King of the Wilderness

Ryan stepped forward, looked at the game, and then glanced around the environment, jokingly saying, ”Barton, your hunting process is legal, right? I don’t want to see my neighbor getting fined.”

Barton laughed and said, ”Don’t worry, Ryan! We respect the law more than anyone! All the shots were within the rules!”

Ryan then introduced the new neighbor to Lin Yu’an, ”Lin, this is Big Bear Eric, our town’s electrician and plumber, who recently returned to Wiseman from home. If your pipes burst or generator breaks, just call him.”

”Hello, Lin.” Eric’s voice was as deep as a bear’s, extending his massive hand for a firm handshake with Lin Yu’an.

A riverside slaughter operation, involving the core members of the entire community, officially began!

With enough manpower, the butchering work became efficient and orderly.

Under the guidance of Barton and Stan, the other four giant beasts were skinned and butchered one by one, turning into standard cuts of meat.

Once all the meat was packed into bags, it was time for the critical transport stage.

Barton, as the overall commander, looked at the fleet formed by the seven boats and the heaps of meat, starting to issue the most reasonable tactical arrangements.

”George! Your boat is the largest and most stable; you’re responsible for carrying all the deer heads and hides!”

He pointed to the heads with huge antlers, ”These take up the most space and are the most irregular. Your boat’s high sides make it difficult to tip over. Stan will go with you on the boat to help organize.”

”Hank, Cody, Barton, and Eric, your four boats are the main meat transport boats!”

”Each of our boats will carry the meat of two butchered moose, this distribution keeps the weight just within the safe load range!”

”Finally, Lin!”

Barton’s gaze fell on Lin Yu’an and the 14-foot small boat with Little Eagle, ”You and Little Eagle are responsible for transporting all the tenderloin, loin meats, and the leftover heart and liver from last night’s roast.”

Everyone immediately sprang into action. They worked together to carry the heavy moose meatbags to the designated boats, and soon, all six boats were so laden that they sat deep in the water.

Once everything was ready, a fleet consisting of six boats officially embarked on the return journey!

Lin Yu’an’s leading boat forged ahead, cutting through the waves.

Behind it, the six heavily-loaded boats formed a line, leaving a wide and spectacular wake on the river.

Upon their grand arrival at the riverside near Wiseman, residents who had already received the news were waiting by the shore with hot coffee and food.

On the afternoon riverbank, a larger harvest celebration, involving the entire core community members, unfolded.

The men once again demonstrated astounding cooperation as they cleared a vast flat area by the riverbank and laid down clean, waterproof tarps.

Then they carried the bags of meat, each weighing dozens of kilograms, from the boats to the shore, sorting and piling them according to different cuts.

Soon, the riverbank was home to several ”meat mountains” composed of moose meat, a truly spectacular sight!

What followed was not a random allocation but an extremely solemn and fair meat distribution ceremony under the supervision of law and tradition.

Barton and Stan stood in front of the meat mountains, with Barton holding a thick notebook that clearly recorded the belongings for each hunting tag.

”Alright, folks! Quiet down!” Barton’s voice was loud and powerful.

The noisy riverbank instantly quieted down, and all eyes were on him.

Barton loudly announced, ”According to Alaska’s laws and our Wiseman rules, we have hunted a total of eight moose today. I will now call out names, and the lawful owner of each tag, please come forward to claim your game!”

”The first tag, Herman Lin!” This bull moose is entirely yours, it is your non-resident tag quota.

”The second tag, Stan!” Stan also stepped forward to claim his moose.

”The third tag, George!” Barton continued.

Old George walked up with a smile, loading the complete butchered moose meat onto his pickup with the help of everyone.

Next, Barton called out the names of all the authorized individuals in succession. When one’s name was called, either the elderly or family representatives would step forward with neighbors’ help to claim the bountiful meat ensuring their survival through winter.

When all eight moose were distributed according to legal provisions, the true demonstration of community spirit was just beginning.

Old George, who had been allocated a whole moose, was the first to step forth.

He brought the two front legs and a large portion of neck meat from his moose back to the central oilcloth on the riverbank, loudly declaring, ”Alright! This old guy can’t eat all this! These, put them into our community pool!”

Following him, Old Mrs. Martha had her grandson contribute half of her moose’s ribs and all the trim meat.

Then Lin Yu’an and other families who received a whole moose, on a voluntary basis, brought out what they couldn’t eat themselves.

Soon, another small meat mountain formed in the middle of the riverbank.

Barton gazed at this sight, a radiant smile on his face, ”Alright! Folks! What remains now belongs to our entire Wiseman community!”

”Every family here today can come up and claim a portion of moose meat that belongs to you! This is our shared wealth, the bounty this land provides for all of us!”

”Oh—!!!”

The crowd erupted with cheers even more enthusiastic than before!

Lin Yu’an watched this scene filled with order, law, human kindness, and the spirit of sharing, deeply moved within.

This was entirely different from the survival of the fittest rule of the wilderness he had imagined.

Here, the law protected individual lawful rights, while the community’s tradition and humanity ensured no one would be left behind.

This was the true reason this small Northern Territory community could survive and perpetuate itself stubbornly on this harsh land.

By the time all the meat was distributed, it was already late at night.

On the riverbank, only a few core families were left, sitting around the bonfire, sharing the joy of victory.

Lin Yu’an said to the young boy beside him, Little Eagle, ”Little Eagle, you did well today. You contributed half of your catch, like a real man! Next summer, I’ll take you to China to see the real Great Wall of China.”

In Little Eagle’s eyes, an incredibly brilliant light immediately ignited.

Once all the meat was distributed, the noisy riverbank gradually quieted down. Everyone bid each other farewell, satisfied, and carried their share of moose meat back to their own homes.

Lin Yu’an returned to the warm log cabin, and the first thing he did was check on the two children who had long been asleep in the nursery.

After confirming they were all right, he then walked back to the living room to transport the freshly-cut moose meat to the large freezer.

”Hey, darling.” Aliya’s voice was gentle, but very clear.

Lin Yu’an paused his work and turned to look at her.

Aliya’s gaze swept over the heap of meat and then slowly spoke, ”Did you send some to Emily?”

”Well...” Lin Yu’an was momentarily stunned.

Aliya walked over to the tenderest moose sirloin, cut off a large piece, weighing at least a dozen pounds, and then selected a few prime ribs, carefully wrapping them in clean oilcloth.

She handed the hefty package of meat to Lin Yu’an.

”You go, and deliver it to Emily now.”

”Now?” Lin Yu’an glanced at the sky, which was beginning to darken.

”Yes, right now. Tell her that this is from me. Just say, at our dining table, no family member should be left out.”

Seeing the unwavering determination in his wife’s eyes, Lin Yu’an finally nodded, ”Alright, I’ll go right away.”

He started his Zongshen Tricycle and drove towards Emily’s clinic.

When he arrived at Emily’s cabin, he found the lights still on.

Emily opened the door, and when she saw the hefty, blood-stained package of meat in Lin Yu’an’s hand, a flash of fear crossed her face! She remembered that night...

”Lin? This is...”

”This is the moose I caught today. Aliya asked me to bring some for you.”

Lin Yu’an handed the package to her and repeated Aliya’s words, ”She said, at our dining table, no family member should be left out.”

”Family member...”

Hearing it was moose meat, Emily breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Lin Yu’an, and thinking about the family member he just mentioned, a warm feeling surged in her heart.

Before Lin Yu’an could react, Emily suddenly stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently planted a kiss on his cheek with her soft lips.

”Thank her for me...” Emily’s voice was also touched.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, then extended an invitation to Lin Yu’an.

”Lin, could you and Aliya come over to my cabin for dinner?”

Lin Yu’an nodded, ”Sure, we’ll be there.”

When Lin Yu’an returned to his own log cabin and told Aliya about Emily’s invitation, Aliya beamed a bright smile.

Lin Yu’an drove their Ford Explorer, and along with Aliya and the two well-wrapped little ones, they headed to Emily’s home.

In Emily’s cabin, a warm fire was already lit, and the table was set with exquisite tableware.

As soon as Aliya entered, she naturally walked into the kitchen and said to Emily, who was busy, ”Let me help you.”

”Oh, no need, you’re guests...”

”There are no guests among family,” Aliya smiled, skillfully tying on an apron.

Thus, a wonderful scene unfolded in the kitchen.

Two equally beautiful and capable women, one with a fuller figure, the other slim, one adept and the other slightly clumsy, yet cooperating seamlessly as they prepared dinner together.

They cooked while chatting softly, talking about cooking techniques and town gossip.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu’an was completely relegated from the kitchen, having to take on parenting duties instead.

He spread a thick carpet on the living room floor, placing Ethan and Olivia on it.

The two little ones had already learned to roll over and crawl, eagerly exploring this new environment.

Lin Yu’an knelt on the carpet, sometimes teasing his son with a rattle, and other times pulling his daughter back as she tried to crawl toward the fireplace.

The cold and serious look he had while hunting was replaced with utmost tenderness, and a smile full of fatherly love.

The warm fire, the aroma of food, the women’s gentle laughter, and the children’s babbling...

All these elements intertwine to create a lively and harmonious picture filled with a sense of life.

Lin Yu’an looked at this scene before him, and it seemed like the persistent feeling of unrealness from his rebirth began to melt away with the warmth of ordinary life.

Perhaps, this form of family... is quite nice.

————

(There are three more chapters in the afternoon! Requesting votes for next month)