Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 87: Caught in the Act

After seeing off the crew from the Aleut Blasting Company, Feng Shan led Nash down the new road, a hint of pride on his face. "From now on, you won’t have to use a wooden stick to walk on the ice."

’Nash was speechless at Khilla’s extravagance. It was just a short stretch of road, and he could have bought explosives to blast it himself. It just wouldn’t have been this smooth, but spending 200,000 US Dollars was simply...’

"Let’s go home."

In China, people celebrate moving into a new house with a meal together. Now that a road had been built, a celebration was even more in order.

Back at the camp, Feng Shan tied on an apron and disappeared into the kitchen. After a cacophony of CLANGING AND BANGING, the pressure cooker started to HISS.

He emerged carrying two basins of meat.

One didn’t even need to look to know what it was: either reindeer or bear meat.

During this time, the two big eaters had been feasting away, and the food stores were visibly shrinking.

Then, Feng Shan brought out another plate of steaming hot buns, fresh from the pot.

They’d had their fill of meat, so today was a change of pace.

Nash watched with curiosity as Khilla brought a glass jar out from the kitchen, handling it like a priceless treasure. He wondered what could be so precious.

The moment the lid was opened,

the foul stench wafted out.

Nash’s brows furrowed, and his nostrils flared violently. His face was a mask of disgust, his eyes wide as he stared fixedly at the glass jar in Feng Shan’s hand.

’Could Khilla have brought back some Eskimo food from Kivalina that smells like fermented shit?’

"Want some?" Feng Shan offered, scooping up a large spoonful of the stinky bean paste.

Instantly, Nash shook his head so fast it was a blur, even lifting his plate and recoiling.

"You don’t appreciate good food!"

Feng Shan shot him a disdainful look, then broke open a steamed bun. He carefully spread the stinky bean paste from the spoon evenly inside, then pressed the two halves back together firmly.

From the side, Nash watched in horror as a black, stinking juice oozed from between the layers of the white bun.

Then he saw the look of pure bliss on Khilla’s face as he brought that white, shit-filled bun to his lips and took a huge bite.

BLECH!!!

Nash felt his stomach churn. Suddenly, the stewed reindeer on his plate lost all its appeal.

Feng Shan completely ignored Nash’s complex expression, taking a bite of his stinky bean paste bun, a bite of chili pepper, and a bite of stewed meat.

The unique flavor of the stinky bean paste bun spread through his mouth, mingling with the spiciness of the chili and the rich aroma of the stewed meat.

Every bite was satisfaction, every bite was bliss!

This is the life!!

....

After the meal, a content Feng Shan flopped into his rocking chair and leisurely picked his teeth with a wooden pick. He felt like something was missing from the camp.

He thought for a long time.

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright.

’Something’s wrong. My two masters aren’t home.’

It wasn’t just now, either. He’d barely seen the two of them for the past few days. They would only come back at night to sleep, then disappear again before dawn.

Especially after he’d returned from Kivalina and cut a hole in the bus door for them to go out and shit, those two masters of his had been acting suspiciously.

"Nash, have you seen Coca-Cola and Prince?"

Nash was in the kitchen, wearing an apron and washing the dishes. He heard Khilla’s question, turned, and hesitated for a moment. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Coca-Cola, Prince... steal meat."

’They dare to steal meat?’

’They’ve gotten bold. There’s no shortage of food or drink here. What are they stealing meat for?’

Just as Feng Shan was pondering this, his two masters squeezed into the bus, one after the other.

Seeing that both men were home, Coca-Cola acted as if nothing had happened. He sidled up to Feng Shan to be affectionate for a moment, then dove straight under the reindeer-skin rug and started snoring.

Prince didn’t even spare Feng Shan a glance, walking past him as if he weren’t there and lying down next to Coca-Cola.

Hey!

’These two masters really don’t see me as their owner at all!’

Feng Shan waved Nash over and said deliberately, "Nash, come with me to check the cave."

With that, the two men left the bus and ran straight behind the antler fence, where they lay down in the snow to hide.

A moment later,

Prince squeezed out of the hole, spun around in the clearing, and turned back to the bus, letting out a few WOOFs.

At the sound, Coca-Cola appeared. He went to the meat-drying rack, leaped lightly, and scrambled up the wooden pole to the top. He picked out a piece of cured reindeer meat that wasn’t fully dried yet and expertly used his paw to pull it free from the hanging rope.

A strip of cured reindeer meat fell to the ground.

Prince snatched the strip of meat in his mouth, turned, and ran out of the camp, with Coca-Cola following close behind.

"Khilla!" Nash whispered.

"Follow them! Let’s see what they’re up to!" Feng Shan got up from the snow and followed the footprints Prince had left behind.

The two men hid as they went, eventually reaching the edge of the Moonlight Forest.

Here, the footprints of his two masters vanished.

Feng Shan crouched down to search the snow for tracks and noticed a spot where the snow had clearly been swept by something. Without a doubt, the only thing that could do that was Coca-Cola’s tail.

"You little rascal, you’ve even learned counter-tracking."

"Come on, let’s keep going."

Feng Shan was now even more curious about his two masters’ furtive behavior. He followed the faint trail, but the further he went, the more familiar the surroundings seemed.

’It’s like I’ve been here before.’

That’s it!!

’This is the route we took on my first brown bear hunt. Coca-Cola and Prince were with me then.’

The more Feng Shan looked, the more certain he was. He continued until he was behind a pine tree.

In the distance, the brown bear’s den was now occupied by another group of animals.

A group of four or five white wolves was playing at the entrance to the bear cave.

Some were chasing each other playfully, while others lay quietly to the side, occasionally lifting their heads to watch their companions’ movements.

Prince and Coca-Cola were right in the middle of this group of white wolves. The Little Wolf Cub was there too, clutching the cured reindeer meat and tearing off large bites.

The answer was suddenly clear.

’No wonder my two masters have been so well-behaved these past few days. Prince hasn’t even been stealing my stinky socks, his favorite pastime.’

’So they were starting their own little family on the side all this time, and I just caught them red-handed.’

At this thought, Feng Shan’s expression hardened, and he stepped out from behind the tree.

Seeing a person appear, the playing White Wolf Pack froze instantly. Their ears pricked up, and their eyes filled with vigilance.

One white wolf let out a low growl from deep in its throat, and the others quickly gathered around it, forming a defensive posture.

Feng Shan stood his ground, facing off against the White Wolf Pack.

The white wolves’ fur bristled slightly as they snarled, baring their fangs in a show of aggression.

When Coca-Cola and Prince saw their master, they froze, at a complete loss. The Little Wolf Cub, afraid of losing its meat, wanted to hide but didn’t know where to go.

The adult white wolf that had growled had never seen Feng Shan before. Seeing a human intrude on the pack’s territory was a serious provocation. Just as it was about to act, it was knocked aside by another white wolf emerging from the bear cave.

This adult white wolf was one of the three Feng Shan had found on the road.

Whimper!!

The adult white wolf lowered its head submissively. With slow, gentle movements, it crept forward on its belly across the snow until it reached Feng Shan’s feet. It nudged its head lightly against his leg, making soft whimpering sounds.

Seeing this, the other white wolves looked at their companion in surprise, seemingly baffled by its behavior.

Feng Shan smiled and crouched down, reaching out to stroke its head. The white wolf closed its eyes in comfort.

Then he looked at Coca-Cola and Prince.

"Get your asses back to camp, now! If you don’t come back, then don’t ever come back!"

With that, he turned and left.

Leaving behind a bewildered pack of white wolves and a terrified Coca-Cola, Prince, and Little Wolf Cub.

...