101: Processing deer hide

"An Lan, I'm back!" Before even reaching the Shelter, Lu Fan shouted at the top of his lungs.

Hearing his voice, An Lan immediately walked out of the Shelter.

She saw the horse behind Lu Fan carrying a deer and several bunches of wild grapes. Her mouth fell open in surprise. "Wow, where did you go? How did you bring back so many good things?" An Lan asked, her face full of pleasant surprise.

Lu Fan jumped off the horse triumphantly, patted it, and said, "That's a long story. I went on a thrilling adventure today. First, I ran into a Cheetah trying to steal my Rock Sheep, and then I finally managed to hunt down this deer. I didn't expect to find these wild grapes either—it was a complete surprise!"

An Lan smiled as she took the wild grapes and said, "You're really amazing; I knew you could do it. These wild grapes look so fresh."

At this moment, the livestream room also became lively.

"Wow, these round purple grapes bring back so many memories."

"These were my favorite when I was a kid—sweet and sour. Even though they aren't as sweet as modern Shine Muscat grapes, I just love them."

"Modern grapes are all improved varieties. They're sweet, but they've lost the original flavor of a grape."

"Exactly. It's just like modern society—it looks big and beautiful, but its essence has changed."

"To the person above, I have no idea what you're talking about."

The two of them unloaded the deer from the horse together and began preparing to process it.

Lu Fan was responsible for skinning and butchering the meat, while An Lan assisted from the side, handing him tools and water.

While processing the venison, Lu Fan vividly recounted his adventure to An Lan. He described the Cheetah's ferocity and the deer's stubborn resistance so animatedly that An Lan listened with great interest, letting out gasps of amazement from time to time.

"That sounds way too dangerous. If I encountered those situations, I'd definitely be scared to death," An Lan said.

Lu Fan puffed out his chest and said with full confidence, "With my skills, if that leopard dared to come back, I'd take it down and turn it into a leather coat."

The two talked and worked, and before they knew it, the sky had grown dark.

A warm fire glowed inside the Shelter, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.

Lu Fan roasted the venison over the fire while An Lan simmered Wild Grape Jam on the side.

The scent of the jam mixed with the aroma of the roasted meat, filling the entire Shelter with a cozy atmosphere.

"It smells so good, I can hardly wait," Lu Fan said, smelling the fragrance and constantly swallowing his saliva.

An Lan smiled and said, "If we were in the outside world, this venison isn't something ordinary people could eat."

Soon, the roasted venison and Wild Grape Jam were ready.

The two sat at the dining table and enjoyed this sumptuous dinner.

The roasted venison was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, fresh and juicy, while the Wild Grape Jam was sweet and sour with a rich texture.

"Mmm, it's delicious. Your cooking skills are getting better and better, My Lady," Lu Fan praised while eating.

An Lan responded with a smile, "It's all thanks to you today. If you hadn't brought back so many good things, we wouldn't have such a feast."

They ate and chatted, sharing their happiness and joy.

In this scorching wilderness, although their lives were full of hardships and challenges, these small gains and each other's company made everything incredibly warm and beautiful.

After finishing dinner, they cut the remaining venison into pieces, preparing to store it for later.

An Lan also put the Wild Grape Jam into containers and stored them in a cool place.

"Today was so productive; I need to get some good rest." Lu Fan stretched and yawned.

The next day, as the first light of dawn pierced through the mist, Lu Fan rolled out of bed.

The wonderful meal and sufficient sleep from the night before had him full of energy, like a little motor that had been fully wound up.

He yawned while muttering, "I have to properly clean this deerskin today. I'll make a handsome deerskin coat later; maybe I'll even become a trendsetter in wilderness fashion!"

Currently, he hadn't found any suitable materials to make clothes. Previously, he had given his shirt to An Lan to wear, while he himself wore only pants and sheepskin.

After all, a girl couldn't go running around wearing just a piece of sheepskin like him, and he couldn't exactly wear An Lan's clothes, so this deerskin was particularly important and necessary to keep.

While An Lan was still dreaming, Lu Fan tiptoed out of the Shelter, afraid of waking her.

Coming to the place where the deerskin was stored and looking at the hide that still smelled of blood, Lu Fan rubbed his hands together, eager to start.

He first found a large, clean stone and spread the deerskin flat on it. Then he went to the spring to get a bucket of water, preparing to give the deerskin a "freshwater bath."

"This deerskin is really thick. The clothes made from it will definitely be warm and durable," Lu Fan said as he splashed water on the hide, picked up a scraper, and began to scrape vigorously.

The scraper rubbed against the deerskin, making a "shua-shua" sound as if playing a unique song of labor.

After scraping and washing for a while, the bloodstains and impurities on the deerskin were cleaned away, revealing its original color.

Lu Fan nodded in satisfaction, then rummaged through the storage box for some special juices extracted from plants.

These juices were all made by An Lan and were said to have excellent preservative and tanning effects.

"Hey, little babies, it's your turn to shine!" Lu Fan smiled as he evenly applied the juice to the deerskin, muttering as he worked, "Apply a bit more, just a bit more, make my deerskin soft and strong."

After applying the juice, Lu Fan hung the deerskin on a thick tree branch to let the sunlight hit it naturally.

He stood to the side, staring at the deerskin and saying from time to time, "Not bad, not bad at all. As expected of high-grade leather."

Just as Lu Fan was full of anticipation, a playful little bird flew over and landed on the branch next to the deerskin.

It tilted its head, looking curiously at the deerskin. Suddenly, as if it had found something fun, it pecked the deerskin with its sharp beak.

"Dammit, where did this stupid bird come from? Don't mess things up!" Lu Fan quickly ran over, waving his arms to drive the bird away.

The little bird flew off in a flutter of wings. Lu Fan looked at the tiny peck mark on the deerskin, feeling incredibly pained. "Fortunately it's just a small mark. If you had pecked a hole in it, I wouldn't have let you off!"

After dealing with the bird's "attack," Lu Fan returned to the deerskin and continued to observe its drying progress.

After a while, he felt that one side of the deerskin was dry enough, so he carefully flipped it over to continue drying the other side.

Before he knew it, the sun had risen high, and An Lan walked out of the Shelter.

She saw Lu Fan guarding the deerskin and asked with a smile, "Are you planning to make clothes out of that deerskin?"

Lu Fan ran over excitedly and pulled An Lan to the deerskin. "Look, the pattern looks pretty good, doesn't it? Once it's dry, I'll make a deerskin outfit!"