Wilderness Survival with Druid System-Chapter 390 - 59: Smoked Fish

"Ready!"

Chen Wen signaled to the hippopotamus.

The hippopotamus grunted, bubbled, and submerged again into the water.

Chen Wen followed with gentle movements and entered the water.

Underwater, he spread open the hem of his shirt, forming a net-like pouch, facing the direction the hippopotamus drove the fish.

Underneath the water, following Chen Wen’s teachings, the hippopotamus effortlessly found the school of fish.

At the rear of the fish school, the hippopotamus stirred the water again.

The tilapia school felt a bit annoyed.

Come on, buddy?

Here we go again!

So early in the morning, having a tantrum?

Faced with this suddenly erratic neighbor, the tilapia school chose to avoid it.

They had no choice; they couldn’t possibly contend with this massive, amphibious tank.

Chased by the hippopotamus, the tilapia school swam towards the shore once more.

Just as they reused their old trick, intending to escape to the sides upon reaching the riverbank.

A "big net" opened up.

Chen Wen looked at the approaching school of tilapia, a wide grin nearly splitting his face.

He extended his hand and spread the neckline of his shirt even wider.

Then, Chen Wen leaned forward, scooping with his hand.

Under the effect of [Swift], Chen Wen’s hand was incredibly fast, almost at a speed the tilapia hadn’t even anticipated, rapidly scooping them up.

The water churned.

The tilapia never expected an ambush ahead.

They were instantly panicked, and the once orderly school of fish fell into chaos.

Some tilapia thrashed their tails, struggling fiercely, swimming sideways to escape.

Yet, more of the tilapia, in their panic, were captured by Chen Wen.

"Wow! So many!"

Chen Wen grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt, sealing the opening.

Feeling the vigorous struggle of the tilapia inside his shirt, he couldn’t help but say, "I caught more than half of this whole school of tilapia!"

The hippopotamus, hearing Chen Wen’s voice, felt genuinely happy for him.

It charged over quickly, intending to help Chen Wen.

But Chen Wen shouted, "No need to come; I can handle it alone."

Saying this, Chen Wen lifted with effort.

The river water flowed out through the gaps in the clothing, but the tilapia remained inside the shirt.

"So heavy!"

Chen Wen, visibly happy, started dragging the tilapia towards the shore.

Just then, a tearing sound came from the shirt.

Chen Wen shivered inside.

Looking down, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just a seam opening, nothing torn.

A false alarm, Chen Wen proceeded more carefully.

He dragged the bottom of the shirt, slowly walking towards the riverbank.

Behind, the hippopotamus followed Chen Wen onto the shore.

Upon reaching the bank, Chen Wen dragged the shirt to a spot about ten meters from the water and finally released it.

As Chen Wen let go of the opening, nearly ten tilapia spilled out from the shirt.

"So many!"

The hippopotamus, shocked, looked at the tilapia, estimating if it were to eat them...

Well, enough for a day.

The hippopotamus hurriedly munched on some grass to calm itself, lest it be frightened by its own appetite.

Chen Wen picked up an axe, aiming at the heads of the tilapia.

One by one, he smashed their skulls.

After some twitching, the tilapia lay on the ground, content and without desires.

"Twelve!"

Chen Wen’s eyes gleamed with the joy of a successful harvest.

He looked at the hippopotamus, contentedly saying, "Great job! I’m unbeatable on land, and you’re invincible in water; together, we’re unbeatable everywhere!"

"Unbeatable!"

The hippopotamus didn’t understand the meaning of unbeatable, but it still excitedly chimed in.

After celebrating, it was time to divide the spoils.

Chen Wen waved his hand grandly, "How many do you want to eat? Pick any amount you like!"

The hippopotamus hesitated at the tilapia, finally shaking its head, "Never mind, I don’t eat these; I eat crocodiles."

Alright then.

"I’ve got plenty of crocodile meat over at my shelter; I’ll bring you some later, or you could come over to the shelter tonight."

Chen Wen said, lightly patting the hippopotamus’s head, signaling it to return to the water.

Chen Wen himself began to process the tilapia.

These tilapia weren’t large, making them relatively easy to handle.

First, scale them, then use a knife to chop off their heads, slit along the belly with the knife’s tip, remove the entrails, and rinse in water.

In just about two minutes, a clean tilapia, ready for cooking, was prepared.

The hippopotamus bobbed in the water, watching Chen Wen’s easy, skilled movements, and couldn’t help but dunk its head in the water.

Looking at its own short, clumsy forelimbs, the hippopotamus emerged from the water in a sulky mood, snorting.

Imitating a little fountain~

Although unsure why the hippopotamus suddenly seemed a bit down, Chen Wen comfortingly patted its nose.

...

Having cleaned the tilapia, they returned to the camp.

Chen Wen dared not rest much; instead, he began processing the tilapia immediately.

The weather was very hot today, and the sun was scorching.

If the tilapia weren’t processed and stored quickly, in less than two days, they would only be good as bait to fish for tigerfish.

Chen Wen already had a plan for processing the tilapia.

He intended to make them into smoked fish for long-term storage.

Making smoked fish is almost the same as smoking meat.

Both involve coating the entire fish, inside and out, with seasoning or brine, leaving no spot untouched.

Then the coated fish are placed in the smoking chamber.

As time passes, the temperature in the smoker will draw out the moisture from the fish, making it very dry and hard.

This is the smoking method for fish.

Another method is to directly roast them but this requires a certain understanding of controlling the heat.

In terms of cooking, Chen Wen is at a home-cooking level.

Occasionally trying out new recipes is already his limit. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

When it comes to directly roasting the fish over fire, he feels he’s still lacking.

Therefore, Chen Wen chose the relatively simpler smoking method for the fish.

Coating the tilapia with seasoning, placing them in the smoker, lighting a fire, adding wood.

As waves of smoke rose, the smoking process officially began.

...

At this time, Chen Wen finally had a moment to rest.

Sitting atop the shelter, Chen Wen looked at the clear sky in the distance, feeling quite content.

His legs naturally dangling, swinging back and forth, reminiscent of the unworried days of late summer in his childhood.

"Sigh, I wonder how Yoshikawa Feng’s rope is doing."

Chen Wen swung his legs, unconsciously voicing his thoughts.

Rope.

Referring, of course, to Yoshikawa Feng’s rope.

"If Yoshikawa Feng falls for it, he should be working hard on the rope twist now, right?"

Yoshikawa Feng’s assistant face-palmed.

Chen Wen’s predictions were spot-on.

Yoshikawa Feng was now firmly convinced that his poor-quality rope caused the trap’s failure.

He neglected all other work, focusing entirely on the rope-making.

Under this level of intensity, the third rope was more than halfway done.

Yoshikawa Feng was quite excited at the moment.

"By this afternoon, I can reset three traps. Tonight, when the bushbucks feed, maybe I’ll catch one!"

Hearing this.

His assistant looked despondently at the ceiling.

I don’t know if he’ll catch a bushbuck, but judging by Chen Wen’s demeanor, it’s likely he’ll head to Yoshikawa Feng’s camp again tomorrow.

Whether he’ll be eliminated or continue the torment.

It’s really uncertain!

...

As for Chen Wen, he’s set his plans for the next day.

He’ll head over to Yoshikawa Feng’s place.

"If there’s rope, take it; if not, dig cassava. Also, I’ll bring a javelin along; maybe try hunting a bushbuck."

Chen Wen remarked.

But bushbucks are elusive, appearing only at dawn and dusk.

They’re hard to find at other times.

Chen Wen felt there wasn’t much hope.

"However, if Yoshikawa Feng’s traps do catch a bushbuck, it’d be a good chance to take it away."

"In any case, tomorrow’s actions depend on Yoshikawa Feng."

"Whatever happens tomorrow, it all depends on Yoshikawa Feng."