449: Wild game gatherings

"How about we call it a day? Everyone, come to my place for dinner tonight. I've got some good liquor there!"

Yang Qi felt it would be difficult to catch anything else, so he made the suggestion.

"Good liquor? Let's go, let's go. We'll crash your place for a big feast."

Since Chen Sheng was familiar with Yang Qi, he didn't decline and helped invite Chen Gang and his companion.

"Alright then! We won't be polite. It seems the forest on this mountain is too dense; the dogs can't run freely."

Chen Gang nodded and said.

"Okay then, let's drop the dogs off first and then head over on our electric bikes!"

Chen Lin didn't refuse either. They were all young men, and after spending the day hunting Wild Rabbits together, they had become quite acquainted.

However, when Yang Qi asked them to take a few Wild Rabbits home, both of them refused.

"Keep them all, Yang Qi. We'll come back to catch more when we're free. Just cook more tonight so everyone can have a good meal."

Chen Lin and his companion were adamant about not taking any, insisting that Yang Qi take them all home.

"Alright, I won't be polite then. I'll call a few more friends tonight, and we won't stop until we're drunk."

"But Cousin, you'll have to be the one to cook the rabbit meat. I'm afraid I'll mess it up and waste it."

Yang Qi said to Chen Sheng.

"That's not a problem. Chen Lin and his friend cook even better than I do. I'll just be their assistant when the time comes."

Chen Sheng said with a smile.

The four of them returned to the village chatting and laughing, with Yang Qi and Chen Sheng heading back to their grandfather's house together.

"Hubby, Grandpa has already slaughtered the chickens, so we won't have to bother with that when we get home. There are also plenty of native eggs."

Bai Xue said with a smile.

"Cousin, how many Wild Rabbits did you catch?"

"Six Wild Rabbits. Your dogs are truly impressive. Yang Qi invited us over to your place for dinner. I'll go get my electric bike first."

Chen Sheng said as he walked toward his home.

More than half an hour later, Yang Qi and Bai Xue returned to the Sea View Villa with Chen Sheng and the other two.

"Holy crap, Yang Qi, your family is so rich!"

"Yeah! Everyone in the village has been saying that Aunt Lanying's son-in-law is wealthy, but I didn't expect him to be this rich!"

Chen Sheng, Chen Lin, and the other were stunned when they entered the courtyard, expressing their amazement one after another.

"Yang Qi, let's clean the Wild Rabbits and Pheasants first. How many people are eating tonight?"

Chen Lin asked.

"About ten or so. You guys handle the Pheasants and Wild Rabbits; I'll take care of the rest. Oh, I have some dried wild mushrooms brought back from the Northeast, so let's make stewed chicken with mushrooms."

As Yang Qi spoke, he took a piece of frozen Tuna from the large freezer and left it in the kitchen to thaw.

"Then let's do braised rabbit for three of the Wild Rabbits and stew the two Pheasants with mushrooms."

While they were still discussing the menu, a commotion came from the entrance. It turned out to be Zhang Jun, Liu Yao, and their group arriving.

"Brother Jun, you're here!"

"We're here. We're still dealing with jet lag today, but as soon as we heard you had wild game, we rushed over."

Zhang Jun lifted the bags in his hands.

"I brought back a little something for you and my uncle—some Canadian specialties: Maple Syrup and American Ginseng."

After speaking, Zhang Jun handed the items to Yang Qi.

"Great, thank you, Brother Jun."

Yang Qi thanked him hurriedly.

"Yang Qi, I didn't prepare a gift, but I brought some farmed Crocodile Meat for everyone to try tonight."

Liu Yao said, holding a plastic bag.

"Yang Qi, I brought some Sika Deer. Don't worry, it's farmed and edible."

Lu Hua gestured toward his bag as well.

"Yang Qi, I..."

...Since it was their first visit during the first lunar month, they had all brought along various gifts.

"Thanks, thank you, brothers. These are Xiaoxue's cousins. This is Chen Sheng, this is..."

Yang Qi began introducing everyone to one another.

"Yang Qi, did your dogs really catch these Wild Rabbits?"

"Tsk tsk, that's amazing! I'm so envious! Luckily, I've already arranged with Liu Zheng for them to bring me a dog when they come from Qiandao Lake in a few days."

Liu Yao and Lu Hua stared blankly at the six Wild Rabbits and two Pheasants on the ground, their hearts itching with envy.

While the others went to the living room to drink tea, those two stayed crouched beside Chen Sheng and the others, who were skinning the Wild Rabbits, asking all sorts of questions.

They continuously handed out cigarettes to the three of them, one after another.

"It looks like these two are completely hooked!"

"The rabbit-catching world has just gained two young masters."

The people drinking tea in the living room joked as they watched Liu Yao and the other.

Next, since no one had cooked crocodile or Sika Deer meat before, they weren't sure how to make them taste good.

But that didn't stump them; they just looked it up on Xiaohongshu!

Thus, another dish was added to the dinner: Braised Crocodile Meat.

First, cut the Crocodile Meat into chunks, place them in cold water with scallions, ginger, garlic, and cooking wine, then blanch over high heat.

After cleaning the crocodile chunks, pan-fry them until the surface is slightly yellow. Sauté the scallions, ginger, garlic, and other aromatics in hot oil, then add the meat. Add rock sugar (to caramelize), bean paste, cooking wine, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce, stir-frying until evenly coated.

Then, add boiling water until the meat is covered. Use a pressure cooker to braise for about 30 minutes, or simmer on low heat for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Finally, season with salt and reduce the sauce over high heat.

However, compared to commonly eaten meats like chicken, mutton, or pork, Sika Deer meat has larger fibers, making it what we often call 'tough.'

It also has the characteristic gamey smell of venison, so if it isn't treated, the flavor will be quite poor.

The fibers of venison are coarse, and it contains quite a bit of blood. Therefore, before stir-frying, cover the meat with cold water, add an appropriate amount of baking soda, and soak for about 40 minutes to draw out the blood.

Most importantly, this breaks down the meat's fibers, resulting in a better texture.

Like mutton, venison has a gamey smell, so it needs to be marinated to remove as much of it as possible.

Of course, if you happen to enjoy that flavor, this step can be skipped.

When marinating the venison, finely mince the scallions, then add ginger powder, cooking wine, and an appropriate amount of salt.

Stir in one direction by hand for two to three minutes; this way, the marinated meat will turn out better.

This method can also be used when marinating mutton.

Next, just add scallions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and star anise, then stir-fry in a hot pan with oil.

With the help of Chen Sheng and the others, Bai Xue prepared the other seafood quite quickly.

While Yang Qi was breaking down the Tuna, Yang Dad was called over by Zhang Jun.

After all, with Sika Deer, crocodile, Wild Rabbit, and Pheasant on the menu, they should invite Comrade Old Yang over to have a taste and some drinks.

"Oh! I've truly never eaten deer or Crocodile Meat in my life, and it's even been many years since I've had Wild Rabbit or Pheasant."

Yang Limin was already having dinner, but his interest was piqued when he heard there were so many rare treats.

Most importantly, it would be lively with many people at his son's place, which makes drinking more enjoyable. It's nothing like drinking alone, where the liquor seems to lose some of its aroma.