American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 235 Christmas Eve and the Chicken Coop
The next morning, the powerful inertia of his biological clock made Lin Yu'an wake up at six o'clock sharp.

Outside the window, the night was still as dark as ink, but the aurora borealis on the distant horizon had disappeared.

The water heating system was still working, the embers in the fireplace had long since died out, and there was a hint of nighttime coolness in the air.

He could hear the even and peaceful breathing of Arya and Emily beside him, a sound that brought him more peace than any music in the world.

Without disturbing them, he quietly got up and went downstairs wearing only fleece pants and shirtless.

Last night's passion and hot pot with butter, whether it replenished his body's deficiencies or depleted them again, a long-lost sense of strength is slowly returning.

Today is Christmas Eve, and he needs to ride his snowmobile to Hank's house to retrieve his belongings that he left with him.

Around 7:30, Lin Yu'an retrieved all the items he had prepared from Hank's house and put them in the storage room.

Then, he skillfully added firewood to the fireplace, watching the flickering flames gradually bring warmth back into the home, before heading into the kitchen.

There was still a pot of rice left over from last night's hot pot in the refrigerator. He walked to the corner of the kitchen and skillfully turned on a valve connected to a hose.

It was a standard 40-pound propane canister, 74 centimeters tall, standing quietly in the cupboard under the stove. In the Alaskan wilderness, where there is no convenient piped gas, this canned propane is the most reliable source of open flame.

There are five propane tanks like these neatly stacked in the storage room. Two 40-pound tanks and one 20-pound tank are the standard reserve without fail. A full 40-pound tank is enough to support normal cooking needs for more than two months.

After confirming that there was enough fuel, he took out a few eggs to make a simple Chinese fried rice, so as not to waste the leftover rice from the previous day.

"Clap."

Lin Yu'an turned on the stove knob and pressed the ignition button. A circle of blue flames rose instantly with a "whoosh," bringing immediate warmth and light to the slightly cool kitchen in the early morning.

As the golden egg liquid coats the glistening rice grains and sizzles and dances in the wok, a rich aroma of scallion oil and egg instantly fills the air.

He then prepared formula for Ethan and Olivia, keeping it at the perfect temperature.

When Arya and Emily sleepily walked downstairs, they were greeted by the aroma of fried rice and a figure busy in the kitchen, a sight that brought them immense comfort.

The family sat around the warm dining table, enjoying a delightful breakfast.

After the meal, Lin Yu'an turned his gaze to Ailiya, his eyes filled with a hint of guilt.

“Honey, I’m sorry…we probably won’t be able to go back to Montana to visit your parents this Christmas as planned. Given Emily’s current condition, it’s best for her to stay home and rest.”

"Of course, is that even a question?"

Arya took his hand, glanced at Emily who was smiling gently beside her, and said nonchalantly, "Nothing is more important than Emily and this little one right now."

Lin Yu'an nodded, a warm feeling welling up inside him. He took a sip of the hot coffee Emily handed him, but his gaze remained fixed on Emily's face.

Although Emily wore a happy smile, a faint worry seemed to lurk deep in her eyes.

He put down his coffee cup, reached out, and gently covered Emily's hand, which was resting on the table.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Lin Yu'an's voice was gentle yet direct; he didn't shy away from the question.

"You're worried about how we're going to explain the arrival of this child to everyone in town."

Emily's smile froze for a moment. She hadn't expected Lin Yu'an to be so thoughtful. She said softly, "I...I'm just afraid...afraid they'll look at us, at you, at this child, with strange eyes. After all, I..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant. In a traditional society, a second pregnancy in a family was enough to cause a storm.

Lin Yu'an gently lifted her chin with his fingers, making her look at him: "Look at me, darling, this isn't New York, this is Alaska."

"Have you forgotten who chose to settle down here?"

"The core of the Alaskan spirit is: as long as you don't hurt me or get in my way, I don't care how you live."

"Here, the standards by which neighbors evaluate a person are very simple and very hardcore. They only care whether you are a good neighbor and whether you will lend a helping hand when I encounter trouble."

“They don’t care how many women you have in your household. Believe me, as long as we live our lives well and become reliable people who can help the community, no one will gossip about our private lives. Our family will only earn respect, not criticism.”

He glanced at Arya, who was also listening intently, and continued, “You must understand that a high tolerance for oddballs is the passport to this land. Alaska has always attracted mavericks; every family probably has its own story and secrets.”

"A man with two wives is just another guy choosing his own way of life in their eyes, not as shocking as you imagine."

“They’ll be surprised, they’ll be curious, they’ll talk about us in bars, that’s normal. But they won’t judge us, much less reject us.”

"Because here, to survive, and to live well, is the most respectable thing."

He finally gripped Emily's hand tightly and made a promise in an unquestionable tone: "So, darling, you don't have to worry about anything."

"You just need to focus on getting better and happily wait for our third child to arrive. I'll take care of the storms and gossip outside."

“I will let everyone know that we are a strong, complete, and respectable family. No one can insult us without paying the price!”

After hearing these words, Emily nodded heavily, and the worry in her eyes finally dissipated, replaced by a sense of peace and trust.

Arya said with pride in her eyes, "Did you hear that? This is our man. He can not only fight black bears in the wilderness, but also protect us from the judgment of the world."

Seeing that the last remaining doubts within the family had been completely dispelled, the atmosphere at the dinner table became more relaxed and pleasant than ever before.

Lin Yu'an then turned the topic back to daily life. He looked out at the darkness and asked curiously, "By the way, what do you all do during this month-long polar night?"

A hint of pride appeared on Arya's face when this was mentioned.

I have a surprise for you~

She smiled mysteriously, then pointed to the two large dogs drooling as they squatted by the table. "However, we also owe a debt to these two heroes."

"Just last month, the makeshift chicken coop you built before you left was almost destroyed by a cunning fox."

"It took advantage of the blizzard to try and dig a hole through a weak point at the bottom. Luckily! Luckily, Whiskey and Honey discovered it in time!"

Emily chimed in, affectionately stroking Honey's head: "Those two went completely mad that night, squawking incessantly toward the henhouse."

"When we went out to check, the two of them had cornered the fox against the wall, and its claws were already halfway in. If we had been a few minutes later, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Arya's expression turned serious: "Although the whiskey and honey did a great job that time, they also served as a wake-up call for us."

“That makeshift shed was no match for these hungry predators. So from that day on, I decided that I couldn’t wait for you anymore; I had to build a real ‘chicken coop’ immediately!”

She took a sip of coffee and continued, "But this brings up a new problem: the new chicken coop needs to be rebuilt on the same site, so where will our remaining twenty Shantclean chickens live?"

"I had no choice but to bite the bullet and make a satellite phone call to Uncle Stan. He readily agreed, saying, 'My chicken coop is huge, twenty more chickens are no problem at all, bring them over.'"

"Do you know how difficult it is to drag twenty terrified chickens out of a shed and stuff them into a box on a snowy night after a blizzard, wearing a headlamp?"

“Those guys were flying around like crazy, feathers and sawdust everywhere. Emily and I were shoveling both folding poultry transport crates to the brim, like we were catching eels.”

Emily added with a laugh, "That short stretch of road to Uncle Stan's house felt like an eternity. I've never heard so many chickens complaining together in my entire life."

"Only after I safely stored them with Uncle Stan could I get my hands free. I combined the energy-saving solutions we had discussed earlier, drew up a blueprint, and started working on it."

She rubbed her shoulders, her face showing both exhaustion and excitement: "The wooden planks and insulation materials you stockpiled have been a great help."

"For the past month or so, I've spent almost all my time at the construction site. At my pace, it should be finished in a few more days."

She looked up at Lin Yu'an, her green eyes filled with a smile and a hint of relief.

“But now that you’re back, I think… maybe we can let those chickens move into their new home today.”

Lin Yu'an was deeply shocked after hearing this. He had never imagined that during his absence, Ailiya had not only protected this home, but had also been building it up independently.

He vigorously rubbed Whiskey and Honey's heads and whispered in praise, "Well done, good kids, you protected our chicks."

His voice was filled with the crispness and decisiveness of someone about to go into battle: "Arya, give me your blueprints, and take me to inspect the 'Chief Engineer's' construction site while you're at it."

Arya's face instantly lit up with a radiant glow. Her previous weariness vanished, and she picked up a rolled-up sheet of paper from the table, replying crisply:

"The blueprints are right here! The lights have been fully charged for a long time, and we're just waiting for you, the general contractor, to come and inspect and finish the work!"

Lin Yu'an had already put on his coat. He took the blueprint, unfolded it, and glanced at it. He immediately understood the essence of Ailiya's design.

Passive solar heating, composting heat circulation, external egg detection port... every detail is perfect, and even in terms of structural reinforcement, it is more comprehensive than his initial ideas.

He looked up at Arya with a smile on his face: "A fantastic design. Let's go, let's finish our family's first 'couple's joint project' before tonight."

In the southeast corner of the wooden house, about fifty meters from the main house, on a flat area, a half-finished building stands quietly in the darkness.

Lin Yu'an and Ailiya walked over and placed two high-powered LED portable lights at opposite corners of the construction site. As soon as the switches were pressed, two bright beams of light instantly tore through the darkness, illuminating the entire construction site as if it were daytime, making even the fine ice crystals falling from the air clearly visible.

Arya's work was even more impressive than the descriptions I heard in the room.

The main structure of a walk-in, single-slope chicken coop has been fully completed. The foundation is supported by concrete piles, completely eliminating any gaps between the coop and the ground.

The frame, constructed from four by four wooden beams, was assembled flawlessly. The blue-green corrugated metal roof has been installed, perfectly covering the entire building and reflecting a metallic sheen under the lights.

The chicken coop is divided into two sections, left and right. The left side is the main building area, which is about eight square meters. The exterior walls are nailed with rough wooden boards with the original bark edges, giving it a rugged texture.

The activity area on the right, which is nearly 20 square meters, has been enclosed on three sides with fine metal mesh, leaving only the south-facing side with a large opening.

“My God, Arya…” Lin Yu’an stepped forward, patted the thick pillar with his glove, and felt its solidity. “You’ve not only built half of it, you’ve already completed the skeleton, skin and roof, only the internal organs and insulation are left.”

“That sounds a bit disgusting,” Arya chuckled at his analogy, then pointed to the interior of the main house. “But you’re right, the next step is the most crucial insulation and sealing, but it’s difficult for one person to hold the interior wall panels while securing them.”

"Now, you have me."

Lin Yu'an stretched his shoulders, opened the small wooden door that had already been installed in the main house, and went in first.

Inside, it is an empty frame made entirely of wood, with cold air seeping in through the gaps in the outer wooden planks.

"Emily has already brought the coffee over and put it in the insulated box by the door."

Arya followed him in, placed a lamp on the ground and shone it upwards: "Foreman, please give your instructions."

Lin Yu'an looked around, his mind racing, and instantly devised the optimal construction process.

"Our work sequence is as follows: seal all external gaps, fill with insulation, install interior wall panels, treat the south-facing lighting surface, and finally, complete the internal facilities."

“We divided the work: you were responsible for measuring, cutting lightweight materials and assisting, while I was responsible for cutting heavy materials, filling, and securing them. The goal was to complete the main insulation work before dinner.”

"understand!"

A construction project to combat the extreme cold of the polar night has officially begun.

Lin Yu-an first addressed the gaps in the exterior walls. He did not use traditional grout, as that is difficult to cure at low temperatures.

He retrieved a roll of specialized waterproof building tape, which maintains excellent adhesion even at extremely low temperatures.

Holding a scraper, I carefully sealed every seam of the wooden planks with tape to ensure that no cold air could penetrate the wall.

With the external seal completed, the real core work began.

Lin Yu'an dragged several large bags of insulation material—rock wool—out of the container warehouse. He placed a portable cutting table steadily on the snow at the entrance of the chicken coop, then put on a dust mask and goggles.

"Arya, begin the measurement."

Arya pulled out a measuring tape with efficient movements. She first measured the width between the two main pillars on the wall, precisely fitting the end of the tape inside the wooden frame.

“Width, fifty-nine point five centimeters,” she announced loudly, her voice clear and crisp.

Lin Yu'an nodded, cut open a package of rock wool, pulled out a large, thick rock wool board, and placed it flat on the cutting table.

Using a long saw blade specifically designed for cutting insulation materials, he precisely cut the required size from the entire block of rock wool, as if slicing a huge cake, with neat edges and perfect dimensions.

He handed the first piece of rock wool he had cut to Arya, who took it and went inside the main henhouse. He first aligned the bottom of the rock wool block with the beam below, then slowly pushed it upwards with both hands.

Rock wool blocks were "squeezed" inch by inch into the wooden frame in an extremely therapeutic way, fitting together perfectly.

An efficient and well-coordinated assembly line operation began. Ailiya was responsible for measuring and filling inside, while Lin Yu'an, based on the dimensions she provided, handed in pieces of pre-cut rock wool.

They started by filling the walls, piece by piece. Soon, the four walls inside the main house were covered with this thick layer of yellow rock wool.

Next was the area below the single-slope roof. Lin Yu'an stepped onto a sturdy wooden ladder and, using the same method, filled every corner of the ceiling with the rock wool blocks that Aria had handed him.

Once all the rock wool was filled, Lin Yu'an dragged out several huge sheets of plywood from the pile of materials.

"Now seal it completely."

Lin Yu'an picked up the measuring tape and circular saw again and began cutting the interior wall panels. This time, he not only had to consider the length and width, but also had to leave space on the panels for the ventilation window specified in the drawings.

He handed the first piece of plywood he had cut to Arya, who took it and leaned against the inner wall frame, using her body and knees to support herself.

Lin Yu'an then went into the main house and picked up an electric screwdriver with a Phillips head already attached.

"Tap-tap-tap"

With a series of crisp, clean sounds, black screws were precisely screwed into the wooden blocks.

The screws were precisely calculated to penetrate the plywood and engage firmly with the wooden frame behind them.

The couple worked seamlessly together, one holding the boards in place while the other quickly secured them. Soon, the interior of the main house was completely covered with a layer of plywood.

After the main house was insulated, the sky had entered the brightest period of the polar night, turning the snowfield into a faint blue hue.

They didn't stop there; instead, they began working on the huge south-facing opening in the activity area.

"Double-layer hollow polycarbonate panels, the core of passive solar houses, our future depends on them." Lin Yu'an carried out several huge translucent panels from the container warehouse.

Installing such large-sized boards requires extremely high precision. Lin Yu'an first applied a uniform ring of black low-temperature resistant sealant to all edges of the wooden frame that come into contact with the boards.

Then, together with Arya, they lifted the first polycarbonate sheet, precisely embedded it into the frame, and gently pressed it to ensure the edges of the sheet adhered tightly to the sealant.

Next, he took the pre-cut wooden strips and covered the edges of the board with them. Then, using an electric screwdriver, he drove in a screw with a waterproof washer every 20 centimeters.

This dual fixing method of "sealing adhesive + inner and outer pressure strips" makes the entire window extremely sturdy and achieves the ultimate in sealing.

Once the last translucent panel was secured in place, the entire chicken coop area was completely enclosed. In the summer, some of the plywood can be removed and replaced with wire mesh to ensure ventilation.

Time slipped away quietly as they focused on their work. Although it was still polar night outside, a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer seemed to appear on the southern horizon.

The faint twilight filtered through the polycarbonate panels, casting soft, bright spots of light inside the chicken coop, instantly filling the entire space with life.

But this only completed the "upper half" of the chicken coop's construction. Lin Yu'an knew very well that in extremely cold regions, true warmth came from beneath one's feet.

"Alright, Arya, now let's begin our bio-heating project."

Then, he shoveled out the dried pine wood chips that had been accumulated during the construction of the cabin from the woodshed near the cabin. These were usually used as fuel for the plumbing system.

“Deep cushioning system, this is our underfloor heating system that consumes no electricity.”

Together with Arya, he used shovels to evenly spread pine sawdust across the entire floor of the main chicken coop, creating a very thick layer of soft sawdust, about thirty centimeters thick.

Lin Yu'an stepped on it and felt a soft touch under his feet. "For the rest of the winter, we won't need to clean up the chicken droppings. We just need to lay a new layer of sawdust on it periodically."

He praised Arya, "Darling, your plan is truly a brilliant idea. The chicken manure at the bottom will mix with the sawdust, and the microorganisms will begin to decompose them."

"This process is like a slow-burning 'compost reactor,' which continuously releases heat."

"This thick layer of bedding is itself an insulation layer, and the biological heat generated inside it will heat the entire chicken house from bottom to top."

This system transforms waste into valuable thermal energy, creating a perfect ecological closed loop.

After completing the crucial groundwork, the final finishing touches were truly enjoyable.

Lin Yu'an walked to the outer wall first and looked at the square opening that Ailiya had already reserved according to the blueprints—the external egg detection port.

Using a few scraps of wood and hinges, he created a rustic little door that could be flipped up from the outside, matching the style of the exterior wall, and fitted it with a brass latch.

Next, he went back inside and built several comfortable egg-laying boxes with wooden planks at the location corresponding to the egg-collecting port.

He then used a smooth birch trunk, fixing it diagonally inside the house to create a perch ramp extending from the ground to a higher point.

He patted the fixed perch with satisfaction, straightened up, and looked around the warm and sturdy main house.

Egg inspection port, perches, insulated walls, deep bedding floor... all physical facilities are in place.

But he knew that physical warmth alone was not enough to maintain a high-producing flock. The polar night was long, and the flock's egg production rate was affected by light, so physiological 'light deception' was also essential.

Both constant lighting and other internal facilities require a stable and reliable energy source. He turned and walked out of the chicken coop, and Arya followed curiously.

(End of this chapter)