Chapter 34: Fat Crabs in Autumn

In the novel’s plot, the three villains took their first step toward a miserable life when a flood struck the Shanghe Town area, leading to a total crop failure.

The villagers were too busy saving themselves to care, and Zhao Laoda took the opportunity to sell the three children to the Wan Family.

The three little ones were passed around until they were eventually sent before the Third Prince.

Zhao Mengcheng frowned. Qingshan Village had harvested early. Even Zhao Laoda’s family, the slowest to act, had only lost half their crops. The remaining grain was enough to keep them from starving.

Several surrounding villages had followed their lead and harvested early to some extent. There were losses, but not to the point of starvation.

The scenes from the novel, with corpses lining the roads and parents selling their children, should not happen again.

Zhao Mengcheng felt more at ease. He went to the Village Chief’s house to discuss the situation. “Uncle, it’s better to be safe than sorry. We’re doing alright here, but I’m afraid the downstream areas have suffered severe damage.”

“Who is this Cao Da? Is his information reliable?” the Village Chief asked worriedly.

Zhao Mengcheng replied, “Father Cao runs the butcher shop in town. Cao Da and Cao Er work for an Escort Agency¹, so they’re well-informed.”

The Village Chief took a puff of his pipe. “Our area is on high ground at the upper reaches of the water. Further down, Fengzhou is a major grain-producing region.”

The two men looked at each other, both understanding the unspoken implications. If Fengzhou Prefecture suffered a disaster, the impact would be enormous.

The Village Chief sighed. “Never mind far away places, even our village has suffered losses. When the Yamen Runners come to collect the taxes, I don’t know what will…”

Zhao Mengcheng said, “That’s why we need to warn everyone. They must not sell the grain they have at home. For the sake of a little silver, they might end up starving later.”

It was easy to sell, but it would be difficult to buy it back at the original price later.

The Old Village Chief nodded in agreement and then asked, “Is your new house almost finished? Do you need anything else? If you need help, you must speak up. There are plenty of people in the village.”

Zhao Mengcheng smiled. “It’s almost done. Once it’s aired out for a while, we can move in.”

The Old Village Chief smiled. “That’s good. Moving in before the New Year will be warm.”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t stay idle when he returned home. He picked up his tools and got to work.

The new house was nearly finished, but the interior was empty. While tables, chairs, and benches could be moved from the old house, Zhao Mengcheng planned to make a new set of other items.

A few days ago, he had found a carpenter and paid him to build four beds. He didn’t want anything fancy, just standard canopy beds that could be used as soon as they were moved in.

In addition, he had ordered chests and cabinets. At his request, the carpenter would make standing wardrobes, a novel and practical design.

Now, Zhao Mengcheng was working with his own hands to add a few more pieces of furniture to the new home.

The first thing he made was a water tank, which would determine how convenient their future baths would be.

As Zhao Mengcheng used a plane to smooth the boards, Zhao Mao squatted in front of him and asked curiously, “Dad, you know carpentry?”

“It’s not hard to figure out,” Zhao Mengcheng laughed. Carpentry wasn’t simple, but he had a Golden Finger.

Under the influence of his Mental Power, the tools in his hands moved as if they were an extension of his body. He quickly carved out the water tank. The only problem was that wood wasn’t resistant to long-term soaking, so it would need to be replaced after a while.

Zhao Mengcheng looked it over and felt it was good enough for now. When circumstances allowed, he could have one made of iron.

With the water tank ready, he just needed to connect bamboo poles to it.

“Let’s test it.” Zhao Mengcheng placed the water tank in a high position and went into the house to fetch a bucket of water.

The three little ones all ran over to watch. Zhao Chun was even poking his head around under the bamboo pipe.

“It’s going to spray all over your face in a moment.” Zhao Mengcheng shook his head and poured the water in. Soon, the water flowed down through the connected bamboo poles.

“It’s coming out!” Zhao Chun shouted excitedly, reaching out to wash his hands.

Then he asked, “Dad, wouldn’t it be easier to just use a ladle for a bath? Or at most a big bucket? Why go through all this trouble?”

Even though the water flowed down on its own, you still had to fetch the water and turn the switch. It seemed like a lot of work.

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “This way you can bathe while standing up. Isn’t that convenient?”

Zhao Chun didn’t understand. He tilted his head and said, “I stand up to wash now, too.”

“Then don’t use it,” Zhao Mengcheng said helplessly.

Zhao Chun happily replied, “No, this is a very novel way to wash. I want to use it.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked over the entire device and felt it could be improved further, otherwise it wouldn’t be very convenient to use.

After some tinkering and adjustments, the water tank was finally settled. Zhao Mengcheng smiled. “When the kitchen next door is lit, we’ll be able to take nice, warm baths even in winter.”

Zhao Chun complained to his brother, “Dad is great at everything, but he’s too obsessed with being clean. Who takes baths in the winter?”

“Being clean is a good thing. Not everyone is as messy as you,” Zhao Mao glared at him.

Zhao Chun chuckled. “I almost forgot, you’re Dad’s little echo.”

Having finished the water tank, Zhao Mengcheng didn’t stop. He continued to fiddle with the wood in his hands.

While Zhao Chun and Zhao Xin were still circling the water tank, Zhao Mao had already returned to Zhao Mengcheng’s side, curiously eyeing the wood in his hands.

“Dad, what’s this?”

Zhao Mengcheng kept him in suspense. “You’ll know when it’s finished.”

Soon, Zhao Mao knew what it was. “A Kongming Lock! It’s a Kongming Lock!”

With skillful hands, Zhao Mengcheng turned the wood, and a slightly rough Kongming Lock took shape.

A Kongming Lock consisted of six wooden strips cleverly fitted together, utilizing mortise and tenon joints. The interlocking concave and convex parts of the wooden strips turned it into a three-dimensional toy.

Zhao Mengcheng smoothed out the splinters and handed the Kongming Lock to his son. “Do you like it?”

“Is it for me?” Zhao Mao’s eyes widened as he looked at him in surprise.

Zhao Mengcheng nodded. “You can try to take it apart. Once it’s apart, I’ll show you how to put it back together.”

Zhao Mao nodded vigorously and began to fiddle with the Kongming Lock as if it were a precious treasure.

The Kongming Lock looked simple, and its principle was straightforward, but taking it apart was actually quite difficult. Zhao Mao was stumped for a moment.

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Chun ran over. “Second Brother, let me play with it too.”

Zhao Mao was unwilling. “Dad gave this to me. Only I can play with it.”

Zhao Chun became upset when he heard this. “Dad, you’re biased! You only made a toy for Second Brother.”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed and tapped him on the forehead. “A-Mao is well-behaved, sensible, and filial. You, on the other hand, spend all day grumbling about your father behind his back. Why should I keep you in mind?”

Zhao Chun clutched his forehead and looked at his father in disbelief. This time, he was truly hurt.

He sniffled, held back his tears, and lowered his head. “I didn’t… I won’t talk nonsense anymore.”

Zhao Mengcheng chuckled and suddenly pulled a slingshot from his pocket. “This is yours.”

“A slingshot!” And it was one his father had made himself.

Zhao Chun’s mood instantly brightened, forgetting his previous sadness. He held the slingshot and hopped around the yard.

“Dad, I’m going out to try it!” With that, he rushed out, ignoring any calls to stop.

Zhao Mengcheng shook his head helplessly. Zhao Chun’s personality was the definition of forgetting the pain once the wound healed. He never stayed sad for more than three minutes.

Zhao Xin shuffled over, tilting her head to look at her father once, then twice, then a third time, afraid he had forgotten her.

Zhao Mengcheng felt like teasing her. “What’s wrong, Xin’er? Does your neck hurt?”

Zhao Xin shook her head, then ran behind him to massage his shoulders. “Dad, I like you the most. I’m the most filial.”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pulled out a bamboo dragonfly. “Look, you play with it like this.”

A bamboo dragonfly was even simpler to make, but Zhao Mengcheng had painted the wings red. With a sharp rub between his palms, the dragonfly flew through the air like a little red flower.

Zhao Xin squealed with delight. As soon as the wings landed, she couldn’t wait to pick it up and play with it herself.

Each of the three children had a toy. Zhao Mengcheng showed no favoritism.

“Brother, are you home?”

Wang Ming walked in from outside and almost collided with the bamboo dragonfly. He quickly dodged.

Zhao Xin ran over to pick it up, smiling. “Uncle Ming, look at my bamboo dragonfly. Isn’t it pretty?”

Wang Ming praised her, “It’s beautiful. And it’s red! This is the first time I’ve seen a red bamboo dragonfly.”

“Dad made it for me. It’s just for me. Big Brother and Second Brother don’t have one,” Zhao Xin said proudly.

Wang Ming laughed. “It seems your father loves you the most. But then again, our Xin’er is so sweet and lovely.”

Zhao Xin’s tail practically wagged with pride as she went back to playing.

Wang Ming entered the house carrying a bag. “They’re selling these at the docks. They say they’re lake crabs brought over from Fengzhou. They’re quite fat right now.”

Zhao Mengcheng opened the bag and saw a bunch of large crabs waving their claws. They were indeed hairy crabs².

“Aren’t you keeping some for yourself?”

“There are more at home. I bought these specifically for you,” Wang Ming smiled. He added, “The lake crabs from Fengzhou are exceptionally fat, much better than the ones from Shanghe Town. It’s rare for someone to bring them to the docks to sell this year.”

Zhao Mengcheng accepted them.

Looking at the bag of crabs, Zhao Mengcheng brought out a large wooden bucket and poured them in. They filled the bucket to the brim.

“Dad, why are these crabs so big?” Zhao Xin stopped playing with her bamboo dragonfly and ran over to look curiously.

No one in the Qingshan Village area farmed crabs. There were wild ones in the lake, but the largest were only the size of a thumb. One bite was all shell and no meat.

Zhao Mao was also seeing such large lake crabs for the first time. He followed up with, “Dad, how do we eat these? Do they taste good?”

“Usually they are just steamed, but there are too many crabs. Eating them all at once would be too cooling³ for the body, and they won’t stay fresh for long. We can make the rest into crab meat sauce.”

Zhao Mengcheng got right to work, pulling out a brush to start scrubbing the crabs.

Zhao Mao squatted beside him to help pass the crabs. The boy almost got pinched at first, but he quickly figured out the trick, grabbing them both fast and steady.

Zhao Xin didn’t dare touch the crabs, so she used a ladle to help pour water.

With the father and his two children working together, the wooden bucket of crabs was soon scrubbed clean.

Zhao Mengcheng saw that the crabs were indeed fat. One touch told him they were full of roe, each one feeling heavy in his hand.

After washing them, he sliced some scallions, ginger, and garlic to put inside, then placed them directly into the pot to steam.

Zhao Chun was running back happily with two sparrows when he saw smoke rising from their chimney. He immediately quickened his pace.

“Dad, why are you cooking so early today?” Zhao Chun asked in surprise.

“Your Uncle Wang Ming sent over some lake crabs. I wanted to get them ready early so we could enjoy them while they’re fresh.” Zhao Mengcheng looked at him. “Looks like you’ve brought a little extra for our meal too.”

Zhao Chun walked over sheepishly. “I was too busy playing. I should have come back earlier to help.”

Zhao Mengcheng replied, “I just started cooking early. You should play while you can. Next year, when it’s time for school and martial arts training, you won’t have this much time to fool around.”

“Dad, are we still eating the sparrows?” Zhao Chun waved the birds in his hand.

These two unlucky fellows had been brought down by his brand-new slingshot.

Zhao Mengcheng simply said, “Go to the backyard and dig up some mud to wrap them in. Throw them into the stove, and we can eat them shortly.”

“You got it!” Zhao Chun shouted as he ran out. He soon returned with two balls of mud. Zhao Mengcheng placed the mud balls into the stove. “Later on, we’ll get a chicken and cook it the same way. It’s called Beggar’s Chicken⁴.”

“It’s definitely going to be delicious,” Zhao Chun said, already salivating.

Soon, the fresh aroma of lake crabs filled the kitchen. These things didn’t need to be steamed for long, or the meat would become tough and lose its delicate flavor.

Zhao Mengcheng had prepared the ginger and vinegar sauce ahead of time. He lifted the lid and took out ten lake crabs. “They’re still hot. Let them cool a bit before you eat.”

“I’m not afraid of the heat,” Zhao Chun said, reaching out. Even when he was burned so badly he had to grab his ears⁵, he refused to let go.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Lake crabs have a cooling nature, so you can’t eat too many. Each of you can only have two. I’ll eat the rest. Whatever we can’t finish will be made into crab meat sauce for us to eat with rice later.”

The three children had no objections.

After letting them cool for a while, Zhao Mengcheng finally picked up a crab.

The lake crabs Wang Ming sent were the definition of fat and full. When the shell was lifted, the golden roe inside was visible. One bite revealed an extraordinary freshness.

Zhao Mengcheng narrowed his eyes in happiness. The feeling of eating large mouthfuls of crab roe was truly wonderful.

The roe was delicious, and the meat was just as good. Zhao Mengcheng was an expert at de-shelling crabs. He could crack the large claws in one bite and pull the meat right out.

The legs were even easier. He used the smaller section of the leg to poke the meat out of the larger section, enjoying the food in its purest form.

Zhao Chun and Zhao Mao had strong teeth, directly crunching through the shells.

Zhao Xin, however, couldn’t do that. With one bite, her front tooth fell right out. The little girl licked the crab claw and looked up innocently. “Dad, the crab pinched my tooth off.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked up and saw his daughter’s mouth was a bloody mess. Startled, he hurried over to check on her.

After having her rinse her mouth, he realized the child’s nutrition had caught up, and she was starting to lose her baby teeth.

“It’s fine. Your front tooth will grow back.”

Zhao Mengcheng saw she wasn’t crying, but she just looked up and asked, “Can I still eat the crab?”

“I’ll peel it for you,” Zhao Mengcheng said, amused. He pried open the claws and used chopsticks to pull out all the meat.

Soon, two crabs were peeled. The meat and roe were placed on a separate small dish in front of the little girl.

Zhao Xin glanced triumphantly at her two brothers, who were still hard at work. She felt that her father still loved her the most and began to eat happily.

“When I grow up, I’m going to peel crabs for Dad too.”

Zhao Chun bit down on a crab claw and said indistinctly, “I’m the eldest. I’ll be the one taking care of Dad in his old age. With me around, there’s no need for you.”

Zhao Mao chimed in, “Sometimes parents live with the youngest son. I’m more careful than Big Brother. Dad should live with me.”

Zhao Xin was unhappy now. “Dad loves me most. He’ll want to be with me.”

Zhao Mengcheng found it both funny and annoying. He gave each of them a light pat. “Can’t even food keep your mouths shut? Your father likes peace and quiet. I’ll just stay in my own home.”

They finished the crab feast still wanting more, but the food was too cooling. Zhao Mengcheng had eaten four himself and didn’t dare let the children have any more.

Seeing the three children looking on expectantly, Zhao Mengcheng waved his hand. “Let’s make the crab meat sauce first. If it tastes good, we’ll buy more later. We can make a large batch to store so we can still have this flavor in the winter.”

“Dad, I’ll help!” Zhao Chun responded eagerly.

Making crab meat sauce was simple. Since the crabs were already steamed, they just had to pick out the meat.

However, this task required patience. Zhao Chun couldn’t sit still for long and really wanted to just crush the shells with his teeth.

Zhao Mao did a very good job. The crab meat he picked out was perfectly intact.

After finishing one, he said, “Dad, I’ll pick out crab meat for you from now on.”

How could Zhao Chun not understand his brother’s meaning? He was saying he was better suited to take care of their father. Unwilling to be outdone, Zhao Chun lowered his head and worked harder.

Zhao Mengcheng looked at the mangled mess of crab meat in Zhao Chun and Zhao Xin’s hands and chose to look away. Since it was all going to be fried into sauce anyway, it didn’t matter if it was a bit shredded.

“Don’t put the shells in. Put all the shells over here.”

Seeing that the children were doing well, Zhao Mengcheng went to heat the wok, pouring in some of the lard he had rendered a few days ago.

Once the oil was hot, he added scallion greens and ginger slices. When the greens turned yellow, he fished them out.

Zhao Mengcheng turned around and poured all the picked-over crab shells into the wok.

Zhao Chun asked in surprise, “Dad, can we eat the shells too?”

He thought about how he had just spit them all out and felt it was such a waste.

“This is for making crab oil. That way, the crab meat sauce will taste even better later.”

Zhao Mengcheng explained, and after frying them for a bit, he fished the shells out.

He poured all the crab meat and roe into the wok at once. The fragrance of the crab roe immediately overpowered everything else, making the entire house smell wonderful.

It didn’t need to cook for long. After adding the seasonings, it was ready to be taken out.

Zhao Mengcheng took a bite. The flavor was so fresh it was almost unbelievable.

“Come over and try some,” Zhao Mengcheng called out.

To his surprise, when he turned around, the three little ones were eating the fried crab shells.

Zhao Chun was stuffing a shell into his mouth. With a loud crunch, the shell was bitten into pieces. “It’s delicious!”

The crab shells fried in lard were very crispy. They made a loud crunching sound with every bite. Zhao Mengcheng tried one himself. The taste was decent, and they could be eaten as a snack.

Zhao Mengcheng simply sprinkled a bit of salt on them. “If you like them, keep eating. They’re good for your calcium.”

Zhao Chun gave a cheer.

That evening, Zhao Mengcheng didn’t make any other dishes. He just smashed two cucumbers⁶ and served rice with the crab roe sauce.

The oily, savory crab roe sauce was spread over the steaming white rice. Once mixed together, every bite was so delicious it made them narrow their eyes, eager for the next mouthful.

When the richness became too much, a bite of the cold cucumber salad refreshed their palates. The four of them finished an entire pot of rice.

Zhao Mengcheng looked at the crab roe sauce jar, which had been scraped clean. Well, he had thought it would last for two meals, but it was gone in one.

With their bellies round and full, the father and his three children all wanted to lie under the porch and not move a muscle.

After a long while, Zhao Mengcheng finally got up and went next door. “Wang Ming, will there still be lake crabs for sale at the town market tomorrow?”

Wang Ming asked curiously, “Brother, do you want more? I still have some here.”

Zhao Mengcheng replied, “I want to buy a lot more to make into crab roe sauce. It’ll be a good dish for the New Year.”

When Auntie Wang heard this, she asked curiously, “How do you make crab roe sauce? Does it taste good?”

“It’s naturally delicious. It’s best with rice. My kids can eat three or four bowls of rice in one go.” Zhao Mengcheng didn’t keep it a secret and told her the recipe for the sauce.

Auntie Wang clicked her tongue. “With all that lard and seasoning, how could it not be good? The price of lard has gone up again these past few days.”

Zhao Mengcheng needed to provide meals for the workers building his house, so he had been buying meat for several days and knew about the rising prices. “Auntie, you have to eat well to be healthy. Look at how thin Wang Ming has become.”

Auntie Wang still felt it was too extravagant, but she looked at her skinny son and hesitated. Finally, she gritted her teeth. “Tomorrow I’ll go buy a piece of fat meat to render some lard.”

Wang Ming laughed. “There will definitely be lake crabs. I heard the harvest in Fengzhou wasn’t good this year. A flood almost washed all the crabs away, so everyone is afraid they won’t live long and is trying to sell them quickly.”

“Alright, then let’s go together tomorrow. I want to buy quite a few,” Zhao Mengcheng said.

Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, the two of them set off together. Zhao Mengcheng had a lot to do today, so he didn’t bring the children.

“It’s right there at that dock. I usually sell tofu in the city, and this area is where the third son of the Liu Clan sells,” Wang Ming said, pointing in that direction.

They had all divided up their territories to avoid disputes, but they would still share information with each other.

Zhao Mengcheng nodded. The dock in the early morning wasn’t very crowded. Most people were vendors hawking their wares, mainly local fish, shrimp, and lake crabs. Specialty goods from further away were rare.

He quickly found the lake crab stall. Zhao Mengcheng walked over and saw that they were still very active.

“Is it the same price as yesterday? Give me a hundred.”

Seeing a big customer, the crab seller greeted him warmly. “You’re a returning customer, right? Same price as yesterday. I guarantee every single one is lively and kicking.”

Zhao Mengcheng picked through them, asking casually, “Why haven’t I seen anyone selling seafood lately? Usually, you can buy cheap seaweed and salted fish this time of year. Those things taste good and keep well.”

The seller sighed. “We had those floods a while back, and they say the coast was hit hard too. Massive waves swept away several villages. Forget seafood, the people have all gone to see the Dragon King⁷.”

The surrounding people were shocked. “People were swept away? How come we haven’t heard about this?”

“We’re just far away. If I didn’t know so many people, I wouldn’t have heard either.”

The seller was just repeating hearsay, mostly about big waves and people being swept away. He then asked, “I heard a White Dragon appeared in your Shanghe Town, thousands of meters long. They descended from the sky and stopped the heavy rain. Many people saw it. Is that actually true?”

Good grief, the White Snake had been upgraded again.

The locals from Shanghe Town began to debate. “It wasn’t thousands of meters, only a few hundred. My third aunt’s cousin’s youngest son saw it with his own eyes.”

Seeing the conversation get more and more ridiculous, Zhao Mengcheng quickly took his crabs and left.

Thinking back on those words, a sense of worry rose in his heart. He decided to continue buying grain for his home, and he had to do it quietly. Buying more to store was the only way to feel at ease.

If a famine really started, grain prices would definitely skyrocket. If things truly became chaotic, he might not be able to buy any even with money.

Zhao Mengcheng had suffered from hunger before, so he decided to turn his silver into grain for storage.

After carrying the hundred lake crabs home, it took quite a while to process them all into crab roe paste. He used up every bit of lard in the house, so Zhao Mengcheng had to make a special trip to buy more.

Even though he went to the Cao Family shop this time, the price of pork had risen.

Father Cao didn’t ask for extra money, saying privately, “Pork prices have been changing every day lately. It’s rising so fast it’s frightening. Grain prices are still alright for now, but I heard it’s only because Lord Huang is strictly suppressing them.”

Zhao Mengcheng insisted on paying the full price, as he couldn’t let the Cao Family take a loss. Once home, he accelerated his grain purchases until the storehouses in both his old and new homes were packed full. Only when he had enough for the four of them to eat for two years did he feel secure.

While Zhao Mengcheng was buying grain despite the rising prices, someone else entered Qingshan Village offering to buy grain at high prices.

Upon hearing the purchase price, which was a full thirty percent higher than usual, any villager with surplus grain began to feel tempted to sell it for silver.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. Escort Agency: Known as a biaoju, these were historical private security firms that provided armed guards to protect merchants and goods during transport. ↩
2. hairy crabs: Also known as Chinese mitten crabs. They are a highly prized autumn delicacy in China, famous for their rich roe and sweet meat. ↩
3. cooling: Refers to ‘yin’ (cold) energy in Traditional Chinese Medicine, not physical temperature. Crabs are considered ‘cold’ foods that can upset the stomach if not balanced with ‘warm’ ingredients like ginger. ↩
4. Beggar’s Chicken: A famous Chinese dish (jiaohuaji) wrapped in clay or mud and baked. Folklore attributes its invention to a starving beggar who, lacking utensils, wrapped a stolen chicken in mud to cook it without releasing a scent. ↩
5. grab his ears: A common reflex in Chinese culture to cool down burnt fingertips, as earlobes are typically the coolest part of the body due to low blood flow. ↩
6. smashed two cucumbers: Refers to pai huanggua, a classic cold dish where cucumbers are crushed with the flat of a cleaver to create cracks that absorb sauce better than slicing. ↩
7. Dragon King: The divine ruler of the seas and weather in Chinese mythology. To “see the Dragon King” is a common euphemism for drowning. ↩