Lu Fan wholeheartedly agreed with An Lan's idea of properly handling and storing bear bile for future use.
He knew in his heart that this wilderness was fraught with danger and unknown threats.
More protection means more hope for survival.
The two sat quietly around the rustic wooden table, soft light filtering through the dilapidated window and falling on the tabletop.
Their eyes were all focused on that precious bear bile.
"I remember reading in the book that you have to carefully peel off the fascia on the surface of the bear bile first."
An Lan spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing the precious medicinal herbs.
Her slender fingers slowly picked up the sharp dagger. In the warm and bright sunlight, she squinted slightly and began this incredibly precise operation.
Her hands trembled slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead without her noticing.
Every cut was made with caution and focus, for fear that the slightest carelessness would damage this precious medicinal herb that carried countless values.
Lu Fan watched intently from the side, his eyes filled with concern and worry.
He would occasionally hand her clean sheets of coarse paper, gently wiping away the bloodstains from the knife for An Lan, while softly comforting her, "Don't be nervous, take your time, we'll definitely be able to handle this."
As time slowly passed, the tough fascia on the surface of the bear bile was gradually peeled away, revealing the smooth, gleaming gallbladder inside.
"Next, we need to rinse it repeatedly with clean water to remove impurities."
Following the steps in the book from memory, An Lan carefully placed the bear bile into the clear water, then gently swirled the container with soft, soothing movements.
The murky blood, like an awakened spirit, slowly seeped from the gallbladder, gradually turning the originally crystal-clear water a pale red.
After rinsing, the most crucial step, drying, begins.
Anlan gently placed the bear bile on a clean white sheet of paper, then carefully placed it on a well-ventilated windowsill, letting the gentle breeze dry it naturally.
She would occasionally stroll over to check, gently adjusting the position of the bear bile with her slender fingers, muttering to herself, "I must handle it properly; it might come in very handy later."
As An Lan carefully processed the bear bile, Lu Fan's gaze inadvertently fell on the bear skin that he had temporarily set aside in the corner.
“Anlan, I think we shouldn’t waste this bear skin. If we process it properly, it can be very useful. It might bring us a lot of convenience in the future.”
He spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
An Lan turned her head, her eyes full of curiosity and inquiry: "What are you planning to do with it? I've never seen the process of processing bear skin before."
Lu Fan stood up, dusted off non-existent dust from his body, and smiled confidently.
“I saw it in a wilderness survival book before. It shouldn’t be difficult to process, just a bit tedious. Just you wait and see, once it’s processed, we’ll have a warm and practical bearskin! We won’t be afraid of the cold in winter anymore.”
Without hesitation, Lu Fan bent down, gripped the two corners of the bear skin tightly with both hands, and laboriously carried it to a flat, open space outside the shelter.
It was midday, and the warm sunlight shone brightly on the earth, with a gentle breeze blowing – perfect weather for processing bear skins.
He slowly squatted down, his eyes fixed on the bear skin, examining it carefully.
The bear skin still bore some dark red bloodstains and yellowish-white fat, and the fur was somewhat disheveled, emitting a faint fishy smell.
"The first step is to scrape off all the meat and fat from the bear skin."
As Lu Fan spoke, he reached for the dagger lying to the side, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, then carefully brought the dagger close to the bear skin and began the arduous scraping work.
This was no easy task. The bear skin was thick and hard, as if it were deliberately working against him. The meat and fat clung tightly to it, and each scrape required all his strength.
Even with Lu Fan's enhanced body, after a series of actions, his forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and his arms ached terribly, as if they didn't belong to him anymore.
"It seems this bear skin is quite resilient."
Lu Fan twisted his sore neck, forced a smile, and cracked a joke.
An Lan watched from the side and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her laughter was as clear as a silver bell: "Go for it! I believe you can definitely handle it."
Lu Fan scraped again and again, trying to maintain a uniform and steady force with each stroke.
His eyes were fixed on the bear skin, afraid that he might accidentally scratch this hard-won treasure.
As time went by, the meat and fat on the bear skin were gradually scraped off, and a small pile of "trophies" unknowingly accumulated on the ground.
"Phew, finally almost done shaving." Lu Fan straightened up and rubbed his sore arms.
Looking at the relatively cleanly shaved bear skin, a strong sense of accomplishment welled up inside me, and a satisfied smile appeared on my face.
Next, it was time to clean the bear skin. Lu Fan grabbed the edges of the bear skin with both hands and dragged the scraped bear skin to the spring.
He found a spot where the water was relatively calm and crystal clear, and gently placed the bear skin into the water.
The river water was crystal clear, but as soon as the bear skin was placed in the water, the surrounding water immediately became murky.
The dark red blood and remaining impurities slowly dispersed with the flow of water, like an abstract ink painting.
Lu Fan picked up a long twig and stirred the bear skin in the water, his face showing a serious expression, as if he were stirring a large pot of precious and delicious "soup".
"Hey, look how clean I've made you!" he said softly to the bearskin as he stirred, as if the bearskin could understand him.
An Lan stood on the shore, watching Lu Fan's serious yet comical appearance, and laughed so hard she almost fell over: "Are you washing clothes or a bear skin? You seem more excited than the bear skin itself."
"You wouldn't understand, would you? This is the 'super bearskin' I'm about to create. It'll be very useful in the future. How could I not be excited!" Lu Fan replied with a smile, his laughter echoing along the riverbank.
After much effort, the bear skin was finally cleaned.
Lu Fan pulled it out of the water, wrung it out with both hands, and water droplets dripped continuously from the bear skin, splashing small water droplets on the ground.
Then he draped the bearskin over a clothesline he had prepared beforehand.
The wet bear skin was heavy, pulling the clothesline down considerably, making it look like it might break at any moment.
"This bearskin is really heavy. It feels like I'm dragging a wet bear along," Lu Fan said, wiping the water droplets from his face with a helpless smile.
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