The Fish I Catch Can Level Up

Chapter 247: Delicious King Crab

Stuck in the pilothouse with nothing to do, Chu Mingcheng couldn't even browse his phone—there was no small mobile base station on the boat.

He pulled out his laptop and started playing some single-player games he'd downloaded ages ago.

Most men, after all, can't resist games.

Chu Mingcheng had once donned his armor to save Seria, only to discover she had a harem of eight million suitors, which sent him fleeing straight to learn the language of Zaun.

[TN: Save Seria — A reference to the game DNF, where Seria Kirmin is a central NPC. Zaun Language — Internet slang for aggressive or profane language used in gaming.]

After that, it was all "winner winner chicken dinner," and he'd played every popular game under the sun, including plenty of single-player titles.

[TN: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner — The victory phrase from PUBG.]

But work had eventually stolen all his gaming time, and the new single-player games he'd bought just sat on his computer, gathering digital dust.

Chu Mingcheng never imagined that after making money from fishing and landing a beautiful girlfriend, he'd actually have time to play single-player games again.

It just went to show how soul-crushing it was slaving away for capitalists!Scanning the dizzying array of single-player games on his computer, Chu Mingcheng thought for a moment and chose a sandbox cultivation game.

He picked it mainly because the game had no mandatory main storyline. If he wanted to tackle the main quest, he could. He could grind levels until he was maxed out and go around bullying newbies, or challenge himself by clearing stages as a beginner.

If he didn't feel like doing main quests, he could just cultivate, fight monsters, and romance girls. And once he got a cultivation partner, he could even dual cultivate.

This game wouldn't interfere with his real work. He could stop anytime without his mind constantly dwelling on the plot.

After playing for a while, a fragrant scent drifted over him, and his back was suddenly pressed against two soft mounds—more comfortable than any massage.

"What are you play—"

Before she could finish, Jiang Luoluo spotted the shameless couple dual-cultivating on the computer screen. She let out a soft "tsk." "Why are you playing this kind of game?"

Chu Mingcheng felt a little embarrassed. He'd just gotten his character a cultivation partner and was testing out the dual cultivation mechanics.

Who knew this cultivation game would be so explicit? Not only did it get graphic, but Jiang Luoluo had to walk in at exactly that moment. No wonder the seller had been so secretive when he bought it—it clearly couldn't be sold through proper channels!

Chu Mingcheng quickly explained, "It was an accident, a total accident. I was just bored sitting in the pilothouse and playing a game to kill time."

"This is originally a cultivation game. I had them dual cultivate to boost some stats. Dual cultivation is pretty standard for cultivation stories, right?"

Jiang Luoluo shot him a look that said, You really expect me to believe that? before immediately running off.

She was scared, too—scared that Chu Mingcheng would get worked up and decide to "bring her to justice" right there in the pilothouse!

Her legs were still sore from this morning; she had no desire to feel like jelly all day.

Watching her leave, Chu Mingcheng glanced at the game, hesitated for a moment... and kept playing.

It wasn't until past eleven in the morning, when hunger pangs hit, that he reluctantly closed his laptop and stopped the boat.

Stepping out of the pilothouse and into the galley, he found Jiang Luoluo half-reclined on the living room sofa, absorbed in a book.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her in a golden glow. In that moment, Chu Mingcheng understood what people meant by "goddess." Except this goddess was now his girlfriend—the kind he'd already made love to and who would one day bear his children.

"Luoluo, how about king crab for lunch?"

"Ooh~!" Jiang Luoluo set down her book, interest sparking in her eyes. "Yes! I've never had king crab before!"

Perhaps influenced by Chu Mingcheng, she'd grown fascinated by any seafood that looked delicious and that she hadn't tried yet, eager to taste everything.

"I haven't either. Let's treat ourselves today!"

Seeing her enthusiasm, Chu Mingcheng led her to the live well to pick a crab.

Considering his own appetite, he had Jiang Luoluo choose one around ten jin.

A five-jin crab was enough for two normal people, but a king crab's shell was thick and heavy—a five-jin crab only yielded two or three jin of meat.

A ten-jin one would probably yield five or six jin at most, which he could easily polish off.

Jiang Luoluo peered curiously at the king crabs in the live well. "By the way, are female king crabs tastier? Which ones here are female? It's hard to tell when they're not flipped over!"

Chu Mingcheng explained with a smile, "Generally, for most crabs, the females with roe are tastier. But with king crabs, people usually eat the males. They have a higher meat yield and just as much roe."

"All the king crabs this time are male. You can tell the gender by their claws. A male king crab's claws are mismatched—one big, one small—while a female's claws are more symmetrical."

"Oh, I see!" Jiang Luoluo nodded in understanding. Following his instructions, she picked out a king crab that was about ten jin.

Chu Mingcheng used a landing net to scoop the king crab out, then carried it back to the galley.

"I'll cook this crab. You go rest for a bit. I'll call you when it's ready!"

"You don't need my help?"

"Nope, it's just one king crab. I can handle it."

"Okay, I'm heading out then! Mwah, that's your reward!"

Chu Mingcheng touched his just-kissed lips and watched Jiang Luoluo skip happily out of the galley, warmth flooding his chest.

He then began to break down the king crab.

For basically all sea crabs, the first step before cooking is to bleed them—just like releasing the "urine" from a lobster.

Crabs have blood in their bodies, which is a transparent liquid.

Many food bloggers will just give a crab a quick rinse and then steam or grill it directly.

The result? The blood makes it taste bitter and fishy. They have a cooking fail and then claim the crab isn't good, or that they got scammed with a poor-quality one, when the real problem is that they just don't know how to prepare it.

Take mud crabs, for example. If you steam them right after washing, when you open them up, you'll find some white stuff inside. That's the crab's blood after it coagulates.

In this case, the crab meat will taste salty and bitter.

Only the claw meat is less affected and might still taste good.

The same goes for king crabs. Because they have even more blood, the impact is even greater.

Chu Mingcheng placed the king crab on the cutting board, only to find it was a bit too small to work comfortably.

So he took the king crab out to the deck, turned on the hose, and gave it a thorough scrubbing with a brush.

After washing it, he took a chopstick and poked it into the crab's tail to bleed it—just like releasing a lobster's "urine."

Holding the king crab up, seawater poured out of it like a broken faucet. Anyone who didn't know better would wonder why a king crab had so much seawater inside.

After bleeding it, Chu Mingcheng broke the king crab apart with his bare hands.

Normally, when processing a crab, you separate the carapace from the body, starting at the tail. It's easy with small crabs, but with a king crab this size...

At that moment, Chu Mingcheng suddenly transformed into a warrior from one of those over-the-top anti-Japanese war dramas—the kind who could tear a "Little Jap" apart with his bare hands. He forcibly wrenched the king crab's body from its carapace.

[TN: Anti-Japanese War Dramas — A genre of Chinese television series set during the Second Sino-Japanese War. They are often criticized for their sensationalized and historically inaccurate plots, featuring superhuman Chinese protagonists and incompetent Japanese villains.]

The king crab's body made a series of sharp "crack, crack, crack" sounds, as if groaning under the strain.

If his body, which had been enhanced for so long, couldn't even break apart a king crab, he might as well become an idol trainee for two and a half years.

Jiang Luoluo had originally returned to the living room, but curiosity got the better of her and she followed to watch Chu Mingcheng process the crab.

But when she saw him break the crab apart with sheer brute force, then tear off the legs and claws one by one, she couldn't help but say, "You're so fierce!"

"You like it, don't you?"

"Tsk, of course not. I like a gentle touch!"

"I wonder who always asks me to—"

Before Chu Mingcheng could finish, the nimble Jiang Luoluo clamped a hand over his mouth.

Her face flushed crimson as she stomped her foot. "Don't say it!"

She was the very picture of a bashful young woman, yet so incredibly endearing.

Chu Mingcheng burst out laughing. Seeing how embarrassed she was, he didn't tease her any further.

With the legs and claws torn off, he picked up a pair of scissors and cut away the gills.

He also checked the meat inside the body and found that this king crab was exceptionally plump—even the body meat was packed full.

After a moment's consideration, he decided to steam the claws, braise the body, and take all the meat from the legs to make kora-yaki with the roe.

This king crab had abundant roe. It would be wasteful to braise it with the body.

"Luoluo, go get the charcoal grill and light some charcoal. We're making kora-yaki!"

"You got it!"

While Jiang Luoluo went to get busy, Chu Mingcheng worked diligently to clean the blood out of the carapace. There was just so much of it.

He then took the claws and legs to be steamed. At the same time, he chopped the body into smaller pieces and began to braise it.

By the time the braised crab body was done, the steamed claws beside it were just about cooked as well.

A short while later, Jiang Luoluo returned. "Ah Cheng, the charcoal's ready. Should we make the kora-yaki now?"

"Yep, bring the charcoal grill to the living room table and open the windows. I'm ready over here too!"

Chu Mingcheng plated the braised crab body and brought it to the dining room, along with the steamed claws and legs.

The carapace was placed on the charcoal grill. He also cracked two eggs into it and stirred them in, then the two of them started cutting the meat out of the crab legs.

The leg shells were thick; Jiang Luoluo couldn't cut through them at all.

Seeing this, Chu Mingcheng simply cut the legs open himself and handed them to her to extract the meat.

As the roe cooked, a rich, aromatic fragrance wafted through the living room.

Jiang Luoluo, who had eaten breakfast at nine, wasn't even that hungry, but the smell still managed to whet her appetite.

She leaned over the roe, gently fanned her hand to waft the aroma toward her nose, and took a deep breath.

"The roe is all roasted red, and there's a layer of oil on top. It smells incredible. It looks delicious."

"Haha, be patient. We can eat soon!"

Chu Mingcheng stirred the roe with chopsticks, and seeing it had thickened, poured in all the extracted leg meat.

He coated the crab meat thoroughly with the roe, sprinkled some chopped scallions on top, and lunch was ready.

Jiang Luoluo couldn't wait any longer. She grabbed a spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and the unique richness of the roe combined with the sweet freshness of the crab meat spread a happy smile across her face.

Savoring delicious food is, in itself, a source of happiness.

Chu Mingcheng didn't hesitate either. He pulled out a large soup spoon and, to Jiang Luoluo's astonished expression, scooped up a huge portion, stuffing his mouth full.

"Incredible!"

What was the greatest joy of eating king crab compared to other crabs? Wasn't it stuffing your mouth in one massive bite?

Seeing the large empty patch in the kora-yaki, Jiang Luoluo immediately grew anxious. "Just eat! Who uses a soup spoon!"

With that, she snatched the soup spoon from Chu Mingcheng's hand and took a big scoop herself.

Her eyes crinkled with satisfaction as she nodded. "You really know how to eat. This mouthful is so satisfying."

She then retrieved the two large claws, giving herself the smaller one and handing the larger to Chu Mingcheng. "I can't finish the big one. It's all yours!"