HUN Chapter 117: Curing and Cabin Waterproofing

After enjoying a victory-celebrating Chinese meal, the exhausted group drank ice-cold beer, savoring this hard-won tranquility.

The midnight sun had already tilted to a very low angle, but the sky remained bright.

Old George looked at those twenty-one concrete pile columns that had just begun to set, his eyes full of craftsman's pride! He stood up, preparing to bid farewell.

"Lin, I believe you'll have a beautiful house very soon!"

Old George forcefully patted Lin Yu'an's shoulder, his face full of approval.

"Next comes the most tedious curing period. Remember what I told you, concrete strength is 'nurtured' into being."

"You need to cure these for at least twenty days. You must care for them like caring for babies, don't let them dry too quickly."

"Follow the watering frequency and rhythm I explained to you earlier. If there are any problems, call me anytime."

"Don't worry, George. And thank you. Without you, my progress wouldn't have been this fast," Lin Yu'an sincerely thanked him.

Old George waved his hand dismissively. He looked at Lin Yu'an, then at Stan, Hank, Patton, and Cody who were also preparing to leave, his expression becoming serious and sincere.

"Kid, you don't need to thank me, and you don't need to thank them either."

"You should understand something today. In Alaska, especially in places like Wiseman, no one can truly survive alone."

He continued, "I help you because I see your determination, and because I need a reliable partner to chase the dreams of my youth one more time."

"Stan helps you because he sees you as a future pillar of this community. And them..."

He pointed toward Hank, Patton, and Cody, "They came to help without asking for any compensation."

Pilot Hank laughingly picked up the conversation, "That's right, Lin. I helped you pour concrete today because I know that if my plane breaks down and needs a part, Cody will fix it without a second thought."

"If I encounter a blizzard in the mountains, Patton will be the first to rush out on his snowmobile to find me. And if my family needs any help, Stan will help without hesitation."

Mechanic Cody also nodded, adding, "Each of us masters a survival skill that others need."

"When I need supplies, I rely on Hank's plane. When I'm sick, I rely on Emily. If I want a good meal, it looks like now I'll rely on you, Lin." He winked at Lin Yu'an, drawing good-natured laughter.

Hunter Patton, the taciturn Athabascan man, succinctly summarized, "Here, you help me, I help you. Only then can we all survive the next winter together."

"Tomorrow I'll continue helping you with the foundation finishing work. Hunting season is coming soon, and I'd like to invite you to join me in hunting enough food for the village elders."

Lin Yu'an was somewhat flattered and immediately replied, "I'd be delighted! Just call me when the time comes, Patton, and I'll definitely go with you."

Stan also said at this time, "So, kid, don't think of this as us helping you one-sidedly. This is just Wiseman's way."

"Today we help you lay the foundation. Tomorrow, maybe we'll need you to drive that Chinese loader to help George clear roads blocked by blizzards. Here, we are each other's insurance."

Hearing these simple yet profound words containing survival philosophy, Lin Yu'an's heart was filled with unprecedented emotion.

He finally deeply understood the weight of what Stan had originally said, "We need neighbors more."

This wasn't just polite talk. This was the golden rule of survival on this harsh land, proven over generations.

He stood up, raised his beer, and solemnly said to everyone present, "I understand. Thank you all for teaching me the most important lesson today! To our mutual survival, to Wiseman, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Under Alaska's midnight sun, everyone clinked glasses together.

At this moment, Lin Yu'an was no longer an outsider. He had truly been accepted as a member of this community composed of tough men and strong individuals!

Lin Yu'an insisted on giving them some Chinese liquor and cigarettes as neighborly gifts. Everyone accepted without refusing, for on this land, sharing was also part of mutual aid.

David and Mike were like recorders of time, silently documenting everything here. The two exchanged glances, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes: this was perfect material.

After seeing off these reliable neighbors, the forest land returned to tranquility once again.

But Lin Yu'an's work was far from over. He began the task that Old George had repeatedly emphasized in foundation construction: concrete curing.

He first used a spray bottle to evenly spray a layer of water on the surface of the twenty-one concrete pile columns that had just begun to set.

Then, he found huge plastic sheets from the supply pile and covered each pile column completely.

"What is this for? Covering them with blankets?" David asked curiously.

"You could say that."

Lin Yu'an explained, "Covering with plastic sheets is to minimize water evaporation as much as possible. Concrete hardening is a hydration reaction process. It needs sufficient moisture to reach its designed final strength."

"In Alaska's current environment of long daylight hours and dry air, if water is lost too quickly, the concrete will crack and become waste."

David watched as Lin Yu'an only sprayed water on the meter-high portion of the pile columns above ground, curiously asking, "Lin, you only water the upper parts? What about the buried portions underground? Don't they need curing?"

Lin Yu'an smiled, "Good question. But for them, the earth is the best curing master."

"The underground portions are tightly wrapped by surrounding soil. They will slowly harden in a natural, high-humidity environment."

The next morning.

After completing the routine water spray curing for all pile columns, hunter Patton arrived as promised.

Their target was that mountain-like pile of crushed stone.

Lin Yu'an operated the XCMG loader, transporting large amounts of crushed stone scoop by scoop to the edge of the foundation area.

Meanwhile, Patton pushed a professional construction wheelbarrow, shuttling back and forth between the loader and foundation, precisely dumping crushed stone in every corner that needed laying.

The two cooperated seamlessly, one handling macro transportation, one handling detailed placement, with extremely high efficiency.

"Why are we going through all this trouble to lay these damn stones?" David asked while shouldering his camera and dodging flying stone chips.

"Drainage, David, drainage!" Lin Yu'an shouted back.

"This is the most important thing. This crushed stone layer ensures that any snowmelt and rainwater can quickly penetrate and drain away, rather than soaking our foundation, keeping the space below clean and dry."

According to the slight slope of the terrain, Lin Yu'an dug another deeper blind ditch around the entire foundation, outside the grade beam trenches.

He and Patton first laid a layer of professional geotextile fabric at the bottom of the blind ditch.

"This fabric prevents soil from clogging the pipes," Lin Yu'an explained to the camera.

Then they laid black perforated corrugated pipes with countless small holes at the bottom of the ditch.

They connected them with fittings into a complete loop, finally leading to a natural depression far from the campsite.

After laying the pipes, they filled the entire blind ditch completely with more crushed stone.

"This pipe system is like a moat for our foundation. Any water collecting around the foundation will be preferentially absorbed into these pipes' small holes, then drained far away."

"It ensures our foundation core area stays in the driest condition at all times."

After ten hours of intensive work, through the combined efforts of Lin Yu'an and Patton, all ground work for the entire foundation area, including trenching, pipe burial, and crushed stone laying, was basically completed.

The entire site had become a level, solid, extremely professional-looking modern construction platform.

That evening, after Lin Yu'an completed the curing work, he found David and Mike who were packing their luggage.

"Lin, are you really going to stay here alone for twenty days?"

David looked at this desolate yet vibrant construction site, asking with some concern.

"That's right." Lin Yu'an nodded.

"The upcoming work will be rather scattered and tedious, not suitable for filming. I've already communicated with Richard. The production team is giving you guys a short break. Come on, I'll drive you to Fairbanks airport."

This suggestion made David and Mike feel a touch of friendly warmth.

Lin Yu'an started his Ford Explorer and headed south toward Fairbanks along the Dalton Highway once again.

After dropping the two off at the airport and agreeing to meet there again in twenty days, Lin Yu'an didn't immediately return.

Instead, he went straight to Fairbanks' largest farm and garden supply store.

This store was the size of a large supermarket, containing everything from tractor parts to various livestock feeds.

His gaze first fell upon granular organic slow-release fertilizer designed specifically for fruits and vegetables.

He picked up the package, carefully examining the ingredient list and NPK ratios on the back.

He explained to his GoPro camera, "For greedy guys like tomatoes and cucumbers, we need to establish a good nutritional foundation for them first."

"This granular organic fertilizer has an NPK ratio of about 5-5-5, very balanced."

"It's made from a mixture of various natural materials like poultry manure, bone meal, and blood meal. It can slowly decompose in soil, providing plants with stable nutrition for months."

He put a large bag of granular fertilizer in his shopping cart, then walked toward the liquid fertilizer section.

"We also need to prepare some 'energy drinks' and 'multivitamins' for them."

He finally selected two types of highly efficient organic liquid fertilizers: high-concentration fermented fish emulsion and kelp concentrate.

He picked up those two bottles of liquid fertilizer, "Fish emulsion is rich in nitrogen and amino acids. During the plant's seedling stage, watering with this can promote rapid leaf growth and make plants strong."

"Kelp concentrate is rich in various trace elements and natural growth hormones. Using it during flowering and fruiting periods can improve fruit set rates and enhance plants' resistance to pests, diseases, and cold."

"Using these three fertilizers together, granular fertilizer as long-acting base fertilizer mixed into soil, and the two liquid fertilizers alternately applied as top dressing according to different growth stages."

"This way, we can provide these fertilizer-loving crops with a comprehensive and powerful nutritional support system from beginning to end."

After purchasing all items, Lin Yu'an set out on the return journey once again.

When he drove the fully loaded Explorer alone on that lonely highway, his heart felt no loneliness at all, only plans full of hope for the future.

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