Finally, after a difficult run, Li Yinsheng saw the familiar yet simple outline of the shelter in the distance.
An indescribable surge of excitement and relief welled up in her heart, as if she had seen a beacon of hope.
"Fatty, you're back? Where's Xiaobai? What happened?" Li Qin, who was cooking, was the first to spot Fatty. She saw Fatty running back, hands on her knees, panting heavily. Li Qin quickly went over and helped Li Yinsheng sit down beside her.
"Brother Jing, Brother Yan, stop busy and come eat. We're going to do something big soon." Li Yinsheng calmed her breathing and quickly invited Peng Yuyan and Wu Jing to come eat.
"Did you hit a moose? Did you come back to get reinforcements?" Peng Yuyan knew that Li Yinsheng and Bai Jingting had gone out to hunt moose today. Now that he didn't see Bai Jingting but heard Li Yinsheng say that they were going to do something big after dinner, Peng Yuyan immediately thought of this and asked with his eyes lit up.
Li Qin, Yang Chaoyue, and Wu Jing also stared wide-eyed at Li Yinsheng, listening intently to her answer. The atmosphere became tense yet full of anticipation.
Li Yinsheng nodded, then shook her head, a complex expression on her face. "Yes and no. We didn't catch a moose, but we did hunt a musk ox."
However, Xiaobai unexpectedly twisted his ankle, so after lunch, the whole team went out and carried the musk ox back.
"Then what are we waiting for? Eat quickly, and we'll leave as soon as we finish." Upon hearing this, Yang Chaoyue urged everyone to eat, and then they all hurriedly began to eat their lunch.
After lunch, they put the food they had stored in the newly built shelter, locked the door, and then followed Li Yinsheng to the place where they were hunting musk oxen.
The group sped along, not daring to waste any time, for fear that something unexpected might happen along the way and the musk ox that the fat girl had hunted would be taken by other carnivores.
"It's just ahead. Xiaobai, have something to eat, and then you can use your crutches to make your way to the shelter. I'm afraid I won't be able to look after you today." When they arrived at the place where the musk ox was being hunted, Bai Jingting and the musk ox were still there. Li Yinsheng breathed a sigh of relief and then slowly walked to Xiaobai's side, took out some dried meat and a water bottle, and handed them to Bai Jingting.
Bai Jingting wolfed down the dried meat, drank a few sips of water, glanced at Li Yinsheng and the others, and then walked forward, leaning on his wooden cane.
However, Wu Jing and Peng Yuyan didn't have time to greet Bai Jingting at the moment; they walked around the musk ox, clicking their tongues in delight.
Then, they built a simple wooden frame, tied it tightly with vines, pushed the musk ox onto the frame, and the five men began to pull the frame forward.
"It's too heavy. I'm afraid we won't be able to get to the shelter before dark." With this pull, Wu Jing felt an unprecedented resistance, as if she were tug-of-war with a sleeping giant. Every inch forward was accompanied by the tension of her muscles and the dripping of sweat.
Peng Yuyan, standing to the side, was also gritting his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, clearly giving it his all.
Li Qin and Yang Chaoyue are even more so.
It was heavy, tiring, and exhausting.
But none of them could bear to give up the musk ox.
This musk ox weighs over a thousand pounds, with the meat alone weighing several hundred pounds. Add in the internal organs and other offal, and if they can get this whole load back to the shelter, they're practically guaranteed to win the "Survival on a Desert Island" competition.
“We need to think of a way. If this continues, the wounds on the musk ox will attract the attention of other predators, putting them in even greater danger,” Wu Jing said breathlessly, his voice broken between breaths.
"There are still three hours until nightfall. Time is tight and the task is heavy."
"We'll dissect this musk ox on the spot. We'll keep the heart, liver, stomach, and intestines, and take the tender parts of the limbs, thighs, tenderloin, and abdomen," Li Yinsheng said as she began to gut the musk ox.
The musk ox had thick, tough hide, and she couldn't cut it completely open when she tried to cut it from its belly.
Li Yinsheng frowned slightly, increased the pressure on his hands, and adjusted the angle of the cut. Finally, with a dull sound, the musk ox's abdomen was slowly cut open, and a warm, slightly fishy smell spread out.
She swiftly and skillfully avoided the intricate network of internal organs, precisely removing the heart and liver, and tossing them into the basket she had brought. These parts were tender, nutritious, and valuable resources for survival in the wild.
Next, she carefully separated the cow's stomach and intestines, and had Li Qin and Yang Chaoyue clean them, which yielded dozens of kilograms of grass and feces eaten by the musk ox.
Next, cut off the limbs and thighs, which are the firmest and most protein-rich parts of the meat.
Cut off the tenderloin and the most tender cut of meat from the belly, and discard the cow's head and the steak carcass.
"Aren't you going to throw away the cow's head and beef ribs? What a waste." Wu Jing looked at the cow's head and beef ribs that Li Yinsheng had discarded to the side with some regret. There were still some undried bloodstains on them, which looked particularly conspicuous.
Upon hearing this, Li Yinsheng stopped what she was doing, turned to look at Wu Jing, and explained, "Brother Jing, in the wilderness, we must learn to make choices."
Although cow heads and beef ribs are also meat, their meat is relatively coarse and difficult to chew. Since we can't take them back with us now, we have to throw them away.
More importantly, what we need most right now is food that can quickly replenish energy and nutrients, and cuts like heart, liver, thigh meat, and tenderloin are the best choices to meet this need.
As she spoke, Li Yinsheng pointed to the pile of carefully selected meat chunks next to her and continued, "This meat not only tastes good, but it is also rich in protein and fat that our bodies need."
"However, we should try to find a way to save the cow's head and beef ribs."
"Brother Yan, tie these beef ribs and the cow's head tightly, then hang them in the air on the tree. We'll come back tomorrow to see if the cow's head and beef ribs are still there, and whether they've been eaten by wild animals." Li Yinsheng said, her heart stirring as she saw a large tree nearby.
“That’s a good idea, I’ll take care of it.” Peng Yuyan immediately got to work upon hearing this.
"Fatty, the internal organs are cleaned up," Li Qin said at this moment.
“It weighs about 60 or 70 pounds. Who wants to carry it back first?” Li Yinsheng lifted the basket and asked Li Qin and Yang Chaoyue.
"I'll carry it! Sister Qin is stronger than me, she'll help you pull these musk beef offal back." With Li Qin's help, Yang Chaoyue carried the offal from the basket on her back. Although her face was covered in sweat, her eyes shone with determination and pride.
This is not only because she successfully shouldered this responsibility, but also because she found her place and value within the team.
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