Bad news—it’s about to rain.
In the middle of the night, a clap of thunder startled the wolf pups nestled together in the tent. They whimpered and scrambled to hide under the little boss, pushing him up from his drowsy state.
Song Wei opened her eyes, her thoughts immediately turning to the snow leopard family still outside.
Snow leopards typically den in caves, so rain wouldn’t normally be a concern for them. But now, they were sleeping out in the open.
As she was thinking this, the heavy breathing of a wild animal echoed from outside.
Before Song Wei could unzip the tent, a large, furry head holding a cub in its mouth poked inside.
Song Wei: …………
“You sure know how to find a good spot.”
She turned on her flashlight, instantly illuminating the small tent and revealing everything inside.
There were only two tents here: one for her uncle and Lin Zhen, and the other for herself, the five wolf pups, and the little boss. But now, with the addition of a massive “guest,” the cramped tent felt even more crowded.
Still, Song Wei didn’t turn the snow leopard away.
“Come on in.”
The snow leopard mother stared at the five wolf pups for a long moment before squeezing inside.
She was well aware that the two-legged creature had wolf pups with her—she’d even seen them before.
The first time she saw them, rage had driven her to try and kill the pups despite her injuries. But Song Wei had wrapped an arm around her neck, nearly choking her into meeting her long-dead father!
For the next couple of days, the snow leopard had bared her teeth at Song Wei whenever she saw her, but she was quickly disciplined into submission.
Now, though she still felt animosity toward the wolf pups, she didn’t dare try to bite them.
The five wolf pups, likely sensing the threat, bared their tiny teeth and wiggled their backsides as they retreated. They didn’t stop until they’d burrowed into Song Wei’s sleeping bag, where they finally felt safe.
Once hidden, they peeked out with watchful eyes.
The snow leopard mother snorted disdainfully before turning and leaving, leaving her mewling cub to crawl aimlessly around the tent.
After the snow leopard left, Lin Zhen came over.
“Everything alright?”
Naturally, given his vigilance, he’d woken up as soon as the snow leopard arrived. But he had confidence in Song Wei—if the snow leopard tried anything, it would be the one to suffer.
Song Wei shook her head and pointed at the little creature crawling on the ground.
“It’s about to rain. The snow leopard mother probably brought them here for shelter. You can go back.”
Lin Zhen said, “Why don’t you come over to our tent for the night? It’s still a bit risky.”
Song Wei declined. “No, I’ll be fine. If it dares to try anything, I’ll kill it outright.”
Lin Zhen’s frown didn’t ease. “Call me if anything happens.”
“Got it.”
Lin Zhen returned to his tent but kept an ear tuned to any movement from Song Wei’s side.
Feng Tingxuan also woke up briefly, but by then, the rain had already started. Hearing nothing amiss, he drifted back to sleep.
Meanwhile, the snow leopard mother had brought all three of her cubs into the tent.
Her fur was slightly damp from the rain. Song Wei crouched in front of her and began drying her off.
“Paw.”
The snow leopard lifted its large paw and placed it in her hand.
Song Wei’s hand appeared much smaller in contrast to the beast’s massive paw.
After drying all its paws, she returned to her sleeping spot.
The snow leopard mother lay down nearby, while her three cubs nestled beneath her belly.
The sound of thunder and rain outside was almost lulling, making it easy to drift back to sleep.
The night passed peacefully, without any of the incidents Lin Zhen had worried about.
When Song Wei woke in the morning, she turned her head to see the snow leopard mother sprawled out on her back, fast asleep. The three little cubs lay on her soft belly, their eyes still closed but already kneading and nursing instinctively.
Noticing Song Wei was awake, the snow leopard mother merely lifted her head to glance at her before lying back down, her fluffy tail sweeping lazily across the ground.
After a night of rain, the sun broke through the clouds, and the world seemed washed clean, glowing with renewed brightness.
Stepping out of the tent and stretching, Song Wei saw the grazing herd already feeding on the dew-kissed grass, which looked especially fresh and tender today.
“Uncle, are there mushrooms on the grassland?”
The rain reminded her of her time in Ping’an Brigade, where she would have gone into the mountains to forage for mushrooms after a downpour.
“Yes, there are mushrooms, and there’s also cordyceps—a highly valued medicinal herb. You can probably find them on the mountains over there.”
But he had to watch the herd and didn’t have time to go searching. Even if he did, it might lead to unnecessary trouble or accusations.
Song Wei’s eyes lit up. “Let’s take the herd over there and look for mushrooms and cordyceps!”
Feng Tingxuan hesitated.
“With the three of us watching the herd, even if some wander off, I can bring them back.”
Feng Tingxuan was genuinely tempted.
By nature, he wasn’t one to play by the rules, but life had worn down his edges over the years.
Now, his niece’s presence was rekindling some of that old spontaneity.
Finally, he decided to go along with the plan.
But as they were packing up, Feng Tingxuan’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he saw the snow leopard emerge from Song Wei’s tent.
The snow leopard cast a cool, dismissive glance his way before ambling off slowly.
The three snow leopard cubs followed, hopping and bouncing along behind their mother.
Feng Tingxuan clutched his chest, stammering, “It—it—it… How did it get into your tent?!”
Song Wei quickly patted his back.
“Uncle, take a deep breath. It was raining last night, so it brought its cubs into my tent for shelter.”
“You slept in the same tent as it?!!!”
Feng Tingxuan, a grown man, was so shocked his voice cracked.
Song Wei shrugged. “Well, I’m standing here perfectly fine, aren’t I?”
Feng Tingxuan took a deep breath. “You’re far too bold!”
Song Wei tapped the ground with her toe. “I’m sorry, Uncle.”
Quick to admit her mistake—but likely to do it again anyway!
Feng Tingxuan: …………
Every time he saw his niece, she surprised him in new ways. His poor heart could hardly keep up.
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