sbdcsierra Chapter 23 Survival is tough, new ingredients!
Chapter 23 Survival is tough, new ingredients!
Compared to the other two three-person challenge groups, whose first meal after being reorganized was still porridge or noodles, the only four-person group ate a particularly hearty meal. At least Wu Yue and Zhao Liying, who had just joined, felt extremely satisfied.
What pleased the two most was that after the meal, Yuan Linghan brought over a few coconuts, cut open the holes, added two slices of wild lemon, and a refreshing lemon coconut drink was ready. They hadn't even dared to dream of such treatment before coming here!
Sipping juice and chatting under the eaves, Chen Duling listened to Wu Yue's story and asked in surprise, "Brother Yue, your partner was the first to drop out of the challenge? So you've been surviving alone all this time?"
"Yeah! I didn't expect this to happen either. Luckily, the production team was kind enough to keep all the allocated supplies. I've managed to survive until now by digging for wild vegetables and picking up some seafood."
"Have you ever thought about going into the mountains to hunt?"
Faced with Chen Duling's curiosity, Wu Yue said helplessly, "Dudu, do you think hunting is easy? Although I also picked a composite bow, hunting is not a movie. I've tried it, and I can't hit anything at all."
If you miss with one arrow, the frightened prey will vanish in an instant. After a few tries, I gave up completely. It looked easy in videos before, but when it was my turn, I found it was far more difficult than I imagined.
After listening to Wu Yue's explanation, Yuan Linghan chuckled and said, "Brother Yue, a phrase from the internet perfectly describes your state. Your brain says, 'I've learned it,' but your body honestly says, 'I've failed miserably!'"
Upon hearing this, both women couldn't help but chuckle, while Wu Yue agreed, saying, "That's right! Outdoor survival seems easy, but when you actually do it yourself, you find it's not easy at all."
"Sister Ying, what about you? When I was doing my research, I watched the videos your partner filmed and recorded, and he's really good!"
Looking at Chen Duling, who was full of curiosity, Zhao Liying also smiled wryly and said, "My partner's outdoor survival skills are indeed quite good! But after we landed on the island, our luck seemed to be not very good. When we were choosing supplies, we didn't choose bows and arrows but harpoons."
We thought we could catch some fish in the sea, but we found there weren't many fish in the nearshore waters. My partner tried setting traps in the mountains, but that didn't work either. Luckily, we finally found a cassava field, which at least allowed us to have a decent meal.
"Wait, Sister Ying. I heard from Brother Yuan that you shouldn't eat too much cassava, otherwise it can easily cause constipation. Is that true?"
Seeing Chen Duling's bold and straightforward words, Zhao Liying blushed and nodded, "It's true! But it would be much better with some seafood and wild vegetable soup. I didn't expect him to leave the show before me."
Compared to the two groups of contestants who withdrew collectively, the six contestants who withdrew earlier were mostly due to illness or injury. However, viewers who were watching the live stream had their own opinions on whether those people were genuinely ill or faking it.
Although the rain prevented them from going out to work, Wu Yue and Zhao Liying, who had just adjusted to the situation, were very glad they had persevered. Even in subsequent challenges on the show, they, like Chen Duling, became the envy of other contestants.
The rain, which had lasted for five days, finally stopped completely on the sixth day. Waking up in the morning to see the sun finally appear, Yuan Linghan breathed a sigh of relief. But he knew that the first day after the rain stopped would likely still be difficult to enter the mountains.
But today, we can go for a stroll on the beach. If the waves calm down, we might consider going out to sea to shoot fish. Before, without a harpoon, even when he went diving, he could only collect some seashells and couldn't catch any agile fish.
If we had a harpoon gun, perhaps we could give it a try. As for hunting in the mountains, with several days of rain, the roads would probably be very slippery. Even if we wanted to hunt, it would be more appropriate to wait until tomorrow.
Just as Yuan Linghan finished cooking breakfast, he saw Zhao Liying hurriedly get up. Compared to Chen Duling's tendency to sleep in, the older Zhao Liying had much more self-control. In fact, she consciously controlled her diet for the next two days.
Faced with Chen Duling's puzzlement, Zhao Liying smiled wryly and said, "I'm the type of person who gains weight easily if I eat too much. If I gain too much weight, I won't look good on camera. Don't worry, although I don't eat much, I get enough energy for my body every day."
Even when stranded on a desert island, she maintained such discipline in her diet. It must be said, success truly comes without luck. Although neither Zhao Liying nor Chen Duling are formally trained actors, Zhao Liying is well aware that Chen Duling has the advantage of age and good looks.
While not exceptionally beautiful, she relied on hard work and acting skills. Seeing that Yuan Linghan had already prepared breakfast, Zhao Liying smiled wryly and said, "Linghan, didn't we agree that I'd make breakfast from now on?"
"It's alright! I'm used to waking up early, and I've always been the one making breakfast. You guys can sleep in a little longer."
"Oh dear, how can you put us in such a difficult position!"
"It's okay! Just think of this as a vacation. You'll probably be busy again after the show ends. Although I don't know much about the entertainment industry, I've heard you're known as a workaholic. It's a rare opportunity to relax, why push yourself so hard?"
"I have no choice but to work hard! If I don't work hard now, I'm afraid I won't even have the chance to act when I get older."
"How is that possible? You make a living through acting, and isn't acting skill more valuable with age?"
While chatting, Yuan Linghan invited Zhao Liying to have breakfast with them. As for Wu Yue and Chen Duling, who were still asleep, they could have breakfast later. After all, the rain had just stopped, and they didn't have much work to do anyway.
Taking advantage of the finally sunny weather, Yuan Linghan hung her clothes outside to dry after breakfast. Zhao Liying was also busy, sweeping the open space in front of the shelter with a bamboo broom. After hanging up the clothes, Yuan Linghan also took the opportunity to check the drainage ditch.
In addition, they filled the water tank outside the bathroom with the now-clear stream water and rinsed it clean. After filling it with clear stream water again, Yuan Linghan said, "Sister Ying, you can take a bath this evening."
"Really? Oh, that's great! Isn't the water cold?"
"After being left to sit in the sun all day, the water will become warm. Although it can't compare to the water heater at home, it certainly won't be cold."
"As long as it's not too cold! Actually, I've wanted to take a shower for a while now, I always feel like I'm going to smell bad. But I was worried that the water would be too cold, and I'd catch a cold if I took a shower. Now that I have a bathroom, I'm definitely going to take a good shower today."
While the two were tending to the shelter, Wu Yue finally woke up. Seeing the two chatting and busy, Wu Yue said somewhat embarrassedly, "Xiao Ling, why didn't you wake me up?"
"Brother Yue, why did I wake you up? It's a rare chance to sleep in, you should cherish it!"
Wu Yue smiled and replied, but ultimately said nothing more. Anyway, he'd been waking up around this time almost every day since moving in. In contrast, Chen Duling, the youngest of the four, was the one who loved sleeping in the most.
After Wu Yue finished breakfast, he asked about the plans for the day. Yuan Linghan thought for a moment and said, "Today is not suitable for hunting in the mountains. Let's go for a stroll in the mountains after breakfast tomorrow. In the morning, I'll take you to get some new ingredients."
"What ingredients?"
"Taro! I found a patch of wild taro while hunting miniature pigs. I looked at it carefully, and it should be edible taro. But whether it's edible or not, we'll know after we dig it up and cook it."
"Aren't all wild taro poisonous?"
In response to Wu Yue's question, Yuan Linghan smiled and said, "They are indeed all poisonous! But some wild taro can be disinfected by boiling, just like cassava. However, some wild taro is still poisonous even when cooked."
If you absolutely cannot confirm whether it's poisonous, the best option is not to eat it. But those taro roots, at first glance, seem to be taro. However, we'll need to examine them more carefully after digging them up. Eat what you can, and don't eat what you can't!
In Yuan Linghan's view, if the taro was edible, it would provide another ingredient. If it wasn't, there was no need to regret it. As long as the weather was sunny, he believed that other edible ingredients could still be found in the island's jungle!