The other small fish were frightened and swam away. Xu Qiao waited quietly by the side for a while.
The fish's memory was indeed short. They gathered together again not long after. Xu Qiao took aim and forked a few more.
After a simple processing at the streamside, Xu Qiao threw half of the small fish into a bamboo tube and boiled it with water to make fish soup.
The other half took the washed leaves and wrapped them tightly in several layers, then took some wet soil from the stream and wrapped it thickly around the leaves.
"Those who have roasted sweet potatoes on the ridges of fields as children know that sweet potatoes wrapped in mud are extra fragrant. This is because the food is heated more evenly when wrapped in mud."
After covering every corner with mud, Xu Qiao returned to the fire.
"But I'm not doing this to make it taste better. Wrapping it in soil and leaves will keep the food longer than fish soup, so I can save it for tomorrow."
After the fish soup is cooked, if it is not eaten or drunk as soon as possible, it will easily go bad in the humid and hot environment of the tropical rainforest.
The fishy smell can easily attract animals and cause unnecessary danger.
In contrast, covering the grilled fish with mud not only prevents it from spoiling quickly, but also isolates the smell so as not to attract other animals.
"It would be better if it were marinated with some seasoning." Xu Qiao whispered and put the thick lump of mud into the fire to roast.
Sitting next to him holding a branch, Xu Qiao pressed his neck.
I've been busy all day today. I didn't eat anything except some wild fruits, and I'm almost done with my energy.
Fortunately, we now have fire, food and drinkable water, and we finally have a good harvest today.
The young Asian elephant was still reluctant to leave. It was a little afraid of fire, so it moved a little further away and ate the wild bananas and tender leaves around it. When Xu Qiao caught a glimpse of it, it shook its nose in response.
Xu Qiao thought that this little elephant had a very high IQ.
Xiaowen moved the camera from the Asian elephant to Xu Qiao, and he always felt that there was admiration in the eyes of this little elephant.
Although the wild Asian elephant is untamable, it is not harmful to humans and is very friendly to Xu Qiao. However, if you say it is friendly, the baby elephant will only let Xu Qiao touch it and will not allow anyone else to get close to it.
Could it be that he treats Xu Qiao as his mother? Xiao Wen muttered to himself.
Xu Qiao used branches to occasionally poke the fire to ensure smooth air circulation. Seeing the fish soup bubbling in the bamboo tube and showing signs of boiling, Xu Qiao started chatting with the camera.
"I just said that preserving fire is important. Now I will introduce to you how to preserve fire. There are two main methods, one is the smoldering method and the other is the bonfire method."
"The smoldering method is to cover the fire with ashes when it is not in use, so that it will smolder. When it is used again, the ashes are removed and tinder is added to it to ignite it again. The campfire method is to build a campfire and continue to add wood to ignite the fire to ensure that the fire will last for a long time."
"It's a bit difficult to find enough dry branches in the rainforest. I need to prepare the branches in advance and move them to the hammock to make them as dry as possible through wind drying and evaporation. But obviously these branches are not enough to keep the fire burning, so I plan to use the smoldering method to preserve the fire."
As he was speaking, the fish soup in the bamboo tube began to boil.
After picking a few broad leaves and folding them in half, Xu Qiao wrapped the leaves in his palms, took down the hot bamboo tube and placed it on the ground.
A faint fresh fragrance wafts out, blending with the bamboo fragrance of the bamboo tube itself.
Xiaowen and Daniel gave a close-up of the fish soup.
The diameter of the bamboo tube is about half the width of an adult's palm. There are not many small fish in it. The soup is clear without even a drop of oil.
The light fresh fragrance smells very good, and under such conditions, it inexplicably increases one's appetite.
After waiting for a while, Xu Qiao touched the wall of the bamboo tube and felt that the temperature was about right, so he took a small sip of the soup.
The soup rolled down the esophagus into the stomach, and a warm feeling suddenly rose up.
There was no salt and the flavor was very bland, but surprisingly delicious.
It seemed as if my physical strength was replenished instantly.
Xu Qiao sighed comfortably: "The fragrance of bamboo blends into the soup, which eliminates the fishy smell of the fish. It tastes very good without any seasoning."
Pure natural high-quality ingredients are delicious enough even without seasoning.
Xiaowen and Daniel, who were chewing on compressed biscuits and dried meat, suddenly felt that the dried meat in their hands was not fragrant anymore.
This is pure natural wild fish from the tropical rainforest. It has not been polluted in any way. How can the taste be compared to that bought in the supermarket
After finishing the fish soup and fish, Xu Qiao felt that his physical strength had recovered a lot.
"Please note that meat remains must be handled and not thrown around the shelter at random. Animals have a keen sense of smell and the smell of these remains will attract predators."
Wrapping the inedible parts of the fish with leaves, Xu Qiao walked a few hundred meters outside, dug a shallow pit and buried the wrapped remains in it.
After doing all this, Xu Qiao returned to the shelter.
After taking off his clothes and hanging them over the fire to dry, Xu Qiao said, "I don't have any clothes to change into. If the clothes on my body are always damp, they will easily rot. So let's dry them over the fire."
"But you should pay attention. In the rain forest, it is often not the large beasts that kill people, but the small creatures, such as poisonous insects and snakes. Sometimes you don't feel anything when something like leeches suck on you. It's not until you feel dizzy and nauseous due to blood loss that you realize that it was a few leeches sucking your blood."
"So it is not recommended to take off your clothes. It is best to tie up your sleeves and trouser legs. I will change into them immediately after my clothes are dry."
After adding a few more branches, Xu Qiao returned to the hammock, took out the medical kit left by the staff of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau, and walked towards the baby elephant that was eating.
With the cooperation of the little elephant, the medicine was changed smoothly. Xu Qiao returned to the fire and felt that the clothes were almost dried, so he took them off and put them on.
The fire was a little smaller, and he used a branch to scrape out some ashes: "Now we don't need fire anymore, we need to use the smoldering method to preserve the fire. If we don't do it properly, it's easy for the fire to go out completely, so be careful."
Adding some branches, Xu Qiao carefully covered the fire with ashes.
"The ashes cover them, and because of the lack of oxygen, these branches cannot burn fully, and the ashes above cannot completely isolate the air, so these branches can burn for a long time without an open flame."
"When you need it tomorrow, just scrape away the ashes and let the smoldering branches come into contact with the air, and you can reignite the fire."
After doing all this, Xu Qiao took a few smoking branches back to the hammock and smoked the surroundings.
"Using smoke to fumigate is a good way to keep away mosquitoes."
"There is a grilled fish in the ash pile, and there are some wild fruits here, so we don't have to worry too much about food tomorrow. I have used up a lot of energy today, so I need to have a good rest. When you are in the wild, remember to avoid unnecessary energy consumption. For example, now I am sleepy, so I can go to sleep."
He said it as a matter of course, yawned, and his eyes misted up.
It was still early, and Xiaowen and Daniel looked at each other in surprise as they watched Xu Qiao climb directly onto the hammock.
Lying on the hammock for a while, Xu Qiao slept until the second half of the night.
At night, Xiaowen and Daniel were taken back by the program crew to rest, and two other photographers took over.
When handing over the shift, Xiaowen chatted in a low voice with the photographer who came to take over, and Xu Qiao heard the conversation between the two in a daze.
"Be careful when you go back, the director is mad."
"What's going on?" Xiaowen asked.
"We have been looking for a title sponsor. Once this episode is finished, we will edit it and submit it for review and scheduling. We still haven't found a suitable one."
Xiao Wen wiped the wet machine and muttered, "Our price is not high, why can't we find it?"
"You know what? These small brands are so arrogant, complaining about this and that, just trying to lower the price."
"It's our fault for making this documentary. Well, it's good enough if it can be sold." Xiao Wen sighed and patted his shoulder. "Okay, Daniel and I will go back first. The night scene is up to you."
Soon, the shelter fell silent again.
Title? Xu Qiao listened to the conversation between the two and became more sober.
He also learned that the "Survival" program team found it difficult to attract advertising sponsorship for two reasons.
First, the documentary channel where Gong Sheng works has poor ratings, so powerful and wealthy advertisers will naturally not invest more advertising fees here.
On the other hand, it is also related to the tone of the documentary itself. Documentary, focusing on the word "record", truth is its soul.
If documentaries are to move towards commercialization, they must strike a balance between "truth" and commercial marketing.
In order to not damage the quality of the documentary, Gong Sheng absolutely does not accept advertising placement in the film. As a result, even fewer people are willing to place advertisements.
This documentary is destined to have low ratings. Now you are not allowed to have product placement. Why would people want to place advertisements in your product
Xu Qiao turned over and continued to sleep, thinking in a daze that he hadn't contacted Gao Ming for some time.
He is working overtime, and the production of the doomsday survival game is going smoothly. Since this is the only major project for the entire company, we should be able to see the game go online for testing this year.
If the timing is right, it is possible for Gao Ming to consider investing the publicity fees in the "Survival" documentary.
Actually, the subject matter is quite suitable, both are about survival in desperate situations. You may not be able to encounter such a relatively suitable subject matter in other variety shows or TV dramas.
On the other hand, the advertising fee for "Survival" is cheap. Apart from anything else, Xu Qiao's expectations for "Survival" are not as pessimistic as Xiao Wen and others.
They used top-notch equipment and the photographers have all won international awards. Xu Qiao has seen the pictures taken by Daniel and Matt, and they are really great.
When it is aired, the ratings may not be that bad.
As one of the shareholders of Dianxing Game Company, Xu Qiao himself also hopes that this game can get good publicity.
Thinking about going back to discuss this episode with Gao Ming after recording, Xu Qiao yawned and fell asleep again.