pjbooks Chapter 54 Worries Brought by the Storm
Chapter 54 Worries Brought by the Storm
Listening to the raindrops pattering on the roof of the shelter, Yuan Linghan, who was cooking dinner, thought of the saying, "One autumn rain brings one chill." If nothing unexpected happens, the temperature tomorrow should be even lower than today.
Although there was no shortage of warm clothing, the sudden drop in temperature would affect fishing and hunting tomorrow. During this time, Yuan Linghan had also caught a considerable number of wild rabbits by setting snare traps.
What truly angered him was the lynx that had been stealing his food, causing considerable damage to the rabbits he had captured. He hadn't had time to stake out the area while busy building the shelter. Perhaps he could give it a try next time.
Thinking of all this, Yuan Linghan said with slight anger, "Don't give me a chance, or I'll skin you alive and use your skin as a shawl. You can be a sweetheart in China, but here you're just a shrew!"
Smelling the aroma of grouse wafting from the soup pot, Yuan Linghan was pondering what animals to hunt next. Although he had a quota for hunting black bears, he would need to be extremely cautious if he were to actually hunt one.
According to information previously provided by Tom, Black Bear Bay is home to a large number of black bears, as well as wild boars and wolves. Before the snowfall, hunting large prey can actually be quite troublesome.
But if the opportunity really presented itself, Yuan Linghan wouldn't let go of meat that was offered to him. Compared to fried chicken fat and fish oil, if he could hunt wild boar or black bear, the fat from those two animals would likely be more abundant.
"With plenty of time ahead, we might be able to selectively hunt some wild beasts. As for the mutated beasts Tom mentioned, I wonder if we'll even encounter them. And even if we do, whether we can successfully hunt them is another matter!"
Staring at the bubbling soup pot, Yuan Linghan was also contemplating the next stage of the plan. Meanwhile, the "Living Alone in the Wilderness" production team began copying all the video footage recorded by the contestants, from which they would edit the footage needed for the production team.
In the pilot episode, viewers' impression of Yuan Linghan is that she was the first contestant from China to participate. Previous seasons also featured contestants of Chinese descent, but without exception, none of them made it to the end.
In this situation, the number of viewers who truly believe Yuan Linghan can persevere to the end is probably not large. And that's precisely the effect Yuan Linghan wanted. A strategy of starting low and then rising high, being low-key in the beginning, isn't a bad thing.
The production team originally wanted to show a video of Yuan Linghan killing the mutated python in the pilot episode, but this was rejected by Aipai Company. In Tom's words, countries typically maintain strict secrecy regarding mutated beasts.
Perhaps this is why the mutated python meat and egg samples that Yuan Linghan had specifically reserved for the state ultimately received a reward from the government. Otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult for an individual to obtain a legal hunting license!
Once the grouse and Jerusalem artichoke were almost cooked, Yuan Linghan sat down at the table he had prepared and began to leisurely enjoy his dinner. He preferred the tender, soft Jerusalem artichoke to the grouse meat. This shows that his body also craved carbohydrates.
Sitting at her homemade dining table, Yuan Linghan scooped chicken and Jerusalem artichokes into a wooden bowl and said to the camera, "Although grouse is delicious, after eating meat for several days in a row, I feel that my body urgently needs to replenish carbohydrates."
These Jerusalem artichokes are rich in starch and natural sugars, and when combined with the sweetness of the grouse, the flavor is simply superb. This type of Jerusalem artichoke is also a common ingredient in China. Because of its unique taste and shape, we call it Jerusalem artichoke.
Using homemade wooden chopsticks, Yuan Linghan ate Jerusalem artichokes almost one bite at a time, eating with great gusto and enjoyment. Later, when the video aired, many North Americans wondered if this ubiquitous plant really tasted that good.
In reality, even in China, people who love Jerusalem artichokes find them delicious, while those who can't stand the taste don't like them. But for Yuan Linghan, who is currently in the wilderness, Jerusalem artichokes are a food more precious than meat.
A pot full of grouse stew with Jerusalem artichokes was reduced to a few cleaned bones; Yuan Linghan had drunk every last drop of the broth. Outside the shelter, as he washed the pot, Yuan Linghan noticed that this rain was indeed heavier than the previous ones.
While washing the soup pot in the rain, Yuan Linghan said with a touch of emotion, "I'm so glad that I managed to build the permanent shelter before this heavy rain came. Tonight's rain is noticeably colder than the previous ones."
If I continue sleeping in the makeshift shelter, tonight will probably be quite tough. But that's how the wilderness is; you never know whether a surprise or an accident will come first. I just hope tonight's rain won't affect my fishing tomorrow.
To ensure the shelter wouldn't flood or leak, Yuan Linghan had dug drainage ditches in advance. The rainwater falling on the camp was now flowing down the ditches. His only worry was the pottery he had fired during the day.
With tonight's rain, the kiln should be ready to open tomorrow. However, whether the rain will affect the pottery being fired remains to be seen after the kiln is opened tomorrow. This unexpected situation was something Yuan Linghan hadn't anticipated.
As Yuan Linghan added a few dry firewood to the fireplace and then lay down on the warm fire pit to drift off to sleep, several contestants who had not yet built a permanent shelter were suddenly caught in a downpour and were shivering from the cold.
While the temporary shelter provided protection from the wind and rain, tonight's rain was noticeably different from the previous ones. Not only was the rain heavy, but it was also accompanied by howling mountain winds, causing the nighttime temperature to plummet.
Left with no other option, the participants could only desperately light a campfire and sit in their shelter by the fire, hoping the heavy rain would end soon. They hadn't expected that after surviving the first ten days, they would face the test of torrential rain and strong winds.
Waking up promptly at dawn, Yuan Linghan opened the solid wood door, and a cool breeze carrying the scent of grass and trees wafted into the shelter. Standing at the door, he instantly felt the stark temperature difference between inside and outside.
Glancing at the campsite, Yuan Linghan spoke again, "The fog in the jungle is noticeably thicker than before. Thankfully, the rain has finally stopped. I just wonder if we can still fish in the lake today!"
While speaking, Yuan Linghan did not go to the stream to wash up as before. Instead, she filled a pot with water from the rainwater collection bucket and boiled it. Then, she washed up outside the shelter using the boiled water.
The fog was too thick, and visibility was too low, so Yuan Linghan wasn't in a hurry to check the rope traps he had set. Given the weather last night, he figured the rope traps wouldn't yield much. So why rush to check them?
After washing up, Yuan Linghan took out a smoked dried fish by the relit fireplace, fried it, and ate it for breakfast. He then changed into a waterproof and warm coat, picked up his bow and arrows and hunting knife, and went out again.
Upon arriving at the stream, Yuan Linghan noticed that the water level had increased significantly overnight, and the water had even become somewhat murky. Fortunately, he had previously used the remaining tarpaulin to make a special water tank for storing water.
"It rained so hard last night, and there seemed to be strong winds too. I'm afraid a lot of the ripe berries in the berry grove will have fallen. I need to find time to collect all the remaining berries. If we don't pick them now, we might not be able to pick them at all later."
Although drying berries requires patience and time, Yuan Linghan still believes that berries can replenish the trace elements needed by the body. If he doesn't seize the time to store as many as possible now, he worries that he won't be able to collect any more berries after the snow falls.
He would feel it would be a waste to miss out on or waste such readily available ingredients!