I am a local in North America

Will something good happen in Chapter 15?

The time has come to the 97th day.

The fierce cold wave has finally passed, and at night the Milky Way can be seen shining brightly in the sky; there is no more wind or snow.

However, the temperature remained frigid, with daytime temperatures only around -20 degrees Celsius and even colder nights. It was necessary to wear a hat, gloves, and shoes to sleep to avoid frostbite on the delicate toes, and the daylight hours seemed to have shortened.

This kind of "clear and cold" weather is more dangerous than wind and snow. It can easily lower people's guard and lead to frostbite. The cold air outdoors is like fine needles, piercing through every inch of exposed skin.

Just a few steps from the tent entrance to the food storage area, my nose and cheekbones were already numb from the cold, and the moisture I exhaled instantly condensed into white frost on my eyebrows and stubble.

Whether it's washing clothes, washing socks, or taking a bath, everything becomes a headache for Su Jierui.

I was unusually diligent this morning, washing my hair to relieve the itch after more than ten days, and while I was at it, I also used warm water and soap to scrub my dirty underwear and socks.

Soap is one of the basic living supplies provided by the program team. I have been using it sparingly, and now there is only a small bar left.

Su Jierui was naturally reluctant to use the socks for washing clothes, but the socks were so smelly that they made him dizzy and his hands were stiff to the touch, so he really had to wash them.

He hung his clean socks on the stones by the fire to dry them, and then dozed off. In his sleep, a pungent smell of burning woke him up suddenly.

One of my socks was too close to the heat source, and the heel got a burnt hole, making it quite uncomfortable to walk in now. Luckily, I'm wearing a layer of snowshoe rabbit fur underneath, so I can barely manage.

Given the terrible environment he was in, he couldn't ask for too much. Occasionally touching his messy stubble and greasy hair would make Su Jerry feel deeply embarrassed.

To be honest, he is usually quite clean, at least compared to those messy classmates at school, he is quite good.

As an energetic young man, he occasionally has other troubles.

The reason I decided to do laundry today is because my dream was filled with self-inflicted fluid... It was taught in biology class, those who know, know, I had to scrub my underwear.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and Su Jierui would only complain that his body was disobeying him and wasting his precious nutrients.

Even if the "Living Alone in the Wilderness" production team were to send him a stunningly beautiful woman, Su Jerry would most likely just kick her out without hesitation and suspect that the production team was scheming, plotting to use up his food reserves and energy.

Having persisted for over three months, with a million-dollar prize at stake, everything else pales in comparison, leaving no energy to think about anything else.

After washing my hair this morning and quickly drying myself off, I felt much refreshed.

Taking advantage of the nice weather, Su Jierui packed his fishing gear, grabbed his action camera in one hand, and prepared to head out, muttering to himself:
"Rabbits are so easy to raise. I only give them some hay every day, and they seem to have grown a little bit since I first brought them home. I love watching them eat; the way their mouths tremble as they chew the hay is so cute. I'm so glad I brought them home."

"I've been busy collecting timber these past few days, it's time to go fishing again. Although there are only 3 days left until the 100th day, I doubt I'll be able to finish this painful competition by then."

"I don't like to think positively in advance. I still need to be fully prepared. Yesterday was supposed to be the day of my physical examination, but the production team didn't send anyone over. I don't know what happened."

"If we interpret this as a calculated scheme, they might be trying to give me hope, only to take it away from me in the future."

"For example, when I waited until 100 days to come for a physical examination, just when I was full of expectations thinking that I might have won the competition, they only gave me a physical examination and left me in this wilderness. The huge gap was enough to break a person."

"So I won't make any expectations in advance. For now, I'll just continue doing my own thing according to the pre-established plan. I need to continue stockpiling food and timber..."

The symptom of talking to oneself has worsened. Sometimes it is so quiet that one can even hear their own heartbeat, which makes them feel tense and causes their blood pressure to spike. Talking more makes them feel much better.

Overall, with such enormous benefits as a "gold mine" and "financial freedom" at hand, Su Jierui has maintained a very good mindset.

Especially after starting to raise snowshoe rabbits, he was able to relieve his emotions by petting them, and even carved a "microphone" out of wood to sing from time to time.

Anyway, no one will hear me in this desolate place, and I'm not afraid of being laughed at for being tone-deaf.

I habitually searched for any living creatures around me, but apart from a nest of rats living underground in the distance, I still found nothing.

There was no other way but to continue fishing on the lake.

Using a cane for slip prevention, I carefully approached the ice cave, reopened the entrance that had been frozen again, and dragged out the barbed wire that had been set up last time.

There were only some withered yellow aquatic plants on the gillnet, which he casually tossed aside. Then he started throwing in some scraps of alligator snapping turtle entrails to use as bait and attract fish...

Also on the ice of Great Slave Lake, another contestant, Roland, was busy fishing, staring blankly at the ice hole, his right cheek noticeably swollen.

Roland wiped his face, put his scarf back on, and said:
"My bad tooth is getting more and more painful. It's been driving me crazy these past few days. It might even have some inflammation. I need fresh fish to replenish my vitamins."

"For the past few days, I've only been able to cook meat thoroughly and then mash it with a stone before eating it. I wanted to smash out this bad tooth, but I'm worried about getting an infection and a fever. This damn competition, I just want it to end already. Maybe in three more days I can finally be free..."

"It was so cold a few days ago, and there wasn't enough timber. Other participants probably wouldn't have been able to keep going. Finding timber requires storing a lot of food, and in this extreme weather, some people might not have been able to persevere and have to withdraw from the competition."

"In the previous six seasons, only one contestant caught a deer. Statistically speaking, no one should be as lucky as me this season. However, it is also possible that I have a lot of fish in reserve, since the freshwater fish in Great Slave Lake are very abundant."

"Another bad thing is that I discovered that the musk ox herd that lived a few kilometers away from my camp had left sometime ago, and there were wolf footprints on the surrounding snow. Perhaps they were scared away by the wolves."

"This is terrible. Those musk oxen might wander into other people's territories and bring valuable fat to my competitors. I should have hunted down more of them and scared them away completely..."

The surrounding environment was already extremely harsh, and coupled with the pain from her bad teeth that tormented her from morning till night, Roland's negative emotions were almost overflowing. In just over a week, she lost several pounds.

However, Roland was indeed a tough guy, and he never considered giving up from beginning to end.

When he mentioned that there might only be 3 days left in the game, a smile appeared on his face, but then he frowned and resumed his indifferent expression because he pulled at the swollen area.

When faced with an overwhelming windfall that could change one's destiny, maintaining perseverance is not too difficult once basic needs like food and clothing have been met.

The dawn seems to have broken; only a fool would choose to withdraw from the competition.

After a brief rest, Roland continued to stare blankly and said:

"The medical team didn't come to give me a check-up yesterday, which might mean something good is going to happen, right?"

"I'm likely to be the only one left in this season's competition because I have a lot of food in stock, so they feel there's no need to come and give me a medical check-up."

"On the bright side, maybe my family has already come to Canada and is waiting for me at the show's camp. Then, after I've completed 100 days, they'll suddenly appear behind me, just like in the previous seasons..."

Wearing gloves made of bearskin, Roland fished for nearly two hours but ultimately caught nothing.

He's a hunter guide, best at hunting, but his fishing skills are just average.

On the other hand, let's look at Su Jerry's side.

Great Slave Lake was frozen for several days, and the fish living at the bottom of the lake began to get hungry. In winter, the water temperature was low, and some fish refused to bite no matter what, while others went crazy from hunger. Lured by the fishy smell of the alligator snapping turtle's entrails, they took bites of Su Jerry's hook one after another.

Fishing often involves luck, and perhaps because he had been devoutly worshipping Mazu with his family since childhood, he had long discovered that his "fishing luck" was better than expected.

For example, at noon today, he caught another huge cod that was about 40 kilograms long and reached a meter in length.

Once ashore, before the cod froze solid, Su Jerry burst into laughter and quickly used a dagger to cut the fish apart.

The liver of the cod is very large, accounting for about 5% of its body weight. It is delicious and nutritious.

Su Jierui's eyes practically lit up when he saw the large liver and long string of roe inside the fish's belly.

He's been lacking fresh fruits and vegetables lately, and he's developed two small ulcers in his mouth. It's a good idea to fry some fish liver to help him recover. Fish roe is also very nutritious, rich in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help boost immunity.

On the way back to camp, he then told the audience:

“My grandmother taught me from a young age that the more you complain and sigh, the more likely you are to be plagued by bad luck. You should smile more often so that you will be more likely to encounter good luck.”

“I didn’t understand before, but now I realize it’s the right thing to do. Since I tried to adjust my mindset, tried to fall in love with this wilderness again, and started raising snowshoe rabbits as pets, my mood has improved a lot.”

"Spending a day like a zombie is obviously not as good as maintaining a good mood to get through the challenges ahead. Since I can't change anything, I can only adapt to the status quo."

"Our Chinese ancestors endured countless wars, famines, diseases, and dynastic changes, making them incredibly adaptable to their environment. It's like an instinct ingrained in our genes, and this is one of my strengths in overcoming difficulties and challenging myself. Keep going!"

……

(End of this chapter)