Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Sausages

“Muqin Amu, I need to go back to the cave,” Changxia said. “I need to season the sausages—once they’re dried, they’ll taste even better. Oh, and I’ll need some casings. Does the tribe have any pig intestines?”

The rainy season had just begun.

At night, there was still a bit of a chill.

Changxia planned to try making two types of sausages.

One would use fruit flour, like a ham sausage, which meant mincing the anaconda meat. The other would be a traditional sausage, just stuffed meat.

If it were up to Changxia, she preferred the regular sausage—a big bite full of meaty flavor was pure happiness.

But ham sausages would probably keep longer. After thinking it over, Changxia decided to try making both. If they didn’t taste good, she’d just make less.

With the tribe’s appetites, whether they succeeded or failed, nothing would go to waste.

“I’ll go with you to the cave,” Muqin said readily.

On the way, she asked Changxia what the fruit flour was for, and what the difference was between sausage and ham sausage. As they walked, Muqin rubbed her temples.

The tribe’s food stores were growing, but so was the workload. Every day was busy, with little time to rest.

“Changxia, are you tired?” Muqin asked softly.

“I’m tired, but it feels good,” Changxia replied. “Are the tribe members getting used to this?”

From what she knew, the tribe used to live pretty leisurely lives. During the rainy season, they’d work half a day and rest the other half. But lately, because of Changxia, the whole tribe had gotten swept up in a frenzy of activity.

“A bit tired,” Muqin admitted.

This high-intensity lifestyle was wearing everyone out. Still, it was all for a better life—and for delicious food and sugar.

Otherwise, the tribe might have rebelled by now!

“We’ve made a lot of sugar,” Changxia said. “Tell everyone not to keep digging up reed roots—just enough to eat is fine. Besides, you can dig reed roots all year round.”

When it came to stockpiling, the tribe could be even more intense than Changxia.

It was eye-opening for her.

"Who could bear to part with it? That thatch grass grows right by the roadside and on the hills. To the clanspeople, it’s like picking up sweet grass roots by the road—no one wants to give it up,"Muqin said helplessly.

Not to mention the clanspeople—even Muqin herself felt the same way.

However.

Both Muqin and Changxia knew that once the clan got through this phase, the restlessness would settle down.

The exhaustion was mainly because building the kiln and harvesting the red maple sap happened at the same time. During those days, everyone felt both tired and exhilarated. But afterward, how could they not be worn out?

As they spoke, the two arrived at Changxia’s home.

Stepping into the courtyard of the cave dwelling, even though the pond hadn’t been filled with water yet and the flowerbeds hadn’t been transplanted or decorated, Muqin still looked on with envy.

"Changxia, your courtyard is so beautiful!"Muqin exclaimed.

Changxia replied, "Muqin Amu, you’re praising it too soon. Wait until I channel water from the stream into the cave, fill the pond, lay pretty pebbles at the bottom, and raise some beautiful fish. Then I’ll plant flowers and grasses around the beds..."As she listened, Muqin became a little entranced.

Changxia, holding a torch, went into the kitchen.

She walked into the small sitting room and opened a cabinet, taking out a small clay jar filled with shrimp powder she’d carefully made. Since her family ate fish and shrimp every few days, Changxia’s stash of shrimp powder was growing.

But after sharing some with Nan Feng and Nuan Chun, there wasn’t much left for herself.

Changxia hadn’t kept the method for making shrimp powder a secret, either. It’s just that the clanspeople found it too much trouble, and even without it, their food still tasted fine.

So, for now, not many people in the tribe went out of their way to catch shrimp and make shrimp powder.

"Changxia, is this the shrimp powder?"Muqin asked.

"Yes, that’s right,"Changxia replied. "This jar is the last of my stock. It should be enough to make a few thousand jin of sausage."This jar weighed about twenty jin or so.

Used sparingly, it should last.

"Once we finish processing the python meat, I’ll have Nan Feng go to the lake and catch some shrimp for you,"Muqin said. Of course, she had other thoughts—if the shrimp powder really worked out, she’d encourage the whole tribe to catch as many shrimp as possible and make more shrimp powder.

Besides supplying Changxia, the tribe should stockpile some, too.

In the cold season, it could be used to make smoked meat and such.

After taking the shrimp powder, Changxia let Muqin carry a basket of salt on her back. Last time, she and Chen Rong had gone to the salt lake, so her family had plenty of salt to spare.

Muqin didn’t stand on ceremony and took it directly.

The tribe didn’t stockpile much salt.

The salt lake was close by, and they didn’t have enough sacks to store large amounts. If salt wasn’t stored properly, it would get damp.

So, the tribe usually didn’t hoard salt.

Whenever someone needed salt, they’d go to the salt lake themselves.

Finding the python this time was an accident, and processing such a big snake all at once meant they might not have enough salt.

"Changxia, can you explain again about the sausages and ham sausages—"Sausages are simple. Just cut the python meat into pieces, season and marinate it, then stuff it into cleaned intestines, tie off the ends with string, poke a few small holes with a bone needle for ventilation, and hang it up to dry."Ham sausages are a bit more complicated. You need to mince the python meat, mix it evenly with fruit powder, then wrap it in intestines..."As she explained, Changxia started to worry they wouldn’t have enough casings.

After all, last time the clan chief and others had eaten pork at her house, and the chief seemed especially fond of the sausages.

"Do the casings have to be wild boar intestines?"Muqin asked nervously.

Changxia shook her head. "Not necessarily. As long as you can scrape out the intestines to make casings, it doesn’t matter what kind. But honestly, if we make both sausages and ham sausages, we probably won’t have enough casings."Saying this, Changxia’s head hurt even more!

"Don’t worry, Changxia, leave this to me,"Muqin said.

Relieved of the burden, Changxia could relax.

If it really didn’t work out, they could just eat the python meat directly. Otherwise, they could try a bit of each method Changxia had suggested.

Muqin had already tasted the dried and cured meats—they were delicious.

Even without the smoked and sausage versions, the dried and cured meats were already a great result. Plus, they could fry some meat in oil, too.

All in all, Changxia had already figured out how to make the most of the python.

With Muqin’s reassurance, Changxia felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

That’s right!

With so many methods, there was no way the python meat would go to waste.

The rest would depend on how the tribe wanted to handle things.

With that thought, Changxia’s heavy mood brightened.

She let out a bell-like laugh and followed Muqin back to the tribe’s main square. In just a short while, a third of the python had already been processed.

Meanwhile, He Yun Amu and her group had made several hundred jin of dried and cured meat.

The square was filled with the rich aroma of meat, making Changxia’s stomach rumble again. The power of python meat was real.

She’d just had dinner not long ago, but now she was hungry again.

"Hungry? What do you want to eat?"Muqin asked gently. "There’s still chicken soup on the stove—want some?"Yes! I’d also love some dried meat and jerky, and a fruit powder cake would be perfect,"Changxia said shamelessly, placing her order directly.

Muqin nodded and got to work, letting Changxia rest by the stove and not lift a finger.