It rang five times before being answered.
"If you're trying to tell me you want to back out of that 20,000 yuan deposit, I'll skin you alive and hang your skin on the door right now."
Old Hope's irritable voice rang out, accompanied by the loud thud of metal tools slamming onto the cutting board.
Clearly, the old man was engrossed in his work and was in a bad mood after being interrupted.
I can't go tomorrow morning.
Su Wei was straightforward.
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by an even more ferocious roar.
"What did you say? Kid! You begged me to learn, I gave you my most treasured skills, and you dare to stand me up on the very first day?"
"I have an urgent matter; I need to buy land."
Su Wei was not intimidated by the other party's volume; his tone remained calm.
"Tomorrow afternoon."
"Buying land?"
Old Hope's roaring stopped.
A heavy breathing sound came from across the room, followed by the sound of a cork being pulled out. Old Hope seemed to have taken a swig of wine, his temper had subsided considerably, and his tone carried a strange mockery.
"That's true, you young people always have all sorts of desires. Territory, houses, women... even making specimens is for showing off."
"That's the means to survive."
Su Wei corrected him.
"Whatever you want."
Old Hope interrupted impatiently.
"Don't come tomorrow. Since you paid so much for those two things, I need to free up my time to deal with them. Just the pelt alone will take me three days. Come over when you're done with those chores."
Thank you.
"Dudu"
The call was abruptly ended.
Su Wei looked at the screen as it went dark, feeling somewhat helpless.
He hadn't told the other person yet that he planned to learn how to process bear skins and deer antlers with him.
It's alright, though, those two items would take too long to make completely.
He has plenty of opportunities.
Su Wei put away her phone and looked at the snowflakes swirling in the distance, illuminated by the car headlights.
That's fine.
This gave him a buffer period.
The amount of knowledge I absorbed from Old Hope today was so vast that my muscle memory needs time to process it.
The Raptor pickup truck turned onto the dirt road leading to the foot of Pillar Mountain.
Ten minutes later, the familiar two-story wooden house came into view.
The room was dark, with the lights off.
Perhaps a few embers remain in the fireplace.
Su Wei turned off the engine and got out of the car.
As soon as he reached the door, he heard a faint scratching sound coming from inside the house.
Click.
The key turned, and the door lock popped open.
A wave of warmth washed over me.
Immediately afterwards, a white ball of fluff shot out from under the sofa like a cannonball and hit his calf directly.
"Waaah!"
The Cotton Candy clung to his trouser leg with its front paws, its fluffy tail wagging like a propeller.
It tilted its head back, its dark eyes filled with grievance, its wet nose constantly sniffing the unfamiliar scent on him.
Su Wei bent down and scooped up the increasingly heavy little fox with one hand.
Sorry I'm late.
He buried his face in the soft, thick hair on the Cotton Candy's neck and took a deep breath.
There was no smell of medicine or blood, only a faint scent of hay mixed with the unique milky smell of small animals.
The nerve that had been taut all day finally relaxed completely at that moment.
He had spent too long in the workshop filled with rotting flesh and chemicals, his mind working at a high level of concentration until he was almost exhausted.
At this moment, the warm little life in his arms, who was completely dependent on him, was like a powerful power bank.
"Eek!"
Cotton Candy seemed to smell the lingering Raptor scent on him, and rubbed against his collar in annoyance, trying to cover up the smell with her own.
Su Wei smiled, rubbed its ears, and carried it into the kitchen.
Su Wei cut a piece of fresh venison and watched the little guy wolf it down. He poured himself a glass of water and sat down at the table.
He pulled a crumpled notebook out of his pocket.
This is his habit: whenever things get complicated, he lists them out and crosses them off one by one.
The pen tip scratched across the paper.
First, we need to buy land. Eighty acres, asking price $400,000. This is the most important thing right now. With this land, our territory will be able to connect directly to the outer edge of the U-Shaped Valley, completely surrounding this area. We can even reach the sea via Pilan Creek.
Second, rebuild the house. Hire the Polar Solid Shield Engineering Team; the budget is 200,000. The current log cabin is in poor condition and the foundation must be reinforced, the insulation redone, and a basement built. Of course, there will also be a new studio, garage, and exhibition hall.
Third, hunter training. Recently, he has felt his physical strength waning. Especially for someone entering the hunter profession, physical fitness is crucial. Once Black returns, the training plan must begin. It has been delayed for too long.
Fourth, specimen making. I need to learn from Old Hope, and I don't know how long it will take. But this skill can bring in a lot of hidden income, and I can also make my own specimens in the future.
Su Wei stared at the words on the paper, tapping his chin lightly with the pen.
But wait, if I want to make specimens myself in the future...
Should we add a specimen room as well?
This is different from a studio; taxiderms need to handle many chemicals, which must be handled separately.
If that's the case, and there's still carpentry involved in the future... then why not just build a large workshop, divided into several rooms, each specifically for handling different things...?
As he pondered, Su Wei kept adding new things to his notebook.
In the end, it was no longer just a simple matter of building a wooden house.
There are also further plans for the future, including a studio and a gallery.
The dirt road outside also needs to be rebuilt; it's alright in winter because it freezes solid.
It will be terrible once summer arrives.
As temperatures rise, the permafrost thaws, and rainwater adds to the thaw.
It would be a disaster; it would turn into a complete muddy road.
That's when you really need to spend big money.
Also, regarding the lake nearby.
He also had to take that into account; once he bought those eighty acres of land, the lake would become his private property.
Perhaps he could buy a seaplane? And build an airstrip in the lake?
In Alaska, the most common modes of transportation are not trains and cars.
Instead, it refers to airplanes, various small airplanes.
Because there are few people here and the infrastructure is incomplete.
Using an airplane is the best option.
Of course, these are all things to consider in the future.
Su Wei looked at the densely packed notes and quickly stopped thinking.
For now, the most important things are rebuilding the cabin, buying land, training, and studying the specimens.
The rest can be put on hold for now.
Su Wei sighed. He had thought that once he paid off his debts and had a few million in hand, he could relax and do nothing.
Unexpectedly, the more money I had, the more things I wanted to do, and the bigger my business became.
This is like playing a construction game. At first, you just want to build a thatched hut, but once you have resources, you want to build a castle, claim land, and create top-tier equipment.
This is a hoarding desire ingrained in one's very being.