Chapter 8 Fishing
Since everyone learned how to collect animal hair for secondary use, everyone has the habit of carrying a spinning hammer or a knitting needle when going out.
Every time Jian Mo gathers in the open space, he sees that most of the people, whether orcs or sub-orcs, are spinning and knitting, looking like they are in good old age, and he always falls silent for a moment.
People like this little entertainment very much, and they have learned it by themselves, and started to weave various small accessories such as necklaces and hairbands and dye them.
Several days passed in a flash, and it was Jian Mo's turn to rest again.
Jian Mo had been accustomed to a busy life, and he suddenly became idle, and he didn't know what to do.
After wandering around the tribe, he went to see the flying beast.
The condition of the winged beast was better than before. He checked and found that all the wounds on the winged beast had healed, and the broken wing had almost recovered.
At least this fracture did not cause too much trouble to the winged beast. Jian Mo saw it grabbing food with the claws in front of the broken wing and eating it.
Noticing the food, Jian Mo found that this winged beast might be more greedy than he thought.
Not only did it eat up all the food prepared for it by the tribe, it also gnawed the grass around it.
With itself as the center of the circle, it gnawed out a circular area, directly gnawed the grass in the area, and turned out the grass roots underneath to gnaw on it.
After gnawing, it lay dejectedly on the bare ground, with its big eyes half-closed.
It seemed a little pitiful.
Seeing it like this, Jian Mo went to the nearby area to cut a bunch of grass for it, and then went home to get a few not very tasty tubers and a dried big bone.
The flying beast noticed the food that Jian Mo brought from a distance, and turned over and sat up: "Chirp!"
Jian Mo placed the food in front of it from the front: "So this is how you cry when you are happy."
The flying beast grabbed the big bone at the first time, blinked, and shouted to Jian Mo happily: "Chirp."
After getting the bone, the flying beast grabbed it with its front paws and started to chew it at the first time.
Its bite force seemed to be average, and it only chewed off a little minced meat after chewing for a long time.
Jian Mo saw it concentrating on chewing the bone, smiled and reached out to pat its butt.
The plump butt was soft, and the hair on it was also very smooth - it felt good.
The winged beast didn't mind Jian Mo patting its butt at all. It turned its head and looked at him, its eyes still clear.
Jian Mo sighed: "Eat yours. When I'm free in the afternoon, I'll see if I can find you some more food."
The winged beast said happily: "Chirp!"
The sun was rising higher and higher, and it was warm.
Jian Mo hadn't taken a shower in the past two days. He planned to take a shower while the weather was warm. Before taking a shower, he also washed the ball of hair he brought back yesterday.
The hair shed by the long-headed beast was very soft, but it had been kept for so long that it was covered with all kinds of debris and the color was dirty. It had to be washed thoroughly before spinning.
When the wool balls are put into the water for washing, they tend to float around. Jian Mo found a basket at home and planned to put the basket into the river, and then put the wool balls into the basket to wash.
These baskets are all made of rattan, and have gaps that allow water to penetrate, but will not allow water to wash away the wool balls.
Before going out, Jian Mo went to the place where the soap was dried and found a piece of soap of better quality.
He carried the basket with the wool balls in one hand and the soap in the other, and walked to the river.
As for clothes, he had no replacement clothes at all. He could only take off his clothes and wash them before taking a bath, and put them on a big rock to dry, and then wear them later.
Thinking of this, Jian Mo sighed. He still had a lot of things to do.
The river beside the tribe was wide and calm. He walked upstream along the river and found a section of the river with fewer people to wash clothes and take a bath.
The first thing he did when he got into the river was to wash and hang his clothes, and then he began to wash the hair balls.
Perhaps because the hair had fallen off a long time ago, there was not much grease on it, but more of dust, which made it easy to wash.
Jian Mo selected while washing, picking out those hairs that were particularly short or thick and throwing away the debris inside.
He scooped out the washed hair, squeezed out the water, spread it into a piece, put it on a stone to dry, and then put two wooden sticks on it to prevent the hair balls from being blown away by the wind.
Just as Jian Mo was concentrating on washing the hair balls, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow in the water.
Looking closely, he found that there was a big fish swimming slowly around his feet, seemingly defenseless.
He was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously punched the big fish.
The big fish swayed at his feet, then turned up its belly and floated on the water.
- The big fish was knocked unconscious.
"No, doesn't anyone eat fish here?"
Jian Mo picked up the fish with its belly turned up and put it in the basket, then turned his head to look around.
There were quite a lot of fish nearby, big and small, and you could see several dark backs at a glance.
Jian Mo slowly took two steps forward, aimed at a fish, and suddenly grabbed it down, trying to catch the fish.
This time the fish reacted much faster than him, and it slipped away with a flick of its tail.
He chased it and tried to catch it several times, but the fish swam faster and faster, and finally disappeared from Jian Mo's sight.
He didn't have the ability to catch fish with his bare hands.
Jian Mo looked at the fish swimming slowly nearby with regret, and continued to wash the hair ball.
After washing the hair ball, he scrubbed it carefully from head to toe again, and then put on his clothes.
His clothes were almost dry, and he would probably be able to dry them completely on the way back to the tribe.
When he went ashore, he saw that there were still many fish swimming slowly in the water.
This section of the river has a slow flow and a wide river surface. It should be easy to catch fish, but his skills are not very good.
He looked at these fish, but he was still unwilling to give up.
Jian Mo carried the basket with the hair ball back to the tribe, and as soon as he returned to Wu Jiong's house, he went to look through the pile of miscellaneous items.
He remembered that when he took the baskets in the morning, he saw several baskets with big holes in the bottom. Where were they?
"Found it!" Jian Mo happily took out the most rotten basket, found a knife and repaired the bottom to make the hole rounder, then carried the basket out.
As soon as he went out, he ran into the children playing nearby.
The children had eaten the meat cakes he made, and when they saw him, they came forward and greeted him obediently: "Brother Jianmo."
Jianmo: "So good."
The children looked at the broken basket he was carrying curiously: "Brother Jianmo, where are you going?"
Jianmo shook the basket in his hand: "Catching fish."
Qiuli in the crowd immediately said: "Fish is not delicious!"
Before Jianmo could say anything, the other children said:
"That's right, fish is not delicious."
"Brother Jianmo, didn't the clan leader give you meat? I'll go home and find you a piece."
"My father said that when they were young, they ate meat for a whole winter, and their bodies were full of fishy smell. It was fishy for a long time, and it was not until the summer of the following year that the fishy smell was gone."
"The fishy smell is terrible."
The children shuddered as they spoke, and it seemed that they didn't like the fishy smell.
Jian Mo asked, "Why did they eat fish when they were young? Was it because they couldn't catch other animals that year?"
Jiang Xing, who was standing in front of Jian Mo, nodded and said, "Yes, my father said that it was very cold that year. There was nothing else to eat in the tribe, so they could only eat fish."
Jiang Xing was the oldest child in the group and spoke the most clearly.
Jian Mo looked at the little orc and said, "The fish I cook is different and will taste good."
Jiang Xing still disagreed, and the other children also looked unacceptable.
Jian Mo changed his words and said, "I'll catch some fish for the flying beast. The flying beast hasn't eaten enough these two days and has almost eaten all the grass."
The children accepted this statement.
Jiang Xing's eyes sparkled and he suggested, "Brother Jian Mo, let's go fishing with you?"
The other children cheered and said they wanted to go fishing together.
Jian Mo tried to refuse, but failed, so he said with a smile: "Too young children can't do it, you older children can follow."
Jiang Xing said readily: "Hefeng, you take the others to play in the tribe, we will catch fish and then go to feed the flying beasts together."
The child Hefeng who was named was a little reluctant, but due to Jiang Xing's authority, he had to pout and agree.
So many children wanted to go fishing, Jian Mo took them home and found a few broken baskets, cut off the bottom with a knife, and then each person had a basket and took them to catch fish in the river section with slow current and shallow water.
It is difficult for a person to bend down and catch a swimming fish directly, but with a basket, it is much easier to first aim at the fish, insert the basket, and then catch the fish.
With the basket, Jian Mo's fishing efficiency has improved a lot, and he can catch one accurately every time.
The children's reaction ability and eyesight are very good. They catch fish faster than him. In a short while, they caught several big fish that were jumping for air.
Jian Mo passed the rope through the gills of the fish and tied the fish together.
He stared at the big bunch of fat fish, and his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
The children didn't like eating fish very much, but they were excited about the harvest.
Everyone caught fish while walking upstream along the river. Before the sun went down, all the ropes they brought were used up.
Jian Mo called the children: "That's enough, stop catching, let's go back."
The children were still not satisfied:
"Catch some more, Brother Jian Mo, there are still fish ahead."
"That's right, it's not dark yet, we have to wait until dark before we go back."
"Brother Jian Mo, you are tired, take a rest on the stone, we will catch more!"
Jian Mo saw that they were addicted and said: "You can't eat all the fish you catch, so come back next time, don't waste it."
Jiang Xing stared at the fish: "I can help eat some."
The other children reluctantly said that they could eat some.
Jian Mo couldn't help laughing: "If you like it, we will catch it next time."
It was getting darker, the water temperature became cooler, and the wind blew from the valley, whistling, and it was also very cold.
Staying in cold water for a long time is not good for the body, and the fish nearby have been caught. If you want to catch more, you have to go to a place with faster currents and deeper water.
Jian Mo gently but firmly asked to go back.
The children were afraid of adults, so although they were reluctant, they still washed their feet and went ashore and followed.
Back to the tribe, Jian Mo gave them the fish they caught and asked them to feed the flying beast.
Jiang Xing was holding a long string of fish and hesitantly said, "Brother Jian Mo, do you really want to eat this fish?"
Jian Mo smiled and said, "Yes, it's not bad when cooked."
Jiang Xing stuffed the fish in his hand to him and said, "Then here you go. Dad said that food should be eaten by people first, and then it can be used for other purposes."
The other children also stuffed fish to him, "Brother Jian Mo, you eat it."
Jian Mo looked at these children and felt warm in his heart, "Then I will feed the scraps to the flying beast, and we will eat the fat parts ourselves. I should be able to cook these fish when I collect them tomorrow afternoon. Remember to come and eat them then."
Jiang Xing shook his head without hesitation, "Thank you, Brother Jian Mo, we won't eat it!"
The other children followed suit and shook their heads.
Jian Mo smiled and said to them, "You can come and have a look tomorrow, just in case you want to eat it again."
The children hesitated.
Jian Mo persuaded them: "Come on, after all, you caught the fish with your own hands, you might as well see how I deal with it."
The children agreed.
Jian Mo asked the children to help carry the fish back to Wu Jiong's house, then took out a shell knife and a large basin and killed the fish in the yard.
He only sliced the meat on both sides of the fish, and threw the fish head, tail and fish entrails into the basin. After processing them, he would give them to the flying beast as a snack.
Looking at the flying beast's character of turning out even grass roots to eat, it should not mind eating these scraps.
When Wu Jiong came back, he saw Jian Mo sitting on a small stool, killing fish in front of a group of children.
His first reaction when he saw the fish was to frown: "Why did you catch the fish? It's not delicious."
It was a rare moment when this guy frowned. Jian Mo smiled and looked up: "No, the fish I cooked is different."
Wu Jiong still frowned: "I have animal meat here."
Jian Mo: "I know, but fish has a completely different flavor. You'll know when you taste it after I cook it."
Wu Jiong stared at the fish for a long time and said nothing. Instead, he came over to help fillet the fish.
Seeing him working with a frown on his face, Jian Mo nudged him with his elbow: "I can do it."
Wu Jiong: "It will be faster if I help you."
Jian Mo smiled and let him go: "Don't you dislike the fishy smell?"
Wu Jiong: "Just bear with it."
Jian Mo: "How about you help me sharpen the shell knives? These shell knives have been used for so long, they are a bit blunt."
Wu Jiong then put the shell knives in a basin and went to the river to sharpen them.
There were a lot of fish caught today, and Jian Mo's processing method was also particularly rough. He only scraped off the fish scales and took two slices of the fish belly, so he moved quickly and finished the processing before dark.
In the meantime, the hunters and gatherers came back one after another. Some people called them to go to the open space to divide the meat. Jian Mo asked Jiang Xing to help get the meat, and he continued to process the fish.
After all the fish were processed, he got a large basin of fish meat and another large basin filled with fish heads, fish bones, and fish entrails.
He took these fish heads, fish bones, fish entrails and the like to feed the winged beast.
The winged beast was really not picky at all. It grabbed the fish meat with its claws and chewed it very happily. From time to time, it raised its head and called "Chirp" to Jian Mo.
Seeing its appearance, Jian Mo smiled and said, "Why don't I name you 'Chirp' so that you chirp all day long."
The winged beast: "Chirp!"
Jian Mo cut the fish meat into large pieces and put them on the leaves to dry.
Before going to bed, he collected the fish meat and marinated it with fruit wine, coarse salt and spice powder.
Wu Jiong didn't understand his actions, but didn't object. Instead, he followed and helped.
Before going out to collect the fish the next day, Jian Mo took out the fish that had been marinated overnight and dried it again. He also asked Jiang Xing and other children to help watch it to make sure that the birds would not take it away.
The children all agreed.
At the same time, the children twitched their noses and found that the taste of the fish was completely different from yesterday.
The marinated fish exuded a complex aroma, which smelled very tempting.
This made the children feel a little bit of anticipation, as if the fish was not so bad.
Jian Mo did what he said. When he came back in the evening, he put down the collection basket and prepared to process the fish.
Wu Jiong didn't like the fishy smell, so he moved the stone pot to the open space outside and built a temporary stove, intending to fry the fish here.
Everyone in the tribe had been busy all day, and now was a time of leisure. Seeing him take action, many people came to watch.
"So much animal oil, are you frying fish? You won't burn it, will you?"
"I've fried fish before, but the fish meat fell apart, and the whole pot of oil smelled fishy. It was totally unusable and such a waste."
"The fish fried by Jian Mo must be different. Come and smell this fish, it smells so good!"
Jian Mo calmly lit a fire and heated the oil.
When the oil in the pot began to bubble, he used long wooden chopsticks to pick up the fish pieces one by one and put them into the pot.
These fish pieces had been exposed to the sun outside for a day, and the moisture on the surface had completely dried up, and the meat was still wilted.
When they were put into the pot, the pot was very quiet, without any oil bursting out.
Everyone watched the fish pieces turn golden and the fragrance waft out, and they couldn't help but be amazed.
Jian Mo specially took a dry big wooden basin and placed it on the side, and then placed the fried fish in the basin.
As the fish came out of the pot, the children's saliva almost flowed out.
Jian Mo picked up the fish with chopsticks and gave it to them: "You can start eating, be careful of the burn."
The children tried to take the fish pieces, and then poured them from their left hand to their right hand, blowing while eating: "Wow, so fragrant!!"
The adults also became curious.
Jian Mo smiled and divided the fish pieces for everyone. Anyway, there were still so many fish pieces, so there was no need to worry about running out.
The adults had a stronger ability to tolerate heat, and they stuffed the fish pieces into their mouths as soon as they got them.
Soon, they found that the fish pieces were much more delicious than they imagined.
The fish pieces were originally a bit wind-dried, and after frying, they were crispy and fragrant on the outside, and dry and fragrant on the inside. They were very delicious, without any fishy smell.
Everyone's eyes were filled with surprise.
Especially the children, they didn't expect that fish could be eaten in this way, and they looked at Jian Mo with admiration.
After Jian Mo fried the fish pieces, he put them in the oil pan again to fry them, so that the fried fish would be more dry, crispy and fragrant.
Everyone watched and ate, praising the fish endlessly.
After all the fish were fried, Jian Mo took out the large leaves that he had prepared in advance, wrapped a large bag for each child who participated in catching fish, and wrapped a small bag for the child who helped watch the fish, so that they could take it home to eat.
The children had never expected that Jian Mo would wrap fish for them, and they were so excited that they shouted "Thank you, Brother Jian Mo", and ran home with the fish pieces.
It was already completely dark, and today's dinner was fried fish, meatball soup, and dried meat fried with wild vegetables.
Jian Mo looked at Wu Jiong and said with a smile: "How is it? The fish is not bad, right?"
Wu Jiong looked at Jian Mo with shining eyes and said seriously: "It tastes much better than I thought."
Jian Mo picked up the soup: "The fried fish can be kept for a long time, and we can eat it for a while."
Wu Jiong: "I'll listen to you. Do you want to catch some more fish tomorrow?"
Jian Mo: "Not for now. I will get bored of eating the same food too much. Let's catch it after a while."
Wu Jiong nodded: "Tell me when you want to catch fish, and I will go with you."
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