Chapter 263

Chapter 263

There was enough food at the foot of the mountain, so Old Man Zhao naturally wouldn’t waste this chance to go into the mountains. He still set traps along the way as they traveled.

All the men following into the mountains this time were robust and strong, each with good footing and bold hearts. Whenever they spotted any slightly larger footprints in the snow, they would track them down and cooperatively surround and hunt.

The blizzard continued unabated. Lost and disoriented, hungry and foraging, or fleeing from natural predators, many wild creatures that usually roamed deep in the mountains had strayed to the outer edges in panic, directly running into the group.

Among them were two wild boars, not small in size. When they saw the people, they charged straight ahead without hesitation.

Seeing this, the men immediately dropped their backpacks, grabbed their weapons, and surrounded them. Sharp weapons against flesh and blood—it took almost no effort to capture the two boars that had delivered themselves as meat.

They were, after all, two wild boars, and carrying them away would be exhausting. Zhao Sandi decisively bled them out, arranged for someone to dig a large pit to bury them, and stuck two tree branches as markers on top. They would dig them out on the way back.

“Make sure they’re driven in deep so the wind doesn’t knock them over,” Old Man Zhao warned. “The snow is thick; if the markers aren’t clear, you’ll never find these two boars again even if you cross the entire mountain.”

Zhao Sandi took the advice seriously, embedding the tree branches deep into the ground and carefully memorizing the surrounding terrain to ensure he could recognize the spot on the return trip.

They traveled on and off all day, finally reaching the Eagle Stone area just before dark.

Everything was kept simple. Apart from Zhao Xiaobao’s food, which was prepared with extra care by Zhao Xiaowu, everyone else made do with boiled water and dry flatbread. It wasn’t enough to fill their stomachs, but at least they weren’t starving.

That night, they spent listening to the howling of wolves.

Whether some incident had occurred in the mountains or something had happened in Wolf Mountain, the ceaseless howling—oooh-oooh—went on all night, terrifying everyone and making it hard to sleep.

Fortunately, there were many of them, and with Old Man Zhao holding things together, the men managed not to show any fear.

As for that braggart Man Cang, who had been waving his arms at the foot of the mountain and boasting about skinning wolves, he fell silent once they entered the mountain range. When danger isn’t face-to-face, a man’s courage can swell without limit, but having only heard the howls without seeing the fangs, they were once again profoundly reminded of what it meant to face the beasts of the deep mountains.

Humans fear tigers, wolves, and bears—not because we are weak, but because they are too strong.

If they wanted to cross the endless mountain ranges, they would not only face countless dangers underfoot, but also need the courage to confront ferocious beasts face to face.

At the very least, they couldn’t be defeated by this series of distant howls.

In the snow, a line of shallow, hesitant footprints gradually became firm, as if strength had been injected into trembling bodies. The men straightened their backs again. Though fear still lingered in their eyes, they no longer showed any cowardice or desire to retreat.

The mountain path beyond Eagle Stone became even more difficult to traverse. Once again, they fully appreciated how hard-won the grain that Old Uncle Zhao and the others had brought back really was.

The wind and snow lashed their faces, and the moisture on their brows and eyelashes silently disappeared as their emotions shifted.

The wide-open courtyard gate was jammed by thick snow. The wind howled, and the weather in the mountains was always fickle—half a day of heavy snow, half a day of gale. The gloomy sky pressed down overhead, making people feel stifled.

Everything around was silent. As far as the eye could see, there was endless desolation. Standing there, one could only feel an immense emptiness.

No wonder fugitives hid in the mountains. No wonder they came down to kidnap women. Staying in an environment like this for long would drive even a normal person mad, let alone those who were already selfish and evil.

The group entered the courtyard.

“There’s firewood in the kitchen. Laicai, take some people to light the stove, boil a pot of water, and heat up the dry flatbread,” Old Man Zhao said as he set down his backpack and carefully lifted out his wide-awake daughter. “Man Cang, take the others to sort through the things in the rooms. Gather any clothes or bedding that can be worn or used, and pack them up to bring down the mountain to share with everyone.”

“Also, check the walls, floors, and everything else. Probe around. Last time we were in a hurry to get down the mountain, we only focused on the grain and didn’t have time to search these rooms thoroughly.” Besides, it wasn’t convenient to search back then. It was obvious that the girl had suffered torment. He didn’t know what the room might have looked like. At the time, he had sent Qing Xuan to call the others. Grown men always felt some awkwardness.

Now there was no need to avoid anything. The fugitives killed and set fires mostly for money and valuables. Searching took no effort, and maybe they’d find some unexpected gains.

Everyone began their tasks while Zhao Sandi went to check the woodshed.

As expected, the headless corpse had been gnawed to pieces by wild animals. All that remained was a skeleton with scraps of flesh and blood still hanging off it.

“Third Brother, come here,” Old Man Zhao called. He was holding his daughter, with Zhao Xiaowu following closely. The three generations, all with the same expression, were giving Zhao Sandi exaggerated winks and nods.

Zhao Sandi closed the woodshed door behind him and bolted it securely.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was watching, the family of four quietly slipped down to the cellar. The uncle and nephew stood guard at the entrance while Old Man Zhao and his daughter went down to store grain.

They didn’t count exactly how much they took, but their own granary now had a sizable gap—just the right amount of space to store the new rice they would harvest this year.

Besides grain, there were also some mountain products, beans, and dried vegetables—a very complete assortment.

Old Man Zhao had already thought of an excuse in advance. If anyone later said that the grain brought back from this trip tasted different from usual, he would say it was because of the mountain soil. With so many wild animals in the mountains, their manure fertilized the land, so the grain grown there naturally tasted different from what was grown at the foot.

Anyway, those old guys had never tasted real deep-mountain rice before. They were easy to fool.

As for how a single fugitive could have grown so much grain—let the ghosts ask about that! What did it have to do with him?

He was only responsible for looting.

“Third Brother, call people to carry the grain.”

Zhao Sandi acknowledged, then turned to Zhao Xiaowu: “Xiao Wu, go call people to move the grain.”

“...” Zhao Xiaowu turned and went to summon everyone.

In a time of scarcity and hunger, no able-bodied man would ever tire of carrying grain! Absolutely not!

With the help of torches, the group emptied the cellar overnight. They tied sack after sack of grain so tightly onto their backpacks that they towered above the rims, then stacked them all in the main hall. They had also stripped the rooms clean—anything edible, wearable, or usable was bundled up.

“I never dreamed there could be so much grain...” Zhu Laicai stood clutching a pair of fire tongs, staring in a daze at the main hall where there was barely room to step. “I thought I was just coming along as support, but it turns out I’m really here to carry grain.”

“You’re not wrong,” Man Cang said, glancing at the fire tongs in his hand, which were also items they would take away.

Outside, the wind was freezing cold, but inside it was bustling. Even the hardest hearts softened into a puddle of warmth at the sight of all these grain and clothes. Aunt Xiaobao was truly the luckiest little girl in their Twilight Village! Bringing her into the mountains had been the best choice!

This wasn’t a fugitive’s den—it was a small landowner’s granary!

Zhu Laicai rolled up his sleeves, his chef’s skills itching to be put to use. He smiled and said, “You all rest for a bit. I’ll go kill a rabbit and roast a couple of legs for Little Sister Xiaobao. A little girl like her has had a rough time traveling through the mountains with us rough men. She deserves something good to cheer her up.”

He had become sworn relatives with Zhu Shi’s natal family, so calling Xiaobao “little sister” was perfectly proper.

Proper as it was, it still sounded strange—a rough, unrefined butcher and a fair, chubby little girl. That “little sister” always sounded like he was taking advantage of her. The men wanted to laugh but held back. They could hear that title a hundred more times and never get used to it.

“I’ll help you start the fire,” Sun Erlang said, slapping the dust off his pant legs as he stood up. The children from their Willow River Village were back down the mountain sleeping soundly, while Old Zhao’s little girl had spent the whole time bustling back and forth on two trips. Although they didn’t understand why Uncle Da Gen, who obviously doted on his daughter, insisted on bringing her through such hardship, everyone from Twilight Village said the girl brought good luck. He believed it, but he still felt sorry for the child. Even though her feet never touched the ground, she was still worn out.

“Brother, you rest. I can handle it alone,” Zhu Laicai said hastily.

“Sitting by the fire is rest enough.” Sun Erlang clapped him on the shoulder and pushed him toward the kitchen. “We still need to prepare some dry rations for the journey down. You can’t manage all that alone.”

Zhu Laicai didn’t refuse any further. His mother was bedridden and had to lie in her brother-in-law’s donkey cart most of the way. When the cart couldn’t pass, the Sun brothers and Zhu’s two younger brothers helped carry her. The families had already formed deep bonds, so they rarely exchanged formalities nowadays.

Seeing this, some went to help, while others went into the rooms to sleep. They would have to set out early the next morning, so they needed to be well-rested.

Zhao Xiaobao had slept the whole way and was now full of energy. Old Man Zhao instructed his grandson to stay with his little aunt at all times, then found a place to take a nap himself.

In the later hours of the night, the fragrance from the kitchen never stopped.

Zhu Laicai, true to his reputation as a butcher, made a whole art out of preparing the small rabbit. Zhao Xiaobao gnawed on the roasted leg with great relish. Using his knife, he skillfully separated the meat from the bones, removing every bone cleanly, and finally arranged the skeleton into a shape.

“What do you think?” he asked, raising his eyebrows proudly, showing off his years of pig-butchering skill to the two children.

“Amazing! Simply amazing!” Zhao Xiaobao’s eyes sparkled, and she clapped her greasy little hands enthusiastically.

“That’s the stuff!” Zhao Xiaowu gave a thumbs-up, being very obliging.

No wonder he was the butcher: he could tell at a glance whether what was roasting over the fire was pig bones or human bones. If he weren’t already learning footwork from his uncle and had no mind to pick up another craft, he’d want to learn the trade from him.

In the countryside, this skill was in high demand!

Seeing this, Zhu Laicai laughed heartily, feeling very pleased.

After being praised by the two children, he waved his hand and butchered another rabbit. Apart from the rabbit legs he gave to the kids, he sliced the remaining meat paper-thin, planning to share it with everyone to go with their dry rations—it would count as some meat.

Even though rabbit meat had little fat.

At first light, the men who had slept in various rooms all woke up. While they tidied up, Zhu Laicai and Sun Erlang grabbed a quick nap. After everyone finished their flatbreads and checked the tightness and wear of the hemp ropes to ensure they wouldn’t break midway, they woke the two and prepared to set off.

The return trip always felt faster. Though it was the same grueling journey, the added urgency made the time pass more quickly.

They traveled in fits and starts, retrieving traps and collecting game along the way, with many stops for hauling and carrying. Finally, by the evening of the second day, they successfully descended the mountain.

The shack was as quiet as ever, though a few strangers were there.

Seeing their group approach, the girl who had been curled up quickly called out to her parents. Before Old Man Zhao could approach, the woman beside her suddenly wailed and burst into tears. She stumbled to her feet and rushed toward Old Man Zhao, dropping to her knees.

“Thank you, kind sir, for saving my Guixiang!”

The woman prostrated herself on the ground, sobbing loudly, her forehead thudding against the earth.

Old Man Zhao was taken aback by this scene. Before he could react, a middle-aged man pulled his son and daughter over and knelt down, kowtowing and weeping as he said, “Thank you for bringing our Guixiang back from the mountains. Thank you, thank you…”

The couple kowtowed repeatedly, and Old Man Zhao couldn’t stop them no matter how hard he tried.

Seeing the girl kneeling nearby, he finally understood what had happened. Quickly slipping off his bamboo basket, he reached out to pull them up: “What are you doing? Get up quickly. It was nothing, really not worth all this! The kid came back on her own. I didn’t do anything—she’s sharp!”

The couple’s foreheads were red from kowtowing, their faces streaked with tears. “We went into the mountains to search for our child, but we couldn’t find her—no matter how hard we looked! We’d given up hope and thought she was gone for good, but we never expected she would come back. Our Guixiang has returned…”

“Guixiang only remembered the benefactor’s face but didn’t know where you lived. My husband and I wanted to thank you in person but couldn’t find your whereabouts.” The woman’s eyes were swollen and red, a testament to how she had spent every day weeping. “It wasn’t until yesterday that that mean woman in our second son's household let it slip that she had seen your shack at the foot of her parents' mountain. That’s why we traveled through the night to get here, afraid we might miss you if you’d already left.”

Old Man Zhao looked at the girl and learned that her name was Guixiang.

When Guixiang met his gaze, her eyes reddened, and she kowtowed deeply to him.

Old Man Zhao quickly signaled to the side. Zhao Dashan and his wife immediately stepped forward, each grabbing one of the couple and forcibly pulling them to their feet.

Seeing this, Guixiang and her brother stood up on their own.

Taking the opportunity, Zhu Laicai and the others carried the grain back into the shack. After setting down their loads, the group sat around the fire.

The couple wiped their tears and pulled over a bamboo basket, pulling things out without waiting for permission.

“When I heard that mean woman from our second son's household mention the shack, I guessed you weren’t locals. Perhaps you were just passing through and got trapped by the blizzard, and life must be hard for you.” The woman quickly brought out several slaughtered chickens. “These are home-raised chickens, raised for years. Old hens make the best nourishing soup—take them to help the little girl build up her strength.”

Before Wang, Old Man Zhao's wife, could refuse, she brought out a basket of boiled eggs: “The roads are slippery, so I was afraid the eggs would break. Guixiang and I boiled them. Now that it’s cold, the chickens don’t lay many eggs. We didn’t have much saved up, so we traded with people we know to get these. It’s not much—please don't hold it against us.”

“Here are two slabs of cured meat and one pork leg. When Guixiang went missing, I lost the spirit to care for the livestock. This cured meat is from two years ago—please don't mind.”

“Here are two sets of winter clothes for children, which belonged to my granddaughter. Guixiang said you have a little girl. It’s so cold these days, and children need to dress warmly to avoid getting sick.”

“This pack of malt candy is for the little one to enjoy. My elder sister-in-law gave it as a New Year’s gift, still unopened and clean.”

“And this half-jar of cheap liquor—it's nothing fancy. Warm it up and drink it to keep warm…”

She pulled out item after item, each one different and precious.

Once the two baskets were empty, she looked at Old Man Zhao and Wang with tear-filled eyes: “I have only these two children, and each one is my heart and soul. I can’t afford to lose them, and I couldn’t bear it.”

“These things aren’t valuable, but they come from our hearts. Please take them. Let us show our thanks.” She composed herself while her husband wiped his tears. Then, with their two children, the family of four once again knelt and kowtowed to Old Man Zhao and his wife, saying, “Saving a life is the greatest kindness. Please accept our respects.”

“Thank you, benefactor, for your kindness and compassion in saving our Guixiang and reuniting our family.”

Three kowtows, each one resounding.

The old couple exchanged a glance. This time, they did not avoid the gesture. They accepted it solemnly.

The deep love parents have for their children—this they must honor.

This bow, they must accept.