boyutpedia Chapter 20: The Skills of a Professional Butcher
Chapter 20: The Skills of a Professional Butcher
If you were to ask what Chen Duling enjoyed most about participating in the desert island survival challenge, it would probably be being able to sleep in until she naturally woke up every day. She didn't have to worry about her phone ringing constantly, or about filming the next day.
This rare sense of freedom that she experienced after entering the entertainment industry is perhaps the driving force behind Chen Duling's motivation to continue. Even on rainy days when she's bored, she can sit under the eaves and leisurely watch the rain.
Although the production team didn't allow electronic devices, Chen Duling still brought a few books to pass the time. These books could be used to kill time when she had nothing to do or before bed. But right now, she wasn't in the mood to read.
Sitting under the eaves, her gaze remained fixed on the direction Yuan Linghan had left. Many long-time viewers of the live stream were used to this. In fact, quite a few netizens felt that, aside from their family backgrounds, Yuan Linghan and Chen Duling seemed like a very good match.
Fortunately, after waiting for more than half an hour, Chen Duling finally saw that familiar figure. To her delight, she could see the prey that Yuan Linghan was carrying on his shoulder. Realizing that Yuan Linghan had indeed hunted a small pig, she was naturally overjoyed.
Although she desperately wanted to rush into the rain to help, Chen Duling knew that doing so would only cause trouble for Yuan Linghan. In Yuan Linghan's words, all she needed to do was take care of herself; that would be the greatest help she could offer him.
Most importantly, Chen Duling got her period this morning. If she gets caught in the rain, she could easily get sick. In this situation, staying in the shelter to avoid the rain is probably the best thing that can do for Yuan Linghan.
Yuan Linghan carried the miniature pig back to the shelter and threw it directly into the ditch that had brought it in. The mud and bloodstains that were originally on the miniature pig were quickly washed away and flowed back into the stream below the shelter.
Seeing Chen Duling's delighted expression, Yuan Linghan smiled and said, "Dudu, we're going to have a better meal today."
"Brother Yuan, you're really amazing. I never thought we could eat pork on the island."
While Chen Duling might not be of much help in hunting or cooking, she excels at providing emotional support. Even when faced with praise and admiration from a beautiful celebrity, Yuan Linghan remains in high spirits!
"Dudu, go to the kitchen and boil some water. I'll take a shower and change my clothes. We've had a great harvest today, so we don't need to do anything. All we have to do is clean up this pig and then enjoy our meal."
"Okay, go take a shower quickly, don't catch a cold!"
Chen Duling, who had offered her timely concern, happily trotted off to the kitchen to boil water. Although she didn't know what she was boiling water for, she at least knew that Yuan Linghan wouldn't let her do something pointless. Boiling water was necessary, after all!
After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Yuan Linghan first took the little pig that had been rinsed clean by the drain and carried it directly to the kitchen where it wouldn't get wet in the rain, intending to clean it thoroughly there.
Finding a spare large floating container, Yuan Linghan cut it horizontally, creating a U-shaped groove. The small pig, weighing only about 60 pounds, fit perfectly into the U-shaped container, while the two pots of water were now fully boiled.
"Dudu, you've worked hard. Leave the rest to me, you just stand by and cheer me on. Have you ever seen a pig being slaughtered?"
When asked, Chen Duling shook her head and said, "I've seen the video online, but I haven't seen it in real life."
"Then in a moment, you will see how a pig is slaughtered and gradually transformed into the pork sold at the stall."
"Hmm! Brother Yuan, you used to slaughter pigs?"
The sudden question startled Yuan Linghan, who asked, "Didn't you look at my profession when you chose me?"
"No! I only knew you were in the military, I didn't really know your profession."
When Chen Duling said this somewhat shyly, netizens were also curious about what Yuan Linghan did after his military service. When Yuan Linghan revealed that he had worked as a slaughterhouse worker in his hometown for two years, Chen Duling and netizens were shocked.
"Slaughterhouse workers? Do they specialize in killing pigs?"
"Really? Young Master Ling is so young, and he's doing this kind of job?"
"White knife in, red knife out, Brother Ling is indeed a professional butcher!"
Previously, some netizens mocked the outdoor bloggers who withdrew, assuming they had lost to Yuan Linghan, a professional athlete. Unexpectedly, before participating in the show, Yuan Linghan was a full-time slaughterhouse worker at a local slaughterhouse.
I initially thought the outdoor blogger had lost to the more professional Yuan Linghan, but Yuan Linghan's main job is a butcher, clearly making him the amateur. Losing to a professional is understandable, but losing to an amateur shows how amateurish those bloggers really are!
While chatting with Chen Duling, Yuan Linghan's hands didn't stop. He poured boiling water from two pots down the pig's head to its tail. Every time he poured boiling water, he would pinch the spot where the water had been poured.
Seeing that the pig hair could be easily pulled off, he continued to pour the water on other areas. Once the entire pig was thoroughly soaked, Yuan Linghan took out the small knife he had used to cut the neck and began scraping off the scalded pig hair. The areas the knife scraped quickly revealed smooth pigskin.
After scraping one side, Yuan Linghan continued to scrape the other side of the miniature pig, which had been soaking in boiling water, clean. Once the miniature pig was completely smooth, he lifted it out of the U-shaped trough and placed it on a cutting board made from salvaged wooden planks.
Although some pig hair remained on the pig's head and trotters, it could be burned off with an open flame later. After washing the pig's body with clean water, Yuan Linghan deftly removed the pig's head from the incision he had made earlier.
Even though the scene was somewhat bloody, Chen Duling watched intently. In her opinion, this visual impact and experience was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Besides, all this cleaned meat would soon become delicious food!
After Yuan Linghan cleanly and efficiently cut open the piglet's skin, a pile of pig entrails were easily removed and temporarily set aside for the next step of cleaning. Yuan Linghan also said at the right time, "Dudu, boil two more pots of water, we'll need them to clean the entrails later."
"Okay, I'll boil water right now!"
She might not be good at other chores, but she's become quite skilled at boiling water. Being able to help gives her a sense of participation and accomplishment. At first, her fans thought Yuan Linghan was being too much—how could she let Dudu do all the work?
Seeing how miserable and difficult the other celebrity contestants' lives were on the island, these fans suddenly felt that compared to them, Chen Duling was clearly a winner who won by doing nothing. Helping out with some chores was only natural, wasn't it?
Viewers watching the live stream, seeing Yuan Linghan quickly dismantle the miniature pig into various parts, finally believed he was a professional butcher. This skill requires years of experience; the average person simply can't learn it!
"Holy crap, this skill is no wonder of a professional butcher, the technique is so swift."
"Although it's a small miniature pig, the way they're dismantling it is no different from dismantling a large, fat pig!"
"A professional outdoor blogger actually lost to a professional butcher; it doesn't seem like such an unfair loss!"
A barrage of praise and playful comments flooded the live stream, and viewers who had been watching other groups' streams seemed to have all flocked to Yuan Linghan and Chen Duling's stream. In an instant, Yuan Linghan's popularity and viewership surged once again.
To the delight of the production team and the platform, the live stream video went viral and became a trending topic. Contestants who had previously withdrawn from the challenge, as well as celebrities who had declined the platform's invitation, now felt some regret.
With such a massive influx of traffic, even if they ate wild vegetables every day on the island for a month, they could probably reap many benefits. But now, all that buzz and traffic has been stolen by a professional butcher. How could they not be envious and jealous?