King of the Wilderness

”Hey, Lin!”

Bo grinned as he handed a baby over to him: ”Hold your daughter, she must have missed you a lot.”

Lin Yu’an carefully took his daughter Olivia from him. The little one was already over six months old and looked much sturdier than in the videos.

She wore an adorable pink romper and had her mother’s identical pale green eyes, curiously observing the man before her who was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Her small mouth was making ”ya ya” sounds, and she reached out her chubby little hand, wanting to grab his face.

Lin Yu’an then took his son Ethan from Aliya.

Holding a child in each arm, he hugged them tightly, feeling their comforting weight and warm body heat — a sense of unprecedented fulfillment completely filling his heart.

All his previous hardships and battles gained the most tangible meaning at this moment.

After everyone calmed down slightly, Lin Yu’an pointed at the huge F-150 and voiced his confusion: ”Bo, what’s going on here?”

Bo laughed and heavily patted the sturdy car body covered with scratch-resistant coating: ”How’s it, not bad right? I’ve done some upgrades to your car to help it cope better with Alaska’s damn environment.”

As he spoke, he took Lin Yu’an around the car, enthusiastically introducing one feature after another: ”First, the range. I know that here, gas stations are harder to find than moose.”

He patted the side of the car: ”I’ve added a 150-liter auxiliary fuel tank for you, connecting it with the main tank, and it has an independent electronic pump for switching.”

”Now, when this guy is all fueled up, its range on the highway exceeds 1,500 kilometers, enough for you to drive from here to Anchorage and back without needing to look for a gas station.”

”And this.”

He pointed to the roof—an aluminum alloy roof rack, welded with sturdy aluminum pipes: ”The static load reaches half a ton, and I’ve added high-powered LED spotlights and bar lights on all sides.”

Then, he went to the front of the car, pointing to the huge steel bumper: ”The WARN winch was fine, but I’ve upgraded it by replacing it with a stronger synthetic fiber rope that’s lighter, more robust, and doesn’t rust.”

”Even in low temperatures, it won’t turn rigid like steel cables. I’ve also prepared a complete rescue kit for you, including a tree strap, pulley, and soft shackle, all placed in the toolbox at the back.”

Finally, he opened the driver’s side door and pointed at an additional screen on the center console, saying: ”Look here, I’ve equipped you with a professional communication system, integrating a high-powered car radio and an Iridium satellite phone signal amplifier. As long as you’re in this car, you’ll never lose contact with the outside world.”

Range, lighting, rescue, communication... Each modification Bo made struck at the core challenges of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness.

Speaking, he moved to the back of the car, opened the cover of the rear bed, and pulled out a long, exquisite hard gun case.

”And this, Dad asked me to bring it along, your custom weapon. You must have missed it a lot!” Bo handed the gun case to Lin Yu’an.

Lin Yu’an took the gun case. Inside, his brand-new Winchester M70 hunting rifle, with elegant lines and a powerful feel, lay quietly on its velvet padding.

David and Mike carried the camera, recording the whole scene.

Lin Yu’an took Aliya and Bo to tour the home, which was already decorated and ready to move into.

When Aliya saw the home that looked even more magnificent and textured than the design drawings, the shock and happiness in her eyes were beyond words.

She was barefoot, stepping on the warm oak floor, and her fingers gently slid across the wall of the living room made from stacked massive logs, feeling its rugged yet warm touch.

”Lin... Is this... Is this our home?” Her voice carried a hint of excitement.

Her gaze finally settled on the large stone fireplace occupying the core of the living room.

She walked up and reached out to touch the pieces of gneiss that Lin Yu’an personally mined and assembled from the mountains. The stone surface was rough and hard but conveyed an immensely reassuring sense of solidity.

”I’ve seen it in the videos every day, but I never thought it would look like this in person.”

Aliya turned around, looking at Lin Yu’an, a light in her eyes brighter than the flame in the fireplace: ”It’s not just a house, Lin, it’s a fortress with a soul!”

And Bo, their third brother, who was more interested in mechanics and construction, expressed his amazement in his own way.

He didn’t look at the exquisite decorations but directly walked to the enormous crossbeam supporting the second floor, stretched out his fist, and punched it forcefully.

”Bang! Bang!”

The dull and solid sound hinted at its unmatched structural strength.

Bo looked up at the seamlessly fitted joints, sincerely admiring: ”Good job! Lin, your work beats even the finest cabin builders in Montana! If Dad saw this, he’d be proud enough to call everyone in town over to see it!”

Lin Yu’an shrugged with a smile and continued the tour with them.

When Aliya entered the master bedroom prepared for her and Lin Yu’an, seeing the cozy crib prepared long ago and the other rocking chair handmade by Lin Yu’an beside it, she couldn’t hold back and hugged him tightly.

”Darling, it’s a hundred times better than I imagined...”

”Thank you for building such a perfect home for us.”

Lin Yu’an kissed Aliya and said, ”Darling, this is just our first home. There will be a second, a third, and even our own farm in the future!”

Aliya, her eyes full of little stars of anticipation, looked forward to the day they would have their own farm.

They gently placed the two sleepy little ones into the crib.

Ethan and Olivia settled comfortably into this brand-new little bed, almost immediately falling asleep, as if they were naturally meant to be here.

After touring all the rooms, the three of them sat on the cream-colored fabric sofa in front of the fireplace.

Bo pulled out several chilled beers from the cooler, handing one to Lin Yu’an.

Bo clinked his bottle with his, speaking in a more serious tone: ”Alright, Herman, let’s discuss something serious. I’m not just here to bring Aliya; Dad sent me.”

”He wants me to ask about your plans — do you really intend to settle down in Alaska? It’s so far from Montana.”

”Robert initially thought you were just participating in a show, but now it seems you truly intend to settle here.”

”If you’re planning on only staying temporarily, it’s perfectly fine, as the scenery in Alaska is even more stunning than in Montana, but the climate and environment here are harsher!”

”So Lin, I need to hear your thoughts.”

Lin Yu’an was silent. After taking a large gulp of beer, he slowly said, ”Bo, sorry, I can’t answer that question right now. I love the wilderness living, but I also know that the environment here may not be suitable for raising kids.”

”Therefore, while the children are still too young to understand, I intend to live in Alaska. Where we might go in the future, only time will tell.”

Bo took a deep swig of beer: ”Alright, then we can talk about it later, but Robert still hopes you can have your own farm in Montana. If you come back to live in Montana, he can give you a farm.”

”Thank Robert for me. If we do return to Montana, I believe we’ll be capable of buying our own farm by then.”

Bo didn’t say more, just raised his bottle as a gesture and took a deep drink. Lin Yu’an followed suit.

Lin Yu’an got up, ”Alright, everyone, I have some Dall sheep meat here. You have to try it tonight!”

The dinner ended with everyone praising the meal, especially Bo and David, who couldn’t stop complimenting the sauce from China.

The only pity was for Mike. Poor kid turned out to be allergic to sesame and peanuts, so he could only dip in soy sauce, but foreigners truly haven’t tasted good things — even soy sauce tasted like a delicacy to him.

————

(Requesting a monthly ticket, approaching 6000! Please support~)