By evening, snow began to fall. After having dinner, Xu Ning and Lu Xiaotang went to bed early.

Xu Ning glanced at Lu Xiaotang’s arm, thinking how effective modern antibiotics were. After only a few days of treatment, the swelling and redness had completely disappeared.

Lu Xiaotang also turned to look at his arm and smiled, “Feeling more at ease now? Since it’s snowing today, I’ll go up the mountain in a few days.”

“We already have so much meat at home. Why bother going to the mountain? You don’t need to go,” Xu Ning replied.

Lu Xiaotang smiled at her and said, “I’ll be going back to the army in just a few days, and I probably won’t return until next year at the earliest. This will be my last chance to go this year. If I can hunt something big, you can preserve the meat, and it’ll last for a long time.”

Xu Ning responded, “Then I’ll go with you. I haven’t been up the mountain in a while, and it would be nice to take a trip together.”

Lu Xiaotang pulled her into his arms and said softly, “It’s cold up on the mountain. You should stay behind. I won’t go deep into the forest, just take a look around the outskirts.”

Before Xu Ning could say anything, Lu Xiaotang pressed his lips against hers. She tried to push him away, but his strong hand held her tightly in his embrace.

Their bodies pressed together in an instant, and the heat radiating from him was overwhelming, as if it could melt her completely.

His other hand wandered beneath her clothing, the heat of his palm gliding over her skin, moving restlessly across her body.

Her skin was smooth and soft, making it difficult for him to resist, leaving him reluctant to let go.

Her fair skin, bathed in the soft, amber glow of the dim light, shimmered with a jade-like radiance.

Lu Xiaotang gazed at her, his eyes deep and intense, like gentle waves ready to engulf her. His warm kisses fell like raindrops, trailing downwards as his lips made their way along her body.

…

Xu Ning slept very soundly, and when she woke up, her whole body felt like it was falling apart.

To her surprise, Lu Xiaotang was still lying next to her, propping himself up on his hand as he looked at her.

Recalling his indulgence from the previous day—his excessive behavior and unrestrained desires—she couldn’t help but feel a wave of shame wash over her.

She turned her face away to avoid his gaze, but Lu Xiaotang chuckled softly and pulled her into his arms, giving her a kiss. “It’s still snowing outside. Why don’t you sleep a bit longer? I’ll make breakfast and bring it to you.”

The snow fell for two days before finally stopping. During that time, aside from eating, they hardly left the bed at all.

Xu Ning really wanted to kick him a couple of times for being so reckless. Just a few days ago, she thought he was quite restrained.

It was probably because Xu Yang and Xu An were at home, and the walls of the house were thin, making it awkward for him to be so bold. Now that the two of them were gone, he was determined to take advantage of the situation.

Seeing that the snow had finally stopped, Xu Ning pushed open the door. A breathtaking view greeted her: the ground was blanketed in pure white, creating a scene of silver splendor.

After they finished lunch, Lu Xiaotang packed up the things they needed and glanced at the thick layer of snow outside. “Maybe you shouldn’t go after all; it’s too cold out.”

Xu Ning replied, “It’s fine. I’ll just dress warmly.”

The snow on the mountain was quite deep, reaching up to an adult’s knees, making it difficult to walk.

Lu Xiaotang wanted Xu Ning to turn back, but she insisted on following him. With no other choice, he led the way, clearing a path through the snow.

Unfortunately, their luck wasn’t great that day. There were hardly any prey, not even the roe deer or other larger animals. By the time they reached the spot where Xu Ning had discovered the two wild boars last time, they had seen very little.

Lu Xiaotang sensed that something was off today. Given that it had just snowed for two days, there should have been plenty of animals around. Yet, they hadn’t spotted even a few wild chickens or rabbits.

Since he was with Xu Ning, he didn’t plan to venture deeper into the mountain; he decided he would come back alone the day after tomorrow.

Xu Ning felt a bit dissatisfied. They had come all this way and hadn’t managed to hunt anything, making it feel like a wasted trip.

She said to Lu Xiaotang, “Since we’re already here, why don’t we go a bit further? Maybe we’ll come across a larger animal.”

“No, we can’t go any further today. I have a bad feeling about this. Haven’t you noticed that we haven’t seen any larger animals this whole time?”

Suddenly, Xu Ning remembered what the village elders had said while they were working: when fierce beasts appeared in the mountains, small animals would hide away. Was there a large predator nearby?

Lu Xiaotang had already packed up their things and was about to lead her back when he suddenly stopped after taking a couple of steps.

Before Xu Ning could react, he shielded her behind him and whispered, “Quick, get up a tree and don’t come down until I say so.”

Standing behind him, Xu Ning peered into the distance and saw about seven or eight wolves standing in the snow, roughly ten meters away from them.

The lead wolf had its back legs slightly bent and its front legs extended forward, poised as if ready to pounce. Its eyes glinted menacingly as it bared its sharp teeth at the two of them.

Xu Ning was frozen in fear. She had never seen a wolf before, and just the sight of those two wild boars had made her legs weak. She instinctively thought about hiding in her space but suddenly remembered that Lu Xiaotang was still there.

Seeing that she hadn’t moved, Lu Xiaotang growled lowly, “Hurry, get up the tree!”

As soon as Lu Xiaotang finished speaking, the lead wolf threw its head back and let out a howl, and the pack surged toward the two of them.

Xu Ning snapped back to reality at the sound of the howl. She glanced around and spotted a few large trees nearby. She grabbed Lu Xiaotang’s hand and prepared to run toward them.

However, Lu Xiaotang, holding his machete, remained rooted in place and shouted, “Go! I can handle this!”

Xu Ning looked at the approaching wolves and then at Lu Xiaotang, who was armed with a lasso and a machete. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to pull him into her space.

Her plan was to wait until the wolves passed and then let him out, and if he asked about it, she would simply say she didn’t know what had happened.

To her surprise, once she brought him inside, Lu Xiaotang didn’t lose consciousness like the other prey. He could move freely, just like Xu Ning could.

Xu Ning was stunned when she saw that he had entered without any sign of distress.

Lu Xiaotang looked at her but didn’t say anything, instead taking in his surroundings. He recognized nearly everything here from the outside world.

There was grain, pork, chickens, ducks, geese, chicken eggs, duck eggs, various candies, spices, milk powder, snacks, fruits, cloth for clothing, and all sorts of everyday items. In one corner, there were also several pig heads and some pig offal.

Noticing that the door on the left was open, he walked over and saw a lot of grain inside. Next to it was a writing desk piled high with books.

He picked up one of the books and flipped through it, only to be stunned when he saw the publication date: 2016. Was this a book from over 40 years in the future? Why were these things here?

Xu Ning had anticipated that he would discover the books as soon as he entered the room.

She stood in the living room, not moving, feeling extremely anxious as she contemplated how to explain the origins of all these items.

When Lu Xiaotang came out and saw her standing there with a look of panic on her face, he hurried over and hugged her, saying, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid.”

Xu Ning opened her mouth but still didn’t say anything. The situation was too bizarre; she needed to think carefully about whether or not to tell him.

Lu Xiaotang asked, “How do we get out?”

After pondering for a moment, Xu Ning replied, “I’ll go out and take a look first.”

Lu Xiaotang immediately stopped her, saying, “No way. We don’t know if the wolf pack has left. I’ll go out and keep an eye on things; you stay here.”

“It’s fine. If they haven’t left, I’ll come back in. You can’t get in without me,” she insisted.

Without waiting for his response, she swiftly slipped out.

Although he had already witnessed it once, seeing her disappear from his sight again still felt surreal.

As soon as Xu Ning emerged from the space, a wolf charged at her. She quickly dodged to the side, reaching out to grab the wolf and pull it into the space.

Lu Xiaotang was startled by the sudden appearance of both Xu Ning and the wolf. He initially thought the wolf had chased her in. Just as he was about to rush forward, the wolf collapsed onto the ground.

Before he could say anything, Xu Ning used the same method to bring in several more wolves.

Lu Xiaotang stared in astonishment at the seven or eight wolves lying on the ground, then looked up at Xu Ning.

Not meeting his gaze, Xu Ning quickly pulled him back out, saying, “Let’s go; we can talk about it when we’re back.”