American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 145: A Shura Field? That doesn't exist.

The arrival of family members brought a true sense of human warmth to the Wood Forest for the first time.

To celebrate the arrival of Aria and the children, and to formally introduce the lady of the house to the neighbors in Weisman, Lin Yu'an decided to throw a grand welcome party.

This suggestion was immediately met with enthusiastic responses from Arya and Bo.

The entire camp instantly became busy. After familiarizing herself with every corner of the kitchen, Arya began to create a sumptuous menu based on the available ingredients.

Lin Yu'an harvested most of the cucumbers and tomatoes from the vegetable greenhouse, using some for a banquet and giving some to his neighbors as a small way of repaying them for their help in building his house.

She even took out several bottles of specialty jams and honey from her luggage, brewed on her own farm in Montana.

Bo, who was more interested in machinery, was persuaded by Lin Yu'an to join him in building an outdoor barbecue grill full of primitive style in the open space in front of the wooden house, using leftover log scraps and a huge iron mesh.

As Bo used a hammer screwdriver to secure the wooden frame, he laughed and said, "Hey, Lin! I bet this grill can roast a whole sheep!"

Lin Yu-an then took out his satellite phone and invited each of his neighbors who had helped him.

“Stan, it’s me, Lynn, Arya, and the kids. We’re having a barbecue and good wine the day after tomorrow, you absolutely have to come.”

“George, it’s me… Yes, they’ve arrived. The night after tomorrow, I’m going to open a bottle of Moutai that you didn’t get enough of last time. You and your drinking capacity shouldn’t be late.”

"Cody, Hank, Buck... come over for dinner the day after tomorrow!"

Finally, he dialed Emily's number.

“Emily, this is Lin. My family has arrived. There’s a party at home the day after tomorrow, and I hope you can come.”

Emily was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone before softly replying, "Okay, I'll go."

On the day of the party, the entire "Wooden Forest" was brightly lit in the evening.

A huge bonfire roared in the center of the courtyard, and on the newly built barbecue grill, a plump reindeer, generously sponsored by hunter Buck, was sizzling and emitting a wonderful aroma.

Neighbors arrived one after another in their pickup trucks or ATVs, bringing their own brewed beer, smoked salmon, and various refreshing salads.

Stan was the first to arrive. He jumped out of the pickup truck and handed Lin Yu'an something wrapped in an oilcloth: "Lin, these are some king crab legs that I just smoked. Let your wife and kids have a taste."

Old George followed closely behind, bringing not only a large bucket of potato salad but also a case of his treasured bourbon whiskey.

"Tonight, no one will leave this world sober!" His booming voice echoed through the valley.

Hank, Buck, and Cody also arrived one after another, and almost all of the core tough guys of the town of Wiesman were present.

A lively Alaskan-style party has officially begun.

The men naturally gathered around the barbecue grill and campfire, each with a bottle of ice-cold beer in hand, loudly boasting and talking about hunting and machinery.

Arya, on the other hand, became the focus of attention for another group of people. When she walked out of the cabin carrying her daughter Olivia, even these tough men who were used to the hardships of life couldn't help but soften their eyes.

"Oh my God, look at this little angel!"

Old George was the first to approach, and he carefully extended his calloused, rough hand to gently touch Olivia's chubby cheek.

“Her eyes… Lin, her eyes are exactly like your wife's! Like the clearest lake water in Weissman in spring!”

“Yes, Ethan too.” Arya smiled, and Bo brought out his son at the right moment.

Everyone gathered around, exclaiming in admiration.

"These two little guys are really sturdy!"

"Look at that hair, so black and thick, like Lin's. But those eyes are Arya's. What a perfect combination!"

Emily was the last to arrive, and she brought a homemade apple pie.

When she saw Arya and her two children surrounded by the crowd, she hesitated for a moment, but still walked over with a smile.

Arya, holding her daughter, sat quietly in a rocking chair on the warm porch with Emily, the only other female guest at the party.

Whiskey and Honey lay quietly at their feet, occasionally nuzzling their little master's swaddling clothes with their heads.

"Your daughter is so beautiful; her eyes are just like yours."

Emily looked at Olivia's pale green eyes, which were exactly the same as Arya's, and sincerely admired them.

"Thank you. Your eyes are beautiful too, as captivating as sapphires."

Then Emily's gaze fell on the two children and she couldn't look away.

She seemed to genuinely love children; when she saw Olivia reach out her little hand, she would immediately extend her own fingers for Olivia to grasp, her face radiating an extremely gentle maternal glow.

“They…are so cute.” Emily’s voice was a little low.

These words seemed to touch something deep within her heart; her eyes dimmed for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.

They chatted about fun parenting stories and their experiences caring for pets. Emily even gave some very professional advice on how to care for babies during teething. The atmosphere seemed warm and harmonious.

But the extremely intelligent and sensitive Arya was able to detect a lingering undercurrent in the depths of Emily's eyes.

When Emily's gaze inadvertently sweeps over Lin Yu'an, who is talking and laughing loudly with men in the distance, her eyes become extremely complex—a mixture of gratitude, awe, and unspeakable fear.

And a hint of morbid dependence in her eyes that she herself might not even be aware of. Especially when Lin Yu'an's gaze occasionally met hers, she would instinctively look away like a startled deer, and then couldn't help but steal a glance back.

As a girl who grew up in a large and complex Mormon family, Arya was used to all kinds of human relationships.

She immediately understood that there must be some kind of relationship between the beautiful woman in front of her and her husband.

But she didn't make a sound, maintaining her gentle and polite smile as she continued her pleasant conversation with Emily, as if she hadn't noticed anything.

The party ended amidst laughter and cheers.

The guests, still wanting more, left with a pile of tomatoes and cucumbers. Bo, having drunk too much, went back to his room early to sleep.

In the huge wooden house, only Lin Yu'an, Aria, and their two sleeping children remained. Lin Yu'an tidied up the wine bottles and plates in the living room, while Aria sat quietly in front of the warm fireplace, watching the flickering flames, lost in thought.

"Are you tired?" Lin Yu'an walked over and gently hugged her from behind.

Arya shook her head, leaned against him, and remained silent for a long time before speaking in an extremely gentle and understanding way: "Lin, Dr. Emily, who was there today, is a wonderful woman, isn't she? She loves children."

Lin Yu'an's body stiffened for a moment. He knew that what was coming had finally arrived.

He did not try to defend or hide anything; he knew his wife well, and any lie would be exposed by her intuition.

He was silent for a moment, then took Arya's hand and helped her sit down on the carpet next to him.

Then, he calmly and without reservation recounted everything that had happened before.

He began to recount everything that happened that afternoon in the simplest and most direct language.

The story begins with Emily's Subaru, which has been vandalized, and follows him as he discovers something amiss and eventually chases after her to her cabin out of concern.

He described the thrilling gunfight and struggle that took place in the living room, and how he jumped from the second floor to subdue the assailant.

When he talked about how he accidentally killed the motorcyclist who was already unable to fight back with a heavy punch, his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels.

He did not shy away from the chilling murderous intent that arose within him in that instant, the desire to kill and silence her, or how he forced Emily to fire a shot as well, thus binding the two of them completely to the same boat.

Finally, he mentioned the hard drive containing the private keys to three hundred Bitcoins, and the "dirty pact" between the two of them in the bathroom that followed, based on desire and self-interest.

He laid bare everything before Arya—the good, the bad, the bright, the dark—like peeling back the layers of an onion.

He spoke very calmly, without adding any emotion or excuses, simply stating a series of facts that had already occurred.

But the way he held Arya's hand tightly betrayed the tension and unease deep within him.

After he finished speaking, the entire living room fell into a long silence, with only the crackling sound of the firewood burning in the fireplace.

However, Aria's reaction was completely beyond Lin Yu'an's expectations.

There were no hysterical accusations, no tearful questioning, and not even any astonishment at the enormous wealth.

She simply reached out her soft hand and gently, tenderly, stroked Lin Yu'an's furrowed brows, furrowed from long periods of thought and vigilance.

"You must have been terrified, right?" Her voice was soft, yet it was like a warm current that instantly flowed into Lin Yu'an's cold heart.

"It must be exhausting for one person to carry such a huge secret."

Her first reaction wasn't to his "infidelity" or "cruelty," but rather to worry about his mental state.

Arya looked at him, her pale green eyes seemingly able to see through everything: "Lin, I can tell that ever since you came to Alaska alone, you've been suppressing something."

“You are completely different from how you were in college. You are always very alert and tense, as if you are ready to fight at any time.”

“I know you have a huge secret in your heart that makes you very tired and afraid to truly relax. I don’t know what it is, and if you don’t want to tell me, I will never find out.”

She gently rested her head on Lin Yu'an's shoulder.

"I just want to tell you not to put so much pressure on yourself. No matter what happens, I'm here for you. You can give me all your weight. I'm your wife, and I'll always be your listener."

These words instantly struck the softest and most vulnerable part of Lin Yu'an's heart.

His greatest source of pressure has always been the unspeakable secret of "rebirth," and he fears that it's all just a dream.

But he never imagined that the tension and pressure he exuded in his daily life, which made him feel out of place in this world, had already been seen clearly by the woman he loved most.

After Arya's gentle words of comfort, Lin Yu'an's nerves, which had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed a little.

He pulled Arya into a tight embrace, burying his face in her hair, feeling her unconditional trust and love.

He said softly, "Arya, I assure you, I only love you and the children! Emily... she was just an accident, an accident that happened to solve a problem."

Arya shook her head in his arms: "Darling, don't think like that. I think Emily is very good."

“From the fact that she’s a veterinarian willing to stay in such a remote place, and from how much Honey likes her, you can tell that she’s a kind person at heart. She was just forced into a vortex that she couldn’t control, just like you, she was just trying to survive.”

She lifted her head from his embrace, looked at him, and her eyes sparkled with an understanding and tolerance that transcended worldly conventions, stemming from her unique upbringing. She then offered a suggestion that he hadn't expected.

"I want to have a deeper conversation with her."

“Darling, you’ve bound her together for control and security. But true security comes not from chains, but from understanding and acceptance.”

“I want to meet with her. I want her to know how the women of the McKinley family treat their families.”

Looking into his wife's unwavering gaze, Lin Yu'an finally nodded solemnly: "Okay."

The confession by the fireplace finally brought Lin Yu'an a moment of peace after months of tension.

He knew that he had the most unique and powerful support in the world.

The next morning, while Bo took Lin Yu'an to inspect the modified F-150 and discuss the next firewood reserve plan, Arya picked up the satellite phone and personally dialed Emily's number.

"Hi, Emily, it's me, Arya." Her voice was still gentle, but it carried an undeniable aura of a mistress of the house.

"The apple pie you brought to the party yesterday was delicious; Lin and Bo both loved it. I just happened to bake some blueberry muffins, a specialty of Montana, this afternoon. Would you be so kind as to invite me over for afternoon tea?"

Emily, on the other end of the phone, nearly skipped a beat when she received the call.

Countless possibilities flashed through her mind in an instant: a showdown? A warning?
She almost instinctively wanted to find an excuse to refuse, but Arya's polite yet slightly forceful tone made her realize that she couldn't avoid this afternoon tea.

Emily composed herself. She was much older than the girl, how could she let a little girl control her?
“Of course, Arya, it’s my pleasure.” Emily finally agreed.

-

(Thanks to all my good brothers for sending me and three 6000-month tickets.)
(End of this chapter)