Chapter 129 Simple Happiness

*

After all, I am a novice fisherman. Although I go out early and come back late every day, the harvest in the first few days is not ideal. The neighbors with sufficient staff and rich experience have already ushered in a bumper harvest, and there is only a thin layer of fish and crabs on the deck of the Wind Wing.

As the saying goes, the first time is unfamiliar, 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 loads of fish.

This sea area is rich in bluefin tuna and mullet. Although they are not big in size, they are abundant in number. Almost every day, two or three cabins are pulled back, and the pile of fish on the deck is getting bigger and bigger.

The second is orchid crabs. The number of crab cages has increased from 20 to 60. The crabs 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 the rotten fish and shrimp are stuffed into the bait cage, the crabs within a ten-mile radius can smell the scent.

Gu Mengran roughly estimated that now a crab cage can catch 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 Ever Leap, they only catch about a hundred crabs a day. And catching crabs is not their main business. It only takes about two hours to 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, Mann's needleless squid...

It's just that the quantity is pitifully small.

The only advantage of cold weather is that it makes it easier to store fish.

I have 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 and freezer could not hold them all. Gu Mengran could not just reclaim the space, so he had to lay a waterproof sheet on the deck and pile the various fish on the deck.

The pure natural large refrigerator is very useful. After the fish is shipped back, it is rinsed with fresh water to rinse the sea water with high salt content and low freezing point clean. The next day, it will become a lump of ice. There is no need to worry about the fish and crabs spoiling.

When people are busy, time always passes especially quickly. In the 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 flying like a tide, and the temperature dropped by five or six degrees in a short time. In order to prevent freezing to death outside, Gu Mengran and others who had already gone out collected the crab cages and hurried back home.

It was cold. When the snow fell and the wind blew, the biting chill made people shiver.

The cotton padded jacket was soaked by the snow, but the first thing Gu Mengran did when he got on the boat was not to change his clothes. Instead, he ran back to the kitchen, brought out a few stainless steel basins, and pulled others to select fish together.

After working for more than ten days, Gu Mengran was very upset because he didn't get to eat any of the spoils. Although there was no shortage of food at home, the fish he caught with his own hands must 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 food: one pot for bluefin mullet and barramundi, one pot for orchid crab, and one pot for a variety of hairtail and octopus.

The ingredients were put into the kitchen, and the four of them went back to their rooms to change clothes.

After being frozen for the whole morning, worried that they would catch a cold, Gu Mengran changed his clothes and came out of the room. He asked Liang Zhao to boil a pot of water and make four cups of cold syrup in disposable paper cups.

It's almost time for dinner. Apparently, they didn't know they would suddenly come back today. The three vegetable-growing guys were so busy with their gardening 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 spray 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 everything 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 hands make less work. Gu Mengran prepared the ingredients and side dishes, and a pot of plump orchid crabs had been cleaned.

There were too many crabs to fit in one pot, so Gu Mengran took out a double-layer steamer from the cupboard, washed it, added an appropriate amount of water, put in ginger slices and green onions, 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 belly facing up. The two layers of steamers were just full. Gu Mengran roughly counted them and found that there were more than 40 crabs, an average of five per person.

Cover the pot and note the time. Ignore the orchid crab for now.

Taking into account that most of them have a strong taste for food, Gu Mengran took this opportunity to prepare two plates of delicious dipping sauces using soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and other condiments.

Clean out the internal organs of the barramundi, 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 croaker cleanly, 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, so Gu Mengran only marinated the barramundi for about ten minutes. He immediately heated the oil in a pan. When the oil temperature reached 70% to 80% hot, he put the barramundi 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. When the oil temperature increases, add ginger, garlic, peppercorns and dried chilies and stir-fry until fragrant. Then pour the fried mullet 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 busy work, the hot dishes were served one after another: braised barramundi, steamed orchid crab, deep-fried green snapper, and hot pot stew...

Four dishes plus dipping saucers almost filled the table. Hot smoke hovered over the restaurant. The unique fragrance of seafood and seasonings were fully blended, and the delicious aroma in 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 very hungry, but his grandfather and his family had not returned yet. Gu Mengran was about to go downstairs to call them, but before he could even 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 and the restaurant were in a straight line. 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 it today? Such a sumptuous feast."

"What day do we have to wait to eat delicious food? Then today is a good day!" Gu Mengran said teasingly, and then he 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 one or two hours every day to go to the sea a little further away. The trip back and forth took up a lot of 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? People are made of iron and rice is made of steel. If you don't eat a meal, you will be very 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 done? So quickly!" Gu Mengran was a little surprised.

The old man looked very proud, "So, the three of us did a good job, didn't we?"

"It's neat and powerful, so awesome!" Gu Mengran gave a thumbs up and praised without sparing any effort.

The old man laughed, his eyes returned to the dining table, and he licked his lips subconsciously, "What about you guys? When did you come back? Did you make this table yourself?"

"Of course, Master Meng, can we still order takeout now?" Zheng Yijie said teasingly, and hurriedly 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 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 wash my hands too." The old man reluctantly turned his eyes away from the dining table and followed the two sisters into the kitchen.

We were all hungry, and as soon as the people who had gone to wash their hands came back, everyone started picking up their chopsticks to eat. There was no such thing as politeness or courtesy, there was no such thing in my home.

The croaker was soft and tasty, and melted in the mouth. The orchid crab was full of sweet meat, rich in crab roe, and tasted great. The green croaker was fried very crispy, and it made a "crunching" sound when you took a bite, and you could even chew up a piece of the fish bone and swallow it.

It was a busy time during this period and it was the first time for the Xu siblings to eat 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 you to cook so deliciously."

"Indeed, Xiao Gu is very good at hiding his skills. He is good enough to open a shop." Xu Xingran also praised while breaking a crab.

Everyone praised him so much that Gu Mengran blushed. He waved his hands and said, "No, no, no, don't be so exaggerated. It's just a home-cooked dish. Just eat it."

"You call this compromising? Gu Mengran, your cooking skills have improved again!"

"That's right, one should not 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 I have worked hard to catch are really much more delicious, because I live by the sea and the ingredients are fresh enough.

They ate at a very fast pace, and soon most of the food on the table was gone.

The smell of cooking oil filled the air, so Gu Mengran put down his chopsticks early and watched them eat. One of the great pleasures of being a cook is watching others eat the food you cook, the more delicious it tastes, the better.

But as he looked... Gu Mengran's gaze gradually shifted from the dining table to the window. Looking at the heavy snow flying all over the sky outside the window, his thoughts wandered uncontrollably.

It’s different from my 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 rich food, without worrying about school and work, and without worrying about buying a house or a car.

So what if it’s the end of the world? They still live well, happily and contentedly.