Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Getting Down to Serious Business
At dusk.
The pigsty was completed.
A gabled smokehouse appeared in front of Lynn.
The structure of the smokehouse was very simple, built with mortise and tenon joints forming log walls, and then filling the gaps between the logs with a mixture of clay and straw.
To achieve an enclosed space, maintaining the temperature and smoke density inside the smokehouse.
Above the smokehouse, thick branches were intentionally left in a cross shape.
These were the stress points for hanging smoked meat during the preparation of smoked meat.
Beneath the smokehouse, an open space served as the hearth to burn wood and create smoke for smoking.
At this moment, Kuisi happened to return from work with three women.
Lynn said to Kuisi, "Kuisi, I need you to take them and cut the wild boar meat into strips and smoke it in the smokehouse."
Kuisi glanced at the smokehouse and replied, "Yes, Master Lynn!"
Previously, she had been worried about how to preserve so much meat, but unexpectedly, Master Lynn solved it so quickly.
Kuisi and the three women first erected a wooden frame on the open space in front of the cabin and then lifted the three wild boars onto it.
They picked up the iron chef’s knife and chopped it vigorously.
With each stroke, the knife chopped through the wild boar meat, landing on the wooden frame with a thud.
Especially the wild boar skin, so tough that even the newly sharpened iron knife had difficulty cutting through it.
Unfortunately, the current production conditions were limited, and making a piece of leather was too time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Lynn gave up the idea of keeping the wild boar skin.
Instead, it was better to cut the boar skin and smoke it with the meat, letting the grease penetrate and enhance the flavor.
Red, who had also returned from work, brought four strong men back to the cabin.
Seeing the fatty wild boar meat on the wooden frame, they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.
They couldn’t even remember the last time they had meat!
Lynn said to Kuisi, "Leave a leg for tonight; we’ll stew it for everyone to eat!"
Hearing Lynn’s words, the seven villagers who had just arrived were filled with shock.
They even began to doubt their ears.
Master Lynn actually said to leave a wild boar leg to stew for them?
Kuisi placed a large chunk of wild boar meat aside.
In a while, Lex would place it into the large pottery pot that had just been fired for stewing!
Lynn looked at Red, "Take these men and use hooked branches to hang all this wild boar meat into the smokehouse."
Red quickly replied, "Yes, Master."
With the division of labor by eight or nine people, the three wild boars, weighing over three hundred pounds in total, were gradually dismantled and hung in the smokehouse.
They ignited pine wood branches in the hearth, and the thick scented smoke slowly rose, gradually enveloping the entire smokehouse.
With the existence of the smokehouse, if the moisture in the wild boar meat was smoked dry enough, it could significantly extend the shelf life!
Even if more river fish or wild beasts were harvested, they could all be smoked in the smokehouse.
...
Nightfall.
On the bonfire at the open space in front of the cabin.
A wild boar leg was being simmered in a pottery pot set upon three stones.
The broth was constantly boiling and rolling, and you could even see the oil swirling within it.
The mist containing the aroma of stewed meat wafted out, penetrating everyone’s nostrils, their faces full of longing.
Lex took a stirring stick and gave the pot a gentle stir, confirming that it was well-cooked and tender.
He said to Lynn, "Master Lynn, it’s ready to eat."
Lynn glanced over, "Bring a portion to my room."
Understanding, Kuisi picked up a clean pottery plate, selecting the most tender and well-cooked portion along with some greens and barley buns for Lynn, and took it to Lynn’s wooden cabin.
After Kuisi returned, she said, "Master Lynn said we could start eating."
Only then did Red and the others begin to eat.
The wild boar leg weighed over forty pounds.
Including dozens of pounds of wild boar offal, there was at least sixty to seventy pounds of meat in the pot!
Add in some leftover barley bread.
This meal was enough to fill them up.
Voices grateful to Lynn came from their mouths.
A few minutes later.
The ten of them sat around the hearth.
Their faces were shiny with oil, occasionally rubbing their bloated bellies.
The newly arrived villagers looked at the starry sky above and felt a sense of peace.
It turned out that there was a way of life they did not know about on Master Lynn’s domain.
...
Night deepened.
The wooden house where they stayed had not yet been built.
They could only squeeze together in the empty warehouse of the brewing workshop.
Lex, who was leaning shallowly against the wooden door, felt a push and opened his sleepy eyes.
The face of a burly middle-aged man appeared in Lex’s vision.
Lex asked in confusion, "Spencer? Do you need to use the restroom?"
The burly man Spencer turned and glanced at those already asleep in the cabin.
He whispered, "I want to do something big, do you want to come with me?"
Spencer’s eyes were filled with determination, as if he had already made up his mind.
Lex frowned, asking back, "What major thing?"
Spencer’s gaze swept over the others once more.
He leaned his head close to Lex’s ear and whispered, "I want to kill this lord!"
Hearing Spencer’s words, Lex’s eyes instantly narrowed.
His entire body involuntarily stood up abruptly.
He stared straight at Spencer, questioning, "Spencer, are you crazy? Killing the old Manor Lord was one thing, but this is Master Lynn!"
"He’s the one who gave you a dinner and a place to live."
The voice was so loud that several people sitting on the edge of the cabin wall were awakened, looking at Lex with confusion.
Spencer quickly grabbed Lex’s arm, gently pulling his standing body down.
Spencer showed no panic, cracking a smile and whispering, "Lex, are you still so timid?"
Lex ignored Spencer’s mockery and said firmly, "I said it, that’s Master Lynn! He’s not like the other former Manor Lords."
Spencer shrugged, saying, "He’s a lord; what’s the difference from others? Doesn’t he still have us work, have us live in these cramped cabins, exploit our labor, eat our meat, and drink our blood?"
Lex said solemnly, "Master Lynn hasn’t let you go a day without a full stomach! Think for yourself, without Master Lynn, how long has it been since you last ate meat?"
Spencer pursed his lips, completely unmoved, "Lex, think about it, this lord doesn’t even have any followers around him, let alone guards or warrior knights!"
"If we just take him out, this whole domain will be ours! The wild boar meat will be ours, the cabins will be ours, the farmed land... will all be ours!"
Seeing Spencer’s obsession, Lex was utterly horrified.
This guy actually wanted to kill Master Lynn, just like he killed the previous Manor Lord Powell!
No!
This information had to be told to Master Lynn!
Lex instinctively wanted to stand up.
Spencer’s calm voice came softly, reaching Lex’s ears.
"Lex, don’t forget! It was I, Spencer, who saved you when you were on the brink of death! I’m your lifesaver!"