As long as he got it for ten thousand, he could turn around and make a clean profit of forty thousand!
That was enough money for him to enjoy himself in Las Vegas for more than half a year.
He had hired several groups of hunters before, and all of them had come back empty-handed. Who would have thought such a huge windfall would land in the lap of a man drowning in debt?
"Su Wei, think it over."
Old Jack sounded impatient. "If you turn me down, when the bank takes your house, you'll regret it so much you'll want to slap yourself to death!"
"That's my business."
Su Wei walked to the entrance and yanked open the wooden door.
Whoosh!
Cold wind rushed in, scattering the little warmth left in the room in an instant.
"Show yourself out."
The words left no room for argument.
Old Jack stared at Su Wei's face, which showed no room for negotiation, his back teeth grinding.
The kid had made up his mind.
If he kept pushing and soured their relationship, it would only make it harder to make his move.
"Fine."
Old Jack grabbed his fur hat and jammed it onto his head. "You've got guts."
He strode toward the door.
As he passed Su Wei, he paused.
His greedy gaze swept over Su Wei's collar one last time.
"You'll change your mind, Su Wei."
Old Jack left him with a sinister parting remark. "In this godforsaken place, nobody turns their back on money. I hope you'll reconsider."
With that, he walked out the door without looking back.
Su Wei watched the bulky figure climb into the black Raptor pickup.
The engine roared.
The massive off-road tires kicked up a cloud of snow, and the pickup shot away, disappearing at the far end of the vast, snow-white forest.
Only when the headlights had vanished completely did Su Wei slam the door shut.
He leaned against the door and let out a long breath.
Cotton Candy poked a little head out from inside his collar.
Ice-blue eyes blinked, and a pink tongue licked Su Wei's chin.
It was wet and warm.
Su Wei felt the more than nineteen hundred dollars in his pocket, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Old Jack thought he had gotten the better end of the deal, but he had no idea that Su Wei saw things far more clearly than he did.
This little fox was priceless.
Besides, if he had a cheat and still let debt crush him to death, he might as well die.
Su Wei couldn't help laughing at himself. He picked up Cotton Candy and took a deep sniff.
Startled by the sudden movement and feeling ticklish, Cotton Candy squeaked.
"All right, Cotton Candy! Let's start a new life!"
Chapter 10: This Is a Life Module!
The black Raptor's off-road tires kicked up slush. Its taillights flickered twice at the end of the forest road before the wind and snow swallowed them completely.
Old Jack had left.
Su Wei stood in the doorway, the cold wind whipping his face with a stinging pain, but he was in no hurry to close the door.
He held the roll of Franklins in his hand, their texture rough against his fingers.
One thousand nine hundred and forty-five dollars.
Added to his original savings of three hundred and five dollars.
That made 2,250 dollars in total.
It wasn't much, and it was still a long way from his debt of 160,000.
But the money finally gave him room to breathe.
It was his first pot of gold.
He stuffed the money into his pants pocket, turned back into the house, and slid the bolt shut behind him.
With the wind and snow shut out, the musty, stale smell inside the house seemed especially pungent.
By the light of the midday sun, Su Wei took another look at this so-called inheritance.
Dust lay thick as a blanket, cobwebs covered the rafters, and the shriveled droppings of small animals were still discernible on the carpet.
Living in a place like this, a person would die of depression before a bear ever got the chance to bite them to death.
Stay in a godforsaken place like this for long, and a person's spirit could easily break.
Still, it was understandable. No one had lived in the cabin for a long time.
The original owner, too, had hurried back from Anchorage after receiving word of the cause of his parents' deaths, and simply hadn't had the energy to clean the house.
Su Wei took off the outdoor jacket, which was full of strange odors, and hung it on a coat hook.
He wore only a black thermal base layer underneath, the lines of his firm muscles clearly visible.
"Time to work."
The broom he dug out of the storage room had lost most of its bristles, but the tin bucket was still usable.
He splashed icy well water onto the floor, stirring up a strong, earthy smell.
Cotton Candy had been curled up beside the fireplace, dozing, but at the sound, his fur instantly bristled. All four paws gripped the floor as he stared warily at the long-handled monster waving in Su Wei's hand.
Swish-
The trash was swept into a pile.
Dust danced in the shafts of light.
The little fox's ice-blue eyes lit up.
He thought it was some kind of new game. With a kick of his hind legs, the white figure plunged straight into the pile of trash.
He clawed at it wildly.
The dust that had just been gathered flew everywhere.
Su Wei paused, a vein throbbing at his temple.
"Cotton Candy."
His voice was low.
The little white ball poked his head out of the trash pile, a clump of black cobwebs on the tip of his nose and the remains of half a slipper from who knew what era in his mouth.
He looked at Su Wei, his big tail thumping the floor ingratiatingly, and let out a couple of whimpers.
Su Wei walked over and picked him up by the soft scruff of his neck with one hand.
Cotton Candy instantly settled down, his limbs curled up, the clump of cobwebs quivering with every breath.
"Go stay on the sofa."
Su Wei tossed him onto the old sofa.
The little fellow buried his head in his tail, aggrieved, leaving only one eye exposed to watch in secret.
With no one causing trouble, the cleaning went much faster.
This body had astonishing endurance.
After half an hour of intense labor, his breathing was still steady.
The rotten carpet was thrown outside, and the blackened log walls were wiped over and over with a wet rag until the original pine grain showed through.
While wiping the windowsill, Su Wei discovered that the screws in the window frame were loose, and cold wind was creeping in through the gaps.
He rummaged through the toolbox for a long time, but there was no Phillips screwdriver.
Just as he was about to stand up, something tugged at his pant leg.
He looked down.
Cotton Candy had slipped down at some point and was straining to tilt his head up.
He held a red screwdriver crosswise in his mouth, its handle cracked. It was so heavy that his short little legs were trembling.
Su Wei froze.