Chapter 22: Not Daring To Drink
In a short while, half a pot of soft-shell turtle meat was divided, placed in three large bowls, covered with slightly smaller bowls, wrapped tightly in clean cloths, and put into a basket that Jiang Lili found for him.
Chen Fan carried the basket and said to Jiang Lili, "Eat first. I'll take this to them and be right back."
Jiang Lili, " Then I'll wait for you to come back and eat together."
Chen Fan smiled, "No need. You eat yours first. It's cold, and it'll get cold and fishy later, and it won't taste good."
Pausing, he added, "Don't just eat the pickles! We agreed, half each. Don't eat too much or too little."
He was really exasperated with this girl. She lived alone in the educated youth center, with so many cabbages and radishes in the backyard, yet she only ate pickles. He couldn't understand her.
Jiang Lili lowered her head and pursed her lips, "Okay."
As Chen Fan walked out, he turned back, worriedly urging, "Be sure to eat first, don't wait."
Jiang Lili stood at the kitchen door, watching him leave, "I know. It's getting dark; be careful and watch your step."
Chen Fan smiled and turned to leave.
When he arrived at Captain Yang's house, they were eating dinner. Seeing Chen Fan carrying a basket, they quickly got up to greet him.
Captain Yang first had his daughter move a chair, then said to Chen Fan, "Better late than never. Have some here."
Chen Fan quickly shook his head, "No, no."
He greeted Aunt Yang, who was about to get bowls and chopsticks, "Aunt Yang, no need to bother. I'll just go."
Then he put down the basket, placed the bowls on the table, and unwrapped the cloths.
Captain Yang looked at him curiously, "What is this?"
Chen Fan didn't speak, just grinned, lifting the bowl covers.
Captain Yang, Aunt Yang, and Yang's five children—seven people—exclaimed in unison, "Meat?"
Chen Fan pointed, "Captain, try some."
Captain Yang looked at him in surprise, then at the meat in the bowl, a thought flashing through his mind, "This wouldn't be soft-shell turtle meat, would it?"
Chen Fan immediately gave a thumbs-up, "Captain, your eyes are sharp; you recognized it at a glance."
Captain Yang grinned, "Hey, you caught such a big soft-shell turtle earlier, and now you're bringing a bowl of meat. There are even turtle claws in this bowl. I'm not blind; how could I not see it?"
Then, full of suspicion, he took a deep breath, "Wow, it's not fishy at all. How did you do it?"
This bowl of meat truly surprised him. Since childhood, the elders had told them that this thing couldn't be eaten. Every few years, a fool in the village would try, cooking a pot of soft-shell turtle that even the pigs wouldn't eat. The smell was so strong that it made you lose your appetite just thinking about it.
Yet, today, Chen Fan brought a bowl of soft-shell turtle meat that was completely free of any fishy smell, which naturally amazed him.
Chen Fan chuckled and began to explain, "Actually, it's simple. Soft-shell turtles are fishy and unpalatable mainly because they aren't properly processed. To remove the fishy smell, the most important things are three points. First, the outer membrane. The fishy smell of the soft-shell turtle is mostly from the outer membrane. You must remove the outer membrane before you can eat it.
Second, the fat, the yellow stuff on the meat. This fat is also very fishy and must be removed, and you can't break it; if it gets on the meat, it will affect the texture. Third is the blood."
Chen Fan pointed to the soft-shell turtle blood in the bowl, "Just like slaughtering a pig, if you don't drain the blood, the meat will have a fishy smell, no matter how you cook it. As long as the blood is drained, the meat will be much tastier. And the blood, mixed with salt and ginger water, can be made into blood tofu—a delicious dish. After this processing, the meat will have little fishy smell."
Taking two breaths, he smiled, "Actually, soft-shell turtle is a famous dish in some places, such as Jiangsu. There's a dish called 'Overlord Bids Farewell to His Concubine' that uses soft-shell turtle and chicken. Fujian also has a clear-steamed soft-shell turtle dish. And this thing is very nutritious, more nourishing than a hen, so eating soft-shell turtle is really not unusual; it's just rare in our area."
Captain Yang finally understood, "So there's so much attention to detail in cooking a soft-shell turtle. No wonder the ones before were inedible. If it's done well, it's a famous dish; if it's not done well, even pigs won't eat it!"
Then he looked at Chen Fan suspiciously, "Did you really lose your memory? How do you remember this?"
Chen Fan's face stiffened. He wondered what expression he should give—pain, loss, or a bewildered look?
Finally, his face fell. He couldn't act, so he whispered, "Anyway, I can't remember where my home is, and I only knew how to cook this soft-shell turtle after seeing it."
Captain Yang's heart stirred, "Then tell me, what else do you remember?"
Chen Fan frowned, thought hard, and whispered, "Does washing eels with wood ash count?"
Captain Yang was speechless, "I know that too."
Then he frowned, "Did someone in your family work as a cook? Why do you only remember food-related things?"
Chen Fan's face changed several times, looking at him with a conflicted expression, "The people rely on food for survival?"
Meaning, maybe he just likes to eat?
Captain Yang's face also fell. What is all this?
Chen Fan tried to recall his computer, phone, and hard-earned savings from before his time travel, his expression naturally becoming heavy, "I'm taking things one step at a time. Hopefully, Officer Zhu can find my family soon, and I can go home."
Captain Yang nodded slowly, "Good people have good fortune. It will happen."
Chen Fan forced a smile, then changed the subject, pointing to the steaming bowl, "While it's hot, please try it."
"Alright, I'll have some meat today."
Captain Yang didn't stand on ceremony, picking up his chopsticks and putting a piece in his mouth. After only two bites, his eyes lit up, giving a thumbs-up, "Delicious!"
The others looked at the bowl of meat with anticipation.
Even though Captain Yang was the team leader, earning 300 more work points than others each year—equivalent to 19.5 yuan more—his life was better, but opportunities to eat meat were still rare.
Like other families in the village, they relied on slaughtering the pig at the end of the year to eat meat.
So this large bowl of soft-shell turtle meat was a huge surprise.
At this moment, Yang's oldest daughter suddenly ran to the back, returning shortly with a bamboo basket, saying, "Dad, I'm going to catch soft-shell turtles."
She dashed out.
Chen Fan only had two words in his mind, So fast!
Then he wanted to say that he had already searched, and all the soft-shell turtles were gone.
But thinking again, more than three hours had passed. What if new soft-shell turtles had appeared?
He kept his mouth shut.
Captain Yang not only didn't mind his daughter's actions but was rather pleased. His eldest daughter was clever; she wouldn't eat ready-made meat; she went to catch live ones, so she would eat more later!
Then he pulled Chen Fan, "Don't leave today. Eat here, and let's have a few drinks."
A few drinks?
Chen Fan was delighted at first; there was actually alcohol?
But the next second, he realized, shaking his head like a rattle, "No, no, Captain, I don't drink."
He dared not drink. What kind of good alcohol would they have here? What if something happened?
(End of Chapter)
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