I am a local in North America

Chapter 24 Let's Go Together

I was so excited that night that I tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. I got up early the next day.

Su Jierui repeatedly checked his meager luggage, waited for several hours until the sun rose, and finally saw the familiar helicopter.

I had already packed everything I was supposed to take with me.

He placed the stored fish and meat on the firewood pile, allowing the food obtained from the wild to return to nature. Perhaps this would save a few animals, such as snowy owls, lynxes, red foxes, ferrets, or black bears.

In addition, there were some wooden items he had carved himself, including a black walnut stick about 2 meters long, which Su Jerry took home as souvenirs.

There was nothing else besides that, except for the baby Snowshoe rabbit kept in the rabbit hutch, which gave Su Jerry a bit of a dilemma.

I don't know whether to release it back into nature or take it on a long journey home so that it can live a good life in the "beaver ranch" where there is a gold mine buried underground, which I plan to acquire.

Thinking he would ask the director before making a decision, he did not release the little rabbit for the time being.

It snowed again last night, and the snow in the woods is quite deep.

When director Sean Cable arrived at the campsite with his cameraman and security consultant, trudging through the snow, he found Su Jerry fully armed, carrying a bag, a stick, and an axe.

The director, slightly speechless, said:
"So anxious?"

"I originally wanted to film a scene where someone came to my door to congratulate me on winning the competition."

"The way things are now, it's obvious you already knew about it beforehand, which will make many viewers suspicious. They love to draw inferences from these details and then conclude that our production team is 'doing something behind the scenes'."

Su Jierui was a little taken aback. He was so excited that he forgot about the show's effect, and then said:

“When you called me last night, I was filming, so it should all have been recorded.”

"You already have the materials? That's fine then. Just check them one more time and we'll go. Everyone's waiting to go home."

It wasn't just Su Jierui who was eager to return home.

Director Sean Cable also breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to enjoy his vacation. Remembering something important, he added to Jerry Su:

"Also, don't worry about your bonus yet. We'll register your bank account later. It'll probably be paid out in January. We're closed for the next few days, and no one will be working in the finance department."

"After the company withholds 24% federal tax, the rest will be given to you. However, you may need to pay additional federal tax before April 15th next year. After all, this bonus is a very large amount, so don't spend it all before you have sorted out the tax issues."

"Congratulations! This bonus is double what it was in the first six seasons. You can finally live the life you want. I've been working for almost 20 years and haven't saved as much as this bonus. The main reason is that I have four children to support, and the cost of living in New York is very high..."

When the director mentioned that the expenses were high, Su Jierui became slightly nervous, suspecting that the other party wanted to borrow money from him.

Fortunately, no.

Director Sean Cable simply offered a few words of advice based on his own experience, urging him to seize the day and enjoy life while he's young and single.

Before the money even arrived, the thought of having 24% federal tax deducted directly made Su Jerry feel the pinch. It was as if he could see a huge stack of banknotes sprout wings and fly away, and he felt like someone was stealing money from his pocket.

He nodded and asked the director:
"So what should I do next? Will the people from TikTok that you mentioned on the phone yesterday come today?"

Director Sean Cable said:
"TikTok has staff on duty during the holidays. I contacted them this morning and gave them your contact information. You can arrange a time to meet with them whenever it's convenient for you, but it would be best to wait until after the New Year holiday. Who would want to work overtime during the holidays?"

The conversation then turned to the baby rabbit. Concerned about potential local legal issues, the director suggested releasing the snowshoe hare cub back into the wild to avoid affecting his flight, or waiting until the program aired to prevent it from provoking negative reactions from animal rights activists.

Next, Su Jerry plans to go to Alaska to surprise his parents.

I can also film some footage on the "King's Landing" crab fishing boat and let my YouTube followers know that I've finally finished filming and am back. It was really inconvenient to bring this little rabbit along on the way.

So Su Jerry went to the rabbit hutch, squatted down, stroked the rabbit's soft fur, gently picked it up from the hutch, placed it at the entrance of the shelter, and left his own shelter and sleeping bag for it.

The little guy gently rubbed his finger with his wet nose, then quickly skipped away, unaware of the impending separation.

Before leaving, Su Jierui waved to the little rabbit and called out:
"Goodbye! Be sure to avoid red foxes and lynxes. From now on, it's up to fate."

We're ready to keep this little rabbit.

However, after taking a few steps forward, I turned around and found that the little rabbit had actually followed me.

Su Jierui suddenly softened again, turned around and picked it up, saying to the crew:
“I think I’ll take it with me. There are too many predators around. It’s unlikely to survive until next spring if I leave it. At worst, I can spend some money to ship it back to Seattle and have my sister take care of it for a few days. It shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

The crew didn't say much when they saw this. It was just a rabbit, and in the wild, their numbers were so high that they were considered a plague. Not many people would make a big deal out of it.

The photographer also said:

“I just happened to film this scene, and it looks incredibly touching. We absolutely have to include this segment in post-production; it will be one of the best clips of this season of ‘Living in the Wild’…”

Take a helicopter and look down at your camp.

Like other contestants who had participated in "Living Alone in the Wilderness," Su Jerry was deeply moved, observing this icy world from a different perspective and discovering that the scenery was truly breathtaking.

My emotions were surging intensely, but I couldn't say how much I missed it or how reluctant I was to leave. I still couldn't wait to escape.

But in a few months or years, when you look back on this experience of living alone in the wilderness, you might find it quite interesting.

Back in Yellowknife.

When his feet stepped back onto the solid, flat concrete, Su Jierui still felt a sense of unreality, thankful that he had finally returned to civilized society.

The production team thoughtfully provided clean clothes, and he couldn't wait to rush into his hotel room to shower and shave.

He shampooed his hair several times, and the resulting foam was grayish-black. He scrubbed it clean inside and out, and then rinsed his skin with hot water, which made him feel incredibly comfortable.

It wasn't until he reappeared, dressed in well-fitting, clean clothes, and finally looked somewhat like his original self, that director Sean Cable suddenly remembered just how young and handsome Sue Jerry really was.

The director walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile:
"We're in a rush to get home to spend the holiday with our families. We're already packing, checking out, and getting ready to go to the airport. You're not coming back to the US with us, right?"

"You can rest here for a couple more days. The room fee will be paid by the production team. By the way, your phone, laptop, wallet, passport, and keys are all here."

"Enjoy it! Every contestant who withdraws from the competition eats a lot, some even vomit from overeating."

Su Jierui took his backpack and replied with a smile:
"Okay, thank you for your help during this time. I don't want to think about anything right now, I just want to eat something quickly."

(End of this chapter)