I'm involved in poverty alleviation in a primitive tribe.

That afternoon, after returning from the shaman's place, Jiang Ning couldn't wait to go to the tribe's square.

She wanted to ask her tribespeople for the red finger fruit and snow cabbage she had picked that day. She specifically instructed them to store them in a cool, shady place after picking them, as they were still very fresh.

Jiang Ning asked the system again about the process of making sauerkraut to make sure she fully understood and could operate it smoothly. She was worried that if she made the slightest mistake, the whole process would fail, wasting not only time but also the snow cabbage that her tribe had worked so hard to collect.

With the system's patient guidance, Jiang Ning carefully reviewed the sauerkraut making process once again.

From selecting suitable vegetables, processing them, fermenting them, to storing and consuming them, every step requires extra attention.

Through repeated mental simulations, Jiang Ning gradually found her rhythm. She began to imagine herself standing in the kitchen, holding fresh vegetables, and then following the system's instructions step by step.

She could almost smell the unique aroma of the pickled cabbage and feel its deliciousness and nutrition.

She made the pickles in her own kitchen to avoid the hassle of moving the pickle jars around in the square and finding a cool, well-ventilated place for them.

Jiang Ning took out the mustard greens, carefully picked out the yellow leaves, and then washed them with water. She soaked the mustard greens in clean water and gently rubbed them with her fingers to ensure that every leaf was clean.

Then, she took the pickled mustard greens out and placed them on a drying rack to drain. It was almost evening, and there was hardly any sun left on this side. She also washed some red finger fruits and placed them on a clean stone slab to dry.

Next, Jiang Ning boiled several pots of water. She cleaned the pickling jars with water, then set up the pots and poured the boiling water into the jars.

She laboriously turned the kimchi jar, making sure every part was scalded with boiling water. Then, she poured boiling water into the jar, let it sit for a moment, and after the water cooled down, she poured out the water, leaving only half a jar of cooled boiled water.

Jiang Ning took out some more salt and put it into the pickling jar. Because she didn't have measuring tools, she didn't know how much salt to put in to pickle the sauerkraut.

The system only says to add 30 grams of salt to 1 pound of water, so she can only rely on her experience and feel to judge.

She kept stirring the pickle jar with chopsticks, allowing the salt to gradually dissolve in the water. She noticed that the salt was dissolving more slowly than she had expected, so she continued stirring with chopsticks, adding salt as needed, until the salt stopped dissolving in the water.

Jiang Ning knew that the salt concentration was crucial for pickling sauerkraut. If the salt concentration wasn't high enough, the fermentation process might be unstable, affecting the taste and quality of the sauerkraut. Therefore, she carefully stirred and dissolved the salt to ensure the concentration was just right.

As the salt dissolved, Jiang Ning felt everything in the pickling jar became more even and balanced. She looked at the jar with satisfaction, then placed the drained pickled mustard greens into it and pressed them down firmly with her hands.

Next, she sprinkled in some salt and ginger slices, then added some red finger fruits. She then added enough cooled boiled water to cover the pickled mustard greens. Next, she put the lid on the pickling jar, poured some water along the outer rim, and placed the jar in a cool, well-ventilated place to ferment.

Every day, Jiang Ning checks the condition of the pickling jars and observes the fermentation of the pickled mustard greens. If she finds any off-odors or signs of spoilage, she immediately removes the pickled mustard greens and processes them again.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. If she found that the water in the kimchi jar was insufficient, she would promptly add an appropriate amount of cooled boiled water to ensure that the pickled mustard greens received sufficient humidity and temperature.

Under Jiang Ning's careful care, the pickled mustard greens gradually became sour and crisp. Now that the weather is hot, after a few days of fermentation, she opened the lid of the pickling jar, and a rich, sour aroma wafted out.

She picked up a piece of pickled mustard greens with her chopsticks; its color had turned yellow. She put it in her mouth and tasted it; the sour and spicy flavor made her feel very satisfied.

Jiang Ning knew that the pickled mustard greens she made this time were a success. From now on, the people of the tribe would be able to enjoy delicious pickled mustard greens even when fresh vegetables were scarce in winter.

When her parents went to the river to fetch water, she would ask them to catch a few fish from the river and take them to the square.

Jiang Ning plans to make sauerkraut fish so that her tribespeople can try her newly made sauerkraut. If everyone likes the taste, she will teach them how to pickle sauerkraut together, so that they will have another food option for winter.

Jiang Ning went to the square and found Zhi, asking her to help make sauerkraut fish. Zhi, hearing that Jiang Ning wanted to try a new way of cooking, readily agreed.

Jiang Ning first asked Zhi for a few large stone pots, intending to make more so that everyone could have a taste.

When Amu and the others brought the fish over, Jiang Ning asked Zhi and the others to help clean the fish, removing the scales, gills, and internal organs. After washing, the tribespeople with good knife skills sliced ​​the fish into fillets, leaving the bones and head aside.

The fish we caught today are called blackfish by our tribe. They are covered in black scales and have small, sharp, serrated teeth in their mouths. Most of them can grow to about a meter long, and you might get bitten if you're not careful.

Therefore, the tribe does not allow ordinary people to approach the Sirius River. However, the fish has tender flesh and is not fishy when cooked; instead, it tastes delicious. Occasionally, the tribe members will catch blackfish to change their diet.

Jiang Ning chopped a lot of ginger shreds and red finger fruit, and used some of them to marinate the sliced ​​fish and fish bones. The fish was big today, and the tribe only had these few seasonings, so she had to add a little more.

Jiang Ning found a few pieces of fatty meat, cut them into small pieces, then took out the pickled cabbage, cut it into sections, and set it aside for later use.

First, heat the cleaned stone pot, add the fatty pork, and fry until the oil is rendered. Then, add the shredded ginger to the oil and sauté until fragrant. After smelling the aroma, add the dried red finger fruit and stir-fry.

Stir-fry until the red finger fruit changes color slightly, then add fish bones, fish head, and pickled cabbage and continue stir-frying. When the water in the pickled cabbage is almost evaporated, add water and bring to a boil over high heat.

By this time, the irresistible aroma of sauerkraut fish could already be smelled. Seeing the expressions on Zhi's and the others' faces, Jiang Ning felt a little more confident. She walked over to the pots nearby and began teaching them how to make sauerkraut fish.

Once the water in the pot boils, add the fish fillets and stir constantly to prevent them from sticking together. When the fish fillets begin to curl slightly, add salt to taste and it's ready to eat.

Despite the simple conditions, the aroma had already drawn a group of people to the pot, chopsticks in hand, waiting for Jiang Ning's signal.

Jiang Ning picked up a piece of fish and tasted it. The fish was delicate and smooth, as if it melted on her tongue, emitting an enticing fresh and delicious flavor.

The sour and spicy flavors blend perfectly with the freshness of the fish, creating a unique taste that makes you want to keep eating. If you could gather seasonings like scallions, ginger, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorns, pour hot oil over it, and serve it with a bowl of rice, the taste would surely be even better.

As usual, a bowl was scooped out and given to the shaman, while the rest was shared among the clansmen.

Even after they finished eating, they were still somewhat reluctant to leave.

"Eating this red finger fruit is really comforting!"

"The pickled cabbage, too, tastes completely different from what I've eaten before."

Taking this opportunity, Jiang Ning quickly spoke up, "This is some new pickled cabbage I made. I'll teach you how to make it in a bit. It's very simple, and if you store it well, it can last a long time. We can also catch more fish to eat. That way, we'll have more food in winter."

"But how do you preserve fish? Do you make it into dried fish like meat jerky?" The tribe rarely ate fish before and didn't know how to preserve it.

"Yes, clean the fish, rub it with salt, and dry it into dried fish."

“That’s great. There are lots of big fish in the Tianlang River. Let’s make more pickled cabbage. A hot soup in winter will warm you up a lot. Even if we don’t have that much pickled cabbage, we can add red finger fruit.”

Jiang Ning quickly chimed in, "I was just about to discuss this with everyone. We can't gather enough red finger fruit by just going out to collect it. We can plant red finger fruit near the village, just like we plant sweet potatoes. That way, we'll have plenty of red finger fruit next year. Also, this pickled vegetable is made from a wild vegetable that turns red in winter. We can also plant some pickled mustard greens so we don't have to eat dried meat and dried vegetables all winter."

"This……"

The clansmen looked at each other, some tempted and some hesitant.

“Jiang Ning, we need to ask the shaman and the chieftain about these matters,” Zhi said as she walked over. “We can’t make these decisions on our own; we need their permission.”

“I have already asked the shaman, and the shaman has agreed.”

The tribespeople cheered. The chief usually wouldn't contradict the shaman's decision, but the tribespeople still waited for the chief to return, as a sign of respect and reverence.

As if by divine intervention, the familiar sound of three long and one short horn suddenly rang out from the tribe, and someone shouted, "The chief and the others are back!"