Chapter 72 The Capable Fang Wei
In the bushes behind the beach, there is a clear stream that originates from the mountains, flows through the village, and finally flows into the sea here at Xiaobaisha.
Following Fang Wei's instructions, two girls came here carrying buckets to fetch water.
“The water here is so clear…”
Liu Zhiyi couldn't help but sigh. The mountains and forests were quiet and peaceful, with the sounds of cicadas and birds in his ears. The stream in front of him was gurgling, and the water was so clear that he could easily see the fine sand and pebbles at the bottom of the water. Sometimes he could even see dragonflies resting on the grass leaves by the stream and small fish swimming quickly in the water.
“That dragonfly is so beautiful.”
"It's a damselfly, not a dragonfly."
"Eh?"
After hearing what Cai Ling said, Liu Zhiyi realized that the damselfly and dragonfly in front of him did have some differences, but they also looked very similar.
Having just finished going to the beach, their hands and feet were all covered in mud. Seeing such clear water, they naturally wanted to wash it off.
Xu Cailing took the lead, rolled up her trouser legs, and stood in the stream barefoot.
"hiss--"
"What, what's wrong?"
"It's so cold! It's as cool as well water! Zhiyi, come down with us. The water is very shallow, only up to your calves!"
After hearing what she said, Liu Zhiyi became bolder. He rolled up his trouser legs and walked into the stream barefoot.
Sure enough, the water here is much cooler than the sea water!
Although it is a freshwater stream, there is almost no silt at the bottom of the water, and what touches the soles of the girl's feet is clean fine sand and pebbles.
The two of them stood in the flowing stream, washing their hands, faces, and feet, and the sultry summer heat disappeared immediately.
After playing with the water for a while, they did not forget what they had to do. They took a bucket and simply rinsed the seafood and shellfish they had found. Finally, they filled the bucket with clean water and soaked the seafood in it.
"If we put some salt on them later, will they spit out the sand?"
"Yeah! Let's go!"
The bucket full of water was very heavy, and even Cai Ling did not have enough strength to carry it. Liu Zhiyi did not just stand there and watch. The two of them stood on each side and carried the water together, staggering back to the beach.
When I looked up, I saw Fang Wei squatting beside the reef killing fish.
The two girls came over to take a look.
Although it is inconvenient to kill the fish without a chopping board and a kitchen knife, this has no effect on Fang Wei, who has mastered the fish-killing technique.
He was killing the bream he had caught. It was a decent size, weighing more than a pound. When he had just taken it out of the net, it was alive and kicking. The spines on its back were standing upright, and it would be easily pricked if you were not careful.
If Xu Cailing or Liu Zhiyi were in their place, they wouldn't be able to do it.
"Are the shellfish ready?"
"correct."
"What are you two doing here?"
"Look at you killing fish!"
"Why don't you come and learn?"
Fang Wei handed the knife and sea bream in his hand to the two girls. Xu Cailing was eager to try, but Liu Zhiyi was so scared that she took a small step back and waved her hand self-awarely to indicate that she didn't know how to do it.
Of course I was just teasing them. I asked them to kill the fish. It would probably be dark already and the fish might not be dead yet.
On the contrary, in Fang Wei's hands, the fish suffered less torture.
Fang Wei picked up a stone and hit the fish head hard. The snapper fainted immediately.
Then he skillfully used a knife to scrape the scales, remove the gills, gut the fish, and then cut a few slits in the fish body to make it easier to grill.
The whole process went smoothly. Before the two girls could come to their senses, Fang Wei started to process the next fish.
How cold is this person's heart!!
Liu Zhiyi was stunned. In her impression, peers like Fang Wei who had good academic performance, even boys, were mostly weak, especially those who grew up in the city. They were afraid that they could not even catch a struggling fish, let alone kill it as skillfully as Fang Wei.
But you know what, Fang Wei looks quite charming despite this contrasting image, like an adult, and quite reliable...
After killing a few big fish first, Fang Wei began to deal with the smaller gobies, jumping fish, and small octopuses.
Different fish have different ways of handling, but in his hands, they are all handled with ease, flowing smoothly, and pleasing to the eye...
Soon, all the fish that needed to be processed were processed and filled a full basket.
At this time, a familiar voice came from behind, and Fang Yuansheng came over with a bag of sweet potatoes.
"I brought the sweet potatoes! Are you guys just starting to catch fish?!"
"Why did you come just now? We have already finished fishing and killed the fish!"
"Then can I start eating soon?"
"Asheng, I have a task for you. Take these fish to the stream and wash them."
Fang Wei was holding a knife, and his hands were covered in blood. Ah Sheng didn't dare to say no! He quickly took the basket and went over to clean the fish.
Fang Wei threw all the fish gills, fish intestines and other debris scattered on the reefs back into the sea.
"Thank you for the gift of nature!"
When it comes to sea barbecue, all that matters is using local ingredients and ensuring they are authentic!
Fang Wei turned around and looked at the two leisurely girls again.
"Didn't you two go collect firewood?"
"Forehead……"
"Go quickly! It will be dark if you are late!"
Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi hurried back to the bushes and bent down to pick up some dry branches and other things.
Although all the fish had been killed, Fang Wei's work was not finished yet.
He returned to the beach and looked at the clams, oysters, razor clams, crabs and other things soaked in salt water in the bucket. He had almost spit out all the sand, so he had to deal with these next.
Those who need to be opened can be opened, and those who need to be cleaned can be cleaned. It can be said that anyone can be missing from today's activity except him.
Fortunately, three stupid friends came to help, otherwise I would have done it alone and the whole village would have eaten it...
……
In the evening, when the sunset between the sea and the sky was the brightest, a fire was lit on the beach.
I don’t know if it was the firelight or the setting sun that illuminated the faces of the young boys and girls, a fiery red and gold color.
“Are you ready to start grilling?”
Liu Zhiyi asked, squatting beside the fire, feeling the heat on her face, the flames dancing in her eyes, the girl looked excited.
"Don't worry, wait until there is more charcoal and there is no open flame, then you can grill it."
Fang Wei said, "Leave one person to light the fire, and the other two can help me skewer the fish."
"Can I, can I light a fire?"
It was rare that Liu Zhiyi raised his hand on his own initiative.
Fang Wei found it funny and wondered why he raised his hand to answer the question.
Since Liu Zhiyi was willing to make the fire, Fang Wei let her be responsible for making the fire.
It can be seen that this girl who grew up in a big city has a special liking for making fires in the wild. While Fang Wei and the other two were stringing fish and chatting, she squatted beside the fire, playing with fire quietly and having a lot of fun.
Apart from some seasonings and wire mesh, almost all items needed for barbecue are locally sourced, including the bamboo skewers used to skewer fish, which are freshly cut from the forest. They are very rough, but usable.
As for the seasoning, there is nothing special, just some pepper and salt, and a handful of garlic.
Without a chopping board or something, it is naturally impossible to smash garlic, but young boys and girls have their own way to make garlic paste. It is actually very simple. Put the peeled garlic into a mineral water bottle, and then grab the bottle and knock it repeatedly. The garlic heads will collide and rub against each other. In less than two or three minutes, the garlic will be crushed into garlic paste in the bottle.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I always feel that the garlic minced in this way is much more fragrant than the garlic minced with a knife or a mallet.
Seeing Liu Zhiyi, who was addicted to making fire, moving a big log and preparing to throw it into the fire, Fang Wei hurriedly stopped her. Looking at her posture, the girl seemed to be going to burn down the Pineapple Island!
"That's enough, that's enough. The charcoal is almost burned out. Otherwise, it will take forever to burn this wood."
"All right……"
Hearing that the fire-making work was over, Liu Zhiyi was still a little reluctant to leave. He looked at the fire with nostalgia, and then put down the big wood in his hand.
But soon, her interest was rekindled by another thing.
Without the support of wood, the open flame in the fire gradually shrank, leaving only a pile of red charcoal. Even without the open flame, the temperature of the charcoal was still very high, and even the surrounding air was distorted by the heat.
Fang Wei put the wire mesh on the charcoal fire and started to prepare for the barbecue. "The barbecue stall is open! What would you like to eat, patrons?"
"Oysters!"
"Crab!"
"Razor clams!"
"sweet potato!"
"Pipi Shrimp!"
"Sand clam!"
"...No, why don't you order our signature grilled fish?!"
Master Fang was furious. He had worked so hard to catch so many fish, but they were not selling well at all?
“Eat them all!”
"Sit still and wait!"
Fang Wei first put the sweet potatoes, which take time to roast, on the wire mesh, and then started to roast shellfish such as oysters, clams, and mussels, which are easier to cook.
As the charcoal fire roasts, the shellfish on the wire mesh makes a sizzling sound, the soft meat begins to shrink, and the rich juice seeps into the shell to form a natural soup.
Fang Wei was very skilled in the technique. He picked up the minced garlic with chopsticks and put a little on each one. Then he sprinkled some pepper and salt on them. Soon the rich aroma wafted out.
After a busy day, everyone is starving. How can they resist smelling this fragrance?
Ah Sheng was the most impatient. He picked up a piece of oyster meat with chopsticks, blew on it twice, and put it into his mouth.
"delicious!!"
Although they are all seafood that we eat commonly, they are usually not roasted when cooked at home. Instead, they are either steamed or boiled to keep things simple. Roasting them is indeed a little more troublesome, but they taste more fragrant and retain the sweet and fresh taste.
"Hey, hey, you took the meat, take the shells and throw them away, don't leave them here."
Before she finished speaking, Xu Cailing picked up a piece with chopsticks. When the delicious oyster meat went into her mouth, the girl's eyes narrowed with happiness.
Only Liu Zhiyi was the most honest. He sat cross-legged and waited obediently, holding an empty bowl in his left hand and chopsticks in his right hand. It was unclear whether he would take the food on his own initiative or wait for Fang Wei to finish grilling before eating together.
"You won't be able to get food if you're too polite!"
Fang Wei did not forget her. He took the empty bowl from her hand, picked up several roasted clams and gave them to her. He also picked up two oysters and a few razor clams for her.
"Here, try it."
"Thank you~"
Liu Zhiyi hurriedly took the bowl he handed back and started eating.
Normally, everyone eats together at noon, but this was the first time. Fang Wei and the other two saw from her expression that she was enjoying the delicious food. The girl's eyes were all smiling, and she looked quite satisfied.
When she was in Shanghai before, her parents took her to the suburbs for barbecues on weekends. Although she was very excited and the food tasted good at that time, the mood was different from that at this moment.
After all, this was her first time having a barbecue with her friends, and all the ingredients were picked up from the sea by herself. These fish, crabs, and shellfish were still swimming in the sea two hours ago, and even these sweet potatoes were just dug out of the ground! Even the wood and skewers for burning the fire were freshly taken from nature!
This was the first time she had experienced such a wild barbecue in her life. It was like a feast integrated into nature. No wonder she felt so wonderful.
The four of them grilled and ate at the same time. Gradually, Liu Zhiyi also relaxed and began to take the initiative to pick up food directly from the wire mesh like Cailing and Asheng, laughing.
At the beginning, Fang Wei was in charge of grilling. When the three friends were half full, they volunteered to grill the food themselves, so Fang Wei let them do it themselves.
But the result of baking is far from satisfactory, either half-baked or over-baked.
In the end, I just waited obediently for Fang Wei to come and bake it.
"Awei, you are the class monitor, why don't you find some time to organize our class to go to the beach for a barbecue!" Asheng suggested.
"What? Who do you want to go with?" Fang Wei knew his buddy to the core. When had this guy ever been keen on class activities?
"No one, just Wang Yushan. I thought if we could hang out together, we could get closer. She usually doesn't talk at school. Damn, as soon as I crossed the 38th parallel, she glared at me. It was so scary..."
"Do you know why?" Xu Cailing on the side seemed to understand.
"What?"
"You are the last one in the exam! Wang Yushan loves studying so much, she must be afraid that you will disturb her studies!"
Liu Zhiyi blinked, it seemed that she was the last one... Could it be that Fang Wei didn't talk to her in class because she was the last one? Hmm... They rarely talked when they sat at the same table.
"Now that you put it that way, it makes sense... No, I've been working hard lately. I can't be ranked last in the next exam, right?"
"Wang Yushan is very opinionated. Even if it's a class activity, if she's not interested, she probably won't participate." Fang Wei said with a smile.
"What should I do? I can't be isolated after sitting next to my deskmate for three years."
Ah Sheng felt horrified. Perhaps he had a simple mind and really just wanted to get along better with his desk mate. After all, he had never met such a serious desk mate since he was a child.
"How about I talk to Teacher Wen for you and ask you to change your seat?"
"Um... that's not necessary. We're in the same class. Otherwise, we'll see each other all the time. It'll be so awkward... Actually, she's not that bad. She just doesn't like to talk to people. When I ask her about study problems, she'll still talk to me..."
"That's good. You expect people to talk to you during class. If you improve your grades, she will change her mind about you. Then your relationship with your deskmate will improve."
"That makes sense. Ah Wei, I'll listen to you."
"You heard me right."
"...That's not right. Ah Wei, are you really good at being a deskmate? You have so much experience?"
"Ask Zhiyi yourself if it's good to sit at the same table with me."
"Knowing the meaning, huh?"
"……what?"
The topic suddenly turned to himself. Liu Zhiyi, who was concentrating on eating crabs, looked up in surprise, with some crab roe on the corners of his mouth.
"Zhiyi, is Awei good at sitting next to you?"
"??"
No, shouldn’t “classmate” be a noun? When did it become a verb?
Liu Zhiyi was stunned for a while, then nodded and said, "Very good..."
It's really good.
Not only was he very considerate of her when they sat at the same table, but the crabs he grilled were also very delicious...
Seeing that the topic had skipped over herself, the girl continued to lower her head and concentrate on eating crabs.
……
The sky gradually darkened, fishing boats in the distance returned to the port, seabirds returned to their nests, and the cicadas' chirping, which had been noisy all day, gradually became quiet.
If they were alone in such an environment, apart from Fang Wei, Cai Ling, A Sheng and Zhi Yi would inevitably feel a little nervous.
But now the four of them gathered together, surrounding the campfire in front of them, without feeling panic at all. Instead, they felt peaceful in their hearts and were very interested in appreciating the scenery at the intersection of light.
"The sweet potatoes are ready. Be careful with the heat."
“It smells so good!!”
"Of course, don't you see who dug these sweet potatoes?"
"Okay, okay, Ah Sheng has made great contributions, Ah Sheng eats first!"
Under the high temperature roasting, the surface of the sweet potato gradually becomes charred, and wisps of heat seep out from the cracks on the skin.
Let it cool down for a while, but it will still be a little hot in your hand. Peel off the slightly caramelized skin and the golden potato flesh will be revealed, exuding a rich sweet aroma.
Take a bite, it’s soft and delicate, and an indescribable satisfaction arises in your heart.
We have almost finished eating the seafood, and having a sweet potato at the end to relieve the greasiness is just perfect!
The originally red charcoal fire gradually went out and turned into a pile of ashes.
The four of them walked towards the beach together, eating sweet potatoes in their hands while waiting for night to fall.
"The sun is setting! My drawing composition will be about the sunset!" said Xu Cailing.
"The sun has set." A Sheng corrected.
Fang Wei: “…”
Would it be better to describe it as going down a mountain?
"Look over there, the moon has risen!"
"The sunset hasn't even set yet!"
"Because it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival."
"It's Mid-Autumn Festival..."
Liu Zhiyi took a bite of the sweet potato, looked up at the hazy moon in the east, his eyes lost in thought.
(End of this chapter)
