119: Making yogurt

Early the next morning, soft sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, sprinkling into the Shelter in strands.

Lu Fan was the first to wake from his slumber. He lightly rubbed his bleary eyes and subconsciously turned his head to look at An Lan's bed.

He saw that An Lan was still covered by her quilt, her back to him, breathing evenly, seemingly still immersed in a sweet dream.

Lu Fan rose quietly, his movements extremely careful for fear of disturbing An Lan.

He slowly walked out of the Shelter and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. The crisp scent instantly seeped into his lungs, refreshing his spirit.

Then, he gave a long stretch, limbering up his body to his heart's content.

However, this beautiful morning did not last long.

In an instant, a wave of heat surged toward him, making him realize that today's weather was somewhat unusual.

Lu Fan looked up at the sky. There wasn't a single cloud in the vast blue expanse. The sun was like a scorching ball of fire, unreservedly and wantonly radiating endless heat, as if it wanted to set the whole world ablaze.

"This weather... it's probably going to be the death of us," Lu Fan couldn't help but mutter to himself.

He returned to the Shelter, found the ice cubes he had previously carefully stored, picked up a stone, and cautiously cracked the ice.

Then, he added the crushed ice to the tea he had brewed earlier.

Immediately, the ice cubes and tea collided, making a crisp and pleasant sound, and a hint of coolness spread along with it.

"Ah, that familiar loser vibe."

Just then, An Lan moved slightly on the bed.

Actually, she had woken up long ago, but she had been too embarrassed to face Lu Fan, so she had been pretending to sleep.

Hearing Lu Fan's movements outside, she slowly sat up and reached out to tidy her somewhat messy hair.

"Morning, Lu Fan," An Lan said with a yawn, her voice still carrying a hint of laziness.

"Morning, you're awake. Today's weather is simply ridiculously hot; it feels much hotter than the past few days."

As Lu Fan spoke, he handed a cup of tea with ice cubes to An Lan, his face beaming with a warm smile.

An Lan took the tea and took a small sip. She instantly felt a wave of coolness travel from her throat straight to her heart and couldn't help but praise, "Wow, that's so comfortable."

While they were talking, they suddenly heard the sound of "Baa Baa" calling from not far away, sounding very restless.

Lu Fan slapped his forehead and said regretfully, "Oh no, I was so busy with other things these past two days that I completely forgot about milking the goat."

With that, he hurried toward Baa Baa, and An Lan followed quickly behind him.

When they reached the Shed, they saw Baa Baa pacing back and forth anxiously. Its belly was visibly swollen, and it was clear that it was suffering from its engorged udders.

"Baa Baa, I'm sorry, I forgot about you."

While speaking gently, Lu Fan skillfully picked up a Bamboo Tube and began to help milk Baa Baa.

Baa Baa seemed to feel Lu Fan's comfort, and its mood gradually stabilized, no longer so restless.

Before long, two Bamboo Tubes were filled with Goat Milk.

Lu Fan looked at these two large Bamboo Tubes of Goat Milk and then at the unbearable heat, frowning.

"It's so hot today; I'm afraid the Goat Milk will be hard to preserve. It won't be long before it spoils."

An Lan thought for a moment, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She said excitedly, "I have an idea! We can use grapes and apples to make yogurt. Grapes and apples have natural yeast on their skins that can promote the fermentation of Goat Milk. This way, we can preserve the Goat Milk and turn it into delicious yogurt."

Hearing this, Lu Fan's eyes also lit up, and he said joyfully, "That's a great idea."

No sooner said than done. First, they found a clean container and carefully scalded it with boiling water for a thorough disinfection to ensure the container's hygiene and avoid affecting the yogurt making.

Then, Lu Fan went to the Storage Room to get some grapes and apples. One could clearly see a layer of white frost on the surface of the grapes, which was even more prominent in the cold environment.

An Lan slowly poured the Goat Milk into the disinfected container.

Then, she carefully picked the grapes one by one and cut the apples into even, small pieces.

"I haven't done this before either, so whether it succeeds or not is up to fate, but I believe our luck shouldn't be too bad," An Lan said with a smile, her eyes full of expectation.

Next, she put the cut grapes and apples into the Goat Milk and then gently stirred with a clean wooden stick, allowing the fruit and Goat Milk to mix thoroughly to ensure that every part of the Goat Milk could fully contact the yeast in the fruit to promote fermentation.

"That's about it. Now we just wait," An Lan said, looking at the mixture in the container with satisfaction, as if admiring a piece of art about to be completed.

At this moment, in the livestream room.

"Wow, there's even a move like this? Making yogurt with grapes and apples, that's amazing!"

"As expected, having two people is great. They can discuss everything and complement each other."

"Haha, Ling Yue next door has already cried himself unconscious in the wilderness."

"I really want to taste what their yogurt is like."

"Person upstairs, I have yogurt too. Do you want to try some?"

"Ugh, person upstairs, I'm afraid your yogurt might stick to the throat."

Lu Fan and An Lan placed the container with the Goat Milk and fruit in a relatively cool place where the temperature was suitable for the fermentation of the yogurt.

Then, they carefully wrapped it with some leaves and hay to keep the temperature as stable as possible, creating a good environment for the yogurt to ferment.

After finishing all this, it was unknowingly lunchtime.

His stomach made a timely "gurgling" sound of protest. Lu Fan patted his stomach and said with a laugh, "It's about time. My stomach is starting a revolution. What do you want to eat?"

An Lan nodded and replied, "Hmm... let's eat something simple today. We'll take out the leftover Venison and stir-fry it, then mix some Shredded Kelp. It'll be refreshing and appetizing."

No sooner said than done. Lu Fan skillfully took out the refrigerated Venison from the Storage Room. The Venison still maintained a bright red color, and the meat looked very fresh.

He sliced the Venison into thin pieces. Each slice was cut evenly, and under the sunlight, the meat slices shimmered with an enticing luster.

Meanwhile, An Lan was processing the Shredded Kelp. She put the Shredded Kelp into clean water, and the strands unfurled in the water like green silk ribbons.

After washing them, she cut the kelp into fine shreds.

Lu Fan built up the fire and steadily placed the iron pot on top. The bottom of the pot quickly became scorching hot under the licking flames.

He added some lard, which sizzled in the pot as if playing a cheerful symphony.

Lu Fan put the sliced Venison into the pot. Instantly, a pitter-patter sound erupted, and a rich meaty aroma wafted out.

He skillfully stir-fried the Venison. The meat tumbled in the pot, each piece being fried until it turned slightly golden, the fragrance growing even more intense.

An Lan's side was also progressing rapidly. She put the washed Shredded Kelp into a large bowl and added various seasonings collected from the wild, along with uniquely fragrant Wild Garlic and Wild Green Onions, then poured on Lu Fan's specially made Chili Oil.

She stirred the Shredded Kelp with chopsticks. The seasonings and kelp merged thoroughly, and the kelp gradually took on an enticing color, emitting a fresh sourness and the aroma of onions and garlic.

At this moment, the Venison Lu Fan was stir-frying burst forth with a rich aroma.

"Wow, it smells so good! This Venison is stir-fried so expertly; I feel like I could eat two big bowls," An Lan took a deep breath and praised sincerely.

Lu Fan replied with a smile, "Then you'd better eat more today; there's still work to do this afternoon."

In a short while, lunch was ready. The two sat in the Shelter, drinking ice-cold tea and feasting heartily, enjoying this busy yet warm moment.