Although his wife didn’t mind him staying home, Lin Zhen had no intention of idling away the entire winter without doing anything.
“I plan to go to the truck transport station and take a long-haul trip south with some drivers to check things out.”
Although the crackdown on that gang hadn’t officially started yet, Lin Zhen had noticed during his recent visits to the black market that it was noticeably more relaxed than before.
If things were like this in the north, he wondered what the situation was like in the south.
So, he decided to go and see for himself.
“I know you don’t care how much money we have, and I don’t care about becoming the richest man, but we still need to save up some money.”
Song Wei nodded. “Go ahead. Do you need me to come with you?”
“No, once the authorities start taking action and everything settles down, I’ll take you out to see the world. But right now, it’s cold, and the situation outside is uncertain. I’ll go check it out first.”
“Then take care of yourself. Your safety is the most important thing. I’ll wait for you to come back.”
“Alright.”
Lin Zhen was a man of action.
He packed his luggage that very night and was dressed and ready to leave early the next morning before dawn.
Song Wei sat up but shivered before even getting out from under the covers.
The winters here were too cold.
Lin Zhen gently pressed her back down and leaned in to kiss her on the lips.
“Don’t get up. I’m leaving now. Take good care of yourself at home. If you don’t feel like cooking, ask Hei Dan to do it.”
Still half-asleep, Song Wei glared at him irritably.
“Hei Dan is still so young.”
“He can already cook.”
Lin Zhen had taught him himself. Although Hei Dan’s repertoire was limited, his cooking was far better than Song Wei’s.
Song Wei watched Lin Zhen leave but found herself unable to fall back asleep.
A long trip would take at least a month.
With the heavy snow in the north making travel difficult, it was uncertain whether he’d even be back in a month.
Since she couldn’t sleep, she simply got up.
As if influenced by her, the eaglet in the bamboo nest on top of the wardrobe also woke up.
It spread its fluffy wings and let out two chirps.
“Hungry?”
Song Wei looked at it with amusement.
The little one flapped its wings and hopped down.
Though it couldn’t fly yet, its wings still provided enough cushioning to jump down from the wardrobe.
A wardrobe just over a meter tall was no challenge for the eaglet now.
“Chirp~”
The little fellow, resembling a fluffy ground chicken, wobbled along beside Song Wei.
She retrieved some frozen meat from outside the kitchen to thaw and used the fluffy eaglet as a hand warmer.
“When will you be able to fly?”
“Chirp~”
The wolf and fox at home were also awakened by the noise and gathered around her in the kitchen.
Song Wei patted the half-grown wolf cub, its fur thick and warm.
At this stage, the wolf cub was still a bit awkward-looking, but it would become much more handsome after shedding its coat in spring.
Unable to sleep, she fed all the meat-eaters in the house until they were full. Noticing the dwindling meat supply, Song Wei clicked her tongue.
“Folks, we’re running low on meat. If it’s not snowing later, we’ll go hunting in the mountains.”
“Awoo~”
Wolf One and Wolf Two were excited. They had been cooped up at home for almost a month and were eager to roam the mountains.
The half-grown wolves also seemed eager to join.
When Hei Dan woke up later, Song Wei handed the eaglet to him.
“Lin Ping’an, stay home and play. Keep an eye on the eaglet. Your sister-in-law is taking Wolf One and the others hunting in the mountains.”
Lin Ping’an, who had been yawning and still half-asleep, instantly became wide awake.
“What? Wait, sister-in-law, I want to go too.”
“You’d just slow us down. Maybe when you’re older.”
With that, she hoisted her backpack and headed out with the pack of wolves.
Left behind, Lin Ping’an and the eaglet stared at each other, wide-eyed.
By now, Song Wei knew the mountains better than most locals.
Their first stop upon entering the forest wasn’t to hunt but to find the wolf pack.
Wolf One and Wolf Two hadn’t seen their old father in a long time.
But their joyful reunion was cut short when they encountered the lone wolf king halfway there—injured and separated from the pack.
If not for Wolf One and Wolf Two’s keen sense of smell picking up the wolf king’s scent, they would have missed him entirely.
“What happened?”
Song Wei always carried medical supplies out of habit when heading into the mountains. She immediately began treating the wolf king’s wounds.
“These look like bite wounds.”
Aside from the severe injury on his leg, there were many others across his body.
The wolf king looked utterly exhausted.
In the freezing snow, hypothermia was a real risk.
Knowing there was a cave nearby, Song Wei carefully carried the wolf king toward it.
Even so, the movement caused his wounds to bleed more heavily.
Once inside the cave, she quickly worked to stop the bleeding.
Song Wei was familiar with the wolf king, and he seemed to recognize her too. He lay still, allowing her to tend to his injuries without resistance.
“Awoo…”
Wolf One and Wolf Two circled around him, nuzzling him occasionally, their cries filled with obvious distress.
The wolf king let out a low growl, mustering the energy to lick his two cubs weakly.
Song Wei said, “You two go hunt first. See if you can bring back some prey. I’ll make something to carry the wolf king down the mountain later.”
Wolf One and Wolf Two were clever. After Song Wei gestured and explained twice, they reluctantly left, glancing back every few steps.
Song Wei gathered wood and vines from nearby and began piecing together a makeshift sled, working with focused determination.
The wolf king watched curiously for a moment before lying down in the cave to rest.
The wolves returned two hours later.
Prey was scarce in winter, and with their minds preoccupied with the wolf king, the hunt hadn’t gone well.
They only managed to catch two rabbits and a pheasant—all scrawny.
The wolves returned looking dejected.
“It’s better than nothing. Let’s focus on getting your father settled first.”
Song Wei didn’t scold them. Instead, she patted their heads reassuringly.
“Check out the sled I made.”
It was crude, but it would do the job of transporting the wolf king down the mountain.
A sled was perfect for moving across thick snow in winter.
She harnessed all the wolves to the sled, with Wolf One and Wolf Two leading at the front.
After carefully placing the wolf king on the sled, Song Wei stood on it herself.
“Let’s go!”
The sled glided smoothly over the snow. Even with a wolf and a person on board, the wolves pulled it effortlessly.
But since it was their first time pulling a sled, they struggled to coordinate, occasionally bumping into each other as they ran.
Wolf One, being the cleverest, paused after a few missteps to readjust. Gradually, they found their rhythm and moved more steadily.
Song Wei smiled faintly.
Her improvised idea had turned out rather well.
The winter snow in the north was thick, blanketing the roads completely.
The wolves didn’t need to stick to the paths—they could run across open ground without any trouble.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
The village dogs noticed the sound of the wolves pulling the sled and began barking from their yards.
When someone stepped out to see what was happening, their eyes widened in astonishment.
“Well, I’ll be! Would you look at that!”
The children who saw it were especially envious, their eyes gleaming with desire.
“Dad, I want that too! I want a sled pulled by our dogs!”
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