Chapter 12: Danger Encounter

When Tang Wan returned to the youth work point, no one was there.

Everyone had quite a good harvest in the morning. Since these mushrooms could be sold through the city’s consignment points for money, everyone was highly motivated. At noon, most likely they just ate a quick bite and then headed back up the mountain.

Most of the mushrooms Tang Wan picked in the morning were left with Granny Bai—she wouldn’t accept money, but it wouldn’t be right to take her generosity for free.

There were still some mushrooms left in the basket.

Tang Wan thought about going up the mountain one more time. The variety of mushrooms here was plentiful and tasty. She planned to dry some to send back to her father by mail.

With that in mind, Tang Wan didn’t linger long at the youth work point. She found a place to put down the mushrooms in her basket, then lifted the basket and was about to leave.

Just as Tang Wan stepped out the main gate, she saw a man—over 1.8 meters tall, with somewhat dark skin.

He hesitated for a moment upon seeing her, then stepped forward and asked, “Comrade, is Comrade Zhong Ling here?”

Looking at the umbrella in his hand, Tang Wan immediately realized this must be Zhao Dong, the male lead from the book.

In the story, Zhao Dong developed feelings for Zhong Ling after she gave him an umbrella on a rainy day.

Tang Wan had no feelings for Zhao Dong and didn’t want any contact with him.

Now that Zhong Ling was already hostile toward her, it was even more unthinkable to be seen involved with Zhao Dong.

But fate had a way of intervening—before Tang Wan could speak, a figure appeared behind Zhao Dong on the path.

It was Zhong Ling.

Zhong Ling had also gone up the mountain with the youth workers in the morning but seemed to have returned only now.

Seeing Zhong Ling, Tang Wan immediately pointed behind Zhao Dong and said, “Comrade Zhong Ling has returned.”

As Tang Wan spoke, Zhong Ling arrived at the gate, clearly having heard her words.

Tang Wan left quickly; staying away from the male and female leads meant staying out of trouble.

Watching Tang Wan leave, Zhong Ling casually asked, “What were you just saying to Tang Wan?”

Zhao Dong was momentarily stunned before realizing who she meant. “I was just asking that comrade if you’re at the youth work point. I didn’t want to enter abruptly.”

Zhao Dong’s ignorance of Tang Wan’s name seemed to please Zhong Ling, so she didn’t press further.

Tang Wan didn’t know that after she left, the two would still talk about her.

She only thought that after rebirth, Zhong Ling would soon marry Zhao Dong, so it was normal for them to be building their relationship around this time.

Zhao Dong’s father had been the village team leader until recently retiring a few years ago. Their family was wealthier than most in the village, which was why Zhong Ling initially chose Zhao Dong for marriage.

From what Tang Wan could see, Zhong Ling had already made her move and was focusing her energy on Zhao Dong, so there was no need to worry about her causing trouble for now.

Thinking this, Tang Wan headed toward the back mountain.

There were clearly fewer people at the foot of the mountain now.

The villagers had already scoured the outermost ring of mushrooms in the morning and were moving higher up the mountain in the afternoon.

But it wasn’t too far; most were still gathered around the place where Tang Wan and Luo Ying picked mushrooms earlier.

Tang Wan didn’t see Luo Ying or Cuicui here; the only familiar face was Li Qing, so she went that way.

She decided to walk further up to find a less crowded spot.

Mushrooms don’t grow in large patches—you have to search for them.

Tang Wan had learned to recognize many edible mushrooms from Luo Ying and Cuicui in the morning. Maybe she was lucky or picked a good spot—she actually found quite a few.

Dried mushrooms don’t take up much space, so Tang Wan tried to gather as many as she could to send to her father. Living off the mountain, it’s hard to find such things in the city.

Perhaps because Tang Wan was focused on picking mushrooms, she didn’t notice the time. It was nearly dark, and the surroundings had quieted down, with only occasional distant sounds.

A breeze blew past, making her feel chilly. Looking up, she realized the sun had already set.

She walked to the basket she’d placed by a tree, put the freshly picked mushrooms inside. The basket was nearly full—quite a good harvest.

Tang Wan stretched her stiff shoulders, ready to sling the basket and head home.

Suddenly, behind her, a loud and urgent noise erupted—so intense it left no time to react. Instinctively, Tang Wan dodged to the side.

Even so, she was pushed by the force and lost balance, lunging forward. Her hand hit a stone sharply, causing piercing pain, but she had no time to care.

The heavy object hit the tree with a dull thud, followed by the sound of the tree crashing down. Tang Wan looked at a wild boar that had collided with the tree and didn’t know how to respond.

The boar shook its head where it had hit the tree, then turned and charged at Tang Wan again.

Looking at the broken tree and her small frame, Tang Wan sprinted away.

How could a person outrun a wild boar? Tang Wan knew it was impossible, so she ran in circles around the tree.

Though large, the boar was not very agile. Tang Wan’s maneuver confused it for a moment.

But this was no long-term solution. Tang Wan was getting exhausted; she wouldn’t last long running like this. Any slower and she’d be hit. Just now, she had narrowly escaped a glancing blow and was already aching on one side.

She couldn’t climb a tree either!

She had to think of another way.

Before Tang Wan had even circled twice, she was already feeling weak, but the boar was still watching her like a predator.

Tang Wan dodged clumsily, screaming for help, but deep down she felt despair—there was hardly anyone around now.

Wasn’t the wild boar supposed to be the heroine’s “golden finger” (special advantage)? She hadn’t provoked it, so how did she run into it?

There were footprints around, meaning people had come through here—so how had she stumbled onto the boar?

Tang Wan was full of regret. The boar was still full of energy, and after being dodged a couple times, it seemed to recognize her movements and was no longer fooled by her feints.

Seizing the moment when Tang Wan slowed down, it charged straight at her.

Tang Wan had nowhere left to dodge but still tried to move aside. Knowing she couldn’t avoid the impact, she protected her head as best she could.

Just as Tang Wan felt the boar getting close, a hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her aside, followed by a loud bang.

When Tang Wan landed and looked back, the boar was already down.

Beside its neck was a steel fork and a machete, with the machete almost fully embedded in the boar’s neck, bright red blood spilling everywhere.

Tang Wan stood there stunned, feeling as if her body didn’t belong to her. It took a long moment to realize she had been saved.

After a while, her gaze shifted to the two men standing nearby.

She didn’t recognize the man holding the steel fork—a round, chubby-faced man. When their eyes met, he bared his teeth in a smile.

Unaware, he was covered in wild boar blood, and the smile was somewhat terrifying.