American Farmers: Facing a Cutoff at the Start

Fett opened the back door, picked up the heavy backpack, put it on his back, and adjusted the straps.

Leila also carried her bag and a fishing rod.

"Let's go, we'll get there once we cross this forest."

Leila pointed ahead and took the lead.

It was colder and quieter in the woods than outside.

Beneath our feet was a thick layer of dead leaves, covered with a thin layer of ice, which made a crisp "crunching" sound when stepped on.

Fett followed closely behind Lyra, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Even with a gun in hand and a knife at his waist, it's always wise to remain vigilant in such a primitive environment.

After walking for about ten minutes, the trees ahead gradually thinned out, and the view suddenly opened up.

A wide expanse of water came into view.

This is Horseshoe Bend, which Leila was referring to, a backwater bend in a tributary that connects to the main channel of the Mississippi River.

Affected by the cold wave, a layer of crystal-clear thin ice formed in the shallow waters near the shore, extending several meters into the middle, while the deep waters still shimmered with a dark, gloomy light and emitted wisps of cold air.

The withered water plants shivered in the cold wind, and several unidentified water birds rose and fell on the distant water.

"How about this spot?"

Fett pointed to a flat, sunny, sheltered high ground ahead.

The view here is expansive, overlooking the entire river bend, and it's only a dozen steps from the water's edge, making it an excellent spot for camping.

"OK!"

Leila readily agreed, put her backpack on the ground, untied her fishing gear bag, and started taking things out.

Fett also took off the military green backpack, untied the tarpaulin hanging on the outside, and laid out the tools one by one.

Watching Fett set up his wool blanket, folding saw, bucket of purified water, and several Snickers bars on the floor like a street vendor, Leila couldn't help but laugh, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Fate, that's way too much!"

"We're here for a picnic, not to settle down in the wilderness."

"Besides, I already told you I brought a ton of food, why did you bring so many Snickers bars? Are you worried I'll go hungry?"

"It's always better to be prepared."

Fett chuckled as he tucked the folding saw into his belt. "In case of any unforeseen circumstances, this should last us a while."

Although Leila felt he was making a mountain out of a molehill, she felt a warm glow inside.

"Although I think you're a little too well-prepared."

She took a sandwich wrapped in parchment paper from her bag and handed it to Fett with a smile on her lips:

"But considering how much effort you've put into this camping trip, I won't complain about you."

"Here, it's almost noon, have something to eat first."

"Otherwise, where will you get the strength to work? You're in charge of finding wood to start a fire!"

She clapped her hands and picked up her fishing rod:

"I'm going fishing. You get our campsite ready first!"

Fett joked, "You'd better do your fishing well! If you don't catch any fish, we'll be starving today."

"No problem, leave it to me." Layla gave Fett a confident OK sign, picked up her fishing rod, and walked briskly towards the river.

Fett took the sandwich and took a big bite, watching Leila squat by the river to start preparing.

She skillfully opened the lure box and selected a brightly colored sequined lure.

With the current low temperatures and reduced fish activity, these highly reflective lures with exaggerated swimming movements are more likely to stimulate the fish's aggressive instincts.

She skillfully tied a knot, securing the lure firmly to the main line, and gave it a tug to confirm it was secure.

Then, she stood up, spread her legs, and turned to face the river.

Swing your arms back, engage your core, and flick your wrists forward sharply.

"call out--"

With a sharp whooshing sound, the sequins traced a perfect parabola in the air and landed precisely on the edge of the deep water dozens of meters away, disappearing into the water with a "plop".

Fett sighed in admiration, swallowed the rest of the sandwich in a few bites, dusted the breadcrumbs off his hands, and turned to get back to work.

If you want to spend a comfortable afternoon in this cold wind, setting up a shelter is a must.

Fett drew the heavy camping knife from his waist, grabbed his folding handsaw, and disappeared into the nearby woods.

There were many branches broken by last night's freezing rain in the woods, as well as some dead saplings. Although the surface was covered with a thin layer of ice, the core had long since dried out, making them excellent materials for making supports.

Fett picked a dead, fallen tree about the thickness of a wrist, held the trunk with his left hand, and raised his camping knife high in his right.

"Snap!"

With a crisp crack, the wrist-thick dead tree snapped in two.

With the tremor, the ice shell hanging on the tree trunk shattered instantly, scattering ice shards everywhere, several of which fell into Fett's open collar.

"hiss--"

Fett gasped, grimaced, and pulled the pieces of ice from his neck, then tossed them to the ground.

He stepped on the fallen tree trunk and swung his knife again.

"Click, click."

The heavy, angled blade fell with inertia, quickly shaving away the excess branches and leaves, leaving only the bare trunk.

The blade leaves a smooth, even cut, demonstrating the knife's sharpness and ease of use.

Following the same method, Fett dragged several bare logs, each over two meters long, back to the camp.

Although the place was sheltered from the wind, there was still some wind. Fett determined the wind direction and chose the orientation of the shelter.

He first used the chisel-like tip of his camping knife to dig two shallow holes in the ground.

Next, he picked up two slightly shorter wooden poles, and this time, his newly acquired [Basic Rope Technique] skill came in handy.

Use the double overhand knot you just learned to tightly tie one end of them together, then spread the legs apart and insert them into the pits to form a stable inverted V-shaped support.

Then, place one end of the longest main beam on the intersection of this support, and let the other end land directly on the ground, forming a tilted triangular ridge beam.

After securing it with paracord, he unfolded the thick, waterproof tarpaulin, draped it over the assembled frame, and stretched it taut to both sides.

They then moved stones from the riverbank to weigh down the waterproof cloth.

A classic, windproof and rainproof A-shaped shelter was thus built.

Fett crawled inside and tried it out, then nodded in satisfaction.

Although this simple shelter looks rudimentary, it is sheltered from the wind, effectively blocking the cold wind and reflecting the heat of the campfire, making it a natural greenhouse.

He glanced at the camping knife in his hand.

I just chopped down trees and dug in the soil, and the blade is still as sharp as ever, without even a nick.

The heavy blade has plenty of inertia when slashing, saving a lot of effort.

The angled blade tip is especially effective at digging.

"It's a good knife."

Fett tucked the knife back into his waistband and glanced at the riverbank.

Lyra was standing on a protruding rock, casting and reeling in her line again and again, her movements persistent and focused.

"Next, we should start a fire."

Fett went back into the woods.