He gestured to show the thickness of his fingers and the length of his palm.
"I'll go and rub the rest of the meat with salt and marinate it first."
"Alright!" As soon as Wang Tieniu heard that it was a serious matter, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, picked up a knife, and began to work on his piece of meat.
Du Jianshan dragged another large piece of bear meat aside, took out a handful of coarse salt particles, and vigorously rubbed them onto the meat, especially in the thicker parts, where the salt particles made a rustling sound, quickly making the surface of the meat wet.
A strong, salty, and fishy smell filled the air.
While Wang Tieniu was busy chopping meat, Du Jianshan excused himself to go inside to get a salt jar, and quickly drew out a small handful of clear, cool spiritual spring water from his spatial storage and poured it into an old enamel mug.
Back in the courtyard, Wang Tieniu had already cut a small pile of meat strips, which gleamed with a dark red luster under the moonlight.
"Brother Shanzi, how about this?" Wang Tieniu wiped his sweat.
"Okay!" Du Jianshan put down the enamel mug: "Tie Niu, you continue cutting, try to remove as much fat and tendons as possible from the meat strips so they dry faster. I'll 'season' these cut pieces."
He grabbed a handful of sliced meat strips, put them in a clean basin, then picked up the enamel mug, dipped his fingers in the clear water inside, and quickly and evenly smeared the water evenly over each strip of meat.
The spring water was slightly cool to the touch, carrying an indescribable refreshing scent. It was quickly absorbed by the meat strips, making the originally dull flesh color seem brighter for a moment, and the surface also appeared firmer.
After Du Jianshan finished wiping a basin, he immediately sprinkled on the dried chili powder and Sichuan peppercorn powder he had brought with him, and vigorously rubbed and mixed the meat strips with both hands to allow the seasonings and spring water to fully penetrate into them.
Salt particles rubbed against the meat strips, making a rustling sound.
"Tie Niu, get me another basin!"
"They're here!"
The two worked together, one cutting, the other applying water, adding ingredients, and kneading.
"Hey, this smells so good, so salty and spicy, it makes me want to eat more!" Wang Tieniu sniffed.
"It'll taste even better once it's dry!" Du Jianshan put the last bowl of seasoned meat strips aside. "That's done, Tie Niu. Take a break. We'll marinate the rest of the meat tomorrow."
"Alright!" Wang Tieniu put down the knife and shook his sore wrist.
Du Jianshan found some sturdy hemp ropes and built several horizontal bars under the eaves of the educated youth settlement in the best-ventilated spot.
Then, together with Wang Tieniu, they carefully hung the seasoned meat strips on a rope, like drying clothes, but with the strips spaced far apart.
"Alright!" Du Jianshan patted the salt and chili powder off his hands, looking at his masterpiece: "Hang it for two or three days, until it's completely dry, and it can last for half a year!"
Wang Tieniu licked his lips: "Brother Shanzi, let me try it first once it's dry!"
"You'll get your share!" Du Jianshan said with a smile.
"Come on, wash your hands and go to sleep! We still have to go fix that dugout tomorrow!" Du Jianshan called out.
Li Dani swallowed hard, then worriedly said, "Brother Shanzi, are we just going to go back to sleep like this? The Ma siblings' eyes were suspicious during the day; they'll definitely try to steal our things tonight!"
Du Jianshan had just finished washing his hands, shaking off the water droplets. Hearing this, he scoffed, a hint of malice in his eyes: "Steal? Let them try!"
He walked to the eaves and pointed to several inconspicuous places where the crossbar and the hemp rope connected: "See? Here, here, and there, I made 'trippers' with thin hemp rope."
Wang Tieniu looked closer and discovered several thin hemp ropes that blended almost into the night. One end was tied to the horizontal bar for hanging meat, while the other end was cleverly wrapped tightly around several empty tin buckets or broken earthenware jars hanging under the eaves.
"What...what's the use of this?" Wang Tieniu asked, puzzled.
"Anyone who dares to touch my flesh, or tries to untie the ropes," Du Jianshan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
"With just a slight tug, these buckets and cans will crash down with a 'crash'! Wouldn't that make enough noise to wake up all the dogs in the company?"
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