Chapter 33: Abalone Porridge With Fish Maw. It Warmed the Stomach and Warmed the Heart
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The wind and waves on the return trip were a little rough. Around 3 or 4 am, they finally landed on the beach behind their home.
Qi Hang had to deal with these goose-necked barnacles to keep them fresh. So, the two girls went back first, took a shower and changed their clothes.
After a while, Qi Hang finally finished tidying up these goose-necked barnacles. There were three big boxes of them, all soaked in the diluted solution of the essence of the ocean.
He could make a huge profit again.
Qi Hang felt that after this batch of goods was sold, together with the last payment he received from Chen Fanxing, he should have enough money to exchange for a new boat.
The three large boxes were a little heavy, so he drove the pickup truck over and brought the goods back.
Let's make another breakfast.
Qi Hang remembered that he still had the fish maw of the big yellow croaker here, so he made another trip to the beach under the backyard.
He was here to look for abalone.
Abalone was one of the traditional and precious ingredients in the country, ranking first among the four iconic seafood dishes.
The most precious was naturally the single-headed abalone, which was above the two-headed abalone.
This was not a breed, but a way of dividing it by weight. If an abalone reached 500 g weight, it would be a single-headed abalone.
If two abalones could reach this weight, it would be a double-headed abalone, and so on.
The bigger the abalones were, the more valuable they were. If the quality was good enough, it would be even rarer. Without ten years of high-quality growth conditions, it would be impossible to produce a single-headed abalones.
Qi Hang came to a reef to search. Yesterday, he also sprinkled some diluted liquid here. The two girls did not pay attention to the search here. There should be abalones around.
After searching for a while in the crevice, he did find a few. They were all fat and fresh. Qi hang weighed them with his hand. They were about one catty or more. After they were dried, they were basically good enough to reach the standard of two-headed abalones. There was a price but no market for them outside.
The saying that it was difficult to buy two-headed abalones with money was not for nothing.
He did not know if he would be able to meet one-headed abalones.
This was much more precious than two-headed abalones. Even if there was a diluted solution of the ocean essence, it might not be able to feed them. He could only try his luck.
After searching for a while, there was no trace of one-headed abalones on this reef. Instead, he caught a beautiful lobster. However, it was not big and was released by Qi Hang.
Then, he came to another reef.
The current here was even more turbulent, and the algae plants were lush. It was very suitable for abalones to grow.
After searching for a while, he got a few more double-headed abalones.
This time, when he bent down to examine the small crack at the bottom of the reef, he made a new discovery.
An abalone that was much bigger than the double-headed abalone appeared in his eyes.
"There's no one else with such luck."
Qi Hang was also a little surprised. He reached out and plucked the abalone. With his other hand, he grabbed the two abalones and weighed them. It seemed that they did not meet the standard of a single-headed abalone.
However, it did not matter anymore. There was no need to be so strict about the perfection of the food that was made for him to eat.
Go back and cook!
First, remove the shell of the abalone from the mouth and clean it. Then, soak the fish maw to remove the fishiness odor.
These two things were tasteless, especially the live abalone. Other than the freshness, it was difficult to taste anything else. One had to use the stock of other ingredients to simmer it in order to ensure that it had a rich taste and texture.
A wise chef could not cook without rice. There were not enough ingredients, so Qi Hang could only use other things.
After fiddling with the soup for a while, he added the abalone and fish maw to boil with the rice. He also added a special seasoning -- essence of the ocean.
To be honest, after drinking a drop of essence of the ocean, he still had a deep impression of that strange taste.
It seemed to be a very unique and complicated flavor of seafood. It was fresh, fragrant, and mellow. For a moment, he could not describe that feeling. After all, a few days had passed.
After doing all this, Qi Hang planned to go back to his room and take a shower before coming out to make a few side dishes.
When he passed by the second floor, he realized that Xie Yulu's room door was not closed. The sound of two girls giggling and playing could be heard from the bathroom.
"Aiya, two days ago, I was still saying that our family's soft body would benefit some stinky man in the future. I didn't expect the result to be so soon."
"Don't talk nonsense. I... I haven't reached that level with him yet."
"Yo, we just met yesterday and already started hugging each other at night. You still said that it hasn't reached that level. Alright, even if it hasn't reached that level, it should be about the same in two days, right?"
"You're so annoying!"
"Okay, okay, okay. I won't bother you, I won't bother you. Hey, Yulu, why do I feel like you've grown up a little?"
"Tong, you female hooligan, where are you putting your hands?!"
"I'm just concerned about your developmental problems."
Qi Hang had no intention of eavesdropping on the girls' private conversations, so he immediately planned to leave.
However, the bathroom door suddenly cracked!
It opened!
Xie Yulu grabbed the towel and walked out first. Her eyes met Qi Hang's, and a hint of shyness and panic immediately appeared in her beautiful eyes.
However, she quickly reacted. However, her first action was not to pull the towel properly, but to turn around and close the bathroom door.
Xie Yulu's heart was racing. Since he had seen her, it did not matter if he watched a little longer. The most important thing was to stop the loss in time so that his best friend would not be taken advantage of as well.
Her skin was snow-white and her body was covered in moist water vapor. Her slender legs were pulled together due to nervousness. Her muscles were taut, but she looked even more beautiful. Her pretty face was flushed. It was unknown if it was because of the heat or something else.
"Don't run, Yulu!"
Zhang Zitong was already knocking on the door from inside.
Qi Hang looked elsewhere. "Um... I made porridge in the kitchen. You guys continue."
"Hey, it's not what you think..." Xie Yulu had forgotten to put the towel in front of her, and she thought that Qi Hang was thinking about something else.
"I understand. It's normal for girls to be closer."
Qi Hang interrupted her and smiled. "Later, I'm going to bring the goods to the city to sell them. Do you want to go?"
"Of course." Xie Yulu's first reaction was to agree. It seemed that she was already eager to follow Qi Hang unconditionally.
Qi Hang nodded and went upstairs.
Xie Yulu patted her hot cheeks and covered her chest. She did not know how many times she had felt her little heart almost suffocate in front of Qi Hang.
It seemed... pretty good...
Xie Yulu could not help but imagine that if she were to confirm her relationship with Qi Hang one day and live together in this three-story villa by the sea, if she were to encounter such a situation today, it might be...
At this moment, Zhang Zitong quietly opened the door and sneaked behind her. Taking advantage of her unprepared state, she grabbed everything with both hands.
Xie Yulu cried out in surprise. Her imagination was shattered!
Zhang Zitong slipped away as soon as she succeeded. Relying on the fact that she had already put on her clothes, she directly rushed downstairs.
"Zhang Zitong, if you have the guts, don't run!"
Xie Yulu was so angry that she gritted her teeth. She was about to connect the dots to the crucial moment and was about to feel it when she was interrupted by this female fox!
"If you have the ability, come and catch me. Your Prince Charming definitely wouldn't mind seeing you run around the house with your bare butt."
Zhang Zitong mocked her mercilessly downstairs.
Xie Yulu stomped her feet and closed the door in embarrassment. She laid on the soft bed and buried her head in the pillow.
It was still wonderful in her imagination. If only it was as wonderful in the real world...
Xie Yulu did not stop thinking about it. She took a long time to get up and rummage through her luggage for some clothes.
The clothes she brought with her were all summer clothes. They were cooler and more breathable. She chose a pair of half-length pants and a chiffon shirt. After putting them on, she looked at herself in the mirror for a while and was not satisfied.
She was pure and innocent, but not charming enough. Even her good figure was covered up.
She turned her head again and stared at the absolutely cool dress in her best friend's luggage...
-- Gift
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