1983, Northeast China

Chapter 61 Taking Yellow Ears Up the Mountain

Chen Shi didn't reply; he was wondering if these things were related.

But I can only vaguely remember the memories of my past life; I really can't remember these scattered little things clearly.

"Mother, is there even a need to think about it? People who walk openly on the main road are those who are rushing to catch a carriage. They wouldn't dare to walk on the main road, because if they hit someone and then ran away, they would have something to hide," Li Cheng said.

Aunt Wang said, "You know quite a lot."

"I have this special talent," Li Cheng said proudly. "I used to steal meat from the pig feed, and I did it secretly behind your back."

Aunt Wang's eyes widened suddenly.

Li Cheng immediately coughed, "I didn't steal, I didn't steal, it was just an example."

Ya Ya only half understood what she was hearing, but when she heard "pig-killing feast," she knew what it meant. "Grandma, do we always have pig-killing feast for Chinese New Year?"

"Yes, they all are." Aunt Wang said to Li Cheng with a hint of annoyance, "You'd better keep an eye on things, or your Uncle Li Cheng will definitely steal them."

"Mom! The child is here, give me some face."

"These days, if anyone has meat in their jar, they have to hide it carefully," Chen Xiulan teased Xiaoman from the side.

Hearing this, Aunt Wang sighed, "At the end of the year, the village looks lively, but everyone is struggling. Otherwise, Xiao Hai wouldn't be so helpless as to dare to run up the mountain. I don't know how his leg will be tomorrow. He's a strong young man; if he really gets injured, how will his family survive?"

Chen Xiulan didn't say anything. In the past, what she feared most was how to live in the future. She herself didn't know how to live.

Things are really different now; she thought of her child's name and household registration again.

"I used to think that once it got dark, it was the end of the day, and when it got light, I could just get through another day," Chen Xiulan said. "It's still difficult now, but as difficult as it is, having something to look forward to makes all the difference."

Aunt Wang understood what she meant. "What you said makes sense. I used to think about raising Li Cheng and watching him become successful. But when he actually went out into the world, I couldn't let go of him. Now that I think about it, young people still have to go out into the world."

Li Cheng puffed out his chest. "Mother, you're right. I'm the best at running away."

"I only said a few words to you, and you're already getting cocky? What can you do?" Aunt Wang glared at him. "If you weren't my godson, you'd only cause trouble wherever you go. I know you too well. You've changed so much, how come you're still such a troublemaker?"

"Well, my brother-in-law didn't get killed in the bombing, so it doesn't motivate me. What am I supposed to do? It's your fault for not giving me a sister back then," Li Cheng said.

"I'll beat you to death, you bastard!" Aunt Wang raised her hand and slapped him down, her movements still steady and accurate.

Li Cheng quickly begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, please have mercy! I'm different now. I'm a legitimate partner now. You can ask Chen Shi if you don't believe me."

Chen Shi was tidying up his things nearby and hadn't participated in the conversation at all. When he was suddenly brought up, he said, "I'm going to Lao Nangou tomorrow."

Chen Xiulan stopped teasing Xiaoman. "Go up the mountain? Or find Uncle Wei?"

"I need to find Uncle Wei. He had his leg checked again after the last acupuncture treatment. I also want to ask him something," Chen Shi said.

Aunt Wang frowned. "That old man is really something. The older he gets, the more stubborn he becomes. What does your father's accident have to do with him? He insists on carrying his things and going to live in a cave by himself."

"I asked him, but he wouldn't say. He probably has something on his mind," Chen Shi said. "I'll just go over and keep an eye on him from time to time."

"Yes, that's right. He's saved us several times. He's a really nice guy," Li Cheng said.

"Mother, let them take some food to Uncle Wei tomorrow," Chen Xiulan said. "His situation is much tougher than ours, so let them bring some things that are hard to come by in the mountains."

Aunt Wang responded.

She complained, but the next day when Chen Shi and the others went out, she packed a lot of things and stuffed them into their hands, saying, "This is all we have at home; we'll have to go buy more later."

Chen Shi took a short fork and also brought his wood-chopping knife. Li Cheng saw the short fork and asked, "Why did you bring so many this time?"

"I have a feeling that things aren't going well in the mountains this year. In previous years, there weren't so many thugs coming into the village. It's always good to be on guard," Chen Shi said.

"Isn't it more dangerous for Uncle Wei to live alone in the mountains? Why don't we bring him back?" Li Cheng blurted out instinctively, "Oh, wait, he has a gun."

"Mind your own business first, stop worrying about useless things all day long," Aunt Wang said, unable to help but scold him.

This son is too soft-hearted. If he didn't have the ability to be soft-hearted, wouldn't that just be squeezing his own livelihood?

"Okay, okay." Li Cheng turned around and saw Huang Er sitting upright at the gate of the yard. "Hey, why don't we take Huang Er with us? I haven't seen it fight yet."

Chen Shi thought for a moment. Last time, Officer Liu was able to openly guarantee that Ya Ya would be alright. No matter what methods they used, Ya Ya was definitely safe. "Bringing her along is fine."

"You actually agreed?" Li Cheng was quite surprised that Chen Shi would agree.

Chen Shi lifted the curtain, looked around the room, and made sure nothing was left behind. "Agreed, let's go."

Along the way, Li Cheng kept chattering away, while Huang Er walked ahead, stopping and starting, occasionally looking back at them before continuing towards Lao Nan Gou.

Chen Shi had been observing Huang Er, and it was extremely familiar with Lao Nangou.

With previous experience and the help of yellow fungus, we found it very quickly this time.

When Old Wei opened the door, a thin, black dog emerged from the cellar. Its fur was shiny, and it seemed to know Yellow Ear very well; the two dogs greeted each other amicably.

"Uncle Wei, why are you hiding a dog?"

"Things haven't been going well in the mountains lately, so I brought it back from an old friend. It'll suffer with me for a while longer," Old Wei said.

Chen Shi understood. Huang Er and this black dog used to be partners quite often. Judging from how close they were, they were just like people.

"What's your dog's bark?"

"Grey beak".

Upon hearing the name, Li Cheng burst into laughter, "You judge a dog by its appearance. It has a ring of gray hair around its mouth, so it's called Gray Mouth."

Old Wei snorted coldly, "You should be called a gossip."

Li Cheng has now figured out Lao Wei and isn't afraid of him at all. He's just a stubborn, kind-hearted old man who's a bit scary-looking.

Chen Shi went into the house and first took out the medicinal wine.

"Stimulating me again?" Old Wei said impatiently, but he put his leg up on the ground.

Chen Shi rubbed his hands through his cotton-padded pants. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Um."

Li Cheng, being perceptive, started adding firewood to the hearth to keep it warm, otherwise the needles would freeze.

"You better watch out, kid. Do you think I don't need firewood?" Old Wei was heartbroken to see Li Cheng throwing firewood in like crazy.

"What are you afraid of? We'll go get you some firewood later. You're so stingy."

As they chatted, Chen Shi warmed the medicinal wine by the fire and gently massaged it into Old Wei's skin.

At first, Lao Wei was able to hold back, but when he massaged until his muscles were knotted and his jaw was clenched so hard that his temples throbbed.

"If it hurts, talk to her and try to distract yourself," Chen Shi said.

"Why are you talking so much lately?"

"I learned it from you," Li Cheng chimed in from the side.

Old Wei glanced at him and said, "You're quite prone to arrogance."

After massaging the area, Chen Shi gently inserted two needles into Old Wei's skin. As soon as the needles went in, the impatience on Old Wei's face lessened.

After Chen Shi finished acupuncture, he stretched his legs and feet.

"Don't catch a cold, and massage it yourself if you have nothing to do," Chen Shi said habitually as he put away the needles.

"Wow, the way you're talking, it sounds like you're a doctor!" Li Cheng said.

"Uh..." Chen Shi stammered, "I studied to be a doctor at the clinic."

Li Cheng gave a thumbs up, "You know what, it really does have that flavor."

Old Wei ignored them and took the oil paper package.

"What is this?"

Chen Shi opened the oil paper, and the smell of pine oil wafted out.

"Did you apply pine oil?" Old Wei asked.

"Hmm." Chen Shi nodded, then asked, "To suppress the smell?"

"It's for suppressing odors and preventing moisture, both of those make sense." Old Wei put the things back, "I applied a bit too much."

Li Cheng immediately pressed, "Then what are you going to do?"

Old Wei didn't reply to him. Instead, he looked at Chen Shi, waiting for him to say what he was going to say next.

Chen Shi gave Li Cheng a general account of Zhao Xiaohai's situation, and Li Cheng added details as he went along.

"That's not a proper wide sled for hauling timber," Old Wei said. "The big sleds in the forest farm take the main roads, with bells hanging and lights on, so you can hear them from far away. At night, they don't hang bells or light lights, and they even go around the leeward gullies."

"We're hiding from people," Li Cheng said.

Old Wei glanced at him and said, "Your brain can catch its breath sometimes."

Li Chenggang wanted to laugh, but he held it back.

Chen Shi asked, "Uncle Wei, has it always been like this at the forest farm?"

"How did you know it was a forest farm?" Old Wei asked back.

"It was my intuition, my feeling, so I said it."

Old Wei pointed at him with his index finger, "If you don't have evidence, you're just spouting nonsense. Don't you want to die?"

"The mess in the forest farm has been going on for a long time. The old folks in the mountains know all about the public timber, scrap materials, hides, frozen goods, and whose sled has been heard running at night."

At this point, his voice became a little heavy, as if he were recalling some unpleasant memories. "Putting everything else aside, for now, don't get involved in these matters. They have nothing to do with you."

Chen Shi understood the unspoken meaning in Lao Wei's words, but Li Cheng did not.

"How can you say it's okay? You didn't see what Xiao Hai looked like with your own eyes."

"What's the situation? Is the person dead? Are you going to risk your life too?" Old Wei was a little angry, and his tone became stern.

"This is an old tradition of the forest farm, it has nothing to do with your Chen family. If you're really so bored, you should raise your two children first. If you meddle in other people's business in the mountains, you'll end up buried under the snow."

"I didn't want to get into a fight," Chen Shi said honestly. "I just wanted to make sure it had nothing to do with Ya Ya."

Old Wei stared at him for a while, then snorted.

"It has nothing to do with Ya Ya's affair, at least not on the surface, so don't overthink it."

Li Cheng was still somewhat unwilling, "So Xiao Hai was hit for nothing? Who knows what will happen to him in the future?"

Enraged, Old Wei grabbed a stick and poked Li Cheng's foot, causing Li Cheng to howl in pain. "You're worried about him? You're supporting him? You're a burden yourself, yet you're still thinking about saving him? Even a clay Buddha has some integrity, what do you have? Your rotten kindness will only ruin you sooner or later, and you'll have to drag your family down with you."

"Uncle Wei, what you're saying sounds just like my mother."

"Your mother can scold me better than I can." Old Wei stood up, pulled down his trouser leg, and said, "Let's go."

Chen Shi looked up. "Where to?"

"Didn't you say things were tough at home? We need to get something to cook before the New Year." Old Wei took an old gun down from the beam of the dugout. The gun barrel was worn smooth and the stock was polished to a shine. "I saw some roe deer tracks on the leeward slope the day before yesterday. I'll try my luck."

Chen Shi frowned. "It's better for your legs if you stay indoors and rest."

"Back in the day, if we'd been so particular about these things, we'd be dead eight times over." Old Wei slung his gun over his shoulder. "Leg pain doesn't mean I don't have legs. Let's go."

"War?" Li Cheng immediately grasped the key point. "Uncle Wei, you've fought in wars?"

Old Wei snorted, took a small bag of bullets and put it in his pocket, and then took a hunting knife.

"You might not find roe deer, and finding mountain produce is a matter of luck. If you see birch buds or schisandra berries along the way, take some back with you."

Chen Shi nodded and retied the medicine packet.

Two dogs were already waiting outside.

Yellow Ear stood in front, while Gray Mouth lay on the edge of the snow.

Li Cheng looked at this one, then at that one, and said, "This time it's three people and two dogs, quite a show of force."

"If you include your mouth, you're worth half a village."

This time, Lao Wei led the way, taking them to places Chen Shi had never been before.

The mountain road is noticeably different from before; it's the kind of road that very few people travel to.

Yellow Ear sniffed ahead, while Gray Mouth followed leisurely to the side. The two dogs, one eager and the other steady, seemed to have a pre-arranged division of labor.

After watching for a while, Li Cheng couldn't help but say, "No wonder they say a good dog is worth half a person. If I had a nose like that, I could find anything my mother hid."

"You didn't have a nose, but you still searched quite a bit," Chen Shi said.

Li Cheng chuckled.

Not long after, Huang Er turned to an old birch tree, scratched at the snow with its front paws, and then looked up at Chen Shi.

Old Wei followed and looked up at the tree trunk.

A patch of dark brown birch hyacinth grows high on the trunk, and it is difficult to see unless you get close.

"Okay." Old Wei glanced at Huang Er, "There's something in that nose."

When Huang Er was praised, he wagged his tail vigorously.

"You chatterbox, go up there!"

Li Cheng was taken aback. "Huh?"

"Yeah, cut it off. Do you expect it to fall on your head by itself?" Old Wei retorted without any politeness.

"I'll go," Chen Shi said, stepping onto the fallen log and shaving it off bit by bit with his knife.

"This thing can be used?" Li Cheng asked, looking up.

"To boil water," Old Wei said. "It's not worth much, but it'll do its job."

"That's fine too." Li Cheng opened the cloth bag. "It's best if it's not worth much money right now. I feel uneasy carrying something that's worth a lot of money."

Chen Shi cut off a piece and threw it into his cloth bag.

Greybeak then walked toward a patch of low hazel bushes, its nose pressed against a crevice in the snow. Yellow Ear immediately followed, and the two dogs dug a patch of shallow snow, one after the other.

Several frozen hazelnuts were visible beneath the snow, along with some shells that had been gnawed in half by mountain rats.

Li Cheng's eyes lit up immediately. "There's dried fruit too?"

Old Wei stopped him with a wooden stick.

"Don't dig it all up. The things in the mountains also need to survive the winter."

Li Cheng's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. "That makes sense. How much should I take?"

"Just enough for the kids to grab a handful," Old Wei said.

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng squatted down and carefully selected a good one before picking it up.

Old Wei watched his silly appearance from the side, feeling both annoyed and amused.

Yellow ear suddenly darted out from behind the hazelnut stalks.

"Yellow ear fungus!"

As soon as Chen Shi shouted, a series of loud thuds erupted from the snowdrift ahead.

A pheasant leaped out of its snow nest, its wings sending snowflakes flying everywhere.

Greybeak skillfully pressed down from the other side, forcing the pheasant back.

Huang Er leaped from the side and bit the pheasant's wing root. The pheasant struggled a few times but couldn't break free.

Li Cheng was dumbfounded. "This works?"

It was the first time Chen Shi had ever seen two dogs working together. He was amazed at how well his father had trained Huang Er. If even dogs were this good, his father must have been incredibly skilled back then.

Mountain King?

The word suddenly popped into Chen Shi's mind, and he smiled.