Alaska Gold Rush Diary

Chapter 44 Raising a Glass in Revelry

Zhou Xin first used wooden sticks to make a table-shaped platform.

Then, using the wire used to tie the goods, a two-tiered wire mesh platform was built on top of the platform.

He spent a little over an hour making a simple barbecue grill.

Charcoal is placed on the lower layer of wire mesh, while food is roasted on the upper layer of wire mesh.

By this time, Zhang Jianing had already washed all the necessary ingredients and cut them into sizes suitable for skewering.

Zhou Xin told Edward to continue burning firewood to make charcoal, so that the fire wouldn't run out halfway through the grilling process, while he went to the nearby bushes to collect wooden skewers for making the skewers.

After the wooden skewers were made, he and Zhang Jianing began to skewer them together.

A cool evening breeze blew gently, the distant sky was ablaze with red, and overhead, countless stars twinkled.

"This is so much fun, it's like a school picnic when I was in elementary school."

Zhang Jianing was focused on putting on the beads, looking relaxed.

"Life of gold panning outdoors for too long can get quite boring, so you always need to add some spice to it," Zhou Xin said, trying to sound poetic.

"You make a good point. No matter how tough life gets, we still have to keep going. We might as well try to be happier," Zhang Jianing sighed.

"It's okay to find joy in hardship. At least when we suffer now, we can vaguely see the sweetness in the future. What we fear most is not being able to see the end of the road."

Looking back on his past confusion and struggles, Zhou Xin is grateful that he had the opportunity to enter the gold rush industry.

"I envy you. Here, you don't have to pay attention to others or face people you don't want to see."

Zhang Jianing's words carried a hint of sadness and helplessness.

"Envy? It's like being a caveman, simple as ever," Zhou Xin said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"I like a simple life..."

The two chatted as they skewered the meat and vegetables, and soon finished making a large bowl of skewers with meat and vegetables.

It contains tender red beef, marbled pork belly, mushrooms, potato slices, ham sausage, broccoli, and more.

Next, Zhou Xin started working in front of the grill.

Zhang Jianing originally wanted to help him out, but Zhou Xin said it wasn't necessary and told her to just wait to eat.

Soon, the wire mesh of the grill was filled with sizzling, fragrant skewers.

We can eat now.

Edward opened three bottles of chilled beer, and the three of them happily clinked glasses under the starry sky of the wilderness.

"Welcome to the beautiful Miss Hathaway! Thank you, Sin, for making such a delicious BBQ for us!" Edward said first.

"Thank you, and thank you all too. This was truly a wonderful and romantic experience!"

Zhang Jianing smiled radiantly, her deep blue eyes sparkling.

She speaks Chinese when she is alone with Zhou Xin, but speaks English when Edward is present.

Zhou Xin smiled and clinked glasses with Zhou Xin, but said nothing.

He is rather introverted, but not taciturn. When there are few people around or the atmosphere is awkward, he will try to take the initiative to guide the mood.

But when there are many people around, he prefers to stay quietly by their side.

But now, the two people in front of him clearly didn't want him to remain silent, and both looked at him.

"Shin, as the captain and our boss, you have to say something!" Edward shouted.

"Yes, please welcome President Zhou to the stage to speak!" Zhang Jianing said this in Chinese.

Zhou Xin smiled and raised the wine bottle in his hand.

"Hathaway's arrival will surely bring us good luck, and we're sure to reap even more gold coins in the future!"

"Alright, let's drink to Hathaway's arrival!"

"Cheers!"

……

The barbecue dinner lasted until 10 p.m., and they splurged, drinking half a dozen beers.

After finishing two bottles of beer, Zhang Jianing's fair and translucent face flushed slightly, making her look delicate and charming.

"This is the happiest day I've had in a while!"

She sat on the moon chair, gazing at the stars in the night sky, her eyes seemingly reflecting a galaxy.

"I hope you're as happy here as you are today."

Zhou Xin sat next to him, also looking at the stars in the sky.

"I definitely will! I'm going to shake off all my troubles and focus on digging for gold here!" Zhang Jianing clenched her fists and stretched out her arms, as if making a vow.

"It seems you're under a lot of work pressure. Well, gold mining is a great way to relieve stress. You'll see tomorrow."

"Really? I can't wait!" Zhang Jianing smiled gently, her eyes sparkling.

"Um... could you speak English...?" Edward asked, looking aggrieved.

The only two chairs in the camp were occupied by Zhou Xin and Zhang Jianing, so he could only sit on the rock next to them.

Most importantly, the two of them were speaking a language he couldn't understand at all, which left him, who was usually very talkative, completely unable to get a word in edgewise.

……

The next morning, Zhou Xin first washed the rice and started cooking porridge, and also steamed a few buns.

Then he called Edward and together they installed the two surveillance cameras they had bought the day before on either side of the camp.

Having learned his lesson from the reported incident, he knew that although this place was sparsely populated, it was still vulnerable to people with ulterior motives.

Last time they were able to get close to the camp without us noticing, so there's no guarantee they won't sneak in again.

The cameras he purchased were equipped with human tracking technology; if anyone approached while they were away from the camp, the cameras would record it and issue an alert.

The only drawback is that once he leaves a certain area of ​​the camp, his phone can no longer connect to the Starlink network and therefore cannot receive real-time alerts.

But at least you can review the footage afterward using the surveillance playback function, and it can prevent anyone from approaching at night.

When the surveillance cameras were being installed, Zhang Jianing was woken up by the noise and went out after washing up.

"Good morning, Hathaway. How did you sleep last night?" Edward asked with a smile.

"I slept so well! I haven't slept this well in ages. It's so quiet here at night, you can't even hear the insects chirping!"

Judging from her complexion, she must have slept well last night.

She wore a green long-sleeved sun protection T-shirt, paired with black sports pants, and snake-proof boots that Zhou Xin had specially asked her to buy.

Wearing a white sun hat and sun-protective gloves, she protected every inch of her skin.

He looks athletic, sunny, and full of energy.

"I'm all ready. When do we leave?" she asked eagerly.

Zhou Xin smiled and said, "No rush, we haven't had breakfast yet. We won't have the energy to work if we don't fill our stomachs."

The porridge was ready, and the three of them sat around the table to eat breakfast.

"Let's stay together for now. Once Hathaway is proficient in using the detector and has learned how to mine for gold, we'll split up."

"That's definitely how it should be. I reckon she doesn't even know how to start the machine right now," Edward joked.

"Forget about starting it up, I don't even know how to handle this huge thing. You guys need to teach me."

Zhou Xin then demonstrated to her how to hold the detector while it was mounted on her back.

Zhang Jianing seemed a bit flustered, always feeling very awkward using the instruments in her hands.

Zhou Xin had no choice but to wrap his arms around her slender waist from the side and behind, grasp her soft, white wrists, and teach her how to coordinate the operation of her left and right hands.

The faint fragrance emanating from Zhang Jianing wafted into Zhou Xin's nose, and a few strands of her golden hair were blown across his face by the breeze, causing his heart to flutter.

But once he was sure Zhang Jianing had mastered the technique, he immediately let go, not holding on for even a second longer.