“You’re not allowed to run up the mountain. Go tell your classmate, then come back and read more books. Your final exams are in just one or two weeks, it’s the perfect time to calm your mind.”
Ding Ximei made the final decision, cutting off Cheng Xuejun’s thoughts.
“Huh?” Cheng Xuejun pouted in disappointment, his delicate face full of dejection. He stood in place, reluctantly looking at the back basket and sickle, unable to return them to their original position for quite a while.
Seeing this, Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic. After hesitating for two seconds, she still decided to help speak up, “I think it’s fine as long as he just wanders around near the village and doesn’t go deep into the mountains. Xuejun usually studies very hard, missing a day or two won’t make a difference. Besides, he already made plans with his classmate long ago. It’s not good to break a promise at the last minute.”
Cheng Fangqiu’s words were reasonable, and Ding Ximei took them in. She turned to look at Cheng Xuejun, who had a pitiful expression, and couldn’t help but hesitate.
“Mom, we used to go into the deep mountains only when Brother Tian Niu was around. Now, it’s just us students—who would dare to go deep inside?” Cheng Xuejun first cast a grateful glance at Cheng Fangqiu, then ran up to Ding Ximei, using both coaxing and pleading, “Please, just this once, I promise—just this once.”
Tian Niu was the number one troublemaker in the village. He dropped out after elementary school and was always the ringleader among the boys, leading them into all sorts of mischief. No one could do anything about him.
A month ago, the county was recruiting soldiers, and his family, desperate for a way out, signed him up, thinking of it as a last-ditch effort. Unexpectedly, he actually got selected. Since then, the village had one less little devil causing trouble, making many people breathe a sigh of relief while secretly envying his luck!
It was truly a case of a sparrow turning into a phoenix—in the blink of an eye, the most annoying troublemaker had become a soldier, eating from the government’s rice bowl!
With both her daughter and son on the same side, Ding Ximei wavered. If she and Cheng Baokuan didn’t both have important matters to handle today, she would have definitely accompanied the children up the mountain.
Thinking of this, Ding Ximei subconsciously looked toward Cheng Fangqiu. The latter met her gaze and immediately knew something was wrong. She hurriedly shook her head and said, “I’m not going!”
She was still thinking about how to find Zhou Yinghuai—there was no way she was going up the mountain.
“I can handle it alone. Sis going with me wouldn’t make a difference anyway.”
What kind of nonsense was this? What did he mean by her going wouldn’t make a difference? She had just spoken up for him, yet she was being dismissed—Cheng Fangqiu was so angry that she almost choked on her breath. She was just about to mess up his plans out of spite when she heard Cheng Xuejun continue,
“The mountain is lively today. The technicians from the provincial capital are also going up. I heard one of their machines broke down, and they need to pick out wood for repairs.”
The moment she heard the word technicians, Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes lit up.
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on this brat for you. I definitely won’t let him go deep into the mountains.” She patted her chest righteously, looking like a completely different person from just a moment ago.
Although somewhat surprised by Cheng Fangqiu’s sudden change of stance, Ding Ximei felt relieved upon hearing her agreement. “Alright, as long as you’re with him, I can rest assured. Be careful on the way, and make sure to come home before dark.”
After reminding them a few more times, she watched them leave. Not long after, she also stepped out, heading straight to Aunt Li Er’s house on the eastern side of the village. Aunt Li Er’s real name was Li Lifen, and she was famous for her connections. There wasn’t a person she didn’t know within ten villages. If anyone wanted to arrange a marriage, they went straight to her!
—
The mountains near the village were neither too tall nor too short, stretching continuously one after another. Those unfamiliar with the area could easily get lost—even the locals didn’t dare venture too deep. Most people only wandered around the nearby hills.
As they stepped into the forest, the scorching sunlight weakened significantly. The roadside grass occasionally brushed against their pant legs, leaving behind a string of damp marks. The deeper they went, the straighter and sturdier the surrounding trees became.
No matter what their original purpose was, once Cheng Fangqiu joined, the trip’s goal inevitably turned into searching for wild berries.
Afraid of insect bites, Cheng Fangqiu was fully covered in long sleeves and long pants. She even had a fabric pouch filled with various insect-repelling herbs tied to her waist. She had asked the village doctor for advice before making it herself, though her stitching was a mess—crooked and unsightly. Ugly as it was, as long as it worked, that was all that mattered.
“Why is your sister here too?” Yao Xianjin walked alongside Cheng Xuejun at the back, glancing ahead at Cheng Fangqiu, who was focused on using a thick wooden stick to push aside wild grass. He seized the chance to lower his voice and ask.
Hearing this, Cheng Xuejun had no choice but to explain everything from beginning to end, concluding with a dejected, “Looks like we won’t be able to catch wild chickens today.”
The two of them exchanged glances and sighed in unison.
This scene happened to fall into Cheng Fangqiu’s line of sight. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “What are you two whispering about?”
“Nothing, nothing!” The two little boys, intimidated by their older sister, didn’t dare to act out. They quickly waved their hands with forced smiles, repeating their denial twice as if trying hard to prove their innocence.
Cheng Fangqiu cast them a few suspicious glances before looking away and continuing forward. The mountain path was rugged and difficult to walk on. She placed her steps carefully, making sure each one was firm—one wrong step could send her tumbling down, and that was no joke.
These days, families who can afford proper fruits are few and far between, so various wild fruits have become rare and treasured snacks for both adults and children in the village. Nearly all the nearby mountain slopes had already been picked clean. To find anything edible, one had to go a bit further inside and try their luck.
However, Cheng Fangqiu was not interested in food right now—her only concern was whether she could run into Zhou Yinghuai in these mountains today.
But before long, she completely contradicted herself.
“Pine Mushrooms!”
As they passed through a pine forest, Cheng Fangqiu, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted a small yellow umbrella-like mushroom, half-buried beneath a layer of pine needles. She rushed forward, using a wooden stick to scrape away the fallen leaves around it. Squatting down for a closer look, she was completely certain—this was the mouthwatering Pine Mushrooms!
Back when she had just turned eighteen, her friends had dragged her along for a wild camping trip in a famous canyon. One of the activities included a local guide leading them to forage for wild mushrooms and fruits, which was how she came to recognize this thing.
Even after so many years, she still vividly remembered the lingering fragrance of the mushroom soup—delicious beyond words, rich in nutrients, and most importantly, something she could never eat in her daily life. It was a rare delicacy.
After eating the same few dishes for days on end, her taste buds had practically gone numb. Right now, she didn’t care if her hands got dirty from the soil on the Pine Mushrooms—her quick reflexes plucked it up immediately. No matter what, she was going to have an extra dish tonight and improve her meal!
She suddenly recalled something the guide had once said: Where there’s one Pine Mushrooms, there must be a second, a third, and a fourth nearby…
She carefully searched the surrounding area and, sure enough, within seconds, she discovered a whole cluster of Pine Mushrooms growing not far away. Some were big, some were small—a full family of them, round and plump, looking absolutely delicious.
Cheng Fangqiu was so immersed in picking mushrooms that she called the other two over to help, completely forgetting why she had come here in the first place.
“Sister, Pine Mushrooms tastes best when stewed with meat. Xianjin and I will set up a trap and see if we can catch a wild chicken or rabbit, alright?” Cheng Xuejun, having picked a few mushrooms himself, rolled his eyes playfully and whispered a few words to Yao Xianjin before turning around to “suggest” his idea to Cheng Fangqiu.
To call it a suggestion would be inaccurate—it was more like temptation.
After all, who could refuse the joy of eating meat?
Cheng Fangqiu hesitated for a moment. Setting up a trap didn’t seem dangerous, so she nodded in agreement. But remembering Ding Ximei’s instructions, she couldn’t help but warn them, “Stay nearby. If I call you and you don’t answer, don’t blame me for tattling when we get back.”
“Don’t worry, Sister, we know what we’re doing.” Cheng Xuejun and Yao Xianjin, like birds finally freed from their cage, bounded off within seconds. Fortunately, whenever Cheng Fangqiu called out, they responded right away, proving that they truly hadn’t gone far.
Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but shake her head with a smile. How could she not understand these little boys? They didn’t necessarily want to do dangerous or reckless things to prove themselves rebellious—they weren’t fools, after all. Risking their lives was never part of the plan.
They were just pent up from staying indoors too long and wanted to run wild outside. No matter what they did, it was still better than being stuck at home.
Especially at their age—playfulness was at its peak. If they didn’t get a chance to let loose for a day, they’d feel unbearably restless.
Retracting her gaze, Cheng Fangqiu continued her battle with the Pine Mushrooms. Just the thought of these golden little mushrooms soon transforming into a delicious dish filled her with boundless energy. The more she picked, the more excited she became. Before she knew it, half of her basket was full.
But by the time she finally thought about checking up on the boys, she had no idea where she was anymore.
Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, Cheng Fangqiu was stunned. The pine forest wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t exactly small either. She had been so absorbed in picking mushrooms that she had unknowingly wandered too far.
She tentatively called out Cheng Xuejun and Yao Xianjin’s names, but there was no response.
The dense forest swallowed her voice, the towering branches above dispersing the sound. It was only then that she suddenly realized—her voice simply couldn’t carry very far in a place like this.
Panic surged through her. She raised her voice and called again, but the silence remained unbroken.
Unfamiliar with the terrain, she didn’t dare run around blindly. If she headed in the wrong direction and ended up deep in the mountains, she would truly be in trouble.
Thinking of this, Cheng Fangqiu took a deep breath, cursing herself for her carelessness while forcing herself to calm down. In situations like this, panic was the worst thing she could do—staying level-headed was the priority.
But sitting around and waiting for rescue wasn’t her style either.
Holding onto her basket, she began analyzing her surroundings. Her eyes swept across the ground, and soon, she noticed that the soil here was quite soft. Every place she had walked past left faint traces—her footprints and the flattened wild grass provided clues about the path she had taken.
By following these traces while calling out, she should be able to reunite with Cheng Xuejun and Yao Xianjin.
Having made up her mind, she started retracing her steps. She had only walked for a few minutes when she suddenly heard some movement coming from an incline above.
“Cheng Xuejun, you—”
Cheng Fangqiu’s delighted voice had barely left her lips before it abruptly stopped. Her expression instantly turned deathly pale. Instinctively, she took a step back, and at that moment, a crisp snap of a dry branch breaking sounded beneath her feet.
That shadowy figure seemed to notice something. In the next second, it rushed toward her direction.
Terrified, she spun around and ran, feeling as though her entire body had turned ice-cold and was trembling uncontrollably. Her legs were weak, and if not for the overwhelming fear forcing her forward, she would have already collapsed to the ground.
Seeing that it was about to catch up to her, Cheng Fangqiu gritted her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and swung the basket in her hands backward with all her might.
However, the expected scene did not unfold. Instead, what followed was a muffled groan of pain ringing out beside her ear.