Guns aren’t something to be fired recklessly, especially within the forest farm—unless a wild beast had trespassed. Though it was already past autumn harvest season, when animals typically wouldn’t venture in, one still had to guard against the possibility of desperate, starving creatures driven by hunger.
So when the gunshot rang out, every member of the security team nearby immediately raised their guard, gripping their rifles as they rushed toward the source. Upon arrival, they found Yu Yongzhi standing frozen in place and a stranger collapsed on the ground.
Their scalps prickled with dread—had Yu Yongzhi actually shot someone?
Someone hurried over to check and confirmed the worst: the man on the ground was clutching his abdomen, bright red blood seeping through his fingers.
His face paled. "Go fetch Doctor Sun from the clinic, and get Secretary Lang to arrange a motorcart!"
The others, realizing the situation had taken the gravest turn, scrambled to summon help without a second’s delay.
Yu Yongzhi was one of their own in the security team. If this man died, none of them would escape consequences.
Some were already cursing inwardly—cursing Yu Yongzhi for daring to act recklessly after drinking, cursing Director Yu for pushing his drunken, trouble-making son into the security team despite knowing his flaws.
One of them glanced up at Yu Yongzhi, still unsure how to handle him, when Yu Yongzhi finally snapped out of his daze.
"I—I didn’t mean to actually fire! The safety was off!"
The alcohol had clearly worn off, and the gravity of the situation had sunk in.
But whether this was the truth or an excuse, what good did it do now?
The man stared at him silently, only deepening Yu Yongzhi’s panic. "Is—is he dead?" His voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
Just then, Director Yu and his wife arrived, having heard their son had gotten into a fight.
Older and slower on their feet, they had already sensed something was wrong when they heard the gunshot on their way.
Seeing the scene before them and hearing Yu Yongzhi’s words, Director Yu’s wife nearly collapsed.
Director Yu, though still standing, was deathly pale. "Is he dead?" he asked the security team member.
When the man shook his head and said the victim was still alive, Director Yu wasn’t sure whether to feel relief—until workers from the town’s machinery repair plant arrived and gasped at the sight of the wounded man.
"Little Chen!"
The fact that it was someone from town struck Director Yu like another blow. His vision darkened, and only sheer willpower kept him from collapsing.
He wanted to slap his son, to demand if he’d lost his mind, firing at a person—but his hand trembled too violently to lift.
Soon, the forest farm’s doctor arrived. A preliminary examination confirmed the bullet hadn’t hit any vital organs, but it couldn’t be removed on-site, and the bleeding was severe. Immediate hospitalization was necessary.
Then came Secretary Lang, his expression equally grim. After all, an incident involving a town worker at the forest farm meant he, too, bore responsibility.
He swiftly arranged for the motorcart to transport the injured man before turning to the still-stunned Yu Yongzhi. "Take him back to the security office and keep him under watch."
"Zhongting," Director Yu called out, his voice hoarse.
Secretary Lang met his gaze solemnly. "Brother Yu, it’s not that I won’t help you. This can’t be swept under the rug."
Director Yu knew it was true. In these times, legal awareness was thin—most fights involving knives or bayonets ended with the wounded heading to the hospital on their own, with no one filing reports.
But Yu Yongzhi had used a gun—a public security firearm.
He was Director Yu’s only son, and paternal love had overridden reason, driving him to speak without thinking.
Now, faced with Secretary Lang’s firm stance, he opened his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to plead further. His face drained of all color.
As officers moved to detain him, Yu Yongzhi panicked. "Dad! Dad, help me! I don’t want to go to jail! And Uncle—!"
Every word felt like a knife twisting in Director Yu’s heart, his wife’s frantic sobs beside him only adding to the torment. "Lao Yu, do something!"
Before he could even utter, "What can I do?" Director Yu collapsed.
Yu Yongzhi had truly crossed the line this time—shooting a worker from the town’s machinery repair plant. Director Yu, overwhelmed, was rushed to the town’s forestry bureau hospital alongside the victim.
By the next day, the incident had spread throughout the forest farm.
Aunt Guo brought Yan Xue some sticky rice cakes she’d made, sighing as she spoke. "I always said their way of raising that boy was flawed. Spoiling a child like that—letting him drink at twelve or thirteen without restraint—what did they expect?"
"Twelve or thirteen?" Yan Xue was genuinely surprised. At that age, the brain wasn’t even fully developed.
"Exactly," Aunt Guo nodded. "And I doubt those encouraging him had good intentions. A shame—he was a bright student when he was younger."
No mind could stay sharp soaked in alcohol for long, and this wasn’t Yu Yongzhi’s first drunken mishap.
Yan Xue stayed silent, but Second Old Lady, too old for such tragedies, couldn’t help asking, "Will he be sentenced?"
"Without a doubt," Aunt Guo said. "He used a public firearm. The question is how many years. Yu Cuiyun went back to her parents’ place last night."
With a crisis this severe, the family would gather—calling in favors, scrambling for solutions.
But knowing Chen Jizhong, Yan Xue doubted Yu Yongzhi would get off lightly if the victim survived.
And if he didn’t? Then nothing else mattered—Yu Yongzhi would either face execution or a decade-plus sentence.
The topic was too heavy. Aunt Guo sighed and changed the subject. "You don’t eat sticky rice cakes back home, do you? These are homemade—give them a try."
Indeed, such treats weren’t common in their hometown, so Second Old Lady followed her lead. "Did you grind the glutinous rice with a water mill?"
"Yes, and the red bean paste is homemade too. Eat them while they’re warm, or freeze the leftovers."
The cakes, made of glutinous rice dough wrapped around sweet red bean paste and pan-fried until golden, carried the soft chewiness of sticky rice, the sweetness of beans, and a hint of toasty fragrance.
Fresh off the pan and glistening with oil, they looked irresistible. Yan Xue and Second Old Lady thanked her profusely, with Yan Xue personally escorting Aunt Guo out.
Just outside, they overheard passersby discussing how Yu Yongzhi had been taken away by town officials.
Aunt Guo gasped. "Already?"
"Yep. Several officers came, armed too," one said, gesturing at their hips.
Aunt Guo sighed again. "His mother must be beside herself."
"The whole family’s in tears. Yu Cuiyun’s even blaming her father for getting Yu Yongzhi that gun and pushing him into the security team."
But hindsight was always clear. The Yu family had spoiled their son rotten—until the day his recklessness spiraled beyond control.
After sharing some sighs, the group was about to disperse when another woman approached. "Aunt Guo, so you're here! I went to your place earlier but no one answered."
It was one of the more talkative women from the forestry center. Spotting Yan Xue, she smiled and complimented, "Yan Xue, you’ve grown even prettier. Is it because Qi Fang’s been treating you well?"
Yan Xue merely smiled in response. The woman clearly wasn’t there for her, as she immediately turned back to Aunt Guo. "Now that your Chang'an has settled into his job, have you thought about finding him a wife?"
To everyone’s surprise, she was here to propose a match for Guo Chang'an. Aunt Guo’s expression stiffened slightly, clearly reluctant to discuss the topic. "There’s no rush for that."
"How can you say that? Chang'an isn’t getting any younger. He needs someone to care for him. Besides, how do you know he isn’t eager? Didn’t he try seeing someone last year?"
The woman was insistent, pulling Aunt Guo aside. "What do you think of my niece, Caixia? She’s pretty and around Chang'an’s age..."
Aunt Guo’s face instantly darkened, and she even took half a step back. "What are you implying? No matter how you see my Chang'an, he’d never marry a fool!"
"Who’s a fool? Caixia might be a bit slower than others, but she understands things just fine!"
"Understands things? She still wets herself at over ten years old!" Aunt Guo’s expression turned outright hostile. "My Chang'an won’t be marrying her. Find someone else for your niece."
The woman tried to explain, "Caixia isn’t usually like that. That time, I just didn’t notice and let her drink too much water..."
"I said my Chang'an isn’t interested!" Aunt Guo’s voice rose sharply, her hands trembling with anger.
She was furious. So what if Chang'an had a physical disability? He earned his keep just like anyone else. Why should he settle for a fool as a wife?
Seeing her reaction, the woman’s face fell. "Do you still think your Chang'an is the catch he used to be? He should be grateful anyone’s willing to marry him..."
"Then we’d rather stay single than marry a fool. You can keep her for yourself." Aunt Guo cut her off bluntly.
As the woman opened her mouth to argue, Yan Xue stepped in, gently supporting Aunt Guo. "Auntie, let me ask you this—does Chang'an’s condition run in the family? Does your niece’s?"
That hit the mark. The woman faltered, her confidence wavering. "Well, it’s not guaranteed to be passed down..."
"But what if it is?" Yan Xue remained calm, her tone measured. "What if their child is also slower than others? Who’ll take care of it? Chang'an? You? Brother Changping and his wife? Or little Tiedan?"
The woman clearly hadn’t considered this. "Why would it need special care? Just feed it like any other child. It’s not that much trouble."
That was the mindset of many in those days—families were large, and losing a child might go unnoticed. Who had the energy to fuss over every one? They were raised like stray cats and dogs.
Not marrying was unthinkable. Not having children was unthinkable. As for what to do if the child turned out slow—no one thought that far ahead. They’d cross that bridge when they came to it.
Yan Xue smiled gently. "Then why not find a live-in son-in-law for your niece? It wouldn’t trouble your family, and the child could carry your surname."
That left the woman speechless. She stared at Yan Xue’s smiling face for a long moment before turning on her heel and storming off.
Aunt Guo finally exhaled deeply, patting Yan Xue’s hand. "Thank goodness you were here. She would’ve driven me mad otherwise."
The Guo family weren’t the most articulate, and in situations like this, they often ended up at a disadvantage.
Moreover, Guo Chang'an was a sore spot for the family. The woman’s words had struck a nerve, and though Aunt Guo didn’t say more, her mood remained visibly sour.
Yan Xue squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Chang'an is a good man. He’ll find a good wife."
Meeting Aunt Guo’s gaze, she added firmly, "As long as a man is capable, why wouldn’t he find someone? Maybe he won’t even need your help—he might find someone on his own."
"If only he would. I’m just afraid his last experience left him heartbroken, or that he’ll think he’s burdening others."
Aunt Guo sighed, but then reminded herself that things were already much better than she’d once feared. She returned Yan Xue’s grip. "Qi Fang is a lucky man."
For days afterward, the forestry center buzzed with gossip about Yu Yongzhi’s incident. As for the occasional murmurs that "Guo Chang'an is disabled, yet the Guo family still acts picky"—few paid them any mind.
Meanwhile, Chen Jizhong’s life was saved, but his spleen was damaged. He’d likely spend a long time in the hospital, and his health would never fully recover.
Before the Yu family could breathe a sigh of relief, Chen gave his statement to the police, insisting that Yu Yongzhi had attacked him without provocation—he’d just been an unlucky passerby.
Both men bore some responsibility, but since Chen had provoked the fight, Yu Yongzhi would shoulder the bulk of the legal consequences.
Though many at the forestry center had heard the two arguing, no one could say for certain who’d started it—not even Yu Yongzhi himself.
The Yu family visited Chen repeatedly, apologizing and even pulling strings with county connections, but he refused to change his story. Each failed attempt left them cursing him as a scoundrel.
Out of options, they began digging for dirt on Chen to use as leverage—and uncovered his past conflicts with Qi Fang.
Chen retaliated by reporting Director Yu. Rumors spread that Yu Yongzhi had repeatedly neglected duties due to drinking, losing his qualifications as a chainsaw operator and tractor driver. Yet he’d still been assigned to the security department—and even given a gun. Was the Yu family running the forestry bureau like their personal fiefdom?
The drama rivaled the most sensational prime-time soap operas. The only pity was that Liu Weiguo, stuck up in the mountains, missed out on the juiciest updates.
In contrast, Qi Fang—who’d had run-ins with both men—remained unruffled. The next day at the repair shop, he adjusted his overtime hours from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Why not earlier? Because it wouldn’t matter—his brother-in-law Jigang wouldn’t be asleep yet anyway.
He didn’t hold back on teaching the mechanics, showing them how to craft and assemble parts before sending them off to start production.
The mechanics weren’t eager to linger either—not because Qi Fang was difficult, but because on their very first day, someone had nearly died. It left them uneasy.
On the day they bid a tearful farewell to the repair shop, the "Great Sage Qi" didn’t confiscate any weapons. Instead, he engaged in a 300-round battle with the little enchantress at home who specialized in draining his energy.
For a time, heaven and earth seemed to shift...
Well, it had to be dark for certain activities.
The sun and moon lost their glow...
A snowstorm outside blotted out the sky.
In short, the battle was so fierce and prolonged that Yan Xue, though young, couldn’t get up the next morning.
She clutched her waist and collapsed back into bed, shooting a glare at the culprit.
The culprit was pulling a sweater over his shirt. Meeting her drowsy, indignant eyes—which looked more coquettish than angry—he paused and reached over to massage her waist. "Just stay in bed."
"And tell Jigang I got drunk again? At this rate, I’ll be known as the town drunk."
Yan Xue grumbled into her pillow, making Qi Fang glance at her. "Tell him we stayed up late telling stories."
Before she could voice her question, the man seemed to already know what she wanted to ask. "Telling the story of Sun Wukong defeating the White Bone Demon three times," he said, only to be flipped over and kicked by her.
Qi Fang could have dodged, but he let her kick him anyway before leisurely heading off to wash up, eat, and get ready for work.
When he arrived at the small repair yard, however, he found the courtyard—which should have been cleared by now—still packed with Timberjack 50 tractors.
Qi Fang stood at the entrance for a full two seconds before walking in and asking Xu Wenli, "Didn’t the mechanics from the town repair shop go back?"
"They did," Xu Wenli replied, sounding equally exasperated. "But the No. 13 Line said they’re closer to us than to town, so they asked us to handle the repairs."
Before they could finish those, another forestry center sent over their tractors.
This time, the distance wasn’t close at all—their forestry center wasn’t even on the same small train line. But they had their reasoning: "I figured once the town repair shop’s mechanics go back, they’ll be swamped with work. Since you guys can fix them too, why should I wait around there?"
It made enough sense that Yangshuling Forestry Center thought the same way.
So while the town repair shop’s mechanics returned, eager to tackle a flood of work, only one forestry center actually sent their tractors over.
When that forestry center realized none of the others had come, their expressions practically screamed, Why are we the only idiots who actually did this?
In the end, seeing how overwhelmed they were, Xu Wenli had Secretary Lang call the town and borrow a mechanic from the town repair shop.
It was unheard of—usually, small repair yards sent machines to the town, not the other way around.
So when the county machinery factory’s team finally arrived, they didn’t find a repair shop crammed to the brim or a group of people so desperate they’d see them as saviors.
This left them momentarily stunned. "Where’s your team? This is an engineer from the Qinghua Engineering Machinery Research Institute, here to help us solve the problem."
"Hello, hello," the town repair shop’s director greeted politely, shaking hands before explaining, "One of our mechanics is hospitalized, and another is still at the Jinchuan small repair yard."
"At the Jinchuan small repair yard?" The visitor was clearly surprised.
Why would anyone be there instead of waiting for news at the main shop?
Then they heard the director say, "A worker at Jinchuan small repair yard came up with a way to reduce component wear. Since the county was busy, we went ahead and used their solution for now."
He then asked eagerly, "Has the problem been solved? We’ve been waiting for you to arrive."
The visitor fell silent.
The research institute had come up with a solution—also to reduce component wear.
But how had a small repair yard in Chengshui Town, not even the main town shop, managed the same?
Finally, the engineer from the institute spoke up. "Can you show me how you handled it?"
Luckily, two repaired Timberjack 50s were still in the yard, so the director led them over.
After inspecting them, the two grew even quieter. Without a word, they went to check the operational condition of the Timberjack 50s at the forestry centers below.
Then they left without even returning to the town repair shop, leaving everyone baffled. "They just left? Weren’t they here to solve the problem?"
Some were confused, but others—like the town repair shop’s director and a few senior mechanics—had an inkling.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help. It was that their solution wasn’t as effective as Qi Fang’s.
Otherwise, before heading to the forestry centers, they wouldn’t have asked if there were any spare parts left—and taken one with them.
Sure enough, a few days later, Qu Mingli got a call from the county: they wanted to temporarily transfer Qi Fang to the county machinery factory to help handle the Timberjack 50s in two other towns.
Director Liu happened to be in his office at the time, discussing something else, and his expression was far from pleased.
Qu Mingli knew what he was thinking—when the forestry centers had nearly ground to a halt, Director Liu had been all too happy to watch from the sidelines.
Now he probably thought Qu Mingli had just gotten lucky—someone happened to solve the problem, and that someone happened to do it better than the county could.
Qu Mingli relayed the news to Secretary Lang, who then informed Qi Fang. But after hearing it, Qi Fang was silent for a long moment. "Are they specifically asking for me?"
This stumped Secretary Lang, who even double-checked. "You don’t want to go?"
Most people would jump at such an opportunity to shine.
But Qi Fang hesitated again. "Can I have some time to think about it?" His reaction was the same as when he’d signed up for the chainsaw operator training.
Secretary Lang didn’t really understand, but he didn’t push. He just reminded him, "It’s good for young people to get more experience."
Qi Fang knew he meant well and thanked him sincerely before heading home to discuss it with Yan Xue.
She guessed right away. "You don’t want to go, do you?"
"It’s just a temporary transfer."
Qi Fang had thought it through. Not all towns in the county used these Timberjack 50s, and they didn’t have to use his solution.
Once logging operations were back on track, they’d be waiting for the manufacturer to fix the problem at the source.
And the county machinery factory wasn’t like the town repair shop—they had their own engineers and the ability to produce some machinery themselves. They didn’t need someone who’d only temporarily solved the problem.
Since it was just a short-term assignment with no chance of a permanent transfer, why bother?
Still, he asked Yan Xue, "Do you want me to go?"
"That depends on whether there are more benefits or more trouble," she said honestly.
In special times, sometimes staying away from the center meant less fallout—especially with Qi Fang’s ever-watchful senior brother lurking.
"And I haven’t finished harvesting these mushrooms yet," she added before he could apologize, her eyes curving into a smile. "What if you go to the county and someone else gets to enjoy them?"
That made Qi Fang pause mid-sentence. He raised a hand to stroke her hair, then cupped her cheek. "Then we’ll wait."
Once they’d agreed, Qi Fang went back to Secretary Lang with an excuse: after working nonstop for days, he’d caught a cold and wasn’t up for the trip.
He had been exhausted, working until 8 or 9 p.m. every night and returning to the repair yard by 6 a.m. Only in the last two days had he finally gotten some rest.
Plus, if he went to the county, any future problems would mean turning back to the town repair shop. Secretary Lang, though disappointed for him, didn’t press further and relayed the message to Qu Mingli.
Qu Mingli assumed Qi Fang really was sick and felt bad for him, but he contacted the county machinery factory to say they’d have to send someone else.
Just when they thought the matter was settled, Qu Mingli suddenly called Jinchuan Forestry Center days later, demanding Qi Fang come to the phone.
The two had never spoken privately before, so Qi Fang went over, puzzled. As soon as he picked up the receiver and said, "Secretary Qu," the other man cut straight to the point.
"Did you have someone pull strings in the county? There’s an official transfer order—they want you moved to the county machinery factory."
Qi Fang: I just came down the mountain. No one’s taking me away from my wife!
