After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood – CH74

Chapter 74

By the time Lu Ao dragged his suitcase, carried twelve conch, and brought home all kinds of vegetables he had just bought, it was nearly noon.

After spending so many days on the boat, he was exhausted. He simply ate a pot of noodles, sent Song Zhou a WeChat message inviting him over for dinner that evening, then went back to his room to sleep.

He was truly too tired today. When he woke up, the sun was already slanting westward.

Looking out through the window, the glaring white daylight outside had turned into a much softer golden yellow.

Lu Ao checked the time again. It was 5:37 in the afternoon.

He climbed out of bed with a yawn, slipped on his shoes, and walked out, planning to check on the geese first, then the vegetable field.

Who would have thought that the moment he stepped outside, he would see someone sitting in the courtyard?

The figure was slender and graceful. It was Song Zhou.

“You’re awake?” Song Zhou lifted his eyes from his book. “Did you sleep well?”

Lu Ao stared fixedly at Song Zhou for quite a while, trying to distinguish whether this was reality or a dream. After a few seconds, he finally confirmed that this should be reality. “Not bad.”

After answering, he felt that the reply was too simple and added, “It was pretty satisfying. I caught some conch out at sea. Let’s eat conch tonight. I’ll go check on the geese and the vegetable field first, then come back to cook.”

Song Zhou put down his book. “I just went to check. The geese and the vegetable field are both fine. There’s nothing that needs special attention.”

Lu Ao remembered. “The geese have been kept outside these days?”

“Yes. They seem quite reluctant to leave. They haven’t come back once these past few days.”

“Geese are that stupid? Maybe they don’t remember how to come back?”

Song Zhou said casually, “Not necessarily. Chickens, ducks, and geese can usually remember the way home.”

“No way?” Lu Ao was skeptical. “Chickens, ducks, and geese can all remember?”

“Why don’t we test it later?”

“Fine. Let’s see if they come back later.”

Lu Ao wanted to go check on the geese. Song Zhou had nothing to do at home, so he simply went with him.

The sun was setting in the west, and the evening breeze was beginning to rise. Standing outside, they could already feel a slight coolness.

The two slowly walked toward the fields. From the rooftops of some houses in the village, cooking smoke was already rising.

Children were playing by the roadside. When they saw Lu Ao and Song Zhou, they hurriedly hid to one side, both shy and afraid.

Lu Ao looked at these little kids and felt puzzled.

He had been back for three months now. Logically speaking, the villagers should already be familiar with him. Even if the children were a little timid, they should not be afraid of him.

Seeing his gloom, Song Zhou said, “Children are more sensitive. They may have sensed the aura on you.”

“What aura? Dragon aura?”

“More or less.” Song Zhou said, “Not that specific. To be accurate, they sensed something on you that is different from humans.”

“What about adults?”

“Those who are more sensitive can feel a little. Those who aren’t basically feel nothing.” Song Zhou tilted his head to look at him. “As your dragon form grows larger and your presence becomes stronger, more and more people will be able to sense that something is unusual about you—until one day, you learn to control it freely and completely restrain your aura.”

Hearing him say that, Lu Ao could not help asking, “How long will that take?”

“That’s hard to say.” Song Zhou said, “You’re both the first dragon I’ve ever known and the only dragon in this plane. Anything could happen. Perhaps once your dragon form reaches adulthood, it will be fine.”

“It sounds a bit mystical. How long will it take for my dragon form to reach adulthood?”

“I’m not too sure. Maybe a very long time, maybe very soon.” At the end, Song Zhou’s voice seemed to carry a faint sigh. “Who can say when it comes to dragons? Perhaps you’ll remain in a juvenile state for hundreds of years.”

Listening to the emotion in his voice, Lu Ao felt an inexplicable discomfort in his heart.

“Whether my dragon form reaches adulthood or not doesn’t matter much, does it?” He frowned and emphasized, “My soul is human. I’ve already been an adult for a long time.”

Song Zhou looked at him, his eyes very gentle. “There have been cases before where thousand-year-old demons possessed little demons, and their minds regressed quite a bit, becoming almost like the little demons themselves.”

“Maybe that was the exception?” Lu Ao said. “Do I look like a child to you?”

Song Zhou smiled and shook his head.

For the rest of the walk, Song Zhou took the initiative to change the subject and chatted with Lu Ao about what he had seen at sea.

Lu Ao wanted to emphasize that he was not affected by the juvenile state of his dragon form, but he did not know how to put it, so he could only follow along and change the topic.

He had quite a lot to talk about: from the day his soul left his body, to bathing in the rain every night, to all the strange and unusual fish at the bottom of the sea. Every single thing was something he wanted to share with Song Zhou.

As they talked, they soon reached the riverbank.

At a glance, Lu Ao saw the lion-head geese resting beneath the trees.

He had only been away for a week, yet this flock of lion-head geese had grown fatter again. Lying by the river, they looked like a nest of big ducks.

“Are these geese growing too fast?” Lu Ao was suspicious. “In this one week, they must have gained at least a jin, right?”

“Hard to say.” Seeing him like this, Song Zhou laughed. “They eat fish and shrimp here every day. Of course they’ll grow faster.”

“This isn’t just a little faster. This is clearly much faster.” Lu Ao looked at the geese, then at Song Zhou, his whole life as a dragon thrown into doubt. “If I had known they would grow this fast, should I have let them out earlier and raised them free-range from the start?”

“Not necessarily. If they hadn’t grown this large, catching fish would have been difficult.”

“That’s true. Then can I raise them free-range from now on?”

“As long as you’re not afraid of losing them.”

“I’m not afraid.” Lu Ao said firmly, “Compared to losing them, I’m more afraid of trouble.”

“Then raise them free-range from now on.” Song Zhou suggested, “Have them return to the goose pen at night and come out again during the day.”

“I’ll try.”

The village’s chickens, ducks, and geese were all free-range. Usually, no one would harm another person’s poultry.

Free-range raising was completely feasible.

He just had to warn this flock of geese not to bully the elderly or children.

Lu Ao did not hesitate and directly began communicating with the geese.

As his dragon form grew larger, communicating with small animals had also become smoother.

To be precise, it was not communication, but suppression.

Once his dragon form grew a little larger, using his will to suppress small animals smaller than himself became much easier.

Of course, this only applied to small animals with more obvious consciousness. For tiny fish, shrimp, crabs, and the like, it was completely useless.

After seeing the geese, the two went to look at the vegetables.

During the days he had been away, Song Zhou had helped him manage the vegetable garden very well. The vegetable garden was lush and green, and the branches were covered with fruits and vegetables.

Lu Ao walked around and found that many vegetables were already old, or nearly old.

He picked the vegetables into a basket. “So many have gotten old. What a pity.”

“They can be used to feed the geese.”

“That’s true.” As Lu Ao spoke, he looked around again. “But there are still a lot of vegetables left. Later, I’ll send some to the elderly people in the village?”

Most of the people in their village were elderly people and children left behind. Quite a few elderly people could not carry heavy loads or baskets. Growing vegetables required weeding, watering, fertilizing, and so on. They could no longer manage it, so they simply stopped farming.

Even if they planted vegetables, they only planted a little, not nearly enough to eat. Many elderly people had to wait for market days and then go to town to buy vegetables.

Most of the elderly people still staying in the village were not particularly well-off.

Even when they went to town to buy vegetables, they were reluctant to buy expensive ones. They only picked cheaper seasonal vegetables, and it was always the same few kinds, like eggplant and long beans.

Lu Ao did not talk much in the village, but whenever he saw an elderly person who needed help, he would lend a hand.

Repairing appliances, changing light bulbs, delivering gas cylinders—whenever he saw something that needed doing, Lu Ao usually did not wait for anyone to call him over. He would take the initiative to help.

The children in the village saw that he was silent, stern, and cold, so they did not really dare to talk to him. But the elderly knew he had a good heart. When they saw him, they would pull him aside to chat for a bit.

Song Zhou understood his personality. Hearing him ask, he smiled. “If you want to give them away, then give them away.”

Lu Ao mumbled, “After all, we grew these vegetables together.”

Song Zhou’s mood improved even more when he heard that. “Then I’ll go with you to deliver them?”

“Sure. Help me pick the vegetables.”

“All right.”

Lu Ao added, “Anything that’s about the right size can be picked. Let’s pick more today.”

Song Zhou took a basket, chose a vegetable plot, and began picking vegetables.

Lu Ao had planted more than twenty kinds of vegetables here. The most productive were tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers.

Winter melons and pumpkins were not considered highly productive, but each one was huge. One was enough to divide among many people.

The two baskets Lu Ao had brought were soon filled, with no space left for the remaining vegetables.

Seeing this, Song Zhou had no choice but to go back and drive the tricycle over.

After a week, Lu Ao’s three-plus mu of fields yielded seven baskets of vegetables alone, piled full in the back of the tricycle.

Ordinary families only had this kind of harvest when cutting rice.

After picking the vegetables, he drove Song Zhou from house to house to deliver vegetables to the villagers.

The elderly were very surprised to see him. They thought he was still out at sea and had not expected him to return so soon.

Lu Ao delivered the vegetables, but many elderly people refused to accept them and told him to keep them for himself.

His large appetite had gained some fame throughout the town. Many elderly people knew he could probably eat all of it and did not want to take advantage of him.

Lu Ao insisted on leaving the vegetables behind. The elderly then gave him gifts in return: a piece of glutinous rice cake, a bowl of pickled mustard greens, a bag of dried radish… All kinds of return gifts were stuffed into his hands. After making one round, he had actually received a small basket of gifts, including a fine piece of ham whose price was higher than all the vegetables he had given away.

The ham was from Wang Huaiying. This elderly woman lived alone after her husband passed away. Her only son worked overseas and occasionally sent good things home.

She could not bear to finish eating it herself, yet she was willing to give it to Lu Ao.

Lu Ao could not refuse, so he had to accept it. He planned to come by and deliver vegetables a few more times in the future.

When the two returned home, Lu Ao weighed the ham in his hand and said, “Perfect. We’re making charcoal-grilled conch, and ham can be used for that.”

Charcoal-grilled conch was not made by adding minced garlic or simply dry-roasting it. When roasting, one had to add broth, ham, diced meat, yellow wine, and other ingredients into the conch and slowly roast it. Only after the broth had dried out could the conch meat inside be taken out and eaten.

Lu Ao had not seen any good ham in town that morning and had only bought pork. Now this paired perfectly.

Song Zhou came over to help him. Staring at the conch in the basin, he asked, “How are you dividing these twelve conch?”

“Seven charcoal-grilled, three stir-fried, and two blanched.” Lu Ao had already planned it out. “Blanched conch is for tasting the original flavor. One each is enough. No need to make too many.”

“Then I’ll help you.”

“I’ll prepare the broth first.” Lu Ao directed him. “You start the fire.”

The broth for roasting the conch had already been simmering since noon. A whole free-range chicken had been placed in the pot, with nothing added except ginger and scallion knots.

The chicken soup had first been brought to a boil over high heat, then slowly simmered over an entire stove of charcoal for the whole afternoon.

Now when the lid was lifted, the chicken soup was still warm, but a large pot of soup had already been reduced to less than half a pot. The golden chicken broth remained in the pot, and just smelling it was enough to sense its fresh sweetness.

Lu Ao took out the whole chicken, then added diced meat, ham, yellow wine, and other ingredients to the broth, patiently adjusting it into a roasting sauce.

Later, when roasting the conch over charcoal, the roasting sauce, together with the diced meat and ham, would be poured into the conch and slowly baked.

Song Zhou started the fire outside and prepared for the charcoal grilling.

The tools for charcoal grilling were quite simple. He placed charcoal in a flowerpot, put an iron wire rack on top, and placed the conch on the wire rack. Once the charcoal fire was burning, they could begin roasting.

A moment later, Song Zhou called toward the kitchen, “The fire is lit. What should I do now?”

“Just put the conch directly over the fire and roast them. I’ll be right over.”

As Lu Ao spoke, he carried the roasting sauce outside.

The conch had already been placed over the fire and begun roasting.

Lu Ao could faintly smell the delicious aroma of the conch meat.

He took a deep breath, moved a small stool over, and sat in front of the charcoal fire.

Before making the conch, he had to pour in the sauce.

Lu Ao did not damage the integrity of the shell. He directly poured the roasting sauce in from the operculum.

Before long, as the conch heated up, the operculum opened. The roasting sauce flowed in and began bubbling. The delicious fragrance of conch meat drifted out.

Song Zhou sat across from him and said, rarely, “The smell is making me a bit hungry.”

“This really is too fragrant.” Lu Ao asked, “Can you turn them here while I go stir-fry and blanch the rest of the conch meat?”

Charcoal-grilled conch was a difficult dish. During roasting, the conch had to be turned constantly. Otherwise, the shell would heat unevenly, and if one was not careful, it would crack apart. The roasting sauce inside would leak out, the conch meat would be smoked by the fire, and most of the dish would be ruined.

With Song Zhou’s abilities, roasting a conch was nothing.

He nodded, his eyes curving with a smile. “All right. Leave this to me.”

Lu Ao went into the kitchen with peace of mind to make the remaining dishes.

Blanching was the fastest, so it had to be done last.

Blanched conch was very particular about heat control. The conch could stay in the water for ten seconds at most. If it was overcooked, the meat would become like rubber, hard and tough, impossible to chew.

The same was true for stir-frying. A few seconds over high heat were enough. Both were quick dishes and had to be left for later.

In addition to stir-fried conch and blanched conch, Lu Ao also made an egg drop loofah soup and hand-shredded chicken.

By the time his dishes were done, the charcoal-grilled conch was also ready.

Song Zhou personally handled the knife and went to the kitchen to slice the conch meat.

Charcoal-grilled conch had to be sliced thin while hot. Only then would it be fresh, fragrant, soft, glutinous, sweet, and smooth.

His knife skills were excellent. The slices of conch meat he cut were almost identical in size and thickness. Arranged on the plate, the slightly yellow conch meat looked like jade, giving off a glossy sheen.

The two carried the dishes out and sat down to eat.

The blanched conch was the lightest, so the first bite had to be of it in order to taste the original flavor.

Lu Ao could hardly wait to pick up a chopstickful and put it into his mouth.

The blanched conch he made today was very successful. The heat was just right. Once the conch meat entered his mouth and he bit down, all kinds of flavors—fresh, tender, sweet, crisp, and smooth—burst forth. The texture was even better than abalone.

Lu Ao’s eyes instantly lit up.

Seeing him like this, Song Zhou beckoned to him. “Try this.”

As he spoke, Song Zhou placed the charcoal-grilled conch closer to him.

Lu Ao picked up a piece and gently bit down. Rich juices burst out at once.

The charcoal-grilled conch meat had a richer flavor than the blanched version. Once in the mouth, beyond the freshness, tenderness, sweetness, crispness, and smoothness, there was also an added layer of charred aroma and soft richness. The fullness of the diced meat and the mellow depth of the ham set off the conch meat to absolute perfection. It was the first time in Lu Ao’s life that he had eaten food like this.

In that instant, what came to mind was not how good or delicious this charcoal-grilled conch was.

Instead, the thought that surfaced was: being alive was truly wonderful.

Only by being alive could one eat food this delicious.

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