Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

Fang Yu followed his grandfather to the storeroom in the corner of the yard.

The warehouse was made of wood, and an old-fashioned padlock hung on the door.

Grandpa took the key out of his pocket and turned it with a click.

The room was dark and smelled of old wood and hay.

Grandpa pulled out a large plastic bucket from behind, with a thick wooden board covering the opening and a brick on top of it.

"It's heavy, I'm carrying it."

"The fish we raise in the pond behind the house were prepared in the fall, just in time for you to eat them during the Chinese New Year."

Grandpa shoved the bucket into Fang Yu's hands.

Fang Yu took it, and felt a sudden weight in his hand.

A series of soft, clattering sounds came from inside the bucket, along with a wet, splashing noise.

He knew exactly what it was, and a look of satisfaction spread across his face.

"Fairy Sister, come here."

"Let me show you the good stuff in the forests of Northeast China."

Hearing Fang Yu call her, Liu Yifei curiously came over.

"What good stuff?"

She tilted her head and glanced at the tacky plastic bucket, full of curiosity.

"Why are you using buckets? Is it fish inside?"

Fang Yu did not answer.

He just smiled at her.

That smile concealed a chilling premonition that Liu Yifei was all too familiar with.

But she hadn't had time to interpret it yet.

Fang Yu had already reached out and lifted the wooden planks and bricks off the bucket.

Liu Yifei glanced into the bucket subconsciously.

Just one glance.

"what!"

She was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and she sprang back several meters in a flash.

"What...what is this?!"

Liu Yifei's face turned deathly pale, and her finger trembled as she pointed at the bucket.

The scene inside the bucket was clearly presented to all viewers in the live stream.

At the bottom of the large barrel, a layer of dark brown stuff was wriggling.

There were more than a dozen forest frogs of various sizes. They looked similar to toads, but their skin was smoother and they had some black spots on their backs.

They were piled up at the bottom of the bucket, some even trying to climb up the bucket walls, making a squelching sound as they sucked.

"Holy crap, a toad? Fang Yu, are you sure this is something good?"

[The fairy sister is terrified! Fang Yu, you have absolutely no compassion for women!]

[Just for your information, this is the Northeast Forest Frog, commonly known as the Hasma, and these things are quite expensive!]

Judging by its size, it must have been raised by Grandpa himself; it's definitely a top-quality specimen from the forest!

Although I knew it was a health supplement, seeing that bucket of dark, murky stuff crawling around was a bit of a test of my mental fortitude.

Fang Yu couldn't stop laughing at Liu Yifei's terrified expression.

"What's there to be afraid of? This thing doesn't bite."

"Don't you usually enjoy eating bullfrogs?"

"This is much better than bullfrogs; these are all purebred male dogs."

Liu Yifei stayed far away, not daring to move forward even a step.

"How can these be the same? The bullfrog was skinned and served, but this...this one is still moving!"

Grandpa looked at Liu Yifei's frightened appearance and a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Daughter, don't be afraid."

"This stuff is very nutritious, especially good for your skin, girls."

"Fang Yu, don't scare them, hurry up and get it done."

Fang Yu responded and quickly rolled up his sleeves.

He grabbed a few of the larger ones from the bucket and put them into a fine-mesh net.

The frog struggled desperately in his hand, kicking its long, thin hind legs.

Liu Yifei's eyelids twitched as she watched, and she felt goosebumps rise all over her body.

"Fang Yu, are you really going to eat them?"

Fang Yu walked towards the kitchen without looking back.

"What else can we do? Keep it as a pet?"

"Don't worry, once it's cooked, you'll be the fastest runner around."

He went to the kitchen and boiled a large pot of water.

Fang Yu glanced towards the live stream and began his live tutorial.

"Everyone, today I'll teach you how to make some authentic forest farm dishes."

"There's a specific way to prepare these forest frogs."

"We're putting on two shows today. The first one is called Deep-fried Forest Frog."

As he spoke, he dipped the net containing the live frogs directly into the pot of boiling water.

"Scalding it for those two seconds is to remove the slime and also to keep it from moving around."

"Be careful, don't leave it on for too long, or the skin will break."

Liu Yifei peeked out from the kitchen doorway, peeking half her head out.

She saw Fang Yu lift the net, and the frog that had been struggling just moments before was now motionless.

My body turned slightly pale from the heat.

Fang Yu poured the frogs into a basin, added some cool water, and began to wash them carefully.

"These are all males; in my hometown, we call them male dogs."

"If it's a female, it's called a female leopard, and it's used to extract oil. It would be too wasteful to just fry it directly."

He sprinkled salt into the basin as he washed.

"Sprinkling salt is to clean off the surface film and kill bacteria at the same time."

Looking at Fang Yu's calm demeanor, Liu Yifei felt a chill run down her spine.

She felt that Fang Yu was like a cold-blooded chef, handling some unspeakable and forbidden ingredients.

After washing it clean, Fang Yu put the frog in a basin and began to chop scallions and ginger slices.

"Scallions, ginger, MSG, thirteen-spice powder, cooking wine."

"Marinate for ten minutes, let the flavor seep into the bones."

Fang Yu moved quickly, and the sound of him chopping vegetables was rhythmic.

He mixed the seasonings well and spread them evenly on each frog.

By this time, the fishy smell in the room had faded considerably.

Instead, the aroma of scallions, ginger, and seasonings is added.

Upon smelling the aroma, Liu Yifei's stomach surprisingly rumbled.

Her face flushed red, and she wondered what was wrong with her.

I was terrified just now, but now it actually seems kind of tempting?

I must have eaten too little at lunch!

[Fairy Sister, your stomach is protesting!]

Fang Yu's technique is indeed professional; he's clearly a veteran who grew up in the forest.

Deep-fried forest frogs—even the bones are crispy! A perfect accompaniment to drinks!

Fang Yu glanced back at Liu Yifei, a sly smile on his face.

"How's it going? Can you smell it?"

"Let me tell you, this fried food is a hundred times better than the fried chicken you usually eat, and it won't make you fat!"

Liu Yifei snorted coldly.

"I don't believe it, it looks terrifying."

Fang Yu didn't argue; he started heating the oil in the wok.

Most of the soybean oil was poured in, and the fire blazed up.

He picked up a pickled frog and rolled it in the flour dish.

Let it be covered with a thin layer of white frost.

When the oil was about 60% hot, Fang Yu slid the frog into the pan, close to the edge.

"Sizzle—"

A plume of white smoke rose, and the rich aroma of deep-fried food instantly filled the entire kitchen.