Chapter 33

Yu Xiangnian hadn’t been at work long when Bai Mei came to see her.

Perhaps because she had witnessed the two of them together yesterday, Bai Mei was particularly attentive today and brought some homegrown peaches for her.

Having eaten plenty of big, sweet peaches, Yu Xiangnian had no desire to eat these small, greenish ones, barely larger than a ping-pong ball. Besides, she didn’t feel comfortable eating something from Bai Mei.

In the afternoon, after work, she saw Li Guihua’s two daughters on the road and gave the peaches to them.

Ding Yunfei also came to see her. “Nian Nian, I heard Deputy Regiment Commander Cheng went out on a mission again. I’m really worried about you being alone at home. If you need any help, just call me.”

This scumbag always tried to take advantage of Cheng Jingmo’s absence.

The original Yu Xiangnian couldn’t resist his advances, ruining her life.

But these days, Yu Xiangnian didn’t have the energy to deal with them. Her mind kept replaying the scene of the wolf lunging at her, and she was worried about Cheng Jingmo and the others.

“Brother Ding, especially when Cheng Jingmo is not around, we need to keep our distance. My father somehow heard about us and has already warned me. He said if we do anything inappropriate, he’ll come after you first!”

Yu Xiangnian knew exactly what Ding Yunfei feared the most, so she decided to use it to her advantage.

She continued, “If you come to my house, the neighbors will see, and word will get back to my father. He won’t do anything to me because he cares about me, but you might not be so lucky. Also, we should keep our distance at work too. Who knows, my father might have planted informants.”

Ding Yunfei was genuinely intimidated. He still wanted to leave a good impression on the commander.

“Nian Nian, does the commander dislike me that much?”

“It’s not dislike; it’s because I’m married now and need to keep my distance from all men.” Yu Xiangnian sighed, looking regretful. “If only I had met you earlier, we wouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

“We should be cautious for now. Once my father relaxes his guard, we can see each other again. Okay, Brother Ding?”

“Nian Nian, I’ll do as you say. I’ll leave now,” Ding Yunfei replied.

Yu Xiangnian finally didn’t have to pretend with those two for a few days.

Meanwhile, Cheng Jingmo, Yu Xiangyang, Dong Minghao, and two others, armed with guns, knives, and provisions, entered the deep mountains through the bamboo forest.

The dense vegetation and lack of paths slowed their progress.

Every so often, they had to stop and check for signs of wolves.

By noon, after five hours of trekking, they reached the heart of the forest.

Cheng Jingmo found several spots with wolf droppings and had the group stop.

They ate some provisions, caught a few wild rabbits and chickens, and started setting up traps.

The forest was vast, and wolves were cunning. With so many people last time, they couldn’t find the wolves, so they had to lure them out this time.

After setting the traps, night began to fall.

Cheng Jingmo collected the wolf droppings and handed each person a lump, instructing them to smear it on themselves.

This would mask their human scent.

Yu Xiangyang complained as he smeared the droppings, “If I had known it would be this disgusting, I wouldn’t have come with you!”

Cheng Jingmo retorted, “If you can’t even think of this, don’t expect to ever defeat me.”

His light tone delivered a sharp blow.

Yu Xiangyang had always been the exemplary child in the eyes of the adults, but ever since meeting Cheng Jingmo, he had been overshadowed in everything. He harbored a deep-seated desire to one day surpass him.

Yu Xiangyang vigorously smeared the droppings on himself, almost wanting to grab the wolf dung from Cheng Jingmo’s hands to smear on himself as well.

“Cheng Jingmo, just wait. One day, I’ll defeat you fair and square, and you’ll have to admit it.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Wolves are nocturnal creatures, so the group hid in the dense underbrush, waiting for the wolves to appear. However, even after waiting most of the night, there was no sign of them.

The forest was teeming with mosquitoes, and their exposed skin—faces, necks, and hands—were covered in itchy, red welts from the bites.

In the latter part of the night, a heavy rain began to fall, forcing them to find shelter in a cave.

To avoid startling the wolves, they didn’t even start a fire, instead resting against the cave walls in their damp clothes.

The rain continued until around nine o’clock the next morning.

The five men ate some dry rations and came out of the cave to find that the wild chickens and rabbits they had used to bait the traps were gone. There were some messy footprints around the area.

Dong Minghao cursed, “Damn it! I haven’t had meat for a month, and the game we caught was all eaten by them!”

Cheng Jingmo said, “Everyone watch your step. Don’t destroy the wolf tracks.”

He began examining the footprints carefully. After a while, he said, “There were four wolves. One of them is particularly large, likely the alpha. They left not too long ago.”

These wolves must have come after the rain stopped, leaving tracks behind. One set of tracks was larger and deeper, indicating a strong, alpha wolf.

Dong Minghao scratched at the welts on his neck, “What do we do now?”

“Catch more wild chickens and rabbits,” Cheng Jingmo explained. “Since the wolves got away with the bait, they’ll come back. They won’t be as cautious next time.”

The group set out again to catch wild chickens and rabbits.

Yu Xiangyang suggested, “You should get some rest. We can handle this.”

Last night, while everyone else rested in the cave, Cheng Jingmo had kept watch and hadn’t slept for a full day and night.

“No need.”

The night after the rain was clear, with not a cloud in the sky. The half-moon cast a faint glow over the land.

Cheng Jingmo had Yu Xiangyang and another soldier climb trees nearby with night vision binoculars to observe, while he and the remaining two lay in wait in the grass.

Before long, Yu Xiangyang mimicked a pigeon call, signaling that five wolves had arrived.

Different animal sounds were used to indicate different numbers.

Everyone waited for the wolves to approach.

Two wolves acted as the vanguard, cautiously moving forward. Seeing nothing amiss, the other three wolves followed.

Just as everyone was waiting for the wolves to take the bait, one of the soldiers in the tree suddenly screamed and fell to the ground.

The wolves were startled and scattered in all directions.

“Fire!” Cheng Jingmo commanded. “Number 2, watch the wolves’ escape routes!”

Number 2 was Yu Xiangyang.

After a few shots, silence returned.

The team emerged from their hiding spots, finding four dead wolves at the scene.

“Damn it, one got away!” Dong Minghao said.

The soldier who fell from the tree admitted his mistake, “Deputy Regiment Commander Cheng, there was something above me. I looked up and saw a snake, which startled me.”

“Are you hurt?”

The soldier twisted his body around, “I’m fine.”

At that moment, Yu Xiangyang came down from the tree as well. “I shot the escaping one on its way out.”

Cheng Jingmo asked, “Which direction did it run? Lead the way.”