It seems the wind outside the window has stopped?
He listened for a while.
The howling wind and snow that had lasted for days, almost seeping into our bones, had truly disappeared.
The world is eerily quiet.
All that remained were the soft crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace and the contented breathing of the Cotton Candy sleeping soundly beside her, having finished her meal.
This extreme tranquility, ironically, makes one's heartbeat even clearer.
Nothing more was said that night.
The next day, Su Wei was awakened by an almost blinding light.
Su Wei opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was not the familiar wooden ceiling, but a blinding white light.
He almost immediately sat up on the carpet and rushed to the window.
Overnight, the condensation on the windows turned into thick frost flowers, like stained glass in a church, blurring the outside world.
However, he could still see the boundless, dazzling white through the gaps in the ice flowers.
And there was that long-lost, clear blue sky.
The snow has really stopped.
And judging from the looks of it, it didn't rain at all last night.
" Cotton Candy, wake up."
Su Wei gently nudged the little fox, who was still fast asleep, sprawled out on its back, with her toe.
Cotton Candy grunted twice in dissatisfaction, rolled over, buried her head in her fluffy tail, and continued to play dead.
Su Wei ignored it and turned around to change into a set of durable work clothes and put on heavy, non-slip boots.
Pushing open the heavy door of the wooden cabin, a cool but fresh breeze rushed in, carrying the unique chill of a snowfall.
The world before my eyes has been completely reshaped.
The courtyard, the lake, the distant forest—everything was covered by at least a meter of snow, making all the sharp edges rounded and soft.
The branches of the trees were bent low by the weight of the snow, forming beautiful white arches.
The whole world is like a giant cake covered in frosting.
Su Wei squinted, adjusting his eyes to the intense sunlight reflected off the snow.
Then he picked up the sturdy iron snow shovel from under the porch.
Get to work.
This was the first reaction ingrained in the Su Wei Union.
Su Wei's first task was to clear a path from the entrance of the cabin to the garage.
The snow was thick, and after a night of low temperatures, the surface had hardened somewhat.
With each scoop, you can feel a distinct resistance.
Instead of using brute force, he first used the edge of the shovel to cut through the snow, then turned sideways and used his strength to shovel a large, heavy chunk of snow to both sides of the path.
This is purely physical labor, tedious and repetitive.
But Su Wei was very focused, his breath condensing into white mist in the cold air, and with each exertion, his muscles transmitted a solid feedback.
Sweat quickly soaked his forehead, and he took off his outermost thick coat, continuing to wear only a work shirt.
It took him a full half hour to clean the distance from the cabin to the garage, which was only thirty meters.
Next is the roof.
Although the blizzard stopped last night, the daytime snow and wind still added a thick layer of snow to the eaves.
Su Wei brought a ladder, climbed onto the roof, and used a wider wooden snowplow to push the snow off the eaves.
Large swaths of snow crashed down, making dull thuds as they hit the ground.
When the last handful of snow was cleared away, Su Wei straightened up and exhaled a long breath of white air.
The sunshine felt warm and cozy on my skin.
[You have completed a high-intensity home maintenance operation, Life Module Experience +15]
The prompt that came to mind was like the best reward for this work.
Back in the warm cabin, Cotton Candy was already awake, circling around the empty food bowl. When she saw Su Wei come in, she immediately ran over and rubbed her head against Su Wei's leg.
Su Wei heated up the leftover beef and fish from last night and poured some of it into its bowl.
Then I fried two eggs for myself and ate them with the leftovers.
A simple breakfast can provide enough calories.
After finishing his meal, Su Wei didn't rest; he immediately began preparing for departure.
The first and most important thing was to refuel the snowmobile.
The machine, which the Su Wei had pulled back from the brink of scrap, had long since run out of fuel.
Su Wei put on his coat and went into the garage.
There was an old Dodge parked in the garage. It was left by my father. The truck was in very poor condition, but there was still some gas left in the tank.
He found a translucent plastic hose and a red spare oil drum on the shelf.
As soon as I unscrewed the fuel tank cap on the pickup truck, a strong smell of gasoline hit me.
Su Wei inserted one end of the hose deep into the fuel tank and put the other end in his mouth, then began to inhale.
A pungent taste instantly filled his mouth. Just before the gasoline was about to enter his mouth, he swiftly pulled out the hose and quickly pushed it into the oil can.
Gasoline flowed into the oil drum through the pipe.
This is an old-fashioned method, a bit cumbersome, but very effective.
After shoveling out most of the oil, he carried the heavy oil can to the snowmobile in the corner and carefully poured the gasoline into it.
After doing all this, Su Wei checked the snowmobile's tracks and steering levers again to confirm that everything was normal.
Transportation is ready.
Back in the cabin, he began to put on his gear.
He first changed into his closest-fitting wool quick-drying underwear, which is key to staying dry and preventing heatstroke.
Next, a thick fleece jacket was worn as a warm layer.
On the outside is a windproof and waterproof hard-shell jacket, bright orange, which is very eye-catching in the snow.
The pants also feature a three-layer design, consisting of quick-drying pants, fleece pants, and hard-shell waterproof pants.
He tucked his trouser legs tightly into his high-top snow boots and tied the laces.
Then there are the accessories.
Su Wei rummaged through the drawer and took out all the cash, about 15,000 US dollars, put it in a waterproof sealed bag, and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
His hunting license and personal ID card were also placed in a waterproof bag.
Finally, Su Wei put on a wool beanie that could protect his ears, a pair of goggles to prevent snow blindness, and a pair of thick leather gloves.
When he was dressed neatly and stood in front of the mirror, he looked a little bulky, but exuded a sense of security.
Cotton Candy seemed to sense that Su Wei was about to leave. She stopped eating and just sat quietly at his feet, her little face upturned, her blue eyes filled with anxiety and unease.
It nudged Su Wei's boots gently with its nose, letting out a low whimper.
Su Wei bent down, took off his gloves, and rubbed the little guy's head.
"Let's go, Cotton Candy."
Su Wei could vaguely sense the emotions conveyed by the Cotton Candy: pure dependence, reluctance to part, and nervousness.
He picked up the Cotton Candy, stood up, and checked the room one last time.
Make sure all doors and windows are locked.
Nothing was left behind.
After doing all this, Su Wei opened the garage door.
The dazzling sunlight instantly filled the entire garage.
The clouds outside have completely dispersed, and the sky is as blue as a flawless gem.
The weather seems to have really stabilized.
From here to Kodiak Town, by snowmobile, it takes about an hour if all goes well.
It's worth a try.
Su Wei could not wait any longer.
He mounted the snowmobile and pulled down his goggles to cover his eyes.
He unzipped his clothes and stuffed the Cotton Candy directly into his clothes.