Chapter 159: Fish Cabin County

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi went out and took a stroll on the street. The Fish Cabin county was close to the seaside, and the air was very moist, even the wind carried a fishy smell, the scenery of this county was entirely different from Sha County.

Most of the villagers in the Fish Cabin county lived by fishing. There were many people in this place, but the land was not so abundant, the ratio of landowner wasn't very high.

Lu Lin saw a lot of ships anchored off the lakes and rivers.

Many fishermen didn't own a house or any land. They lived on the boats, they even got married and had children on the boats. Due to the poor living environment, infant mortality rate was quite high.

Many fishermen wished to go ashore and settle down on land.

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi went to the seafood market, Lu Lin exclaimed on seeing baskets of crabs piling up by the stalls.

Lu Lin's eyes were wide open when he saw the price sign.

"The crabs here are so cheap, two cents each! Even cheaper than buns! How strange!"

"Maybe it's because there isn't much meat in the crabs, buns are definitely more filling," Chen Xiao Mi said, "The crabs look quite big, but they are all shells. Manual workers prefer something filling."

Lu Lin retorted, "But crabs are way more tastier, I can't believe they are not being appreciated."

In modern society, steamed crabs were great gifts on New Year's Day or other festivals.

There were different methods and dressings to cook crabs in different provinces. But people in this time and space preferred buns to crabs! That sounded surreal!

"But Mi, crabs are so yummy and healthy! " Lu Lin said.

Chen Xiao Mi thought for a moment and said, "Maybe because crabs are so common in the county, people don't see them as something special."

Lu Lin thought about it and nodded. In modern society, crabs were more expensive in inland cities due to the high transportation expenses, but they were so accessible and affordable in coastal areas. It must be the same case in this time and space as well.

"If we can sell the crabs in the inland cities, I think we can make a fortune, what do you reckon?" Lu Lin narrowed his eyes.

Chen Xiao Mi shook his head, "I agree, but the reality is aquatic products are hard to store and transport."

Lu Lin thought to himself, 'Indeed! There's no fridge or cars in this time and space, it's impossible to deliver fresh fish and crabs to further areas."

"I wish I studied harder when I was in school so I can invent something called fridge."

"Fridge? What is that?" Chen Xiao Mi looked intrigued.

"Hmm, how do I put this? It's like an icebox, you put fresh food in the icebox and it can keep it fresh for days if not months."

"Is it also something from your hometown? Modern society?"

"Yes, modern society is very convenient, but other than that's it's not as great as this time and space."

Chen Xiao Mi was curious about this modern society that Lu Lin had described.

......

Lu Lin took a look at other stalls as well, there were so many different types of fish and clams, Lu Lin was so excited, 'These are all protein packed food, I don't need to worry about the kids might suffer malnutrition anymore!'

"Let's buy a basket of crabs, shall we? I will cook some for you and the kids tonight."

Chen Xiao Mi nodded, "Of course, that sounds great."

Lu Lin bought a large basket of crabs and went to the next stall where he saw lobsters. Lu Lin bought the of them, the stall owner was thrilled about this large order, he gave Lu Lin a fish as freebie.

Lu Lin promised the stall owner that he would become a regular customer, then he bought calamary, clams, seaweed and basically everything else on display......

On the way back to the county yamen, Lu Lin was still fully aroused, he was happy this county was rich in aquatic product resources, and he was determined to help the fishmen to expand the market.

Chen Xiao Mi scratched his head on seeing the crabs, lobsters and clams in the baskets, "Lin, I think you just got carried away, no way can we eat them all tonight."

"It's fine, we can share with the employees."

......

Yuan Bao and Dash looked at the crabs crawling on the ground and asked, "Father, what are those funny looking creatures? They are fierce looking and they walk in such a funny way, do they bite? Can we touch them?"

Lu Lin nodded, "They are called crabs, I guess they are a bit funny looking, but maybe not touch them, their claws are fierce. I will cook them soon and teach you guys how to eat them, they are great for your health."

Dash clapped his hands, "Yay, something new, I look forward to eating them, father."

Yuan Bao picked a clam from the baskets and said with excitement, "Father, I know what this is, apparently there are pearls inside them, right?"

"Pearls? I mean, maybe? But don't get your hopes high on these ones."

Yuan Bao was a little disappointed. "Why did you buy them if there were no pearls inside of them?"

Lu Lin curled his lips and said, "We are going to roast them for dinner as well, they are very yummy."

Yuan Bao took a closer look at the clam in hand and said, "But father, they look so small, are you sure they are yummy?"

Lu Lin was speechless! "Tut tut tut, kid, just prepare to be blown away!"

......

Lu Lin waved his hand and said, "You two, now feel free to roam around on the yard, father and Auntie Yun Niang are about to cook."

Lu Lin always sent the kids away with some excuses when he cooked meat, somehow he felt weird to let the kids see the cruel scene.

Yun Niang walked to Lu Lin's side and said with embarrassment, "Magistrate Lu, this is the first time I've seen these as well, can I watch and learn from you first?"

"Of course, of course, let me show you how to cook these little guys. Bring me some salt water first, they need a good scrub first... ..."

Yun Niang was always willing to learn, she admired Lu Lin's cooking ideas and abilities.

Even though the ingredients Lu Lin bought looked strange, Yun Niang was still very confident that Lu Lin was going to serve a feast.

"I'm going to make a stir-fried sweet and savory tomato and chili crab plate and sone corn crab soup to begin with. I'm sure the kids with love it," said Lu Lin gesticulating with hands and feet.

Yun Niang looked at Lu Lin's bright eyes, red face and said worriedly, "Magistrate, Lu, are you all right?"

Lu Lin waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine, just excited to cook these crabs."

Lu Lin and Yun Niang prepared all the ingredients, then the two of them started cooking in full swing.

......

The long-awaited meal was finally served when the night fell.

"Father, this crab soup is very delicious!" Dash made a clean sweep of his first serve.

Lu Lin snorted and said, "It is, isn't it? Now you've learned to not judge things by the size, haven't you? Watch out though, there are some shells in the soup."

"Thank you, father," Dash buried his head in his bowl.

The soup was indeed very heart, Lu Lin felt so satisfied about the first dinner they had in Fish Cabin County.

Yuan Bao stood up and grabbed a crab, he was so impatient when Lu Lin showed him how to eat the crabs without waste, he would just dive in right after Lu Lin popped the shell for him.

Chen Xiao Mi tasted every dish, savoring every mouthful. There were not many edible parts in crabs, but he enjoyed how tender and rich it was.

Yuan Bao mumbled when his mouth was full of food, "Father, what sauce did you use, this is delicious!"

Lu Lin looked at the Yuan Bao and said helplessly, "Eat slowly, no one will steal it from you..."

Yuan Bao blinked and said, "I'm trying to, but I can't stop it."

......

After dinner, the kids ran to the kitchen to play with the crabs in the basket.

Lu Lin sat in the rocking chair in the yard, rubbing his belly. He had accidentally eaten too much at dinner.

Chen Xiao Mi walked to Lu Lin who was resting his eyes and asked, "Do you want to open a restaurant here again?"

Lu Lin nodded and said, "You've seen through me."

There were too many high-quality aquatic products here, but it was obvious that the local people weren't making the best use of them. Lu Lin saw it his mission to share the recipes with the local people here and maybe expand the market to inland cities. Lu Lin was confident about the prospect of the Fish Cabin County.

Lu Lin let out a sigh, "It's a pity that Mai is still in the capital city, and Cai is still in Sha County dealing with his business issues."

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lu Lin and said, "You! Cai and Mai have been your minions since you married me."

Lu Lin burst into laughter, "It's so true though, I tricked them to take care of hens and ducks for me when I first married you, then the jam, the gloves... ..."

Lu Lin held his arms and put on a smug smile, "What can I do? I have a lot of secrets in my hand that I only trust families and close friends."

Chen Xiao Mi smiled, "The kids have learned so much from you, I still find it hard to believe that both of them are educated, rational, well-travelled, experienced, none of that would happen if not for you! Take Mai for an example, the emperor knows his name now thanks to the dish you have taught him! Lin, in all seriousness, let me say a thank you to you on behalf of my brothers."

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi rarely got so emotional, the two hugged tightly.

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi bought two commercial houses for Mai in the capital city, Mai and Ji Yun An were leading a comfortable life by renting the two commercial houses.

And Chen Xiao Cai had become an idol of so many merchants not only in Sha County and Forest Town, but also so many travelling merchants across the country.

Lu Lin stroked Chen Xiao Mi's back gently and said, "Hey, shall we make Yuan Bao and Dash our minions? Mai could do a lot of thing when he was Yuan Bao's age, remember? Yuan Bao doesn't like study, shall we help him to become a business man like Cai?"

Chen Xiao Mi laughed, "I don't want to appear I'm spoiling Yuan Bao or anything, but I still see him as a baby. We were poor when Mai was Yuan Bao's age, that was why Mai kind of learned a lot of things when he was a boy, but now we can afford to baby Yuan Bao a few more years, right?"

"You are right, the good thing is Yuan Bao is already very good at mathematics, that's very promising."

"Yeah, we can focus on teaching him more knowledge at the moment, no rush to ask him to manage a store or anything," Chen Xiao Mi said.

Lu Lin nodded.

"Speaking of Yuan Bao, where is he, still in the kitchen playing with the crabs?" Lu Lin asked.

"He just went out with Qin Ming, he is curious about this new place that he is going to call home. Don't worry, Qin Ming will take care of him."