boyutpedia Chapter 21 While others go hungry, I eat meat
Chapter 21 While others go hungry, I eat meat
For modern city dwellers, buying pork at the market is an experience many have had. But how a whole pig is broken down into parts for sale is something most people have probably never seen before; at least for Chen Duling, it was the first time she had ever seen it.
She hadn't expected that Yuan Linghan could dismantle the miniature pig into familiar parts like the head, meat, feet, and ribs with just a small knife. Even the pig's internal organs, which she rarely ate, were quickly cleaned.
Seeing the pork parts spread out on the cutting board, Chen Duling asked curiously, "Brother Yuan, are we going to smoke all this pork? If we don't smoke it, I'm afraid it won't keep for long, right?"
"Hmm! I'll marinate these meats and ribs with salt later, and then smoke them after they've absorbed the flavor. I'll also try to disassemble the pig's head meat later. I'll stew the pig's head bones with dried bamboo shoots, and stew them a little longer so we can eat them tonight. I think that will make them even more flavorful."
As for the offal, the pig's heart and liver can be used to make soup, while the pig's lungs and intestines can be stir-fried. If we had enough ingredients, we could braise them to preserve them for longer. Right now, resources are limited, so we can only try to use them up as quickly as possible.
"Brother Yuan, I've eaten pig heart and pig intestines before, but I've never had pig lungs. But I can try them later."
"Okay, I'll try to make it taste good later. Although it's a miniature pig, it still has all the internal organs. To avoid waste, let's eat the internal organs first at noon, and we can smoke and preserve the rest later."
"Okay, I'll do as you say!"
The pig's head, which was the first piece to be removed, was cleaned by Yuan Linghan's skillful hands. This whole piece of pig's head meat, along with the other pieces of pork that were cut off, was cured by Yuan Linghan with homemade sea salt for later use.
The remaining pig's head bones weren't wasted either; they were soaked in water as well. After lunch, they'd be simmered in a soup pot to extract all the essence from the bones. Paired with dried bamboo shoots, it would definitely taste delicious.
After processing the meat that needed marinating, Yuan Linghan finally began cooking lunch. To Chen Duling's delight, Yuan Linghan sliced the small pig's heart into thin slices, marinated it in advance, and then pan-fried it, pairing it with the pork belly he had specially reserved.
Back in the city, Chen Duling definitely wouldn't have dared to eat such high-calorie food. But now, stranded on a deserted island with no one to supervise her, she had a rare opportunity to savor this delicacy, so she certainly wouldn't miss it.
The freshly pan-fried pork heart slices and pork belly, sprinkled with a little salt, were eaten while still hot. After taking a bite, Chen Duling exclaimed with delight, "Brother Yuan, it's delicious! I never imagined that pan-fried pork heart could taste so good!"
"Really? I also think the pig's heart and pork taste really good. But I think we might just be craving more meat!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Duling chuckled softly, covering her mouth, a rare occurrence. In contrast, the two chatted and laughed as they gathered around the stove, enjoying the freshly cooked food. The other contestants, though they had skipped breakfast, couldn't resist their hunger and began preparing lunch.
They took out their most treasured food supplies and ate frugally, hoping to last for a few more meals. In contrast, Yuan Linghan and Chen Duling treated the pan-fried pork heart and pork belly as appetizers before lunch.
Chen Duling tasted the soup made from pork liver and lean meat and found it very delicious. She also tried the remaining stir-fried pork intestines and lungs without any disgust and found that they had no strange smell and even tasted quite good.
The result was obvious: after lunch, she once again experienced the feeling of being stuffed, a rare occurrence. What truly moved and comforted her was that Yuan Linghan always waited until she was full before eating all the remaining food, emphasizing that nothing should be wasted.
After cleaning the kitchen, Yuan Linghan smiled and said, "Dudu, would you like a lemon coconut water?"
"Sure! Lemon water aids digestion, so I'll drink some water to help with digestion."
In Chen Duling's view, last night she was thinking that if it rained for several days in a row, the rabbit and chicken meat that she and Yuan Linghan had worked so hard to smoke would probably have to be eaten. Unexpectedly, now there are dozens of extra kilograms of meat.
With this pork, she wouldn't have to worry about food even if it rained for a week straight. However, as it turned out, no matter how frugal she was, she couldn't fight off her stomach's protests. By the second day, some contestants had already decided to withdraw.
Before quitting, the two contestants cooked up their last two packs of instant noodles. After eating, they both decided to quit. They both knew that the rain wouldn't stop for another two or three days, but they had run out of food.
Even if they continue to grit their teeth, it's unlikely they'll make it to tomorrow. Rather than continue suffering on the island, it's better to quit. While it might be somewhat undignified, at least quitting the challenge will allow them to return to a normal life!
Upon receiving the announcement from the production team, Chen Duling asked with slight surprise, "Brother Yuan, are two contestants from the same group withdrawing?"
"It should be! Didn't the director say in the previous announcement that the sixth group of contestants withdrew? One group, that should be two contestants!"
"How many athletes are still persisting?"
"Including those who withdrew earlier, there should be twelve players left on the island now!"
"I never expected that nearly half of the contestants would drop out before the challenge was even halfway through."
As Chen Duling sighed, Yuan Linghan glanced at the still-falling rain outside and said with a smile, "If it doesn't stop raining tomorrow, I'm afraid some people will quit. They can endure going hungry for a meal or two, but if they go hungry for several days, no one can hold out."
"That's true! Hehe, I'm so glad I'm partnered with you, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep going until now. Before I arrived on the island, my goal was to last a week. I never expected that I would have lasted almost two weeks already."
"And now? How long do you think you can hold out?"
"Hehe, as long as I don't go hungry, I can make it to the end of the challenge. Although I'm relying entirely on your help, it's also my luck."
"That's right! Good luck is a skill in itself!"
Just as Yuan Linghan had predicted, another group of contestants decided to withdraw the next day. This group had finished their last meal the day before and stubbornly held on until today, when they finally couldn't take it anymore and announced their withdrawal from the challenge.
Seeing that the time was right, the production team officially announced that the remaining ten contestants could freely pair up and form three groups to continue the challenge. Contestants who were regrouped would receive one kilogram of rice or noodles provided by the production team.
When the news was announced, many netizens mocked the production team, accusing them of indirectly providing food for the contestants. However, many others felt that without regrouping, the remaining eight contestants would likely struggle to continue the challenge.
If it weren't for the bad weather, they would all have had a chance to complete the challenge. A pound of rice or noodles, even a small amount, could have sustained these guests for another two days. By then, the weather should have improved.
As long as the weather improves, the contestants can continue searching for food and persevere in the challenge. To Yuan Linghan and Chen Duling's surprise, two celebrity contestants chose to join their group.
The remaining two celebrity contestants will partner with the other two groups. Out of the ten contestants, there are exactly five amateur contestants and five celebrity contestants. Chen Duling seemed very happy to learn that two celebrity contestants would be coming.
Yuan Linghan didn't seem to have any objections. It was obvious that the production team had assigned the two celebrity contestants to his group because they knew he had plenty of food. If they had been assigned to other groups, these two celebrities probably wouldn't have lasted long.
When the two star contestants were taken to the shelter by the staff, Yuan Linghan and Chen Duling were stunned to see that the shelter was like a farmhouse. They seemed not to have expected that any contestant could build such a complete and sturdy shelter!