Chapter 654: Chapter 654

Although Mountain Eagle had only left Brown Bear Camp for about a month, the camp had undergone significant changes compared to when he left...

A large wooden house occupying more than 400 square feet had already been completed, and several houses converted from large containers, painted green, were scattered throughout the camp.

Since winter had arrived, all types of construction workers had completely withdrawn, leaving only Little Ruby to manage various equipment while multitasking in the camp.

The snow had made the ground, which originally resembled a muddy pit, much cleaner. Little Ruby proudly introduced the various projects of the camp to Mountain Eagle...

Most noteworthy was a greenhouse occupying nearly 2000 square feet...

Steel-plastic frame, transparent plastic panels serving as exterior walls and the roof.

The walls were equipped with solar ventilators and internal lighting, while the planting areas inside were set with ground heating and drip irrigation systems.

If you want to talk about technical content, it's really not that much...

Because the drip irrigation system and ground heating require Little Ruby to control according to a planting manual, and he needs to monitor the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse daily.

Compared to those high-tech greenhouses, the greenhouse at Brown Bear Camp is nothing to mention.

But this thing is extremely valuable in the present Alaskan wilderness because it allows people to eat vegetables even during cold winters where temperatures fall dozens of degrees below zero.

And you can't ignore how cheap it is...

Steel-plastic construction combined with prefabricated transparent plastic panels, all were prepared and sent over by a company over in East, and all the heating and drip irrigation system components were custom-made by Xiao Wan from domestic manufacturers and shipped over via SF Express cargo.

Since it was air-conditioned, the transportation cost was indeed a bit high, but compared to procuring in Alaska, the price was still halved.

Among the entire camp, Mountain Eagle was most satisfied with this greenhouse because, in less than a month since he left, it had already bore results inside.

White radishes, carrots, cabbage, onions, garlic, lettuce, these commonly planted vegetables were growing well.

The previously sick-looking Old Ruby now appeared even more vigorous than young people...

He would inspect the greenhouse twice daily and taste the green leaves, as if they really could extend longevity.

Two strikingly strong cougars had become the guardians of the greenhouse...

Little Ruby had built a small house with underfloor heating pipes outside the greenhouse for them.

Unlike those active Magengxie wolves, the two cougars preferred to stay in the camp...

Here, as long as they occasionally beat up a couple of bears trying to sneak into the greenhouse for food or chase away some uninvited sheep or rabbits, they would receive abundant food from Old Ruby.

Compared to the relatively inward-positioned greenhouse, the most bustling place in the camp belonged to Old Ruby's house and the riverside sawmill.

The camp's dock had been expanded several times...

Called expansion, it was simply enlarging the sides of the existing dock made of concrete foundation piles.

Driving piles at the riverbed and laying planks to facilitate docking for those small boats driven by Indian natives and Inuit people.

When Mountain Eagle came by the river, he saw more than ten boats, which were carrying a lot of floating wood, docked at the pier.

Those natives helped each other, using the winch on the shore and manpower to transport the wood to the sawmill near the dock.

The average person can't imagine a smooth plank of about 30 centimeters wide and around 2 meters long, which is a pressing commodity in the native residential areas.

Here, a normal ordinary OSB board can sell for 150 US dollars in winter, and smooth planks are even more of hard currency.

Ever since Little Ruby fixed that old-fashioned saw machine, the camp's firewood shed had been constantly expanding, with stacks of dry wood piled up inside.

Various leftover scraps not only met the heating needs of the entire camp, but also guaranteed the greenhouse got the passing warm air uninterruptedly working 24 hours.

Those natives didn't use the camp's resources for free; they would bring reindeer, salmon, cod, or various furs as usage fees.

Even those who were really struggling wouldn't come empty-handed. They would collect bundles of hay to the camp and, with a hint of embarrassment, use the saw machine to make planks for repairing their homes.

With so much stuff, the few people in the camp certainly couldn't consume it all, so the animals in the camp were fortunate enough.

Mountain Eagle, under Little Ruby's leadership, met quite a few natives...

This group of people generally have reserved personalities, most Indian and Inuit men don't smile much when facing outsiders.

So except for the Indian natives close to the camp led by Wayne Dort, the expressions of others weren't particularly enthusiastic, but their actions displayed the complete opposite.

With so many people using the sawmill, it should have been chaotic, but what Mountain Eagle saw was a neat and clean site.

These people, after using the machine, someone would voluntarily send the chopped off scraps to the firewood shed, and a lot of sawdust would be loaded and hauled to the far end of the camp for composting, where it would mix with various domestic waste and food remnants to ferment, providing fertilizer and organic soil for the greenhouse.

Mountain Eagle really liked this state...

He didn't need these natives to be grateful to him; he saw providing lumber services as a way to develop clients.

With a hundred natives having come here, he had a hundred suppliers, allowing Xiao Wan's salmon and fur business to obtain relatively stable sources.

In the eyes of the natives, Alaska's fur and Emperor Salmon aren't valuable, especially the fur of herbivorous animals, which has no value at all to many natives.

In Alaska, what's slightly more valuable are bear skin, wolf skin, fox fur, water otter fur, muskrat fur, seal skin...

Commonplace reindeer, moose, musk ox, bighorn sheep, these herbivores' fur are not valuable.

When Mountain Eagle brought over a large amount of living supplies and announced that fur could be used for trading, the camp couldn't hold all the fur.

Old Ruby had to hire women from nearby Indian Villages, passing on his fur processing experience to them so they could help with the processing, then store them waiting to be shipped out.

The Emperor Salmon business Mountain Eagle prepared for his wife Xiao Wan hadn't expanded yet, but every week there was a batch of fur being sent to Anchorage, and then shipped to the homeland via SF Express special line.

The high-quality fur was easy to sell, but whether it was profitable Mountain Eagle didn't know.

Mountain Eagle was standing in Old Ruby's small cabin...

Originally the dirty living room had been converted into a general store...

The weather was gradually getting colder, and the small outdoor flea market couldn't be done, so Old Ruby moved the trading indoors.

Watching Wayne Dort's son Jesse trade two boxes of .22 bullets for two pieces of water otter fur, Mountain Eagle handed him two large slabs of dark chocolate and a handful of candies to take back for his younger siblings...

Jesse glanced at the cub clinging to Mountain Eagle's leg, he enthusiastically showed Mountain Eagle his .22 hunting rifle and said, "sir, Wayne said some cattle and sheep won't survive past next month, so he's planning to slaughter a batch, I can bring beef over tonight, can you make a tasty potato beef stew?"

Mountain Eagle shook his head and said, "If you want to eat, just come over, there's no need to bring beef, we already have too much to eat at the camp.

Your dad is a simpleton, you can go online and learn how to preserve those cattle and sheep meat when you're free...

I'm telling you, besides smoking and drying, there are many ways to preserve beef and sheep meat."

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle kicked away the troublesome little bear, disdaining the little guy grown almost as big as a dog, he said to Jesse, "Remember to pack up the cattle and sheep innards and bring them over, it's wasteful if you don't eat them and just throw them away, better to feed them to the animals at the camp.

Whatever can be preserved from the cattle and sheep transported by Dimension Card Company, keep it; when you're free, go online to learn something to try it out. In Alaska, the cost of raising cattle and sheep is high, but it's not impossible."

Jesse listened, nodded vigorously, and said, "sir, lately Wayne has been assisting those animal protection organizations in investigating the valley, they blasted open the collapsed mountain cave and found there still is a large space inside.

That place is now your territory, if it can be reopened, those cattle and sheep will have a place to overwinter.

sir, I have a cousin who came back to the tribe from Montana, he worked on a ranch in Montana, he said if managed well, that valley can be an excellent pasture, capable of supporting 3000~5000 Angus cattle." The most update n0vels are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽

Mountain Eagle wasn't very interested in the livestock industry in Alaska because the transportation costs are too high and local consumer willingness isn't strong.

The cattle and sheep there currently are bred by Dimension Card Company to lower the living costs within the valley, Huai'en Tribe people can eat for free, of course, they're delighted.

If they had to pay, they would surely prefer to hunt big game like reindeer and moose.

Ranching as a business in Alaska has too low commercial value.

However, having no commercial value does not mean it has no practical value!

Raising a small number, one or two thousand heads, to meet the needs of people and animals at the camp, is worthwhile.

Watching Jesse's eyes full of expectation, Mountain Eagle thought for a moment and said, "If your cousin is really a good cowboy, let him come and talk to me.

I can provide some funds, let him go to the valley there to raise cattle.

You should know, beef is hard to sell at a good price in Alaska, doing business is definitely impossible, but we can eat it ourselves.

You go back and ask, if your cousin really has the ability, I can provide a decent salary."

For the first time in his life, Jesse was given a significant responsibility; he solemnly shook hands with Mountain Eagle and seriously said, "sir, wait for my good news, I promise those cattle and sheep will survive."

Looking at this enthusiastic kid, Mountain Eagle smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to say something, Old Ruby's radio suddenly went off...

Officer Michael stationed in Marshall Town's voice came through the radio...

"Old Ruby, we need to borrow Little Ruby's bush plane, a plane just crashed 150 kilometers north ago...

We've received orders to go and confirm the crash site, then direct the National Guard."

Old Ruby frowned and said in a deep voice, "What kind of plane requires deploying the National Guard?

The next couple of days will see heavy snow, the area 150 kilometers north is entirely primeval forest, rescuing anyone is impossible."

Michael in the radio said helplessly, "I don't know either, maybe it's some rich person's plane, anyway, the state government guys sound worried...

I don't know the specifics, we're just flying over to confirm, if we really can't rescue, there's nothing can be done."