The weight in his hand obviously exceeded the two bass from the morning.
Lynn exerted force in his arm and slowly lifted the Fishing Cage out of the water.
As soon as the Fishing Cage came out of the water, the sound of splashing echoed continuously.
Kuisi quickly reached out to help, grasping the end of the Fishing Cage, feeling the weight in her hand instantly.
She habitually peered through the gaps in the Fishing Cage.
Through the gaps, she could vaguely see a long, slender shape rolling inside the Fishing Cage.
Given her experience at noon, Kuisi instinctively stepped back.
[Eel]: Tender and succulent flesh, rich in protein and nutrients, etc.
Lynn said, "No need to worry, it’s a fish."
Opening the Fishing Cage door, Lynn dumped out the eel.
The slender eel rolled and leapt on the shallows, and Kuisi raised her eyebrows, "Such a big eel? It’s the first time I’ve seen one this large."
Lynn took out the Flint Knife and stabbed through the eel’s head, and the eel gradually lost its vitality.
Stringing the eel with rattan, Lynn felt its weight—it was at least eleven or twelve pounds!
Handing the eel over to Kuisi, Lynn went to the second Fishing Cage, which also held two salmon weighing three to four pounds each!
Adding the two bass from the morning, they had caught over twenty pounds of fish in the Acadia River in just one day!
The river fish resources in the Acadia River were far more plentiful than Lynn had imagined.
After dissecting and cleaning them, Kuisi seemed a bit strained carrying three big fish.
Kuisi said, "Master Lynn, we’ve caught so many fish, plus there’s all that wolf meat... we can’t finish it all."
Putting the Fishing Cage back into the water, Lynn spoke, "If we can’t finish it, hang it to smoke over the hearth; it will keep longer that way."
Watching Kuisi walk back to the cabin, Lynn turned and headed towards a distant patch of wild grassland.
Two Rabbit Cages were still placed there.
The first Rabbit Cage was empty; he picked it up directly.
Just as Lynn approached the second Rabbit Cage, he heard the sound of nibbling.
Inside the Rabbit Cage, a wild rabbit was gnawing on a tree trunk.
He quickly quickened his pace, squatted beside the Rabbit Cage, opened it, and grabbed the rabbit’s ears.
Despite the rabbit’s frantic struggle, kicking and hitting Lynn’s arm, his hand held tightly like an iron vise.
Without any hesitation, Lynn took out the Flint Knife and resolved it.
Wild rabbits breed quickly, producing several litters a year, each litter capable of producing several young, making them a good meat source.
But given the current conditions, the idea of breeding wild rabbits had to be temporarily shelved.
Throwing the rabbit into the Rabbit Cage, Lynn carried it back to the cabin.
Before he reached the cabin, a voice called out from inside.
"Kuisi, wasn’t Master Lynn with you by the river? How come you came back alone?"
"Master Lynn went to check the Rabbit Cages; he should be back soon, right?"
"I see... I’ll go check..."
"Red, don’t move; be careful your wound doesn’t reopen."
"I’m just going to take a peek at the door."
"Hey... you better lie down; I’ll go check! Red, you need to get better soon, we promised Master Lynn to help him with the spring cultivation..."
Kuisi had just opened the cabin door when she saw Lynn approaching, and her face showed surprise, "Master Lynn, you’re back?"
Lynn nodded, "Caught a wild rabbit; you handle it for dinner."
Kuisi hurriedly reached out to take it, "Alright, Master Lynn."
Placing the Flint Shovel in the corner, Lynn sat by the fire.
Red was the first to call out, "Master Lynn."
Lynn asked, "How are you feeling? I need you to get better soon; it’s too slow for me to clear the wasteland alone!"
Several days had passed, and they’d only cleared about four hundred square feet of land.
If they didn’t clear at least a thousand square feet, there wouldn’t be enough space to plant all the wheat seeds.
Spring cultivation was fast approaching.
The subsequent task of fertilizing the soil and covering it with soil would also require time.
Red nodded, "Thank you, Master Lynn, I’m much better, in a few days I should be able to work!"
Lynn acknowledged with a nod.
The cabin was filled with the aroma of meat.
Kuisi, skilled in Cooking, steamed a bass, and roasted some Wild Wolf and rabbit meat by the hearth.
Not knowing what spices Kuisi added, the fish was delicious and tender, and Lynn tasted no fishy flavor at all.
Having eaten their fill, Lynn and the two others sat by the hearth, warming themselves by the fire.
Kuisi looked at the fish hanging above the hearth and inquired.
"Master Lynn, although smoking meat can extend its shelf life, without salt, it can only be preserved for a few days..."
Lynn raised his head to look, observing the pieces of fresh meat supported by sticks, turning oily and yellow from the smoke.
Droplets of oil dripped down into the ash below.
Just a few days ago, Lynn had been hungry, worrying about finding food every day.
Now, the cabin was filled with more meat than they could eat, and they fretted over how to preserve it.
Not to mention that they didn’t have any salt, and even if they did, he wouldn’t use it to preserve fish.
Kaldi is part of the Inland Empire, and besides salt mines producing mineral salt, nearly all salt is transported from the Coastal Empire.
Without canals in the inland, it all relied on merchants’ caravans, making transportation costs extremely high.
The price of salt was accordingly expensive.
Red suggested, "If we could smoke more fish, we could sell them in nearby villages to exchange for what we need." Discover more novels at n0velfire.net
"Earlier, when Kuisi and I were fleeing bandit pursuit, we saw a village on the other side of the mountain, about twenty miles away, but the journey is long, and a round trip might take a day."
If they could ensure no shortage of daily food, selling smoked fish was indeed a good idea.
They couldn’t just eat meat all the time; they needed staple foods too.
For faster development, Lynn needed some iron products, like Iron Axes, Iron Hoes, and iron sickles, among others.
Relying only on Flint tools was too inefficient.
Lynn stood up, "I’m going to cut some more willow branches."
If they wanted to produce more smoked fish, they would need more Fishing Cages.
Kuisi quickly joined Lynn, "Master Lynn, I’m going too."
With each step Lynn and Kuisi took on the wasteland, the ground beneath them creaked with the sound of small twigs breaking.
By the riverside, Lynn used the Flint Knife to cut willow branches and placed them on the ground, while Kuisi gathered and bound them together.
After soaking the willow branches in the river for over an hour, Lynn and Kuisi each carried a bundle back home.
Gazing at the star-scattered night sky, Kuisi asked, "Master Lynn, can I learn weaving from you later?"
Lynn nodded, "Of course you can."
A smile spread across Kuisi’s face, "That’s great!"
Perhaps due to Red’s care, Kuisi remained optimistic and diligent.
Back at the cabin, they sat by the fire.
Lynn began weaving the Fishing Cage with willow branches, while Kuisi sat nearby, watching and learning as she wove.
Seeing this scene, Red, resting at the edge, gradually let go of the wariness in his heart.
Sensible Kuisi placed a small bundle of willow branches beside Red.
Kuisi said, "Red, it’s only your leg that’s injured; your hands can still move."
Lynn made two Fishing Cages.
Kuisi had only woven the bottom of a Fishing Cage; though it wasn’t as sturdy or refined as Lynn’s, with some adjustments, it would do.
It also saved Lynn some time.
Several hours passed, and he only had a willow ring in hand.
Feeling the unusual gaze of Lynn and Kuisi, Red blushed with embarrassment.
"This is my first time..."