American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 238 Antique Army Revolver (Multiple Images, Must See! Requesting Monthly Tickets!)

Next, Arya picked up a square gift from the Christmas tree. It was simply wrapped in paper and tied with a simple red ribbon.

"For you, my 'survivor' gentleman."

Lin Yu'an took the gift box, untied the ribbon, and lifted the heavy lid. Inside lay a well-preserved Colt Single Action Army Revolver, full of historical charm!

Its gun frame retains a layer of mottled colors, like clouds and mist, left by the hardening of fire over the years, which are still clearly visible.

In the flickering firelight of the fireplace, it shimmered with a grayish-blue and pale gold luster.

Its 5.5-inch "artillery-style" barrel and cylinder are a deep, calm blue, and the iconic prancing horse pattern on the hard black rubber grip remains sharp and angular.

Next to the gun, there was also a slightly yellowed original Colt letter!
Lin Yu'an's gaze swept over the letter, and the information on it perfectly matched his earlier judgment: serial number 352563, shipped from the Hartford factory to Texas on July 19, 1929.

He immediately recognized the iconic cross pin on the gun frame and the VP certification mark in the triangle on the trigger guard, which proved that it was safe to use modern smokeless powder.

A true "peacemaker" born between two world wars!
Lin Yu'an almost held his breath as he held the heavy "Peacemaker" in his hands. Its unique weight and perfect balance seemed tailor-made for his hands.

With an extremely skilled posture, he slowly turned the hammer with one hand, "click-clack-click-clack".

The crisp, melodious sound, like the four-section gong of a fine clock, echoed clearly in the quiet living room.

The sound was like a switch, instantly igniting all the light in his eyes!

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Arya, his face no longer showing calm appreciation, but rather a childlike ecstasy.

“Arya…you…” He was momentarily speechless, only repeatedly feeling the fine knurling on the hammer with his thumb.

"A 1929 smokeless gunpowder version... and in such good condition... how did you find it?"

Arya simply smiled, enjoying his momentary lapse in composure.

Lin Yu'an burst into laughter, a genuine and heartfelt joy!

He carefully placed the gun back in the box, as if it were a sacred object, then stepped in front of Arya and gave her a tight hug!
"Thank you, darling, this is the best Christmas gift I've ever received!"

“A legendary gun, a legendary man. A perfect match.” Arya’s eyes were filled with pride.

“Now it’s my turn.” Emily smiled and took another gift, also wrapped in velvet, from under the tree and handed it to Arya.

"Here you are, Arya. Thank you for taking me in and making this my home."

With a touch of childlike curiosity, Arya deftly untied the ribbon, opened the box, and revealed a hard leather camera case bearing the marks of time.

She gasped when she opened the clasp of the leather box.

"My God!"

Arya murmured in disbelief, staring blankly at the open box, her hand hovering in mid-air, as if afraid to touch the treasure inside.

Inside, lying quietly, is a camera that is completely black and looks like it has stepped out of history!
The black paint on the edges of the fuselage has been worn away by time, revealing the warm and bright brass color underneath, forming a beautiful patina that collectors call "exposed bronze".

Finally, she carefully and almost reverently lifted the camera out.

"A black M3! And a dual-disc one! An early version! A Leica camera that every German should own!"

Arya let out a joyful cheer. As someone of German descent, she understood better than anyone the significance of this camera in the history of mechanical manufacturing!

It is not just a camera, but a pinnacle of the golden age of German precision engineering.

She jerked her head up, staring at Emily in utter shock. "An early black lacquered M3 like this, with its beautiful exposed bronze, would cost at least ten thousand dollars on the collector's market! Are you crazy, Emily?!"

Emily just smiled gently and shrugged helplessly. "You always say you want to document life here, and I feel there's nothing more suitable than this place."

Arya stopped speaking and felt the solid weight of the piece of brass, milled from a single block, in her palm.

The cold metal body pressed against her palm, her fingertips tracing the leather trim and brass edges, every detail exuding the warmth of time.

Her thumb found the shift wrench, and she gently turned it once, then again, feeling the smooth, seamless mechanical feel of the gears meshing perfectly.

Then, she held the camera up to her eyes and pressed the shutter button on the flickering flames in the fireplace.

There was no crisp "click" sound, only an extremely slight and soft "hiss" sound.

The sound was as soft as a whisper, yet it was filled with an unparalleled mechanical quality—a legendary sound unique to Leica.

Arya put down her camera, looked at Emily, and her voice was filled with indescribable emotion: "Emily... this is too precious, and too crazy!"

“This is no longer a gift, it’s a heirloom! I’m going to pass it on to Olivia’s children! Thank you for understanding me, Emily! I love you to death!”

She lunged forward and planted a loud kiss on her cheek!

Finally, Emily picked up the last square box from under the tree and solemnly handed it to Lin Yu'an. "Here you go, Mr. 'Survivor.' I think it should keep up with your pace."

Lin Yu'an took the box, tore open the wrapping paper, and opened the exquisite black watch box with the word "PANERAI" printed on it.

The moment the box was opened, a futuristic, all-black wristwatch caught his eye: Panerai PAM01616.

The massive 47mm case is made from Panerai’s patented carbon fiber composite material, giving it a unique black camouflage-like texture.

The iconic crown guard and blue luminous hour markers perfectly blend luxury with hardcore performance.

Lin Yu'an looked at the watch; he recognized the brand, of course. Panerai, born for the harsh environment of the deep sea, is a legend in itself.

This carbon fiber watch, combining extreme strength and lightness, was practically tailor-made for him.

He could feel the deep affection behind the gift, but it was also quite expensive.

Aria, who was standing nearby, also came over. She had just recovered from the shock of the black Leica and now looked at the watch on Lin Yu'an's wrist, her face also showing a hint of disapproval.

She gently took Emily's hand, her voice tinged with reproach: "Emily, darling, I understand your feelings. This Leica M3 is the craziest gift I've ever received."

"Now it's Panerai again... These two gifts together must cost at least thirty thousand US dollars, right?"

Lin Yu'an nodded immediately, echoing softly, "Emily, we are a family, you don't need to spend so much on us."

"We have already received your kind intentions. As long as our family can be together safely, that is enough."

Emily listened quietly to their back-and-forth "joint persuasion," looking at the genuine concern and care on their faces.

She reached out and took Lin Yu'an's and Ailiya's hands in hers, her gaze first falling gently on Lin Yu'an's face.

Then she turned to Arya, finally enveloping them both in her firm yet loving gaze.

"In my heart, nothing is more precious than you. The cost of the gifts is nothing, because you deserve them!"

The simple words, "You deserve it," carry more weight than any explanation.

Lin Yu'an said no more, took the heavy yet exceptionally light watch out of the box, and put it securely on his wrist.

He paused, and Arya and Emily looked at him expectantly.

A rare look of embarrassment and annoyance flashed across Lin Yu'an's face.

"I'm sorry... I... I came back in such a hurry that I completely forgot to prepare Christmas presents."

Arya seemed to have guessed as well, and comforted him, "Hey, darling, what are you saying? Your safe return is the best gift. We don't care about those things."

“That’s right, darling. We lack nothing, and having you here every day is the best gift,” Emily gently echoed.

The more they said that, the deeper the "guilt" on Lin Yu'an's face became.

He stood up, paced back and forth in front of the fireplace in frustration, shook his head, and spoke with an air of self-reproach that he could not forgive himself for.

"No, I can't face you all right now! I completely forgot to prepare Christmas presents! I'm so terrible!"

"I...I need to be alone for a while." After saying that, he turned around and walked quickly to a room on the second floor without waiting for the two of them to react.

Arya and Emily looked at each other, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

Just as they were about to go upstairs to comfort him, a suppressed and painful "Ah!" suddenly rang out from Lin Yu'an!

"Lin!" "What happened?"

The two women immediately rushed up to the second floor.

Arya suddenly pushed open the half-closed door and cried out anxiously, "Lin, what's wrong?!"

However, the room did not contain the painful struggle they had imagined.

Lin Yu'an stood unharmed in the center of the room, looking at them with a smug grin. He was holding two huge and gorgeous bouquets of red roses, each with as many as 99 roses.

On the delicate red petals, circles of warm yellow, tiny LED lights, like fireflies, are wrapped around them, emitting a dreamy and romantic glow in the dimly lit room.

Arya and Emily stood frozen at the doorway, their hearts pounding from the shock and the stark contrast before them, their minds blank.

Before they could speak, Lin Yu'an stepped forward and presented them with two bouquets of radiant roses, his voice low and gentle.

Merry Christmas, my wives.

Arya was the first to react. She took the huge bouquet of roses with a mix of amusement and exasperation, and lightly punched Lin Yu'an's chest with her fist: "You jerk! Did you scare us to death?!"

Emily accepted the bouquet, but besides an uncontrollable smile of happiness, her face showed a great deal of confusion.

She carefully stroked a delicate petal, as if confirming something impossible, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Darling...this...this is a real rose?"

Arya was also stunned for a moment, then immediately looked down to examine the bouquet in her arms carefully, exclaiming, "My God, it really is! I thought it was one of those incredibly realistic silk artificial flowers..."

"But how is that possible? How could you possibly buy fresh roses of this quality in Wiesman, Alaska in December!"

In their minds, these delicate flowers, which require careful cultivation in greenhouses, belong to another season. Seeing them here is as magical as seeing an iceberg in the desert.

Lin Yu'an smiled as he accepted Ailiya's "attack," then embraced both of them, his face full of smug satisfaction at having planned everything perfectly.

Emily buried her face in the fragrant rose petals and asked curiously.

"So, how long have you been preparing this surprise? Did you order it back in the summer and then use some kind of magic to preserve it until now?"

"There was no magic involved, but it did take some effort," Lin Yu'an explained, a hint of pride in his voice.

“They were just flown from Anchorage to Fairbanks yesterday. I picked up the order from a florist when I arrived in Fairbanks yesterday.”

"Airfreighted? How did you bring them back from Fairbanks?"

"This is the hardest part." Lin Yu'an's voice carried a hint of lingering satisfaction.

"Bringing them back intact is harder than hunting a bear. I wrapped them in a hard-shell insulated box, stuffed it with insulation cotton, and also put in a few hand warmers that keep heating up."

“From Fairbanks to here, every minute is a race against the freezing cold. If they are exposed to the outside for even a minute, they will immediately turn into ice sculptures.”

"To keep them from being discovered, I stored them at Hank's house."

This morning I drove my snowmobile to pick them up, and then I hid them in a cardboard box in this room. How was my acting? Pretty good, right?

After hearing these words, Arya and Emily both fell silent.

Looking at the vibrant roses in their arms, which seemed to still carry the warmth of the sun, they understood that this gift carried a deep affection that had overcome all difficulties.

"Not bad my foot!" Arya cursed, but her mouth was already stretched to her ears in a wide grin.

Holding that bouquet of sparkling roses, she could no longer hide the overflowing happiness that was enough to melt away the entire winter.

Emily held her own bouquet, her face appearing especially gentle in the warm yellow light of the LED strings. "So beautiful, dear Lin. Thank you."

"Let's go, don't keep the children waiting downstairs for too long." He took their hands and walked down the stairs together.

Back in the warm living room, Ethan and Olivia were still fast asleep on the soft wool blankets on the sofa, like two quiet kittens, completely unaware of the "drama" that had just taken place upstairs.

“I’ll go find a vase,” Emily said, carefully placing the roses she was holding on the empty sofa. “Such beautiful flowers can’t just be left like this.”

"I'll help too!" Arya immediately chimed in.

Soon, the two women gathered all the glass bottles and ceramic jars they could find in the house and, with great joy, arranged the bunches of red roses in every corner of the cabin.

The fireplace mantel, windowsill, and center of the dining table were instantly enveloped in the fragrance of roses. Adorned with roses, the entire cabin felt like a scene from a fairy tale.

Lin Yu'an didn't interfere, but simply watched the two of them under the warm light, their silhouettes adding romance and beauty to the home. His heart was melting with happiness.

After arranging the roses, Arya clapped her hands with satisfaction and said to Emily with a smile, "Looks like this guy beat us to a surprise."

"Your surprise?" Lin Yu'an looked at them with some doubt.

Emily smiled and carefully took out a thick-looking book from a wooden box behind the sofa.

It was a photo album hand-bound from moose hide. There were no words on the cover, only a logo representing their family branded on it.

"What is this?" Lin Yu'an asked curiously.

“This is your time machine.” Arya’s tone was full of pride. “We’ve put in every single one of the fifty days you missed.”

Lin Yu'an paused for a moment, then reached out and stroked the rough-textured moose leather cover. The album's paper was thick and had a handmade feel. He then slowly turned to the first page.

The first page features a photo of Ethan and Olivia on the morning he left, captioned "Day 1: Dad's adventure begins."

Turning to the second page, "Day 2, in the photo, Ethan clumsily puts a baby food spoon into his mouth for the first time, getting it all over his face."

The side label reads, "The little glutton has learned to eat by himself, although half of it ended up on his nose."

He continued flipping through the pages, “Day 3, Olivia is in Emily’s arms, smiling happily and brightly.”

"On Day 15, the two little ones, dressed in thick clothes, curiously touched the snowflakes outside the window."

"On Day 32, Ethan successfully stood up by himself, holding onto the sofa, his face full of pride."

"On Day 48, Olivia grew her first tiny baby tooth..."

Page after page, day after day.

Each page features a precious photograph taken that day, accompanied by Emily's gentle, diary-like writing.

In this simplest way, they presented to Lin Yu'an the fifty irreversible days and nights that he had missed, exactly as they were.

This is not just a simple photo album; it is a detailed and loving "growth report," a carefully crafted archive of time for their absent father.

Lin Yu'an's fingertips glide over each photograph with extreme gentleness, reading each line of text.

He looked at his son's increasingly mischievous smiling face in the photo, and at his daughter's increasingly clear silhouette...

Arya gently hugged him from behind, rested her chin on his shoulder, looked at the photo album, and spoke softly.

“I told you, this family can’t live without you. Even if you’re not here, we must still make room for you every day.”

He took a deep breath, slowly closed the photo album, then turned around and hugged his two wives tightly once again.

Outside the window, the aurora borealis danced brilliantly in the Christmas Eve sky, like a curtain of blessings cast by God.

Inside the house, the fireplace flames burned quietly, elongating the silhouettes of the family embracing and projecting them onto the wall, creating a picture of "home".

The warmth and excitement of Christmas Eve eventually faded into silence at midnight.

Arya and Emily were already fast asleep, the two little ones breathing evenly in their dreams.

The only sounds in the entire cabin were the occasional crackling from the fireplace and the silent flow of the aurora borealis outside the window.

Lin Yu'an, however, was wide awake. He then went to the study alone, wrapped in a thick wool blanket.

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(It's almost the end of the month, guys, and our monthly votes are about to expire, so throw them all at me!!!)

(End of this chapter)