Su Wei ignored his taunt and simply pointed to the venison and deerskins he had taken out.
"The goods are all over there."
Old Jack snorted, walked over, and started loading them.
Su Wei helped him load them onto the truck.
Only after all the venison had been loaded did Old Jack carefully wrap the devil's claws one by one and place them in the passenger seat.
"Oh, right, kid."
Once Old Jack had loaded all the goods, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He walked over to Su Wei and lowered his voice.
"You've had your hunting license for less than three months, right?"
"Your current license is enough to hunt black-tailed deer."
He paused and leaned closer.
"But if you want to hunt brown bears... you're in for trouble."
Something stirred in Su Wei's heart, but his face showed no change.
"How so?"
he asked.
Old Jack mysteriously held up a finger and wagged it.
"Brown bears, especially the ones on Kodiak Island, aren't something you can just go out and shoot."
"The Department of Fish and Game has strict regulations, and there's a limit on how many can be killed each year."
"And..."
He drew out the word.
"You have to enter a lottery."
"Only those who are drawn get a hunting permit."
"Of course, that only applies to 'outsiders' like us."
Old Jack lowered his voice, a hint of schadenfreude on his face.
"Those local indigenous tribes have privileges of their own."
"Looking at your situation, since you want to be a hunter and pay off your debts, I figure you've got your eye on a brown bear, right?"
Old Jack watched Su Wei, trying to find some clue on his calm face.
Su Wei's gaze passed through the garage door and settled on the wilderness outside, blanketed in wind and snow.
His thoughts flew to the behemoth that roamed unchecked through the wilderness.
The brown bears of Kodiak Island.
Those powerful creatures were both the legends of his childhood stories and the ultimate challenge he now had to face.
But he really hadn't known about the lottery.
Or rather, the original owner of his body hadn't known either.
Old Jack's reminder told him it was time to visit the Department of Fish and Game.
Old Jack looked at Su Wei's thoughtful expression, a flicker of confusion crossing his face before he quickly suppressed it.
He rubbed his hands together, ready to take his leave.
"All right, I'm off. I need to sell this batch of goods quickly while the buzz lasts!"
He grinned, revealing two rows of yellowed teeth.
"Don't go stirring up any more earth-shaking commotion, kid."
"And one last piece of advice. Kid, think about your parents."
"Debt is only a temporary hardship, and you're already back on the right track. Don't go taking risks."
"Those big fellas, they're the kings of this wilderness!"
"The kings of Kodiak!!"
He patted Su Wei on the shoulder and shouted at the top of his lungs toward Pillar Mountain.
After shouting, he turned and strode toward his Raptor pickup.
His fat body climbed into the cab.
Su Wei watched him drive away through the wind and snow, hauling the full load of goods farther and farther into the distance.
"Hunt bears?"
Su Wei turned and got into the pickup, starting the engine with a rumble.
His quiet muttering disappeared into the hum.
Then the old pickup was driven into the garage.
Chapter 34: The Warmth of Living Alone, Potato and Beef Brisket Stew After Fourteen Thousand Dollars
The pickup drove into the garage.
Su Wei shut off the engine, and its noisy roar died away.
He took out the key and spun it once around his fingertip, producing a crisp jingle.
Su Wei remained in the driver's seat without getting out.
His chest pocket felt heavy, stuffed with fifteen thousand two hundred dollars in cash.
The debt of a hundred and sixty thousand was still a heavy burden.
But this was a start.
A solid enough start.
Su Wei pushed open the truck door and stepped onto the concrete floor.
He needed to plan how to use the money.
Should he deposit it all?
First scrape together the thirty thousand dollars for this month's minimum payment.
Or...
Upgrade his equipment and buy the necessary supplies?
There was also the lottery for the brown bear hunting permit.
All of that required money.
He locked the garage door, breathed out a puff of white mist, and walked toward the cabin.
By now, the sky had grown completely dark, and the temperature had dropped again.
Su Wei reckoned it was already close to at least minus thirty degrees.
He opened the wooden door and shut the biting wind outside.
He took off his windproof jacket and casually hung it on the rack by the entrance.
The air inside the cabin was a little chilly, but compared to the outdoors, it was a different world.
A white shadow darted out from behind the sofa.
"Arf!"
Cotton Candy yipped and bounded over to Su Wei's feet.
Cotton Candy pawed at Su Wei's pant leg, a big tail swishing back and forth across the floor.
Su Wei took off his heavy insulated boots.
He bent down and reached out to rub the little fox's head.
It felt nice.
Cotton Candy's fur was thick and smooth, like a bolt of heavy, expensive silk to the touch.
"Go play by yourself."
Su Wei took a yellow ball from a small box on the shelf and tossed it toward the sofa.
Cotton Candy gave a short yip, scrabbled with all four paws, skidded on the floor, and then shot forward.
Su Wei watched the little creature's retreating figure and walked toward the middle of the living room.
Only a few dark red embers remained in the fireplace.
The temperature inside was falling.
He picked up the cast-iron poker and stirred apart the accumulated ashes.
Sparks flew in all directions.