Chapter 170 - 169: An Impatient Zhao Wenwu

Chapter 170: Chapter 169: An Impatient Zhao Wenwu

After the meal, Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying both rushed to wash the dishes, but Chen Yanmei absolutely refused to let them. ’Once they’ve married into the family, anything goes. But they’re not married yet, so I can’t be careless in the slightest.’ Chen Yanmei was more than satisfied with these two prospective daughters-in-law and was determined not to lose them.

Everyone began to organize the gear for the mountain trip: firearms and ammunition, hemp ropes of various thicknesses and lengths, over a dozen gunny sacks, machetes, sickles, axes, torches, and other tools. Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu had already prepared and packed the dry rations and water into bundles.

Chen Yanmei remembered that the two women didn’t have boots for the mountain, so she brought them some old leather gaiters that Zhao Wendong’s grandfather and great-uncle used to wear. These so-called "old leather gaiters" were just two pairs of tubes stitched together from large pieces of cowhide.

They pulled the leather gaiters directly over Jin Xiuying’s and Lin Zhiyin’s calves. Then, using long strips of coarse cloth, they started from the ankles at the mouth of the shoes and wrapped them diagonally upwards, tucking the shoe uppers into the cowhide gaiters. They pulled each layer tight, continuing up to the calf, and finally tied it off securely with the end of the cloth or a small rope.

This not only sealed all the gaps around the tops of their shoes, preventing any snow from getting in, but also provided protection from the wind and from branches tearing their pant legs. It also stabilized their legs while walking, reducing fatigue.

Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying looked down at Song Xiaoyu and Chen Yanmei, who were so busy their foreheads were beaded with sweat. Their hearts filled with an indescribable gratitude. One was the daughter of a general whose family had been destroyed, the other a young lady from a great family that had fallen into decline. Neither had expected to find family and warmth again in this small mountain village.

The rims of their eyes reddened as they both silently swore in their hearts to build a good life together with Zhao Wendong, Zhao Wenwu, their sister-in-law, and their mother-in-law—with their family.

Once all the preparations were complete, Zhao Wendong brought along Xiaojin and General. The group said goodbye to their family and headed out of the village. As usual, Chen Yanmei and the others stood at the intersection, watching their distant figures disappear.

Along the way, they frequently ran into villagers, who all greeted Zhao Wendong warmly. The entire Dragon King Pond seemed to have suddenly burst with life. Gone was the deathly stillness that had pervaded the village when Zhao Wendong had just been reborn, when you could run down the road without seeing a single person.

The six of them left the village and started on the path into the mountains. The further they went, the darker the expressions on Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou’s faces became. The two of them were pulling a sled, trailing behind Zhao Wendong and the others. Watching the two couples in front of them acting all lovey-dovey was an indescribable feeling. But the four of them were in the honeymoon phase of their relationships, completely oblivious to the suffering of the two men behind them.

Watching them laugh and joke, hugging and cuddling up ahead, Zhao Wenjun felt the sunlight was especially glaring today. Even the snow hanging on the trees by the roadside seemed to be mocking them, shaped exactly like a series of hearts.

"Look at them showing off. Er Gou, when you get a wife someday, don’t be like them."

"Eldest Brother, what’s wrong with that? It’s a shame my family’s too poor, it’s hard to get married. If I got a wife, I’d want to be all clingy every day just like Second Brother and Brother San. Eldest Brother, aren’t you and Sister-in-law clingy?"

THUD!

Zhao Wenjun kicked the show-off tree, and a shower of snow instantly fell, dousing him completely. He didn’t care in the slightest; in fact, he felt much better for it and couldn’t help but stand under the tree and laugh out loud. ’Clingy, my ass. After a few years of marriage, who knows why that clinginess just disappears. If our house didn’t have just one kang bed, we’d probably be sleeping separately.’

Lin Zhiyin glanced back and said to Zhao Wendong with a smile.

"Look at your eldest brother. He’s still quite childish."

"Everyone’s like that. They have intermittent episodes of regressing to a primitive state or a second childhood."

"Hahaha!"

Lin Zhiyin bent over laughing at Zhao Wendong’s words. He always managed to come out with these amusing or profound statements, which was one of the things that fascinated her more and more about him.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they left the sled in its usual spot as always. The group then started up the mountain path. They were familiar with this route, so even though it was covered in a fresh layer of powdery snow, everyone could still clearly find their way.

Instead of heading straight for their stronghold, the group first went to Xiaobai’s home to look for it. When they reached the ravine where Zhao Dashan had fallen, Zhao Wenwu climbed down the gentle slope by a large tree to the bottom. He went to the entrance of the den where they had once smoked out Xiaobai, stuck his rear in the air, and shone a flashlight inside, calling out Xiaobai’s name.

"Xiaobai!"

"Xiaobai, I’m here! Come on out."

He called for a long time, but there was no response. Worried, Zhao Wenwu looked up at Zhao Wendong, a helpless expression on his face. Zhao Wendong couldn’t hear Xiaobai’s thoughts either. ’Xiaobai must not be here.’ He could only shake his head at Zhao Wenwu and gesture for him to come back up.

"It’s probably not here. Come on up, Second Brother."

"San, what do we do? You don’t think something happened to Xiaobai, do you?"

The moment Zhao Wenwu climbed out of the ravine, he anxiously grabbed Zhao Wendong’s arm, his face full of panic.

"It’s fine, Second Brother. It’s smarter than you. If you’re fine, how could anything happen to it?"

"Oh, you have a point!"

Hearing this, Zhao Wenwu immediately relaxed and broke into a smile. Jin Xiuying shot Zhao Wendong a look, and he gave her an apologetic smile. ’Second Brother isn’t like other people. Comforting him requires an unconventional approach.’

The group set off again toward the cave stronghold. Many of the items they brought, like the ropes, gunny sacks, and extra food and rations, didn’t need to be carried on them at all times. They could be stored at the cave stronghold first. A big reason why Zhao Wendong and the others were so efficient and successful when hunting in the mountains was this former Japanese soldier hideout.