HLM – Chapter 728 Grilled Crabs

Before the townspeople arrived, Wang Bo was too lazy to gather nets or go fishing. He simply went onto the boat, grabbed an ice bucket, opened the sandpan, and scooped over ten large crabs and a cage full of big shrimp from the lake.

These shrimp and crabs were originally purchased by him for breeding—the mothers had completed their duty of reproduction, and now the task of continuing the species could be left to the small shrimp and crabs in the lake. They would make fine food.

When Eva and the others arrived at the beach with their car, Wang Bo carried the ice bucket down and said to Bowen, “You must have had enough beef and lamb at home. Tonight, the boss treats you to a seafood feast!”

Bowen laughed: “Actually, I didn’t eat much meat at home. No offense, but compared to ours, the beef and lamb from our ranch taste terrible.”

Wang Bo then told Atulu, “Call Ian and pick the best veal and lamb. Tonight, let our deputy mayor eat to his heart’s content.”

Atulu shivered with delight, his flesh trembling, and gave a formal American-style military salute: “Yes, boss!”

Juan, Charlie, and Kidd weren’t interested in meat or seafood. They had gone off to fight over the chance to drive the Plains Tyrannosaurus.

Some people arrived in dune buggies, but they were small ones transported on pickup trucks. Seeing the flashy Plains Tyrannosaurus—already a head-turner—the buggies no longer attracted attention. Everyone was watching the racing-style Tyrannosaurus.

Wang Bo called for help: “Hey, who wants to lend a hand? Little Hani, how about you? You don’t have a driver’s license, so no driving.”

Little Hani replied casually, “This isn’t a car, it’s a motorcycle. I can handle it, or at least I can learn.”

Wang Bo looked at Juan again: “Juan, come here. I’ll teach you how to grill shrimp—it tastes amazing.”

The usually obedient Juan hesitated: “Boss, I really want to learn from you, but God knows I also really want to try driving the racing vehicle.”

“All right, then go!”

Little Bartier, obedient as always, stepped over: “Boss, I’ll help you.”

Wang Bo chuckled: “You don’t want to play with the car?”

Little Bartier shrugged: “A little. I’ll ask Dad to buy me one. When he gets it, I’ll play.”

Wang Bo was momentarily speechless. The world of the rich is simple.

The Lake of Hawaii contained the “Heart of the Lake,” which had improved the meat quality of these shrimp and crabs. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so plump this season. Even sea shrimp and crabs in warm currents weren’t this fat.

So he wanted to steam the shrimp and crabs, to savor the fresh taste of seafood.

Little Bartier probably hadn’t eaten freshwater crabs before. New Zealanders weren’t particularly interested in freshwater products—they preferred the abundant, flavorful seafood from the ocean, which was already difficult to finish.

Looking at the proudly clawing crabs, he asked carefully: “Boss, what kind of crabs are these? I’ve never seen them before.”

He reached out to poke one. Wang Bo immediately flipped the crab over.

Luckily, he acted quickly. Even on land, these crabs were ferociously strong. As soon as Little Bartier reached out, the crab raised its giant claw like lightning, almost cutting him!

Flipped over, the crab struggled in vain. Little Bartier laughed heartily and began poking it with a stick.

Wang Bo wanted Atulu to fetch a pot, but Atulu shook his head: “Boss, watch me. These can be grilled—they taste even better.”

Wang Bo was impressed. Were New Zealanders obsessed with grilling everything?

Grilling crabs was simple. After lighting the grill, he placed them upside down on the rack over the fire—no preparation needed. Simple and convenient.

Wang Bo believed crab was one of the best foods in the world. The roe was fresh, the meat tender, and it could be steamed, boiled, grilled, or stir-fried with ease.

The ten-centimeter-long freshwater shrimp were also grilled. Atulu placed them on an iron tray, and soon the shrimp turned red.

However, this method was somewhat cruel—shrimp and crabs were being roasted alive, struggling violently before death. It looked harsh.

Sure enough, someone protested: “What you’re doing is animal abuse!”

Wang Bo patiently explained: “No, friend. You don’t understand. Crabs and shrimp haven’t evolved a direct connection between the brain and pain nerves. They don’t actually feel pain—they’re just fighting for survival.”

The man stubbornly said: “Regardless, it’s not allowed.”

Atulu thrust his neck forward and shouted in a rough voice: “We Maori have eaten this way for hundreds of years. Are you saying the New Zealand government forbids Maori from eating according to our customs?”

The tourist went silent, muttering, “I didn’t mean that,” and left.

After the crabs were grilled, once they cooled slightly, Wang Bo skillfully removed a shell and handed it to Eva.

These crabs had meat, but little roe—because they had just finished reproducing.

The silver lining was that the roe, though small in amount, was solid. Eva tasted a piece, licked her lips, and exclaimed: “Wow, this is delicious!”

Dale ran over, drooling: “I want to try! How tasty is it?”

Wang Bo tore open a crab, splitting it in half to reveal the steaming, tender meat.

The crab meat was snow-white, with a pearly sheen, not stringy but in solid chunks, and smelled fragrant.

He teased Dale by giving her a large claw.

She bit it crisply, skillfully extracting the meat, then puffed her cheeks and smiled happily: “Really tasty!”

The adult men, seeing crabs for the first time, were cautious despite the aroma, standing by the grill and staring at the clawing creatures.

Da Pang and Er Pang, sensitive to the taste of shrimp and crab, ran over, stretching their paws toward the crabs.

But these crabs, improved by the Heart of the Lake, were tough. When placed on the grill, they didn’t die. When Da Pang touched one, it immediately snapped back.

Wang Bo panicked and rushed to help.

Yet Da Pang dragged the crab away, tossed it casually, then shook his short legs—unharmed.

Wang Bo observed that the crab was weakened from grilling, and that the little cat’s short legs were covered in long fur, providing protection.

He gave each of the two fat brothers a large shrimp.

Er Pang quickly swallowed his, then turned to snatch Da Pang’s.

Da Pang protested, squeaking, and the two rolled around on the beach.

The queen casually walked over, picked up some shrimp that had fallen to the ground, and tasted it: “Hmm, not bad.”