King of the Wilderness

Day 13

Lin Yu’an was awakened by an extremely faint ”rustling” sound.

As he opened his eyes, the light inside the shelter was dim, with only the charred embers in the fireplace emitting a faint dark red glow.

He stooped to crawl out of the low doorway, only to be greeted by a vast expanse of white outside.

The snow, as expected, had arrived! It’s not heavy, but fine like grains of salt, covering the entire earth.

At the sight of this snow, Lin Yu’an’s expression turned extremely grave.

”Good morning, everyone. Today is the thirteenth day, November 13th.” He breathed out a thick white mist towards the camera.

”It’s snowing. This is not a good sign here, as it means the temperature has stabilized below freezing, and the deterioration of the environment will accelerate significantly. I must immediately check my food sources.”

He did not waste a second. Thanks to last night’s waterproofing work, he no longer needed to worry about the shelter, and his entire attention was now focused on the urgent food issue.

He grabbed an empty backpack and an axe and headed straight for the sea.

The scene on the coast confirmed his worries.

The tide was at its lowest point of the day, and a thin layer of ”ice porridge” was floating on the sea surface, a sign that the seawater was beginning to freeze.

In the tidal flats, some shallow puddles had already formed a layer of transparent thin ice.

”The bay is starting to freeze over.”

As Lin Yu’an carefully walked on the slippery rocks, he explained in a serious tone, ”Right now it’s just some thin edge ice, but it’s a definite warning.”

”In a few days, the ice layer here will become thicker, and my gathering activities will become extremely difficult, possibly even forced to stop.”

He located his usual bed of mussels, which were now closer to the shore, and the ones in the shallowest water areas were already covered by about a centimeter of sea ice.

He used the back of the ice axe to strike the ice surface with a ”bang,” and the ice layer cracked in response. The mussels underneath were exposed, and fortunately, the ice layer was not thick.

But he quickly discovered a more serious problem: the freezing seawater was bone-chilling, and his waterproof gloves made his fingers stiff and numb after just a few seconds of contact with the seawater, severely affecting his gathering efficiency.

He had to frequently pull his hands out and shake them vigorously to restore feeling.

It took him twice as long as usual to barely fill the bag with over ten pounds of mussels.

”The harvesting efficiency has dropped by at least seventy percent.”

”I have to stockpile as many mussels as possible before everything freezes over completely to expand my food storage.”

He transported the mussels back to the camp as food for the next few days and then immediately headed towards the coniferous forest to check his four rabbit lasso traps.

The thin layer of snow served as the most direct information board.

When he reached the location of the first trap, he carefully observed the snowy ground. The trap was intact, but nearby were several clear rabbit footprints.

”It came by but avoided it.”

Lin Yu’an crouched down, pointing at the footprints, and analyzed, ”After the snow, the ground turned pure white, making the dark-colored steel wire lasso stand out against the white background.”

”Moreover, the snow covers the rabbits’ familiar scent paths, making them more cautious and likely to avoid anything abrupt and unfamiliar.”

He checked the remaining three traps, finding the same situation.

”Traditional ground lassos experience a steep drop in efficiency after snow.”

”I need to improve my trap strategy, like looking for paths with dense underbrush that rabbits are bound to pass through. The visual disguise requirements there will be much lower.”

He noted this idea, brushed off the snow from the lasso, and turned towards the lake.

The situation by the lakeside was equally grim; a layer of thin ice had already formed on the water’s edge, only the central area still rippling with dark lake water, where three fishing rods stood unmoved.

”The water temperature is too low, and the fish activity has dropped to freezing point. The chances of catching one are slim unless a school of fish happens to pass by the hooks.”

After a round of inspection, the result was disastrously ”zero catches.”

”Alright, inspection complete, and the results are bad, but the information gained is immense.”

Facing the camera, he summarized in a solemn tone: ”It tells me three things: first, my intertidal zone gathering window is closing in days.”

”Second, my land traps need immediate adjustment and upgrading.”

”Third, obtaining freshwater fish has become increasingly difficult.”

”Therefore, I must complete the shelter construction as soon as possible, and then transfer all efforts to stockpiling the last of the seafood and improving hunting techniques.”

He walked into the warm, dry new home, where the fireplace was still burning, emitting a comforting warmth. This was the only good news today.

”Well then, let’s continue working. There’s no time to waste, I need to lay the first layer of insulation on the roof—moss.”

He picked up a bundle of moss that he had prepared earlier from outside the shelter and began his formal construction work for the day.

In the falling snowflakes, the moss appeared even darker green, exuding a fresh scent of earth mixed with plants.

On the roof, the waterproof tarpaulin was already covered by a thin layer of snowflakes. He first brushed the snow aside with his hand, exposing the tarp surface.

Then he laid a large piece of moss, like a blanket, at the lowest point of the roof, near the rear wall.

”Moss is one of the most perfect insulating materials in nature, especially in such cold, damp environments.”

As he laid it, he explained, ”Its structure is very loose, filled with countless tiny pores.”

”These pores can trap air, and stationary air is a poor conductor of heat. This creates a natural barrier, significantly preventing the heat inside our shelter from escaping outside.”

”In addition, it has a very important characteristic: absorbency.”

”It’s like a giant sponge. Before laying the soil layer, first lay a thick layer of moss. This can help retain moisture, and it can also protect the waterproof tarp underneath from being scratched by rocks or tree roots.”

He laid it down very carefully, aligning and pressing the edges of each piece of moss with the next, ensuring no large gaps were left.

He started from the lower part of the roof, piece by piece, like a jigsaw puzzle, slowly working his way upward.

About an hour later, the entire tarp roof was completely covered with a thick, dark green layer of moss.

From a distance, his little cabin seemed to instantly come to life, donned with a soft, vibrant blanket.

”First layer of insulation, complete. Now we’re moving to the second layer, the most important one — soil.”

He climbed down from the roof and walked over to the pile of clean soil he had specially sorted and stacked when he first dug the pit.

This soil, after days of wind and snow soaking, had become very compact. He needed to use an ice axe to loosen it before loading it into collection bags.

”The principle of soil insulation is different from moss. It doesn’t rely on trapping air but on its own thermal mass.”

”Simply put, it has a high density, high specific heat capacity, and during the day, it absorbs the heat from the stove that penetrates the roof and the warmth from the outside sunlight.”

”At cold nights, it slowly and continuously releases this stored heat, like placing a thick thermal blanket over our shelter.”

He used collection bags, one bag at a time, to start what would be the most strenuous part of his day.

He evenly poured the first bag of soil over the moss layer at the lower part of the roof, then used a pre-prepared wooden board, like a mason smoothing cement, to pat and press the soil firmly.

A layer of logs, a layer of waterproof cloth, a layer of moss, a layer of mixed grassy soil.

A four-layer structure formed an indestructible super roof with top-notch insulation performance.

Starting tonight, he would have a truly warm, dry home that could withstand any storm!

”The roof is completely finished.” He smiled brightly at the camera.

Afternoon had arrived, and the snow was falling heavier.

From previous dustings, it turned into real, goose-feather-like snowflakes, falling leisurely, and the world was turning white at a visible speed!

Fortunately, Lin Yu’an already had a home that could shield him from all the wind and snow.

He walked into the shelter and immediately felt a warmth and tranquility completely different from outside.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, casting a reddish glow throughout the low space.

He took off his down coat, wearing only a fleece lining, without feeling cold at all.

He decided to reward himself with a sumptuous lunch.

The fresh mussels collected in the morning, along with several Bulrush Roots, were put into a pot, simmering slowly over low heat.

In the meantime, he kept himself busy.

He started organizing the interior of the shelter. Using flat stones, he created a clean platform near the entrance to place tools and food.

In the corner, using leftover timber scraps, he built a simple shelf for miscellaneous items.

This small space gradually took on the appearance of a ”home” under his care.

He looked at the still unsealed doorway: ”Now, this shelter just needs a door, and it will be upgraded to its final form!”

The door would not only fend off the cold but also be the last line of defense against any uninvited guests also hungry in the storm.

This task also required meticulous attention; he decided to wait for the snow to stop before gathering wood to close off the doorway and make a door.

Day thirteen, afternoon.

Inside the shelter, it was warm as spring; outside, snow was swirling.

Soon, a rich aroma filled the entire shelter.

The flames in the stove danced joyfully, burning the dry logs with a crackling sound, enveloping the entire low shelter in a warm, orange glow.

Lin Yu’an sat on the ground in front of the stove, holding an already blackened iron pot, steam rising from the mussel and Bulrush Root soup just cooked inside.

He scooped up a spoonful of hot soup with a wooden spoon, blew on it, carefully sending it into his mouth.

A rich stream of warmth mixed with the savory taste of seafood and the sweet freshness of Bulrush Root stalks instantly slid from the mouth to the esophagus, spreading through the stomach and dispelling all the cold accumulated during his work and patrol in the snow.

He looked at the still unsealed doorway, the wind and snow blocked outside by an invisible wall, while only a few snowflakes were swirled in by the air currents, swiftly evaporating in the heat of the stove.

The feeling was incredibly peculiar, as if he stood on the boundary between two worlds — one step inside was a warm and peaceful home, one step outside was a cold and harsh wilderness.

At this moment, all fatigue, hunger, and coldness vanished into thin air.

Replaced by an unprecedented sense of solidity and security from the heart.

He sat with the pot by the stove, eating mussels with small bites while watching the snow-laden world outside.

A sense never felt before, an ambiance of ”all birds have flown away from thousands of mountains, all paths have been void of people — a solitary boat, a straw-cloak elder, fishing alone amidst the cold river snow” filled his heart!

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(Thanks to all readers for their monthly vote support. The month end monthly votes are about to reset, asking for another round of monthly votes ~ just 1 vote is enough.)

(P.S. I’ve started stockpiling drafts, planning for a burst at the beginning of next month!)