HUN Chapter 135: Old George's Dream-Fulfilling Party

The end of the hunting expedition marked the beginning of a grand celebration.

Old George decided to host a bonfire party to celebrate his successful dream fulfillment and to formally introduce Lin Yu'an as the new neighbor to everyone.

"A party can't be without alcohol and plenty of meat!"

George waved his hand grandly, assigning the procurement task to Pilot Hank, “Hank, when you fly to Fairbanks tomorrow, help me bring back ten cases of Coors Light and two bottles of good bourbon whiskey! Also buy some sausages and beef patties, just eating mutton won't be enough!"

"No problem, George!" Hank agreed readily.

Hearing this news, Lin Yu'an immediately said, "Hank, can I catch a ride with you tomorrow? I need to go to town to buy some things."

"Of course, my friend! My 'flying pickup' is at your service anytime!"

Early the next morning, Lin Yu'an boarded Hank's red and white Cessna 206.

As the plane soared lightly into the clouds, Wiseman and the winding Koyukuk River transformed into a magnificent miniature landscape below.

"How does it feel? From this angle, doesn't our home look incredibly beautiful?" Hank asked with a smile while skillfully operating the aircraft.

"Yes, breathtakingly beautiful," Lin Yu'an praised sincerely.

He fell silent for a moment, then finally asked the question that had been puzzling him, “Hank, I've always been curious. With your flying skills, you could find a much higher-paying job with a more comfortable life anywhere in the lower 48 states. Why did you choose to stay in this almost completely isolated place?"

The smile on Hank's face faded slightly. He gazed out at the endless snow-capped mountains, his eyes becoming distant.

He said softly, "For a promise, a promise to my grandfather."

"I was raised by my grandfather since I was little. He was an old-school trapper who lived in Wiseman his entire life."

"He taught me how to survive on this land, taught me to recognize every plant, taught me to respect every inch of this place. This plane is also the most precious inheritance he left me."

"When he was dying, I was right there beside him. He held my hand and said, 'Hank, my little sweetheart, I know you long for the outside world, but promise me, no matter how high or far you fly, whenever you have time, come back to see this old bag of bones. I don't want... I don't want to go too long after I die without seeing you.'"

Hank's voice became somewhat choked. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

"He was buried on that slope behind town where you can see the sunset. I chose to stay here not just to keep my promise, but because this is where I was born."

"I even divorced my ex-wife over this. She couldn't stand this isolated life, took my children to Fairbanks, and remarried. Now they're doing well."

There was no resentment in his tone, only a faint helplessness that comes after making peace with life.

"The old folks here, George, Stan, they're all uncles who watched me grow up. When my grandfather passed, I had to take his place looking after them."

"Using this plane to help them transport supplies, take them to town for medical care, or like today, shopping for a party, for me, this isn't responsibility, it's the meaning of guardianship."

Lin Yu'an listened quietly, filled with respect.

He finally understood that what supported this community wasn't just survival skills, but this deep emotional bond like family.

The plane landed at Fairbanks' general aviation airport.

The two split up. Hank headed to Costco in the city center for bulk shopping.

There, Alaska's prices were fully on display, a 24-can case of Coors Light cost $28.99, making ten cases nearly $300.

A bottle of mid-range Buffalo Trace bourbon was $42, and fresh beef patties and pork sausages, requiring air transport and cold chain logistics, cost at least 30% more than in the continental United States.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu'an headed straight to a large electronics store.

Lin Yu'an entered Best Buy, where a mixture of new plastic and electronic component smells mixed with air conditioning hit him. He went directly to the networking equipment section and quickly found the distinctive display with white square antennas.

A young employee enthusiastically approached, “Good afternoon, sir, looking for anything?"

"Hello, I need a Starlink setup," Lin Yu'an said directly.

"You've come to the right place!" The employee became even more excited, as if he'd found a kindred spirit.

"Are you living in downtown Fairbanks or in the remote surrounding areas? This thing is practically custom-made for Alaska!"

"North of Wiseman," Lin Yu'an answered simply.

"Oh! Along the Dalton Highway!" The employee's eyes lit up.

"You're absolutely the perfect user for it! We just installed one for a research station up there last month, and they said now they can watch Pornhub on the edge of the Arctic Circle!"

He pointed to the products on display and began introducing them enthusiastically.

"The hardware costs $599, including this second-generation phased array antenna with automatic heating and snow-melting function, so you don't have to worry about it getting buried in winter. Plus the router base and cables, you can install it right out of the box."

"What about the monthly fee?"

"The most suitable for you would be the standard residential package, $120 per month, with completely adequate speed and data allowance."

Lin Yu'an smiled, “I'll take that standard package. I need one in stock."

"No problem!"

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

Hank's cart was already piled like a small mountain with over ten cases of beer, two large packages of vacuum-packed beef patties and sausages and other party snacks, plus various other items neighbors had asked him to buy.

"Looks like tonight will be quite the party," Lin Yu'an said, looking at the mountain of beer with a smile.

"Haha, for George's parties, you better be prepared to drink!" Hank said while working with Lin Yu'an to load and secure everything in the Cessna 206's cabin.

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

"Lin, come early tonight! George's roasted mutton won't wait!" Stan shouted 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 began installing the Starlink system.

The process was much simpler than he'd imagined. He mounted the "dish" antenna on the roof in a spot with a clear view facing north.

Then he threaded the cable through a pre-drilled hole into the interior and connected it to the router.

After plugging in the power and opening the Starlink app on his phone, the antenna's internal motor made a slight whirring sound as it began auto-calibrating, searching for Starlink satellites passing overhead.

In less than five minutes, the app showed "connected."

Lin Yu'an opened his laptop and ran a speed test, download speed was steady at 158 Mbps, upload speed reached 17 Mbps!

This number made Lin Yu'an breathe a long sigh of relief. The internet, the lifeline of modern society, had finally been connected to his isolated wilderness home.

He immediately packaged and sent all the video footage he'd shot over the past few days to the production team's post-production crew via the high-speed connection.

While waiting for them to review it, he also sent his more personal and lifestyle-focused footage to his domestic partner, Old Cat.

After finishing all this, he checked the time, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to attend the welcome party being held for him, also a party celebrating George's dream fulfillment.

That night, a long-missed bonfire blazed in front of Old George's cabin.

Every available resident of Wiseman had been invited, all bringing food or gifts they'd prepared.

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

The star of the party was naturally that hard-won Dall sheep.

Old George, usually a stern craftsman, had transformed into an enthusiastic head chef.

He personally wielded the knife, separating the tenderest tenderloin and hindquarter meat from the carcass, each cut avoiding sinew while preserving the meat's most intact fibers.

He processed most of the mutton in the way locals were most familiar with, simple seasoning with rosemary, fresh-ground black pepper, and coarse sea salt, then grilling it directly over the bonfire.

Fat dripped onto the glowing coals with sizzling sounds, the rich meat aroma mixing with the smoky wood fire scent, wafting through the cold air and stirring anyone's appetite.

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

"Hey, Lin," George nudged him with his elbow.

"Remember when we were hunting, that hot water-boiled mutton you made for us with that Chinese dipping sauce, do you still have some of that?"

Lin Yu'an immediately remembered, it was the "Prairie Red Sun" barbecue seasoning he'd brought.

"Of course I do, George. I thought ahead, knowing you liked it, so I brought some especially for you. I was planning to give it to you after the party."

"Excellent!" George's face lit up with childlike excitement.

Hearing this, Lin Yu'an's face broke into a confident smile. He knew this was a perfect opportunity to showcase his cultural background to the community in another way.

Lin Yu'an volunteered, “George, if you trust me, why don't you let me handle the rest of the meat?"

"Oh? Of course!" George immediately became interested, he had tasted Lin Yu'an's cooking before.

"I was just hoping to let these folks try that magical Chinese dipping sauce! The kitchen is yours today!"

Lin Yu'an said nothing more. He first carefully washed his hands, then retrieved a slicing knife from his vehicle's tool kit.

He faced the hindquarter and some well-marbled belly meat.

With a flick of his wrist, the slicing knife seemed to come alive in his hands, sliding precisely along the gaps between bones and sinew. With swift movements, a large piece of intact marbled mutton was easily separated.

This impressive knife work immediately left the surrounding group of Alaskan tough guys, accustomed to roughly chopping meat with hunting knives, completely stunned.

"My God, Lin... were you a surgeon before?" Cody couldn't help but exclaim.

Lin Yu'an smiled without answering and continued his work.

He didn't cut the meat into extremely thin hot pot slices, but rather cut it along the grain into appropriately sized strips about half a centimeter thick, this thickness would cook quickly while retaining substantial chewiness.

Next, he set George's iron pot over the bonfire, poured in clear water, and only added a few slices of ginger.

While waiting for the water to boil, he had already poured several packets of "Prairie Red Sun" seasoning into small dishes distributed to everyone, its distinctive aroma immediately filling the air.

The water soon reached a rolling boil.

Lin Yu'an didn't let everyone serve themselves, but took on the role of head chef.

Using a large slotted spoon, he scooped up a full spoonful of cut mutton and plunged it directly into the boiling pot.

"Whoosh, "

The instant the meat hit the water, the pot bubbled even more vigorously.

After just a few dozen seconds, the meat strips changed color completely from bright red to grayish-white, and he immediately shouted, “Done!"

With a flip of his wrist, he used the slotted spoon to serve a large spoonful of steaming, dripping mutton into the bowls of Stan, George, and others closest to him.

"Dip it in this sauce, then eat it while it's hot!" Lin Yu'an directed.

Stan couldn't contain himself and was the first to try, he remembered this flavor. He speared a piece of mutton with his fork, dipped it, blew on it twice, then eagerly put it in his mouth.

The next second, an indescribably familiar deliciousness spread through his mouth!

"Oh! My God! That's the taste!" Stan shouted indistinctly.

Then he pushed his bowl forward again, “Lin! More!"

With Stan's demonstration, everyone went wild, all extending their bowls or plates.

"Lin! Over here! Give me some!"

"Me too! My God, this is so good!"

Lin Yu'an stood by the large pot, becoming the center of the entire party.

He continuously distributed spoonfuls of freshly cooked mutton to his enthusiastic neighbors, while exclamations of amazement and satisfied chewing sounds rose from around the bonfire.

"Amazing! Just boiled in water, how can it taste better than grilled?"

"Lin! Can you buy this sauce in Fairbanks? It's delicious!"

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

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

They had never imagined mutton could be eaten this way. Lin Yu'an and his Chinese dipping sauce had completely conquered these Alaskans' taste buds.

That large plate of carefully cut mutton strips was consumed at an astonishing speed.

More than half an hour later, when Old George distributed the first batch of grilled mutton to everyone, Lin Yu'an had also been surrounded by the crowd around the bonfire, clearly becoming one of the central figures of the party.

Stan was enthusiastically recounting to all the newcomers the thrilling night when they faced off against the wolf pack in the cave, describing Lin Yu'an's calm and deadly shot as if it were legend.

Everyone looked at Lin Yu'an with a new gaze full of respect.

On this land that revered strength, nothing could win recognition better than proving one's courage and ability in the wilderness.

[NEXT CHAPTER]