Chapter 278: Not Pond Shrimp, but Ming Shrimp

"What else is on that Boat? There must be instant noodles, right?"

"Yes, we bought a case last time."

"Then it's just instant noodles, what else can we think of."

Thinking of that greasy taste from earlier, Ye Cheng instantly lost his appetite.

The net was pulled up from the water, a bulging big bundle, and Xiao Hu's eyes lit up,

"Brother, looks like shrimp, so many shrimp."

Ye Cheng also saw it; there wasn't a hint of fish in the net, it was all shrimp.

It's just that they didn't know what kind of shrimp it was.

They hauled the net up, dumped the shrimp onto the ground, and they were all lively and hopping.

Xiao Hu picked one up and looked at it twice,

"Brother, looks like Pond Shrimp."

Ye Cheng also grabbed one casually, examined it closely, then shook his head,

"It's not Pond Shrimp, it's Ming Shrimp; they're larger than Pond Shrimp, look at this one."

Xiao Hu took a few more, compared them, and finally confirmed they were indeed Ming Shrimp.

Ming Shrimp, scientifically named Chinese Prawn, mainly distinguished from South American Prawn, also called Eastern Prawn, and in some places simply called Prawn.

However, there are actually many kinds of Prawn: Chinese Prawn, South American Prawn, and Spotted Prawn, each different.

Ming Shrimp usually measure 15–20 cm, with the largest reaching 25 cm, and they lack obvious stripes on the body, a big difference from Spotted Prawn.

Ming Shrimp resemble Pond Shrimp, which is why Xiao Hu misidentified them, but Ming Shrimp are a bit larger, and Pond Shrimp have faint brown stripes on the surface and slightly reddish legs; those two points make them easy to tell apart.

Their textures also differ: Ming Shrimp have firm, springy flesh with a strong fresh‑sweet flavor, suitable for rich methods like oil‑braised or salt‑baked; Pond Shrimp are delicate and soft with a milder sweetness, ideal for plain methods such as boiling or steaming.

Generally, Ming Shrimp are a bit pricier than Pond Shrimp, mainly because Pond Shrimp are mostly farmed, while Ming Shrimp are larger and less farmed, making them naturally scarce and valuable.

Besides Ming Shrimp, there were a few other small shrimp mixed in, and the two sat down to start sorting.

Overall, about 90 % were Ming Shrimp, and the specimens were relatively large, most over 20 cm.

After half an hour, they had separated all the shrimp; the mixed ones were tossed somewhere, while the Ming Shrimp were neatly placed into the Water Tank.

Checking the time, it was almost lunch, and Xiao Hu had originally planned to just have instant noodles.

"Hold on, don't instant‑cook. We'll boil the noodles; you wash four Ming Shrimp, add a few of the mixed shrimp, and have fresh shrimp noodles."

"Wow, brother, you're so generous, actually willing to eat Ming Shrimp," Xiao Hu teased, then picked four large ones from the Water Tank and started washing them.

Actually there wasn't much washing; a quick rinse with water was enough.

Ye Cheng opened the instant noodles, kept the salt packet, and discarded the oil packet; he really didn't want to eat it today.

After the water boiled, Ye Cheng first blanched the shrimp, then added the noodles and salt packet, quickly cooking a big pot of seafood noodles.

"Come on, eat, eat, now that's proper. Next time bring some eggs, we shouldn't shortchange ourselves."

Ye Cheng looked at the pot of noodles, instantly got an appetite, picked a shrimp himself, peeled its shell, took a bite, "Damn, fresh and delicious right off the pot."

Besides the Ming Shrimp, the mixed shrimp also tasted good; Xiao Hu ate rapidly while saying,

"Brother, if you ever stop going out to sea, becoming a chef wouldn't be bad; crayfish and grilled fish are both delicious."

"Forget it, being a chef is too tiring, and after becoming a chef you lose interest in eating; I'd rather just keep eating."

Ye Cheng said as he ate,

"This is the real fresh shrimp fish‑board noodles; next time, we'll bring the noodles and just scoop the shrimp straight up to eat."

"Brother, then why not next time have a King Crab noodle? I heard King Crab is huge and delicious." Xiao Hu's eyes were full of stars.

"Forget it, King Crab is over at Da Mao's place; we don't have any here, it needs deep‑sea cold water, and besides, its flavor is just average."

"Ha! As if you've eaten it before." Xiao Hu said disdainfully.

Ye Cheng, of course, has eaten it; although King Crab is also expensive nowadays, it's often served at business banquets.

Honestly, the meat of King Crab legs is still good, but eating two more will fill you up.

"Next time I'll take you to eat it, let you see for yourself; after trying it you won't find it so amazing."

Hearing Ye Cheng say he'll take him to eat King Crab, Xiao Hu instantly stood up, the noodles in his mouth hanging outside.

"So, you said you'd take me to eat."

"Yes, yes, a single one is at most 2,000 yuan, I can still afford that."

Ye Cheng does have the money, but he doesn't know if Donghai Shi sells it; he'll ask Wang Ke sometime, as Wang Ke has more high‑end ingredients.

Seeing Ye Cheng agree, Xiao Hu excitedly ate the noodles a few bites faster; Ye Cheng thought, "Damn, this beast must've been given stimulants."

"Hey, slow down, save some for me, damn."

After they finished eating—more accurately, after they cleared the pot—they cast another net; anyway, it was still early.

This net again followed the low‑level route; since the last time there were shrimp, maybe this time there will be shrimp too.

After a bit more than an hour, when they pulled the net up, it was indeed another haul of Ming Shrimp, this haul even more than the last, and the two spent over an hour cleaning it up.

Looking at the time, Ye Cheng didn't want to haul another net; the water hold was getting full. Though they didn't catch big fish today, they got several hundred jin of shrimp, a decent haul.

Back at the dock it was only 4 o'clock, few people had returned; Ye Cheng anchored nicely, waited a while before a few familiar buyers came over, all acquaintances.

"Lao Er, you came back so early today; you didn't come back empty‑handed, did you?" He Lao Ban teased.

These days they've become pretty familiar with Ye Cheng; buying or not is another story, but a tease is needed—this guy drives the price down too hard, yet the goods are good, leaving the resellers in a dilemma: they can't not buy, but buying is also problematic.

"He Lao Ban, don't worry, can't fulfill your wish, but there are no fish today, only Ming Shrimp. Will you take them? How many of you, bosses?"

Ye Cheng had Xiao Hu move a crate of Ming Shrimp out.

A few people picked them up, glanced left and right; seasoned buyers don't need to examine much, just like cashiers who've used the stamp machine for years, they can tell at a glance.

"These are Ming Shrimp, the size is moderate," Lin Lao Ban said.

Ye Cheng smiled without replying; the size is indeed moderate, you all can keep devaluing them.

"How much is there? It can't be just this little, can it?" He Lao Ban looked at Ye Cheng's boat.

"There's still some in the hold, about four hundred plus catties, right?" Ye Cheng said calmly.

"How much? Four hundred plus? Catties?" the three exclaimed.