American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

The atmosphere seemed to become strange after Suwei said those words.

The campfire burst into a string of sparks, making a soft crackling sound.

Emily's cheeks were an unnaturally red in the firelight.

She instinctively gripped the large dress she was wearing, her fingertips going numb from the force.

Her heartbeat roared in her ears, momentarily drowning out the sound of the wind.

There was only one tent.

A few seconds later, Emily took a deep breath, looked up to meet Sue's gaze, and tried to make her voice sound normal.

"It's alright, this is a special situation." She gathered her thoughts. "In the wild, survival comes first. An Alaskan understands this even better."

Su Wei looked at her, not missing the subtle tension in her eyes.

He nodded, but did not delve further into the matter.

He turned around and rummaged through the supplies on the sled to find a thick blanket, which was his spare; it was dry and clean.

"It'll get colder tonight, and with your injured ankle, your blood circulation is poor, so you'll feel colder more easily." He handed you a blanket. "Put this over your legs."

Emily took it; the blanket still had a dry, soapy scent and was very clean.

She obediently covered her legs with the blanket; the thick fabric kept out the cold, and a warmth came from her legs, making her tense body relax a bit.

Suwei didn't sit idle; he picked up the small frying pan he had used before and scrubbed it clean in the snow.

Then, he walked to a nearby spruce tree and dug out a waterproof bag from a snowdrift that he had marked.

The bag contained a handful of frozen, dark purple berries.

"This is..." Emily looked on curiously.

"Highbush blueberries, and some blueberries," Suwei explained. "These were collected earlier, so they'll help us get some vitamins."

He added some snow to the pot, put it on the fire to boil, and then threw in the frozen berries.

Soon, the water in the pot boiled again, with snow-white steam billowing out. The berries slowly melted and unfurled in the hot water, and the deep purple juice turned the pot of snow water a deep red.

A sweet and sour aroma with a refreshing fragrance permeated the cold air.

Suwei stirred the berries with a spoon to make sure they were completely cooked before taking the pot off the stove and pouring a cup into the lid of a thermos.

Then he filled the thermos cup again.

"Have some to drink, it'll warm you up." He handed Emily the thermos.

The piping hot berry soup dispelled the chill from my body.

The sweet and sour liquid slid down my throat, carrying a hint of wild fruity aroma, which diluted the greasiness of the venison steak and made my stomach feel comfortable.

Emily held the warm plate and sipped her drink slowly, feeling her body and mind gradually recovering from the previous fatigue and shock.

She looked at the man in front of her.

He handled things in an orderly manner and with exceptional composure.

From hunting and repairing machinery to everyday tasks like cooking, everything exudes familiarity and professionalism.

This ability cannot be developed overnight.

What exactly did he go through in the past few months?

After finishing the soup, Su Wei packed up her things.

"Get some rest," he said. "We have to leave at daybreak tomorrow."

Emily nodded.

Su Wei entered the tent first and laid out a moisture-proof mat and the only sleeping bag inside.

He placed the sleeping bag on the right and piled the backpack and some supplies in the corner.

The tent was far too small.

Then he stepped back and said to Emily, "You go in first, it's at the very back."

Emily didn't hesitate any longer. She took Suwei's arm and hopped into the tent on one foot.

It was much warmer inside than outside, and the small space was filled with the smell of Soviets.

She handed the blanket, which she had just warmed up, to Suwei.

Suwei took the blanket, which still retained her body heat, and placed it next to the sleeping bag.

She lay down in the sleeping bag, zipped it up, leaving only her head sticking out.

Then, Suwei crawled in and lay down next to her.

He wrapped the blanket around himself completely.

He zipped up the tent, shutting out the cold air and firelight from outside.

The only light source was a dim camping lamp on the top of the tent.

Darkness and confinement amplify all the senses.

Emily could clearly hear the breathing around her, steady and strong.

She could even feel the heat emanating from his body, transmitted through the two sleeping bags.

Her body tensed up once again.

"Don't be nervous," Su Wei's voice rang out in the darkness, calm and collected. "I won't do anything to you."

"I...I'm not nervous," Emily retorted softly, but her voice lacked confidence.

Suwei didn't speak again, and the tent fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Su Wei spoke again.

"We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning. We'll go back to my cabin first, which will take about five hours." He stated the plan as if he were explaining something. "Your foot injury needs treatment; I have a more professional first-aid kit. Once your condition stabilizes, I'll try to take you to the clinic in town by snowmobile."

"Okay," Emily replied.

"Your research..." Suwei asked, "Should we continue?"

Emily became more talkative when the topic turned to her work.

"This was supposed to be the last data collection session," she sighed. "But the snowmobile went out of control, and the SLR camera and a lot of equipment were destroyed, though the observation log was saved. The project will probably have to be put on hold when we get back."

"What a pity," Su Wei commented simply.

"And you?" Emily turned her head, looking at his profile in the dim light. "You really... became a hunter?"

"To pay off debts," Su Wei replied directly.

"Sixteen thousand US dollars...what else do you want?"

"I've paid back some," Su Wei said, without giving a specific figure, "soon."

Emily fell silent.

She couldn't imagine just how heavy that pressure was.

From childhood to adulthood, all her burdens were borne by her father.

Strictly speaking, she doesn't even look very much like an American.

They didn't have to bear the burden of high student loans, car loans, and various other loans.

She is lucky to have a family that loves her very much.

"Suwei, do you remember?" she suddenly asked, her voice much lower. "When you were little, there was that old oak tree in our backyard. You climbed up to steal birds' nests, but you couldn't get down. In the end, my dad had to bring a ladder to save you."

Suwei's body seemed to move slightly.

"You even whistled at the nest of baby birds, saying you'd teach them to sing," Emily said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I was foolish back then." Su Wei's voice softened a bit.

"Another time, we were catching crayfish by the stream, and you got your hand pinched. You cried so loudly that you attracted my dog."

"I didn't cry," Su Wei immediately retorted.

"You cried, I saw it," Emily insisted. "Your eyes were full of tears."

Suwei did not argue further, and in the darkness, a very soft laugh seemed to come.

The two chatted back and forth, reminiscing about many things from their childhood.

Chasing fireflies together on summer evenings, having snowball fights in the winter snow, and sharing a not-so-delicious pizza.

Back then, Su Wei was shy, even somewhat timid, and would only hide behind her when bullied.

He was a completely different man from the one who could hunt black-tailed deer in a blizzard and calmly treat his wounds.

What exactly has time done to him?

"Emily," Su Wei suddenly called her name.

"Um?"

"Go to sleep," he said. "There's a long road ahead tomorrow."

"it is good."

Emily closed her eyes, but the past and reality intertwined, making it difficult for her to fall asleep.

She could feel that Suwei's breathing had become long and even, as if he had fallen asleep.

But was he really asleep?

In this perilous wilderness, sleeping beside me is a childhood sweetheart who is both familiar and unfamiliar.

Emily opened her eyes and stared at the top of the tent.

I don't know how much time passed, but drowsiness finally overcame my chaotic thoughts.

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and her consciousness gradually faded.

Before she fell completely asleep, she seemed to hear a very soft sigh beside her.

Then, the whole world went silent.