A scream pierced through the forest, and the black bear that had been lying motionless on the tree suddenly turned its head.
The massive creature, weighing at least four or five hundred pounds, moved with surprising agility, swiftly climbing down the tree in an instant.
Yan Xue had been barely holding herself together, but as the situation took a sudden turn, someone finally succumbed to their fear, shrieking and bolting away.
Once one person took the lead, the forcibly suppressed panic erupted like a breached dam. Within a second or two, more than half the people around Yan Xue had started running frantically.
"W-what do we do?" Liu Weiguo's love interest, a female educated youth, clutched Yan Xue's arm, trembling as she asked.
The family members of the forestry workers were seasoned veterans of the mountains, having seen many things and accustomed to running through the terrain. But the city-bred educated youths were experiencing this kind of danger for the first time.
Seeing the black bear charging toward them at breakneck speed, Yan Xue had no better solution. "Run," she said.
"Huh?" The female educated youth clearly hadn't processed it yet.
Yan Xue yanked her hand free. "Run! Split up! Run as fast as you can!"
Noticing a few still frozen in place, she raised her voice sharply, "Run! What are you waiting for?" Then she dashed off herself.
The stunned group finally snapped out of it and sprinted for their lives.
"Split up! Don’t stay together!" Yan Xue shouted over her shoulder without looking back.
This was the best she could do—scatter and run, hoping at least some would escape.
The black bear had been provoked by the screams, and her loud warnings were already a gamble with her life.
Yan Xue didn’t know which direction the bear had taken, nor could she afford to check. She ran until her vision blurred from exhaustion, only to collide with someone running toward her. "Where’s the black bear?" The voice sounded almost excited.
She thought she must have misheard. "Run! Why are you coming this way?"
The person brushed past her without stopping. Then, from behind, she heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked, followed by a loud bang.
Thank goodness, this person has a gun!
That was Yan Xue’s first thought.
Is this Yu Yongzhi?
That was her second.
She didn’t dare look back, but the armed man was indeed Yu Yongzhi.
Yu Yongzhi had rushed over the moment he heard his second sister’s scream. He fired just as the bear lunged at Yu Cuiyun, but the bullet only grazed its shoulder.
Black bears, like wild boars, develop a thick, armor-like hide by rubbing pine resin on their fur and rolling in mud. An adult bear’s hide is especially tough to penetrate.
Unfortunately, this was exactly what they were dealing with. Yu Yongzhi’s shot did little more than enrage it.
The bear swiped at Yu Cuiyun, then immediately turned and charged at Yu Yongzhi.
At speeds of 30 to 40 kilometers per hour, the distance between them closed in seconds.
Yu Yongzhi tried to steady himself for another shot, but his hands shook uncontrollably after the first failed attempt. He couldn’t even pull the trigger.
Terror overtook him. As the bear closed in, he turned and fled, still clutching the gun.
Hearing the commotion, Yan Xue was furious.
Petite and already struggling to run, she now had the bear barreling toward her because of Yu Yongzhi’s failed shot.
To make matters worse, a stray branch snagged her foot, sending her sprawling.
In that split second, Yu Yongzhi raced past her.
The bear’s heavy footsteps grew louder, now just 20 or 30 meters away. Without thinking, Yan Xue rolled to the side, praying the bear would stay fixated on Yu Yongzhi and ignore her.
Before she even steadied herself, another gunshot rang out.
This time, the bear’s roar was deafening, so close it made Yan Xue’s head spin.
She instinctively looked up—the shooter had changed.
Yu Yongzhi, now empty-handed, was still sprinting for his life. Behind him stood another figure, legs slightly apart, squinting with peach-blossom eyes as he held the gun steady. It was none other than Qi Fang.
The man must have arrived in a hurry—he was still catching his breath—but his grip on the gun didn’t waver as he adjusted his aim.
Even as the wounded bear paused briefly before charging again with renewed fury, Qi Fang didn’t flinch or retreat.
Bang!
Another shot.
This time, the bullet struck the bear’s head. With a final earth-shaking roar, the beast collapsed and lay still.
Was it… dead?
Gasping for air, Yan Xue’s ears rang with the echoes of gunfire, the bear’s roars, and her own pounding heartbeat.
Yu Yongzhi, who had faced the bear head-on, was even more shaken. He staggered another dozen meters before his legs gave out, sending him face-first into the dirt.
But once the initial fear faded, anger took over. Trembling, he scrambled to his feet and stomped toward the bear. "You damn beast, why aren’t you moving now? Weren’t you so tough just now—"
Before he could finish, Qi Fang’s cool voice cut in. "Bears play dead."
Yu Yongzhi immediately collapsed again, kicking backward like a frightened crab, putting as much distance between himself and the bear as possible.
The others, who had just begun to relax, tensed up again.
Qi Fang, however, remained calm. He fired another shot into the bear’s head. When it didn’t stir, he lowered the gun. "It’s dead."
Thud!
Thud!
Several people dropped to the ground, their legs giving out. Even Yan Xue, her nerves frayed, felt weak all over.
In the silence, someone’s quiet sobs broke through, soon joined by others.
Yan Xue didn’t cry, but she was still reeling from the ordeal. When footsteps approached, she flinched, ready to bolt again.
The person seemed to notice and stopped.
Only then did Yan Xue come to her senses. She looked up and met the familiar gaze of Qi Fang looking down at her.
Qi Fang had arrived without even a safety helmet, gun in hand, his usual cool demeanor edged with something sharper.
Seeing her regain her composure, he stepped closer. "Are you alright?"
His voice, usually so calm, was unexpectedly reassuring now.
Yan Xue quickly pulled herself together. "I’m fine, just a little shaken." She got up on her own.
As she stood, she realized Qi Fang had reached out to help—only to grasp empty air.
She hadn’t expected that. Before she could say anything, another voice interrupted. "Where’s the bear? Is it dead?"
Liu Weiguo, now also armed with a hunting rifle, hurried over.
Seeing the bear motionless on the ground, he blinked. "Good, it’s already dead."
Without bothering to ask who’d done it, he rushed to the female educated youth. "Are you hurt?"
The girl was still sitting on the ground, dazed. At his question, she looked up—and her eyes instantly welled with tears.
The moment she burst into tears, Liu Weiguo was immediately thrown into a flustered panic. He wanted to step forward and help, his hand already reaching out, but he hesitated, unsure if he should touch her. Instead, he crouched down and whispered reassuringly, "It's alright, it's alright. The black bear’s already dead."
The female educated youth nodded, her eyes red, but the tears kept falling uncontrollably, pattering down her cheeks.
After a long while, she tried to stand up, only to stumble back down with an embarrassed flush. "Um, could you give me a hand? I think I twisted my ankle."
Liu Weiguo had never seen her like this before and hurriedly agreed, "Of course, of course," carefully extending his hand.
With his support, she managed to rise to her feet, albeit unsteadily. Meanwhile, Yan Xue had already regained her composure.
Though her face was still pale and her fingers trembled slightly despite her efforts to steady them, her expression betrayed no sign of distress.
Qi Fang withdrew his hand. Noticing that she had failed twice to brush off the dried leaves stuck to her chest, he reached over and plucked them away for her, asking again, "Are you really alright?"
"Thank you," Yan Xue replied reflexively, then curved her lips into a smile. "I’m fine. The bear was still twenty or thirty meters away from me."
But the truth was, the bear had been mere seconds away from pouncing, and she had had nowhere to run.
Qi Fang’s gaze darkened. "No one expects you to smile at a time like this."
Yan Xue instinctively wanted to retort, I wasn’t trying to, but when she met his deep, displeased eyes, she swallowed her words.
Still, she didn’t cry, nor did she seek comfort from anyone—carrying herself with such strength that it was hard to believe she had just survived a life-threatening ordeal.
Qi Fang’s expression grew even stormier, but before he could say anything else, footsteps approached. It was Liu Daniu, the foreman of his work crew.
Liu Daniu clearly had more experience handling such situations than anyone present. After confirming that the bear was indeed dead, his first question was, "Anyone injured?"
The group instinctively glanced around until someone finally choked out, "Yes... Yu Cuiyun was swiped by the bear."
It was Cheng Yuzhen, the wife of Team Leader Lin, though she had evidently been separated from Yu Cuiyun during the chaos, standing dozens of meters away.
Only then did Yu Yongzhi remember his second sister. Liu Daniu hurried over and crouched down, finding Yu Cuiyun’s padded jacket torn open, with deep bloody gashes running from her left shoulder to her chest. The thick clothing made it hard to assess the full extent of her injuries, but her pained groans suggested they were far from minor.
Liu Daniu immediately ordered, "Someone go find the production dispatcher—tell him to call for a motorcycle cart from the foot of the mountain."
The secretary and the farm director weren’t always stationed up in the mountains; the production dispatcher was the main person in charge at the camp.
He had meant to call his own son, but a quick glance revealed Liu Weiguo deep in conversation with a young woman, completely oblivious to his father.
Liu Daniu hesitated, but Qi Fang spoke up coolly, "I’ll go."
Whether it was her imagination or not, Yan Xue thought his voice sounded colder than usual. Before she could look up, he had already handed his rifle to Liu Daniu and strode off, his tall figure quickly disappearing into the distance.
Liu Daniu turned back to the others. "Anyone else hurt?"
"Yes!" This time, Liu Weiguo raised his hand. "This comrade twisted her ankle."
Even the young woman in question flushed red, hurriedly waving her hands. "I’m fine—just a slight sprain."
Liu Daniu couldn’t help shooting his son a glare before turning away in exasperation.
Before long, Qi Fang returned, bringing not only the production dispatcher but also a few men carrying a stretcher.
They quickly lifted Yu Cuiyun onto it. Seeing how pale and shaken everyone was, the production dispatcher decided to give them the rest of the day off, allowing them to return home early to recover.
Then he pulled Liu Daniu aside, and the two spoke in hushed tones.
Liu Weiguo still wanted to escort the female educated youth back, but now that the group had gathered, she had other, more familiar roommates to lean on. Belatedly feeling self-conscious, she declined his offer. Left with no excuse to linger, he turned back and eyed the dead black bear on the ground, asking Qi Fang, "Shouldn’t we dress it soon? The meat’ll spoil otherwise."
Qi Fang gave a noncommittal hum, clearly disinterested.
Liu Weiguo shrugged. "I get it—your wife’s shaken up. Stay with her. I’ll handle this."
Shaken up?
Qi Fang glanced over at Yan Xue, who was now gently helping a few terrified family workers gather their belongings.
She clearly had the presence of mind to care for others.
His gaze dropped, and he fell silent. Meanwhile, Liu Weiguo let out an excited exclamation. "Hey, look at this!"
Not only Yan Xue, but even the returning production dispatcher and Liu Daniu paused to see what he was holding up—a bear’s gallbladder.
It wasn’t particularly large, but it gleamed a beautiful golden amber, translucent and lustrous.
Even without prior experience trading bear gallbladders, Yan Xue could tell this was a high-quality specimen. Liu Daniu confirmed it. "A golden gallbladder—must’ve been a bear fresh out of hibernation, not yet fed."
The quality of a bear’s gallbladder depended largely on whether the animal had eaten recently.
Black bears were omnivores, primarily consuming wild fruits. Once they started feeding in earnest, their gallbladders turned grass-green—the lowest grade, known as "grass gallbladders."
During hibernation, when they stopped eating, the bile concentration increased, turning the gallbladder dark and paste-like—a mid-grade "ink gallbladder" or "iron gallbladder."
This bear, having just woken from hibernation and not yet eaten before being provoked, had produced a top-tier golden gallbladder, also called a "copper gallbladder."
Unlike ordinary bear gallbladders, these weren’t overwhelmingly bitter, instead leaving a sweet aftertaste. Their medicinal value was exceptional—and so was their price.
Liu Weiguo handed it to Qi Fang. "With just this, your wife’s scare today wasn’t in vain."
Qi Fang’s expression remained indifferent, showing no particular joy.
Liu Weiguo quickly backtracked. "Ah, forget that. No amount of gallbladders is worth her going through that."
The rest—bear hide, paws, and meat—was still substantial. This was a fully grown male, weighing over 400 pounds. Even after skinning and deboning, there’d be plenty to go around.
Yan Xue could already sense the envious glances from the onlookers. She leaned closer to Qi Fang and whispered, "We can’t possibly eat all this ourselves. Why not share it? Everyone had a fright today."
Qi Fang didn’t object. "Do as you like."
So Yan Xue turned to the group. "Come by our place later—five pounds of meat per household. Everyone here gets a share."
The promise of meat lifted the mood considerably. Even those secretly resentful about the gallbladder had to swallow their complaints—after all, the bear had been killed by Qi Fang, and he could’ve kept everything without sharing.
Seeing Qi Fang’s continued dark expression, Liu Daniu suggested he head home too. "You’re in no state to work today. Take the day off and come back tomorrow."
Qi Fang, who never took leave, actually paused before nodding. "Alright."
On the way back, Yan Xue found herself surrounded by people—some praising her for staying calm under pressure, others admiring her knowledge, and a few even complimented her good taste in men.
"Thank goodness for your Qi Fang. With Yu Yongzhi's skills, we'd all have been done for!"
"Right? I always thought he was some hotshot with that rifle he carries around, but turns out he's all talk."
"Qi Fang's the steady one. Didn't even flinch when he fired."
The chatter went back and forth, as if everyone had been watching Qi Fang take the shot instead of scrambling for their lives.
Someone even asked Yan Xue, "Did Qi Fang learn his marksmanship from Grandpa Liu too? He was dead accurate—could hit a headshot if he wanted."
Truthfully, Yan Xue had no idea. Before marrying him, she’d assumed he was just a decent-looking man with a steady job.
But Qi Fang was more than just decent-looking. He could fix anything, handle a rifle like a pro, and had an almost photographic memory.
And he wasn’t just some simple, honest man either—he was sharp. If not for all the details matching up, she might’ve wondered if she’d married the wrong person.
Back at the lumber camp, a few folks helped them carry the black bear home, taking some meat for themselves before leaving.
Surprisingly, Aunt Guo—who rarely went out—wasn’t home. Luckily, though the doors at the camp were fitted with locks, they were never actually locked and could be opened with a simple twist.
More people came by later to claim their share of meat, though some never showed—like Lang Yue'e and the educated youths, since they didn’t cook for themselves and had no use for the meat.
By afternoon, only four bear paws, two legs, and a meatless head remained for Yan Xue and Qi Fang.
She took one of the paws into the kitchen. "We're having braised bear paw tonight." There was a hint of spite in her tone.
Qi Fang didn’t comment, just took it from her to prepare.
Yan Xue then remembered the bear hide. "It’s still in good shape. We should have it made into a fur mat for you to take up the mountain. It’ll keep out the cold—conditions up there are awful."
This time, the man glanced up at her but stayed silent.
Yan Xue was sure now—he was upset. She just couldn’t figure out why.
Surely not because of the bear incident? It wasn’t like she’d asked for it…
The gratitude she’d felt after he saved her was now tangled with irritation, so she stopped talking to him too.
The small one-and-a-half-room house fell into silence, making the noises from the yard outside all the more noticeable.
"Hold on, let me open the door first." It was Aunt Guo.
Yan Xue peeked out and saw not just Aunt Guo but also Guo Changping and his wife, with Guo Chang'an—Aunt Guo’s younger son—slung over Changping’s back.
She stepped out to greet them. "Is Chang'an being discharged?" She helped the slow-moving Aunt Guo with the door.
Aunt Guo relaxed a little. "Yes, today. I didn’t tell you two since you’ve been so busy."
"You picked the right day—we’re both home." Yan Xue held the door open. "Need any help?"
Qi Fang washed his hands and joined them outside.
"You really are home?" Aunt Guo sounded surprised but shook her head. "No need, we’ve got enough hands."
By then, Guo Changping had already carried his brother inside. Compared to the last glimpse Yan Xue had caught of him on the mountain, Chang'an was gaunt, his eyes sunken and vacant.
At first, his eyes were half-open, but when he noticed Yan Xue and Qi Fang, he shut them completely, turning his face away as he passed her.
It was borderline rude, and Aunt Guo gave Yan Xue an apologetic look.
Yan Xue just smiled and shook her head—she understood.
She hadn’t suffered the same trauma, but she could imagine how Chang'an felt. Not wanting to be seen, not wanting attention, dreading pitying looks—even sympathetic ones. Her own father had struggled the same way after losing his leg, always trying to hide the empty pant leg.
She deliberately avoided staring. "If you don’t need us, I’ll head back inside."
When Aunt Guo nodded, Yan Xue returned with a piece of bear meat. "Ran into this in the mountains. Won’t keep long in this weather."
"This… we can’t keep taking your food," Aunt Guo said hesitantly.
"What about the pickled cabbage you gave us? Or the pants you mended for Qi Fang?"
Yan Xue couldn’t sew—when clothes tore, she had to stitch them by hand, and her work was worse than Qi Fang’s own patch jobs.
After leaving the meat, she went back inside. Soon, Guo Changping emerged from the inner room and asked his mother, "They seem alright?"
"Very kind," Aunt Guo said. "They’ve brought us food more than once, and helped me out plenty when you weren’t around."
Changping could tell she meant it. "Good. At least those things didn’t go to waste."
He was referring to the furniture prepared for Chang'an’s wedding—some of the stools, he’d made himself.
Aunt Guo’s expression dimmed. "Let’s hope meeting good people now means better luck ahead."
Back home, Yan Xue had just finished braising the bear paw when Liu Weiguo showed up, drawn by the smell. "Knew that aroma had to be coming from here."
"Since you’re here, want to join us?" Yan Xue offered.
"Wouldn’t dare take much. Just a taste’ll do."
Liu Weiguo clearly remembered how stingy Qi Fang could be, so he took just one bite—a big one.
After eating, he explained why he’d come: Liu Daniu and the production team had concluded that the black bear had been startled out of hibernation early by logging machinery. After discussing it with Secretary Lang, they decided to have Grandpa Liu lead a team—including Qi Fang, given his performance—to sweep the area again.
"Secretary Lang said wages stay the same, plus an extra two yuan a day as a bonus."
Same pay or extra, it was still just a day’s work. Qi Fang glanced at Yan Xue but didn’t comment.
Once Liu Weiguo left—with a bear paw Yan Xue pressed into his hands ("Have Aunt Liu cook this for you")—the house was quiet again.
Dinner passed in silence, neither speaking. By bedtime, there was no whispered conversation, let alone anything more intimate.
But just as Yan Xue closed her eyes, she found herself back in the woods from earlier—the same cold wind, the same chaos, only this time, she was the one being chased.
As she tripped over a protruding branch, the massive black bear reared up on its hind legs—its razor-sharp claws and gaping maw now less than a meter away from her...
Yan Xue jolted awake, gasping for air.
Qi Fang, whether already awake or roused by her, immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Yan Xue replied instinctively. "Just a nightmare."
The person beside her might have been murmuring half-asleep or had already drifted off again, as no further words followed her response.
Yan Xue didn’t dwell on it. She turned over, focusing on steadying her breathing and heartbeat.
Still shaken from the nightmare, she couldn’t bring herself to fall back asleep right away.
She wanted to shift positions again, maybe stare at the ceiling for a while to stay awake a little longer—but she hesitated, not wanting to disturb the person next to her.
Lost in her thoughts, someone nearby turned over impatiently.
Then a warm body pressed against her, pulling her into an embrace.
[Facepalm peek] [Facepalm peek] [Facepalm peek]
