"You chat with Wenjing first. I’ll head to Uncle Yu’s supermarket to pick up some crayfish and call some more people over, so we can all have a lively meal together."
Eating crayfish with just a few people can be a bit dull. It’s much more enjoyable when a large group eats together noisily.
While speaking, Lin Xu took out his phone, opened the Lin Ji’s Food high-end VIP customer group, and sent a message:
"Anyone craving crayfish? If so, press 1!"
The message had just been sent.
Faster than grabbing a red packet.
Lin Xu sent another message:
"I’m going to cook crayfish at home soon. You can come over now if you want to join."
Shen Jiayue: On my way!!!!
Geng Lele: On my way!!!!
Yue Liyue: On my way!!!!
Chen Yan: On my way!!!!!!
But not everyone could come right away.
Li Qiang sent a crying emoji:
"This overtime is killing me! If you have a heart, save me a couple of scoops of broth to make some noodles."
Geng Lele immediately tagged him: The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel·fiɾe·net
"When can you get off work? If it’s early, we’ll wait for you."
"Around two in the morning..."
"Then I guess we’re heartless. But don’t worry, Bald Qiang, we won’t post videos while we eat or smack our lips. And we definitely won’t film close-ups of the peeled shrimp. You can rest easy."
"Lele, you’re too evil! I can already picture it!"
Lin Xu estimated the number of people, then proceeded to Uncle Yu’s supermarket and headed straight to the fresh produce area.
"What do you need, Boss Lin? Running low on ingredients?" Uncle Yu, who was organizing cardboard boxes, asked curiously.
"I saw the crayfish looked good earlier. I’m planning to buy some to make spicy crayfish. I knocked off work early today, so I decided to treat myself."
"Go pick some then. These crayfish just arrived."
Lin Xu went to the crayfish tank, took a plastic bucket, and began selecting carefully.
He picked a good fifteen pounds. All of them were super large.
After selecting them, he had them weighed, then placed them into an ultrasonic crayfish cleaner and washed them all thoroughly.
Then, under Uncle Yu’s instructions, a few sales attendants in the fresh produce area who weren’t busy helped Lin Xu snip off the heads, remove the entrails, and devein the crayfish.
Actually, not deveining them makes the crayfish meat firmer. But it’s less satisfying when eating. After peeling the crayfish, you still have to pull out the vein, which is a hassle. Comparatively, it’s more satisfying to eat them when they’ve been deveined in advance.
Lin Xu grabbed a pair of scissors and helped them out.
In less than half an hour, the fifteen pounds of crayfish were neatly prepared. If Lin Xu had to prepare them himself, it would probably take him at least an hour or two.
Carrying the cleaned crayfish, Lin Xu also bought some other ingredients and supplies, then scanned his payment at the cashier and left the supermarket.
By then, Shen Jiayue had already arrived. Her white BMW X1 was parked on the roadside, looking cute and well-behaved, next to Chen Yan’s Porsche 911.
Several beautiful women were standing at the entrance of the residential complex, munching on Shengjian Buns that Geng Lele had queued up for, while Panda and Yue Liyue were discussing gaming techniques.
Upon seeing Lin Xu approach, Geng Lele exclaimed, "Hurry up, hurry up! They’ve eaten all my Shengjian Buns!"
Lin Xu asked with a smile, "Did you let everyone eat them on purpose? So that now they’re full, no one will compete with you for the crayfish?"
The others: "!!!!!!!!"
"Wow! Lele, you’re so cunning!"
"It’s one thing to trick Li Qiang, but to trick us too?"
"Exactly! I curse you to fail the Lanxiang Technical School entrance exam!"
"And New Oriental! You won’t pass the New Oriental Culinary School exam either!"
Geng Lele grinned, stuffing the empty Shengjian Bun bag into the trash can. "It’s your fault for asking me if the Shengjian Buns were good. The taste is really not bad, but it’s just so hard to queue for them. I waited in line for over half an hour!"
Shen Jiayue had changed into sportswear. To make eating crayfish more convenient, she had even deliberately put on a red T-shirt. "I was actually full earlier. You messaged me while I was at the gym, but as soon as I saw ’crayfish,’ I suddenly felt hungry. Isn’t that magical?"
It’s the first time I’ve seen someone describe their craving in such a refined way.
He laughed and said, "If you want to eat, I’ll cook for you every day from now on. Fishing Platform has even better shrimp than these. I’ll make some for you to try sometime."
Chen Yan, standing nearby, pouted helplessly. "Can you two stop with the public displays of affection already? Hurry up! I even canceled tonight’s dinner party for this crayfish feast."
"What kind of dinner party? A blind date?"
"No, it’s a commercial promotion event..."
The women chattered away, while Panda and Yue Liyue helped Lin Xu carry the ingredients.
When they got upstairs and Lin Xu opened the door, several of the young women immediately pounced on Dundun, who was busy chasing a toy mouse.
"Dundun~ my Dundun~~~~"
"Dundun, quickly call me Aunty! Quick, call me Aunty!"
"Holy Master, you look so majestic chasing that mouse! How about I sneak some mice out from our lab for you to play with someday?"
It was everyone’s first visit to Lin Xu’s place. While playing with Dundun, they also took a tour.
Zeng Xiaoqi looked around and commented, "I thought guys’ rooms were always messy. I’m surprised it’s so tidy."
Dou Wenjing added with a smile, "And it doesn’t smell odd either. I thought having a cat would make the house smell."
As they were speaking, Geng Lele chimed in, "A tidy room with no weird smells? He’s either a cross-dresser or he’s gay!"
She had barely finished speaking when Lin Xu’s voice came from the kitchen: "Geng Lele, you just lost your share of the crayfish!"
"Hahaha, I was just kidding!"
The young women played with Dundun in the living room, while Yue Liyue turned on Lin Xu’s computer, launched a game, and chatted with Panda, "Which Call of Duty level did Boss Lin say he was stuck on? I’ll help him clear it..."
Lin Xu washed all the crayfish again. He prepared Scallion and Ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili, and other ingredients like Doubanjiang, green chilies, and perilla leaves.
He set up the large, double-handled wok he had brought from the restaurant.
He began making spicy crayfish!