Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 64: An Appointment

With the lumber ready, the two began to build a wooden door.

The cave entrance was triangular and about three meters high, so they didn’t need to make the door that tall.

Nash first selected two thick, two-meter-long logs to serve as posts, securing them on either side of the entrance. He then fixed two more logs horizontally to the posts, one at the top and one at the bottom, to act as the lintel and threshold. Finally, he used wooden wedges to secure it all in place, hammering them into the gaps. With that, a rudimentary log doorframe took shape.

Once the frame was done, it was time to make the door itself.

Annoyed that Khilla wasn’t doing any real work and was just getting in the way, Nash found two wooden blocks. He drew a circle on each with a piece of charcoal and gestured for Khilla to hollow them out with a chisel.

’Who’s he looking down on!’

Feng angrily picked up a block, sat down off to the side, and started chiseling away at the wood, one tap at a time.

Nash arranged the logs according to his measurements to form the shape of the door. Whenever he found a gap between the logs, he’d reshape them with his axe, ensuring each one fit snugly against its neighbors.

’Can’t argue with that. This really takes skill.’

Feng obediently kept hollowing out the wooden block.

As time passed, the door began to take shape. While it lacked the refined style of professionally made furniture, it possessed a wild, primitive quality unique to the Tundra.

Its unpolished surface still bore the fresh marks from when the wood was harvested from the forest.

Meanwhile, Feng finished his task: the two wooden blocks were now hollow.

The final step was installing the door.

First, they used wire to attach the hollow blocks to the top and bottom of one of the frame’s posts. Then, the two of them lifted the door and inserted the protruding wooden pivots on its side into the hollow blocks.

’You know, with a door, the cave actually looks like a proper home now.’

Next came the finishing touches. A one-meter-high gap remained above the door, so Nash used the leftover lumber to build a wooden grate to fill it. This not only ensured the cave stayed ventilated but also prevented animals from sneaking in to steal their supplies.

As for Feng, his work was done. With nothing else to help with, he returned to the bus to prepare dinner.

The Thunderbird they had hunted two days ago had been dressed and was sitting in a bucket.

After a long day of work, a delicious meal was the best way to relieve fatigue.

He rehydrated dried mushrooms from the supermarket in hot water. Then, he blanched the Thunderbird Meat and flash-fried it in hot oil. He transferred it to a stew pot, added cold water, the soaked mushrooms, and various seasonings, then placed it on the stove to simmer slowly. To go with it, he steamed a large pot of rice.

...

At the horizon, the setting sun slowly sank, casting its last rays of light across the desolate Tundra.

Then came the biting cold wind, howling as it swept up flurries of snow.

Every blade of grass on the Tundra trembled in the wind, yet stood firm, waging a final battle against the coming winter.

As night quietly fell, the smoke constantly rising from the bus’s chimney brought a hint of human warmth to the silent, barren Far North Tundra.

"Prince, go get Nash for dinner." Feng lifted the lid of the stew pot, and an intoxicating aroma instantly filled the bus. Prince, who had been lying by the stove, heard his master’s command, wagged his tail, and left the warmth of the fire.

By the time Nash stepped into the bus, Feng had already served the steaming hot rice.

A kerosene lamp hung from the ceiling, casting a dim yellow light that added a warm hue to the cold night.

Firewood crackled in the stove, its red flames dancing merrily and illuminating the faces of the two men.

In the stew pot on the stove, the mushroom and Thunderbird soup bubbled away, GURGLE GURGLE, releasing its rich fragrance.

Feng recounted interesting stories from his past as he ate, while his sole audience, Nash, listened with a smile, holding his plate and eating along.

Outside, the cold wind howled.

Inside, the warmth made all of that seem unimportant.

...

Nights on the Far North Tundra were suffocatingly dull.

There were no brilliant city lights, no bustling streets and alleys, and certainly no variety of entertainment.

The only sound was the cold wind howling wantonly across the open plains.

Feng lay in his rocking chair, quietly flipping through a book with Coca-Cola curled up in his lap. Prince, who had doubled in size since arriving, now came up to Feng’s knees; the price of growing up was losing the privilege of being held in his master’s lap.

As for Nash, he had left the camp right after dinner.

’He’s probably off guarding the Fire Seed at the fire pit again. Don’t even have to guess.’

He put down his book, rubbed his tired eyes, and glanced at the calendar he planned to hang on the wall.

According to Alaska time, it was a day behind China. Back home, it should be the National Day holiday now.

’Maybe I should invite Black Hide and the others to visit the Crown Territory for a few days.’

’It should be one in the afternoon in China right now.’

With this in mind, Feng took out his satellite phone and dialed Black Hide’s number.

After a few rings, the call connected.

"Bro, what’s the occasion? This long-distance call must be expensive."

"Duh. It’s charging me, not you. What are you up to?"

"I’m with Hu Zi, taking Xiaohua for her prenatal check-up. Oh, right, I got the necklace. It’s fucking awesome! Brother Zhang said you killed the bear yourself? Was it a rush, killing a bear?"

"It was a hell of a rush. Want to try it yourself?"

"Of course I do, but I heard the plane tickets to your place are crazy expensive."

"It’s not like you’re paying. What the hell do you care? Ask Hu Zi and Xiaohua if they want to come to Alaska for the holiday, since it’s National Day."

"Hold on, don’t hang up!"

Feng held the satellite phone, listening to Black Hide and the others discussing on the other end. A moment later, he heard Hu Zi’s voice.

"Bro, can Xiaohua travel abroad while she’s pregnant?"

"Should be fine. If you guys want to come, I’ll have someone book your tickets."

"Alright then, we’re in! I’ve been dying to try hunting."

"It’s a deal. I’ll have someone contact you in a bit."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Feng thought for a moment. The only person he knew in China with some influence was Zhang Kai. Asking him for help shouldn’t be a problem.

He immediately called Zhang Kai. When the call connected, Zhang Kai sounded like he was at a dinner party, but he was very happy to hear from Feng.

Feng explained that Black Hide and his friends were coming to Alaska, and Zhang Kai agreed to help without hesitation. However, he then asked Feng for a favor in return.

He said that after bringing the bloody-horned reindeer head back to China, it had made a huge splash in his social circle. Now, a few of his close friends—people he couldn’t refuse—also wanted to go hunting in the Crown Territory and asked if they could come along with Black Hide’s group.

’More people are coming?’

Feng was a bit hesitant. After all, the only place to sleep at the camp was the bus.

Last time Zhang Kai’s family visited, he himself had to sleep on the floor. With Black Hide, Hu Zi, and Xiaohua coming this time, there would be even less room.

He tactfully explained his predicament.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Kai just laughed after hearing this.

He said his friends had plenty of money and weren’t afraid of a little trouble. Last year, they had spent millions on a hunting trip to Africa. The main issue with hunting abroad was all the red tape—getting hunting licenses, firearm permits, and game permits was a huge hassle.

The Crown Territory, being private land, didn’t require any of those permits. Plus, with a local fixer like Tom, they could even have their trophies mounted and get them through customs.

As for accommodations, Feng didn’t need to worry about that at all.

As long as they could pitch tents in the Crown Territory, all Feng needed to do was provide food, drink, and act as a guide. They would handle everything else themselves.

With Zhang Kai putting it that way, refusing would make Feng seem ungracious and socially inept.

So, he readily agreed.

The two confirmed the arrangements and hung up.

’Rich people these days really have too much time on their hands. Coming all the way to the icy Alaska’s Far North Tundra just to hunt... they’re just looking for hardship.’

Feng shook his head, speechless. He put away the satellite phone and headed for the bedroom.

...