Chapter 23

The crowd stood facing the wolf pack, none daring to take a step back.

For retreat meant certain doom.

Cold sweat slowly slid down everyone’s foreheads. Among the crowd, those with rifles quickly steadied their weapons, aiming at the wolves.

Those without guns readied the blades of their knives. Yet, despite this, none of them felt safe.

They were incredibly unlucky today.

Not long after leaving the campsite, they had encountered a few deer. Just as they excitedly charged toward the herd, the wolf pack had appeared, and the result of the three-way clash was that the deer had escaped, leaving them in a standoff with the wolves.

“Secretary, what should we do?”

Hunter Zhang Yongfu fixed his gaze on the alpha wolf’s eyes but whispered the question to Zheng Anguo.

They only had five rifles. Without military training, they couldn’t be sure that all five shots would hit the wolves. Even if they did hit, they couldn’t guarantee the wolves would die from them. If they missed, or if the wolves didn’t die, they would face a bloody retaliation. Despite their numbers, there were only five actual hunters among them; the others only knew how to set traps and lay snares.

But the wolves numbered over a dozen.

Zheng Anguo felt his heart tremble as he looked at the scene in front of him.

It had been years since a wolf pack had appeared in the mountains. He had originally thought that the large group of people would be enough to scare off any large predators. He never expected that this year, things would go terribly wrong. He figured that they must have disturbed the wolves’ hunt, which had led the pack to retaliate with hostility.

“Can we start a fire?” Zheng Anguo asked.

He knew that Zhang Yongfu and the other seasoned hunters had experience dealing with wild animals and were probably prepared with emergency supplies.

“I have alcohol in my bag, strong liquor, but right now I dare not move,” Zhang Yongfu replied.

Under the stare of the alpha wolf, Zhang Yongfu felt both anxious and paralyzed with fear. They had been in a standoff with the wolves for quite some time, and the wolves’ patience could run out at any moment. Once the alpha wolf gave the command to attack, it would be a bloody confrontation. He couldn’t afford to make a move; whoever acted first would signal the beginning of the assault.

Upon hearing Zhang Yongfu’s words, Zheng Anguo’s hand, gripping the knife, clenched tightly, veins bulging.

If nothing else worked, they would have to fight, but that would certainly lead to bloodshed…

The wolf pack had been circling Zheng Anguo and his group for almost half an hour. Their patience was nearly gone.

Winter was already a season when prey was scarce, and the hungry wolves had finally found a meal that could feed them all. To have someone come along and try to steal it was clearly a reason for resentment!

And so, the wolves focused their attention on Zheng Anguo and his group.

The alpha wolf thought that this group of prey was large enough to feed its entire pack for the winter, so it suddenly changed its target.

The battle between humans and wolves was on the brink of breaking out.

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Meanwhile, Wei Ling had left the Qin family and returned to the Military Camp on horseback.

The Military Camp was only about seven or eight miles from Kaoshan Village, and it took less than half an hour to reach.

Upon arrival, Wei Ling set down the supplies Qin Qingman had brought for him and immediately gathered a squad to head up the mountain.

Since he had heard that the village leader from Kaoshan Village had led most of the villagers up the mountain to hunt, he felt a sense of urgency.

He had the feeling that if they didn’t hurry, something bad would happen.

Wild boars, though not hibernating in winter, wouldn’t usually approach the mountain settlements unless something was wrong deep in the mountains, causing them to wander out.

The area where Qin Qingman had encountered danger wasn’t far from Kaoshan Village.

Although it would take about two hours to walk there due to the thick snow and difficult paths, under better conditions, it would only take forty to fifty minutes.

So, the presence of wild boars in that area was extremely unusual. It could mean something was happening deep in the mountains this year.

With this thought in mind, Wei Ling instructed all the soldiers to load their rifles, stay alert to their surroundings, and fire immediately if they noticed anything unusual.

The soldiers all trusted Wei Ling, and upon hearing the order, they immediately prepared themselves.

Wei Ling and his team made their way toward the deep mountains along the nut grove.

Before entering, he placed the food Qin Qingman had prepared for him in the shelter.

As he was about to leave the shelter, he turned back and looked for several seconds before finally turning away.

Although he had spent only a short time in the shelter, it held many memories that belonged to him and Qin Qingman. He remembered that incredibly sweet meal.

Though the meal had been simple corn rice, and the corn had lost its oil from being stored too long, it was the most delicious meal he had eaten since arriving in this time, because he had shared the pot with Qin Qingman.

From sharing that pot of food, he had decided that he would marry Qin Qingman in this lifetime.

As a man, he had to take on responsibility.

“Colonel, have you been here before?” The squad leader, Ma Wu, who was from the northeast, knew the ways of the mountains. When he saw Wei Ling deliver the food, he guessed that Wei Ling might have been here before and had used the food in the shelter.

“Mm, I’ve been here,” Wei Ling replied.

He urged his horse onward into the deeper mountains, his ears alert.

Having trained in martial arts, his hearing was more acute than Ma Wu’s and the others. The forest was quiet, and any sound within a thousand meters was within his earshot.

Seeing Wei Ling’s serious expression, Ma Wu stopped speaking and instead reminded the others to stay alert.

A dozen horses trotted in line through the snow-covered forest, and since no one spoke, the sound of the horses’ breaths was clear. They could also see the white mist rising from the horses’ nostrils.

This was a world of ice and snow.

Suddenly, Wei Ling raised his hand, and all the soldiers pulled their reins, bringing their horses to a halt.

The surroundings fell into complete silence.

Then, Ma Wu and the others realized that the silence was too intense. This kind of stillness was unusual and typically meant danger. The extreme quiet suggested that the birds and small animals had all hidden away.

“Get ready to fire,” Wei Ling said. After speaking, he kicked his horse in the belly, and the horse moved forward in a specific direction.

A few minutes later, they stood atop a ridge.

“Oooo—”

A long, loud howl suddenly echoed from the foot of the mountain. The wolf pack, which had been in a standoff with Zheng Anguo and the others, had noticed Wei Ling and his group. The wolves didn’t charge forward or attack Zheng Anguo. Instead, they quickly retreated under the signal of the alpha wolf.

Since the wolves did not attack, Wei Ling immediately stopped the soldiers from firing.

Qin Shi, watching the wolves retreat into the distance, collapsed onto the snow with weak legs. The more than half an hour of confrontation had drained not only their physical energy but also their spirit, and their body temperature had sharply dropped.

When one person falls from exhaustion and fear, many others will follow.

“Quick, everyone, get up! What if the wolves are pretending to leave?” Zhang Yongfu, the lead hunter, saw that everyone had relaxed and broke into a cold sweat.

Wolves were the most cunning and intelligent animals in the world. Who knew if they were luring them into a trap by pretending to retreat?

“Hurry up, get up, everyone,” Zheng Anguo called, knowing the danger wolves posed. He immediately joined Zhang Yongfu in urging the others to stand.

“Secretary… Secretary, my leg’s cramping, I really can’t get up.” Qin Shu, who had fallen in the snow, looked at Zheng Anguo with a miserable face.

He had been overly tense earlier, and now, suddenly relaxed, he had suffered a muscle cramp in his leg.

“Secretary, my leg’s cramping too.” When the villagers heard that the wolves might return, they began to panic. One by one, they struggled to get up, sweat pouring from their faces, but the more they panicked, the worse their cramps became.

“Everyone, don’t panic. The wolves have really left.”

Wei Ling, standing on the ridge, had been watching everything. He shouted down to Zheng Anguo and the others.

“It’s the PLA comrades, it’s the PLA comrades who scared the wolves away.”

When the villagers of Kaoshan Village saw Wei Ling and his group, they realized why the wolves had fled. It was because the soldiers had guns, and it was said that soldiers carried a righteous energy that made wild animals and bad people alike afraid.

Wei Ling didn’t realize that the villagers had almost mythologized their identity. Seeing Zheng Anguo and the others, he guessed they were from Kaoshan Village, so he lightly kicked the horse’s belly and urged it down the ridge.

Within two days, not only had wild boars appeared on the outskirts of the mountains, but a wolf pack had also emerged. This situation was clearly abnormal, and it was important to figure out the cause. If not, the villagers would be too afraid to venture up the mountain again. Without going up the mountain, there would be no prey, and the long winter would be impossible to survive.

Wei Ling’s Military Camp was stationed there not only to guard the border but also to protect the villagers.

They had a responsibility to protect the peace of the people.

“Is this Comrade Zheng Anguo?” Wei Ling asked as his warhorse swiftly descended from the ridge into the valley, meeting Zheng Anguo halfway.

“Comrade, hello. I am Zheng Anguo, the brigade leader of the Hongqi Brigade.”

Zheng Anguo didn’t recognize Wei Ling, but since Wei Ling had called his name, it was clear that Wei Ling had learned about him. He might have come specifically to find him.

“Comrade Anguo, I am Wei Ling, a soldier stationed at the Military Camp here,” Wei Ling introduced himself as he dismounted and gave a solemn salute.

Zheng Anguo quickly returned the salute. “Comrade Wei, hello.” Since China had abolished the military rank system in 1965, Wei Ling’s uniform, the 65-style military attire, didn’t have any epaulets. It was impossible to tell his rank just by looking at his uniform.

Not knowing the rank, they referred to each other as “Comrade.”

Wei Ling instructed Ma Wu to take the other soldiers to assist the villagers and then led Zheng Anguo away from the crowd before revealing the situation in the mountains.

When Zheng Anguo heard that the women’s group had encountered danger after they left the day before, his face changed, and he urgently asked, “Comrade Wei, were there any injuries?” He was more concerned about whether anyone had died.

“There were injuries, four people were hurt. Fortunately, none of them were fatal,” Wei Ling replied, knowing the situation in Kaoshan Village due to Qin Qingman’s clear understanding.

“That’s good, as long as no one died, that’s good,” Zheng Anguo sighed with relief. The villagers had been sent up the mountain by his organization. If there had been fatalities, he, as the brigade leader, would have been held accountable.

“Comrade Anguo, the priority now is to safely escort the villagers back to the settlement. Until the danger is fully cleared, it’s best not to go back up the mountain. I will organize troops to conduct a search of the mountainous area in the coming days,” Wei Ling outlined his plan.

He had originally thought that the situation in the mountains would be resolved in a day or two, and then he could visit Qin Qingman. However, encountering the wolf pack had complicated matters.

Normally, wolves wouldn’t remain in these areas during this season, so the appearance of the wolves was suspicious. This situation could only be handled with the organization of more forces.

Zheng Anguo also understood the gravity of the situation and quickly nodded.

However, he also made a suggestion, “Comrade Wei, there are a few experienced hunters in our village who are familiar with the mountains. Perhaps we could ask them for assistance?” He had a personal motive for this request.

With the appearance of both the wolf pack and wild boars, the hunting trip had to be canceled. The New Year was approaching, and the pigs raised by the village would be given to the state. The remaining pork would be insufficient, and without enough meat, they would need to rely on hunting to fill the gap. If the village hunters joined Wei Ling and the military, they would know immediately where it was safe and where game could be found.

Safety and game meant they could organize another hunt before the New Year.

Wei Ling had been stationed at the border for a year and was aware of the local customs. Having experienced hunters leading the way would provide better safety for them, so he nodded in agreement to Zheng Anguo’s suggestion.

Given the urgency of the situation, they needed to follow the wolf pack’s trail. Riding horses would be inconvenient in this case, so they removed their skis from their horses.

In the snowy forest and wilderness, everyone was a skilled skier.

“Ma Wu, take two people and lead the horses back to the Military Camp. Give your skis to the two villagers.” Wei Ling had only selected two hunters to accompany them.

“Yes, Colonel.” After saluting, Ma Wu began to remove the skis from the horses’ backs.

Zheng Anguo, seeing Wei Ling’s youth, had initially thought he might be a company commander at most. He did not expect him to be a Colonel. The rank of Colonel was very high in their area. It was said that the highest rank at their Military Camp was also just Colonel.

“Comrade Anguo, you should hurry down the mountain. You should be able to reach the village before dark.”

Wei Ling glanced at the sky, intending to follow the wolf pack’s tracks with his team.

“Comrade Wei, please be careful, and take care.” Zheng Anguo, although confident in their abilities, couldn’t help but offer one more piece of advice as he thought of the dangers posed by the wolf pack.

“Mm, thank you.”

Wei Ling nodded at Zheng Anguo, then led his team on their way.

This departure was uncertain, as they didn’t know when they would return. They had enough rations for five days.

He hoped to settle the matter within five days; after all, he didn’t want to delay his plans to marry.

When there was no one around, Wei Ling focused entirely on his work and had no distractions. However, since he had developed feelings for Qin Qingman, he found himself missing her shortly after leaving, a longing he couldn’t control.

Zheng Anguo watched Wei Ling and his team leave and quickly descended the mountain with Ma Wu and the other two soldiers.

The ordinary villagers, like Qin Shu, were greatly frightened by the wolf pack. They didn’t even have time to change out of their soaked clothes. In a panic, they hastily removed their wet undergarments, wiped the sweat from their bodies, and wrapped themselves in their outer coats before heading down the mountain. Out of fear, they arrived at the village half an hour earlier than expected.

Seeing the smoke rising from the chimneys of every household, smiles spread across their faces.

Safe. They were safe here.

“Villagers, the road ahead is wide and safe. We will not accompany you further. We need to return to the Military Camp and report,” Ma Wu, with the two soldiers, led several horses and bid farewell to Zheng Anguo and the others.

“Comrades, thank you. Thank you for escorting us back.”

Zheng Anguo grasped Ma Wu’s hand and couldn’t let go.

Since the wolf pack appeared, the villagers had been in a panic. If it weren’t for the presence of the People’s Liberation Army comrades, his words might not have been effective.

“Comrade Anguo, we are soldiers of the people. Protecting the public is our duty. There’s no need to thank us. Hurry up and go back before it gets dark. Once you’re home, make sure to warm up and dry off so you don’t catch a cold.” Ma Wu, with a strong sense of responsibility, made sure to remind them of everything necessary.

“Thank you, Comrades. Goodbye.”

Zheng Anguo knew that Ma Wu and the others wouldn’t return to the Military Camp unless they saw the villagers safely off. He quickly led the villagers down the mountain.

Every villager who descended the mountain gave Ma Wu and the two soldiers a salute.

Though it wasn’t a perfect military salute, these rough, makeshift salutes only made it more apparent that the soldiers and the people were united.

After watching Zheng Anguo and his group disappear from sight, Ma Wu and the two soldiers mounted their horses and headed toward the Military Camp.

Colonel Wang Chengping at the division headquarters received Ma Wu’s report immediately. Out of caution, he ordered a company of soldiers to go into the mountains to investigate.

The mountainous area they were stationed in was vast, and the surrounding area wasn’t just Kaoshan Village.

According to the customs of the mountain villagers, many villagers had likely entered the mountains in recent days. It was best to be cautious and send several teams to investigate. The larger the force, the more likely they could scare away any large predators, should there be any.

Once the soldiers were sent into the mountains, Wang Chengping began to wait for Wei Ling’s return.

At that moment, he found an unexpected letter on his desk—a marriage application.

The applicant was Wei Ling.

As Wei Ling’s former superior and father-figure, Wang Chengping was put in a difficult position.

Just before receiving this marriage application, he had received a call from an old friend in the capital.

His friend was concerned about his son and mentioned that a fellow comrade’s daughter was coming to the border to support the region. The two families had discussed and decided to match them up.

It was said that the young lady had already seen Wei Ling’s photo and was quite satisfied with him.

Wang Chengping wanted to flip the desk.

This rascal Wei Ling, why didn’t he hand this marriage report to him personally? He had even promised his old friend on the phone that everything would be fine, only to realize after hanging up that the situation had gotten complicated.

As Wang Chengping fretted over how to deal with Wei Ling’s marriage application, Zheng Anguo and the others had returned to Kaoshan Village.

When they had left, there was joy and celebration, but when they returned to the village, everyone was dejected.

They had wasted two days, and not only had they failed to hunt the stupid roe deer, they hadn’t even gotten a rabbit. Dozens of strong men returned empty-handed. With the New Year approaching and everyone waiting for meat to share at home, how could they explain this to their families?

“Secretary…”

The villagers, who had been hesitant as they neared their village, finally stopped at the village entrance.

Zheng Anguo’s face was filled with contemplation. He had thought this over during the entire journey, and after preparing his speech, he spoke directly, “Everyone has been frightened and chilled today. Quickly head home and take care of yourselves. The weather has been fine recently, so once Comrade Zhang Yongfu returns and assesses the situation, if things are good, we will go back into the mountains. We will make sure every household has meat for the New Year.”

“Alright, Secretary, I’m heading back now.”

The villagers had been waiting for Zheng Anguo’s assurance. With his confirmation, their hearts were at ease, and one by one, they hurried home.

After two days of being exposed to the elements, everyone longed for the warmth of their own homes.

In the cold, though few people were active in the village, it was dinner time. Some families, whose firewood in the main room had run out, went outside to fetch more. As they stepped out, they were startled to see numerous figures in the yard. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the hunters returning from the mountains.

Excited, the first person to see them couldn’t help but shout, forgetting that they hadn’t seen any prey yet.

Within minutes, the whole of Kaoshan Village was abuzz.

Countless people ran out of their homes.

Then, everyone froze.

The people had returned, but there was no game—empty-handed, not even a rabbit.

Looking at the disappointed faces of their families, Zheng Anguo and the others quickly began explaining the unusual circumstances up in the mountains. It wasn’t that they hadn’t wanted to hunt; the situation had been extraordinary.

When the villagers heard that Zheng Anguo and his team had been surrounded by the wolf pack, they stopped complaining about the lack of meat. Instead, they began checking on their family members, worried that someone might have been injured. The men were the pillars of the family.

If the pillar fell, the family would fall apart.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. The wolf pack didn’t attack us. They were scared off by the People’s Liberation Army comrades.”

“The People’s Liberation Army comrades?” The villagers still at home asked curiously.

“Yes, a PLA comrade named Wei Ling. He’s young, but he’s a Colonel. When he led his soldiers here, the wolf pack was scared off,” they explained, recalling Wei Ling’s impressive display, each person talking over the other about what had happened in the mountains.

“Isn’t Wei Ling Qin Qingman’s boyfriend?”

Someone in the crowd loudly spoke up, and the whole scene went silent.

The villagers who had just returned from the mountains were shocked.

Qin Qingman had a boyfriend?!

While everyone was stunned, Qin Lei, who had just rushed over from home, froze in place after hearing what was being said.

Wei Ling was a Colonel!!!

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