Chapter 332 - 215: Deluxe Takoyaki (Part 2)

Chapter 332: Chapter 215: Deluxe Takoyaki (Part 2)

He let out a warm breath, feeling his heart settle.

Now that he had the Happiness Points, it was about time to call it a day.

At this thought, he stood up and walked over to the new smoking kiln he’d dug next to the cave entrance to check on it.

He peered through the cracks in the opening—sealed with branches and bamboo strips—and saw the charcoal fire in the pit below still burning steadily. Wisps of smoke drifted up the flue and into the smoking chamber diagonally above it.

He had also sealed the smoking chamber with bamboo strips and branches, leaving only a small opening to serve as a vent.

The smoking chamber was already shrouded in white smoke, making it impossible to see inside.

He stuck his finger through the vent to check the temperature. It was warm but not scalding, probably only a few degrees above body temperature—holding steady at around forty-some degrees.

To be safe, he added a few more pieces of charcoal and covered them with a handful of twigs and leaves.

Plants like leaves and moss produce a lot of smoke when they burn, making them one of the essential materials for smoking food in the wild.

If you want the smoked meat to be delicious, it’s best to use fruitwood charcoal and fruitwood leaves, especially woods like apple, citrus, and lychee. As for the leaves, any with a fresh fragrance will do.

Although he wasn’t using fruitwood charcoal, he was using bamboo charcoal, which didn’t have any strange smells. Paired with fragrant leaves, it would be a success as long as the resulting meat didn’t taste burnt.

"This charcoal should keep smoking until dawn tomorrow. If you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or wake up early, remember to check if there’s still smoke. If there’s none, or too little, help me add some more."

Although none of this meat was technically Erica’s, he didn’t mind sharing a taste with her. After all, she had procured almost all the protein for tonight’s dinner herself and hadn’t hesitated to share it with him.

Since she had been so generous, it wouldn’t be right for a grown man like him to be stingy.

Besides the meat, he had also put all the black-tailed deer’s organs in to be smoked.

Without a refrigerator, organs spoil very quickly, especially in a hot and humid tropical environment where bacteria begin to multiply in about an hour.

Most North Americans only eat conventional cuts of meat and won’t touch the other parts. Bartel was no exception, so all of these organs went to Lin Chen.

"Are you leaving?"

Erica, who still hadn’t dared to take a bite of her takoyaki, was startled to hear him say this.

"You haven’t even finished building a bed in your bamboo hut. There are just a few banana leaves, and they’re covered in mud. The moss in the forest is probably still wet. Where are you going to sleep at this time of night?"

"I’m a man, what’s a little dirt? I’ll just put the banana leaves on the ground, lean against the wall, and make do for one night..."

"No!"

Erica stood up, planted her hands on her hips, and blocked his path, grabbing his arm.

"You still have to teach me so many things! You absolutely cannot get sick. The nights by the sea in Panama are a bit chilly, and you were out in the rain for a long time today. You’re exhausted. If you don’t rest properly, you’ll definitely get sick!"

"You’re sleeping here again tonight. I got rained on today too, so it’s perfect. We can huddle together for warmth."

’Perfect for who? What if this starts rumors?’

Lin Chen had barely interacted with the audience recently, mainly because there were just too many people gossiping.

After all, there were only a few female contestants, and this one happened to be young, beautiful, a bit of an heiress, and a fan who had come specifically for him. For the gossiping onlookers, it was the perfect ship.

He was here for a survival challenge, not a dating show. Besides, they had already agreed that last night was the last night. What would it say about him if he went back on his word?

"No, we already agreed yesterday, didn’t we?"

Lin Chen shook his head firmly, walked past her, and placed some firewood, bamboo strips, and bamboo tubes into his basket. He then took an ember, sealed it up, and grabbed two coconuts.

"If you get cold, dig a trench near the cave entrance and put some charcoal inside for heat. Just don’t seal the entrance too tightly; let the smoke escape. That way, you’ll stay warm and safe with plenty of fresh air. The charcoal will burn out on its own in a few hours anyway."

Seeing how determined he was to leave, Erica wanted to try persuading him again, but then she remembered what Lin Chen had told her before about the customs of Da Xia People, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to do.

Of course, she hoped Lin Chen would win the championship again. That would mean he’d survive until the very end, giving him plenty of time to teach her more wilderness cooking skills.

’But on second thought, if he could survive until the end in the extreme winter conditions of Alaska, just getting rained on and then warming by a fire for so long should be fine, right?’

"Alright then. Get some good rest. See you tomorrow~"

She waved, watching with a hint of worry as Lin Chen walked away. She didn’t look away until his figure disappeared over the other side of the slope.

"Ah! I almost forgot my takoyaki!!"

It had been cooling for so long. Forget about it being scalding; she was actually a little worried it wasn’t warm enough.

This thing was impossible to eat when it was too hot, but it wasn’t good cold either. It had to be just hot enough to slightly burn your mouth to be at its most delicious.

She placed the sea urchin shell back on the grill to heat for a minute, snatching it off the moment she saw oily bubbles begin to form on the takoyaki’s surface.

The reheated temperature was perfect—scalding, but not so hot she couldn’t eat it.

She had wanted to swallow it whole like Lin Chen did, but after two failed attempts, she had no choice but to bite it in half before cramming the pieces into her mouth.

"HOO... HOO... Hot, hot..."

"Haaa~"

"This deluxe takoyaki is no joke. There are so many fillings I can barely fit it in my mouth! Drat it, no food that enters my mouth is getting away!!"

She forced herself to chew a dozen or so times before she could finally swallow a good portion of the mashed potato. Her cheeks were puffed out like a hamster hoarding food, forcing her to cover her face with her hands to keep the camera from recording the scene.

As she chewed, her gaze fell upon the other takoyaki.

’What about this one?’

’Whatever. Lin said not to worry about that Bartel guy. It’s not like it was his share to begin with. Did he make an extra one just for me? Heh, he’s such a thoughtful guy.’

She reheated the last takoyaki, speared it with a twig, and gave it a bath in the mango sauce.

The rich mango sauce had been cooked down to a brownish color, making it look quite similar to teriyaki sauce.

She had intentionally eaten the first one plain to savor the natural taste of the seafood. This one had to be loaded with sauce!

She took a bite, and the sweet, rich mango sauce smeared all over her lips. The deep caramel flavor and moist texture instantly elevated the crispy mashed potato shell to a new level.

Before the dim campfire, the woman’s eyes sparkled as she bit into the glistening takoyaki with abandon, completely disregarding her image.

Her tongue darted out, licking the mango sauce from her lips, and she let out a satisfied burp.

"BURP~"

Erica leaned against the cave entrance, her left hand resting on her round belly.

"Oof... I’m so stuffed. Eating three of those giant takoyaki balls was a bit much after all. If one is equal to four regular ones, does that mean I ate twelve at once?"

That amount would normally have been fine, but the key was that she had also eaten a piece of deer filet not long before, pushing her stomach capacity right over the limit.

After resting for a good while, she slowly got up and, following Lin Chen’s instructions, scraped a shallow pit in the cave floor.

The cut on her hand hadn’t healed yet, but she’d found a new method: using her foot.

Just like using a shovel, she just had to aim the bamboo strip, stomp on it, and then pry the dirt up. It was convenient and saved a lot of effort.

First, she carefully stored the embers, then she moved the remaining charcoal into the cave and put the wooden door in place.

"I’m exhausted. I ate so many carbs at once, my head’s a little fuzzy. Time for bed, time for bed. See you all tomorrow~"

Without Lin Chen, the cave seemed gloomy and desolate. Even with the waves of heat from the charcoal fire, she could still feel a faint chill seeping up from the ground.

Erica didn’t take off her outer clothes. She wrapped herself up tightly and curled up about a meter away from the charcoal fire.

Her eyelids had barely closed when a tide of exhaustion washed over her. Her breathing steadied, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Having just returned to his bamboo hut, Lin Chen also started a new fire in the pit.

He had originally planned to sleep on the upper level, but he discovered the walls made of stacked bamboo were a bit drafty, so he had to move to the lower level and make do for the night.