Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 46: Hospitality

He soaked the cured bear meat, cured venison, and dried whitefish in hot water to wash off any surface dust and excess salt.

Then, he cut the dried bear and venison into chunks and parboiled them in a pressure cooker with the lid off, using hot water to thoroughly draw out the salt. This would prevent the second stew from being too salty.

After the first boil, he rinsed the bear and venison under cold water, returned them to the pressure cooker, and added enough water to cover the meat. In went slices of ginger, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, soy sauce, and thirteen-spice powder...

He sealed the pressure cooker, brought it to a boil over high heat, and once it started whistling, he lowered the flame and let it simmer for another 20 minutes.

The whole dried whitefish was placed on a griddle to pan-fry slowly in bear fat over low heat. He sprinkled it with various spices, sliced onions, and minced garlic to cut the saltiness and gaminess.

The final dish was dry-pot diced rabbit.

He moved the kitchen stove under the wooden shelter and set up a large pot.

Unfortunately, the Walmart Supermarket didn’t sell cast-iron pots, only carbon steel ones. Without cast iron, you couldn’t get that authentic seared flavor, and dishes made in a carbon steel pot would always be missing something.

He’d have to find time to get Black Hide to mail him a few cast-iron pots.

He chopped the skinned and washed rabbit meat into mahjong-tile-sized pieces and flash-fried them in a three-oil blend.

This so-called "three-oil blend" was a mixture of soybean oil, bear fat, and deer fat. A three-oil blend didn’t have a fixed recipe; any combination of three oils could be called that.

Animal fats have a relatively strong gamy taste, especially from wild animals like bears and deer. When Feng Shan rendered his three-oil blend, he added various spices that not only perfectly suppressed the gaminess but also brought out the unique aroma of the animal fats.

He poured the chopped rabbit into the scalding three-oil blend.

SIZZLE!

The moment the water from the meat hit the hot oil, the pot exploded with countless splatters.

Feng Shan, having anticipated this, was already holding up the pot lid as a shield.

The rabbit meat tumbled in the boiling oil, quickly turning fragrant, crispy, and golden brown. When the surface contracted and small bubbles appeared, it meant the moisture inside had been completely fried out.

Feng Shan scooped out the diced rabbit and added pre-cut potato strips. Traditionally, he should have used lotus root, but unfortunately, you couldn’t buy that in foreign supermarkets. Otherwise, he could have made a venison rib and lotus root soup.

Once the potato strips were fried, he left some oil in the bottom of the pot and stir-fried ginger, garlic, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, broad bean paste, and dark soy sauce.

He tossed the fried rabbit back into the pot and continued to stir-fry.

"Feng, what delicious thing are you making? Why does it smell so good? Is that dinner for God himself?" Tom, who had just finished contacting Barrow Town about the container homes via radio, came running out of the bus, drooling.

"It’s *our* dinner. Put your God aside for a moment and come try a piece." Feng Shan used his spatula to lift a piece of rabbit, coated in spices, and held it out to Tom.

Tom pinched the piece of meat and, though it was scalding hot, forced himself to pop it into his mouth.

The next moment, he was hissing and sucking in air.

The rabbit, fresh from the pot, burned his mouth. Then, the chili and Sichuan peppercorns exploded on his palate, and Tom was instantly overwhelmed by the rabbit’s numbing and spicy kick.

The unique flavor, both numbing and fiery, was completely addictive. Though his lips trembled slightly and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, he kept chewing vigorously.

"Oh my god! This flavor... it’s incredible! Buddy, give me another piece."

’He wants more?’

Feng Shan clapped the lid on the pot and shot Tom a sidelong glance. "So, how did it go with the container homes?"

Tom reluctantly tore his eyes away from the pot, smacking his lips.

"All set. They do have container homes for sale, and they can even modify them to customer specs. The company will send someone to Crown Territory to coordinate with you. Why haven’t you installed that satellite phone you bought? Using the radio is such a pain."

PSSSHHH!!

The pressure cooker’s valve began to spin. Feng Shan noted the time and looked at Tom. "Go tell the others to come back for dinner."

...

As dusk fell over the Far North Tundra, the sky was painted in spectacular and mysterious colors.

A cold wind swept silently by, carrying the scent of ice and snow, kicking up flurries to reveal the low, hardy vegetation beneath.

A rare liveliness filled Crown Camp.

A stove fire burned brightly, its dancing flames reflecting on excited faces. Everyone gathered around, raising their glasses and trading toasts amidst constant laughter and cheerful chatter.

There was a pot of fall-apart-tender dried venison, a pot of savory and delicious braised bear meat, a pot of dry-pot diced rabbit, and a spicy, griddle-seared whitefish.

Song Rou couldn’t stop praising the seemingly humble dishes, and her half-finished diet plan was summarily abandoned.

Meanwhile, the three men—Feng Shan, Zhang Kai, and Tom—chatted about interesting stories from Alaska while drinking baijiu from China.

"Buddy, I apologize. I shouldn’t have been drinking while flying the plane." Tom proactively raised his glass to Zhang Kai in apology and, with a flourish, tilted his head back and downed it in one go.

Instantly, the color drained from Tom’s face. His features scrunched together, and a pained gurgling sound echoed in his throat.

One hand clutched his chest tightly while the other fanned his face, trying to cool the fire that shot from his stomach straight to his mouth. He hastily shoveled in a few pieces of the braised bear meat to quell the churning in his stomach before gasping for air.

"Fuck! This is straight alcohol! It’s too strong!"

Feng Shan and Zhang Kai shared a look and a smile, then clinked their glasses and took small sips.

’You fool. This isn’t the kind of liquor you’re used to. It’s 65% ABV Fenjiu. Half a glass is at least five ounces... you really dared to down that in one go?’

"Brother, this place of yours is really something else," Zhang Kai said, looking up at the faint aurora in the night sky. "So pristine and natural. It’s a waste not to turn it into a tourist spot."

"Forget it. It’s fine just like this. I’m not a fan of crowds," Feng Shan said with a shake of his head and a smile.

’Running a tourism business is a ton of work. If it were about the money, I still have the Over 10 Million US Dollars left from the loan. And if tourists came, they’d just make a mess of Crown Territory.’

Seeing that Feng Shan wasn’t interested in tourism, the perceptive Zhang Kai dropped the subject and asked what activities they usually did at Crown Territory.

"Oh, Feng... Feng hunts... hunts bears," Tom, who was starting to slur his words, picked up the topic. "Dammit, can... can you guys stop... spinning? Sit still."

"Buddy, you’re drunk!" Feng Shan saw Tom’s hazy, unfocused eyes and knew the alcohol had truly hit him. That one gulp of baijiu had been the last straw.

"I’m not... drunk. I’m... I’m the... best drinker... in the Arc...tic Circle..."

THUD!

Before he could finish, Tom pitched forward and collapsed on the ground.

Feng Shan shook his head, speechless. He got up, helped the drunken Tom to his feet, and settled him inside the bus. When he returned to the wooden shelter, the liquor glasses were gone from the table. Zhang Kai was grinning while clutching his lower back, and beside him, his wife Song Rou was giving him a dirty look.

Zhang Kai’s expression was an awkward mix of embarrassment and a desire to please.

"Brother Feng, do you think you could take your big brother out to experience some hunting tomorrow? Anything is fine. Don’t laugh, but I’ve lived my whole life without ever firing a gun or going hunting."

’Tomorrow.’

Feng Shan thought for a moment. ’As the saying goes, a visitor is a guest. The family of three came all this way to Crown Territory, brought gifts, and expressed their thanks. It would seem stingy of me, the host, not to arrange something for them.’

’Anyway, Tom and Nash are at the camp, so there’s someone to handle supplies and whatnot.’

’A hunting trip would be fine. I can just treat it as stocking up on meat for the winter.’

"Do you want to hunt reindeer or Thunderbird? Hunting a bear would be tough; it takes time to find one."

Zhang Kai’s eyes lit up. "Reindeer!" he said quickly. "Reindeer would be great."

"Alright then. Get some rest. I’ll take you out on the Tundra," Feng Shan agreed.

...