1983, Northeast China

Chapter 60 This gun wasn't a waste of time.

Huang Er suddenly let out a low cry.

Chen Shi raised his hand, and the people behind him stopped.

On the snow slope ahead, there were several messy wolf claw marks.

The tracks circled a snowdrift twice before spreading out towards the east gully. They didn't go far, and the paw prints varied in depth.

They didn't really go far.

Li Cheng's Adam's apple bobbed. "A wolf?"

Chen Shi took the gun off his shoulder and loaded a bullet.

"I can smell human scent."

Yellow Ear bypassed the wolf tracks and burrowed down the slope.

Chen Shi followed and saw a collapsed patch of hardened snow crust at the edge of the slope, with a broken tree branch stuck next to it. Below the snow crust was a narrow ditch, not deep, but with old ice underneath.

A very soft hum came from the bottom of the ditch.

"They're down there!" Li Cheng shouted.

Chen Shi crouched down and looked down. Zhao Xiaohai was huddled at the bottom of the ditch, half of his leg pinned under a fallen log, his face blue with cold.

"Don't sleep!" Chen Shi shouted as he went down into the ditch. "Zhao Xiaohai, open your eyes!"

Zhao Xiaohai's eyelids twitched, but his eyes remained unfocused.

"Don't sleep, open your eyes." Chen Shi patted Zhao Xiaohai's face.

"No...don't hit me..."

Li Cheng, lying on the edge of the ditch, didn't hear clearly and asked, "What did you hit?"

"You're talking nonsense, it's not important." He touched Zhao Xiaohai's neck, then behind his ear; it was cold to the touch. There was still a faint pulse on his wrist.

"It's freezing cold," Chen Shi said. "You guys cut some branches first, find two straight ones."

A young man eagerly said, "Why don't we just move the wood aside first?"

"Don't force it." Chen Shi looked at the spot where the fallen log was pressing on his leg. "His leg is swollen, and the bones might be injured. If you pull it, the bones will shift, and that will cause problems later."

The man quickly stopped moving the wood and turned to look for tree branches.

Chen Shi slowly ran his fingers along Zhao Xiaohai's shinbone. The trouser legs were frozen stiff, and the boot shafts were deformed from being stretched by his swollen calves.

Zhao Xiaohai convulsed in pain.

"How is it?"

"The bones aren't completely broken, he can live," Chen Shi said. "Brother, take off your scarf."

"What are you doing?"

"Protect the wind from his neck and chest first."

Li Cheng quickly untied it.

He then took off his own cotton-padded coat and covered him with it.

The two young men worked efficiently and quickly brought over some tree branches. Chen Shi first used a rope to hoist the fallen log to the side, allowing the people above to lift it slowly.

Taking advantage of a break, he sandwiched two tree branches between Zhao Xiaohai's injured legs, then tore strips of cloth and tied them down from his knees.

The toes are sticking out.

Li Cheng looked on, puzzled. "Why aren't your feet bandaged?"

"It depends on the color," Chen Shi said. "If it's completely sealed, you won't even know if it's damaged or not."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Xiaohai grabbed Chen Shi's sleeve again.

His hands were frozen stiff, but his fingers were gripping tightly.

"No lights...no sound...a silent car..."

Chen Shi looked down at him.

Zhao Xiaohai's teeth chattered, and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

"It wasn't me...it wasn't me who went that way..."

"Don't say anything yet." Chen Shi pressed his hand back to his chest. "We'll talk about it when we get back alive."

Suddenly, a menacing voice, hushed by yellow ears, came from above.

The commotion Huang Er makes usually means he has discovered something.

Li Cheng shouted from the ditch, "Shizi, there's something on the edge of the woods!"

Chen Shi looked up.

At the edge of the forest, several gray shadows moved close to the snow line.

One stopped directly in front, while the other two parted to the left and right. They kept their bodies low, looking from a distance like several moving gray stones.

Yellow Ear was blocking the edge of the ditch, its fur standing on end.

What bad luck! What's going on this year? The thugs' activity range is all wrong.

Li Cheng gripped a tree branch, his hands trembling.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Chen Shi climbed up from the bottom of the ditch and gripped the gun in his hand.

Three bullets.

Every shot fired reduces the number of shots available.

The wolves were watching him, and he was also observing them.

The wolf on the far left. It didn't rush forward, but circled around, spiraling towards Li Cheng and the sedan chair.

Huang Er took a step to the left.

The wolf in the middle immediately leaned forward halfway.

Chen Shi knew that if he waited any longer, things would get chaotic.

Before Li Cheng could react, Chen Shi had already raised the muzzle of his gun above the woods.

He pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

Gunshots rang out in the ditch, causing the snow on the trees to fall in a flurry.

A crow took flight from afar, its cry long and hoarse.

Yellow Ear took a step forward and howled at the wolf pack.

Several gray figures stopped.

The wolf in the middle turned its head and glanced at Chen Shi, its eyes cold in the snow. It took only two steps back, then stopped.

Chen Shi didn't lower his gun, nor did he dare fire a second shot. He didn't have many bullets left; one shot wasn't enough for each wolf in the pack. It would be best if he could intimidate them, but if he couldn't...

The two sides remained locked in a tense standoff.

After a while, the one on the left turned around and disappeared into the woods.

The remaining few slowly retreated into the shadows of the trees, paused for a moment, and finally disappeared from sight.

Li Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Shi removed the gun barrel, glanced at the empty cartridge case, and then touched the two remaining bullets.

One less shot.

Fortunately, these wolves rarely interact with humans and have a deep respect for guns.

The men dared not delay any longer, so they lifted Zhao Xiaohai up from the bottom of the ditch and tied him to a pole made of tree branches.

Zhao Xiaohai was so cold he was numb, but he was still managing to utter words intermittently.

"The car...is silent...and completely dark..."

"Don't hit me..."

Zhao Xiaohai kept repeating himself, and no one could understand what he was talking about.

As Chen Shi tightened the knot and led the group to carry Zhao Xiaohai back, he glanced back in the direction Zhao Xiaohai had fallen.

The path from the slope to the ditch wasn't a normal deviation. The snow crust was broken and scattered, and people had to dodge suddenly to the side, lose their footing, and slide down.

On the other side of the slope, two sled tracks were half-covered by last night's light snow.

Chen Shi walked over and measured the width between the two marks with his finger.

The distance between the two marks was much narrower than that of the wide sleds used to haul timber in the forest, but they were very deep, indicating that the timber was not light.

At the bend, the outer snow crust was crushed around the edge, indicating that they were in a hurry and didn't turn slowly along the normal path.

The hoofprints were strange, like those of a horse accustomed to small paths. The tracks emerged from the depths of the forest, slanted away from the timber road, and headed back towards the logging camp.

A burlap sack with its rough edges hung from a low branch nearby, frozen stiff.

Chen Shi plucked some snow and scraped off a bit of the snow crust with his fingernail.

The rough edges smelled strongly of pine resin, so strong it was almost pungent.

Normally, when storing wood or leather, it wouldn't produce this kind of pine resin smell.

There was a dark color at the base of the rough edges, frozen solid, so it was impossible to tell if it was mud or blood.

Li Cheng had followed them around at some point. Seeing Chen Shi intently watching without saying a word, he finally spoke when he noticed Chen Shi fiddling with something. "Is this what Xiao Hai is hiding from?"

Chen Shi looked at the detour mark and shook his head. "I don't know. Let's go back to the village first. Saving lives is the priority."

He stuffed the rough edges of the burlap sack into his arms and turned to lift the sedan chair.

When Zhao Xiaohai was carried to the timber crossing, he fainted again.

His mother was waiting at the entrance of the village. As soon as she saw the sedan chair, her legs went weak, and she staggered and rushed over.

She grabbed the sedan chair, crying so hard she couldn't speak coherently, only repeatedly calling out "Xiao Hai".

Zhao Defa had someone help her away, then ordered hot water to be boiled and a cart to be found, in preparation to take her to the clinic.

Chen Shi stopped him.

"Don't rush to change to a cart. Get a plank first, and then hold your legs firmly. The road is bumpy, and your bones can easily become dislocated."

Zhao Defa immediately ordered people to dismantle the wooden planks.

Chen Shi re-stabilized Zhao Xiaohai's injured leg and then asked his mother to bring a thick quilt to wrap him up from his shoulders to his chest.

"Call him on the way, don't let him fall into a deep sleep. Give him water little by little, don't force it in."

Zhao Xiaohai half-opened his eyes, saw his mother, and his lips moved.

"Mother, don't cry."

Chen Shi handed the gun back to Zhao Defa, and then placed two bullets and empty cartridge cases in his hand.

"Three shots, one went off, enough to scare the wolf. Two left, the spent cartridges are here."

Zhao Defa looked at his hands, then at Zhao Xiaohai who was being lifted onto the cart, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"This gun was worth every penny."

Someone nearby said, "It's frostbite, rub it on him."

"Don't rub it," Chen Shi said. "He's too cold. If you rub it, the skin will break and it won't get any better."

Chen Shi looked at Zhao Xiaohai and his mother, sighed, and asked someone to tell his family.

He followed the cart to the town's clinic, occasionally checking on Zhao Xiaohai's condition along the way. His professional demeanor drew glances from his companions.

"Zhao Xiaohai, did you hear me?" he shouted, bending down. "Your mother is still following behind you, don't play dead."

Zhao Xiaohai's lips moved, but he didn't utter a complete sentence.

Li Cheng called out again.

Zhao Xiaohai let out a groan.

Li Cheng immediately looked up. "Shizi, he agreed."

"Just shout it like that."

Zhao Xiaohai's mother stood beside the cart, sobbing uncontrollably. An older woman nearby gave a hot cornbread to the young man pulling the cart and then helped her up.

"You have to wait until the doctor has finished examining you before you cry. Let's go now."

The clinic wasn't far, but the journey was arduous. The road was uneven and full of potholes, and Zhao Xiaohai would shiver every time the cart bounced.

Li Cheng held the corner of the blanket with one hand and gripped the two wooden planks that held his legs with the other. His fingers were so cold they ached, but he didn't dare let go.

Upon arriving at the clinic, the doctor, seeing the scene, quickly had Zhao Xiaohai carried into the inner room.

He cut open the pant leg and saw his swollen, shiny calves. "How did they get so cold?"

"Who provides the fixed number?"

Zhao Defa pointed at Chen Shi.

The doctor praised her, then lowered his head to touch her leg bone.

"It's holding in place fairly well. Did someone rub it unnecessarily?"

"No," Chen Shi said.

"Then you'll suffer less." The doctor rolled up the cut pant leg to the side. "The worst thing about frostbite is coming back and immediately scalding it with hot water or rubbing it with your hands. If you rub it open, it'll cause a lot of trouble later."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaohai's mother burst into tears again.

"Save my child, save him!"

The doctor didn't answer immediately, only saying, "Take care of him first; he's fine. We'll see about his leg tonight."

Zhao Defa breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Shi stood by the door, not pushing any further in. There wasn't enough room for more people. He said goodbye to Zhao Defa and then went back to the village with Li Cheng.

Back home, Ya Ya sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with her picture book, looking up whenever she heard the door open.

When Chen Xiulan saw Chen Shi return, she brought him a bowl of hot water. "How are you?"

"His life can be saved, but his leg still needs to be checked."

"Oh dear, she's so young, what will she do if she loses her legs?" Chen Xiulan said.

"Oh, as long as you're alive, that's all that matters," said Aunt Wang. "Drink first. Your hands are frozen like wood, do you really want to stand there?"

Chen Shi took the bowl and drank two mouthfuls.

Li Cheng stood at the doorway, not yet stepping onto the kang (heated brick bed), when Aunt Wang glared at him again.

"What are you standing there for? Waiting for me to offer incense for you? Come in and warm your hands."

Li Cheng then moved to the stove and reached out to warm his hands by the fire.

This time he didn't talk back.

Aunt Wang glanced at him, softening her tone, "Were you frightened?"

Li Cheng rubbed his hands together. "Who wouldn't be afraid if a wolf was circling around them?"

"Are you afraid you'll still go along?"

Li Cheng looked down at the fire. "Everyone's already in the ditch. We can't just leave Shizi there alone."

Aunt Wang didn't say anything more to him, but just added a handful of firewood to the stove.

Seeing that everyone's expressions were not good, Ya Ya pushed the book over and said, "Uncle, I still remember the character 'mountain'."

Chen Shi sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and turned to that page.

Which one is the mountain?

Ya Ya pointed to the character "山" (mountain) and said, "山" (mountain).

"Yes," Chen Shi said, "From now on, you can't go into the mountains with anyone except your mother, uncle, and grandmother."

Ya Ya nodded, "I'm not going."

Aunt Wang chimed in, "Once the snow melts in the spring, you can identify everything in the yard. You can even mistake that woodpile outside for a mountain."

Ya Ya looked at her carefully, "A stack of firewood is not a mountain."

"Oh, so you know it's not true." Aunt Wang chuckled.

Chen Xiulan looked at Chen Shi and said, "I'm most afraid that you'll go to the other side of Laonangou. Someone almost died again today."

"We're not going to Lao Nan Gou today," Li Cheng couldn't help but say, then immediately shut up.

Chen Shi put the bowl down.

"Outside the timber road. Xiao Hai was collecting old lumber and got lost."

Chen Xiulan realized he hadn't said everything, but she didn't press him for details.

She looked down and patted Xiaoman in her arms. "No matter what, it's good that she's alive. Just keep everything else in mind."

Aunt Wang looked at Chen Shi, then at Li Cheng.

"If there's anything you two can't say in front of the child, then say it outside later. Don't scare Yaya in the house."

Ya Ya immediately said, "I'm not afraid."

Aunt Wang tapped her forehead. "Aren't you afraid? Who was sitting by the door with a book, looking up every time the curtain moved?"

Ya Ya lowered her head and tucked the book into her arms.

After dinner, Chen Xiulan coaxed Xiaoman to sleep, while Yaya read a book by the kang table. Aunt Wang cleared the dishes, and Li Cheng took the bowls to the outer room.

After Ya Ya lowered her head to read, Chen Shi took the oil paper package out of his pocket and placed it at the very edge of the kang table.

Aunt Wang dried her hands, walked over, and took a sniff.

"Pine oil?"

"Um."

"Where did you come from?"

"Zhao Xiaohai fell into the ditch on that slope."

The scent of pine resin wafted out, and everyone in the room could smell it.

Chen Xiulan frowned. "This smell is too strong."

"It's not unusual for people in the mountains to use pine oil, but it's not right to apply it to burlap sacks so heavily."

Aunt Wang asked, "Can pine resin be applied to burlap sacks?"

"Yes," Chen Shi said. "It can be used to suppress odors and prevent moisture."

Li Cheng brought in the washed bowls and added, "But I've smelled the leather in Pihuo Hutong. No matter how much pine oil you apply, it won't completely cover it up."

Chen Shi looked at him.

"I'm not making this up. Master Meng's backyard also smells like this, but the smell there is diffused. This one is too strong, like... it's been smeared too much."

Aunt Wang's smile vanished. "Is the car Zhao Xiaohai mentioned related to this?"

"It's not certain yet." Chen Shi folded the oil paper package back up. "But that sled mark is definitely not right."

He described the marks he saw on the slope: the marks were narrow, deep, the horseshoes were narrow, the snow crust was broken at the bends, there were no bells, no lights, and the log cabin was avoided.

Li Cheng added from the side, "Xiao Hai said that the cart was silent. The horse didn't have a bell around its neck, and the sled was covered in snow. When it passed by the hillside at night, people might not have been able to hear it."

Aunt Wang felt a chill run down her spine.

"What are these people doing going into the mountains in the middle of the night? Can't they just stick to the main road?"