12dz Chapter 256: Bichao Bay Pier
Chapter 256: Bichao Bay Pier
At noon, the sound of a conch shell suddenly came from the direction of the dock.
A three-masted ship slowly approached, with the words "Northland Trading Company" embroidered on its sails.
"It's a merchant ship from the north!"
The waves lazily hit the mossy stone steps of the pier, making a "swish-swish" sound, which sounded very much like the rhythm of an old fisherman's snoring.
"Look! A huge ship! What a huge ship!"
The shrill voice of the fisherman's child on the dock interrupted the busy crowd.
The old fisherman who was squatting on his small boat mending his nets suddenly had his hand shaken and the shuttle nearly fell into the sea.
"It's a merchant ship!" the old fisherman shouted at the top of his voice, "Amao, big business is coming!"
As soon as the shout went out, the dock suddenly became lively.
The fishermen who were repairing their fishing nets, arranging their cables, and cleaning their catches all put down their work and rushed to the shore to watch this big guy.
This merchant ship is much larger than the usual supply ships. The bow is carved with exquisite wave patterns, and the ship's name is painted in gold on the side of the ship, shining brightly in the sun, making it impossible to open your eyes.
Especially flamboyant.
You can tell at a glance that the ship owner is rich.
"Let's let one let, let one let!"
A loud voice came from the crowd.
The burly fisherman squeezed to the front, his bronze face filled with excitement. "This boat has such a deep draft, it must have brought a lot of good stuff!"
As expected, the Autumn Festival is approaching, and the number of passing ships increases.
The merchant ship slowly approached the shore, and the rough rope was thrown onto the bank. The dock workers immediately gathered around and shouted, carrying the rope on their shoulders and pulling it with their hands, cooperating with the sailors on the ship to tie the ship firmly.
The moment the gangway was lowered, the noise on the deck blended with the calls from the dock.
Several well-dressed people came down, and upon closer inspection, there were also a few red-haired foreigners.
This is rare in Ping'an Town.
Many fishermen stared at them, making them feel a little uncomfortable.
The leader was a man in his early thirties, wearing an indigo-colored gown, with a warm jade pendant hanging around his waist. His face was elegant and shrewd.
Typical businessman appearance.
"Sir, do you need help unloading the goods?"
The fishing chief rushed forward, his thick arms brimming with muscle. "The men in Bichao Bay are strong, so we can negotiate our wages!"
The name of Bichaowan Pier has a great origin. As long as a ship approaches the bay, the originally surging waves will gradually calm down in this natural curved harbor.
The pier is surrounded by mountains on three sides, which can cleverly block the sea breeze and form a natural shelter.
The water in the bay is turquoise and clear, with extremely high visibility. Even at night, you can clearly see the underwater reefs, greatly reducing the risk of running aground.
This is why it was named Bichaowan Wharf.
The man smiled slightly and bowed, saying, "Thank you, big brother. I'm Xu Wenli, the second manager of the Northern Trading Company. We're just stopping briefly for supplies, so there's no need to unload."
He looked around and said, "I wonder if there are any good restaurants in this town? The brothers on the ship have been on the ship for a long time and are already tired of eating dry food. They want a change of taste."
As soon as these words were spoken, the fishermen watching immediately started talking at once.
"Speaking of food, of course we have to go to Fu Man Zhai! This family has been running this restaurant in our town for three generations. My grandpa used to eat there often. The plaque above the door was written by the prefect who passed by and tasted the food himself."
The speaker looked proud, as he was a regular customer of Fumanzhai.
"If you go there, you'll see that the plaque is covered with patina. It would take at least fifty or sixty years to polish it to this level."
As he was speaking, Ah Da and a few of his clansmen came to the front and patted his chest, saying, "Speaking of cooking skills, my niece's cooking is the best! I guarantee you'll want more!"
"That's right!"
Several uncles from the clan nearby echoed, "Even the county magistrate praised the seafood cooked by that girl!"
"The commander of the prefectural capital also likes to eat it."
Ada was a little proud, thinking that the prefect was nothing.
They are all good friends with the Captain Zhechou.
"What's the most important thing? The ingredients at Wufu Restaurant are not available anywhere else. They are all caught by ourselves. Ordinary fishermen can't catch them."
This is also a major advantage of Wufu Restaurant, where the ingredients win.
"You've arrived at the right time. There were sharks in the restaurant today, and we hunted them all down."
Xu Wenli's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said with a smile, "It seems that this lady's cooking skills are indeed amazing, to be able to earn such high praise from you all."
"Of course not!" Ah Da puffed out his chest proudly, as if he was praising his own daughter.
"Yi Yi's pickled yellow croaker is a must-try. The meat is as tender as tofu, and the aroma of wine is intense without being intoxicating. And the salt and pepper mantis shrimp are so crispy on the outside and tender on the inside that you can even eat the shell!"
"And there's also sea urchin steamed egg!" an old fisherman with missing front teeth interrupted. "It's as smooth and tender as a baby's face, and so delicious you could swallow your tongue!"
“The fish soup is delicious!”
"Her grilled fish is delicious..."
"Omelette is delicious, but it's rarely sold."
Xu Wenli chattered here and there, amused by the enthusiastic uncles Xu Yiyi and the others. He fished out a piece of silver from his sleeve and said, "Hearing what you all said, I'd be unsophisticated if I didn't try it. I just don't know if we should leave this Wufu Restaurant."
"It's easy. Go east along the pier. When you see a crooked old locust tree, turn right. That's the house with the shell wind chime hanging on the door! She has a chubby kid who's really good at calculating with an abacus."
Ah Da enthusiastically pointed the way, then lowered his voice in a mysterious tone, "Manager Xu, if you go there, just say it was me, Ah Da, who introduced you. I'll definitely give you extra dishes!"
Xu Wenli smiled helplessly and bowed, "Thank you very much, uncle."
When leaving the dock, Xu Wenli noticed that several fishermen who strongly recommended Wufu Pavilion had returned to their respective jobs, but almost everyone would look up at him from time to time, with some expectation and pride in their eyes.
After turning around the crooked old locust tree, a crisp "ding-ling" sound came with the wind.
Xu Wenli looked up and saw a simple two-story building with wind chimes made of colorful shells hanging on it. The wind chimes collided with each other in the sea breeze, making pleasant sounds.
Most importantly, this restaurant is very different from others.
I don't know what material the window is made of, it looks a bit weird.
There is a camphorwood sign hanging on the lintel, with the words "Wu Fu Restaurant" engraved on it in elegant handwriting.
There is a sign next to the door listing the special dishes.
Just standing at the door, a mixture of the fresh aroma of seafood and spices hits you in the face, making the people who have been drifting on the sea for many days immediately salivate.
The restaurant is not big, with only about ten square tables, but it is clean and neatly arranged.
The place was packed with people, all enjoying the delicious food.
There are several fishing nets with dried plants pinned on them hanging on the wall as decoration. There is even a mini water tank in the corner with a few colorful fish.
If you look closely, you will see ornaments made of shells in every corner.
Sir, please come in!" A tender child's voice came from inside.
Xu Wenli looked in the direction of the sound and saw a pale, chubby child running out.
"There are private rooms on the second floor, which are quieter. Would you like to sit on the first or second floor?"
Sihai raised his head and welcomed the person in.
"That's it?" The short-bearded man wrinkled his nose and looked around the humble shop. There was a portion of fish offal on every table on the first floor.
"Fish offal?"
Sihai listened to the disdainful words and said calmly, "Dry pot fish offal is a new dish my eldest sister has invented. You can try it. If you don't like it, I won't charge you a penny."
Sihai jumped and brought the person to the private room on the second floor.
"Chenpi water! It helps relieve greasiness."
As soon as the teapot was put down, the menu filled with dishes was handed over.
"We're not locals, so we don't know much about seafood. We were introduced here by a fisherman named Ada. Why don't you serve it to us?"
Xu Wenli is from the north and doesn't know much about seafood.
"Uncle introduced you? Then I'll give you some dry pot fish offal."
Sihai muttered, "Could you bring some shark dishes, and a bowl of fried yellow croaker noodles for each of you?"
The children came here to discuss it, and I could tell from their accents that they were from the north, so I specially recommended them.
"Okay! Do as you say."
Sihai jumped down the stairs happily.
Several people sat down doubtfully.
After a while, Xu Anyang presented the dry pot fish offal in a coarse earthenware plate. The fish roe was golden, the fish bubbles were snow-white, the fish intestines and fish tofu were crispy yellow, and it was mixed with some homemade small seafood such as dried clams, dried shrimps, and dried cockles, and dotted with emerald green seaweed and bright red peppers. It was both colorful and fragrant.
"This fish roe..." Xu Wenli picked up a piece of fish roe and put it into his mouth hesitantly.
Suddenly, his body shook and his chopsticks stopped in mid-air.
The people who were traveling with him became nervous: "Second Master? Are you drunk?"
"Do not……"
Xu Wenli chewed slowly, his eyes gleaming. "The shell of this fish roe is crispy, and when you bite it, the fresh juice splashes out. It's as rich as crab roe, but without the fishy smell."
He tasted the fish bladder again and said, "It's springy but not hard, crisp but not tough, even better than abalone!"
Xu Anyang was serving the second dish when he heard what they said.
I couldn't help but start explaining, "The fish bubbles of the blue grouper are thick. My sister Yiyi uses a two-step process of ice and fire. First, she chills it to shrink, then stir-fries it over high heat to lock in the moisture. Paired with special ingredients, it's naturally delicious."
"The fish intestines..."
Xu Wenli picked up another piece of fish intestine and asked curiously.
I was surprised at the distinct layers of texture on the cross section.
“How can it be so crispy and tender?”
"The fish intestines must be taken from live fish, rubbed with salt water to remove the slime, and then marinated in sour fruit juice."
After saying that, Xu Anyang placed the thinly sliced shark skin jelly on the celadon plate.
The jelly is translucent amber in color, with strands of light red texture embedded in the middle.
"Shark skin jelly is made by taking the gelatin from shark skin, stewing it with sea cucumbers and scallops for three hours, and then condensing it into jelly."
The three foreign devils didn't understand Xu Anyang's introduction. They just picked up a piece out of curiosity and held it up to the sunlight. The jelly was as translucent as a gem.
The moment it enters the mouth, it makes a lot of chattering, which is quite exaggerated.
The man with a short beard was the most arrogant. After tasting it doubtfully, he showed an incredible expression.
Xu Anyang continued his success and served crispy fried shark strips - shark meat cut into strips, coated with seaweed powder and fried until golden brown, and served with hot and sour sauce.
This novel taste completely conquered the outsiders.
Xu Wenli sampled five shark dishes in a row, then leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I've traveled extensively for twenty years, and I never knew fish and shark could be made into such a delicacy! Where did your chef learn these skills?"
Sihai was happy to hear his elder sister being praised. His little face was flushed with smile and he kept saying that she was his elder sister.
Finally, Xu Anyang brought a bowl of milky white soup made from shark bones, a handful of noodles topped with small yellow croaker, and garnished with a few fresh perilla leaves.
After eating and drinking, Xu Wenli became curious about the young lady named Xu Yiyi.
After hearing from the diners on the first floor that she was the best swimmer in Ping'an Town, I wanted to meet her even more.