Chapter 11 Pepper Salt Grilled Shrimp.

Chapter 11: Salt and Pepper Grilled Prawns.

A shrimp trap, as the name implies, is a cage designed for catching shrimp.

"Xiao Yu, how exactly do we make this shrimp trap you're talking about?" Qin Shizhen asked, her curiosity piqued.

"First, help me shave these bamboo stalks into thin strips, about two centimeters wide. Be careful not to cut yourselves."

Yu Xin demonstrated with a knife. The knives provided by the production team, made from some synthetic material, were incredibly lightweight and sharp—they sliced through tough bamboo as effortlessly as cutting paper. Even Shen Tong, with the least physical strength, found them easy to use.

He took a bamboo stalk and smoothly split it into strips roughly two fingers wide and a meter long, showing the others: "Just like this."

"No problem."

Working together, they quickly transformed the bamboo they had harvested into a pile of thin strips on the ground.

Yu Xin picked up a strip to test its flexibility—it was perfect, precisely what he needed.

"Watch closely, I'm about to start."

He retrieved some nylon rope and metal wire, setting them aside. With a bamboo strip in hand, he twisted and folded it with rapid movements. In no time, an oddly shaped object began to take form.

It resembled a rounded champagne bottle lying on its side. The top end of the bamboo strips was bound with metal wire into a pointed tip, fanning out like petals before curving into a smooth arc. The bottom section was constructed differently: shorter bamboo strips were tied into an inward-pointing cone, with a circular opening at its apex for entry.

Yu Xin meticulously checked the stability of the bamboo strips, ensuring each one was securely fastened and wouldn't come loose unexpectedly.

"It's done." He straightened up, wiping sweat from his forehead. The sun was already strong, and a fine layer of glistening sweat had formed on his brow.

"Is this it??? This shrimp trap??"

"Can this thing actually catch shrimp? Don't make me laugh."

"You just don't get it. They're merely going through the motions. The trap's appearance doesn't matter—the production team certainly won't let them fail to catch shrimp (dog head)."

"Some people really speak without thinking. Have you ever caught shrimp yourself? How can you be so certain they won't succeed?"

"Exactly, I believe in Yu Xin."

"Just ignore them. They'll soon learn how painful it is to be proven wrong, haha."

The guests gathered around the peculiar shrimp trap. Sheng Xingyao gently prodded the bamboo strips, pointing to the small opening at the bottom. "Is this the entrance?"

"Yes," Yu Xin confirmed, lifting the trap to demonstrate. "Because the bamboo strips taper inward, once shrimp swim through the narrowing entrance into the trap, it's very difficult for them to get out."

The gaps between the bamboo strips allowed water and smaller organisms to pass through, while only retaining larger shrimp.

"But," Qin Shizhen raised another question, "how can we guarantee the shrimp will swim inside? If they don't, wouldn't all our effort be wasted?"

"Simple," Yu Xin replied. "Do we still have the fish guts from yesterday?"

They had buried the fish guts after their meal to prevent spoilage and odor, but Yu Xin had deliberately set aside a small portion, wrapped in leaves.

Yu Xin retrieved the small piece of fish guts, tied it to a long blade of grass, and hung it inside the shrimp trap.

"We have bait. There's no need to worry about them not entering."

He had used this method countless times in the past to catch shrimp. Unfortunately, in his original world, pollution was severe, and most shrimp grew misshapen—some with four claws or eight legs. Often, only one or two in a trap were uncontaminated enough to eat, and even their taste was... indescribable.

But this river—he had observed it yesterday while fishing—was home to sizable shrimp. Their transparent bodies revealed golden shrimp roe flowing within their shells, plump and incredibly succulent.

He had been eager to try this since yesterday. God knows, it had been so long since he last tasted truly unpolluted shrimp!

"So that's how it works!" Everyone suddenly understood. Yesterday, they had wondered why Yu Xin specifically saved a piece of fish innards, never imagining they'd use it today.

Yu Xin picked up the shrimp trap. "Now, all we need to do is find a suitable spot to place the shrimp trap. In a few hours, we'll be enjoying fresh shrimp."

The group excitedly headed to the river.

The river here was crystal clear, with the shadows of tall trees along the bank dyeing the water various shades of green. Occasionally, a couple of white waterbirds skimmed the surface, creating a truly delightful scene.

The spot where they had fished with spears yesterday was a shallow area in the river channel, but for catching shrimp, they couldn't go there. Instead, they needed to choose a bank with deeper water and abundant aquatic vegetation.

The shrubs along the bank were lush and verdant, trailing into the water. The water below was waist-deep, and the riverbank was covered in emerald aquatic plants swaying with the current, providing a rich food source for aquatic life.

Hidden among these plants were numerous fresh, plump shrimp.

Yu Xin gently placed the shrimp trap into the water, allowing it to slowly sink to the riverbed along the bank. The fish innards tied to the trap floated up, swaying enticingly in the water.

"Alright," he straightened up, "now we just wait and come back later to see our harvest."

"Hahaha, this is hilarious! Fake Yu is really putting on a show, acting like he can actually catch shrimp!"

"Right? And the other guests are buying it too? Have they been completely fooled by Yu Xin?"

"...Seriously, enough already. They've spent several days with Yu Xin—don't they know him better than you?"

"Does a good-for-nothing even need to be understood? I'm telling you, Yu Xin won't catch a single shrimp!"

"Whoa, this plot feels familiar."

"I get it, I get it, but I won't say it, hehehe."

The shrimp trap needed to remain in the water for at least three hours. During this time, under Qin Shizhen's guidance, the guests reinforced the bamboo shelter that had weathered the storm and gathered more branches to replenish their dwindling firewood supply. Yu Xin took another walk through the forest and returned with a variety of wild plants.

Everyone was busy, all the while secretly anticipating the harvest a few hours later.

Half a day later, by the river.

Sheng Xingyao volunteered to pull up the shrimp trap. The trap lay still at the riverbed, with the water's surface covered in shadows from the trees, making it hard to discern what lay beneath.

The riverbank was slippery, so Sheng Xingyao found a stable position, bent down, and lifted the trap by both sides, pulling it upward.

The guests and all the viewers in front of their screens watched his every move intently—

"It's so heavy!"

The river water parted as the edge of the trap emerged, bringing up a full load of water, making it quite substantial.

Sheng Xingyao gave a strong pull, lifting the shrimp trap completely out of the water. The river water inside poured out through the gaps, splashing noisily back into the river.

"Look inside the trap!" Shen Tong exclaimed, giving Ruan Qing beside her an excited poke.

Under the sunlight, as the remaining water drained from the trap, dripping down the edges, the trap was left glistening and wet. Inside, leaping and scrambling as if trying to escape, were plump, lively river shrimp!

Nearly half the trap was filled!

"There are so, so many shrimp in the trap!!"

"?????"

"Holy shit, this actually worked? Don't mess with me—I didn't go to school for nothing!"

"Are these shrimp idiots? They just got tricked into the trap?? Do they even have a brain the size of a sesame seed??"

"To the person above, shrimp brains aren't even as big as a sesame seed to begin with."

"I don't believe it! The production team must've put them in!"

"I don't buy it either. Did the props team step in again?"

"LOL, when Yu Xin was making the shrimp trap earlier, you all said he'd never catch anything. Now that he did, you're claiming the production team planted them. Can't you make up your minds?"

"Agreed. Some of you are just talking out of their asses without a clue. If you're so capable, why don't you give it a try?"

The live chat was once again in an uproar over Yu Xin. New viewers were shouting disbelief, questioning the production team—you name it. Meanwhile, the regular viewers, who had previously been divided, now united in defending Yu Xin.

Even fans of Sheng Xingyao and others, who had initially disliked Yu Xin, found themselves speaking up for him.

Not that they wanted to, but Yu Xin was just something else. Since the show started, everyone who doubted him ended up with egg on their faces. It wasn’t that they were siding with Yu Xin—it was just that he always ended up being right.

Regardless of the chaos in the comments, the guests were beyond excited.

Sheng Xingyao rubbed his hands together eagerly. "There are so many shrimp! How should we cook them?"

He looked at Yu Xin, his eyes lighting up with excitement, reminding Yu Xin of a little stray dog that had briefly followed him around once.

The look in that dog’s eyes whenever Yu Xin opened a can of dog food was exactly the same as Sheng Xingyao’s just now.

But that dog didn’t stay with him for long. Yu Xin gave it away to a family in a city he passed through. Following him meant a life of instability and never having enough to eat, while that family had plenty to eat and drink and could easily afford an extra mouth to feed. Their youngest son adored the dog, happily playing with it all day—surely it would be well cared for.

Anyway, it was better than sticking with him.

Yu Xin felt a rare softness in his heart and stroked his chin, thinking seriously. "Hmm, these shrimp are incredibly fresh. They’d be great poached and dipped in sauce."

"Oil-braised shrimp would also be good, or maybe typhoon shelter-style fried shrimp. We could also shell them and make fried shrimp balls, sprinkled with pepper and salt mix—spicy, crispy, and perfect for popping into your mouth one by one."

As he vividly described the ways to cook shrimp, Sheng Xingyao’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if he wanted to try every single method.

"...But," Yu Xin suddenly paused, "all these methods require a wok."

"And we lost our wok," Yu Xin spread his hands, looking regretful. "Unfortunately, none of these will work."

"..." Sheng Xingyao’s happy expression froze on his face.

Why had he been so careless? So mad, so regretful QAQ.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA Sheng Xingyao is too funny. Is Yu Xin messing with him?"

"Messing with fools is so fun. I wanna mess with a fool too."

"Our Yao Bao isn’t dumb! He’s just too trusting, boo-hoo."

"Pfft," Shen Tong couldn’t help but laugh. "Yu Xin, stop teasing him. He’s about to cry, HAHAHAHA."

Yu Xin switched gears, lifting the half-filled shrimp trap in his hand. "Anyway, we’ve got plenty of shrimp. Let’s skewer and grill half of them. As for the other half... how about I show you a new way to prepare them?"

"No problem, no problem!" Ruan Qing responded enthusiastically.

She was totally confident—anything Yu Xin cooked was bound to be delicious!

Author's Note:

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Not sure if you can picture what a shrimp trap looks like, lol. Too bad I can’t post pics here.