"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and take the fish inside. If it freezes solid, you can forget about having soup tonight."
Su Wei was pulled up the steps by Martha. The warmth of the house, mixed with the aroma of food, completely enveloped him.
He glanced back; outside the door, the wind and snow raged, while inside, the lively atmosphere of a family's chatter filled the air.
This made him suddenly realize that the $30 million estate might have been built to protect such a warm feeling.
Martha urged him on, and pushed Su Wei into the warm halo of light.
The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind them, shutting out the cold night in Kodiak.
Su Wei stood on the carpet in the entryway and felt a wave of sticky heat wash over her, a mixture of the smells of burning dry wood, oil, and old wool fabrics.
He bent down and unzipped his windbreaker.
Martha deftly took his coat, casually shaking off a few shards of ice that hadn't yet melted from the collar.
The hooks next to the entryway were covered with coats of various colors, most of them badly worn and emitting a fishy smell.
"Go sit by the fireplace, Aruk, and take Su Wei to warm his hands."
As Martha spoke, she hung up the clothes and plunged into the kitchen without looking back.
Su Wei looked up from the living room floor and saw the pine wood in the fireplace burning fiercely, red flames licking the inside of the fireplace.
The dry, orange light illuminated every corner of the living room; the carpet was slightly faded, and several wooden jigsaw puzzles were scattered on it.
Su Wei walked over and sat down on the single leather sofa by the fireplace.
As my body temperature returned to normal, a tingling sensation began to spread through my fingertips.
Aruk sat casually on the thick cushion next to him, rubbing his knees vigorously with both hands.
"Oh, home is so comfortable."
He let out a long sigh.
Two small figures peeked out from around the corner.
The boy named Isaac was clutching the chocolate Su Wei had just given him, his freckles dancing in the firelight.
The little girl, Lily, hugged the teddy bear that was missing an eye and looked timidly at Su Wei.
Su Wei nodded to them.
As if receiving some kind of command, Isaac suddenly rushed over, stopped in front of Su Wei, and puffed out his chest.
" Su Wei, is that bear king really bigger than this TV set?"
The boy pointed to the old 24-inch color TV in the corner.
Su Wei thought for a moment about the leather piece that was 3.5 meters long.
"When it stands up, it can touch the eaves of your house."
Su Wei gestured with his hand to indicate a height.
Isaac's eyes widened suddenly, and he let out a series of low growls imitating a monster.
Aruk chuckled to himself.
"Alright, Isaac, don't disturb the great hero's rest."
He stood up and patted Su Wei on the shoulder.
"Go help out in the kitchen? I bet if you don't show off your skills, my mom will ruin that pot of soup tonight."
Su Wei stood up. He really needed to find something to do to ease this sudden feeling of family warmth.
In the kitchen, Martha was busy at the counter.
The umami aroma in the air had reached its peak, the result of the black cod and snow crab that Su Wei and Aruk had caught that morning.
Two prepared black cod were neatly arranged on a porcelain plate, their flesh displaying a translucent, snow-white appearance.
Martha is rubbing sea salt onto the fish.
" Su Wei, bring me that deep blue plate; it's on the shelf to the right of the sink."
Martha's voice was clear and crisp, and she didn't even look up.
Su Wei walked over and precisely removed the heavy porcelain plate.
He noticed several enormous snow crabs next to the cutting board; they were the largest of the snow crabs they had caught.
Martha had already scrubbed the crab shells clean with a brush and was preparing to put them directly into the huge oven.
How are you going to cook these crabs?
Su Wei asked in a low voice.
Add some butter and minced garlic, then bake for twenty minutes.
Martha picked up a heavy dinner knife with swift movements.
As Su Wei looked at the thickness of the crab shells, relevant cooking data automatically came to mind.
His [ Cooking LV3] gives him a unique understanding of heat control.
These snow crabs were only five hours old when they were pulled from the cold, deep sea, and their activity level remained high, with their muscle fibers extremely moist.
If you follow Martha's method, the high temperature of the oven will evaporate most of the moisture within twenty minutes, at which point the crab meat will become dry and tough.
"Aunt Martha, I suggest shortening it to twelve minutes."
Su Wei pointed to the preheated oven.
Martha stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her.
"Twelve minutes? The shell still won't be crispy after that."
"These crabs grow in the deep sea, and their meat is very tender now."
Su Wei stretched out his hand and pointed to the clear mucus flowing from the joints of the crab's legs.
"This means their protein hasn't started to degrade yet. Twelve minutes can maintain a core temperature of sixty degrees Celsius, which is the critical point for maximum umami flavor."
Su Wei casually picked up half a lemon from the counter, and the knife in her hand seemed to come alive, spinning rapidly between her fingertips.
With a few swishes, several thin, cicada-wing-like lemon slices landed precisely on the edge of the tray.
Finally, sprinkle on a layer of coarse salt and let it sit for three minutes using the residual heat.
Su Wei added.
Martha looked at Su Wei's skillful knife work and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.
She quickly smiled and reached out to adjust the oven's timer knob.
"Alright, we'll listen to the great hunter. After all, you risked your life to get these things."
The atmosphere in the kitchen became more relaxed as the conversation flowed.
Su Wei began to help Martha prepare the side dishes. He washed the vegetables extremely quickly, and each stalk of celery was remarkably uniform in length.
Martha couldn't help but glance at his focused expression a few more times.
Before long, dinner officially began.
The large round wooden table was crammed full.
Old Kash sat in the head seat, holding a small glass of locally brewed spirits.
Aruk and his younger siblings squeezed to one side, while Su Wei sat next to Martha.
In the very center of the table was a large pot of steaming venison stew.
The venison was stewed until it turned a deep brown color, and it was squeezed together with potatoes and carrots, the broth thick and sticky like some kind of dark gelatin.
Next to it was a plate of snow crabs baked according to Su Wei's suggestion, with fine butter bubbles still clinging to the red shells.
Finally, black cod was served. This fish, known as "butter of the sea," was simply pan-fried until it turned an enticing golden brown.
Aruk looked at the tempting meal and couldn't help but let out a clear gulp.
Everyone looked over, which made Aruk blush. Although his face was already noticeably red from the cold wind today, it was almost impossible to tell that he was blushing.
Seeing Aruk's expression, Martha was the first to burst out laughing.
Then, everyone chuckled softly.
Su Wei couldn't help but grin.
This relaxed and warm atmosphere allowed him to completely unwind.
Aruk couldn't help but laugh at everyone's good intentions.
"Alright! Let's eat!"
He hurriedly raised the bowl and chopsticks in his hands, making a gesture of begging for mercy.
Old Kash picked up his glass and lightly tapped it on the table.
"Dinner's ready!"
Chapter 148 Black was once a champion of Alone? His thoughts on making videos.
Old Kash gave the order.