1983, Northeast China

Chapter 27 Damn it, what a bunch of bastards!

Hearing the curse, Chen Shi felt a little more at ease.

Knowing that Lao Wei was not far away, his panic subsided considerably.

The wolf heard it too. It stomped its front paws twice in the snow, twitched its ears toward the ditch, but its eyes remained fixed on the basket in Chen Shi's hands.

It didn't lunge forward again, but raised its nose and gently sniffed in the wind.

Li Cheng, clinging to Chen Shi's arm, trembled violently. "That bastard...it's watching our basket."

"Don't give it to it," Chen Shi said. "You stand firm."

If you throw something away, the wolf might not necessarily go after it.

"I'm standing here," Li Cheng said, secretly shifting his feet back a little.

thump.

It rang again.

The sound grew closer, and a hunched figure could be seen on the slope, carrying things in both hands, tapping on trees with his left hand as he walked.

"Don't look at its eyes! Are you two worried it won't remember you?" Old Wei's voice came from behind.

Li Cheng immediately looked away, unsure where to look next, and could only stare at his toes.

Chen Shi also withdrew his gaze, only keeping an eye on the wolf's movements out of the corner of his eye.

"Put the basket down slowly, don't throw it."

Chen Shi didn't ask any questions. He bent down little by little and placed the willow basket from his hands onto the snow.

The bottom of the basket had just touched the snow when the frozen fish inside bumped against it, making a soft, gentle sound.

Green Skin took half a step forward.

This half-step startled Li Cheng so much that he almost sat down as well.

Chen Shi grabbed his arm. "If you run now, I can't save you."

"I won't run, I won't run, my legs won't listen to me." Li Cheng nodded, trembling.

"Then let's do what Lao Wei says."

Old Wei on the slope seemed to have heard this, "Take out the rope, tie the rabbit and the fish together, find a tree, hang it high up, but not on your head."

Li Cheng frantically tried to untie the rope, but the more he rushed, the more difficult it became. After struggling for a long time, it only tightened further. "Give it the meat?"

"Give me a damn thing!" Old Wei cursed without any politeness. "Hang it over there and let it smell that side first, not you two."

Chen Shi took the hemp rope, bit it with his teeth, and used his fingers to carefully untie the knot.

His hands were cold, but his mind was even clearer than before.

The noise shouldn't be too loud.

The speed cannot be too slow.

Rabbit fur got caught on the basket slats. Chen Shi tugged at it but couldn't pull it out. A smell of blood came out with it, and Li Cheng almost cursed again.

Fortunately, the green weasel didn't fall.

A dog's gaze towards a person is soft, indicating that it wants something from that person.

The wolf looked at the man as if it were calculating whether the fight was worth it.

Chen Shi tied the fish and rabbit together and slowly moved them to another tree.

The branches of the tree extend outwards at an angle.

He swung the hemp rope toward the tree branch.

It didn't stay on; the rope end hit a tree branch, and a clump of blood fell, splashing onto his face.

Li Cheng was so worried that tears were almost streaming down his face.

The second time, the rope got caught.

Chen Shi pulled on the rope, hoisting the bundle of rabbits and fish to a height of more than a person above the ground. The items swayed precariously, and the fishy smell wafted out with them.

The green-skinned creature's gaze finally shifted. It stopped staring intently at the person and instead looked at the hanging meat, its nose twitching.

"Back up this way," Old Wei's voice came again. "There are my footprints in the snow. Don't run sideways. Follow my footprints and don't step on them suddenly."

Only then did Chen Shi see clearly that there was a series of footprints covered with a thin layer of snow between the bottom of the slope and the bend in the ditch.

Each step avoided the fuzzy snow crust.

He dragged Li Cheng, backing away step by step down the bend in the ditch.

After walking a few steps, half of the snow collapsed, causing Li Cheng to sway. Chen Shi pulled him up by his sleeve.

The cotton sleeve made a ripping sound, and the cuff was almost torn open.

Li Cheng was so frightened his lips turned white. "Why don't my legs feel like mine anymore?"

Chen Shi didn't let go. "Then consider it a loan to you. You can return it when you get back to the village."

Li Cheng forced a laugh that looked more like a cry.

By the time they retreated to the bottom of the ditch, Lao Wei had already circled down the slope.

He was still wearing that old cotton-padded jacket, with an old hunting rifle slung across his shoulder. The barrel was grimy, and the wooden stock was worn smooth; it was clear that it had been used for many years.

When Li Cheng saw the gun, he almost shouted out loud. This trip today has been incredibly eye-opening.

Just as he was about to sit down on the snow, Old Wei kicked up a clump of snow, which hit him right on the forehead.

"Stand still!"

Li Cheng was startled and immediately stood up straight.

In the distance, the green-skinned man had already circled around to the tree branch where the meat was tied.

It looked up at the rabbit and fish hanging there. They were hanging high, and the wind kept swaying them, so it couldn't reach them, much less carry them away.

Seeing that they couldn't get any food, the green-skinned man kept staring at Chen Shi and his group.

Old Wei ignored the two of them, staring intently at the wolf, still muttering curses, "Starving? You dare stare at a person?"

The wolf took a step to the side.

Old Wei picked up his gun.

That wasn't just a show of force; the moment the gun was raised, his entire demeanor changed.

Chen Shi then realized that when Lao Wei was scolding people with an ice chisel, it was actually quite gentle compared to how he was now.

He had seen real things in the mountains.

"Move closer to the tree." Old Wei didn't turn around, but his words were directed at the two of them. "Slow down, don't run."

The wolf watched them move.

Old Wei also took a small step, keeping the muzzle of his gun pressed slightly in front of the wolf's head.

Suddenly, the wolf howled.

"Grass."

Old Wei cursed and flicked the muzzle of his gun.

"Bang!"

The gunshots shook the snow off the trees, causing it to fall in a flurry.

The shot missed the wolf, but hit the snow in front of it, kicking up a small patch of snow and dirt.

The wolf shrank back suddenly, turned around, and darted into the depths of the forest.

Li Cheng's legs went weak, and he sat down directly in the snow.

He sat down, still clutching the basket, and muttered curses under his breath, "Damn it, what a bastard."

Old Wei didn't put down his gun in a hurry.

He stared in the direction the wolf had run off, and after a while, he lowered the barrel of his gun and turned to glare at the two men.

"Carrying rabbits and fish on your backs, crawling into deep ditches—do you two know what you just looked like?"

Chen Shi moved his lips, but didn't dare to answer.

Old Wei answered for him, "Like two pieces of walking meat."

Li Cheng sat in the snow, saying, "We didn't know there were wolves here."

Old Wei sneered, "Does the wolf have to pass you a note first?"

"We came here to find you..." Li Cheng's face turned bright red.

"Looking for me?" Old Wei scoffed. "Why didn't you come with a bang and drums? Tell the bastards you've come to pay your respects to them."

Li Cheng turned halfway around, tilted his head, and said to Chen Shi, "How come he's even more sarcastic than you?"

Chen Shi took out the two fish strung on straw ropes. "Uncle Wei, I didn't think it through."

He certainly hadn't thought this through properly.

He knew the contents of the basket smelled fishy, ​​and he also knew there might be large animals in Lao Nan Gou, but he was anxious to find Lao Wei.

In his haste, he mistook the mountain path for a village road.

Old Wei glanced at him and said, "You still know you haven't thought things through. You're not completely stupid."

"What about me?" Li Cheng asked, leaning closer.

Old Wei glanced at him and said, "You've got it."

Li Cheng slapped himself on the face, wondering why he never learned his lesson.