American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

There was a lot of static on the other end of the phone.

The whistling explosion mixed with the crackling electricity was enough to make Su Wei's ears explode.

He frowned and quickly pulled up the phone.

After things got a bit better, I continued to lean closer to listen.

"How are you doing there, Suvi?"

Emily's voice was somewhat distorted, and you could hear her teeth chattering.

She sounds like she's freezing?

"That damn high-voltage power line broke right downstairs from my apartment, and the whole neighborhood was pitch black last night. You know what those workers are like; they usually take half a month to fix a streetlight, how can you expect them to brave a blizzard to rush out and repair the power?"

"Ha, even in my dreams it would be faster than this."

"The town has been without power since yesterday evening!!"

"Damn it! Luckily, the landlady started her diesel generator in time, or I would have frozen to death!"

Emily, holding her phone, squatted down next to the radiator in the apartment, checking it.

While checking if the radiators were working properly, she kept muttering to herself.

Even through her phone, Su Wei could sense her resentment.

Su Wei's lips curled up slightly as she switched hands to hold the phone.

The birchwood had just been added to the fireplace, and as the flames swished around the bark, they made a few soft crackling sounds.

The indoor thermometer showed 22 degrees Celsius, which was even a bit hot.

Although he did not make the cabin's modern heating system—the radiators—work.

However, he still retains primitive methods of keeping warm.

fireplace.

Cotton Candy had already slipped off the back of the sofa and cleverly occupied Suwei's lap.

The little guy curled up into a white ball of fur, its fluffy tail covering Suwei's hand, smooth and warm, like a natural hand warmer.

"So how are you now?" Su Wei stroked the fox's back with his fingers, and Cotton Candy hummed comfortably, "My leg is in a cast, and it's not easy to stand without heating."

"Wrapped in two layers of down comforters, and holding a hot water bottle that had long since gone cold."

"Fortunately, the radiators are working hard now."

Emily sniffed and started speaking faster.

"Leave me alone, Suwei, you're the one in big trouble now."

"Jamie just called me. The road from town to your place is completely blocked. The snow is over three feet deep, and his modified pickup truck can't get in. That snowmobile won't be able to be moved for now."

Expected.

Su Wei turned his head and glanced out the window.

A ring of white frost formed on the thick glass.

Everything outside was covered in snow, a vast expanse of white, and very quiet.

Even the lake was covered by heavy snow.

In this kind of weather, let alone pickup trucks, anyone who comes near, except for tracked vehicles and helicopters, will die.

"It's okay."

Suwei's fingers dug into the soft fur on Marshmallow's neck and gently scratched its chin. "Anyway, I'm not planning to go out, the motorcycle won't get stolen if I leave it there."

"Is it a matter of whether it gets lost or not?"

Emily's voice suddenly rose, "This means you're completely trapped, isolated and helpless. How much food do you have? Even if you just bought some, what if this snow keeps falling? And heating—can your old log cabin hold up? Do you have enough diesel? If the generator stops, you'll freeze to death in the middle of nowhere!"

He bombarded her with questions, and by the end, his voice was cracking.

As Su Wei listened, the frustration he felt from being trapped by the heavy snow inexplicably dissipated.

He thought to himself, "I'm practically frozen solid, and I still have the leisure to worry about others."

For some reason, Su Wei actually thought it was pretty good.

Whether in his past life or now, he seems to have gotten used to being alone.

"I have food," Su Wei softened her tone. "Didn't I just tell you? I just finished breakfast."

"One loaf of bread won't last a day! It's so cold, we're burning three times the usual calories!"

Emily interrupted him urgently, "You need high-calorie food, chocolate, meat, butter! And so on... I can help you buy some food, I'll try to contact the police..."

"Emily".

Su Wei interrupted her softly.

"The police cars are too low to even drive out of the town's main road, let alone venture into the storm zone to deliver a few cookies."

He picked up the empty milk glass from the coffee table, swirled it, and the remaining milk on the glass emitted a sweet aroma.

"And who told you I was eating dry bread?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Only the hissing sound of electricity could be heard.

"So what did you... eat?" Emily asked instinctively.

Su Wei's lips curled up slightly.

He wouldn't bother showing off if it were someone else.

But if it's this girl, teasing her a little won't hurt, and it'll put her mind at ease.

"There wasn't anything fancy to eat."

Su Wei adjusted to a more comfortable sitting position, speaking in a lazy tone.

"Three thick slices of bacon, pan-fried over low heat. As the fat melts, the edges curl up and turn crispy and golden brown, releasing that rich, oily aroma..."

"Stop!" Emily's voice trembled slightly.

Su Wei ignored him and continued speaking.

"I used the bacon oil to fry two sunny-side-up eggs. The egg whites were golden brown and crispy, while the yolks were still runny. When you poked one, the golden egg yolk flowed out, and you dipped it into a piece of crispy whole-wheat bread..."

"Soviet Union!!"

Su Wei delivered the final blow.

"Finally, a large glass of steaming hot whole milk, one sip and the warmth goes straight to your heels."

Gurgle.

The sound of swallowing was so clear, it was as if it were ringing right next to Su Wei's ears.

On this cold, powerless morning, when all you can do is eat cold, hard compressed biscuits, this description is like a nuclear-level psychological blow.

"Are you the devil?"

Emily's voice was trembling.

"Aren't you $160,000 in debt? No poor person eats better than a middle-class person!"

Is there a conflict between being in debt and enjoying good food and drink?

Su Wei asked in return, as was his natural response.

"Who says that being in debt means you have to eat coarse food? I not only have steak, but my refrigerator is also full of a huge pile of beef and mutton, as well as enough vegetables and eggs to last me a month."

"Oh, right. Actually, there's pork too."

Even from dozens of kilometers away, Su Wei could picture Emily's expression right now.

She was probably wrapped in a blanket, looking incredulous, with a hint of hurt and jealousy after her defenses crumbled.

"All right."

Several seconds later, Emily finally let out a long breath, her previous anxiety dissipating considerably.

"Looks like I have to take back what I just said. If you really died inside, it wasn't from freezing, it was from overeating."

"Thank you for your kind words."

Su Wei laughed out loud, and the cotton candy in his hand wagged its tail as well.

"So, put your mind at ease. As long as this snow doesn't continue into next year, I'll be living better than 90 percent of the people in town."

I hate you, I really do.

Emily gritted her teeth.

"Once the road is open, I'm going to your house for that stewed beef thing. I want two bowls! No, three bowls!"

"Okay, all you can eat." Su Wei agreed readily.

"Let's get down to business."

After the joke, Su Wei's smile faded. "You mean the town has started clearing the roads?"

"right."

A noisy broadcast came from Emily's end, seemingly an emergency announcement.

"The city hall issued a notice, and several snowplows are already working on the main roads. But you know how slow they are, plus the snowstorm hasn't stopped, they just finished clearing it and then covered it up again."

"How long will it take?"

Su Wei asked the most crucial question.

"In previous years, it would have taken only three days to get through."

Emily paused, her tone turning serious. "But this time is different. That cyclone is still lingering, and the weather forecast says there will be heavy snowfall in the next 48 hours. Knowing those workers' habits, as long as the snow doesn't stop, they'll stop work under the pretext of safety."

"so?"

"It will take at least a week."

Emily gave a pessimistic figure.

"It could take even longer. That's an optimistic scenario; what if the equipment breaks down or the workers go on strike..."

That means indefinite.

Suwei stopped stroking the fox's fingers and gently tapped them on his knee.

A week.

This was about the same timeframe he had predicted, or even worse.

This means that for the next week, or even two weeks, this cabin will be completely isolated from the outside world.

There were no supplies available and no possibility of rescue.

He could only rely on what was already in the house and on himself.

"I see."

Suwei watched the charcoal in the fireplace gradually turn red, his eyes calm.

"One week it is fine, it's a good time to give myself a break. It's nice not to have to face that bald, grumpy face of the bank manager."

"You have a really good attitude."

Emily sighed.

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. My phone only has 15% battery left, and there's nowhere to charge it. Since you're not going to die, just stay put and don't wander around. Especially don't go onto the lake; the ice is very unstable in this weather."

"Don't worry, I'm most afraid of dying."

"I'm hanging up now. I'll let you know as soon as the road is clear."

beep--

The phone hangs up.

The house fell silent again, with only the crackling of the burning firewood and the howling of the wind and snow hitting the windows outside.

Su Wei casually tossed his phone onto the sofa cushions, and the screen went black.

The relaxed and teasing expression on his face also disappeared.

Those words just now.

It was just to avoid worrying my friends, and also to maintain a pitiful sense of dignity as an adult.

But in reality, it's far from as easy as people say.

There is enough food for the time being.

But it's far from enough to last a week.

It should be noted that this was the first time he had come down from the mountain to enter the town to make purchases.

I only bought food for a few days.

He had originally planned to go shopping again today.

But no one expected the changes to happen so quickly.

In addition to these, there is energy.

Suwei looked past the warm fireplace toward the dimly lit garage outside the window.

Diesel generators are not perpetual motion machines.

Without oil, the heating and lights in the house will all go out within a day or two.

He will completely return to the most primitive way of life.

Lighting comes from fire, water comes from manually collecting snow, and warmth comes from the fireplace...

Everything will become relatively complicated.

It's fine in the short term, but in the long term...

For a modern person, life without electricity would be incredibly inconvenient.

In particular, his phone would often run out of battery.

That was when we completely lost real connection with the outside world.

So, next...

Suwei needs to seriously plan his life under the blizzard.