Chapter 191: Eating Crabs Trends on Search, This is a True Chef

"There should be some under this rock too."

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready!"

The two of them worked together. As soon as Ning Fei lifted the rock, several mountain crabs were revealed, either lying completely still or scuttling outward.

Zhang Xiaofeng had already mastered the technique of catching crabs. With quick eyes and swift hands, she scooped all of them into the fishing net.

The netizens watching the live stream found this kind of lifestyle very interesting.

However, some were puzzled.

"These crabs are so small. Is there really a need to go down into the river to catch them in person?"

The mountain crabs Ning Fei and Zhang Xiaofeng caught were mostly the size of a palm, a full size smaller than normal river crabs.

But another viewer immediately educated them.

"You call this small? Do you even know how big mountain crabs are supposed to be?"

"These are already massive for mountain crabs!"

"It's normal not to recognize them. After all, you can't just buy fresh mountain crabs like these everywhere."

"How much are river crabs even worth? Mountain crabs are the expensive ones!"

"Mountain crabs are priceless and hard to find on the market. You can only get them deep in the mountains!"

"It depends on the breed. The cheap ones go for 200 yuan a jin. I know a place where they sell for 600 a jin."

"How much? A jin of small crabs is that expensive?"

The viewers chattered among themselves.

With the explanation, everyone finally realized that Temple Master Ning hadn't brought Xiaofeng to catch ordinary crabs, but highly expensive ones.

At that moment, Ning Fei held up a crab toward the drone and addressed the live stream.

"Look here, everyone. This is a wild mountain crab, also known as a medicinal crab. Authentic medicinal crabs look just like this—a mix of blue and purple with reddish-purple legs. They're very beautiful."

"Generally speaking, mountain crabs are quite hard to catch. They like to stay in the damp mud along mountain ravines and will even dig their own holes to burrow into the soil."

"However, this stretch of the river is a bit special. Every year around this time, I can always find a lot of mountain crabs here."

The fishing net Ning Fei carried was already full of mountain crabs.

Some viewers estimated that the crabs in that net alone were worth around 4,000 to 6,000 yuan.

"This Daoist priest really knows how to live. I'm so jealous."

"So free and easy. It's like he's practicing cultivation."

There were too many crabs for Ning Fei to eat by himself, and Zhang Xiaofeng had helped out, so he planned to share an equal portion with her.

Zhang Xiaofeng's side had four permanent cast members, and it seemed two new guests were arriving today. While this amount of mountain crabs would be a feast for one person, split among six, it would only be enough for a quick bite.

But that had nothing to do with Ning Fei. He was just giving them to her because she had waded into the river with him to catch them.

Zhang Xiaofeng was also very smart. She pulled him aside and privately mentioned that since it was inconvenient while filming the show, she would have her manager contact him later to pay for the mountain crabs.

She felt she was just riding Ning Fei's coattails. She had only been an assistant, so she felt embarrassed taking so many precious mountain crabs, but the people at the Mushroom House were waiting for her, and she didn't want to let them down.

Ning Fei really didn't mind. Many people in the village went up the mountain to dig for mountain crabs, so they could be considered a public resource.

Afterward, they got in the car and returned to the mountain village.

Over at the Mushroom House.

Peng Xiaochang was the first to return, carrying a cage full of large crabs.

"Oh ho, not bad today, Xiaochang. You caught so many big crabs!"

Seeing him appear, Huang Sanshi's eyes lit up in praise.

Peng Xiaochang chuckled.

Teacher He looked behind Peng Xiaochang and asked.

"Where's our little sister? Why didn't she come back with you?"

"She went into the mountains with Temple Master Ning to catch mountain crabs."

"Catching mountain crabs?" Hearing this, Huang Sanshi's expression shifted as he marveled. "Those are good stuff."

The kitchen at the Mushroom House was an open-air canopy, built that way for filming convenience.

At this very moment, Huang Sanshi was busy inside it.

His cooking skills were excellent, and whenever food was mentioned, he would become entirely energized.

"Mountain crabs are not easy to catch. They hide very deep. Sometimes you can't even find that many in a whole day."

"Whether deep-fried or stir-fried, mountain crabs are incredibly fragrant. They taste much better than steamed river crabs and are more nutritious too!"

"I wonder how many she managed to catch, but with such a rushed timeframe, I'm not getting my hopes up."

Just as Huang Sanshi finished speaking, Zhang Xiaofeng's voice rang out from outside.

"I'm back!"

"Oho! Sounds like we have a surprise!" Huang Sanshi remarked.

Zhang Xiaofeng walked into the Mushroom House, her face beaming. In her hand, she carried a crab cage completely filled with the blue-and-purple wild mountain crabs.

Seeing the mountain crabs in the cage, Huang Sanshi stared blankly and hurriedly asked.

"You caught all of these?"

"I caught them together with Temple Master Ning. Temple Master Ning is super amazing!" Zhang Xiaofeng lifted her chin, speaking with a touch of pride.

Huang Sanshi could only let out a sigh of admiration.

"Does Temple Master Ning know magic tricks? To catch so many in a single morning!"

"Looks like we get to have a grand crab feast today. I guarantee this will absolutely be the highest quality meal we've had in all six seasons!"

"Today's guests are in for a real treat!"

Meanwhile, Ning Fei returned to Qingfeng Temple.

He placed the river crabs and mountain crabs into separate buckets.

Then, he addressed the viewers.

"Today, we're having a crab feast."

"River crabs taste best steamed. The river crabs from the reservoir are already plump, so they'll definitely be delicious once steamed."

"As for the mountain crabs, I plan to stir-fry them. Their nutritional value is very high."

At the same time, some netizens noticed that the head chef of the Mushroom House, Huang Sanshi, had unexpectedly made the exact same choice as Ning Fei.

This coincidence felt rather magical.

"They didn't plan this together, did they?"

"Or maybe great chefs just share the same understanding of ingredients."

"This is so interesting!"

"Goodness! I feel it's such a pity that Temple Master Ning isn't joining Yearning 6."

"Yeah, I really want to see Temple Master Ning with them."

"It seems Temple Master Ning just doesn't like crowded places."

"You can only call it a shame."

The method for stir-frying crabs was relatively simple. Heat the oil in the wok, add a pinch of salt and cooking wine, and stir-fry the crabs until their shells turned red and the meat was cooked through, then scoop them into a basin.

Next, add oil to the wok once more. After heating it up, toss in scallions, ginger, and garlic. Once the aroma wafted out, Ning Fei added all the cooked mountain crabs back in and continued to stir-fry.

Midway, he added a bit of oyster sauce and soy sauce, followed by a splash of water, stirring continuously until everything was evenly coated before plating it.

Sizzle!

Ning Fei poured the stir-fried mountain crabs onto a plate. The cooked scallions, ginger, garlic, and hot oil spread around the edges, cradling the bright red crabs resting quietly within.

Just one look was enough to whet the appetite and make mouths water.

"Oh my goodness, that looks way too delicious!"

"To anyone who loves crabs, this is pure torture!"

"Why did I even open this live stream!"

"I really want to eat crabs! I can't take it anymore!"

"That looks too damn good."

"Temple Master Ning's culinary skills are as incredible as ever!"

Rising steam swirled into the air. In this crisp autumn season, it was the absolute best time to eat crabs.

On the other side, at the Yearning 6 production crew, Teacher Huang had also just finished making his stir-fried mountain crabs.

The two men had slightly different stir-frying techniques, but the resulting crabs both had red shells, fragrant meat, and top-tier color, aroma, and taste.

Because of this, the two of them ended up trending on social media searches again.

The trending tag read: #Temple Master Ning and Teacher Huang are calling you to eat crabs#

GIFs of the two of them cooking crabs were wildly shared across Weibo, and the traffic and likes on short videos rapidly soared.

This kind of trending topic was a good thing.

It reflected the netizens' yearning for a beautiful life and sparked anticipation for something positive.

Autumn was here, and it was time to eat crabs.

It was much better than trending topics about some celebrity getting slightly injured while filming, some actress tripping on the red carpet, or some actor's romance being exposed—things that held no actual nutritional value.

Inside Qingfeng Temple.

Today's lunch consisted only of fried mountain crabs, a single steamed bun, and a dish of Ning Fei's homemade pickled vegetables.

"One meat dish, one side of pickles, and one steamed bun. The meals at Qingfeng Temple are as 'simple' as always!"

The netizens teased enviously.

"Yeah! So simple it's making me drool."

"A plate of large, wild stir-fried mountain crabs would only sell for a mere thousand or two yuan in a hotel. Truly unremarkable."

"Can't even afford scrambled eggs. You call this lunch?"

"I'd like to ask, could you mail me a few crab legs?"

Ning Fei comfortably ate the mountain crabs. As he bit into the crab roe, the rich, savory broth flowed out, instantly filling his mouth with a lingering aroma.

Enjoying the autumn breeze while eating stir-fried mountain crabs in the courtyard, listening to the rustle of falling leaves outside—it was an incredibly carefree and pleasant feeling.