Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 60 Rabbit Meal

[Mass release]

When Jeff arrives, the girls are gathered in the camp. He was in a good mood since they had not let the fire die down.

When he arrived, they just glanced at him. He couldn’t help but smile wryly but continued his work.

As he planned to change the style of cooking this rabbit meat, fat, and liver. so, before he sat down, he placed the raw meat and fat on a plate made of palm leaves.

When that was done, he had to make a small burrow—a fire pit, if you want to ask.

After finding a good spot not far from the fire camp, he ensured that the soil was firm and that it was far from materials like dry grass or leaves. Since it was in the forest, he couldn’t just burn it, and it would spread in the forest.

Using his hands to dig, it was a bit hard making him think that making a shovel is also necessary. When he started digging a shallow pit about 12 inches (30 cm) deep.

The diameter is also slightly wider to accommodate the fire and allow air circulation down there.

After that he line the base of the fire pit with small stones to insulate and protect the soil from excessive heat.

Seeing him working so hard, the silent girls who planned to ignore him could not handle it anymore, as Layla was the first one to stand up.

"Captain, do you need help?" she asked as she walked and stopped beside him.

Glancing up he saw Layla gazing at him, he just smiled as he nods his head an said.

"Yes, can you gather some dry kindling, twigs, and larger firewood?" he instructed.

Layla nods her head. The other girls decide to help, but they are still going to ignore him.

As Jeff rested on the ground, taking some rest, he was tired since he’s not really superhuman. He did a lot of work, so sitting there and resting for a bit is feels good.

When the girls were done gathering the resources, they already stacked them and placed them a bit far from the burrow, as Jeff instructed.

When that was all done, Jeff stood up and wandered around the place. Finally, he found a large piece of flat rock that he just needed.

Lifting it up to the ground, he rinsed the top of the flat surface of the rock from the filtered water so that during heating, some germs would not attach to the rabbit’s meat.

When Jeff was done, he went back toward the fireplace and stopped the girls from gathering more firewood since there was already a lot.

The girls then surrounded the fire pit burrow sitting in the ground, silent as the dead of night.

Jeff then places that large piece of flat stone near the fire to preheat it. The stone was smooth and free of cracks.

If he chose rocks with cracks and an unsmooth surface, they can explode in some cases due to trapped moisture inside them.

Picking up the burning fire back in the fire camp, he places that piece of kindling radiating with fire at the base of the pit.

He then gradually adds some larger wood to make the fire burn until the stone is heated to the desired temperature.

Jeff then sat in the ground, as the girls looked at him in silence. "The silence is so loud," he exclaimed, feeling depressed.

The process of heating the large piece of flat rock can take about 10-20 minutes, but he chose somewhere in the middle of 15 minutes.

He then placed the stone on top. Once the fire was well established, he carefully placed the preheated flat stone over the burrow opening.

Of course, he made some small gaps to create a vent, allowing oxygen to flow over the fire beneath.

He then stood up again as the gazes of the girls were on his back, he carried the palm leaves where the rabbits meat are and place it close to them.

"You can choose what you want to eat; there is rabbit meat, fat, and liver here, " he said to the girls, who nodded in reply.

But they did not take some waiting for him to take action first, so he did as he picked up a cut mouth sized piece of meat and laid it directly on the flat stone for cooking.

The girls then followed suit, choosing the meat. Since the cooking flat stone is big, more than five pieces of mouth-sized meat can fit in it.

While they chose meat, Layla’s favorite was the fat, which she placed on the flat stone. The fire below heated it, spreading its heat evenly so it was cooked greatly.

Jeff then stood up as he prepared the other food. Seeing him leave, Emma could not help but ask where he was going to go since they were about to eat.

"Where are you going?" She asked, raising her voice a little, questioning him.

Hearing her slightly raised voice, they were stunned why did she need to shout like that?

Even Emma was dumbfounded. It was like everything that revolved around the young man was now her problem. When the two of them did that.

Just like this morning, where she was worried and anxious when he wanted to confront the danger.

Jeff glanced back, responding to her, "Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just going to prepare the Yam so we can eat it." His gaze was soft and delicate.

There was even some sense of doting in his eyes. When Emma accepted his reason, he left with his back staring at them.

Seeing that big sister Emma is just worried, the trio did not notice anything other than that. But Charlotte seems to have sensed something from the interaction.

The suspicion in her heart is growing. "I must watch these two properly," she said inwardly, not feeling good inside. Her heart feels uncomfortable, and she does not know why.

Jeff then picked up the yam and used the stone knife to carefully remove its outer skin.

If he just heated it directly, the skin can sometimes be tough or bitter, and peeling it exposes the sweet taste inside.

As he peeled from top to bottom, he then went towards the bamboo containers filled with filter water.

He then washed the yam pieces to remove dirt, sap, or residual bitterness from the outer layer.

Rinsing ensures the yam is clean and safe to eat, particularly if the skin or outer layer contains toxins or irritants.

Going back to his spot, the girls were waiting for him to finish his work. "Why are all of you still not digging in?" he asked, since it took him some time to peel this, and they actually waited for him.

Charlotte, not knowing why she seemed irritated in seeing Jeff, snorted, "Of course, it’s to wait for you."

Jeff felt a bit bad inside, hearing her snorts. "Sorry to keep you waiting; you can start eating now," he commented.

As the girls nodded their heads, Emma could not help but feel sudden anger inside her as she looked towards Charlotte from her childish attitude.

Charlotte, noticing what she had done, was kind of regretful, especially seeing Jeff’s look.

"Hays, what did I do just now? Why am I acting so different than before?" she grumbled in her mind.

Jeff then sliced the yam into manageable pieces, like wedges so it can be cooked evenly.

He laid the yam pieces directly on the hot stone, occasionally using his hands to turn the pieces.

The girls tasting the meat of the rabbit, which tastes so different from the boar’s meat they have eaten before.

Jessica was the first to take a bite of the roasted rabbit meat. As she bit and chewed on it, her eyes lit up.

"This... this is so much better than boar meat," She exclaimed, covering her mouth as she spoke, but the hot breath released in her mouth lingered in the air.

"It’s so tender and kind of sweet, too. It’s not as gamey as I expected. The taste is really predictable," she mused at the end.

Ariana, nibbling on a piece, denied her words. "Yeah, it’s so soft, and the flavor is just... cleaner. Boar meat tastes better than rabbit meat if you ask me, but this rabbit meat is light and juicy." She gave her opinion, savoring another bite.

Jessica heard her words, and her eyes narrowed as she argued. "Rabbit meat tastes better duh~"

"Nuh uh, boar meat is better if you ask me," she argued back as the two quarreled again; Jeff, finding the atmosphere returned to what it was, released a smile.

Charlotte, still a bit sulky from earlier, took a tentative taste. Her expression softened almost immediately.

"The texture’s so smooth. I didn’t know rabbit meat could taste this good," she admitted quietly, her fingers already reaching for another piece.

But when she took another bite, she glanced at Jeff, and the taste turned into bittersweet.

Emma, sitting beside Jeff but keeping her focus on the food, took a small bite and closed her eyes as she let the flavors unfold.

"It’s... good," she murmured.

"It melts in your mouth but still has a nice bite. And the way it was cooked, it’s perfect."

Layla, who had been quietly chewing on a piece of roasted rabbit fat, suddenly spoke up. Her face was one of surprise and delight.

"Wow! The fat is amazing!" she said, holding up a small piece as if it were a treasure.

"It’s crispy on the outside but so rich and creamy inside. It’s almost like... it’s pig meat!" she commented, giving her review. That it’s really different from boar meat and was even tastier.

"See, many of them love it. I can only say, Ariana, your taste is awful," Jessica mused.

Ariana laughed, "Everyone has their taste, so I don’t care what you think. You will not convince me about it, either way."