It was almost dark, and Liu Chuncai still hadn’t returned?
Without a second thought, Yan Xue reached for the flashlight. "I’ll go with you to look for her." Her hand accidentally brushed against Qi Fang’s long, well-defined fingers.
The man didn’t hesitate. Seeing her move, he switched to grabbing the batteries placed nearby instead. "Has anyone who went with her come back yet?"
Yan Xue thought his voice sounded a bit odd, as if he were speaking through a toothache.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Liu Weiguo had already said, "I don’t know. My mom went to ask around. I came to your place to see if you’d had any luck."
By then, Qi Fang and Yan Xue had already changed into more practical shoes. After informing Second Old Lady, they followed Liu Weiguo out.
Not far from the house, they ran into Huang Fengying, trailed by a middle-aged woman around her age, her face equally anxious.
Yan Xue’s heart sank. Sure enough, Huang Fengying said, "Wang Xiuxia hasn’t come back either. Her family is searching for her now."
This was serious. Who knew if the two girls had run into trouble in the mountains?
Though the adults had repeatedly warned them not to wander too far, what if the girls had been reckless? Even the foothills weren’t entirely safe.
"Have you searched near the lumber camp?" Qi Fang asked Huang Fengying and Liu Weiguo.
"We’ve looked everywhere," Huang Fengying replied. "Even the nearby riverbanks and woods."
The woman behind her—likely Wang Xiuxia’s mother—added, "We checked with her classmates too. No one’s seen them. Where on earth have those two run off to?"
"Then we’ll head into the mountains. Go back and bring your two hunting rifles," Qi Fang said to Liu Weiguo.
Yan Xue turned to leave as well. "I’ll find Secretary Lang and have him call a few men from the security team."
The forest at night was far less safe than in daylight. Many wild animals were nocturnal, hunting under the cover of darkness.
Secretary Lang immediately gathered a team from the security department upon hearing that two children from the lumber camp were missing.
From the Liu family, Grandpa Liu, Liu Daniu, and Liu Weiguo all joined the search, borrowing two extra rifles for Liu Weiguo and Qi Fang to carry.
They even brought the Liu family’s two dogs. A group of over a dozen people split into several teams, calling the girls’ names as they combed the general area where the girls were last seen.
Shouting served two purposes: it helped the girls hear and respond, and it could scare off some wild animals—especially with the flashlights in hand.
As the sky darkened completely, Yan Xue and Qi Fang’s team finally heard a tearful reply. "I—I’m here!"
They hurried toward the voice, meeting Liu Weiguo and Zhou Wenhui, who had arrived from another direction. Their flashlights illuminated a girl about Liu Chuncai’s age.
Wang Xiuxia, dressed in long sleeves and pants with a basket on her back, had cried until her eyes were swollen.
Liu Weiguo scanned the area but saw no sign of the other girl. "Where’s Chuncai?" he demanded.
"I—I don’t know," Wang Xiuxia stammered, nearly earning a scolding from Liu Weiguo.
Seeing how shaken she was, Yan Xue quickly stepped in to soothe her. "It’s alright. Take your time. Where did you and Chuncai separate?"
Zhou Wenhui picked up the items Wang Xiuxia had dropped, placing them back into her basket.
The presence of other women calmed Wang Xiuxia slightly. The crowd also made her feel safer. "We split up this afternoon, agreeing to meet back here after gathering herbs. But I waited a long time, and she never showed up. I went looking for her, but it got dark, and I still couldn’t find her."
Tears welled up again as she spoke. Yan Xue handed her a handkerchief. "Do you remember which direction she went?"
"Y-yes." Wang Xiuxia didn’t bother wiping her face, instead squinting in the flashlight’s glow before pointing.
Qi Fang immediately blew the whistle hanging around his neck several times, alerting Wang Xiuxia’s family that she’d been found.
Soon, answering calls echoed from another part of the woods. Yan Xue told Wang Xiuxia, "Your parents are on their way. Wait here for them, alright?"
Wang Xiuxia clutched her hand tightly. "I—I’m scared!" Clearly, she didn’t want them to leave.
With no other choice, the four split up again. Liu Weiguo and Zhou Wenhui continued searching, while Yan Xue and Qi Fang stayed with Wang Xiuxia until her family arrived.
Only after the Wang family had scolded and hugged their daughter in relief did Yan Xue and Qi Fang pick up their flashlights and rifles, resuming the search in the direction Wang Xiuxia had indicated.
Following Liu Weiguo and Zhou Wenhui’s distant calls, they chose a different path. As they walked, Yan Xue reminded Qi Fang, "Keep an eye out for any mushrooms or baskets on the ground."
Liu Chuncai had inherited Huang Fengying’s boldness—unlike her more obedient younger sister, Liu Chunni—but she wasn’t reckless. As a local who often roamed these mountains, she knew the terrain well. If she still hadn’t returned, something must have happened.
Qi Fang understood. "Mm," he acknowledged, sweeping his flashlight beam across the surroundings.
Then, a long, eerie howl pierced the night from deep within the forest.
Yan Xue and Qi Fang exchanged glances, their expressions grim. "I hope it’s not Chuncai."
"She knows how to climb trees," Qi Fang said, his tone steadier than hers.
Wolves weren’t feline predators; they couldn’t climb. If cornered, she could take refuge in a tree.
Still, he quickened his pace—especially after spotting a disturbed animal trap further ahead.
Yan Xue peered down. "Looks like it was set for wild boars."
The summer rains had left the ground slick. Qi Fang instinctively pulled her back. "Careful."
But they’d already noticed the skid marks at the trap’s edge and the scattered mushrooms nearby.
A sweep of the flashlight revealed another set of footprints—these far more chaotic, with varying sizes leading away.
"Someone must’ve fallen in and been pulled out," Qi Fang deduced swiftly.
Without wasting a second, they followed the tracks, their unease growing as the trail veered closer to the source of the howling.
As they neared, Qi Fang raised a finger to his lips, tilting his head to listen.
Yan Xue heard it too—a sharp, defiant shout from not far away. "Get lost, you mangy wolves! What, you gonna climb up here and get me?"
A moment later, the same voice, now tearful, grumbled, "You don’t even know the way! You led us straight to a wolf den!"
It was Liu Chuncai. And at least one other person was with her, though their voice was faint.
Normally, shouting or making direct eye contact with wolves in the wild was unwise—it provoked them. But this was an emergency. Who knew how dire the situation was?
Qi Fang blew his whistle sharply. Yan Xue cupped her hands around her mouth. "Chuncai—! It’s Yan Xue! Your brother and the others are here—stay in the tree and don’t panic—!"
"Yan Xue?! Is that really you?!" Liu Chuncai’s voice rang out, trembling with relief.
Before long, she shouted again, "Yan Xue, don’t come over! There are wolves here!"
Even in such a situation, she still had the presence of mind to warn others.
Yan Xue didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. Just then, Liu Weiguo’s whistle sounded in the distance, not too far away. She simply asked, "How many are on your side?"
"Seven or eight," Liu Chunni answered uncertainly before correcting herself, "Seven!"
Fortunately, it was summer, and food wasn’t scarce. Wolf packs were usually small this time of year. If it had been winter, things would have been much worse.
In the midst of their exchange, pairs of eerie green eyes appeared in the forest ahead—members of the wolf pack scouting the area.
Qi Fang didn’t act rashly to provoke them. Instead, he turned off his flashlight and pulled Yan Xue behind a tree.
Wolf packs generally avoided attacking creatures taking cover, but these two wolves lingered, circling without any intention of leaving.
Qi Fang had no choice but to lift Yan Xue up. "You go up first." Once she had climbed onto the tree, he stepped back, loaded his rifle, and fired a shot into the air.
Small wolf packs, unless driven by extreme hunger or territory loss, would usually retreat when faced with armed humans.
Sure enough, the two wolves immediately scattered, howling as they fled.
However, the wolves surrounding Liu Chunni showed no signs of leaving. Meanwhile, Liu Weiguo arrived with Zhou Wenhui.
Liu Weiguo’s grandfather had been a seasoned hunter, so he understood wolf behavior. "There are enough of us. If we fire a couple of shots into the air, we should scare them off," he said.
The group hurried over and soon spotted a pack of seven or eight wolves circling a tree. Two figures clung to the branches—Liu Chunni higher up, and a man below, though his face was too distant to make out.
"Chunni, hold on a little longer! We’ll drive them away!" Liu Weiguo called to his sister.
Just as he raised his rifle and Liu Chunni was about to respond, the branch beneath her gave a loud crack.
She instinctively grabbed the trunk, but it was too late—the overloaded branch snapped, sending her plummeting.
"Look out!" the group shouted in alarm.
The man beneath her reached out to catch her, but the force yanked him down as well.
At that moment, despite Qi Fang firing another warning shot, the wolves lunged like sharks scenting blood.
The man shoved Liu Chunni aside, leaving himself exposed. Qi Fang barely had time to yell, "Don’t kill the alpha!" before adjusting his aim and firing at the lead wolf.
In the chaos, Liu Weiguo’s bullet, originally aimed for the alpha’s vitals, veered slightly at the last moment.
Two gunshots rang out, followed by pained howls as two wolves collapsed, incapacitated.
Thankfully, the alpha survived. Without its death, the pack wouldn’t seek vengeance. The wounded leader let out a long howl, and the wolves scattered into the night.
Qi Fang and Liu Weiguo rushed over but first scanned the surroundings, rifles at the ready.
The second injured wolf, abandoned by the pack, was too severely hurt to pose a threat. They finished it off with another shot.
Once certain the danger had passed, Liu Weiguo checked on the two. "Are you alright? Any injuries?"
Qi Fang glanced behind him and nearly froze. "You again?"
The man with Liu Chunni was a mess—clothes torn, covered in mud. Of average height with a short buzz cut and plain features (though his eyes were a bit small), it was none other than Qi Fang, whom they had parted ways with just a month ago.
Qi Fang must have recognized them earlier, but seeing Qi Fang now, he still flushed with embarrassment.
Qi Fang immediately looked at Yan Xue, who had also noticed him but was preoccupied, gently rolling up Liu Chunni’s pant leg.
Blood stained the fabric. Beneath it, deep gashes marred her leg, and her ankle was badly swollen.
Liu Weiguo demanded, "How did this happen?"
Climbing a tree wouldn’t cause wounds like that, and these weren’t wolf bites either.
Liu Chunni scowled at Qi Fang. "It’s their forest farm’s fault! They dug traps and didn’t even mark them. I didn’t see it and stepped right in."
Under Liu Weiguo’s stare, Qi Fang turned redder. "I did mark them, but the heavy rain washed the signs away."
Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, "I’m sorry. I went back today to re-mark all of them."
The mountains were vast, the traps scattered. Without markings, even the trappers could lose track. Yet he’d returned to fix them…
Liu Weiguo was speechless. Then again, if not for that, he might never have found Chunni. "You pulled her out of the trap?"
Qi Fang scratched his head, but Liu Chunni cut in indignantly, "And then he led me straight into a wolf den!"
Now Qi Fang’s face burned crimson. He kept his mouth shut, avoiding Yan Xue and Qi Fang’s eyes entirely.
Liu Chunni wasn’t done. "And what’s someone from Little Jinchuan Forest Farm doing setting traps in Jinchuan? Do you even know where you are?"
Truth was, Qi Fang didn’t. That’s how he’d ended up crossing paths with Yan Xue and Qi Fang before. Even finding this trap must have taken considerable effort.
Luckily, Grandpa Liu and Liu Daniu arrived then. Relieved to see everyone safe, they finally relaxed—though a scolding was inevitable.
The entire way back, Liu Chunni, piggybacking on her brother, endured a lecture rotation: Dad, then brother, then Grandpa, even future sister-in-law Zhou Wenhui chiming in.
Too aggrieved to retort, she settled for glaring at the culprit trailing behind.
By the time they reached the forest farm, the moon hung high. Electricity, cut off at nine, had long since left them in darkness.
As they walked home along the narrow railway, Qi Fang prepared to say goodbye—only to notice Qi Fang still following. He paused.
Liu Chunni spotted him too. "Why are you following us? Shouldn’t you go back to Little Jinchuan?"
Despite everything, the man had protected her when it counted. Liu Weiguo gave his sister a light pat.
But Qi Fang only grew more awkward. "I, uh, wanted to ask how much the medical expenses will be. I’ll cover them."
No one expected him to trail them just for this—least of all Liu Chunni.
She huffed. "Who needs your money?" and turned her head away.
Liu Weiguo sighed. "Don’t mind her temper. If not for you, she’d still be stuck in that trap."
Besides, given her injuries from the fall, Qi Fang had likely boosted her into the tree.
The Lius weren’t unreasonable. Liu Daniu even offered, "It’s too late to go back alone. Stay at our place tonight."
Qi Fang felt too embarrassed. "No need, I can just walk back along the small railway tracks."
"It's so late, why go back now?" Huang Fengying, who had hurried over upon hearing the commotion, chimed in.
She had stayed home anxiously waiting, as there were still children to look after and hadn’t joined the others on the mountain.
Seeing Qi Fang still hesitating, Yan Xue was about to speak when the man who had been silent until now suddenly said, "You shouldn’t go back."
She was surprised, and Qi Fang was even more startled—after all, their last encounter hadn’t ended on the best terms.
But that was a separate matter. Regardless of whether he had saved Liu Chunni today or not, Qi Fang couldn’t possibly let him risk walking back alone at night.
Qi Fang glanced at him. "If you don’t want to stay at the Lius’, I can ask Secretary Lang if you can stay at the guesthouse instead."
This only made Qi Fang feel more awkward. "Really, it’s fine." In the end, the Liu family practically dragged him back to their home.
After thanking everyone profusely, the Lius finally headed back. On the way, Huang Fengying asked Qi Fang, "What’s your surname, comrade?"
"Qi," he replied, then quickly added, "The ‘Qi’ as in ‘neat and tidy.’"
Yan Xue couldn’t help but glance at Qi Fang. "Since when are you so generous? Even helping Granny Liu persuade him to stay?"
Qi Fang’s expression remained indifferent. "Our place doesn’t have room."
Yan Xue couldn’t hold back a laugh. "Even if he didn’t go to the Lius’, he wouldn’t have come to ours."
"Can’t be too sure," Qi Fang muttered under his breath, his tone less than pleasant.
Hearing this, Yan Xue’s eyes curved into a smile, her voice softening. "Alright, alright, you’re absolutely right."
When they got home, Second Old Lady was clearly still awake. At the sound of the door, she immediately slipped on her shoes and came out to greet them. "Well? Did you find her?"
"We did," Yan Xue reassured her first before recounting the general events as they walked inside.
Upon hearing there had been wolves on the mountain, the old woman paled. "Thank goodness she’s safe. Thank goodness. From now on, you and Xiao Qi need to be careful when you go up there."
Yan Xue agreed readily. Once the old lady’s concerns were settled, she asked, "Is Jigang asleep?"
"Out like a light. That child couldn’t stay awake." The old woman pointed toward her room. "I figured you’d be back late, so I let him sleep in my room."
Qi Fang, who had just bolted the door and walked in, overheard. "Then don’t disturb him. No need to wake him up."
Yan Xue had been thinking the same thing but was caught off guard by how quickly he spoke up. She turned to look at him.
Qi Fang’s expression was unreadable as he stepped over to peek at the sleeping Yan Jigang.
"Don’t worry, no nightmares. I kept watch," the old lady said, picking up a fan to gently wave over her grandson. "It’s late. You two should get some rest too."
"Mm." Qi Fang responded swiftly again, even closing the door behind her.
This amused Yan Xue, and she couldn’t resist whispering, "You really want Jigang to stay there that badly?"
Qi Fang said nothing, only giving her a look with those peach-blossom eyes—the meaning was unmistakable.
When Yan Xue finished washing up and returned to their room, she had barely stepped inside when a pair of hands settled on her waist.
A warm body pressed against her, enveloping her completely, followed by the distinct click of the lock behind them.
Yan Xue pinched his arm lightly. "Grandma will hear."
"Doesn’t matter. Still locking it." Qi Fang lowered his head to brush a kiss against the tip of her ear before murmuring, "Were you scared?"
It took her a second to realize he meant the wolves on the mountain. "A little."
At the time, she’d been too focused on the rescue to think about it. Only now did the fear creep in.
Qi Fang listened, then gently pressed a hand to the top of her head. "Don’t be."
Yan Xue had assumed his eagerness to leave Yan Jigang in the other room and lock the door so promptly meant he had other plans. But all he did was kiss her lightly before urging her to sleep.
The kiss wasn’t even deep, nothing like his usual clingy, unwilling-to-let-go demeanor. Instead, it carried a hint of tenderness.
Unable to resist, Yan Xue turned over, shifting bit by bit until her head rested lightly against the crook of his shoulder. "Qi Fang."
"Mm." His response was instinctive as he wrapped an arm around her.
She didn’t say anything else, simply looping her own arm around his waist.
The next morning, Yan Jigang was clearly still groggy when he saw them. "Wh-when did you guys get back?"
He must have slept so soundly he hadn’t even noticed their return the night before.
Before Yan Xue could answer, Qi Fang spoke up. "No nightmares last night?"
"Nope." Yan Jigang shook his head. "D-did you find Chunni jiejie?"
"We did. She was back home last night."
Yan Xue patted his head and filled him in on the events. When she glanced up, she found Qi Fang watching her quietly.
He didn’t say a word, yet his gaze spoke volumes—though she couldn’t quite tell what schemes might be brewing in that mind of his.
That day, while helping Liu Weiguo tidy up his new house, Yan Xue asked about Liu Chunni’s condition.
The girl’s injuries looked frightening, but they were mostly superficial. The only real damage was a twisted ankle from falling into the trap, which meant she’d be stuck at home recovering for a while.
For someone who enjoyed staying in, this wouldn’t be a problem. But Liu Chunni was restless by nature, and Yan Xue could easily imagine how stir-crazy she must be feeling.
She made time to visit the Lius, and sure enough, the girl was practically climbing the walls out of boredom, dragging Yan Xue into a half-day marathon of Chinese checkers.
A couple of days later, Qi Fang handed Liu Weiguo the newly assembled transistor radio and received 75 yuan in return, all of which he passed to Yan Xue.
This covered the cost of the components for their own radio. Any future sales would be pure profit.
Unexpectedly, the buyer returned within two days, seeking out Liu Weiguo again. "Does the guy you know make other models? Someone else wants to buy one."
After the close call with Zhang Guogang’s group, Liu Weiguo had grown more cautious and hadn’t revealed that Qi Fang was the one behind the radios.
Since Qi Fang happened to be helping him with wiring in the new house, Liu Weiguo glanced over. "What kind does he want? The guy I know is a genius—can make anything."
"Then I’ll bring him over to talk to you." The man left and soon returned with someone else in tow.
Even before they entered, his boasting was audible. "Top-notch, works like a charm. Just as good as the ones that cost over a hundred, and way more battery-efficient."
People were like that—endlessly picky before buying, terrified of getting ripped off. But once the purchase was made? Suddenly, it was the best thing ever. How else could they prove they hadn’t made a mistake?
Liu Weiguo looked up and immediately grinned. "Oh, it’s you."
Zhang Guogang also turned to his companion, frowning. "Why didn’t you tell me you were buying from him?"
If Liu Weiguo was the middleman, it wasn’t hard to guess who was really behind the radios.
The last time, with the watch repairs, Qi Fang had already humiliated him thoroughly. Was this some kind of second-round punishment?
Qi Fang’s thoughts were practically audible: Why you? Why you again?! Why is it always you?!
