It was October. Britain was still enjoying a warm early autumn, but Siberia had already begun to see snow, with temperatures several degrees below zero. Even Lara, who loved showing off her arms and long legs, had no choice but to put on a padded coat.
After driving all day, the main road ahead had vanished. They had entered the Altai Mountains region. They left the car at the foot of the mountains, each mounted an off-road motorcycle, and secured their gear behind them.
"Vroom, vroom!"
They twisted the throttles, exchanged a glance, and snapped their helmet visors shut. Jiang Hao's motorcycle shot forward first, with Lara close behind. They crossed rugged trails, primeval forests, dense grasslands, and gravelly riverbanks.
"Okay, let's rest here tonight," Jiang Hao said.
They parked their motorcycles not far from a small river and found a spacious clearing. Lara pitched the tent while Jiang Hao began preparing dinner.
Arriving at the riverbank, Jiang Hao examined the stream and cast out a fishing line with a hook attached. A small piece of meat dangled from the hook. Jiang Hao tugged the line to lure the fish, and after reeling it in several times, the line suddenly tightened.
"Ahaha, I've got one. Sounds like a big one," Jiang Hao said with a laugh as he reeled it in. Before long, he hauled up a large fish, roughly four or five pounds. He looked it over and figured it was some kind of rainbow trout or salmon.
He carried the fish back, lit the camp stove, and cleaned it beside the tent. By then, the frying pan was hot, so Jiang Hao began pan-frying fish fillets. Whenever conditions allowed in the wilderness, it was best not to eat raw food. Ingredients should be thoroughly fried or boiled to