ruan Meng shook her head. "They usually live in the deep sea, but they can occasionally be caught in shallow waters. Like now."
Disappointment inevitably showed on the third brother's face.
Ruan Meng comforted him, "It looks special, but it's not a particularly expensive fish. There are many other fish that are suitable for sashimi. I'll definitely make it for my brothers when I have the chance."
"Furthermore, we'll definitely have fishing boats in the future. The deep sea? It's only about three zhang deep. With fishing boats, what can't we catch?"
The third brother's eyes regained their luster, and then he asked Ruan Meng:
"If it's not for sashimi, sister, what else can it be made into?"
Ruan Meng thought of Madam Xu and suggested:
Let's make fish dumplings!
The second and third brothers' eyes lit up, and they wished they could find a few more.
Ruan Meng added, "Shrimp dumplings are good too, as long as we see shrimp..."
That night, the three were lucky; the two guards who came with them also went into the water to help.
The third brother found a red-legged shrimp bigger than his palm and showed it to Ruan Meng. (Image of red-legged shrimp from the internet) "Look, sister, this shrimp is bigger than any we found in Fengjia Village!"
Ruan Meng nodded, "Yes! This is called a red-legged shrimp. Look, its legs and antennae are red and white, it's easy to recognize!"
The third brother nodded, and Ruan Meng added, "Its meat is plump and bouncy, Third Brother can pick some more. With so many of us, we might not have enough to make shrimp dumplings!"
The guards heard this and searched carefully as well.
My second brother is being quiet all the time; he must be up to no good!
Ruan Meng saw her second brother squatting to the side, carefully looking at the things in the water. Worried that he would be stung, she went over to him.
The second son watched with great interest, and noticing Ruan Meng approaching, he looked up at her and said:
"Look, little sister, these two crabs are so interesting!"
"Round and plump, they always huddle together, which shows that crabs, like people, also have friends!"
Seeing her second brother's innocent face, Ruan Meng couldn't bear to expose him.
Having finally seen enough, the second brother straightened up and asked Ruan Meng, "Little sister, what's this crab called?"
Ruan Meng removed the stacked crabs, and the male crab that was originally on top began to blow bubbles, spraying out a small jet of water.
The second son was surprised and called for the third son and two guards to come and see.
The five heads were huddled together.
Ruan Meng pointed to the crab's large claws and explained:
"These are just their chopsticks and spoons, used for catching food. Don't underestimate those two large claws; they can easily crush shells!"
The second son looked surprised.
"Also," Ruan Meng looked at her second brother, "those two aren't friends, they're a couple. The one on top is the male crab, and the one below is the female crab..."
The ears of the two guards turned visibly red...
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