Chapter Thirty-One: A Night in the Mountains

  Climbing to the top of a high mountain, standing in knee-deep snow, leaning against green pines, looking back at my hometown nestled in the valley below, everything is within sight. Under the brilliant sunlight, the small village shines brightly, with houses standing upright and peaceful, like an infant who has not yet awakened, sleeping in the arms of Mother Earth.

  We set out from home at dawn, five of us in total. We trudged through knee-deep snow for nearly two hours to reach the summit of the mountain south of Tunzi. Climbing a mountain in winter when it's heavily snowed is exhausting. The deep snow alone can be overwhelming, and you have no choice but to follow in the footsteps of those ahead of you, laboriously taking one step at a time. Sometimes you even need to grab onto tree trunks, or you might slip and tumble down the mountain.

  And what about the equipment on our bodies? The overnight stuff, necessary food and cooking utensils, we brought a total of four guns, two shotguns, two Type 38 rifles, one bow, and plenty of bullets. Additionally, I brought twenty extra hand grenades, which might come in handy at some point. So, each of us has a large backpack on our body, including Xiaoling, who is carrying all the cooking utensils. Shanshan's backpack is huge, with all the weapons and ammunition inside. It seems like he's the strongest one among us. This guy is like a camel, carrying so much stuff in this cold winter weather. We're not just playing around here; without proper preparation and a familiar guide, we could easily get lost in the snowy mountains. If you don't know the terrain well, it's easy to get turned around, and then you'll be stuck there, waiting to freeze or starve to death. That's like asking for a long life, isn't it?

  The sky is icy blue, the cypress trees are lush and green, the high mountains are majestic and magnificent. The entire field of vision is filled with a vast expanse of white snow, stretching out endlessly. Every time I see this scenery, it's like seeing it for the first time, and my mood becomes especially expansive.

  Looking ahead, there was a gentle slope, a long mountain valley winding its way into the distance. We stopped and changed our gear.

  Don't get me wrong, it's not about holding guns or cannons, but wearing skis.

  This morning at the gathering, as soon as I saw what they were carrying on their backs, I was stunned. Unexpectedly, it exceeded my expectations! These guys still play this? I thought skiing had spread ahead of time? Even in the previous life, this set of skills wasn't something that just anyone could play with. I was only an amateur when I trained in the snowy wilderness back then. This vast and majestic Da Xing'an Mountains, the towering Lao Ye Mountain, the dense primeval forest... how many more surprises and wonders will these companions bring me?!

  I originally had this idea, to let all team members learn how to ski, increase the unit's rapid response and mobility capabilities. I thought about being a teacher for once, but it seems like there's no chance, these few people's skiing skills are definitely better than mine, even Xiaoling has a pair, but I didn't prepare, should have thought of that, don't lose face, busy finding a complete set of skis in the warehouse.

  I took the lead, with Mountain Tiger in front of me. I was at the back, under the pretext of "tactical requirements", but actually because I was afraid of losing face. Xiaoling was in front of me, and Snowy used a bit more force to start moving slowly around this mountain slope, sliding faster and faster. When the speed reached a certain level, even the snowboard wasn't needed, following the terrain, lined up like arrows shot from a bowstring, gliding far away into the distance. From afar, the snowboards cutting through the white snow looked like speedboats racing across the water's surface, or a line of geese flying across the vast blue sky!

  The speed gets faster and faster, the wind whizzes by my ears, behind me, I'm amazed at my companions' skills, which are beyond my expectations. With a twist of their body, they make an "S" shape with their feet, dodging a big tree or a thorny bush, their movements are really beautiful, this is something that can't be achieved without three to five years of practice.

  The skis we use now are not those metal ones used by later generations, which look nice and pretty.

  I really admire the infinite wisdom of the working people, this snowboard is made from local materials, using hard birch wood, following the natural arc degree, the bottom of the board is planed to be smooth and shiny, with a guiding groove left, the snow stick is made from straight birch branches, the whole set of equipment is both light and sturdy and durable, it's really a must-have for winter mountain climbing, suitable for both men and women, easy to learn.

  The girl in front, Ling, has a beautiful figure and elegant movements. Her slender waist is full of dynamism and vitality. The red scarf is fluttering fiercely in the wind, like a flame dancing on the vast snowy field. Especially when she bends down to reduce the resistance of the wind, her round buttocks curve beautifully, making people's hearts move.

  "Whoa, that was close! I was too busy admiring the beauty and almost had a zero-distance collision with a big pine tree coming from the opposite direction. If we had collided, I would have definitely ended up with a bruised nose and swollen face, and possibly even lost two teeth. Luckily, I reacted quickly and dodged it just in time. However, I still broke out in cold sweat and didn't dare to be distracted again. But honestly, this girl is really something... always swaying back and forth in front of me, making me want to get into a traffic accident! It's a bit unreasonable, isn't it? You can't not look at her, she's right in front of me, what else am I supposed to look at?"

  The long valley can't be walked to the end, one after another mountain peaks towering, lush primitive forest like unfolded dark green silk, undulating towards the distance, from time to time see a few deer or yellow sheep and wild rabbits, startled jumping in front of our eyes, disappearing into the woods in the blink of an eye. The human footprint that destroys has not yet reached here, in a few decades, we will no longer be able to see such scenes.

  At noon, in a sheltered valley, we took a short rest and felt our legs sore and arms aching. But these few people were like nothing had happened - Tiger fetched back a big bundle of firewood, lit up the bonfire, and Ling sister was busy preparing food inside and out. Wasn't she tired? Alas, people are different, it's frustrating! After a simple meal, we set off again.

  As the sun was about to set, we arrived at the foot of a very high mountain. We wanted to find a place that no one else had been to before. This afternoon, we climbed several mountains but couldn't find an ideal spot. Either there were many signs of people coming and going, or the cave was too small, not meeting my expectations. Looking up at the sky, it's already this late, we can't keep traveling, or it will be dangerous. It's getting dark, if I fall into a snow pit, that would be terrible.

  We chose a mountain recess sheltered from the wind and decided to camp there.

  After sliding snow for a day and climbing several high mountains, everyone is a bit tired. But who doesn't have me sitting on the snowy ground with a thud, not wanting to move anymore? I'm exhausted, lacking exercise, mainly because I'm not used to walking in the snowy path, so I consume more physical strength than them.

  Unpack the backpack, take out all the tools, and everyone is busy preparing for camping, clearing snow, picking up firewood.

  I picked up a shotgun and an SKS rifle, fiddled with each part to make sure they were working properly, worried that some parts might malfunction in the cold weather. Fortunately, everything seemed fine, it seems these two guns are still quite suitable for use in Northeast China's climate.

  Suddenly heard a cry of surprise from Ling sister over there, followed by the low growl of some kind of wild beast. In this quiet mountain forest, it was especially clear. Oh no, Little Ling must have run into some kind of wild animal, danger!!

  I sprang up, completely forgetting my fatigue, and rolled and crawled on the thick snowy ground with my gun, rushing towards where Xiaoling was shouting. Behind me, Autumn Brother and the other three also caught up.

  Not far from running out, I stiffened all over, Ling sister leaned against a small tree, under her feet was a pile of dry hay, a large wild boar exposed white fangs, the bristles on its back stood up, making a low growl, step by step approaching her, behind Ling sister was an unknown depth cliff, she held a big tree stick, facing off with the wild boar, looking at her expression, not showing much panic.

  "Ling, don't move!" I hastily shouted to her. Seeing that she was in a precarious situation, I didn't care about anything else at the moment. I raised my Type 38 rifle and fired at the wild boar. The crisp gunshot pierced the tranquility and echoed through the valley. A stream of blood burst out from the wild boar's body. To say that this little devil's Type 38 rifle had sufficient range and accuracy, but its killing power was quite limited. When shooting at a person, it would mostly just create a hole without causing too much harm. I don't know what the enemy was thinking. This wild boar, after being shot once, didn't fall down. Nothing happened except for the blood oozing out of its body. However, I successfully drew the wild boar's attention to myself, and Ling's danger was averted.

  She's fine, I'm in trouble now. This beast is glaring at me with fierce eyes, furiously roaring, and its four hooves are flying like a heavy tank, charging towards me. The distance between us is only 20-30 meters, and at this speed, it'll be here in the blink of an eye.

  One boar, two bears, three tigers. This is the ranking of wild animals in the mountains and forests by people from Kwantung based on their ferocity. Among these three fierce beasts, wild boars are ranked first, more formidable than bears and Northeastern tigers. Mountain hunters also have a rule: "Don't hit solitary boars, don't chase injured boars." This means that you shouldn't mess with a lone wild boar. Think about it, if it dares to roam alone in the vast forest, it must be incredibly powerful. Otherwise, it would have long been eaten by wolves, tigers, leopards, bears, and other carnivores. Injured wild boars are even more formidable, as seeing blood can trigger their ferocity. They will kill any living thing they see, and those two sharp tusks are their deadly weapons. With one jab, not only humans but also tigers and bears would be disembowelled and killed instantly. Moreover, these fierce creatures often rub against tree trunks to relieve itching, and over time, the pine resin accumulates on their bodies. After rolling around in the mud, they dry off in the sun, forming a thick layer of mud armour that is impenetrable even to ordinary hunting guns. It's no wonder they're ranked first.

  Now that this lonely pig and injured pig have both caught up with me, especially since I was the one who hurt it myself, how can they not hate me? They probably want to tear me limb from limb.

  Behind, Autumn Sheng and the others shouted anxiously, "Quickly circle around the tree!" As a child from the mountains, I naturally knew the danger of this situation and understood the temperament of wild boars. But brother, where is there a tree in front of me? The nearest big tree was 50-60 meters away from me. Before I could run to it, the long tusks of the wild boar would have pierced through my back and chest, making me feel a chill down my spine!

  Can't run, can't just wait to die? Desperate! At this time the wild boar had already rushed in front of me, I raised my shotgun, pulled the trigger, and fired 20 bullets at the wild boar's head. Can't say how good my marksmanship is, at such a close distance, if I didn't hit it, I might as well shoot myself in the head! A loud roar, whoa, the noise was huge, before I could react, I felt my body flying, and I rolled out far away with a loud thud.

  It's all over, I'm hurt, but still can't avoid it. Hmm, why doesn't it hurt?

  After I struggled to get up from the snowy ground, I looked around and found nothing wrong, not even a single hair was hurt. However, my left pant leg had been ripped open with a big hole. Autumn-born brother and Little Ling rushed over, surrounded me, and carefully checked me all over with terrified faces, especially Ling sister, who had tears in her eyes. Seeing that I was fine, they all cheered up excitedly, and Ling sister also burst into laughter, with tears still rolling on her cheeks! Then she came over to pat and pinch my body here and there to check again.

  The mountain tiger came over and gave a bear hug, "Little Autumn, you're really awesome, I'm convinced by you!" Then, who are we? Just this little thrill, fluffy rain! Actually, my legs are still a bit weak now, that's the after-fear, can't help but be afraid? This wild boar is the legendary top three ferocious beasts!

  I took another look at that wild boar, its head was already gone, lying straight and still there. I moved closer to take a careful look, fortunately, this guy might have just started out, the armor on his body was obviously not thick enough, so I picked up a bargain.

  Everyone carried the wild boar to the campsite, Autumn Sheng, Autumn Quan and Mountain Tiger were busy unloading the pork, I sat there with my whole body feeling weak, Xiaoling was busy lighting a fire, and whenever she had time, she would send me a meaningful glance.

  The bonfire burned brightly, illuminating everything around us and driving away the chill from our bodies. Today was an unexpected harvest. Dinner was roasted wild boar meat, a surprise delight that flew into our mouths. Although it was a bit of an adventure, we also had a big gain! As they say: "Without experiencing wind and rain, how can you see the rainbow?" Without experiencing danger, how can you eat wild boar meat? This small risk was worth it!

  Everyone sat around the bonfire and started roasting wild boar meat, a sumptuous campfire dinner began!

  This wild boar meat is different from domestic pork, it has a characteristic, that is, the fat and lean meat are distinct, layered and evenly distributed. Eating only lean meat is a bit dry, eating only fatty meat is a bit greasy. That's why I invented a method, temporarily called Tang-style roasted meat method, which is to wrap the lean meat with fatty oil and then roast it over fire, so that the oil penetrates into the lean meat, making it both fragrant and tender. Sprinkle some fine salt and chili powder on top, and the flavor is just amazing! I guarantee you'll be tongue-tied and won't even notice the pain. This salt and chili powder are always carried with me, after the experience last time by the river, this time entering the mountain, I didn't forget to bring them along. Now they're useful again! In my past life, did I have such good fortune? This is authentic, pure, natural, green, non-polluting food from Xing'an Mountain! Eating it is truly satisfying.

  The bonfire was burning brightly, and the oil dripped into the fire pit, making a "sizzling" sound. The flames suddenly rose high, and they followed my method to roast it. As expected, everyone praised me for my cleverness, saying that even I myself felt like a legendary food god had descended upon us.

  Xiao Ling eats, of course, is cooked by me, this girl also eats with a big appetite, I'm puzzled, you say she's not afraid of getting fat? Also haven't heard her mention dieting or anything, just eat whatever, meat and all, but don't see her getting fat, figure still so fit and beautiful, nor does she do aerobics every day or drink slimming tea, really strange!

  If I were to go back in time and open a weight loss class, with my own experience as proof, wouldn't I become the savior and idol of those girls who have fat phobia but actually don't have much meat on their bodies? And wouldn't I make a fortune, with my pockets full and overflowing?! I'm getting a little carried away here!

  The air is filled with the thick aroma of roasted meat, carried far away by the gentle breeze. From the woods across comes the howling of wolves, it seems that this outdoor barbecue has attracted new customers, who can blame them, our roasted meat is just too delicious!

  After eating, the remaining wild boar meat was cut into small pieces and buried in the snow to freeze for food over the next few days, couldn't bear to throw it away.

  Qiu Sheng and his brothers were busy setting up the tent, not letting me help. In fact, this tent was easy to set up. On the snowy ground, they dug a ditch, cut some thin birch branches, made a "human" shaped frame, covered it with rain cloth on both ends, and then buried three sides with snow, leaving one side as an exit. It became a warm and windproof shelter for the night. Inside the tent, they laid out some dry branches and then a thick layer of animal hide, so no matter how cold it was outside, inside everything was fine!

  The bonfire is still burning brightly, I sit beside it, the sky above is dotted with stars, the surrounding darkness is profound, a gentle breeze sweeps through the pine forest, my thoughts are like free birds flying in the sky and earth, remembering a song from past life that I liked, forgot the name of the song, but still remember a few lines of lyrics, can't help but hum it.

  "We've walked through rain and wind, slowly drawing our hearts closer. In this world of countless romantic tales, I love only you. The song floats in the darkness, and I gradually become lost in its atmosphere, completely forgetting everything around me. It's as if I've returned to the world before my journey. To my loved ones in another world, how are you? As I sing, my throat becomes a little choked, and at this moment, I seem so fragile."

  I felt someone beside me, turned my head around, and it was Xiaoling. Those eyes, brighter than the stars in a dark night, were filled with worry, affection, and inquiry, why so sorrowful? The singing pulled at my heartstrings!

  I lost myself in a smile, my emotions still haven't fully escaped from the atmosphere of just now, I'm just quietly gazing at the distant starry sky.

  "It's late at night, go to sleep!" The gentle words brought me back to reality. I smiled apologetically at Xiaoling and walked towards the tent. On the snowy ground, two tents of different sizes had already been set up.

  As soon as I arrived at the big tent, the lights inside suddenly went out, and a loud voice came from Tiger's pot, "Go to that tent to sleep, there are only three places here, no bed is prepared for you!" I shook my head, this is intentional not leaving me a place.

  As she turned back, Xiaoling had already entered the tent. The dim lamp light cast a shadow of her figure, like a beautiful paper-cutting picture, pasted on the rain cloth.

  Gently lift the rain cloth, a warm current hits your face, in this cold night, it makes people feel more precious. The bean-like lamp light flickers, a small stove is filled with red charcoal burned from firewood, thick wolf skin mats are laid on the snowy ground, a quilt and two pillows, the entire small space is as warm as home, how can you bear to go out again in the cold wind and snow?

  She was calm and composed, as if we had been together for a long, long time.

  "Come over, lie down quickly, get into bed and take off your pants!" She said to me in a commanding tone.

  I was taken aback, this is what I have been looking forward to for a long time, is it going to happen? My heart is a little nervous, but more so excited, a beautiful night.

  "Your pants are torn, let me mend them for you. If not, they will get bigger and bigger, and your quilted jacket will come off too, or else you won't sleep well!" Ah, I see, I feel relieved now, but deep down inside, I still feel a great sense of loss.

  Lisu took off the cumbersome clothes on her body and drilled into the quilt, warm and cozy. It turned out that she had also taken off her cotton pants and warmed up for a long time with her body. Her hand touched her sturdy thighs, and her body trembled slightly, but she didn't move away.

  The warmth of the quilt triggered my drowsiness, a wave of sleepiness swept over my mind, and I gradually closed my eyes. In a daze, she tucked in the corner of the quilt for me.

  It was as if in a dream, a fiery body tightly pressed against mine, separated only by thin undergarments. The unbridled heat emanating from her scorched my skin. I reached out and held her tight. It wasn't a dream; it was Ling'er beside me. Her soft body trembled lightly, and through the thin fabric, I could feel her intense heartbeat, her delicate gasps for air, and her gentle breathing. She curled up in my arms like a cat, exuding a subtle fragrance that enveloped me completely. Yet, I sensed she didn't have any ulterior motives; she was merely trying to comfort the sorrow in my heart tonight through this intimate gesture. Perhaps she felt language was insufficient to express herself, so she chose this way to offer me her deepest solace.

  A serene and peaceful mind, an empty and quiet spiritual realm, holding her tightly as if embracing a precious jade, how could I bear to shatter it? The melancholy and loss in my heart have dissipated like smoke. Tonight, I possess her completely, not physically, but spiritually. Outside, the wind is picking up, with waves of rustling sounds like anger, and snowflakes gently pattering against the tent. In the distance, a few faint wolf howls can be heard. The night has become even quieter. Sleep tight, my girl! Having you, I possess this world. Your silent words have deeply moved my heart. From now on, I can never leave your world again. Sleep tight, my girl!

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