American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 136 Old George's Dream Party
The end of the hunting trip heralds the start of a grand celebration.

Old George decided to throw a bonfire party to celebrate his dream coming true and to formally introduce his new neighbor, Lin Yu'an, to everyone.

"A party can't be without alcohol and plenty of meat!"

Old George waved his hand and handed the shopping task over to pilot Hank: "Hank, when you fly to Fairbanks tomorrow, bring back ten cases of Coors light beer and two bottles of fine bourbon whiskey for me! Also, buy some sausages and beef patties; lamb alone won't be enough!"

“No problem, George!” Hank readily agreed.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Yu'an immediately said, "Hank, can I fly with you tomorrow? I need to go to the city to buy some things."

"Of course, my friend! My 'flying pickup truck' is always at your service!"

The next morning, Lin Yu'an got into Hank's red and white Cessna 206.

As the plane gracefully soared into the sky, the town of Wiesman and the winding Koyukuk River transformed into a magnificent miniature landscape below.

"How does it feel? From this angle, isn't our place unbelievably beautiful?" Hank asked with a smile as he skillfully piloted the plane.

"Yes, breathtakingly beautiful," Lin Yu'an exclaimed sincerely.

He was silent for a moment before finally asking the question that had been bothering him: "Hank, I've always been curious. With your flying skills, you could find a much higher-paying and more comfortable job anywhere in the 48 states. Why did you choose to stay in this almost isolated place?"

Hank's smile faded slightly as he gazed out the window at the endless snow-capped mountains, his eyes becoming distant.

He said softly, "For a promise, a promise to my grandfather."

“I was raised by my grandfather, an old-fashioned animal hunter who lived in Wisman his whole life.”

"He taught me how to survive on this land, how to recognize every plant, and how to respect every inch of this land. This airplane is also the most precious legacy he left me."

“I was by his side when he passed away. He held my hand and said to me, ‘Hank, my sweetheart, I know you yearn for the outside world, but promise me, no matter how high or far you fly, you must come back to visit this old bone of mine whenever you have time. I don’t want… I don’t want to die and not see you for too long.’”

Hank's voice choked with emotion. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

“He was buried on the hillside behind the town where you can see the sunset. I chose to stay here, not only to keep my promise, but also because this is where I was born.”

“I even divorced my ex-wife because of this. She couldn’t stand this isolated life, so she took my children to Fairbanks and remarried. Now, they are doing very well.”

There was no resentment in his tone, only a faint sense of resignation after making peace with life.

“The elderly people here, like George and Stan, are my uncles who watched me grow up. Now that my grandfather has passed away, I have to take care of them in his place.”

“Using this plane to help them carry supplies, take them to the city for medical treatment, or like today, to do shopping for a party, is not a responsibility for me, but a way of protecting them.”

Lin Yu listened quietly, her heart filled with respect.

He finally understood that what sustained this community was not just survival skills, but also the deep emotional bond that felt like family.

The plane landed at Fairbanks General Aviation Airport.

The two split up, with Hank heading to the Costco in the city for a big shopping spree.

There, the high prices in Alaska are on full display: a case of 24 cans of Coors Light beer costs $28.99, and ten cases would cost nearly $300.

A bottle of mid-range Buffalo Footprint Bourbon whiskey costs $42, and fresh beef patties and pork sausages are at least 30% more expensive than in the United States because they require air freight and cold chain transportation.

Lin Yu'an went straight to a large electronics store.

Lin Yu'an walked into Best Buy, and was immediately hit by a blast of cool air conditioning that smelled of new plastic and electronic components. He went straight to the network equipment section and quickly found the iconic booth displaying white square antennas.

A young shop assistant greeted him warmly: "Good afternoon, sir. What are you looking for?"

"Hello, I need a Starlink system." Lin Yu'an got straight to the point.

"You've come to the right place!" The shop assistant immediately became even more excited, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"Do you live in downtown Fairbanks, or in a more remote area? This thing is practically made for Alaska!"

“North of Wiesman,” Lin Yu’an replied simply.

“Oh! Along Dalton Highway!” The shop assistant’s eyes lit up.

"Then you are definitely the perfect user! We just installed one at a research station there last month, and they said they can now watch Pornhub right next to the Arctic Circle!"

He pointed to the products on the display stand and began to introduce them in great detail.

"The hardware cost is $599, which includes this second-generation phased array antenna, which has an automatic heating and snow-melting function, so it won't get buried in snow in winter. It also includes the router base and cables, so you can install it as soon as you receive it."

What about the monthly fee?

"The best option for you is the standard residential plan, which costs $120 per month and has more than enough speed and data."

Lin Yu'an smiled and said, "This standard package is fine. I need one in stock."

"no problem!"

An hour and a half later, the two met up again at the airport.

Hank's cart was piled high like a small mountain, with a dozen cases of beer, two large bags of vacuum-packed beef patties and sausages, party snacks, and other items that his neighbors had asked him to buy.

"Looks like tonight's going to be a pretty fun party," Lin Yu'an said with a smile, looking at the mountain of beer.

"Haha, you'd better be prepared to drink a lot to deal with George's party!" Hank said as he and Lin Yu'an worked together to move and secure all the things in the Cessna 206's cabin.

The plane took off again, first flying to Wiesman to unload the party items.

"Lin, come early tonight! George's roast lamb won't wait!" Stan shouted from below.

Back in the cabin, Lin Yu'an first took a refreshing bath in the river, washing away the dust and fatigue.

He then began installing Starlink.

The process was much simpler than he had imagined. He installed the dish antenna on the roof in a location with a wide view, directly facing the northern sky.

Then, thread the cable through the pre-drilled hole into the room and connect it to the router.

Once the power is connected and the Starlink app is opened on the phone, the motor inside the antenna emits a slight rotating sound and begins automatic calibration, searching for Starlink satellites flying in the sky.

In less than five minutes, the app showed that it was connected.

Lin Yu'an turned on his laptop and ran a speed test. The download speed was stable at 158Mbps, and the upload speed reached 17Mbps!

This number made Lin Yu'an breathe a long sigh of relief. The internet, the lifeline of modern society, had finally been connected to his secluded wilderness home.

He immediately packaged all the video footage he had shot over the past few days and sent it to the program's post-production team via high-speed internet.

While waiting for their selection, he sent his more personal and relatable materials to his partner, Lao Mao, back home. After finishing, he glanced at the time, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to attend the welcome party held for him—a celebration of George's dream coming true.

That night, a long-lost campfire was lit in front of old George's cabin.

He invited every resident of the entire town of Wiesman who had free time, and everyone brought their own food or gifts.

The gathering of more than thirty people instantly transformed the tranquil woodland into a lively and festive place, with everyone immersed in a holiday atmosphere.

The star of the party, of course, was the hard-won Dorgo goat.

Old George, the usually stern and unsmiling craftsman, transformed into a passionate chef.

He personally cut the tenderest tenderloin and hind leg meat from the lamb, avoiding the fascia with each cut to preserve the most intact fibers of the meat.

He first processed most of the lamb in the way that locals are most familiar with, simply marinating it with freshly ground rosemary, black pepper, and coarse sea salt, and then grilling it directly on the campfire grill.

The sizzling sound of oil dripping onto the hot charcoal fire, along with the rich aroma of meat mixed with the smoky scent of firewood, filled the cold air and was enough to whet anyone's appetite.

In a brief lull in his busy schedule, old George suddenly spotted Lin Yu'an helping to distribute beer.

“Hey, Lin.” Old George nudged him with his elbow.

"Do you still have that dipping sauce from China, the boiled mutton you gave us when we were hunting?"

Lin Yu'an immediately remembered that it was the "Grassland Red Sun" barbecue dipping sauce he had brought.

"Of course, George. I thought of that a long time ago. I knew you love it, so I brought some. I was planning to give it to you after the party."

"That's wonderful!" Old George's face lit up with childlike excitement.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu'an smiled confidently. He knew this was an excellent opportunity for him to showcase his cultural background to the community in a different way.

Lin Yu'an volunteered, "George, if you trust me, why don't you let me handle the rest of the meat?"

"Oh? Of course!" Old George immediately became interested, having tasted Lin Yu'an's cooking before.

"I've been wanting these guys to try that amazing Chinese dipping sauce! The kitchen's in your hands today!"

Lin Yu'an didn't say much. He first carefully washed his hands, and then took out a cleaver from the tool bag in his car.

He was faced with a lamb leg and some marbled lamb belly.

With a flick of his wrist, the cleaver seemed to come alive in his hand, sliding precisely into the gaps between the bones and fascia. In a swift motion, a large, intact piece of perfectly marbled mutton was easily peeled off.

This skillful knife work immediately left the group of Alaskan tough guys around him, who were used to roughly cutting up meat with hunting knives, speechless.

“My God, Lin… were you a surgeon before?” Cody couldn’t help but exclaim.

Lin Yu'an smiled, did not answer, and continued his operation.

Instead of slicing the meat into extremely thin slices for hot pot, he cut it along the grain into strips of moderate size and about half a centimeter thick. This thickness ensures that the meat cooks quickly while retaining its chewy texture.

Then he placed old George's iron pot on the campfire, poured in water, and threw in only a few slices of ginger.

While waiting for the water to boil, he poured several packets of "Prairie Red Sun" dipping sauce into the small dishes distributed to everyone, and its unique aroma immediately filled the air.

The water quickly boiled completely.

Lin Yu-an didn't let everyone do it themselves, but instead took on the role of head chef.

He used a huge strainer to scoop up a full spoonful of chopped mutton and dropped it directly into the boiling pot.

"Hula-"

The moment the meat strips hit the water, the pot began to churn even more violently.

Just a few dozen seconds later, the meat strips turned from bright red to grayish-white, and he immediately shouted, "Ready!"

With a flick of his wrist, he used a slotted spoon to scoop a large spoonful of steaming hot mutton, still dripping with broth, into the bowls of Stan and George, who were closest to him.

"Dip it in this sauce, then eat it while it's hot!" Lin Yu'an instructed.

Stan was the first to be unable to resist. He remembered the taste. He picked up a piece of mutton with his fork, dipped it in, blew on it twice, and eagerly put it in his mouth.

The next second, an indescribably familiar deliciousness spread through his mouth!

“Oh my God! This is the taste!” Stan shouted indistinctly.

Then he pushed his bowl forward again: "Lin! Have some more!"

With Stan's example, everyone got excited and reached out to offer their bowls or plates.

"Lin! This way! Give me some!"

"Me too! Oh my god, this is so delicious!"

Lin Yu-an stood in front of the large pot, becoming the center of the entire party.

He kept distributing spoonfuls of freshly cooked mutton to his hospitable neighbors, and around the campfire, a chorus of exclamations of praise and satisfied chewing sounds filled the air.

"This is amazing! It was just boiled in water, how can it smell even better than roasted?"

"Lin! Can I buy this sauce in Fairbanks? It's so delicious!"

"I never want to eat that damn barbecue sauce again! This is what meat should taste like!"

"Lin! Do you still have any of this? Sell me a few packs!"

They never imagined that lamb could be eaten this way. Lin Yu'an and the Chinese dipping sauce he brought completely won over the taste buds of these Alaskans.

The large plate of mutton strips, carefully cut by Lin Yu'an, was devoured at an astonishing speed.

More than half an hour later, when Old George distributed the first batch of roasted lamb to everyone, Lin Yu'an was also surrounded by everyone around the campfire, becoming one of the central figures of the party.

Stan was passionately recounting to all the newcomers his harrowing night confronting the wolves in the cave, describing Lin Yu'an's calm yet deadly shot as if it were a myth.

Everyone looked at Lin Yu'an with a completely new and respectful gaze.

In this land that reveres strength, nothing earns recognition more than proving one's courage and ability in the wilderness.

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(The next chapter features a female supporting character and explicit content. Please be aware. If you don't like this, you don't have to subscribe.)
(End of this chapter)