I Became The Chief Of A Primitive Village

Chapter 335, Preserved Food

Translator: Silavin

The Flame Dragon Tribe was now bustling with activity, everyone doing their own work with no time for anything else.

Over ten buildings had risen from the ground in more than ten days. These tall buildings looked particularly eye-catching in a Primitive Tribe.

The main road construction, starting from the central area, was also progressing steadily, already extending quite a distance.

It would be finished in a few days, after which they could start building the secondary roads – roads branching out from the main road to the sides.

The Tribesmen were amazed at these changes, never imagining they would have roads.

The changes in the Tribe were truly immense, so much so that they could hardly believe their eyes.

Was this really where they used to live? This was what they kept pondering over and over again.

It all seemed so surreal – having enough to eat at every meal, everyone having work, it was truly incredible.

Not only did the regular Tribesmen feel this way, even the Chieftain and Cang Shi found it quite unbelievable.

“Shaman, we caught many fish today.” Yu Ying’s cute voice rang out.

This morning, a few Totem Warriors had returned from the riverside, bringing back eight fishes.

They would go again in the evening, as they had already fished for quite a while in the morning.

Continuing to fish now would not yield much more, so they would rest and return in the afternoon, when more fish would bite.

“Let’s go process these fishes.” Su Bai said as he got up.

The Tribe had accumulated quite a few fishes these past couple days. If not processed properly, they could not be kept for long.

Previously, they would eat whatever they caught each day, so there was no storage of fish. However, with the rainy season approaching, the Tribe needed to store more food now.

Though the Tribe had plenty of dried meat, it was all normal animal or Ferocious Beast Meat, which could become tiresome to eat.

So, they needed to store other types of meat for variety.

“Process the fishes? Can’t we just eat them today?” Yu Ying asked, puzzled, as they usually ate them right away.  [Why process them this time?]

“The rainy season is coming in a few days. We need to store different types of meat.” Su Bai said.

A couple days ago, when he opened his System package, he got something different. It was a bag of coarse salt.

The bag of coarse salt was not small. It was as big as the grain bag from the last time.

It was unfortunate that it was coarse salt and not refined salt – if it had been refined salt he would have been overjoyed.

The Tribe was currently lacking salt, and though they still had most of the refined salt from last time, getting a large bag of coarse salt was quite surprising.

Coarse salt was best used for preserving.

“I see.” Yu Ying nodded, somewhat understanding what he was saying.

Once Su Bai arrived where the fishes were being kept, he saw them. They had been out of water for some time but they were still alive.

Of course, they were not as lively as they were initially. They would just occasionally move their tails and bodies.

“They are so big!” Yu Ying exclaimed, though she had seen them before, she was still amazed by this sight.

“Shaman, are you here to look at the catch too?” Yan Hua walked over.

The cow horned girl was always like this. Whenever the Hunting Team returned from hunting or people came back from fishing, she would rush over to look, mainly to see the prey and think about how to hunt them in the future.

“Yes, I’m going to make some preserved fish.” Su Bai said.

When he left the wooden house, he had brought many seasonings with him, all from the System.

It was precisely because he got all these packages that he thought of preserving meat.

Preserved food could last even longer than dried meat – if processed properly, it could last about two months. Moreover, meat preserved in ceramic jars for some time would become more fragrant. Anyone who had tasted it would understand.

“Preserved fish?” Yan Hua furrowed her brows, showing her lack of understanding.

Besides ‘fish’, she was hearing the other words for the first time, though she wondered if it had something to do with food.

“It means putting fish in ceramics, which can extend its storage time by a few days, about 60 days.” Su Bai explained.

Not only that, but he also thought about preserved vegetables, since  vegetables could also be pickled in ceramic containers.

The pickled vegetables had a different taste, sour and appetizing. They were a great companion for noodles or meat dishes.

Moreover, everyone in the Primitive Tribe loved eating meat, but eating only meat could become too much- at least for Su Bai.

If they had pickled vegetables as a side dish, it could balance the gaminess of the meat and enhance its taste.

Unfortunately, when he left the Tribe the last time, the vegetables had not been harvested yet. Plus, since the ceramics had not been made then, there was naturally no way to pickle vegetables.

“You can keep fish meat in ceramics for over 60 days?” Yan Hua’s red eyes widened in surprise. “Won’t the meat go bad?”

Though she could not go hunting, she knew that meat could not be stored for too long.

Hearing that fish could be stored for over 60 days, and in ceramics no less, seemed incredible.

After all, meat typically could not last more than five or six days even in ventilated places, let alone being sealed in ceramics for over 60 days. This seemed almost impossible.

“Of course it would be  impossible if you just put the meat in by itself.. You need to add some seasonings.” Su Bai smiled.

Seeing the cow horned girl getting so surprised, he naturally understood what she was thinking.

But it was normal. How could people of this era know that much? They even roasted meat with skin and fur intact… How could they even comprehend methods for preservation? Preservation required adding seasonings and thorough sterilization of the ceramics.

“Shaman, what are seasonings?” Yan Hua could hardly wait to see the preserved food being made.

“Things like star anise, dried tangerine peel, chili, bay leaves. You preserve these together with the meat.” Su Bai took out a package of seasonings.

Though the package was not very large, it was enough to preserve several jars.

This seasoning package had just come from the Assistance Package he opened this morning. It was just before the fox eared girl had told him about the fish arriving.

He had thought about preserving some meat before, but was limited by the lack of seasonings. Now, that problem has been resolved.