Lin Yu’an trudged quickly toward the shelter, braving the intensifying snowstorm with heavy and light steps.
It seed that the temperature in the air had dropped several degrees within minutes, with the piercing cold trying its best to penetrate his thick clothing.
The clear animal tracks he had just found in the snow were smoothed over by new falling snow and howling winds.
The entire forest was ravaged by this sudden blizzard.
Visibility beca extrely poor; within ten ters, everything turned into a vast white blur, indistinguishable between sky and earth.
Lin Yu’an relied almost entirely on mory and his sense of terrain to painstakingly discern direction in the storm.
He kept his body low to brace against the force of the wind, making each step feel abnormally heavy and difficult.
Finally, after nearly half an hour, the stone house shelter appeared ahead, shrouded by the swirling snow.
The mont he entered the shelter, most of the outside roaring fury was imdiately isolated.
The furnace inside the stone house remained lit, maintaining a relatively warm little environnt.
"Hoo... hoo... finally made it back."
Lin Yu’an leaned against the stone wall by the door, panting heavily, removed his gloves, and rubbed his already stiff and frozen hands.
He walked to the small window and looked out through the gap.
All he saw was a chaotic expanse, snow pouring down heavily, winds raging, the entire world seemingly plunged into a white apocalypse.
"It seems I can’t go anywhere today."
He walked to the stove and skillfully added more firewood, and the flas inside the stove began to blaze up.
The orange glow instantly dispelled the chill inside, bringing a touch of warmth to this little refuge amidst the raging storm.
Outside was the tumultuous snow-filled world, inside was the warmth of the dancing fire and plenty of stored food.
This stark contrast sparked a peculiar sense of tranquility in Lin Yu’an’s heart.
Since venturing outside was impossible, he decided to find sothing to do. He recalled the two beaver pelts he had tanned.
Picking up a soft and thick beaver pelt, he showed its glossy smooth fur in front of the lens.
"Such good pelts shouldn’t just be left unused; I plan to make two hats with them."
"One for myself, and the other to give to my wife, Aliya."
"I’m planning to make a variation of the ’Hunter’s Hat’."
As he spoke, he used a small piece of charcoal to carefully outline the hat’s design on the tawny leather board.
The hat’s main body consisted of three pieces of leather: a top piece covering the head, and two pieces shaped like full crescents, able to wrap around the sides and back of the head.
Besides the main parts, he also sketched out two ear flaps that could cover the ears and part of the cheeks.
After outlining all the components, he began cutting.
Without modern scissors, he could only use his sharp multi-function knife to carefully follow the charcoal lines bit by bit.
Beaver pelt was very tough, making it quite difficult to cut through; he needed considerable force to penetrate the board with the knife blade in one go.
Once all the pieces were cut according to the design, he started preparing the sewing tools.
Lin Yu’an took a dium-sized tal fish hook made of high-carbon steel from his fishing gear pack.
Using two stones as pliers and an anvil, he carefully straightened the curved hook body while preserving the built-in line hole.
Lin Yu’an cut a piece of nylon fishing line about one ter long, adeptly threading it through the self-made fish hook needle’s eye and tying a secure knot.
He picked up a crescent-shaped side piece and the oval top piece, aligning their edges, fur side facing fur side.
Using the sharp tip of the fish hook needle, he pre-punched evenly spaced small holes along every three to four milliters of the edges to be sewn together.
The fish hook needle was extrely sharp, easily penetrating the tough beaver leather board.
"Pre-punching holes allows for easier subsequent sewing and ensures uniform stitching."
Then he began sewing in earnest.
Inside the shelter, only the "crackle" of burning firewood and the faint "thump" of the fish hook needle piercing leather were heard.
Lin Yu’an focused entirely on the task, pulling the nylon thread to tightly stitch the two leather pieces together, forming a neat and durable seam.
After prolonged careful work, the hat’s main body was sewn together.
He ingeniously used the beaver’s distinctive flat tail part, which remained after tanning, as the rear trim.
A rugged beaver pelt hat brimming with hunter style was finally born in his hands.
He put on the finished hat to try it on; it fit perfectly.
The thick, soft beaver fur snugly adhered to his head and ears, instantly shielding him from the outside cold.
After making two hats, night fell, and the storm showed no sign of weakening.
After a simple dinner, he added more wood to the stove, then lay down to sleep.
Day fifty-eight.
Seeing the slightly lessened wind and snow outside the shelter, he chose not to wait passively.
Instead, he imdiately started on his next "indoor workshop" plan.
"With such heavy snow outside, when the snow stops, birds like grouse are likely to perch on low branches to avoid the snow and find food."
As he spoke, he dragged out a spruce seedling he had previously collected as spare materials from the corner.
"Although a bow and arrow are handy, in this weather it’s too cold for my hands, so I plan to make another hunting tool—a long pole lasso."
"Using a long pole, I’ll ’fish’ it off the branch when the grouse is unguarded."
He chose a spruce seedling about four ters long.
Because it was long enough, and also straight and light, it was among the alternative materials for making a fishing rod earlier.
He cut a piece of steel wire about fifty centiters long, bending one end into a very secure small ring.
Then he threaded the other end through the small steel ring, forming a slip knot that could tighten freely.
He adjusted the lasso loop’s diater to about ten centiters, a size sufficient to easily loop over the grouse’s head and neck.
A simple long pole lasso was finally completed.
"Guys, the principle of this device doesn’t lie in power or speed, but in utmost patience and timing."
He held the pole head to the lens, showing the nearly invisible steel wire loop.
"First, you silently approach the prey perched on a branch. Then, you very slowly extend the lasso toward its head."
"Birds like grouse, when not sensing a direct threat, sotis stay still, observing."
"Once the lasso successfully passes over its head and loops around its neck, you only need to make a quick pull, and the slip knot will instantly tighten!"
"Its success or failure entirely depends on your skill and patience."
Approaching noon, the storm outside the shelter weakened.
Though the sky remained overcast, the blinding winds and snow had cald down.
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