“This is much better. The mountains are dangerous, so it’s best not to go alone,” Gu Linchen said.

“Sometimes I go with Xiao He, but we always stay near the foot of the mountain. Only the old hunters in the village dare go up higher,” Feng Ge’er replied.

“Hunters? Does that mean there are a lot of wild chickens, rabbits, and wild boars in the mountains?” Gu Linchen asked with interest.

“Yes, there are. When the villagers run out of food, they come up here to hunt. I’ve caught wild chickens and rabbits before!” Feng Ge’er said, his chin raised proudly.

Seeing this, Gu Linchen couldn’t help but smile at his little proud expression. “Be careful and watch the path ahead. Then, we’ll go check out the area later.”

“There’s no need to go that far, Lao Gong. This mountain peak also has wild chickens and rabbits, just not as many as over there,” Feng Ge’er said.

“Really? Then let’s go up quickly!” Gu Linchen exclaimed. The two of them walked along the rugged mountain path, with trees on either side turning golden. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and the air was filled with the scent of decay. Only the pine trees and white bark trees remained a deep green, standing out clearly.

Feng Ge’er occasionally bent down to pick up twigs and put them into the basket. After watching him for a while, Gu Linchen started helping him, and soon, they had a full basket.

“Let’s leave the firewood here for now and see if we can find any wild chickens or rabbits,” Gu Linchen suggested excitedly. The idea of wild food, so natural and fresh, was an exciting thought. He loved the idea of catching something wild to bring back to eat.

The two of them talked as they headed towards the top of the mountain. Near the summit, they were greeted by a sea of fiery red as a breeze blew through, causing the maple leaves to jingle like tiny bells and fall like flower petals.

Gu Linchen picked up a maple leaf, touched it, and marveled at its texture. It wasn’t smooth but wasn’t rough either. The red color spread from the base of the leaf toward the center, and the five corners of the leaf had a slight yellowing, with veins radiating outward from the center. It was very beautiful, just like something you would see in a tourist spot meant to attract visitors.

“Lao Gong, this kind of leaf isn’t good for burning. There’s a whole section of the mountain here covered in these trees!” Feng Ge’er said, seeing Gu Linchen lost in thought.

Gu Linchen turned to him in disbelief, “So many? If only we could develop this area into a tourist spot.”

Feng Ge’er was confused and didn’t understand what Gu Linchen meant.

The two continued their journey, but still no wild chickens or rabbits were spotted. However, they did see some chicken feathers. Surely, the chickens from the village didn’t come all the way to the top of the mountain. There was no doubt—wild chickens were present, and Gu Linchen was excited. He hurried forward. As he rounded a bend, he suddenly stopped.

Feng Ge’er, thinking he had spotted something, quietly tiptoed behind him. But there was nothing ahead. A breeze stirred, and Feng Ge’er felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that the giant, man-eating bugs from the deep mountains had come to this peak? Was Gu Linchen sensing something strange? He was starting to feel a little scared.

“Lao Gong, what’s wrong?” Feng Ge’er asked, his voice trembling. He rarely came up to the mountain peak.

Gu Linchen was stunned by what he saw. How much could all the purple sandalwood, ironwood, and nanmu trees in front of him be worth? He was about to strike it rich! Thinking about it, a smile crept up on his face.

Hearing Feng Ge’er call out to him, Gu Linchen said, “Feng Ge’er, look at those trees! The purple sandalwood and nanmu… they must be worth a lot! We should come back next time and take some to sell.”

Feng Ge’er let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t anything scary after all. He looked at the trees that Gu Linchen pointed to but didn’t recognize them. “Lao Gong, I don’t know. Maybe we should ask Sixth Uncle when we get back. He’s the village’s old carpenter.”

Sixth Uncle was the village Chief’s cousin and a skilled woodworker.

Gu Linchen was silent for a moment before saying, “Let’s not ask about this for now.” He thought to himself that if he brought it up now, the mountain was public property, and if everyone came to take a share, he wouldn’t gain any advantage. But that wasn’t the main concern. What worried him more was that if the villagers tasted the benefits, they might risk their lives to go deeper into Dongling Mountain to search for these resources, which could be very dangerous. Besides, extensive deforestation could lead to soil erosion and landslides. His home was at the foot of the mountain. The more he thought about it, the more concerned he became. He told Feng Ge’er to keep it a secret for now.

After wandering around the mountain for over an hour, they had only seen chicken feathers. They hadn’t spotted a single chicken. Gu Linchen’s face showed his disappointment. Feng Ge’er tried to comfort him, saying that if they didn’t catch anything today, they would try again tomorrow morning. He also suggested that they might be able to find something if they dropped off the firewood and then went up Dongling Mountain for a while.

Suddenly, Gu Linchen stopped and pulled Feng Ge’er behind a tree, signaling him to stay quiet. Feng Ge’er peered in the direction Gu Linchen was looking. They had been searching for so long with no luck, but now, right as they were about to reach the place where they planned to drop off the firewood, they saw two wild chickens pecking the ground for food. Feng Ge’er’s heart skipped a beat.

Gu Linchen motioned for him to sneak up from behind and catch the spotted chicken while he would move ahead to corner the black chicken. The two quickly split up. Gu Linchen moved closer and, before the chickens noticed, swiftly pinned one to the ground. Feng Ge’er was a little slower, and the spotted chicken, startled by Gu Linchen, tried to run away. Feng Ge’er immediately lunged forward, and the next moment, he was on top of the chicken. It flapped its wings, squawking loudly.

“Lao Gong, I caught it! Hehehe!” Feng Ge’er proudly lifted the chicken by its wings, showing it off to Gu Linchen.

“Feng Ge’er, you’re amazing! I thought we had missed it, but you caught it!” Gu Linchen smiled and gave Feng Ge’er a thumbs-up. With two wild chickens in their hands, each weighing about five to six pounds, Gu Linchen was overjoyed, though he thought to himself that these wild chickens weren’t much different from the ones they raised at home.

“Uh…” Gu Linchen noticed Feng Ge’er struggling to stand up, his brows furrowed in pain. He quickly went over to support him. “What’s wrong?”

“Lao Gong, I twisted my ankle,” Feng Ge’er admitted, realizing the pain only after trying to stand. He had been so excited earlier that he hadn’t noticed the injury.

Gu Linchen had him sit down and found some vine to tie up the chickens before setting them aside. “Let me take a look.”

Gu Linchen squatted down and took off Feng Ge’er’s shoes and socks.

“Ah…” Feng Ge’er winced as his foot was touched.

“Does it hurt?” Gu Linchen saw that his ankle had swollen up with a large bump.

“It’s not too painful,” Feng Ge’er replied, trying to downplay it.

“You’re not being honest. It’s clearly hurting,” Gu Linchen scolded. “Why not just say it? Don’t carry everything on your own. If you don’t speak up, I won’t know what you’re thinking. In a marriage, honesty is important. Do you understand?”

Feng Ge’er, feeling guilty, lowered his head. “I understand. I won’t do it again.”

“You still think there’s going to be a next time? There may not be one,” Gu Linchen replied softly. “Does it hurt?”

“It does.”

“Don’t do this again in the future. If the chicken runs away, it runs. Don’t hurt yourself. Your safety is more important than anything else,” Gu Linchen said with a mix of frustration and concern.