Chapter 101 Grilled Oyster with Garlic (d)
Translated by Gumihou
Edited by Gumihou
While she was busy cooking, Xiao Qi and Wen Xian finally rested enough and came over to see her. Xiao Qi burst into tears and threw herself over to hug Shiyu’s thigh. An unexpected San Pang also ran over and threw himself over to hug Shiyu’s other thigh.
San Pang howled, “Where did you die off to, ah? I thought you ran away with some fellow, ah!”
Stuck in place with those two hugging her legs, Shiyu tottered about helplessly for a moment. Since she could not bear to hit or scold Xiao Qi, she picked San Pang up and shook him threateningly, “Spout more nonsense again and I’ll slice you up for my soup!” Her voice was vicious and her words mean, but Shiyu still placed San Pang onto her shoulder and folded Xiao Qi comfortingly into her arms.
Xiao Qi must have been really frightened by Shiyu’s disappearance because even after her tears dried up, she was reluctant to leave Shiyu’s side. Seeing this, Wen Xian decided to return to his position in Feng Luo’s group first.
Afterwards, while Shiyu continued to cook, Xiao Qi ran about here and there doing little odd jobs and help carry things. While she was doing this, she noticed something on the sandy floor and picked it up. It looked like a rock. She took the strange looking thing to Shiyu, “Sister, there seems to be something inside this rock.” She shook the rock next to her ear.
Shiyu glanced at the ‘rock’. It was about the size of an adult’s palm and quite ugly. She took it from Xiao Qi and inspected it for a moment. It took her a while to recognise the ‘rock’ in question and felt [1] stupid for a moment. Unlike the oysters found at the restaurant she worked in, this one has rather thick and crusty stuff all over its outer shell, making it looked like a rock. This was a great opportunity!
Excited, she said, “Xiao Qi! See if you can find more of these. Remember to collect those about this size. Oh, and make sure to use your nose to check its freshness. If it smells bad, just throw it away.” Oysters are an excellent example of an oceanic delicacy. It definitely belonged to one of the Eight Treasures of the Ocean.
Xiao Qi skipped off to collect more of these strange rocks for her elder sister, happy that she could be of help. Very soon, she came back with a little pile.
“Alright, tell Lin Fan and Feng Luo not to eat [2] too much and save some room for a surprise,” said Shiyu. When Xiao Qi ran off, she got the logistical team to cut more garlic and chilli. The garlic was minced until it became a paste, perfect for pairing with seafood. Anything cooked with garlic instantly becomes tasty. In fact, one could say that garlic and oysters are like a match made in heaven.
After getting a few Fire Attribute logistic staffs to take her place, Shiyu started to process the oysters. First, she cleaned the outside of the oysters with [3] freshwater. Oysters are a type of shellfish with asymmetrical shells unlike scallops and are usually found in brackish water or around the coast [5]. From her experience, oysters are rarer than scallops, since scallops could travel freely in the sea whereas oysters are generally stuck in one place.
After cleaning the oysters Shiyu pried open the top shell and threw it away. Keeping the flesh intact within the bottom shell, she rinsed it out with more clean water [4]. After prying all the oysters apart, she got ready to grill them.
However, before that, she must prepare some other condiments first. [6] First, she fried the garlic over a very low fire until it was light yellow in colour. Then she poured the oil along with the garlic into a bowl. As a final touch, she stirred in a pinch of salt into the garlic oil. She did the same thing with the chopped chilli peppers.
Next, Shiyu took out the grilling net [7] and placed the oysters onto the net with the shells doubling as little plates. Each oyster gets a little spoonful of garlic and mala oil mixture, followed by a bit of butter that she had taken out from her space ring.
Once everything was ready, she started the fire underneath the oysters. Soon, the liquid within the oyster shells began to bubble and hissed. As the temperature climbed, the oyster began to change from slightly translucent to pure white. The garlic that had been a light yellow earlier turned a crispy golden brown and the red mala oil became a brilliant red.
Golden broth broiled from the oyster meat mixed with the magnificent red of the mala oil and the scent of garlic and chilli oil began to permeate the air. Soon, the logistics staff began to turn their head over, attracted by the fragrant smell.
Xiao Qi had not gone to inform Lin Fan or Feng Luo about this new dish yet. Instead, she squatted by the grilling rack, mesmerized by the sight of the bubbling oysters, she could not help but rubbed the corners of her mouth with the back of her wrist. Children who grew up underfed would always have a natural desire for food. When such fragrant and appetising food was right in front of her, nearly half a bowl of saliva could potentially dribble out of her mouth.
Perched on her head, San Pang was drooling over the food too. If Shiyu had not been there, the two of them would have stretched out their claws and snatched the food away. By the way, San Pang was on Xiao Qi’s head because her shoulder was too small for him to perch on.
Shiyu shook her head at these two little foodies. “Alright, take one each, but after this, one of you had better call Lin Fan and the rest over.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Qi and San Pang each seized an oyster and shrieked at the heat. However, neither were willing to let go of their precious treat. Both ran off in the direction of the coconut grove, still clutching their oysters.
Shiyu set the remaining oysters aside. The residual heat from the shells could keep the oysters warm until Lin Fan and the rest come. It won’t be so hot then, either.
She was still pondering over the matter when the ground began to vibrate again. This time, the earthquake was not as strong as the one earlier. The monsters were coming from somewhere down the coast rather than directly under her feet.
Another tremor caused the ground to vibrate again. Shiyu snapped her head up. This time, she was sure that it came from the coast. The Sea Beasts were attacking again and they seemed to be heading over in this direction.
Sounds of yelling and weapons clashing could be heard, abandoning the food, Shiyu grabbed Supreme Indifferent and ran towards the source of chaos. Halfway there, she suddenly heard Xiao Qi howled. To be precise, she heard the outraged yowl of, “Ah!! My oyster!! You bunch of bastards, pay for my food!!”
At first, Shiyu was shocked, thinking that some monster must have attacked Xiao Qi. However, when the little girl continued to curse, Shiyu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Switching direction, Shiyu ran towards Xiao Qi’s cursing and found the little girl tearfully lamenting over her oyster, which had been knocked to the ground and was now covered in a layer of sand.
Angry and tearful, Xiao Qi picked up a spear that was one and a half times taller than herself and rush towards the coastline, clearly intending to avenge her food. Shiyu quickly grabbed her by the waist and stopped her.
“Your Cultivation still isn’t strong enough, you’ll just die if you go to the front,” said Shiyu. “It’s very dangerous now, so don’t make your Elder Sister worry, alright?” She handed Xiao Qi over to San Pang to look after and rushed for the front lines herself.
As for Shiyu, [8] while her Cultivation could not be considered high compared to the major players, at the very least she’s now a Core Transformation Cultivator. Moreover, she had not painstakingly gone through fire trials and Cultivated this body just for cooking!
[9] From the top of the seawall, Shiyu had a good view of the beach. Well, to be precise, she couldn’t actually see the beach due to the sheer number of monsters massing onto the coast. The sight of the seething bodies on what was once beautiful white sand sent tingles up her scalp. However, the most terrifying sight of all was the lone thing standing behind these monster.
A Spiritual Beast could only attain a humanoid form after reaching Level 5, the equivalent of the Divine Transformation Stage of human Cultivation. The tall and majestic looking person behind these monsters was not actually a person at all.
“Divine Transformation!” the words flashed through everyone’s minds.
When a Divine Transformation Master attacks, he alone is more than enough to wipe them all out. If the opponent were to raise his hand, with so many people standing here, only few would survive in the end.
[Gumihou: … *lights a candle for mutilated, over-seasoned, over-cooked oysters* I’m so sorry you died a meaningless death]
[1] Additional Information for Logistic Purpose: Shiyu, the pro chef can’t recognise an oyster, one of the more valuable seafood in the cooking world. I’ll just… provide her with an excuse why, shall I? Also, what’s an oyster doing on the sandy beach…
[2] Change Information for Logical Reasons: she really said ‘don’t eat first’… I mean, could you get full on ‘a little pile’ of oysters?
[3] Rant 1: She should have used a stiff brush to get loose dirt and grit out unless she has running water, which…
[4] Rant 2: NEVER rinse the inside of an oyster with water. Especially when it’s fresh
https://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/06/30/how-to-clean-and-shuck-oysters/
[5] Let’s go oyster hunting on the coast, which are currently full of monsters but who cares?! Oh, wait, Oysters here hung out on the sand but are still mysteriously encrusted in rock…
[6] Rant 3: Always open the oysters at the very last minute if possible. Especially in the summer heat where all sorts of rotting seafood smell is around you.
[7] The grilling net which she had not brought out earlier when grilling 200 portions of food… sure, whatever
[8] Minor Corrections for Clarification: ‘Though she had said her Cultivation was not high’ Clearly talking about Xiao Qi, but then she suddenly started talking about her own Cultivation.
[9] Added Details for Logistical Purpose: Unclear where Shiyu was standing when she saw the monsters on the beach, but logic would indicate the top of the seawall.
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