[Heads-up: If you can't see the author's image messages, please check the author's ID in the comments section under Author's Notes]
[Update 2.0 - March 16, 2024: All chapters now include matching images. As the story moves forward, live-stream content will gradually decrease.
This novel is set in an alternate universe. Most of the plant and animal info is researched; minor parts are adapted for narrative reasons. This isn't a professional science paper, please be aware.
Feel free to bring your brain along—or leave it at the door.
Enjoy reading!]
“Phew… looks like it’s gonna be a nice day.”
First light of dawn streamed in through the window and gently warmed the bed nearby.
Nathaniel Rivers squinted towards the outside and stretched, slowly sitting up.
Thanks to the outpost’s excellent location, just a glance out the window offered a sweeping view of the forest blanketing the mountainside.
Some trees were already brown and dry, others just beginning to turn yellow, and a few still glowed in bright, fiery reds. The shifting colors of nature looked like someone had spilled a giant paint palette across the land—chaotic but beautiful.
Maybe today’s a good day to stock up again.
As he pulled on his clothes, Nathaniel's thoughts were already spinning.
It was mid-autumn now, and he needed to gather as much wild produce as possible before the snows came.
The snow season in the Kunlun Mountains lasted forever. Once the first snow came, you could kiss foraging goodbye. After a single heavy snowfall, the snow would be deep enough to swallow half a person.
After a quick breakfast, Nathaniel grabbed a big basket and slung it over his back.
Should I stream today?
He glanced at the photography gear stacked on the shelf. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over and picked it up.
Yeah, why not? The weather’s too perfect—just shooting the landscape alone would be worth it.
He launched the drone, grabbed the monopod camera, then beckoned the shaggy black dog that had been lying nearby wagging its tail.
“Shadow, let’s go get some mountain goods.”
“Awoo!”
The dog had clearly been waiting for that cue. The second Nathaniel called, it sprang out of the yard like a shot, tail high in the air.
It was already bright outside, but it was still early—dead quiet, really.
About half an hour into the stream, viewers slowly started trickling in. Just a dozen or so, all familiar faces.
The old followers were chatting away in full swing:
[Wow, early stream today!]
[Wait, is this a drone shot? Nice! Gotta screenshot this and share it in the fan group. Early birds get the HD drone content!]
[No way, Nathaniel finally used the drone? Someone mark the date!]
“Hear yourselves,” Nathaniel said while checking his phone, half laughing, half exasperated. “You make it sound like I never do anything.”
He shrugged and smiled. “Woke up to the trees on the slopes lighting up in layers of golden leaves—had to show you all. And your response is that this is a miracle? Fine, next time I’ll just stay lazy.”
[No, no, no! We’re kidding! Totally joking, please don’t take it seriously!]Seeing how lively the chat was in his livestream, Nathaniel Rivers couldn’t help but smile a little.
His stream wasn’t anything fancy—no floods of virtual gifts, no flashy setup, and he himself was dressed as lowkey as ever. But for those who watched, they knew exactly who he was: a respected professor of botany and zoology from the National Academy of Sciences, and a well-known nature content creator.
Half a year ago, he had made a surprising decision: leaving behind his position and fame to come live in one of the coldest, most remote corners of Huaxia. From a renowned academic to a solitary explorer in the mountains, it seemed like a huge downgrade to some.
At first, not everyone got it. Some even thought it was just a publicity stunt. But once he actually settled in and made this wild land his home, it became clear—he wasn’t faking it.
Life in the mountains was, of course, more relaxed than the grind of city life. Some minor health issues gradually went away, and Nathaniel looked much more refreshed these days.
[“Hey Nate, why are you carrying such a huge basket today?”]
The drone camera zoomed in for a closer shot. In his usual chill denim and outdoor jacket, Nathaniel had something new: a massive basket strapped to his back. Viewers quickly picked up on the change.
“Well, your side might still feel like autumn,” he said with a grin while hiking deeper into the forest, “but up here in the Kunlun range, winter’s already on its way. Before the snow hits, I want to stock up on some forest goods. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long, dry half-year.”
[“Wow, that’s the Kunlun Mountains for you—already brushing up against winter, huh.”]
Fans in the chat were surprised. They were still hanging onto the last bits of summer, yet Nathaniel was already planning for snow season.
Before they could type out more questions, he spoke again.
“Remember those snow squirrels I showed you before?”
Snow squirrels?
Just the mention was enough to grab everyone’s attention.
[“Oh my god YES! The super fluffy-tailed one from before?”]
[“Wait, don’t tell me we’re heading into squirrel country today?”]
“Bingo. And there’s a whole bunch of ’em.”
Nathaniel chuckled, with a sly little twinkle in his eye.
After roughly an hour of hiking, he slowed down a bit, squinting ahead as he scanned the terrain.
This is the spot.
The area was thick with wild hazel and Korean pine trees—the squirrel equivalent of a buffet. Naturally, quite a few snow squirrels had settled nearby.
This was prime time for wild hazelnuts and pinecones. For the squirrels, it meant non-stop gathering for winter.
They had barely set foot into the woods when Nathaniel picked up the distinctive squeaky calls of the tiny creatures. A quick glance upward and—yep, there they were. Flashes of reddish-brown fur darting through the branches.
Because people rarely came this deep into the mountains, the animals weren’t used to humans. And without past trauma, they weren’t exactly afraid either.
A few bold little squirrels even ventured down the trees, clinging to trunks close to where Nathaniel stood, tilting their heads curiously.
They were, frankly, adorable.“Wasn’t someone in the chat begging to see snow squirrels every day? Well, today’s your lucky day."
Nathaniel Rivers chuckled as he set up his tripod and adjusted the camera.
[Finally! Today’s the snow squirrel special!]
[I remember Nathaniel came to this spot a couple months ago... Said there were tons of wild hazelnuts and pinecones. Looks like he’s after some trail snacks again.]
“Yeah, I’m planning to grab some nuts... but we’re not doing it the regular way this time.”
He rubbed his hands together and glanced around at the dense forest of hazelnut and Korean pine trees, his eyes scanning the towering trunks.
These trees had clearly been here for ages. The hazelnut trees were just low enough to try reaching with a stick. But those red pines? Straight and skinny, and even the shortest one looked like a seven-story building. Climbing one just to get a few pinecones? Not gonna happen.
There were always some nuts on the ground, sure, but sorting the fresh from the old was a hassle—and sometimes they weren’t even good.
If he wanted a decent haul of fresh ones, he had to get creative.
A shortcut? The chat fell silent for a moment, viewers clearly confused.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel stood still, staring up into the trees like he was waiting for something. After a few minutes, his eyes lit up. He grabbed the tripod and strode over to a short, dried-out tree nearby.
Without a word, he opened the pouch at his waist, pulled out a hand axe, and started chopping the withered trunk.
The livestream chat exploded in confusion.
Weren’t we here for nuts and fruit today?
Why’s he chopping wood now?
The answer came quickly enough.
That dead tree didn’t last long under the axe. After a few solid whacks, there was a loud "crack!" and suddenly—
Nuts.
A whole pile of pine nuts and hazelnuts came tumbling out of a hollow in the tree, rolling across the ground.
The audience could barely believe their eyes.
“Nice... this batch looks really fresh,” Nathaniel said, picking up a handful and inspecting the shells before pulling out a cloth bag and getting to work collecting them.
The chat was speechless.
"Thing is, snow squirrels are natural hoarders,” he explained while picking. “Come fall, when food’s everywhere, they go into full-on stockpile mode. There was actually a study a while back—under the right conditions, a snow squirrel can stash away hundreds of pounds of nuts in one season.”
He paused, then chuckled as he added, “Of course, their tiny bodies couldn’t possibly go through that much. For snow squirrels, hoarding is just instinct. Even when they’ve got more than enough, they’ll keep gathering like they’re prepping for an apocalypse.”
He looked up at the drone camera and grinned.
“So in the end, they forget where they hid most of it. Other animals with a nutty appetite just come in and ‘help themselves’. In untouched habitats, the squirrel’s forgotten stashes can feed loads of other species.”
Nathaniel scooped up a particularly fat pine nut.
“You might think me grabbing a few pounds for winter is a lot, but compared to what an entire squirrel colony leaves behind, this is nothing. And most of what’s left? Either rots or sprouts into new trees.”Nathaniel Rivers paused what he was doing and pointed at the ground nearby, where countless thin, dried-out “little sticks” were scattered.
"See these? They’re actually the seedlings from uneaten nuts that started sprouting. But the forest here is already crowded enough. These little trees don’t have a shot at growing tall—no sunlight, no space. They just wither and break down, feeding the soil."
As he picked up hazelnuts from the forest floor, Nathaniel smiled and kept explaining.
"Some folks might worry the squirrels will freak out if they find their stash raided. But honestly, that’s barely ever the case—usually only in really food-scarce places."
He stuffed the collected nuts into his bag, then reached into the bottom of his basket and pulled out a cloth pouch. Holding it up, he walked back to the nearby tree hollow.
"The squirrels here basically have an all-you-can-eat buffet. So I’m not too worried."
With a little care, he tidied up the entrance to the tree hollow, then grabbed a few handfuls of the grain mix from the pouch and gently placed them inside.
【Ah, I was just wondering how Nathan was getting those pinecones from such tall trees—turns out he's going straight for the squirrel stock!】
【Smart move. Big brain powered by squirrel labor.】
【If it's a forgotten stash, fine. But if some poor squirrel remembers this one? They're gonna flip!】
Nathan chuckled at the comments.
"Brought some pre-mixed grains with me. I take a little, I leave a little. Even if I accidentally take something precious, the substitute should make up for it."
【Honestly, no need to feel bad for the squirrels.】
One of the long-time viewers chimed in from the chat:
【I’m from the northeast, we’ve got red pines and hazel too. There’s an old saying: 'One squirrel, ten nests.' When I was a kid and times were tough, people would head into the woods in winter to dig through squirrel stashes—could find all kinds of nuts. It was a lifesaver back then.
Like Nathan just said, these critters hoard way more than they need. That whole basket of his? Probably not even half a squirrel’s stockpile. And he even adds food back. So really, no harm done.】
The chat started agreeing after some thought—yeah, true enough. Worrying over nothing.
With the grains tucked into the hollow and that job done, Nathan lifted his head and glanced up again at the little figures darting through the tree branches.
Thanks to his sharp vision, he could spot even the furthest movement way up among the leaves.
And when it came to choosing a target, he had his own method.
He only tracked the bigger, sturdier snow squirrels—the ones with more strength and a better stash. Their picked nuts tended to be larger too.
It didn’t take long before Nathan’s eyes landed on one.
And the moment he got a clear look, his eyes lit up.
What a handsome little guy!
