radicalducati Chapter 428 Is musk ox liver sweet?
Chapter 428 Is musk ox liver sweet?
Chapter 428 Is musk ox liver sweet?
Nanuk's knife was very fast.
On this desolate wasteland where temperatures are below -5 degrees Celsius, two "mountains of flesh" that had just collapsed were quickly cut apart.
As the thick fur was peeled off, a plume of warm white steam rose up and instantly enveloped the four of them.
The scene was spectacular, as if they had lit two red bonfires on the ice field.
Hans, who was helping with the facelift, suddenly stopped. He took off his gloves and repeatedly rubbed his blood-covered hands on the grayish-brown undercoat, an incredulous look in his eyes.
"Lin! Hu! Do you know what this is?"
Hans's voice trembled with excitement: "The feel—this is absolutely top-quality musk ox wool!"
"What the hell?" Wang Hu, who was panting heavily as he pulled on the cow's leg, straightened up, wiped his sweat, and looked completely bewildered. "It's just cow hair, isn't it?"
"Cow hair?" Hans shouted as if insulted. "This is Arctic soft gold! It's the most expensive and warmest natural fiber in the world!"
Nanook skillfully peeled the ox hair, adding, "Hans is right. On the international market, a kilogram of cleaned musk ox wool can sell for $800."
"But if it's made into a scarf or sweater—the price will be calculated by the gram."
"If the down on this piece of leather is processed properly, it's enough to make a family heirloom sweater for each of you. Wearing it, you won't feel cold even standing in a wind that's minus thirty degrees Celsius."
"Holy crap?!" Wang Hu instantly felt refreshed. His eyes widened as he stared at the heavy, blood-stained cowhide in his hand. "So what I was pulling wasn't cowhide, it was a car?"
Lin Yu'an was also somewhat surprised. He reached out and touched the base layer of velvet. His fingers sank into it instantly. The touch was extremely delicate, as if he were touching a cloud.
That's the allure of hunting—you get more than just meat; you get nature's most luxurious gifts.
Nanook interrupted their amazement at the musk ox wool, saying, "Alright, stop touching the skin. That's for when we get home."
"The priority now is the meat. Once it gets completely cold, it's as hard as a rock and you can't cut it at all."
With the skinning complete, the next step is dismemberment.
When Nanook slit open his hind leg along the muscle lines, everyone present couldn't help but gasp.
Musk ox muscle has an astonishingly high density, and what is exposed is not the bright red of ordinary beef, but a deep, almost purplish-red lean meat.
There is no excess subcutaneous fat, only muscle fibers as firm as steel cables.
"Holy crap—" Wang Hu couldn't help but pat the purplish-red muscular muscles, making a muffled "bang bang" sound.
"This isn't meat, it's practically a compressed block of rubber! If that kick landed on a person, the bones would be pulverized."
"This is top-quality game." Hans looked at the meat with a more appreciative eye, picked up a small piece with the tip of his knife, and smelled it.
"There is absolutely no gamey smell from livestock, only a faint aroma of moss and herbs. This meat is so good that it can even be eaten raw."
"Raw?" Wang Hu was taken aback. "Hans, don't try to fool me, this isn't salmon."
He didn't lie to you.
As Nanook spoke, he flipped his wrist and cut a piece of dark red liver directly from the still steaming chest cavity.
The liver was still trembling slightly, emitting white steam. Nanuk cut off a piece and put it directly into his mouth to chew.
"Crunch, crunch."
That was the sound of fresh liver breaking between teeth.
Nanuk closed his eyes and enjoyed it for a while, then swallowed it, cut three more pieces, and handed them to the knife tip in front of the three people.
"Give it a try? It's the hunter's privilege, and also this wasteland's reward to the warrior."
Nanuk looked at Wang Hu, who seemed a little hesitant, and smiled: "This is the world's freshest vitamin bomb, more effective than any supplement you buy in the supermarket."
Hans shrugged, grabbed a piece, and threw it directly into his mouth.
Wang Hu stared at the still-bleeding liver, his Adam's apple bobbing, his face contorted with conflict.
"Hey—are we just going to eat this like this? Without some soy sauce or minced garlic to dip it in? This sashimi is a bit too hardcore, isn't it?"
Despite saying that, Lin Yu'an took it without hesitation and put it in his mouth.
Wang Hu gritted his teeth: "Damn it, the atmosphere's already this heated, we're already here!"
He grabbed the hot liver, closed his eyes, and stuffed it into his mouth, bracing himself for a foul, fishy smell.
However, the next second, Wang Hu suddenly opened his eyes.
It didn't have the fishy smell I expected.
It has an extremely crisp and tender texture, just like the freshest tripe, with a hint of blood, but followed by a strange sweetness.
"Holy crap?!" Wang Hu chewed a few times, his eyes lighting up instantly, his face filled with disbelief. "Sweet? How can this thing be sweet?"
Lin Yu'an also tasted the sweetness, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and nodded to Nanuk: "Good stuff. Crisp and tender, with a sweet aftertaste, and not a single bit of residue."
Seeing the shocked expressions on their faces, Nanuk skillfully sliced the ribs while revealing a knowing smile.
"That's why I say you must eat it while it's hot. It's the taste of time."
Nanook pointed the tip of his knife at the steaming liver, giving these city folks a lesson: "You think it's sweet because it's full of sugar. That's the energy the musk ox stores in its body to survive the long polar night."
"We call it Tinguk. These big guys eat willow leaves and moss like crazy in the summer, converting the nutrients from those plants into sugars of the highest purity and locking them in this red warehouse."
"It's springtime now, which is when their energy reserves haven't been depleted yet."
Nanuk paused, his eyes filled with awe for nature: "This sweetness is what transforms the bitter tundra into the energy of life. But remember one thing."
"This sweetness is only present when it has just left the body and is still warm."
"Once it cools completely, or if you put it in a pot and cook it, this precious sugar" will vanish instantly, leaving only a mouthful of bitter, dirt-like residue.
"Therefore, this sweet taste is a limited-time reward that only hunters who personally finish off their prey in the wasteland are entitled to enjoy."
"Limited-time reward—" Wang Hu savored the words, then glanced at the bloody liver in his hand.
This time, he didn't hesitate, stuffing a large mouthful into his mouth and eating with relish: "Got it! Limited edition molecular gastronomy! It can't be wasted!"
Even Hans, who is always particular about cooking, nodded in agreement: "This texture, rich in active enzymes and glycogen, is something that even a Michelin three-star restaurant can't replicate."
Two hours later.
The dark clouds in the sky pressed down even lower, and the wind and snow seemed to be intensifying.
The two musk oxen had been completely butchered, the pieces of meat were packed into rainproof bags, and the heavy heads were cut off.
Now, the four of them face a very real problem—the burden of carrying heavy loads.
"The pickup truck is three kilometers away, and on this terrible road." Wang Hu looked at the mountain of meat sacks and the huge cow head on the ground. "How many trips will we have to make?"
"At least two trips." Nanook was strapping on his back frame. "Each person has to carry at least 40 kilograms, that's the limit."
Hans slung the backpack full of hind leg meat over his shoulder, picked up his gun case, and tried to take a couple of steps. His face instantly turned red.
The meadow beneath my feet became even more terrifying under the weight; every step felt like a deep squat.
"Lin, you carry this." Nanuk pointed to the two heaviest bags of hind leg meat. "This weighs about 40 kilograms. I'll carry the rest."
However, Lin Yu'an did something that surprised everyone.
He first secured the two bags of hind leg meat to the back frame, and then picked up a large bag of tenderloin meat and hung it directly in front of his chest as a counterweight.
Finally, he slung the Type 56 axle across his back.
This set of equipment definitely carries a load of over 60 kilograms!
"Lin! Are you crazy?!" Hans exclaimed. "Carrying 60 kilograms on this terrain? Your knees will be ruined! Put it down!"
Wang Hu panicked: "Brother, don't be a daredevil! This isn't a gym; you could break your leg if you slip here!"
Lin Yu'an simply adjusted his breathing.
He felt the heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders—the weight of life itself.
Only Lin Yu'an himself knew that this weight was a piece of cake for him.
"It's alright, let's get the meat out first, let's hurry this time."
Lin Yu'an exerted a little force with his legs and stood up steadily on the soft tundra. His body was upright, showing no signs of bending under the weight.
Lin Yu'an glanced at the cow's head and bloody flesh on the ground. "It's getting dark. The cow's head and wet hide are the heaviest. We'll move them separately on the next trip."
After saying that, he took a step, and surprisingly, he walked more steadily than when he was empty-handed.
Nanuk watched Lin Yu'an's retreating figure, a genuine shock flashing in his old, experienced eyes.
He had seen countless strong European and American hunters who had built up solid muscles in the gym, but when they came to this tundra, they would cry and scream after carrying a load for just one kilometer.
But this seemingly lean young Chinese man possesses a terrifying core strength, like that of an ox.
"This kid—" Nanuk muttered to himself, "he's a born wild child."
"What are you all standing there for?" Nanuk turned around and yelled at the two stunned men, "Get moving!"
The journey back was a slow and agonizing torture of willpower.
Just as Nanook had predicted, the two musk oxen were too heavy. Adding the hides that had to be carried and the two heavy heads, the total load approached four hundred kilograms.
This means they have to make two round trips across the Tatou Meadow, which is known as the "ankle crusher".
The first batch mainly consisted of lean meat; although heavy, at least the pieces were of regular size.
By the time Wang Hu unloaded the meat into the pickup truck bed, he was so exhausted that he couldn't even speak.
But the most desperate moment came after the cargo was unloaded. Nanook pointed to the way he had come and coldly said, "Drink some water. Go back and come back again."
At that moment, looking at the vast wilderness in the distance, and thinking about having to walk back to carry the most troublesome cow heads and wet, heavy cowhides a second time, the psychological torment was even greater than the physical torment.
Two hours later.
It was already night, and in other places it would have been pitch black long ago, but here at the end of April at 67 degrees north latitude, it was still dark.
Although the sun had just slid below the ice sheet, the long polar twilight still enveloped the earth.
The sky was an eerie and cold deep blue, intertwined with the white snow on the ground, exuding a desolate and deathly stillness.
Although there was light, visibility was worse than during the day.
Four people, four hunched figures, carrying the last and heaviest batch of flesh and blood, formed a line in the wind and snow.
No one spoke; they didn't even have the energy to complain.
The only sounds in the world were heavy breathing, the cracking of footsteps breaking through the ice, and the creaking of equipment rubbing together.
When the mud-covered pickup truck finally appeared in sight again—and for the last time—even Lin Yu'an, who was in the best physical condition, lost his footing.
As Wang Hu approached the car, his knees buckled, and before he could even unload his bag, he collapsed onto the snow.
He was breathing heavily, his lungs felt like they were on fire, and his throat tasted like rust.
"We've arrived—finally—I can't take it anymore—I've never suffered like this in my life—" Wang Hu waved his hand, and the white breath he exhaled instantly formed a thick layer of frost on his eyebrows.
Lin Yu-an was the last to arrive.
At this moment, his image was extremely striking—he carried a roll of wet cowhide on his back, and on his chest hung a huge head of an old bull king with curved horns.
The enormous bull's head rose and fell on his chest with his breath, as if it were still alive.
Although his steps were somewhat unsteady, he did not collapse. He walked to the side of the truck bed, took a deep breath, tightened his core, and suddenly exerted force from his waist.
"rise!"
He steadily unloaded the heavy load onto the vehicle.
"Thump!"
The dull thud made the pickup truck's suspension slump slightly.
After doing all this, Lin Yu'an slowly straightened up, listening to a series of cracking sounds coming from his spine.
He turned around, wiped the water droplets mixed with sweat, snow, and ice from his face, and gave the three people who were lying on the ground a bright smile.
"Hey guys, it's a bit tiring, but we're getting the freshest steak tonight."
Nanuk leaned against the wheel, not in a hurry to get in.
The old hunter looked at Lin Yu'an, who was still standing straight, and then glanced at the huge head with broken horns and scars in the truck bed.
He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a difficult drag in the sheltered spot. The red cigarette butt flickered in the blue wind and snow.
"call-
'
Nanuk exhaled a smoke ring and gave Lin Yu'an a thumbs up.
"Lin, when we get back, I'll take care of this bull's head for you too."
Nanook gave it the highest praise of a polar hunter: "If you can carry it for the last three kilometers, that diagonal piece is definitely worthy of being hung on your wall. It belongs to a true warrior."
It was late at night when the pickup truck roared back to the village.
Upon hearing the engine, several doors opened, and several Greenland hounds tied to the snow stood up excitedly, barking wildly at the truck bed laden with prey.
Although the sky was still tinged with the pale blue twilight, the village was already dotted with lights.
Nanook did not drive the car directly back to his home.
He parked his car in a small square in the center of the village and honked the horn.
Soon, several elderly people and women dressed in thick fur robes gathered around.
Without much formality, Nanuk and the villagers jumped into the truck bed and distributed the cut pieces of musk meat, including a few leg bones that hadn't been completely cleaned, to the villagers who had come after hearing the news.
"This is for old Isaac; he has trouble walking."
"This is for Mary; she has many children."
Nanook skillfully distributed the prey in Inuit. For polar hunters, sharing their prey is not charity, but a survival contract ingrained in their very being.
If you share your meat with others today, they will share their meat with you tomorrow when you are injured or old.
After dividing up most of the meat, leaving only the best tenderloin and hind leg, and the two precious hides, Nanook said to the three men who were starving, "Let's go to Pipaluk's house. My doghouse only has cold canned food; if we want a hot meal, we'll have to rely on her."
"Who is Pipaluk?" Wang Hu asked curiously.
"A widow who lives at the east end of the village," Nanuk said with a chuckle, not mincing words.
"She's the best cook in the whole village. I often take meat to her in exchange for a hot meal. That's called—resource exchange."