frightfiction Chapter 186 Salt Refining
Chapter 186 Salt Refining
After receiving the food, the tribesmen happily gathered in the open space.
Nan Qiao sat in the middle, a pile of fresh fish in front of her. She raised her crude stone knife and began to demonstrate patiently: "Look everyone, first use the stone knife to gently scrape against the direction of the fish scales, and this will remove the scales."
As she spoke, pieces of fish scales fell down one after another as she moved.
Then, Nan Qiao picked up another fish, carefully cut open the belly of the fish with a stone knife, and took out the internal organs intact. At the same time, he explained the location of each internal organ and the key points of removal to ensure that everyone would not break the gallbladder.
After processing a few fish, she placed the cleaned fish on the branches that had been prepared in advance, and then roasted them over the fire.
As the fire roasted the fish, the body of the fish gradually turned golden, and the fish oil sizzled out and dripped into the fire, making crackling sounds.
However, the fishy smell of grilled fish began to spread. Nan Qiao took her time, took out the spicy leaves she had picked earlier, crushed them lightly, and sprinkled them evenly on the fish.
In an instant, the spicy aroma mixed with the fishy fragrance, and the original fishy smell disappeared without a trace.
After a while, the aroma of the grilled fish became stronger and stronger, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the grilled fish, drooling.
When Nan Qiao announced that the fish was ready, everyone couldn't wait to pick up the grilled fish and start eating it in big mouthfuls.
"Wow, this fish smells so good! How come I didn't realize it was so delicious before!"
A female said excitedly as she ate, and the others nodded in agreement, mumbling praises with their mouths full of fish.
Wulan sat aside, smelling the tempting fish aroma, her stomach rumbling and her saliva flowing uncontrollably.
She looked at Nan Qiao with resentment in her eyes, and was secretly angry in her heart: "Damn it, she must have done it on purpose, not telling me that the fish is so delicious, and not giving me any fish!"
But even though she was angry, she could only swallow her saliva helplessly and face the pitiful amount of food alone.
At the first light of dawn, Nan Qiao walked early to the place where the animal skins were placed last night to check the salt solution that had been exposed to the sun for a day and a night.
On the animal skin, the salt solution had condensed into a thin layer of salt crystals that emitted a crystal-like luster, as if the animal skin was covered with a layer of fine silver frost.
Nan Qiao touched it gently, feeling the granular texture of the salt crystals, and her heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Back at the stone house, Nan Qiao decided to reward himself by cooking some delicious food with the newly made salt.
She took out a piece of fat and lean pork belly and a handful of fresh wild vegetables from the space.
Cut the pork belly into thin slices and place in a hot stone pot.
As the temperature rises, the pork belly gradually releases fat, sizzling at the bottom of the pot and emitting an enticing aroma.
Nan Qiao quickly added the wild vegetables and stir-fried them. The vegetables became juicy green under the nourishment of oil.
Then, she carefully sprinkled a pinch of homemade salt. In an instant, the salty and fragrant aroma spread, blending perfectly with the aroma of meat and vegetables.
Nan Qiao took out another steamed bun from the space. The bun was soft and smelled of wheat.
She ate it with the stir-fried wild vegetables along with the pork belly. Every bite was full of rich flavors. The salty and fragrant taste danced on the tip of her tongue, making her sigh that this simple food could be so delicious.
After finishing the meal, Nan Qiao carefully scraped the remaining salt into the shell and went to where the leader Agula was.
Agula was standing in the huge stone house in the center of the tribe, handling tribal affairs.
Nan Qiao walked forward and handed the shell filled with salt to Agula.
Agula took the shell and looked at the pure white salt inside. His eyes suddenly lit up with surprise. The wrinkles on his face smoothed out and he smiled, "This is actually salt! Lord Chosen One, you are truly brilliant! Our tribe can actually make our own salt!"
Afterwards, Nan Qiao led a group of females to the stream to dig salt mines.
When everyone arrived at the stream, the sun was already getting hotter.
Nan Qiao chose an area with obvious signs of a salt mine, picked up a clumsy stone pickaxe, raised it high, and then smashed it hard on the ground.
As the pickaxe fell, a shallow pit was dug out in the ground, and salt mine fragments splashed up.
The females followed suit, but the salt mine was difficult to dig as it was firmly embedded in the earth.
Every time they swing the pickaxe, they have to use all their strength. Many females are sweating profusely and their arms ache after just a few swings.
Nan Qiao encouraged everyone while digging hard, and occasionally taught them tips: "You should apply force in the direction of the vein's grain, which will save you effort."
Time passed slowly during the hard work, and the sun gradually set in the west from overhead.
Many females were so tired that they were panting and their hands were covered with blisters, but they all gritted their teeth and persevered.
Everyone didn't stop until night was about to fall.
Nan Qiao roughly estimated that they had harvested about ten kilograms of salt ore that day.
After refining, there may only be about one kilogram of salt.
After returning to the tribal camp, Nan Qiao took a short rest and then went straight to the leader Agula to discuss countermeasures.
Nan Qiao said solemnly, "Chief, although the method of making salt is not too difficult, digging the salt mine is extremely physically demanding."
"Today I took the females to the stream to try digging. We worked hard all day and only harvested about ten kilograms of salt ore. If it is refined, the final salt obtained may only be about one kilogram."
"This level of efficiency is simply not enough to meet the tribe's long-term needs."
Agula nodded, his expression equally solemn. "Salt production is a top priority for the development of the tribe. We must improve efficiency no matter what."
"Lord Chosen One, do you have any good ideas?"
Nan Qiao continued, "Relying solely on females to dig salt mines is not only inefficient, but in the long run, the females may not be able to bear such a heavy burden."
"I thought about it and decided to select strong males from the tribe and have them specialize in digging the salt mines."
"They have a lot of stamina, which can greatly increase the amount and speed of excavation."
"As for the craft of refining salt, we select some dedicated females who are attentive and prudent to learn it."
"This way, with a clear division of labor, we can not only increase salt production and ensure an adequate supply of salt for the tribe, but also prevent the salt refining technique from being known to too many people, preventing those with ulterior motives from stealing it and starting their own business or spreading the secrets."
After hearing this, Agula nodded slightly, his eyes revealing thought and approval: "Sir, you are right."
"The importance of salt to the tribe is self-evident. It is related to the survival and development of the tribe and cannot be underestimated."
"I will arrange for suitable males to participate in the salt mining. You will select females to teach them the refining method. We must ensure that this matter proceeds smoothly."
After leaving the leader, Nan Qiao began to look for suitable candidates in the tribe.
Nan Qiao quietly observed the females in the tribe. She tried to choose those females who were careful, patient, and hardworking in their daily work.