"Shrimp, come over here and help me prepare these shrimp. I’ll teach you," Gan Lan said. Trembling slightly, she picked up a squirming, ferocious-looking shrimp. Using scissors, she snipped off the triangular spike on top of its head and removed the sand sac from its brain area, leaving the rest of the brain intact.
For a moment, the ferocious shrimp looked even more menacing as it struggled violently. It took most of Gan Lan’s strength just to keep it from slipping out of her grasp. She felt a bit cruel doing this, but once you did something once, the second time was easier. Back in her past life, she hadn’t dared to slaughter live chickens, ducks, or fish either. But who told her to choose to be a chef? Once she became a chef, these things were simply inevitable.
Although the Ugly Shrimp and crayfish were different species, their physical anatomy was the same. Therefore, Gan Lan used the preparation methods from her original world. Pinching the center of the Ugly Shrimp’s tail, she twisted it left and right, then gave a gentle pull to extract the digestive vein. The Ugly Shrimp continued to struggle, though its movements gradually weakened until it finally went completely still.
"Cruel" Gan Lan moved on to the second shrimp, then the third...
Shrimp had figured out the process by now, and with the two of them working together, their speed increased significantly. Shrimp’s efficiency, in particular, was off the charts. By the time Gan Lan finished prepping one, Shrimp was already on her fourth. In another basin, the once lively and hyperactive shrimp were left thoroughly mangled and perfectly still.
"They look much cuter lying quietly like this," Shrimp commented. She was completely unfazed by the Ugly Shrimp’s desperate death throes. She even seemed rather enthusiastic, smiling and revealing two deep dimples on her small cheeks, making her look both adorable and...
Gan Lan felt a little disturbed by the sight. This loli-like Shrimp looked just like one of those creepy, hair-raising children from a horror movie.
She decided to go wash and chop the vegetables instead, taking the opportunity to check if the spicy soup base was done simmering.
The spicy soup base was just about ready. She scooped it out, poured it into several prepared containers, and immediately placed them in the refrigerator to cool quickly. Then, she started on the second pot—a non-numbing, spicy beef tallow hot pot base.
She had no other choice. The competition organizers had only provided a single wok. If she wanted more, she had to buy them herself. It was simply too ruthless. Because of this, she had to stir-fry the spices first before transferring them to a clay pot to simmer, which inadvertently added a fair bit of difficulty to the process.
By the time she set the clay pot over a low flame to slowly simmer the spicy hot pot base, Shrimp had already rendered every single lively Ugly Shrimp completely quiet and docile.
Next came today’s featured specialty dish. She planned to make just one flavor for now. If it sold well, she would add another flavor tomorrow. After all, the spices, side ingredients, and seasonings were not cheap. Her only comfort was that the Ugly Shrimp didn’t cost a dime—she just had to catch them herself.
She poured oil into the wok until it was a third full. Once the oil was about sixty percent hot, she tossed in the prepped and drained Ugly Shrimp. After deep-frying them until their shells turned from a deep crimson to a bright, vibrant red, she scooped them out and set them aside.
Leaving a bit of base oil in the wok, she tossed in a proper amount of garlic, ginger slices, and dried chilies, stir-frying them until they were fragrant. She then added the solidified blocks of spicy beef tallow hot pot base. Once they melted down, she threw the fried Ugly Shrimp back in, stir-frying everything together to let the flavors infuse. Next, she poured in enough beer to submerge the Ugly Shrimp, brought it to a boil over high heat, and then reduced the flame to let it simmer for about thirty minutes.
In the meantime, Gan Lan went to cook some rice. Despite being broke, she had still splurged on some white rice. White rice paired with spicy Ugly Shrimp ought to be pretty delicious, right?
Given her current situation, she figured she would be eating this for several days. It wasn’t that she lacked confidence in her culinary skills; it was just that, besides Shrimp—who didn’t eat human food and only counted as half a person anyway—there was no one else around.
Her spicy Ugly Shrimp had been simmering so long that its mouth-watering aroma wafted far and wide, yet it hadn’t attracted a single soul. Instead, a constant stream of Ugly Shrimp passed by her front door, and they even detoured to avoid her place without casting a single glance inside.
Gan Lan felt deeply frustrated. Her past glory was completely gone. The sorrow of having no one to appreciate her craft was something Shrimp just couldn’t understand!
If Gulu were here, perhaps Gan Lan could have shared it with him. Sure, he could be highly annoying, but after being away from him for so long, she couldn’t help but miss him. Shrimp didn’t speak much either; she just buried her head in her work. Once she finished, she immediately powered herself down to save energy.
Right now, Gan Lan was nothing but a lonely, helpless, and pitiful soul.
She sat there sulking for a while. As the aroma of the spicy Ugly Shrimp gradually grew richer, she couldn’t resist taking a deep sniff. It should be almost ready. Standing up happily, she headed toward the kitchen; she was actually starting to feel a bit hungry.
Taking advantage of the remaining broth in the wok, Gan Lan added a pinch of MSG. There was no need for salt; she had made the spicy soup base a bit on the salty side, so the seasoning was perfect as is. She cranked up the heat to stir-fry and reduce the sauce. After plating it up, she garnished it with chopped green onions.
A massive plate of vibrant, bright red spicy Red Demon Ugly Shrimp was finally complete!
Gan Lan swallowed hard, taking a deep inhale of the tantalizing aroma permeating the air. She stared at the giant plate of spicy Ugly Shrimp before her, a dish so visually appealing it was enough to make anyone drool.
She went to wash her hands first, then couldn’t resist picking up one of the Ugly Shrimp with her chopsticks to taste it. However, eating Ugly Shrimp without using her hands felt like it was missing something. She put down her chopsticks and used her hands instead. Snapping off the shrimp’s head, she sucked out the savory juices. The first sensation that hit her palate was the intense fragrance. Then, her tongue tingled with numbness, and in an instant, her mouth was completely conquered by an explosion of savory, numbing, and spicy flavors.
The numbing sensation was so intense it made her very soul tremble. Peeling back the shell revealed the tender, pale pink shrimp meat, which seemed to jiggle slightly. She dipped the meat into the broth and took a bite. The texture was springy and chewy, carrying a subtle hint of sweetness. With a single chew, the rich, numbing, and spicy umami flavors amplified the natural sweetness of the shrimp meat. The only downside was that it wasn’t tender enough—which happened to be the biggest flaw of this Ugly Shrimp.
Actually, there wasn’t as little meat as the data had claimed. It was impossible for her to finish a whole piece in a single bite; it was much larger than the crayfish back in her original world. The shell was indeed a bit tough to peel, but once she found the right technique, it became much easier.
Gan Lan looked at her hands, now completely covered in savory juices, and went back to wash them clean. Who could blame her? She couldn’t even bring herself to buy disposable gloves. She was simply too poor.
She packed the rice and the spicy Ugly Shrimp into a temperature-controlled box. After a moment of thought, she grabbed two bottles of ice-cold beer and a large bottle of water, placing them into the temperature-controlled box as well. Finally, she grabbed a small folding table and chair. It was time to head out and open for business.
Lacking any form of transportation, she had to hike three kilometers just to eat her meal in public. That was the only nearby place that could be considered somewhat populated.
Outside, the blazing sun beat down relentlessly. Gan Lan was hot, hungry, and thirsty. On top of that, she had to lug around the temperature-controlled box and her furniture. If she had known it would be this exhausting, she wouldn’t have skimped on Shrimp’s energy.
She was now regretting her decision immensely. She had only covered half the distance, yet she had lost count of how many times she had stopped to drink water. She felt like she was trapped in a sauna. Her face was drenched in sweat, and her T-shirt was completely soaked through.
Just as she was on the verge of collapsing, she finally arrived at her destination.
Ever since the competition began, invisible cameras had been following her every move. These cameras automatically respected her privacy. Whenever she was doing something that required discretion—like cooking or showering—they would detect it and shut off, only turning back on when the footage was safe for public broadcast.
Anyway, she didn’t have any other secrets to hide besides showering. She also had no intention of keeping her spicy Ugly Shrimp recipe a secret. However, since the competition rules dictated this privacy setting, she wasn’t about to act like a maverick and challenge the system.