Lin Zhen looked at her with amusement. “What’s going on here?” he asked, noticing her puffed-up expression.
“Sister Song!”
Heidan cheerfully bounded over to Song Wei’s side.
“Who upset you? Tell me, and I’ll have my brother deal with them!”
Lin Zhen shot Heidan a glance. This kid was good at using borrowed power to act tough.
Song Wei simply said, “Let’s eat first.”
Nothing was more important than eating, especially with their stomachs growling.
The three of them sat around the dining table, while the two wolves gnawed on meaty bones nearby.
Song Wei told Lin Zhen about Lin Dasheng.
“I told him you’d be going to the city tomorrow. He’ll probably be watching us. Tomorrow, let’s send Heidan to the brigade leader’s house and let him know about this. Then we’ll ride the bike away so they see us leave. Once the time’s right, we’ll circle back and catch them by surprise!”
Lin Zhen recalled what he knew about Lin Dasheng, his expression darkening.
“Alright,” he agreed.
They made their plan and even enlisted some extra help. Heidan was tasked with rallying his little friends to keep an eye on anyone heading toward their house. They’d pick a rendezvous point to regroup once the intruders had gone in.
But Lin Zhen warned Heidan, “Don’t tell too many people. Just bring Shuanzi. Only you two need to know.”
Heidan nodded vigorously, not scared in the least but rather thrilled by the prospect.
The next morning, Lin Zhen paid close attention to the surroundings as they left with Heidan. Sure enough, he noticed signs of someone having recently passed through the nearby woods—footprints, dew disturbed on the grass, and bent blades of grass all pointed to someone lurking nearby.
He didn’t investigate further, acting as if he hadn’t noticed anything, and continued on with Heidan and the wolves.
After dropping Heidan off at the brigade leader’s house, Lin Zhen emerged later and rode his bicycle to pick up Song Wei. Together, they left the Ping’an Brigade on the bike.
Song Wei leaned against Lin Zhen’s broad back, her arms around his waist as they talked.
“About 60 meters to the left of the village entrance, someone’s been secretly watching us. It’s probably one of Lin Dasheng’s accomplices,” she said.
Lin Zhen nodded, recalling the man’s face. “I don’t think he’s from our brigade.”
Though Lin Zhen had returned not long ago, his excellent memory, honed through specialized training, made him good at recognizing people. During the vegetable greenhouse project, nearly everyone in the brigade had shown up at some point, and he had memorized their faces. Even if he didn’t know someone personally, he’d remember if he’d seen them before. This man was unfamiliar.
Song Wei grumbled, “Collaborating with outsiders, huh?”
A glint of coldness flashed in Lin Zhen’s eyes. “I won’t let them off easily.”
Once they’d gone far enough, they calculated the time and doubled back.
Parking the bike in a safe spot, the two of them took the mountain path to return home.
The mountain trail was rugged, but they traversed it with ease, their pace swift and confident.
As they moved, a playful competitiveness arose between them. Lin Zhen and Song Wei exchanged a glance, and she raised her chin slightly. “Wanna race?”
Lin Zhen chuckled. “Sure.”
As soon as he agreed, Song Wei leapt down from a higher point, grabbing a tree branch to swing herself forward. In no time, she landed on the lower path, bypassing a steep incline.
Lin Zhen watched her lively movements, a trace of gentleness in his eyes. Then he followed suit, jumping down.
A sturdy figure and a nimble silhouette dashed through the mountains, moving so quickly that even rabbits out foraging were startled into fleeing at top speed.
A rabbit!
Spotting a flash of gray, Song Wei changed direction, pursuing it.
“I’m having braised rabbit for dinner today,” she declared.
Lin Zhen followed her lead. “Alright!”
Under their relentless chase, the rabbit panicked, eventually slamming into a tree. The impact was so strong that it knocked itself unconscious, legs sticking up in the air.
Song Wei grabbed it by the ears and lifted it triumphantly.
“Not bad—this one’s a good size.”
Lin Zhen said, “Hand it over. We’re almost home, and didn’t you say you wanted to hit someone?”
Song Wei twisted the rabbit’s neck with a quick motion, giving it a swift and painless end. The still-dazed rabbit met its fate swiftly. Tossing the rabbit to Lin Zhen, the two continued toward the house.
Near their destination, they found Heidan and Shuanzi, along with the two wolves lying on the ground, eyes fixed on Lin Zhen’s house in a classic ambush pose.
This was the prearranged spot for their operation.
The wolves turned their heads at the sound of movement, alerting Heidan and Shuanzi.
“Brother! Sister Song!”
The two boys’ eyes lit up as they called out.
Shuanzi even gave a proper military salute.
“Reporting, Boss! Heidan and I have been observing. Six people entered the house, none of them from our brigade.”
Heidan huffed indignantly. “Shuanzi, you stole my line!”
Shuanzi chuckled. “You can say the rest.”
Heidan also saluted—a gesture he’d learned during militia training in the army.
“Reporting, Brother! They’ve already climbed over the wall and gone inside.”
Song Wei and Lin Zhen ruffled the boys’ heads, smiling.
“Well done.”
The two kids beamed with pride.
“Let’s go,” Song Wei said, pulling out a burlap sack she’d prepared in advance.
Today, Lin Dasheng was going to get what he deserved—a beating in a sack for being a sleazy, abusive traitor.
Inside Lin Zhen’s house, the intruders rummaged around, gathering everything of value, including the cured meat hanging in the attic.
“Any cash?” one asked.
“No. Damn it, they must’ve hidden it well.”
“Check the walls and the kang to see if there are any hidden compartments.”
“Hey, what about those two spotted deer in the yard? Should we butcher them? Their meat looks really juicy.”
The deer were plump and tempting, making the men salivate just looking at them.
“Venison fetches a good price. I heard the antlers are even more valuable as medicine.”
The man referred to as “Boss,” a burly fellow with a scarred face, licked his lips greedily. Since they were already there, they figured they might as well take the time to slaughter the deer.
“Alright, let’s check them out.”
As they approached the deer pen, Lin Zhen and Song Wei scaled the wall and entered the yard, wooden clubs in hand.
Song Wei zeroed in on Lin Dasheng, while Lin Zhen targeted the scar-faced leader.
Just as the thieves were about to open the pen, the couple struck.
Song Wei kicked one man, sending him flying, and swung her burlap sack over Lin Dasheng, who was caught completely off guard.
“Hey! Who’s there? Let me go!”
Lin Dasheng thrashed and yelled from inside the sack.
Song Wei brought her club down hard.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Meanwhile, Lin Zhen had engaged the scar-faced leader in a fight.
The intruders were stunned by the sudden attack, momentarily frozen.
Their leader roared, “What are you waiting for? Help me!”
The leader picked up a hatchet and waved it menacingly.
“Don’t come any closer! I’m warning you—this hatchet doesn’t discriminate!”
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