King of the Wilderness

”No problem!”

An hour and a half later, the two reunited at the airport.

Hank’s cart was piled high like a small mountain, with dozens of boxes of beer, two large bags of vacuum-packed beef patties and sausages, and other party snacks, as well as items entrusted to him by other neighbors.

”Looks like it’s going to be quite the party tonight.” Lin Yu’an said with a laugh as he looked at the mountain of beers.

”Haha, dealing with George’s party, you’d better be ready to drink!” Hank said as he and Lin Yu’an worked together to load everything into the cabin of the Cessna 206.

The plane took off again, first landing in Wiseman to unload the party supplies.

”Lin, come early tonight! George’s roast lamb waits for no one!” Stan shouted loudly from below.

Back at the cabin, Lin Yu’an first took a refreshing bath in the river, washing away all the dust and fatigue.

Then he started installing the Starlink.

The process was much simpler than he thought. He installed the ”lid” antenna on the rooftop, facing the northern sky with an open view.

Then he threaded the cable through a reserved hole into the interior, connecting it to the router.

After connecting the power, he opened the Starlink app on his phone, and the motor inside the antenna made a slight turning noise as it began to automatically calibrate, searching for Starlink satellites passing in the sky.

In less than five minutes, the app showed that it was connected.

Lin Yu’an opened his laptop and did a speed test; the download speed was stable at 158Mbps, and the upload speed reached 17Mbps!

These numbers gave Lin Yu’an a long sigh of relief; the network, the lifeline of modern society, had finally been connected to his isolated wilderness home.

He immediately sent all the video material shot over the past few days to the post-production team via high-speed internet.

While waiting for them to sift through the content, he also sent his more personal and lively materials to his domestic partner Old Mao.

After finishing everything, he checked the time, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to attend the welcome party held for him, which was also a celebration for George’s dream come true.

That evening, a long-lost bonfire was lit in front of Old George’s cabin.

Everyone from Wiseman who was available had been invited over, and everyone brought either food or gifts.

The gathering of over thirty people instantly transformed this tranquil woodland into a lively scene, with everyone basking in a festive atmosphere.

The party’s main attraction was naturally the hard-won Dall sheep.

Old George, usually a taciturn craftsman, transformed into a passionate chef at this moment.

He personally wielded the knife, carving out the tenderloin and hind leg meat from the sheep, dodging sinews with each cut and keeping the meat fibers intact.

He first processed most of the lamb using the locals’ most familiar method, seasoning it simply with rosemary, freshly ground black pepper, and coarse sea salt, and then directly grilled it over the bonfire.

The fat dripped onto the sizzling embers, making a ”sizzle” sound, and the rich aroma of the meat mixed with the smoky scent of the wood filled the cold air, enough to whet anyone’s appetite.

In a busy moment, Old George suddenly found Lin Yu’an, who was helping distribute beer.

”Hey, Lin.” Old George nudged him with his elbow.

”Remember when we were hunting, you gave us hot boiled lamb with that dip from China? Do you still have any?”

Lin Yu’an immediately recalled it, the ’Prairie Red Sun’ barbecue dip he had brought.

”Of course, George, I thought of you loving it and brought some specially, planning to give it to you after the party.”

”Great!” Old George’s face lit up with childlike excitement.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu’an smiled confidently. He knew this was an excellent opportunity to showcase his cultural background to the community in a different way.

Lin Yu’an volunteered, ”George, if you trust me, why not let me handle the rest of the meat?”

”Oh? Certainly!” Old George quickly became interested; he had tasted Lin Yu’an’s cooking before.

”I want these guys to try that magical Chinese dip! The kitchen is yours today!”

Lin Yu’an said no more, he first washed his hands carefully, then took out a cleaver from his toolkit in his car.

What he faced was the lamb’s hind leg and some streaky lamb belly.

With a flick of his wrist, the cleaver came alive in his hand, sliding precisely along the gaps between bones and sinews, with each slice separating a large piece of full-fat, streaky lamb with ease.

This beautiful knife work immediately left the group of rugged Alaskan men, accustomed to roughly cutting meat with hunting knives, dumbfounded.

”Good heavens, Lin... were you a surgeon?” Cody couldn’t help but exclaim.

Lin Yu’an smiled and said nothing, continuing his work.

He didn’t cut the meat into ultra-thin slices for quick cooking, instead he cut them into appropriately sized strips, about half a centimeter thick, ensuring quick cooking while retaining an excellent chewiness.

Then he set Old George’s iron pot on the bonfire, added water, and threw in a few ginger slices.

While waiting for the water to boil, he poured several packets of ’Prairie Red Sun’ dip into small dishes handed out to everyone, its unique aroma instantly permeating the air.

The water quickly reached a rolling boil.

Lin Yu’an didn’t let everyone do it themselves, instead he took on the role of head chef.

Using a huge slotted spoon, he scooped up a generous amount of sliced lamb and submerged it into the boiling pot.

”Whoosh—”

As the meat strips hit the water, the pot boiled even more furiously.

Within seconds, the meat turned from bright red to pale gray, and he immediately shouted, ”Done!”

With a flick of his wrist, he used the slotted spoon to serve steaming lamb, still dripping with broth, into the bowls of Stan, George, and others closest to him.

”Dip it in the sauce and eat while hot!” Lin Yu’an instructed.

Stan was the first to be unable to resist. He remembered this taste, skewered a piece of lamb with his fork, gave it a dip, blew on it twice, and couldn’t wait to taste it.

In the next instant, a familiar, indescribable deliciousness spread through his mouth!

”Oh my God! It’s just this flavor!” Stan shouted indistinctly.

Then he pushed his bowl forward again: ”Lin! More!”

With Stan’s demonstration, everyone was excited, extending their bowls or plates eagerly.

”Lin! Over here! Give me some!”

”Me too! My goodness, this is so tasty!”

Lin Yu’an stood by the big pot, becoming the focal point of the party.

He kept serving spoonfuls of just-cooked lamb to enthusiastic neighbors, and the area around the bonfire was filled with a chorus of praise and satisfied chewing.

”It’s amazing! It’s just boiled in water, how is it more fragrant than baking?”

”Lin! Can this sauce be bought in Fairbanks? It’s incredible!”

”I never want to eat any damned barbecue sauce again! This is how meat should taste!”

”Lin! Do you have more of this? Sell me a few packets!”

They never imagined that lamb could be enjoyed this way, and Lin Yu’an with his Chinese dip had completely captivated this group of Alaskans’ taste buds.

The large plate of meticulously sliced lamb strips prepared by Lin Yu’an was devoured at an astonishing speed.

Half an hour later, as Old George distributed the first batch of roast lamb to everyone, Lin Yu’an was surrounded by the crowd by the bonfire, and he had become one of the central figures of the party.

Stan was passionately retelling the thrilling night they spent facing off against a wolf pack in a cave, painting Lin Yu’an’s calm and deadly shot as if it were mythology.

Everyone looked at Lin Yu’an with a newfound respect.

In this land that admires strength, nothing gains recognition more than proving one’s courage and ability in the wilderness.

——————

(The next chapter features a female character, and a car, please be advised. If you dislike, you may choose not to subscribe.)