Chapter 282: Chapter 266: What Incredible Luck Is This

The crew stood on the choppy deck, working seamlessly together to slowly haul up the heavy fishing net from the azure sea.

The net lifted from the water sparkled in the sunlight, its bulging tail revealing the shimmering scales of the fish within.

“Wow! So many! So many fish!”

Xie Jianing and the others couldn’t help but exclaim in unison.

“Heave ho!”

The crew shouted together.

Using all their strength, they emptied the fish from the net in a rush.

In an instant.

The fish poured out like a waterfall, sliding over the crew’s rough hands and onto the deck.

In a moment…

The deck was covered with lively, jumping fish, along with various seafood like crabs and shrimps, all struggling and leaping…

“Wow, so many fish… And crabs, shrimps…” Qingqing and Weiwei’s mouths nearly fell open in surprise, as they excitedly circled the seafood, curiously observing each creature and cautiously reaching out to touch their scales.

“Whoa! It’s like hitting the jackpot!” Xie Jianing beamed with joy, already envisioning a grand seafood feast beckoning to her.

“It really is like hitting the jackpot…”

Liu Suyu, though she expected a good haul, was utterly surprised by the abundance before her eyes.

The cost of this fishing trip was certainly worth it…

Yang Yuxi couldn’t hide her surprise either; although she didn’t know much about market prices, she estimated the seafood could be worth at least several thousand yuan.

The crew too were somewhat taken aback.

They hadn’t expected to catch so much fish with one netting.

Previously, when fishing for clients, the harvest was so-so, but this time, this customer’s luck was incredible—absolutely bountiful.

Even more surprising, there was a yellow croaker weighing over a pound!

This kind of luck, tsk tsk tsk…

There’s no denying it!

Honestly,

Does the ocean favor beautiful people?

Huang Jun walked over, his gaze immediately locked onto the over-a-pound yellow croaker shimmering in the sunlight, a glint of surprise and satisfaction in his eyes.

He laughed as he fished the croaker from the pile, holding it high: “Great, we even caught a sizable yellow croaker. Our luck is really good today. It seems this sea fishing trip is truly rewarding!”

“Wow… Such a big yellow croaker… Our luck is really beyond words…” Yang Yuxi and the others gathered around, full of astonishment.

One crew member commented: “Your luck isn’t just good; it’s phenomenal! Just this yellow croaker alone could cover the cost of the trip and leave plenty of surplus!”

Huang Jun nodded with a smile, “You’re absolutely right. This over-a-pound yellow croaker is indeed a rarity. This sea fishing trip truly exceeded our expectations and gave us a big surprise.”

“Who wouldn’t say so!”

Then, the crew began to busy themselves, skillfully sorting the seafood into different baskets.

The yellow croaker was placed prominently on its own.

The fishing boat gently returned to the dock.

Crew members helped to unload the seafood, one by one.

This scene immediately caught the attention of nearby tourists, who gathered around, curiously eyeing the fresh sea catch.

“Wow, you caught so much seafood from one trip out… Truly a grand harvest!”

“Wow, this wild yellow croaker is really big, about a pound, right? What kind of incredible luck lets you catch such a big wild croaker?”

“Is this wild croaker for sale? I’ll buy it at market price!”

“Yeah, how do you plan to sell this croaker? It’s in high demand at the market, the price is definitely not cheap.”

“…”

The crew smiled, gesturing towards Huang Jun and the others: “You should ask the guest over there; all this seafood belongs to them.”

At this,

all the tourists turned their attention to Huang Jun and his group.

Anticipating his response.

Liu Suyu and the others also looked towards Huang Jun, fully entrusting him with the decision of what to do with the croaker and other seafood.

Actually, they hoped not to sell the croaker, since a wild croaker over a pound is rare, and having caught it, naturally, they should enjoy its deliciousness rather than sell it for money.

Besides, they weren’t short on cash.

Huang Jun understood their meaning from their eyes, plus he didn’t want to sell it either, so he smiled and declined: “Sorry, folks, we’re not selling the croaker.”

Upon hearing this, the tourists were somewhat disappointed but knew they couldn’t insist.

They shook their heads in envy and dispersed.

Liu Suyu and the others were thrilled when Huang Jun decided not to sell the croaker, quickly following Huang Jun to the kitchen and dining ware rental area.

Huang Jun swiftly rented a complete set of cooking and dining utensils, carefully selecting the necessary seasoning and side dishes.

Ready to showcase his culinary skills.

“Chef Huang…” Liu Suyu looked at Huang Jun expectantly: “The upcoming feast depends entirely on you!”

“No problem!”

Huang Jun chuckled, then took some seafood ingredients for dinner, handed them to the others, and began delegating tasks; “Wash these seafood ingredients.”

“Got it!”

Although Liu Suyu and the others rarely did chores, for the sake of enjoying Huang Jun’s delicious dishes, they put aside their usual delicacy, eagerly taking on the role of charming cooks, diligently cleaning the seafood Huang Jun gave them.

Their movements were somewhat clumsy due to lack of experience…

As for Qingqing and Weiwei…

The two little ones were deeply fascinated by a few live swimming crabs.

Qingqing blinked her big eyes, earnestly asking Xie Jianing: “Miss Xie, can we not eat these crabs? They’re alive, it would really hurt when they’re put in the pot…”

Weiwei echoed: “Yeah, I want to play with them…”

Xie Jianing: “…”

She seriously doubted if the two little ones intended to play these four live crabs to death?

That way, they won’t hurt when put into the pot!

Alright!

The teacher will fulfill your request!

“Okay…”

Xie Jianing specifically brought a basin, carefully placed the four live crabs inside, letting the two little ones play with them.

In the end, she didn’t forget to remind: “Qingqing, Weiwei, remember not to touch the crabs with your hands or grab them. If their big claws pinch your hands, it will hurt.”

“Miss Xie, why can you touch them then?” Weiwei asked curiously.

Xie Jianing: “…”

“Because I’m an adult… My hands are big enough to avoid the crabs’ big claws, plus I know how to safely catch them, but you guys are still small, your hands aren’t big enough to handle them, so just remember not to touch them with your hands.”

“Mhm!”

Qingqing and Weiwei nodded, seeming to vaguely understand.

Can’t use hands to touch?

Then use something else to touch them.

But what to use~

Qingqing’s little brain whirled quickly, thinking about this problem.

Suddenly.

Her eyes lit up, she picked up a scallion nearby, cheerfully handed it to the crabs to tease them.

This teasing…

Made the crabs feel as if facing a great enemy, each suddenly raised their big claws, armed their eight legs, posing a fighting stance.

Looking at their majestic yet fierce appearance…

Qingqing felt a bit intimidated, hurriedly retracted the scallion, her upper body involuntarily leaning back a bit.

“Sister, don’t be afraid… they won’t pinch you…” Weiwei copied and teased the crabs with a scallion too.

“Really~”

Seeing her sister unharmed, Qingqing gathered her courage again, teasing them with the scallion.

Huang Jun watched the two little ones tease the crabs, chuckled, and then turned around to start handling the yellow croaker.

His technique was skillful, descaling the fish, removing its gills, and then gently snipping a line along the belly of the yellow croaker.

He took out two chopsticks, inserted them into the fish’s mouth, gently twirled them, and the innards came out easily.

“Wow, it’s that easy to remove the innards?” Xie Jianing looked surprised, as if witnessing magic without paying.

Liu Suyu and Yang Yuxi also looked accusatory, as if saying, “Chef Huang/Qingqing’s Dad, you could’ve taught us this trick—it would have saved us a lot of trouble with removing the innards.”

Huang Jun explained with a smile: “Actually, as long as you master the technique, handling fish isn’t difficult. The key is to find the right position and method; you too can try this method. Practice a few times, and you’ll get the hang of it.”

Saying this, he picked up a pomfret to demonstrate the technique again.

It turned out.

This method was indeed effective, greatly reducing their workload, and leaving the fish pristine.

“Wow, Qingqing’s dad, you’re amazing!” Yang Yuxi praised genuinely while holding a well-prepared pomfret in her hands.

“Yes, this method is really practical, thank you Chef Huang!” Liu Suyu expressed gratitude.

Xie Jianing looked at Huang Jun with admiration: “Qingqing’s dad, how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve?”

“Quite a few, I’ll teach you all slowly…”

Huang Jun washed the yellow croaker, returning to the folding table, placed it on the cutting board.

With proficient technique, he scored the yellow croaker at a slant on both sides, each cut precise.

He sliced green onions and ginger into thin strips, mixed them with a suitable amount of salt in a bowl, added water, creating a clear saline solution.

He gently placed the yellow croaker in the saline solution, letting it soak for half an hour, to make the steamed fish’s meat tender, like garlic cloves, more delicate and tasty.

Meanwhile, he didn’t idle.

He took a washed vivid red chili, sliced and then cut it into chunks, setting it aside for use.

He removed the leaves from garlic, took out the heart from the stem, wrapped them with red chili pieces and scallions, tightly rolling them and then “chop chop chop” into fine strips on the cutting board.

Each strip was uniformly sized.

He soaked them in water, letting them curl for later use.

Once the yellow croaker finished soaking…

He removed it from the saline solution, rinsing off the surface salt.

The water in the steamer had begun boiling; he placed the yellow croaker along with the plate into the steamer, steaming for 7 minutes, letting the fish flesh slowly become tender in the steam.

In a separate pan, Huang Jun boiled the steam fish soy sauce and water in equal proportions.

At this moment.

The yellow croaker in the steamer was nearly cooked, emitting an enticingly fresh aroma throughout.

Xie Jianing and the others followed the aroma, stopping by Huang Jun’s side.

“Qingqing’s dad, what’s in the steamer that smells so good? Isn’t it that over-a-pound yellow croaker?” Xie Jianing asked excitedly, immersed in bliss.

Huang Jun chuckled: “Yes, it’s the yellow croaker; it’s not the best aroma yet. Once I add scallions, pour hot oil and steam fish soy sauce, the scent will elevate.”

“Wow! Chef Huang, are you making scallion oil yellow croaker?” Liu Suyu’s eyes shone, filled with anticipation.

“That’s right!”

Huang Jun nodded, his hands in motion.

Yang Yuxi sniffed hard: “Tsk tsk, even just the aroma wafting from the steamer is intoxicating. Once adding scallions and hot oil, the flavor will be irresistible—I might want to swallow my tongue too…”

“I wish I could eat it right away! My stomach’s greedy bugs can barely be contained!” Xie Jianing licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.

Qingqing and Weiwei felt the same.

The two little ones even abandoned their most interesting crabs, standing aside, eyes fixed on the steamer.

Amid their anticipation, Huang Jun’s eyes lit up—the time was up.

He suddenly put down the frying pan, making everyone pause, but seeing him walk to the steamer, each face shone with even more expectation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep