dkrc Chapter 16: Enjoying a lavish meal, feeling wronged!
Chapter 16: Enjoying a lavish meal, feeling wronged!
Sitting in the newly set-up kitchen, watching Yuan Linghan begin cooking dinner, Chen Duling, who had just finished showering, focused her attention on the grill. She hadn't expected that participating in a desert island survival program would lead to such unique cuisine.
She rarely ate barbecued food when she was out in the past. But when she came to the island and saw that Yuan Linghan was going to roast a rabbit and even roasted two chicken wings for her, she was just as happy.
Besides the charcoal-grilled food, Yuan Linghan chopped up half a free-range chicken and stewed it with the bamboo shoots he had dug that morning. The staple food was, of course, thoroughly cooked cassava. This standard of fare would probably make the other contestants drool with envy.
With the leftover meat that couldn't be eaten immediately, Yuan Linghan set up a makeshift smoking rack and placed the cleaned free-range chicken and rabbit on it to smoke. Once smoked, it would be preserved for a longer time, improving their meals.
Watching Yuan Linghan skillfully turn the chicken wings grilling over charcoal, Chen Duling couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yuan, you can grill too?"
"Not exactly professional! But at least the food I grill doesn't make me sick."
"But your grilling technique looks really professional!"
"Really? Then what do you think a professional barbecue technique should look like?"
Chen Duling was taken aback for a moment by the question, and didn't know how to answer. Fortunately, Yuan Linghan said at the right time, "As long as you know how to cook and put your heart into it, the food you grill will definitely be edible."
But compared to a professional barbecue chef, it definitely can't compare. These two chicken wings are almost done. If you don't mind spicy food, it's best to add some chili powder; it will taste even better that way.
"Brother Yuan, it's best to put less chili in, I can't handle spicy food very well."
Fearing that Yuan Linghan would add too much chili, Chen Duling couldn't help but remind him. Fortunately, Yuan Linghan didn't mind and sprinkled a little chili powder, used as a seasoning, onto the sizzling, oily chicken wings.
After turning it over a few more times to make sure it was edible, he handed the bamboo skewer to Chen Duling and said, "Dudu, try my cooking. Barbecue tastes better when it's hot."
If you find it too spicy, there's lemon coconut water nearby. But try to drink only a little, as there will be chicken soup and roasted rabbit later. There's also freshly made lemon coconut water over there; you can take it back to your room to drink as water.
"Okay, thank you, Brother Yuan!"
Compared to plain boiled water, Yuan Linghan and Chen Duling both felt that lemon coconut water tasted better. Meanwhile, viewers watching the live stream, seeing the couple's lavish dinner and comparing it to the other contestants, felt a stark contrast.
Although Yuan Linghan had collected some wild vegetables this time, she didn't cook any of them tonight. With fresh chicken and bamboo shoots, why bother eating wild vegetables? Besides, blanching the wild vegetables would be fine; they could be used to make porridge tomorrow!
The result was obvious: after eating some barbecue and chicken soup, Chen Duling was burping again. Hearing the burps, Yuan Linghan simply smiled and said, "Drink some water to help with digestion! I'll take care of the rest."
"Okay! Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Yuan!"
As Chen Duling walked out of the kitchen with a glass of lemon coconut water to aid digestion, Yuan Linghan also began to eat faster. Netizens who witnessed this commented with great admiration, "Brother Ling's appetite is truly impressive!"
"He ate most of a roasted rabbit, most of a pot of chicken stew with bamboo shoots, and two large pieces of cassava."
"Thrift is a virtue. It seems Brother Ling hasn't been eating much these past few days!"
"Dudu ate until she burped; she'll probably gain a few pounds by the time the challenge is over!"
"They eat meat and drink soup, while others go hungry. The difference in treatment is too great."
"Yeah! Brother Tietou and Liying are having all kinds of seafood again tonight. Liying is probably sick of seafood every meal."
"Sigh, Iron Head Bro is clearly not performing well. He's gone into the mountains several times without catching anything. He's so unlucky."
"It's not that he didn't catch anything, it's just that he's not skilled enough. Even if he encountered a rabbit or a chicken, he wouldn't be able to catch them!"
Eating the same food repeatedly will eventually become tiresome. For other food enthusiasts, whether they choose noodles, instant noodles, or rice, eating three different meals a day might also affect their appetite!
In contrast, Yuan Linghan and Chen Duling, after finding cassava as their staple food, paired it with five kilograms of rice provided by the production team, plus other fresh ingredients. The two maintained their habit of eating three different meals a day, and their appetites were quite good.
After washing up, Yuan Linghan stayed until all the charcoal used for smoking the meat had burned out, and then temporarily stored the smoked meat before going to rest. To ensure the ingredients didn't spoil, the meat that had been smoked once that night would be smoked again tomorrow.
The meat needs to be fully firm before it can be stored properly. But the collection of ingredients still needs to continue every day. For Chen Duling, the second day was the first time she tasted wild vegetable porridge, and even though the taste wasn't great, she still ate it with relish.
In the morning, she was in charge of cleaning the shelter. Yuan Linghan collected and cleaned the wooden planks, then cut them to a uniform length. Using these planks, she built two wooden plank beds, finally ending the era of sleeping on bamboo floors.
In addition to making two wooden plank beds, Yuan Linghan also made a simple table for Chen Duling. As a girl, she carries quite a few small items. Now that there's a table, it will be much more convenient to arrange and use them.
What made Chen Duling happiest was that Yuan Linghan helped her make a clothes rack, using scrap wire and bamboo to make several clothes hangers for easy drying and hanging. Their temporary residence was becoming more and more like home.
Just as their lives were getting back on track, the two were having dinner as usual when they heard a notification from the production team that another contestant had withdrawn from the challenge. Chen Duling was understandably surprised to hear this news.
"Today is the sixth day, and another one has dropped out. Including the previous one, there are now two players who have withdrawn, right?"
"Yes, according to the production team, this contestant also seems to be injured. It looks like we need to be more careful in the future. It would be a real shame if he had to withdraw due to illness or injury."
While the two contestants and other participants were discussing the announcement, the contestant who had been forced to withdraw from the show also felt wronged. However, for safety reasons, the production team ultimately advised the contestant to withdraw.
The contestant felt wronged because he had been stung by a scorpion. Unlike the previous amateur contestants, he was one of the five invited male celebrities. Even though he wasn't very famous, he still cherished this opportunity to appear on the show!
On the other hand, the production team also began preparing for the upcoming first week. When one planner suggested providing the guests with gift packs at the end of the first week, other planners quickly objected.
"Director, I don't recommend providing any additional assistance. In fact, we've already prepared plenty of supplies for the contestants beforehand. Providing more supplies would go against the original intention of the program. If the audience knows this, they'll lose interest in watching."
"Without new supplies, many contestants will likely find it difficult to complete the challenge."
"Since it's a desert island survival challenge, there must be winners and losers. Many people didn't think highly of Group Nine before, but now Group Nine has become the most popular challenge group. Authenticity is the biggest highlight of this show."
While both sides had their reasons, after careful consideration, the director ultimately decided to maintain the status quo. However, they agreed to make some adjustments to the remaining contestants after more than half of them had been eliminated, hoping to improve the show's entertainment value in the later stages.
If things remain unchanged, they will lose their novelty over time. As an experimental program, the director and production team need to accumulate experience so that they can make the next similar program more exciting and gain more audience recognition.