Su Wei's fingers suddenly tightened around the cart handle.
His knuckles turned white.
Fragments of memory churned in his mind.
The storm that had taken his parents' lives had not been a natural disaster alone.
"Did they really find it?" Su Wei's voice was steady.
"Absolutely! Lawyer Anderson said that once the recording was submitted, it would be ironclad evidence. The people at the insurance company are panicking now. I heard they've been looking for the union these past couple of days, hoping to settle privately."
Tessa's eyes shone with the hope a person only found when facing despair.
"Once we win or reach a settlement, they'll have to pay compensation at the rate for a high-severity accident. Everyone will get at least seven or eight hundred thousand dollars!"
Seven or eight hundred thousand.
For Su Wei as he was now, that sum was enough to turn his life around completely.
Not only could he pay off his hundred-and-sixty-thousand-dollar debt, he would still have plenty left to develop the estate and live a good life.
But he didn't show the same excitement as Tessa.
Getting a behemoth like an insurance company to spit out the meat it had swallowed was far too difficult.
When capital devoured people, it didn't leave even a scrap of bone behind. Now, even with evidence, making them bleed that much money would take a long time.
"How much longer did Lawyer Anderson say it would take?" Su Wei asked the most important question.
"Soon, soon."
Tessa didn't have an exact answer either and could only repeat what the lawyer had said:
"A month or two at most, maybe less. As long as we stand firm and refuse to budge, they can't afford to drag it out."
A month or two.
Su Wei knew full well that the bank's deadline was only a little over a month away.
If he pinned all his hopes on compensation that was still nowhere in sight, by the time the money arrived, the bank would have auctioned off his house and land long ago.
But it was good news, all the same.
At least it counted as a backup plan.
Even if he really did find himself at a dead end, this would give him a way out.
"Thank you for telling me all this, Aunt Tessa." Su Wei's tone was sincere.
"No need to thank me. We're all people with hard lives."
Tessa patted the back of his hand, her eyes reddening. "If your parents knew how strong you've been, they'd be so proud. Remember, don't let the bank scare you. Just hold on a little longer."
Su Wei nodded.
"I will."
After saying goodbye to Tessa, Su Wei pushed the cart onward.
He had only planned to buy a few cheaper tools before heading back.
But now, his plans had changed.
He passed row after row of shelves and finally stopped in front of a locked glass counter.
The clerk was a stubbly old man, hunched over a newspaper. He didn't even look up.
"I'll take that box."
Su Wei tapped the glass with a finger.
They were Hornady's high-end .30-06 hunting rounds.
Other than being expensive, they had no faults.
The bullets were specially designed to deliver excellent penetration and stopping power, specifically for large game with thick hides and tough flesh.
One box cost sixty dollars.
"Kid, it'd be a real waste to shoot rabbits with these." The old man glanced at him and slowly reached for the keys at his waist.
"I'm not shooting rabbits."
Su Wei pulled a few bills from his pocket and slapped them on the glass counter.
His parents' deaths, the insurance company's evasions, the bank's demands for payment, and the pressures of life.
All kinds of invisible pressure kept piling up on Su Wei.
The old him might only have been able to watch as this great net silently swallowed him whole.
But now, things were different.
He would reclaim his life through his own efforts.
Su Wei stared at the gleaming brass cartridges, his gaze cold.
"I'm shooting bears."
Chapter 12: Cute Pets and Hot Soup, the Ultimate Romance of a Wilderness Hunter
The old man behind the counter turned a page of his newspaper without looking up.
In the old man's eyes, this was another reckless city kid who had come to Alaska looking for thrills and would most likely end up as a pile of broken bones in a brown bear's droppings.
"Sixty dollars. No bargaining."
A box of ammunition was tossed onto the glass counter with a sharp clack.
Su Wei didn't waste words. He thumbed the bills apart and slapped them on the counter.
The money and goods changed hands.
The box of Hornady hunting rounds landed in his palm. The brass casings rested against the outside of his thigh through the fabric, bumping gently as he walked. Their reassuring weight gave him a sense of security.
He pushed the cart outside.
The fierce wind immediately swept away the warmth clinging to him. Cold air rushed down his collar, making his teeth clench.
Su Wei quickly climbed into the Dodge pickup.
The world grew a little quieter when the door shut.
All the food was loaded into the back of the truck.
On the passenger side, a white blur was circling on the seat.
Cotton Candy had long since grown impatient. As soon as Su Wei got in, she came over and nuzzled her wet nose into his neck, making little whimpering sounds in her throat.
"Sit still."
Su Wei pressed her back into the seat with one hand and tossed her a newly purchased rubber ball.
Squeak-
The strange noise startled the little fox into jumping straight up. The fur on her back stood on end, and she cautiously patted the green ball with a front paw.
After making sure the toy wasn't dangerous, she immediately picked it up in her mouth, a satisfied purr rumbling in her throat.
Su Wei turned the key.
The old V8 engine coughed a few times before reluctantly starting, its vibrations traveling through the steering wheel and through his entire body.
The off-road tires crushed the icy crust on the ground as the pickup, laden with supplies, drove into the darkening wilderness.
The road home seemed shorter.
Perhaps it was because the back seat was piled with flour, oil, and meat, or perhaps it was because of the expensive box of bullets in his pocket.
Out here, supplies and firepower gave a person confidence.
An hour later, at the cabin.
Night had fallen completely. Alaska's winter nights were never late.
Su Wei shut off the engine and jumped out.
The temperature was twenty degrees below zero, and the air stung his nostrils when he breathed in. His breath formed a fine layer of frost on his eyebrows.
The temperature had dropped again.
Su Wei started carrying things inside.
He hoisted the flour onto his shoulder and carried the cooking oil in his hand, then went back for the pile of miscellaneous supplies.
Cotton Candy couldn't help. With her treasured green ball in her mouth, she darted swiftly through the snow.
By the time he brought the last of the beef into the kitchen, Su Wei had taken off his outdoor jacket.
Beneath his cashmere sweater, his muscles were taut, a sheen of sweat on his skin.
It was hardly warmer inside than out. The fire in the fireplace had long since gone out, and the air was cold.
First things first: light a fire.
He stacked the split birch logs and lit them with old newspaper.