Chapter 226: Crazy Crayfish Feast

The commotion was so great it even startled Jiang Yunxiang out; she glanced at Xiao Rou—eating like this definitely wouldn't work, she had to take a bath.

"Sis, why don't you go back with sister-in-law, take a bath at my place—I have new clothes."

Xiao Rou looked at her own state—indeed, she had no choice but to follow Jiang Yunxiang.

As for Cui Shuran, Ye Cheng tossed him a set of work clothes, telling him to wash up as well.

He himself just washed his hands, then started processing the crayfish.

Granny Sun helped move the other seafood to Jiang Yunxiang's place for processing; this side had too few stoves.

The crayfish were washed; all that remained was to stir-fry them with some seasoning, and shortly Ye Cheng had the crayfish stewing.

Cui Shuran also finished his bath and came out, wearing shorts and a short-sleeve plus a big pair of flip-flops—totally a laid-back fisherman village youth; his previous aloof Buddhist-like image collapsed instantly.

As for Xiao Rou, a beauty is a beauty; even in Jiang Yunxiang's plain clothes she couldn't hide her looks, her beauty practically burst out of the coarse fabric.

The meal was prepared until 12:30 PM, then it officially began.

When Ye Cheng brought up a big basin of reddish crayfish, the spicy, fresh aroma instantly attracted Old Zhao, making his mouth water.

"Come, let me grandly recommend this dish: spicy mala crayfish, a dish that will sweep the nation's night markets, whether south or north, we'll take them all!" Ye Cheng first gave a verbal promotion, then took the lead in eating a bite.

"You're just bragging, is it really that good?" Old Zhao muttered stubbornly, but his hands were already itching to try.

Old Li, Young Cui, and Xiao Rou were somewhat doubtful, after all they had seen the crayfish before it was cooked.

Before they could finish hesitating, Xiao Hu dove in, without hesitation eating three right away—last time he hadn't had enough, this time he finally got hold of so many, while this bunch of idiots just stood there watching.

Still watching?

If you keep watching, I'll eat even more.

The four outsiders saw Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu there gobbling up, mouths full of oil, eyes gleaming, each a bit unsure.

Is it really that good?

Surely they're not deceiving us again.

Old Zhao was the first to give in; he pointed at Ye Cheng and said, "If it's not tasty, don't expect me to pay!"

Then he quickly snatched a large one from under Xiao Hu's chopsticks.

He realized those two were just picking the biggest ones.

These crayfish are easy to peel—snap the head, pinch the shell with both hands, and the meat pops out.

One bite!

The numbing, spicy, and fragrant flavors, paired with the crayfish's firm meat, are simply a perfect match.

Old Zhao finished one in two bites, too lazy to wipe the red oil from his mouth, said nothing, dove right in—no chopsticks needed—and went for a second.

Now Xiao Rou and Young Cui couldn't stay seated—this guy obviously was enjoying it.

They each took one as well, carefully examining the meat with a scrutinizing gaze, pulling it apart, shaking it—it was quite springy.

One bite, and the stimulating flavor shot straight up to the jaw, piercing the nerves, instantly invigorating the person's spirit.

"Delicious! Cough cough!"

Xiao Rou finished one, had just spoken when she started coughing—this spiciness was still a bit strong for her.

Young Cui rubbed his fingers, still being reserved about which to pick, had just set his eyes on one when his chopsticks hadn't even reached it, and Old Zhao snatched it away.

"Brother Zhao, use chopsticks, mind some hygiene, okay?" Young Cui complained.

"I don't care about hygiene—then you shouldn't eat; I can finish all these myself."

"Nice try!"

In the end Young Cui dropped the pretense, dug in with his hands—he'd already been tired from a morning's work, and now faced with something this tasty, he simply couldn't stop.

Old Li held back a little, but he was also eating with brows relaxed and eyes smiling.

The power of mala is truly not just talk.

However, safety still needs to be considered.

Ye Cheng glanced at the number of crayfish heads before everyone; it was about enough.

He scooped up the crayfish in one go, not letting anyone eat more.

"No, Ye Lao Er, what are you doing? Planning to raise the price? Come on, say how much?" Old Zhao was anxious—he hadn't had such delicious food in ages, and this guy actually refused to give more, which felt worse than killing him.

"Everyone, don't rush, don't rush." Ye Cheng soothed them, then said, "Let me explain to you all."

"This thing is called crayfish—tasty, right?"

"Tasty, I know it's tasty, and only you can make it—hurry up and name your price." Old Zhao was already drooling, licking his fingers; the flavor was spot on.

Looking at everyone's expectant gazes, Ye Cheng said solemnly, "Although this is tasty, it contains excessive heavy metals; eating too much can cause rhabdomyolysis, so I'm giving each person two—today that's enough."

"You say all that mystical stuff—is it really true?" Zhao Zhiming was a bit doubtful, feeling Ye Cheng just didn't want to give him any.

But the others started to worry—if that were true, then they really couldn't eat more.

"Brother Zhao, if you're willing to eat, I'll pack it up for you later, but really can't have more."

Upon hearing "packed," Old Zhao brightened, pointing at Ye Cheng and said, "Fine, you said it—pack them all for me, hurry up and give me two."

Although Ye Cheng had just said eating this posed a risk, everyone present except Old Li asked for two.

Humans have poor resistance to deliciousness—for example, pufferfish and "see-hand blue" are obvious examples.

Crayfish are even more so; back when they were hugely popular, basically every day there were reports of people hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, yet nothing could dampen everyone's enthusiasm for eating them.

Likewise, "see-hand blue"—whenever the season comes, videos of hallucinations start popping up, yet the goods still can't be snatched.

After distributing a few to everyone, Ye Cheng put the remaining crayfish inside the house; if Old Zhao truly wanted them, he'd pack them for him.

Jiang Yunxiang's side simply steamed the seafood the few of them had just caught in the shallows and served it up.

Seafood, seafood—what we eat is just that fresh flavor.

Moreover, since we caught it ourselves with our own hands, everyone ate with even more gusto.

Moreover, it was caught by one's own hand, and the few people eating it became even more enthusiastic.

Anyway, older brother went to Matou, so Ye Cheng had the old lady, his sister-in-law, and Dou Dou stay for a meal.

With so many people eating, it was naturally very lively. Old Zhao took two bottles of liquor from the back of the car, drank to his heart's content; Old Li also drank two cups, and their talk gradually increased.

"I've eaten this grilled fish in a county in Sichuan before; I didn't expect you could also make it." Old Li pointed at the grilled fish and said, "Have you been there?"

"No, I learned it online." Ye Cheng casually gave a vague answer.

"Mmm, this is delicious, Ye Cheng—I didn't expect you to be quite good at cooking." Xiao Rou ate and couldn't stop praising it.