I am a local in North America

Chapter 16 Lynx
Fry fish roe, fish liver, and fish maw with deer fat.

The food emitted an irresistible aroma in the pot, sizzling as Su Jerry stirred it with his homemade wooden spatula.

He had used up some food in the past few days, but replenished it with today's fishing. The total amount of food he had stored had not decreased but increased, which made him feel very at ease and confident in facing the challenges ahead.

While luck certainly played a part in catching so many fish, Su Jierui's patience and perseverance were also indispensable.

The wind was strong on the lake, and the weather had been so cold lately. Fishing in the ice cave for three or four hours during the day was not only a boring and lonely experience, but also a torturous one. Spending too much time outdoors watching the snow could even lead to snow blindness.

He has to stand up and move around from time to time to allow the heat to circulate to his limbs through the blood and make him feel a little warm. During this time, he also needs to pay attention to his physical condition to prevent frostbite on his fingers or toes and other key parts.

He dried and preserved the fur of the reindeer, gray squirrels, and snowshoe hares he had hunted before, and it has recently come in very handy, being used to wrap his hands, feet, knees, crotch, and chest for warmth.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to stay on the frozen lake for more than an hour or two before he had to return to the shelter to start a fire and keep warm.

Today he caught another huge cod. He cut off about half a pound of liver and more than half a pound of roe to celebrate the harvest and have a good meal.

The deer fat in the pot had already fried the fish roe and fish liver until they were golden brown and slightly charred, with tiny oil bubbles rising around the edges.

Sprinkling a pinch of dried wild onion and precious fine salt instantly brings out a complex aroma. He carefully picked up a piece of fish roe with his homemade wooden chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

The firm roe grains melted in his mouth, bursting with rich, fresh flavor as he chewed, as if the essence of the entire cod was concentrated in it.

This made Su Jierui close his eyes in satisfaction, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "It tastes amazing!"

He shared with the camera:
"The texture and freshness of this fish roe are definitely in my top three 'wilderness food list'."

"The only thing that can surpass it is probably that plump beggar's chicken from a while ago. Unfortunately, the grouse here are too rare and difficult to catch."

"With such a high daily calorie expenditure, it's rare to taste such nutritious food. I need to chew slowly and carefully to increase the efficiency of my intestines in absorbing it and keep more nutrients in my body."

"Now let's try the cod liver... Hmm, it's a little oily. Many fish livers contain large amounts of vitamin A and vitamin D, especially vitamin A. Excessive intake can easily lead to poisoning, so I'll only eat about 100 grams tonight and use the rest for tomorrow's breakfast."

"Rice has always been the staple food in my family, and I've been missing it a bit since I've had high-carb rice for so long. I plan to find something to do over the next couple of days and try making my own pancakes..."

He felt like he was having an action camera as a friend, chatting with it while he ate.

after awhile.

Having just finished eating and drinking, and lying down to rest for a short while, Su Jerry heard a rough bird call coming from outside the door: "Clay! Clay! Clay!"

This is the sound of a snowy owl. Its call is not as clear as that of a small bird; it is more like a combination of a dog's bark and a frog's croak. It is hoarse and powerful, a series of calls, evenly spaced, with a sound every two or three seconds.

Hearing this, Su Jierui smiled, immediately stood up and sat up, turned on the action camera again, and filmed through the crack in the door, saying:
"Ever since I fed it last time, this snowy owl has been frequently flying to my camp. It must have its eye on the rabbit I'm raising."

"The fish entrails that I originally placed on the woodpile were bait I prepared to use to attract carnivorous and ferocious fish. Now it has stolen them, but it doesn't matter, I have other bait in reserve."

"Look, its expression is so funny. It looks a bit adorably dazed. It even dozed off halfway through its meal. Perhaps because it doesn't have many natural predators in the wild and rarely interacts with humans, this snowy owl seems to lack wariness towards me..."

When you've been lonely for too long, even the smallest pleasures are magnified.

Afraid of scaring the snowy owl away, Su Jierui hid behind the door and carefully observed it. Only after the owl finished eating the fish's innards and flew back to the rabbit hutch to look for a new opportunity to attack did he hurriedly go out to shoo it away, fearing that his pet rabbit would be snatched away. The night was long.

Before going to bed, I checked the remaining supplies. The soap was so thin that it would break in two with the slightest force, and only about a quarter of the pound of fine salt provided by the production team remained.

In addition, there is a book that has been read several times, "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry," which was last year's best-selling phenomenal new book. Before coming to participate in the program, Su Jierui casually bought this book at the airport and occasionally used it to pass the time.

Books were not included in the 10 items selected before the competition, and neither was the family photo.

Before going to sleep, I looked at the photos. My parents, sisters, grandparents, and maternal grandparents were all in them. The photos were taken during the Spring Festival in 2012. My brother-in-law and nephew were not yet born at that time.

Thinking that the next holiday would be a time for family reunion, it seemed like they should take a new family photo. Su Jierui crawled into his sleeping bag and lay down for a short while before quickly falling into a drowsy sleep.

early morning.

He vaguely heard some strange noises, but he was too sleepy and quickly fell asleep again, dreaming of a table full of delicious food.

Just as Su Jierui was about to stretch after a good night's sleep, he opened his eyes and was startled by the scene before him!
Right outside, separated only by a wall, there was a message displaying "[Canadian Lynx]", so close it felt like it was sleeping right next to him.

The Canadian lynx guarding outside remained motionless, but Su Jerry didn't think it was asleep. Suddenly realizing something, the hairs on his arms and back stood on end!
If I'm not mistaken.

He figured this Canadian lynx, which had appeared out of nowhere, must be incredibly audacious and planning a sneak attack, targeting him as its prey.

If you hadn't been able to spot the Canadian lynx beforehand and opened the door or went outside without warning, you might have been bitten in the neck, eyes, or other vulnerable areas.

Thinking of this, Su Jierui tensed up, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he realized that danger was indeed everywhere in the wilderness.

The Canadian lynx is jokingly called a "wolf-slaying machine." Despite weighing only 20 to 30 pounds, this feline is exceptionally fierce, cunning, and cautious.

According to information that Su Jierui had gathered beforehand, adult male lynxes will even periodically and deliberately kill some pregnant female wolves and wolf cubs to suppress the growth of the wolf pack in their territory and provide themselves with a good environment to raise their offspring.

The past few days had been so cold, with strong winds and blizzards, that this male lynx was probably hungry, which is why it traveled such a long distance and unexpectedly stumbled into Sujere's camp. He had never encountered a Canada lynx in the vicinity before.

Worried that the bowstring might freeze, Su Jerry keeps his bow and arrows in the shelter every night, along with a dagger and an axe for self-defense.

At this moment, he carefully unzipped his sleeping bag and picked up an axe just in case.

The Canadian lynx has exceptionally keen hearing. Presumably sensing the noise coming from inside the house, it nimbly climbed onto the roof of the shelter by stepping on the pile of firewood outside and quietly stood guard above the only doorway.

It's probably like hunting rabbits or red foxes, waiting for the prey to come out of the burrow.

If it were any other contestant, they might have been caught off guard and suddenly attacked by a lynx.

Fortunately, Su Jerry was different. He discovered its tracks in advance, got up, prepared his bow and arrows, and then just watched quietly.

The Canadian lynx was crouching on his roof, and could easily be attacked if Su Jerry opened the door.

(End of this chapter)