American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 150 Sharing Prey and the Beauty of Home

Ryan stepped forward, looked at the prey, and then at the surrounding environment. He said in a half-joking tone, "Barton, is your hunting all legal? I don't want to see my neighbor get a ticket."

Patton laughed loudly, "Don't worry, Ryan! We respect the law more than anyone else! All shooting is within the rules!"

Ryan then introduced Lin Yu'an to the new neighbor: "Lin, this is Eric the Bear. He's the plumber in our town. He just came back to Weisman from the mainland recently. If your pipes burst or your generator breaks down, just call him."

“Hello, Lin.” Eric’s voice was as deep as a bear’s. He extended his large hand and shook hands firmly with Lin Yu’an.

A riverside slaughter operation involving the core members of the entire community has officially begun!
With sufficient manpower, the division of labor became efficient and orderly.

Under the guidance of Patton and Stan, the other four giant beasts were skinned, cut into pieces, and turned into standard chunks of meat.

Once all the meat was packed into meat bags, it was time for the crucial transportation stage.

As the commander-in-chief, Patton looked at the fleet of seven ships and the mountain of meat before him, and began to issue the most reasonable tactical arrangements.

"George! Your boat is the biggest and the most stable; you're in charge of loading all the deer heads and hides!"

He pointed to the heads with huge antlers: "These things take up the most space and are the most irregular. Your ship has a high gunwale, so it's not easy for it to capsize. Stan is on the same ship as you, so he'll help you stack them."

"Hank, Cody, Barton, and Eric, your four ships are the main meat transport ships!"

"Each of our boats is responsible for carrying the meat from two cut-up moose. This allocation keeps the weight within the safe load limit!"

"Finally, Lin!"

Barton's gaze fell on Lin Yu'an and Stan's 14-foot boat: "You and Little Eagle are in charge of transporting all the tenderloin, back loin, and the hearts and livers we roasted last night."

The group immediately sprang into action, working together to move heavy bags of moose meat onto the designated boats. Soon, all six boats were heavily submerged.

With everything ready, a fleet of six ships officially embarked on its return journey!
Lin Yu'an's vanguard ship took the lead, cutting through the waves.

Behind them, six heavily laden ships lined up in a row, leaving wide and spectacular wakes on the river.

When they arrived at the riverbank near Wiesman in a large procession, the residents, who had already been informed, had been waiting on the bank for a long time with hot coffee and food.

A grander harvest celebration, involving the entire core members of the community, began on the riverbank in the afternoon.

The men once again demonstrated their amazing teamwork, clearing a large, flat area on the riverbank and laying down clean, waterproof tarpaulins.

Then, they unloaded bags of meat weighing tens of kilograms from the boat onto the shore and sorted them by cut into different parts.

Soon, several "mountains of meat" made of moose meat formed on the riverbank, creating a spectacular scene!

What follows is not a random distribution, but an extremely serious and fair meat-distribution ceremony conducted under the supervision of law and tradition.

Barton and Stan stood before the mountain of flesh. In Barton's hand was a thick notebook, on which the ownership of each hunting tag was clearly recorded.

"Alright, guys! Quiet down!" Barton's voice was loud and powerful.

The noisy riverbank fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Patton announced loudly, "According to Alaskan law and our Weisman rules, we have hunted a total of eight moose today. I will now begin calling out the names of the rightful owners of each tag. Please come forward to collect your game!"

"First tag, Herman Lin!" This male moose is entirely yours; this is your non-resident tag spot.

“The second tag, Stan!” Stan stepped forward and received his own.

“The third label, George!” Patton continued.

Old George walked forward with a smile, and with the help of the others, loaded a whole carcass of moose meat into his pickup truck.

Next, Barton called out the names of all the authorized persons in turn. The elderly people or family representatives whose names were called would then step forward with the help of their neighbors to receive the generous meat that would ensure they could get through the winter.

Once all eight moose have been returned to their rightful owners according to the law, the true spirit of community is just beginning.

Old George, who had been allocated a whole moose, was the first to step forward.

He carried the two forelegs and a large amount of neck meat from his deer back to the tarpaulin in the middle of the riverbank, and said loudly, "Alright! This old man can't finish all of this! Put these in our shared pool!"

Immediately afterwards, Mrs. Martha also had her grandson contribute half of the ribs and all the scraps of meat from her deer.

Then, Lin Yu'an and one family after another who had been allocated a whole deer voluntarily gave up the parts they couldn't finish eating.

Soon, another small mountain of meat piled up in the middle of the riverbank.

Looking at the scene before him, Barton broke into his brightest smile: "Alright, everyone! The rest belongs to our entire Weisman community!"

“Every family that comes here today can come up and receive a portion of moose meat that belongs to you! This is our shared treasure, a gift from this land to all of us!”

"oh--!!!"

An even louder cheer erupted from the crowd!

Lin Yu'an was deeply moved as he looked at the scene of meat being distributed, which was full of order, law, human kindness and the spirit of sharing.

This was completely different from the law of the jungle he had imagined.

Here, the law protects individuals' legitimate rights and interests, while community traditions and human relationships ensure that no one is left behind.

This is the real reason why this small northern community has been able to survive and thrive in this harsh land.

It was late at night when all the meat had been distributed.

On the riverbank, only a few nuclear families remained, sitting around the campfire, sharing the joy of victory. Lin Yu'an said to the young eagle beside him, "Little Eagle, you did a great job today. You gave up half of your prey, like a real man! Next summer, I'll take you to China to see the real Great Wall."

Instantly, an incomparably brilliant light ignited in the eaglet's eyes.

Once all the meat had been distributed, the noisy riverbank gradually quieted down. The people said goodbye to each other, and contentedly carried their portions of moose meat back to their respective homes.

When Lin Yu'an returned to the warm wooden house, the first thing she did was go to the nursery to check on the two children who were already fast asleep.

After confirming that they were all safe and sound, he went back to the living room and carried pieces of fresh moose meat to the large freezer.

“Hey, darling.” Arya’s voice was soft but clear.

Lin Yu'an stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her.

Arya's gaze swept over the mountain of meat, then she slowly asked, "Did you send some to Emily?"

“This…” Lin Yu’an was taken aback.

Arya walked over to the tenderest piece of moose tenderloin, cut off a large chunk that weighed at least ten kilograms, and then selected several good ribs, carefully wrapping them in a clean oilcloth.

She handed the heavy meat bun to Lin Yu'an.

"Go and deliver it to Emily right now."

"Now?" Lin Yu'an glanced at the darkening night outside the window.

"Yes, now. Go tell her that I asked you to deliver this. Say that no family member can be left out of our family's dining table."

Looking at the unwavering determination in his wife's eyes, Lin Yu'an finally nodded: "Okay, I'll go right now."

He started his Zongshen tricycle and drove towards Emily's clinic.

When he arrived at Emily's cabin, he found the lights were still on.

Emily opened the door, and when she saw the heavy, blood-stained bag of meat in Lin Yu'an's hand, a flicker of fear crossed her face! She thought back to that night.
"Lin? What's wrong with you...?"

"These are moose I just hunted today. Arya asked me to bring you some."

Lin Yu'an handed her the meat bun and repeated Alia's words: "She said that no family member should be left out of our family's dining table."

"Family members..."

Emily breathed a sigh of relief when she heard it was a moose. She looked at Lin Yu'an and thought of what he had just said about family members, and a warm feeling instantly welled up in her heart.

Before Lin Yu'an could react, Emily suddenly stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently placed a kiss on his cheek with her soft lips.

"Thank her for me," Emily said, her voice tinged with emotion.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and then extended an invitation to Lin Yu'an.

"Lin, would you and Arya like to come to my cabin for dinner?"

Lin Yu'an nodded: "Okay, we'll be there."

When Lin Yu'an returned to his cabin and told Aria about Emily's invitation, Aria smiled brightly.

Lin Yu'an drove his Ford Expedition and Arya, along with the two little ones who were bundled up tightly, to Emily's house.

Inside Emily's cabin, a warm fire had already been lit, and exquisite tableware was set on the dining table.

As soon as Arya entered the room, she naturally went into the kitchen and said to Emily, who was busy at work, "I'll help you."

"Oh, no need, you are guests..."

“It’s just family, no guests.” Arya smiled and skillfully tied on her apron.

Then, a strange scene unfolded in the kitchen.

Two equally beautiful and capable women, one with a full figure and the other with a slender figure, one with skillful movements and the other with a slightly clumsy one, worked together seamlessly to prepare dinner.

They chatted quietly as they cooked, discussing everything from cooking techniques to interesting tidbits about town.

Lin Yu'an, on the other hand, was completely kicked out of the kitchen and had to take on the role of a stay-at-home dad.

He laid a thick blanket on the living room carpet and placed Ethan and Olivia on it.

The two little ones have already learned to roll over and crawl, and are curiously exploring this brand new environment.

Lin Yu'an knelt on the carpet, sometimes teasing her son with a rattle, and sometimes pulling her daughter back as she tried to climb toward the fireplace.

The coldness and seriousness he displayed during the hunt were gone from his face; in its place was an extremely gentle smile, full of fatherly love.

A warm fire, the aroma of food, the soft laughter of women, and the babbling of children...

All of this intertwines to create a heartwarming and joyful scene full of life.

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Yu'an felt a slight melting away of the lingering sense of emptiness that had remained in his heart since his rebirth, thanks to the warmth of the everyday life.

Perhaps, this kind of home isn't bad either.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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