PFC Chapter 182 Going into the mountains to find someone
Chapter 182 Going into the mountains to find someone
It was a rare opportunity to rest quietly like this, so Li Xiangyang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Li Xiangyang was awakened by the sun.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting bright patches of light on the floor.
Xuanmao and Xiaohu were already sunbathing in the yard. When they saw him get up, they went to the door to wait.
He tidied up quickly and prepared to chop some firewood in the backyard.
At noon, footsteps came from the courtyard. Li Xiangyang looked up and saw that Lin Shouye had brought Anna.
"Xiangyang, you're home." Lin Shouye greeted him with a smile.
Anna, wearing a thick down jacket, looked apologetic. "Sorry for being so late; it took us a while to unpack."
Li Xiangyang put down the axe in his hand: "Let's go inside and talk."
The room was very warm, and the three of them felt the heat as soon as they entered.
"I heard at the educated youth settlement that you're getting married. I'm so sorry, I'm leaving for China in a couple of days and won't be able to attend."
Anna took a delicate leather box out of her backpack. "This is for you, as a wedding gift."
Li Xiangyang took the box, opened it, and found a telescope inside.
In those days, such imported telescopes were a rarity.
“This is too expensive,” he tried to decline.
"Please accept this. We've been so grateful for your help these past few days," Anna smiled. "Besides, it'll come in handy for hunting in the future."
Li Xiangyang was about to say something when Lin Shouye interrupted, "They've come with good intentions, so let's not refuse."
"Thank you then." Li Xiangyang could only nod.
“Oh, and keep these photos too.” Anna pulled out another stack of pictures. “They were all taken in the mountains.”
Li Xiangyang took it and looked through it; it was all scenes from their trip into the mountains.
The majestic sight of a Siberian tiger running across the snow, the moment two tigers fight, and the thrilling attack by a pack of wolves...
Each photo brings back memories of those days.
"It's getting late, we should head back." Lin Shouye stood up.
Anna also stood up and said in somewhat broken Chinese, "Wishing you a happy marriage in advance."
Li Xiangyang escorted the two to the entrance of the courtyard.
"Oh, by the way, the payment for this trip into the mountains," Lin Shouye handed over an envelope, "has been exchanged for our own money."
"No need," Li Xiangyang waved his hand. "Anna already gave such an expensive gift."
"These are two separate matters." Lin Shouye insisted on stuffing the envelope into Li Xiangyang's hand. "You won't be shortchanged by a single penny. Besides, this trip up the mountain was indeed difficult; your hard work deserves a reward."
Seeing Lin Shouye's insistence, Li Xiangyang took the envelope: "Then I'll accept it."
"Alright, we're off then," Lin Shouye said, turning to leave.
Anna took one last look at the yard and said somewhat awkwardly, "Goodbye, I hope I can come back and visit again."
"Take care." Li Xiangyang nodded.
As he watched the two figures gradually disappear at the edge of the village, Li Xiangyang felt a pang of emotion.
Although their time together was short, Anna brought him not only wages and gifts, but also a rare friendship.
This parting may be the last time we see each other.
Just as he was lost in thought, the black cat rubbed against his leg.
Li Xiangyang patted the black cat, turned around and went back to the yard to continue chopping wood.
The warm sunshine of early spring shone in the courtyard, the snow gradually melted, and water droplets dripped from the eaves from time to time.
He swung his axe, and neatly stacked the firewood in the corner.
Just as he was about to go find Wang Ergou to split the money, he heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard.
"Xiangyang! Is Xiangyang home?"
It was the voice of Old Party Secretary Zhang, and he sounded somewhat anxious.
Li Xiangyang quickly put down his work and walked briskly to the courtyard gate.
Old Party Secretary Zhang was sweating profusely and looked anxious.
"Old Party Secretary, what's wrong?" Li Xiangyang hurriedly ushered the man into the house.
"Something's happened!" Old Party Secretary Zhang exclaimed, not even bothering to wipe his sweat. "A new batch of educated youth has been assigned to the city, and a few of them, being naive, said they wanted to go exploring and secretly ran off into the mountains..."
Li Xiangyang frowned.
At this time of year, the ice and snow have not completely melted, and the ground is soft and muddy, making it easy to slip and fall off a cliff.
Moreover, spring is the season when wild animals hunt for food, making them more vulnerable to danger than in winter.
Which direction did they go?
"They say they went towards Fox Fairy Valley," sighed Old Secretary Zhang. "These city kids are really a worry. But since it's already happened, you absolutely must help search! They're all born of parents; if someone just disappears like this without any explanation..."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Don't worry, I'll go find Wang Ergou right now, and we'll go into the mountains together to search for the person."
He strode to the cabinet, took out the binoculars Anna had just given him, and then slung his Type 63 rifle over his shoulder...
In situations like these, it's always good to bring extra equipment.
After comforting the old Party Secretary, Li Xiangyang packed his gear and hurried to Wang Ergou's house.
"Ergou, are you home?"
Li Xiangyang stood at the gate of the courtyard and shouted.
Wang Ergou ran out upon hearing the noise, still wearing his apron: "Hey, Xiangyang, you're just in time! I just stewed some meat, wanna grab some?"
"There's no time to eat," Li Xiangyang said seriously. "Something's happened. The new educated youth have been in the mountains for several days and haven't returned yet."
Wang Ergou's expression changed, and he turned to shout into the house, "Hongxia, you eat first, Xiangyang and I have urgent business!"
After saying that, he quickly went back to his room to change his clothes and pack his gear.
"This is the money Lin Shouye gave us."
Taking advantage of this moment, Li Xiangyang handed the envelope containing the money to Wang Ergou, saying, "Keep yours safe."
At this moment, Ma Hongxia walked over: "Why are you all in such a hurry? What happened?"
"Sigh, the new educated youth are so ignorant, they think they're too good for themselves, running off to the mountains for no reason..."
Despite his complaints, Wang Ergou worked quickly and efficiently, packing up his equipment in no time.
Once he had finished getting ready, he hurriedly left the house.
At this moment, Old Party Secretary Zhang was already waiting outside the door, with several educated youths standing beside him, their faces filled with shame.
"Xiangyang, Ergou, these guys came with those kids, they know what's going on."
Without wasting any words, Old Party Secretary Zhang gave a brief explanation, after which a bespectacled male educated youth stepped forward and said, "They said they wanted to go explore Fox Fairy Valley. I advised them to wait until it got warmer, but they wouldn't listen..."
"How many people?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"Five in total, two men and three women."
Did you bring any dry food?
"I brought some flatbread and water."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance, both secretly thinking that things were going badly.
Going into the mountains in this weather without enough supplies could lead to serious trouble if you get lost.
"Old Party Secretary, please have someone prepare some ropes and dry food to send to the foot of the mountain. If we can't find him before dark, we might have to search all night," Li Xiangyang instructed.
Old Party Secretary Zhang nodded in agreement, then added, "You all need to be careful too."
Li Xiangyang didn't say anything more and hurried into the mountains with Wang Ergou.
The black cat walked ahead, stopping every now and then to sniff the ground.
Little Tiger followed closely behind, appearing extremely alert.
"How far do you think they can go?" Wang Ergou asked as he walked.
"It depends on their stamina," Li Xiangyang said, glancing at the gradually melting snow in the distance. "But the mountain roads are difficult to travel right now, they probably can't go too far."