booktalesy Chapter 59. He's gotten fat, Tu Tu'er!
Chapter 59. He's gotten fat, Tu Tu'er!
As Yuan Linghan said earlier, the biggest difficulty in being alone in the wilderness is not obtaining food, but how to endure the long loneliness. For the contestants, who were used to living in groups, now they have to live alone in the wilderness for one hundred days.
One hundred days may just be a number, but it requires welcoming the sunrise and bidding farewell to the sunset every day. Most importantly, during those one hundred days of living alone in the wilderness, it's essential to manage your mood and avoid getting bogged down in emotional turmoil.
Fortunately, a routine check-up takes place every ten days. Besides checking the contestants' physical condition, it also provides an opportunity to release the pressure of loneliness. At least it gives each contestant a chance to chat with the staff for a few minutes.
On the second day of inspection, eight of the ten participants persevered. However, the weather in Black Bear Bay had become increasingly unpredictable. All the participants could even feel the nighttime temperature approaching zero degrees Celsius.
After handing the memory card containing the recorded video to the staff and having his blood pressure and weight measured again, the doctor in charge of the examination exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Yuan, you've gained almost a pound since the last checkup. That's incredible!"
"Really? It seems I've adjusted my diet quite well these past ten days. Besides having plenty of meat, I've also been able to find a good amount of carbohydrates. Although I'm still busy every day, at least my diet has become much more normal."
Logically, eating meat every day should lead to weight gain. However, in reality, if you only eat meat and don't supplement with carbohydrates, you can still lose weight. For the participants in this challenge, losing weight isn't unusual; gaining weight would be!
After seeing off the staff who had only been there for less than half an hour, Yuan Linghan looked at the still gloomy sky, took a deep breath, and said, "It seems this area will soon experience snowfall. We need to speed up the storage of supplies!"
During this period, Yuan Linghan did not hunt any large prey, but he once again harvested a large amount of dried fish and rabbit meat through fishing and snare traps. In addition, he also hunted some birds such as pheasants while patrolling the mountains every day.
What Yuan Linghan truly regrets is that the wild mushroom population has begun to decline sharply, and it's now difficult to find them in the surrounding jungle. Fortunately, he has picked and dried most of the wild mushrooms he found in the area.
Secondly, during his hunting patrols, he found a considerable number of Jerusalem artichokes, which he eventually dug up and stored. Although the quantity of these Jerusalem artichokes still wouldn't last until the end, these early reserves were just as important.
Once the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, it will be almost impossible to dig up the roots and stems of these starch-rich plants!
"It's a bit of a shame we didn't find any other starchy plants. Today, let's go explore the northern jungle again."
To explore further into the jungle and ensure a safe return to the shelter before nightfall, Yuan Linghan carefully controls the distance and time of his daily hunting patrols. After all, the wild jungle after nightfall is a true paradise for wild beasts!
When the edited footage from the second episode aired, Yuan Linghan's skills in hunting wild goats and lone wolves with a bow and arrow garnered much recognition from viewers. Even many international viewers felt that this Xia Guo contestant had become a top contender.
However, many viewers felt that the other two wilderness elites had a better chance of winning the championship this season. One of them successfully hunted a moose using a compound bow, while the other was lucky enough to hunt a black bear.
In terms of meat reserves, these two wilderness elites had more than Yuan Linghan. However, many professional viewers noticed that the contestant who hunted the moose did not properly process the harvested venison.
Although this contestant also smoked the venison, improper storage could still cause it to spoil. Once the jerky spoils, it will inevitably ruin the contestant's plans.
To explore more unknown areas, Yuan Linghan now carries steamed dried meat and Jerusalem artichokes with him when he patrols the mountains. With these spare rations, he doesn't need to return to the camp for lunch and can easily solve the lunch problem in the mountains.
Along the way, Yuan Linghan would collect any plants he could find. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, the seasonings he could add to his cooking were no longer limited to just salt.
Although Yuan Linghan encountered black bears during his hunting patrols, these bears would usually flee at the first sign of humans. And at this stage, Yuan Linghan had no plans to hunt black bears.
In his view, the best time to hunt black bears is after the snowfall. Although many black bears are likely to hibernate and not easily show themselves by then, according to the information provided by Tom, black bears are still active after the snowfall.
This means that even with the snow season approaching, there will still be opportunities to hunt black bears. Actually, what he most wants to hunt right now is the wild boar he finds while patrolling the mountains. Given the chance, he would hunt a female wild boar weighing over 100 pounds.
Because this type of wild boar tastes better. As for the larger, more robust male wild boars, the less palatable their meat is. Of course, if a male wild boar actively seeks death, Yuan Linghan wouldn't mind giving it a quick death.
Persistence pays off. After several searches, Yuan Linghan finally discovered a plant rich in starch, just like Jerusalem artichoke. He was quite excited to see this large, vine-like plant.
"Wow, it seems Lady Luck has finally remembered me today. This is a plant whose fruit and tuber are both edible; its scientific name is *Eurya spicata*. In Xia Kingdom, it is also called *Eurya spicata*. This plant is even a medicinal herb."
After a brief introduction, Yuan Linghan removed his equipment and began picking the ripe pods. These pods are also rich in protein, and can be added to the pot when stewing meat later to add another flavor.
After collecting a considerable number of pods and seeds, Yuan Linghan began digging up the tubers of the *Tujuan*. Although these tubers contain some toxins, they are completely safe to eat when cooked. They are also rich in protein, containing more than three times the amount found in potatoes.
Unfortunately, the yield of tubers from the *Tujuan* variety is nowhere near that of potatoes. Furthermore, since it grows in the wild, digging it up requires a great deal of effort. But for Yuan Linghan, these are not problems!
Jerusalem artichokes are indeed delicious, but eating too many can become cloying. Now that more tubers are being harvested, he can eat them in rotation. He doesn't lack meat reserves now, and can even hunt after a snowfall, but starchy foods are scarce.
The result was obvious: after completely clearing away the mound of earth, Yuan Linghan felt extremely satisfied looking at the pile of tubers that resembled potatoes. With these dozens of kilograms of tubers, they no longer had to focus solely on Jerusalem artichokes.
Carrying the dug-up tubers back to camp, Yuan Linghan cooked some and ate them. The remaining tubers were stored in a dry place. He even deliberately left the mud on the surface unwashed.
Letting the mud on the tubers dry completely will extend their shelf life. Washing them will actually make them rot more easily. Anyway, his shelter isn't small, so storing these ingredients isn't a problem.
Upon tasting the cooked tubers for the first time, Yuan Linghan remarked with satisfaction, "The taste of these tubers is a bit different from what I remember. Tubers from Xia Country taste similar to chestnuts. But North American tubers taste somewhat like roasted sweet potatoes."
Compared to the other contestants' extremely monotonous and boring meals, Yuan Linghan would describe the texture and taste of each ingredient in detail, just like a food critic, whenever she cooked dinner or tasted new food.
After the video was released, many viewers who were interested in the wilderness felt that they could really learn about the wilderness by watching his videos!