Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

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There were no large predators, nor were there any sly venomous snakes or crocodiles, the most deadly thing was the mild climate, not too cold or too hot, just comfortable—in fact, if there was nothing else to do, one could even go to the beach for a surf, which was why Bi Fang considered this livestream to be more like a vacation.

He even had the confidence that he could live for a month with Baus without any pressure.

"Nowadays in Central Country, there might be more snakes in the cities than in the wild, because pet snakes were a symbol of social status during the economic boom of the late ’90s, but after the economic recession in 2008, people struggling with life set their pet snakes free."

"So if you are in the city, you may still encounter them, but in the wilderness, you don’t really need to worry about this problem."

In the mud, Bi Fang used a stone shovel to dig up quite a few crustaceans; perhaps it was because he was too close to the seaside, the haul contained many seafood items, possibly washed into the river during high tide.

After a round... cough, after circling the marshland, the catch was quite bountiful.

Among them were even Chinese mitten crabs, a good seven of them, a mix of river and sea delicacies.

Many viewers were stunned. Central Country actually had Chinese mitten crabs?

The scientific name for the Chinese mitten crab is "Chinese Mitten Crab," and since they have furry patches on their claws that look like they’re wearing mittens, hence the English name "Chinese Mitten Crab."

From the name you can tell where the specialty comes from.

"These creatures are overrunning the Thames River," Baus said with a wry smile. The Chinese mitten crab is a typical invasive species, and he never expected to see them even in such a small river.

Their main habitat is from the Korean Peninsula to the coastal river estuaries of Huaxia, even the Natural History Museum London has a credible explanation for the Chinese mitten crab—"originating from Asia, but the Chinese mitten crab has already landed on the European continent a century ago."

Bi Fang explained, "There are records of Chinese mitten crab sightings in the Thames River dating back to 1953. They’re said to have brought great trouble to the people of Central Country because its survival and reproduction abilities are just too strong.

The Chinese mitten crab not only posed a serious threat to ’their own crab species’ but also damaged the riverbed, so the people of Central Country even refer to the Chinese mitten crab as ’Alien Crab,’ that is, an extraterrestrial crab."

Saying this, Bi Fang glanced at Baus, asking the "local," and received an affirmative response.

"But we’re in luck now. It’s a shame we don’t have scallions, ginger, garlic, or cooking wine; boiling them may result in a fishy taste," Bi Fang said happily, putting another crab into his vine basket. "On the way back, let’s see if we can find some wild sage or rosemary or something like that."

Apart from crustaceans, Bi Fang also caught a few little barracudas in the river bend.

With fish and vegetables, life was rich indeed.

After pulling his feet out of the mud, he washed off in the river, let himself dry, then put his socks and shoes back on. The two gutted and scaled the barracudas right there; the small river was quite convenient for washing them. After processing the fish, they headed towards the direction of the cave.

After being busy all morning, both of them were famished.

Baus checked his phone. It was already three in the afternoon, "Hard to believe I haven’t eaten all day and am heading straight to afternoon tea."

"I don’t have any sweet treats or tea here, just some fish that might taste a bit fishy."

"Right now, I feel like I could eat anything."

Along the way, Bi Fang kept an eye out for wild spices and actually managed to find some, a few mint plants, which he joyously pocketed.

Back at the cave, Bi Fang dumped the crustaceans into a tank of water: "Shellfish need to spit out sand, we can’t eat them right now, we can only eat grilled fish for now.

In a moment, we’ll drop the oil from the grilled fish into the water, forming a layer of oil on the surface to separate the water from the air, making these guys oxygen-deprived in the water and speeding up their breathing, and thus speeding up the sand expulsion process."

"If we’re quick, we might even get to eat tonight."

Bi Fang built a simple stove by stacking stones around the fire, plastering them with clay, and finally topping it with a washed clean stone slab.

With the stone slab, it was possible to switch from roasting fish to searing fish, allowing the fat and meat to react more thoroughly, creating an even more delicious aroma in the absence of seasonings.

The mint leaves were torn and sprinkled in, and their fragrant scent wafted through the air.

The belly meat of the fish contracted under the high heat, and the cellular fat turned into a thick oil, sizzling in the fire’s lick and interacting with the flesh of the fish itself, the enticing aroma spreading all around.

Baus sat aside, holding rough chopsticks whittled from a hunting knife, his stomach growling loudly.

It had been a long time since he had felt such hunger, and the fried fish before him was unexpectedly tempting.

Even though there were no seasonings and the only herb was mint, Baus still found it quite satisfactory; after all, a cook from Central Country might perhaps just sprinkle on a bit of salt?

The cuisine of Central Country had always faced criticism, with fish and chips or speculative ’starry sky’ dishes being the well-known options.

Fish and chips weren’t bad, but they were far too greasy, and after eating them for a week, one would likely not want to touch them again for a month.

Bi Fang had always thought that culinary skills and fine food should develop alongside the evolution of civilization, but Central Country could prove to you:

No, that’s wrong.

[If there were "Culinary Reflections of Central Country," it might be written: The people of Angolan choose fine cod, wash it, coat it in batter, and fry it in oil until golden brown, served with freshly fried chips.]

[The people of Scotland go for fine rayfish, wash it, coat it in batter, and fry it in oil until golden brown, served with freshly fried chips.]

[The Welsh opt for fine flounder, washed and enrobed in batter, then deep-fried to a golden crisp, accompanied by fresh chips.]

["What is heaven? Heaven is chefs from France, laborers from De Country, and police from Central Country. What is hell? Hell is chefs from Central Country, laborers from France, and police from De Country." — Johnson Khan Jr.]

In fact, this island nation could hardly grow anything other than potatoes and rapeseed; its pursuit of a natural style was really limited by its natural resources.

[In the canteens of Central Country’s schools: Steamed mega potatoes, big potatoes, small potatoes—all unpeeled. Baked mega potatoes, big potatoes, small potatoes—all unpeeled. Rough-cut fries, fine fries, mashed potatoes, thick potato slices, thin potato slices.]

When the barracuda was finally cooked through, Baus couldn’t wait to pick it up with chopsticks, hissing from the heat, but still too impatient to let the fish cool and eagerly stuffing it into his mouth.

The mint’s crisp fragrance alone couldn’t completely suppress the fishy taste of the barracuda, but after being seared and fried, that taste was almost non-existent.

Even without salt, the aromatic hit was so overwhelming that Baus completely forgot about it, joyfully eating away.

Plus, since the caught barracuda was from seawater, there were fewer bones, mostly just a few large ones, making the eating all the more enjoyable.

Bi Fang waited for the stone slab to cool down a bit before submerging it in a wooden trough, letting the oil float on the surface. The crustaceans, already nearly fully open, began to expel sand before long.

Good, there was now a late-night snack too.