King of the Wilderness-Chapter 120 - 113: The Covenant to Hunt Dall Sheep_2
"Thank you, Stan." Lin Yu’an nodded, feeling a warmth in his heart.
Returning to the cabin, he lit the stove fire, and David and Mike immediately sat by the stove to warm up.
David recovered his energy, looked at the two blueprints, and curiously asked, "Lin, today was truly an enormous day of gains! We met George and borrowed a portable band saw."
"So, what’s our next plan? Is your ’hundred-day plan’ fully achievable now?"
"You’re right David, today was very productive."
"Tomorrow’s task is to safely transport the portable band saw back to our ’Wood Forest Land.’ Then, the large-scale wood processing work will officially begin!"
"We must seize every day and turn all the wood into qualified building materials before the ground thaws, and summer arrives!"
"You wouldn’t want to deal with Alaska’s mosquitoes in the forest during summer, right?"
Next day, before dawn, Lin Yu’an returned to Old George’s home.
He planned to take advantage of the pre-dawn conditions while the roads weren’t too muddy to transport the portable band saw.
"George, can this machine be dismantled? I want to transport it in batches."
"Of course, its track parts are standard two-meter sections, and you can disassemble them with a hand wrench. The main machine head and engine can be separated, and the heaviest main machine head is only over a hundred kilograms."
Lin Yu’an first used a professional socket wrench to skillfully dismantle the track sections of the band saw one by one.
"For the first trip, let’s transport the track."
He and David worked together to lift the four two-meter-long steel tracks onto the trailer compartment and firmly secured them with professional ratchet straps.
Lin Yu’an drove the tricycle back and forth on the muddy dirt road, effortlessly transporting all the tracks back to the camp.
The hardest part was transporting the main machine head.
This big machine, integrating the saw wheel, lifting system, and various precise parts, was only over a hundred kilograms but had an irregular shape and difficult-to-balance center of gravity.
Lin Yu’an, David, and Mike worked together to place the main machine head steadily in the middle of the trailer compartment.
"Lin, what do we do at the camp? Can you unload it by yourself?"
"David, did you forget my loader?"
"Haha, I almost forgot you have such a great piece of equipment."
This transport trip, Lin Yu’an drove extra cautiously.
He set the tricycle’s gear to the lowest speed, the engine let out a steady, powerful roar, like an untiring old ox, moving slowly but surely through the muddy path.
Lin Yu’an intentionally tested the tricycle’s limits this time and didn’t use space intervention.
After spending more than half a day, when all parts of the band saw were safely delivered to ’Wood Forest Land’ and preliminarily assembled by Lin Yu’an, all three hardy men were thoroughly exhausted.
Lin Yu’an retrieved the pork belly buried in the cooler, intending to make braised pork to reward the hardworking film crew duo.
Actually, they could have completely opted out of helping, but they voluntarily assisted, warming Lin Yu’an’s heart and leaving a mark of appreciation for their contribution.
"Alright, you’ve both worked hard today." Lin Yu’an dusted off his hands.
"To celebrate our new progress and to reward you both, I’m cooking something tasty for dinner!"
David and Mike’s eyes instantly brightened. David exaggeratedly clutched his stomach and said, "Oh, Lin, say that again! I think I can already smell the aroma!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Lin Yu’an smiled, said no more, and headed straight for his supplies box.
From one cool box, he took out several vacuum-sealed pork belly cuts and flour, all purchased in Fairbanks.
Then, he fetched a specialized seasoning box containing star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, dried chilies, rock sugar, and a bottle of thick, dark soy sauce brought from China.
He took out the large integrated cooking pot and stove of the Chinese iron pan, set a fire, and heated the pan.
"Lin, what are you making? Boiled pork?" David asked curiously like a food show host, continuously questioning from the side.
While skimming off the blood foam floating in the pot with a long ladle, Lin Yu’an explained, "This is called ’blanching’ in Chinese cuisine."
"Its main purpose is to remove blood and impurities from the meat and eliminate the fishy smell."
Once the pot water boiled again, he took out all the meat pieces, dumped the pot water, reheated the pot, and poured oil, grabbing some rock sugar tossed in.
"Now, it’s about caramelizing sugar for a beautiful color." He constantly stirred with a spatula, and the sugar quickly melted from pale yellow to amber in hot oil.
Afterward, Lin Yu’an returned the previously processed pork belly to the pot, quickly stirred, letting each meat piece get evenly coated with a glistening caramel layer.
Subsequently, he tossed in all the star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, dried chilies, and other seasonings at once, drizzling a large amount of soy sauce along the pot’s edge.
Lin Yu’an added sufficient boiling water, covering all the meat pieces, planning to put the cut potato pieces towards the end before the dish was ready, cover with a lid, and let it simmer slowly.
Meanwhile, he also took out flour and yeast, using warm water to dissolve the yeast, then mixed it with the flour, kneading it into a smooth dough.
He placed the dough in a large bowl, covered it with a damp cloth, and set it by the cast iron stove for fermentation.
Lin Yu’an deflated the fermented dough forcefully on a simple board.
Then divided it into evenly sized pieces, kneaded each into smooth, round, full buns.
He placed a steaming tray on another large iron pot, put the raw buns inside.
Half an hour later, Lin Yu’an uncovered the pot lid.
On the steam tray, the originally small dough pieces had turned into plump, white buns, appearing full of springiness~
A pot of brightly colored, tender braised pork and potatoes also finished cooking, along with steaming buns, presented on the simple dining table.
David took a piece of braised pork, "Lin! This...this stuff is so delicious! It’s better than anything I’ve had at a Michelin restaurant!"
"Try this, Chinese bread, dip it in the soup." Lin Yu’an handed him a warm bun.
David mimicked him, tearing open the soft bun, then soaking it in the plate of the glossy, thick braised pork juice.
"Unbelievable! So unbelievable! This tastes like a divine gift!" David shouted, his words garbled.
Mike, on the other hand, said nothing, holding a piece of braised pork in his left hand and half a bun in his right, his mouth stuffed and just kept giving Lin Yu’an a thumbs up.
Watching their exaggerated reactions, Lin Yu’an laughed and said, "It’s not that exaggerated. In China, this is just an ordinary home-cooked dish, paired with the most basic staple food."
This meal was not only a reward but also Lin Yu’an’s way of expressing gratitude and building friendship.
At the dining table, through the catalysis of delicious food, the relationship among the three progressed from mere work partners to genuine friends.
After dinner, with a brief rest, Lin Yu’an didn’t stop.
He began assembling the band saw with the light from the vehicle headlights, showcasing his solid mechanical engineering skills once again.
First, he carefully calibrated each track section with a level gauge, piecing them into a straight base.
Then, he firmly installed the machine head on the track, meticulously adjusting the gap of each roller to ensure the machine head moved smoothly on the track without any wobble.
Lastly, he fitted a brand-new band blade, conducting final repetitive tests.
The next morning, the band saw’s first test cut officially commenced amidst everyone’s anticipation!
