American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 116 The brothers-in-law arrive!

Lin Yu'an led them to his car.

This is a 2020 Ford Expedition Limited that he ordered a few days ago via his mobile phone on a Fairbanks used car marketplace.

The mid-range 8-seater version, equipped with the FX4 off-road package, a 3.5T V6 engine with a maximum output of 446 horsepower, cost a little over $6, which is about $2 cheaper than a new car.

He also took the opportunity to review his recent financial statements, noting that after investing in Nvidia stock, he still had 56 yuan in working capital left.

I spent 10 on land purchases, around 10 on domestic procurement, 6 on a car purchase, and about 4 on car rentals and living expenses. That means I have 26 left in working capital.

Fortunately, the major expenses have already been settled, and after Nvidia's spin-off in July, there will be a large influx of cash flow.

Lin Yu'an drove a Ford Conqueror SUV, big enough to fit all of them and their equipment, speeding north towards Wiesman.

The dirt road leading to the wooded forest was unpaved, making it difficult even for a Ford Expedition to drive directly in.

Lin Yu'an could only park the car at the rented cabin in Weisman Town, and then ride the Zongshen tricycle to take everyone to the camp.

The brothers-in-law were also particularly interested in the Zongshen tricycle. Each of them tried riding it for a while and had a lot of fun.

Upon arriving at the camp, the four brothers-in-law were immediately captivated by the sight before them.

"Wow, this band saw looks pretty good!"

Bo, the third brother-in-law, was most interested in machinery. He immediately rushed to the assembled band saw, reached out and turned the huge saw wheel to check the straightness of the track.

Clay, the fourth brother-in-law, became interested in the yellow XCMG XC760K.

He jumped into the cab, touched the control lever, and said, "Lin, is this the Chinese loader you were talking about? It looks pretty powerful! Is it operated the same as our usual Bobcat?"

"It's basically the same, and it's easy to get started," Lin Yu'an replied.

Lin Yu'an arranged for them to stay in the cabin rented by the production team. After the four brothers-in-law were busy at the camp for a while, they rode Zongshen tricycles to the cabin to rest and adjust to the time difference.

The next day, after a night's rest, the brothers-in-law quickly got back to work.

With the addition of these four new talents, the efficiency of the entire "100-day plan" increased several times over.

The once quiet logging site for the three people has been transformed into a bustling, even noisy, construction site.

The brothers-in-law almost didn't need Lin Yu'an to direct them; they spontaneously formed a perfect division of labor.

As the chief commander and technical core, Lin Yu'an no longer needs to spend a lot of time on repetitive physical work, but can focus on the most important parts.

His job was simply to select the most suitable trees in the forest and cut them down with his Steel chainsaw.

The two brothers-in-law, Wyatt and Garrett, who were the strongest, took the initiative to take over the most tiring work of collecting timber.

They took over the portable gasoline winch and were responsible for dragging the felled giant trees out of the depths of the forest.

The two worked together seamlessly, with Wyatt clearing the route and setting up the pulleys in front, while Garrett operated the winch from behind.

The third brother-in-law, Bo, and the fourth brother-in-law, Clay, were in charge of all the preliminary processing of the logs, and they were very fond of the chainsaw attached to the peeler.

The two often had competitions to see who could peel the logs faster and cleaner. Then, they would stack the stripped logs, now white and shiny, on raised platforms next to the camp so that they could be aired out and dried.

David and Mike are in a state of high energy every day, and they have so many wonderful moments to capture.

In the footage, the entire "wood forest" has been transformed into a construction site filled with the sounds of various engines roaring, logging, and hearty laughter!
Previously, Lin Yu'an could only manage one or two trees a day by himself, even if he put in all his effort.

Now, after becoming familiar with the process, the McKinley logging team can easily process five to six trees a day!

One day, they were in such high spirits that they completed the entire process for treating all seven trees!
Next to the campsite, there were piles of white logs that had been peeled and were ready to be dried. The amount increased almost every day, eventually forming an extremely spectacular log mountain!
David wrote in his daily shooting log: "I have never seen such a productive team. They don't seem to be working; they're more like having a fun family competition."

"Everyone knows what they should do. Their tacit understanding and strength made me truly understand the weight of the word 'family'."

During breaks from work, the five tough guys would sit on a huge log, take out beer from the cooler, and boast loudly.

Garrett asked, "Hey Lin, can your Chinese tricycle pull a full-grown moose next time we go hunting?"

"Dragging both ends is no problem!" Lin Yu'an replied confidently.

Two weeks flew by.

With the full help of their brothers-in-law, they miraculously completed the felling and preliminary treatment of nearly seventy trees.

More than half of the timber originally planned has been transformed into a spectacular mountain of white logs, piled up at the camp to dry.

As originally planned, the brothers-in-law needed to return to Montana to handle their respective farm affairs.

On the night before they left, Lin Yu'an planned a grand bonfire dinner to send them off.

Just before the dinner began, Wyatt's satellite phone rang; it was his father, Robert, calling.

Wyatt answered the phone and put it on speakerphone.

"Wyatt, how's it going over there?" Robert's booming voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Dad, we did a great job! And Alaska is amazing! I can't believe that there are only a few hours of darkness here every day!"

Wyatt glanced at the mountain of timber and proudly continued, "We've helped my brother-in-law finish more than half the work, and we're going back tomorrow."

Robert was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone: "What are you doing back at this time?"

"You're going to run away after only doing half the work? We don't have cowards like that in the McKinley family!" "But Dad, there's work on our respective farms..."

Robert interrupted him: "I'll have the cowboys on the farm take care of your little mess."

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "Your task now is to stay there and help Herman collect and process all the wood!"

After the call ended, the four brothers-in-law looked at each other, then burst into hearty laughter.

Lin Yu'an's brother-in-law, Wyatt, walked over, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and grinned, "Alright, Herman, it looks like we can't leave for now."

Lin Yu'an's heart was filled with indescribable emotion and warmth.

He knew that this was the most unreserved acceptance and support from the entire McKinley family for him, the newest member.

The planned farewell dinner instantly turned into a wild party celebrating the project's delay.

Lin Yu'an took out Wuliangye liquor and drank it with his brothers-in-law under the starry sky of Alaska!
The next day, McKinley's logging team went into full swing again!

Despite the polar day, the group continued their work: cutting down trees, cutting them into sections, transporting them using winches, peeling the bark, and piling them up to dry.

In the end, over a total of one month, the five people miraculously completed the felling and preliminary processing of 120 trees!
This time, it's a true farewell.

Brother-in-law Wyatt raised his glass, a satisfied smile on his face: "Herman, all the wood is here. The rest is up to you."

"Don't worry, Wyatt," Lin Yu'an replied with a smile.

"You've done the hardest part for me, thank you!"

“We’re family, let’s not talk about this.” Brother-in-law Wyatt hugged Lin Yu’an tightly.

"But remember, if you need help, just give us a call and we'll fly over! The McKinley family will always be there for you!"

Mike drove his brother-in-laws in his Ford Expedition SUV, sending them off on their journey to Fairbanks, from where they would fly back to Montana.

Meanwhile, Mike went to pick up the belated package—the two Arc'teryx outfits he had ordered a month ago.

After the loud engine noise and hearty laughter subsided, Dalton Highway returned to silence, leaving only Lin Yu-an and David.

Lin Yu-an rode a Zongshen tricycle with David to the Wood Forest to continue today's cleanup work.

David carried his camera and filmed various close-ups and panoramic shots around the spectacular pile of timber.

David's face was full of excitement. The footage he had recorded over the past month was enough to edit into several high-quality episodes.

He'd even come up with a title for the show: "One phone call from me, and four of my brothers-in-law came to help me cut down trees!"

He walked up to Lin Yu'an and exclaimed sincerely, "Lin, this is incredible! A month ago, I couldn't have imagined that this place would become like this! Your family members are practically an army!"

Lin Yu'an smiled and said, "Yes, they are my strongest support."

A few days after his brothers-in-law left, Lin Yu'an, who was processing timber, received a phone call.

The driver of the building materials ordered a month ago has arrived at the designated location.

After Lin Yu'an arrived on his Zongshen tricycle, a red heavy-duty dump truck with the "Polaris Logistics" logo appeared again at the familiar unloading point.

Surprisingly, the driver was the same experienced veteran driver from last time.

This time, after unloading the goods, the driver didn't leave immediately. He curiously offered Lin Yu'an a cigarette and asked a question.

"Brother, what are you planning to do here? I've been driving this road for fifteen years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anyone transport so much cement and sand to this godforsaken place."

Lin Yu'an took the cigarette and smiled, "I'm planning to build a home here."

The driver paused for a moment, then looked at Lin Yu'an with admiration. He patted Lin Yu'an on the shoulder heavily and said, "Good luck!"

After the dump truck disappeared below the horizon, the small hill made of sand, stones, cement, and steel bars stood quietly in the wilderness.

Lin Yu'an then began the arduous and painstaking "ant-like" work once again.

This time, Zongshen tricycles became the main force, transporting building materials to the "wood forest" five kilometers away, trip after trip.

David then posed a timely question: "So, now that all the building materials are ready, what's our next plan? Are we going to start processing the timber with the band saw?"

Lin Yu'an shook his head and looked at the foundation area that had already been marked.

"No, now is not the time."

"These timbers have just been peeled and need time to dry so that the moisture can evaporate, which will minimize shrinkage and cracking after construction."

"However, we can pre-carve the logs into a 'D' shape, that is, flatten both the top and bottom sides."

"This will both accelerate the evaporation of water and meet our expected treatment method."

"But now it's mid-June, and the long hours of sunshine during the polar day have thawed the active permafrost, which provides us with the best window of opportunity for construction."

"So, it's time to ask old George for help again."

"You mean we can start building the foundations now?" David's eyes lit up instantly!

(End of this chapter)