sjar Chapter 451: The Voyage, Sea Goods (Part 3)
Chapter 451: The Voyage, Sea Goods (Part 3)
Dou Weiyi sailed away, passing through a misty sea, and suddenly the view opened up to reveal a small island ahead.
"Slow down and proceed to the island!"
The anchor plunged into the shallows with a "thud," splashing up tiny droplets of water.
Dou Wei stood at the bow of the ship and looked into the distance. He saw that the island was surrounded by mountains on three sides and embraced a crescent-shaped harbor on the other side. The harbor was calm and just big enough to accommodate dozens of large ships.
After docking.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi got off the plane and looked around at their surroundings.
The island is overgrown with grass and desolate, uninhabited.
The sailors who accompanied the group carried timber to the island, and within half a month, they had built several wooden houses by the harbor, constructed stone stoves, and cleared out an open space for drying goods.
Lin Xi was drying processed sea salt on the island, while Gao Mengli was turning over the sun-dried shrimp and scallop meat beside her.
"Xixi, won't the scallop meat be fishy if we cook it directly into soup after drying it like this?"
Lin Xi straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, glanced at the half-dried scallop meat in Gao Mengli's hand, and shook her head with a smile: "How can you cook it directly? You have to roast it slightly over charcoal first."
Rub it again with coarse salt to draw out the moisture, thus locking in the freshness and removing most of the fishy smell.
This godforsaken place has only low shrubs and not a single decent piece of wood, let alone charcoal.
They could only be roughly processed and loaded onto the ship, and then unloaded at Wangyue Village for unified processing when Dou Wei returned to the capital to transport supplies.
"Then I'll go write a letter to Wang Xiaoman. He's the one managing the family restaurant business. You can tell me how to handle this!"
Gao Mengli understood, so she quickly found paper and pen, spread them out in a corner of the sheltered wooden house, ground the ink, and began to write with great enthusiasm.
"We stumbled upon an island, located at a crucial point on the trade route, which has already been developed into a trading transit point."
The island is rich in seafood; several bushels of dried fish, dried shrimp, and dried scallops are currently being dried. These will be delivered to Wangyue Village when Prince Dou returns to the capital to transport supplies.
She paused, then, remembering the island's shortage of firewood and charcoal, added, "This batch of seafood was only sun-dried and not roasted over charcoal."
Once you receive the seafood, you need to find dry, smokeless chestnut charcoal to slowly roast the seafood in batches at a low temperature. Remember not to use a high heat, otherwise it will easily burn and lose its freshness.
After roasting, the products are sorted and packaged into earthenware jars. A layer of dried coarse salt is placed at the bottom of the jars to prevent moisture. The mouths of the jars are then tightly wrapped with oiled paper and sealed with yellow clay.
After finishing writing, Gao Mengli picked up the letter, blew on the ink, and glanced at it with satisfaction!
"Brother Lin, Sister-in-law, it's time to load the boat, we have to leave!"
At that moment, Dou Weiyi's voice rang out from the gunwale.
Lin Xi and Gao Mengli quickly set off, leading people to load all the several thousand kilograms of seafood that had recently been dried into the sun onto the ship.
Dou Weiyi's eyes lit up like ingots as she looked at the bags of sea salt being loaded onto the ship!
Get rich, get rich!
His two golden thighs can actually make sea salt!
Isn't this better than the well salt provided by that Thousand Plague Killer who lusts after his wife?!
From then on, he no longer had to deal with that arrogant "dead man" with a friendly demeanor.
Dou Weiyi became happier and happier as he thought about it, rubbing his hands together excitedly and speaking incoherently.
He turned to the two people still on the shore and waved excitedly, "You two hurry up and get on the boat, we have to set off!"
To his surprise, Lin Xi waved him away dismissively, "Go back by yourself. We're not going home by boat this time!"
"Wha...what?"
Dou Weiyi's smile froze instantly, and she stopped rubbing her hands together.
He clung to the gunwale, his voice cracking in disbelief, "Wh...what? You're not coming back with me?"
What are you two doing here in this godforsaken place?
Lin Xi, hands on her hips, tilted her head back and replied with a smile, "Of course, it's to show off the seafood!"
This seafood is a real treat in winter!
Moreover, he and Mengli were also researching a flavor-enhancing powder similar to MSG on the island.
When the time comes, just sprinkle a little bit into the soup, and it will be so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongue!
"Yes, after you deliver our goods back to the village, remember to bring us some charcoal; we'll need it!"
Gao Mengli raised her voice to add, "The sea breeze is a bit strong, so I have to speak loudly."
"If you don't come back with us, what will we eat while we're on the ship?"
The thought of how Lin Xi had spoiled him so much made Dou Wei feel terrible.
I wouldn't let him eat dry, hard steamed buns, would I?
Upon hearing this, Lin Xi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She turned around and pulled out two heavy cloth bags from the bamboo basket next to her, waving them at him: "Don't worry, I've already prepared pre-cooked meals for you!"
This contains roasted dried shrimp and scallops, along with several packets of finely ground shrimp and seaweed powder. Sprinkle some on when boiling water or steaming buns, and you're guaranteed to experience an incredibly delicious and savory flavor!
Gao Mengli nodded in agreement: "Yes, there are also salted fish pieces in the bag. Cut a few slices and steam them. It's a hundred times better than eating dry steamed buns!"
Dou Weiyi pursed her lips.
She glanced at the two packets of pre-cooked food and could only tearfully ask someone to go down and fetch them.
No matter how good pre-made dishes are, they can't compare to freshly prepared dishes by Lin Xi.
But without Lin Xi's guidance, this is indeed the best.
"Alright, you two stay here in front of the island. I'm leaving."
After saying that, he turned around and shouted, "Load the coal, start the steam engine, we're heading back!"
Just before the ship was about to depart, Qian Yan'er, carrying her bundle, leaped off the ship with a light touch of her toes: "Dou Weiyi, you go ahead, I'm not going back!"
Dou Weiyi had just stepped into the cabin when she heard this and turned around abruptly, "No, Yanzi, why did you go down there?!"
Qian Yan'er grinned: "Wherever Lin Xi and Gao Mengli are, I'll be there too. Besides, there's no danger going back. You can manage on your own."
Who wants to go to sea to eat steamed buns and salted fish?!
Let Dou Wei eat alone!
Qian Yan'er muttered to herself, her smile widening.
He waved to Dou Weiyi on the boat: "Go ahead and rest assured, we'll wait for you to come back!"
The sailors on deck couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Dou Weiyi glared at them irritably, turned around and went into the cabin, shouting angrily, "What are you laughing at! Hurry up and add coal and set sail!"
The roar of the steam engine was deafening as the ship slowly moved away from the shallows.
The waves carried the boat, and it soon sailed into the mist surrounding the island!
The three men who remained on the island, along with the remaining sailors, began drying seafood and sea salt day after day.
It was supposed to be a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for working.
Who knew that the sky would suddenly darken with clouds, and a fierce storm would break out.
"Quickly, pack the seafood properly, don't let it get wet!"
With a shout, Lin Xi rushed into the drying area, grabbed a cloth from the edge of the bamboo tray, and gathered the half-dried scallop meat towards the center.
Ignoring the stinging raindrops on her face, Gao Mengli deftly picked up the earthenware jar against the wall and dumped all the best-quality dried fish and shrimp into it.
Qian Yan'er immediately used her lightness skill, her toes lightly touching the edge of the bamboo tray as she swept across, and in a few moments she gathered the scattered seafood into a pile.
He lifted those heavy wooden frames with one hand and placed them upside down on the pile of goods to shield them from the rain.
After the group finished packing, they immediately took shelter in the wooden house, watching the torrential rain continue unabated.
"Damn, the waves at sea are huge!"
Qian Yan'er wiped the rain off her face, looking somewhat alarmed.
Gao Mengli sat down next to the wooden table, pulled her soaked clothes together, and patted her chest with lingering fear, thankful: "Luckily we were quick!"
"If we had been even a fraction of a second later, all those dried seafood would have been ruined, and all our hard work these past few days would have been for nothing."
Lin Xi squatted by the stove, took out a few pieces of dry firewood and stuffed them into the firebox, then struck a tinderbox to start them. "Come on, dry your clothes quickly. Doctor Li went back with us. If you get sick, it's no joke."