Over the next few days, the frost and snow intensified, covering the entire mountain forest with a thick layer of silver.
The women's cave, despite being reinforced multiple times and filled with thicker animal hides and moss, still appeared precarious in the face of such extreme cold.
Their survival depended almost entirely on their dealings with Lin Feng.
Each time, they were like believers offering sacrifices to worship the gods.
They carefully and respectfully presented to him the plants, minerals, or unusual fungi they had collected, which seemed ordinary to them.
Lin Feng still followed his unfathomable standards in selecting these "tributes".
Sometimes, he would glance at a large bunch of seemingly strange berries that they had painstakingly collected and discard them like trash.
Sometimes, a small, inconspicuous piece of bark with a peculiar smell can make him raise an eyebrow and show a satisfied expression.
The outcome of each transaction was like an unknown trial; success would bring a few days of stable food and gratitude for Lin Feng's "divine grace."
Failure means tightening your belt from now on.
However, even in such a harsh environment, Lin Feng's pursuit of a high quality of life showed no signs of stopping.
His set of gold tableware gleamed in his humble wooden hut, the broth he prepared with newly discovered spices exuded an enticing aroma, and he even began to create a simple "filter" that could purify drinking water by mixing a special volcanic rock powder with charcoal.
Recently, Lin Feng's attention has turned to another problem that has been troubling him for a long time - cooking oil.
He had previously been using an oil extracted from the fat of certain oily animals, as well as oil extracted from petroleum fruits.
These oils are fine for lighting lamps, but when used for cooking, they always have an unpleasant fishy or raw taste, which seriously affects his pursuit of the ultimate in gourmet food.
The drawbacks of this inferior oil became increasingly apparent, especially when he began to try making some "past-life delicacies" that required a lot of oil.
"We must find a better source of cooking oil," Lin Feng silently resolved.
At the same time, his knowledge about oil pressing and refining also emerged in his mind like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
From the original stone mill pressing and lever extrusion, to later processes such as heating extraction, sedimentation filtration, and even alkali refining for deacidification and activated carbon decolorization...
A series of complex and systematic oil processing techniques were clearly presented in his mind.
He began to consciously direct the women to pay special attention to plant seeds or fruits that might be rich in oils, within the scope of their daily gatherings.
"Pay attention to nuts with plump kernels, or plants with seeds that feel oily to the touch."
During one transaction, Lin Feng casually instructed Qin Lan and the others, "If you find anything special, I will give you extra rewards."
"Yes, Mr. Lin Feng!" The women naturally accepted the order respectfully, keeping the words firmly in mind. To them, every word Lin Feng spoke might hold the key to acquiring more survival supplies.
Tang Bao, a girl who idolizes Lin Feng to the core, regards this mission as a sacred duty.
She devoted almost all her energy to the task of finding "oil plants".
Her small stature made it easier for her to squeeze into the dense bushes, and her observational skills became exceptionally sharp due to her extreme focus on the forest wind.
A few days later, when Tang Bao excitedly presented Lin Feng with a handful of small, dark brown fruits with hard shells, pale yellow kernels, and a unique nutty aroma, Lin Feng's eyes lit up.
He vaguely remembered this fruit.
He named it "Sunstone Seed" because the color of its kernel resembles that of a stone solidified by sunlight.
Lin Feng took a few "sunstone seeds" and used a stone hammer to crack open the hard outer shell, revealing the pale yellow kernel inside.
He pinched off a small piece with his fingernail, rubbed it, and sure enough, he felt a distinct greasy sensation on his fingertip. When he brought it to his nose, a pure and delicate nutty aroma wafted up, without any unpleasant odors.
"That's it!"
Lin Feng was overjoyed. The oil content and quality of this "Sun Stone Seed" far exceeded any plant he had found before.
"Tangbao, you did a great job."
Lin Feng rarely showed a hint of approval, and gave Tang Bao an extra small piece of "energy sweet cake" that he made with golden fox rice and honey as a reward.
Tang Bao was flattered and her face turned bright red. She was so excited that she could hardly speak: "Thank you... thank you Mr. Lin Feng! Tang Bao... Tang Bao will definitely work harder!"
Next, Lin Feng assigned the task of collecting "Sun Stone Seeds" to the women.
With a clear goal and additional incentives, the women's enthusiasm soared to unprecedented heights. Braving the bitter cold, they searched for this unassuming fruit within the safe zone designated by Lin Feng.
Soon, a small pile of dried "sunstone seeds" appeared in front of Lin Feng's wooden house.
The extraction of oils has officially been put on the agenda.
Based on what I know, the most effective traditional method for extracting oil from this hard fruit is to first roast and crush it, and then press it.
Baking makes it easier to separate the oils, while crushing destroys the cell structure of the oilseeds.
Lin Feng directed the women to slowly roast the collected "sunstone seeds" over a low fire until the shells cracked slightly and emitted a rich aroma.
This process required immense patience and precise control over the heat, and the women operated with utmost care under his strict supervision.
The roasted "sunstone seeds" were collected and poured into a huge stone mortar—a concave boulder that Lin Feng had specially chosen and polished with a harder stone tool.
Then, he began the crushing work with a heavy hardwood stick.
This was physically demanding work. Lin Feng had several women with relatively good stamina take turns pounding the grain.
He himself guided them on the rhythm and pressure to ensure that the nuts were thoroughly crushed, but not so finely ground as to affect the subsequent oil extraction.
"Thump...thump...thump..."
The dull thumping sounds echoed rhythmically in Lin Feng's camp, mixed with the women's slightly heavy breathing.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads. Despite the freezing weather, the strenuous physical labor still made them feel hot.
However, no one complained or groaned.
They knew that Mr. Lin Feng was undertaking a new "innovation," and they were fortunate enough to be participants in it.
This sense of pride sustained them and helped them persevere.
After the "sunstone seeds" were crushed into appropriately sized particles, Lin Feng had the women collect them and wrap them in several layers of finely woven straw filter cloth (which he wove from a type of flexible grass stem) to make uniformly sized "oil cakes".
Next comes the most crucial step – squeezing.
Lin Feng did not choose the overly complex lever press or wedge press, because those required the manufacture of precision components.
He chose a modified version of the relatively primitive but effective "heavy stone packing method".
He carved out several shallow oil channels on a huge, flat bluestone slab and left a small oil collection pit at one end of the slab.
Then, he had the women stack the wrapped "oil cakes" layer by layer in the center of the stone slab, with each layer separated by a flat, thin wooden board.
Finally, he directed the women to work together to carefully place the heaviest boulders they could move onto the stacked "oil cakes".
"Everyone, be careful! Follow my instructions and release slowly!"
The women held their breath and used all their strength to slowly and steadily stack the boulders on top of each other under Lin Feng's unified command.
As the pressure gradually increased, the fragments of "sunstone seeds" wrapped in the filter cloth began to groan and creak.
Then, a miracle happened.
One drop, two drops...
The pale golden liquid, exuding a rich nutty aroma, seeped out drop by drop from the gaps in the filter cloth, slowly converging towards the oil collection pit along the oil inlet groove left on the stone slab, as if it had a life of its own.
"It's oily! Mr. Lin Feng! It's oily!"
Tangbao was the first to let out a surprised cry, her eyes widening in disbelief.
The other women also gathered around, their faces showing fascination and awe as they watched the slowly flowing liquid, which resembled molten gold.
Is this... cooking oil?
Completely different from the murky, fishy animal fats they had seen before, this oil, pressed from "sunstone seeds," was clear in color and had a pure aroma; just looking at it was a delight to behold.
A satisfied smile appeared on Lin Feng's face.
He bent down, took a clean quill, dipped it lightly into the oil in the oil pit, dripped it onto the back of his hand, rubbed it with his fingers, and then brought it to his nose to smell it.
"Hmm, not bad. The oil is pure and the aroma is rich, even better than I expected."
Over the next few days, by continuously pressing and replacing the "oil cakes," Lin Feng successfully collected several earthenware jars of this golden-yellow "sunstone seed oil."
He also instructed the women to use a finer filter cloth to filter the virgin oil a second time, removing some small residues and making the oil purer.
When the first pot of roasted meat and wild vegetable soup, cooked with freshly pressed "sunstone seed oil," was placed in front of Lin Feng, a fragrant, pure aroma with a hint of nuttiness made his mouth water.
He picked up a piece of golden-brown roasted meat with his golden chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and found the meat tender and the fat sweet, completely free of the unpleasant aftertaste he used to have.
"This is true delicacy!" Lin Feng exclaimed sincerely.
The women watched Lin Feng enjoy the food, inhaling the irresistible aroma they had never smelled before, and couldn't help but secretly swallow their saliva.
They knew that Mr. Lin Feng had created another "divine" food.
This time, Lin Feng was not as "stingy" as before.
After successfully pressing the oil, he kept most of it for himself, but also gave the women a small earthenware jar of this precious "sunstone seed oil".
What surprised and delighted the women even more was that Lin Feng also took out an iron pot from his mysterious storage room!
It was an iron pot about thirty centimeters in diameter, with two simple handles, its body dark and heavy, yet gleaming with the unique luster of metal!
"This...this is..." Qin Lan looked at the iron pot, her voice trembling with excitement.
They used to cook things in earthenware pots, which are fragile, heat unevenly, and are difficult to clean.
For them, an iron wok is simply a dream "magic tool"!
"This pot, along with all this oil, is a gift for you."
Lin Feng's tone was calm, as if he were bestowing upon someone an insignificant gift: "It will be much easier for you to handle ingredients from now on. Remember, this is also a reward for your hard work."
"Mr. Lin Feng! You...you are so...so kind!"
Su Wanqing's eyes were red.
Qian Xiaoxiao, Ruan Mengtian, Shen Jiaqi, and the others were so excited that they couldn't speak, and could only keep bowing to Lin Feng to express their gratitude.
Tang Bao knelt down immediately, looking at Lin Feng with teary eyes: "Mr. Lin Feng, you are our second parents! Tang Bao... Tang Bao is willing to do anything for you!"
Lin Feng remained somewhat indifferent to their gratitude and admiration.
He treated these women as his "employees," paying them so that they could better serve him and create more value for him.
Love between a man and a woman?
He doesn't care at all.
He now focuses all his attention on how to use the knowledge in his mind to replicate more "miracles of civilization" in this wilderness and create a comfortable and safe kingdom that is entirely his own.
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