65: I wouldn't trade a fried grouper for a president.

On the way back, Lu Fan was already conceptualizing tonight's seafood feast in his mind.

He thought about pan-frying the Grouper Fish in the iron pot; the golden, crispy skin and the tender, juicy flesh would be simply perfect.

The Sea Urchins could be eaten raw or steamed, packed with umami flavor.

Lu Fan hummed an out-of-tune little ditty as he returned fully loaded with Da Hei.

As soon as he returned to the Shelter, he couldn't wait to dump the "treasures" from the bamboo basket onto a flat stone slab.

Instantly, the slab was covered with lively, top-quality Grouper Fish and round Sea Urchins, looking like a small marine life party.

The livestream room immediately became lively as viewers left comments and likes.

“Great God Lu's luck is just too good, first Grouper Fish and now Sea Urchins!”

“Waiting for Great God Lu's cooking tutorial; it looks mouth-watering!”

“Da Hei is in for a treat this time, getting to eat and drink well with Great God Lu again.”

“Today, we're going to be a little extravagant,” Lu Fan said to Da Hei, who was tilting his head at him. Da Hei seemed to understand, wagging his tail and barking twice.

First, he turned his attention to that plump, top-quality Grouper Fish.

Although the Grouper Fish was large, Lu Fan's hands had long been trained to be incredibly agile and strong through his long-term Wilderness Survival.

He first picked up his sharp dagger and skillfully began scraping scales starting from the gills. With a "shua shua shua" sound, the scales fell like snowflakes.

“If these scales could be made into decorations, they might actually look quite nice,”

Lu Fan muttered to himself, a comical image of himself wearing a suit of scale armor appearing in his mind. Then, he remembered a movie he had seen before.

“I am Ao Bing of the East Sea, I am the hope of the Dragon Clan, I...”

Da Hei tilted his head, looking at Lu Fan strangely.

“What are you looking at your old man for!”

After finishing with the scales, he carefully sliced an opening along the fish's belly and cleaned out the organs bit by bit.

“The stuff inside the fish's belly can't just be thrown away; who knows when it might come in handy,” Lu Fan grumbled while setting the cleaned organs aside separately.

Da Hei curiously leaned in, his nose twitching, seemingly very interested in the organs.

“Shoo, shoo, this isn't for you to eat,” Lu Fan laughed as he pushed Da Hei away.

Next, he turned his gaze to the Sea Urchins.

Looking at the Sea Urchin's sharp spines, Lu Fan scratched his head. “These things aren't easy to deal with. If you accidentally get poked, it won't feel good.”

He found two thick branches to use like chopsticks to hold the Sea Urchin, then used his dagger to gently pry open the top.

“Hey, it's open!” The golden Sea Urchin Roe inside was revealed, and Lu Fan's eyes lit up.

“This is the essence of the Sea Urchin; it absolutely cannot be wasted.” He carefully scooped out the roe and placed it in a clean bowl.

With the ingredients prepared, next was the cooking phase.

Lu Fan directly stoked the fire until it was burning brightly.

He set up the iron pot, and once the bottom was hot, he added the snow-white lard.

When the lard began to smoke, he put the prepared Grouper Fish in. As soon as the fish touched the lard, it made a "sizzle" sound, and the aroma instantly filled the air.

Lu Fan took a sniff, and his mouth almost started watering.

While the fish was frying, Lu Fan began to ponder how to eat the Sea Urchins.

He remembered seeing a recipe for Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin in a food magazine once.

“Since I have eggs now, I might as well try it.” He cracked the Grouse Eggs he had found earlier into a ceramic bowl.

After adding the right amount of water and salt and stirring evenly, he put the Sea Urchin Roe in.

“I wonder how it'll taste; hopefully, it won't be a disaster,” he joked to himself while stirring.

Under the heat of the fire, both sides of the Grouper Fish gradually became golden and crispy. Lu Fan used his chopsticks to flip the fish and continued frying.

“This fish would be perfect with a bit of black pepper, but it's a pity I haven't found any yet.” He shook his head regretfully.

On the other side, the Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin was also slowly cooking over the fire.

Lu Fan lifted the pot lid covering it, and a fresh fragrance wafted out.

“It looks pretty good, but I don't know about the taste.” He gently poked the steamed egg with his finger; it was soft and very elastic.

Finally, a sumptuous seafood feast was ready. Lu Fan placed the fried Grouper Fish on a plate and set the Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin beside it.

Lu Fan spread some jam over the fried Grouper Fish.

The Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin was garnished with some chopped Wild Green Onion.

“Da Hei, dinner's ready!” he shouted to Da Hei, who had been craving it for a long time.

Da Hei ran over excitedly, circling the food while constantly drooling.

He first picked up a piece of Grouper Fish and put it in his mouth. The tender fish meat melted on his tongue—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with aroma bursting everywhere.

“Mmm, as expected of a top-quality Grouper Fish, it's so tender.” Lu Fan gave a thumbs up as he ate.

Da Hei looked at Lu Fan expectantly, making a "whining" sound. “Here's a piece for you.”

Lu Fan picked up a piece of fish and threw it to Da Hei, who caught it in one bite and ate it with great relish.

Next, Lu Fan took a spoonful of the Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin. The umami of the Sea Urchin and the silkiness of the egg blended perfectly, with a delicate texture and delicious flavor.

“This is good too.”

Lu Fan looked satisfied, as if he weren't in a Wilderness Survival situation but enjoying a meal at a five-star hotel.

Before long, the large plate of Grouper Fish and the Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin were completely polished off by Lu Fan and Da Hei.

Lu Fan patted his round belly. “Eating pan-fried giant Grouper Fish, I wouldn't trade it even for the presidency.”

Of course, for an adult wild wolf, a few pieces of fish were definitely not enough.

Lu Fan took a large pork chop from the storage room, roasted it over the fire until it was sizzling with oil, and then sprinkled it with salt.

Da Hei had been drooling for a long time, but he still sat obediently by the side waiting to be fed.

“Eat up.” Lu Fan placed the pork chop in Da Hei's dog bowl.

Then Lu Fan cut some grass, sprinkled it with salt, and fed it to Big Horn and Baa Baa.

After eating their fill, Big Horn and Baa Baa lay down under the shed to rest.

Da Hei also lay on the ground, his belly bulging and his eyes narrowed into slits, looking extremely content.

The livestream room:

“Wow, I'm so jealous of Great God Lu Fan, eating delicious food every day.”

“I'm even more jealous that Great God Lu Fan has so many pets. Unlike me, I can't even afford a dog.”

“I'm even more jealous of Da Hei, having big fish and meat to eat every day.”

“Putting it that way, it's true; we're living worse than an animal.”

“To the person above, I suggest deleting that; my defenses are broken.”

“That's just how the environment is these days; humans aren't as precious as animals.”

Looking at the well-fed Da Hei, Big Horn, and the others, Lu Fan felt a sense of accomplishment.

Then Lu Fan began to clean up the aftermath.

He collected the remaining fish bones and shells and put them on his compost pile.

“These are all good things; they can't be wasted,” Lu Fan said seriously.

Da Hei watched Lu Fan working from the side, sniffing with his nose from time to time, as if helping to look for any missed food scraps.