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It's been a week since transmigrating into this unfamiliar world.
After finishing her morning ablutions by the stream, Ling Wei headed towards her traps. The forest enveloped her in tranquility, with only the gentle rustling of leaves and distant bird chirps disrupting the silence.
Upon reaching her first snare, a broad smile illuminated her face as she found a plump rabbit ensnared, larger than her previous capture. After dispatching it, she quickly but carefully reset the trap before heading to the next one.
As she approached the second trap, excitement turned to worry, as a pang of dread hit Ling Wei. There, caught in the snare, was another rabbit, even plumper than the first.
'What if I'd caught an entire family of rabbits, with these two being the parents of the little one I—?!' She shook her head vigorously.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ling Wei," she muttered to herself, interrupting her own absurd thoughts, though she couldn't shake the unease. She swiftly killed the second rabbit and held it alongside the first one she had retrieved and dispatched earlier.
Following the same process as the day before, Ling Wei skinned, gutted, and cleaned the rabbits by the stream. The tasks were finished once she had also cleaned the two new rabbit pelts. Upon returning to the clearing, she immediately hung the pelts beside the one already suspended from a tree branch to dry in the sun.
The previous evening, with the help of an app, Ling Wei had identified and gathered herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and wild garlic. Today, she aimed to season her rabbit generously with wild garlic and rosemary.
Since she caught two rabbits, she planned to cook one and smoke the other for preservation. This way, she would have meat to eat in the coming days if she decided to travel in search of civilization or at least a nearby village.
Ling Wei stoked the fire, creating a steady flame, and started roasting again. Once the meat was cooked, she decided not to consume the entire rabbit meat in a single meal. This time, she sliced the cooked meat into bite-sized portions, laying them out on a large leaf to cool down. The aromatic herbs had imparted a delightful flavor, enhancing its taste.
In addition to the roasted rabbit, Ling Wei had foraged some edible plants and nuts, which she thoughtfully arranged alongside it.
By incorporating these fresh elements into her meal, she crafted a more well-rounded and satisfying dining experience, combining the savory rabbit with the natural flavors of the forest bounty.
Beaming with pride at her plating, in that moment of childlike delight, Ling Wei displayed a wide grin.
Ever since her arrival at the clearing, Ling Wei has dedicated herself to crafting a wooden bowl that could hold water from the stream for drinking. She spent hours, days even, carefully shaping the wood, earning several cuts and splinters on her fingers. However, today the effort proved worthwhile.
Done with another satisfying meal, she carefully wrapped the leftover roasted meat in a clean cloth alongside some of oregano herbs to conceal the scent and prevent it from attracting unwanted attention.
The mentioned cloth had originally been Ling Wei's undershirt which she had ripped after the quick wash up by the stream earlier that morning, for situations like this. Now, she wore a long-sleeved shirt with only a bra beneath it. Her high-visibility vest had found a new purpose as a makeshift bed cover, laid over a bed of soft leaves.
She ascended a sturdy branch nine feet above the ground on one of the two ancient trees that provided her shelter. Securing the bundle of food, she made sure it hung at a safe distance of about a meter and a half from the tree's trunk, out of reach of curious animals.
As an architect, Ling Wei was precise with her measurements, a skill she had honed since childhood. It was this skill that had led her to choose architecture as her career.
She then immediately proceeded to smoke the second rabbit. She needed hardwoods for the smoking process—oak, maple, or hickory if she could find them. She remembered an oak tree near where she had buried the remains of the food she ate yesterday.
After burying the scraps of her recent meal, Ling Wei gathered a bundle of suitable branches that had fallen around the oak tree. Their rough texture promised a good, steady smoke—ideal for preserving meat. And dragged them back to the campsite.
Employing sturdy branches from her gathered firewood, Ling Wei built a basic tripod structure over the fire pit. Her architectural skills, honed through years of practice, came in handy even in this primitive setting. She wiped the rabbit meat down with another piece of cloth torn from her undershirt, ensuring it was as clean as possible, then hung the meat on the tripod using vines at a precise height of thirteen inches to receive maximum smoke exposure without being cooked by direct heat.
"If only there was salt," Ling Wei thought, slightly disappointed. Without salt to rub into the rabbit meat, the preservation might not be as effective. She sighed, knowing she had to make do with what she had.
Preparations completed, she turned her attention to the fire. By gradually adding the hardwood oak branches to create a steady, low fire, the smoke began to billow, curling around the rabbit in lazy tendrils.
Knowing the smoking process would take several hours, Ling Wei pondered how to spend her time productively while waiting. Noticing the three rabbit pelts hanging dry over a tree branch, she wondered if she could make them into something useful, like a blanket or a small cloak.
An idea began to take shape in Ling Wei's mind.
Coming after her decision to transform the three pelts into a small cape, Ling Wei took and examined each one to confirm they were clean and suitable for stitching. Satisfied with their condition, she began to prepare for the materials.
Selecting a sturdy vine, she deliberated over its strength and suitability for her sewing needs before deftly wielding her utility knife to slice it into thin, pliable strips, creating makeshift thread for her sewing project.
Afterwards, using her measuring tape with precision, she meticulously determined the dimensions required to stitch the pelts together, envisioning a cape-like garment that would cover her shoulders.
With deft hands, Ling Wei made precise cuts, making sure that each piece would seamlessly fit together. She then pierced small holes along the pelts' edges with her reliable utility knife and proceeded to weave the vine strips through them. Thus, embarking an arduous task of stitching them together using a basic running stitch technique.
She looped the vine thread through the edges of the pelts, checking each seam was secure and tight. In moments where additional reinforcement was required, the electrical tape from her belt came in handy to reinforce particularly weak spots, adding extra durability to the seams.
As the sun began its descent below the horizon, casting long shadows across the forest ground, Ling Wei found herself engrossed in her dual tasks of tending to the fire and meticulously stitching the rabbit pelts together. She alternated between adding wood to the fire to maintain its smoke and ensuring that her garment took shape as envisioned.
Along with a sense of accomplishment, she held up the completed cape and tried it on, adjusting it over her shoulders. Taking care to secure the garment in place, she punctured two tiny holes on each side and formed a locking mechanism using short vines. And, after all that, Ling Wei's very first and only small rabbit pelt cape was done.
Turning her attention to the smoked rabbit meat, It was dry and firm, with a leathery texture that indicated it was well-preserved. She allowed it to cool, the night air adding a refreshing chill.
Now the rabbit was fully smoked and cooled, she wrapped it in the remaining clean cloth and looked at a secluded spot under a large tree, where the ground was dry and cool to carefully store the preserved, smoked rabbit meat.
After the completion of all her tasks, exhaustion finally caught up with Ling Wei as she sat back, the fire crackling softly in front of her, its glow a comforting presence in the dark clearing.
She had managed to preserve rabbit meat, guaranteeing she had sustenance for the days ahead, and was able to craft a handmade small rabbit pelt cloak that provided additional warmth.
As Ling Wei settled in for the night, blanketed in her new handmade cape, she watched the constellation twinkle through the canopy above and fell into a deep, contented sleep.