American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

Push open the heavy bulletproof glass door of Wells Fargo Bank.

The smell of banknote ink was overwhelming.

It also feels warmer, with plenty of heating.

Su Wei did not linger in the lobby, but went straight to the counter.

There aren't many people yet, so there's no need to queue.

He pushed a stack of banknotes, still warm from his body, into the slot of the window.

Fourteen thousand US dollars, which is almost the majority of his current liquid assets.

The money barely warmed my hands before it turned into a string of cold numbers on my bankbook.

The teller was an older white woman. She mechanically counted and stamped the items with practiced ease, and finally handed over a thin receipt.

Su Wei glanced at the balance column.

We are still a long way from paying off that huge debt.

The increase in savings did not alleviate the pressure much; on the contrary, the decrease in cash made things more urgent.

But he still left behind two thousand US dollars in cash.

In places like Alaska, sometimes Franklin's green portrait is more effective than a bank's credit score, providing a primal sense of security.

In addition, he also needs to keep some cash on hand to buy items he might need.

Stepping out of the bank, a cold wind blew in through his collar, carrying away the indoor heat and clearing Su Wei's muddled mind.

He can't stop yet.

Our next destination is the supermarket.

He remembered his previous promise very clearly: to cook Emily a braised pork dish.

But besides this main dish, Su Wei had another question in his mind that needed to be verified.

Pushing the slightly sluggish shopping cart between the shelves, Su Wei's gaze swept over the beautifully packaged semi-finished products before finally settling on the fresh produce section.

After repairing the Ford engine, I successfully unlocked the mechanical repair skill.

To move the black-tailed deer carcass, a simple sled was made, and the basic woodworking skill was successfully unlocked.

The only thing I do every day is cook, but the cooking-related skills haven't appeared in my life skills list yet.

That's actually incredible.

You know, no matter how you look at it, cooking skills should actually fall under the category of life skills, right?

So why?

Haven't unlocked the cooking skill yet?

Is it simply because the "life module" is such a broad category that it encompasses everything?

Isn't cooking a separate skill?

Su Wei stood in front of the freezer, looking at the reddish-brown meat inside, and gently shook his head.

He disagrees, arguing that the system's judgment logic shouldn't be so crude.

He casually picked up a piece of pork belly with skin and threw it into the car. This was the braised pork he had promised Emily, and it was one of his signature dishes.

Then, he reached for the bright red, firm whole pork tenderloin next to him.

Su Wei's eyes flickered.

Both mechanical repair and basic woodworking skills have one thing in common when unlocked.

That is, the Soviet Union had never done it before; it was going from 0 to 1.

Whether it was making a simple sled or repairing a Ford engine, these were things the Soviets had never done before.

It was an attempt to go from 0 to 1, and it took a lot of effort to achieve this success.

The reason why your cooking skills have been slow to improve is most likely because you've been cooking dishes that are only suitable for your comfort zone.

Pan-fried steak, roasted lamb chops, and fish soup.

These are skills that the original owner or the owner already knew by heart; they belong to muscle memory and can be performed with their eyes closed.

The system is highly likely to determine that this requires no learning and is not challenging.

It also does not fall under the category of activating culinary skills.

To activate the system's judgment mechanism, you need something with a high threshold, or even something that's easy to fail.

More importantly, it was something the Soviets had never tried before.

So he decided to make a dish he had never made before.

Three words suddenly popped into Su Wei's mind—Guobaorou (sweet and sour pork).

This dish requires precise control of heat, batter application, and oil temperature.

As a Chinese American who grew up in Alaska, I had absolutely never made this authentic Northeastern Chinese dish.

In Chinese restaurants in the United States, this dish is often made into a soft and mushy version of sweet and sour pork.

Although he had eaten it countless times in his previous life, he had never tried it himself.

This is a complete blind spot in skills.

In addition, this dish has a sweet and sour flavor, which is quite in line with American tastes.

If this all succeeds, the system's judgment mechanism will be completely understood.

Su Wei turned and went to the condiment section, focusing intently on finding the condiments she needed.

Potato starch, granulated sugar, Heinz white vinegar, old ginger, fresh cilantro, and carrots.

Everything was carefully selected.

Just to be on the safe side, he even stood in front of the shelf, took out his phone, and managed to buffer a 10-minute instructional video despite the intermittent 3G signal, watching it and comparing all the details.

He put his phone back in his pocket, then grabbed a handful of tender spinach still covered in dirt and a few eggs.

Three dishes and a soup, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, are the best comfort for these past few days of wilderness survival.

……

Downstairs at Emily's apartment building.

The doorway, which was originally blocked by heavy snow, has been cleared by the neighbors to create a narrow path that is only wide enough for one person to pass through.

Su Wei carried two large, heavy bags of ingredients and knocked three times on the slightly chipped wooden door.

"Click".

The lock turned, and the door opened.

Before anyone could see clearly, a white figure darted out.

Cotton Candy excitedly circled around Suwei's trouser leg, its fluffy tail tickling Suwei's calves, and it made eager "whimpering" sounds.

It clearly recognized the long-term meal ticket and smelled the raw meat in the bag.

Emily stood behind the door, leaning against the wall.

She changed into a loose gray cotton loungewear set, her blonde hair casually tied back, and her injured ankle wrapped in a cast.

The paleness on his face caused by pain and anxiety had faded considerably, replaced by a noticeably relaxed look.

"My God, I thought you were eaten as a snack by examiner Blake."

Emily sniffed, her gaze instantly locking onto the shopping bag in Su Wei's hand, and her throat bobbed noticeably.

"The examiner didn't eat me, but I was definitely starving."

Su Wei stepped into the room and skillfully closed the door gently with his heel.

The heating in the room was on full blast, and a wave of heat instantly enveloped my entire body.

The pungent smell of medical disinfectant had faded considerably, replaced by a unique, dull odor.

The smell wasn't unpleasant; instead, it added a touch of life to the lonely little house.

"Blake is indeed a tough character, but he passed the written test."

"I'm going to take the final assessment tomorrow."

Suwei placed the bag on the narrow kitchen counter.

This apartment is only 40 square meters, and the kitchen is basically part of the hallway. It is difficult for two people to even turn around when they stand together.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it."

Emily hopped back onto the old sofa on one foot, clutching a cushion tightly in her arms, resting her chin on it, and watching Su Wei's busy figure.

"Wait, what's this?"

She pointed to the huge piece of pork tenderloin that Suwei had taken out.

"Didn't you say braised pork?"

"Braised pork is a must, but today I want to challenge myself with something a little more difficult."

As Su Wei rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands, he spoke without turning his head, his tone carrying a hint of expectation that only he himself understood.

"You can think of it as me conducting a scientific experiment on taste, or a system vulnerability test."

Emily blinked, completely failing to understand the somewhat childish speech, but that didn't stop her from having high expectations.

Su Wei tapped on her phone screen, replayed the video she had already watched twice, and propped the phone up on the windowsill.

Take a deep breath and begin.

Success or failure depends on this.