Unlike the messy, disheveled look he had in the previous morning, Huo Chen now appeared neat and composed. He wore a set of dark blue overalls, though they were patched in several places, big and small.
Even the cloth shoes on his feet had multiple patches. Yet despite the humble appearance, a cold, intimidating aura surrounded him, making people feel a chill just by looking his way.
The moment Huzi saw Huo Chen running toward them, he was so scared he darted behind Xu Ying, his little body stiffening, a mist of tears forming in his eyes.
He clutched Xu Ying’s clothes tightly. “Aunty , Aunty, let’s go home! Quick!”
Xu Ying was puzzled. She gently patted Huzi’s head, then looked toward Huo Chen and asked, “You’re back already? Sold everything so fast?”
Huo Chen wasn’t surprised at Huzi’s reaction. The kids in his village always ran away whenever they saw him. Only the captain’s daughter had dared to talk to him—not that he knew why.
He nodded, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then pulled out a thick wad of cash and some ration tickets from his pocket, handing them to Xu Ying. “The wolf meat sold for 70 cents a catty. They also threw in some tickets.
Altogether, the wolves weighed over 200 kilograms. I sold them for 168 yuan. I saved some of the money to thank you for saving Lao Hui and me.”
Xu Ying’s eyes sparkled brightly at the sight of the money, her expression radiating pure joy like a true money-lover. She quickly took the cash and tickets, stuffing them carefully inside her clothes. “Thanks, Comrade Huo.”
Huo Chen froze for a second, startled by how openly delighted she looked. He waved his hand, took a step back, and said, “If you ever need anything, you can come find me.”
Before Xu Ying could react, his figure had already vanished into the woods.
Huzi, still hiding behind Xu Ying, cautiously peeked out after seeing Huo Chen leave. “Aunty… why were you talking to that wolf cub? What were you guys selling?”
Hearing him call Huo Chen a “wolf cub,” Xu Ying frowned and gave Huzi a light scolding. “What wolf cub? He has a name—Huo Chen. You should call him Uncle Huo from now on.
And don’t go around talking about what we sold, got it? We’ll talk about it once we get home.”
Although Huzi was confused, he still nodded obediently. But as he stared up at Xu Ying, admiration gleamed in his young eyes. That wolf cub was terrifying, yet his aunty wasn’t afraid to talk to him. She was amazing.
“Let’s gather the rest of the firewood first. Once we’re done, we’ll head home. When we get back, I’ll ask Grandma to boil some eggs for us.”
The moment Huzi heard “eggs,” he brightened immediately, his grin nearly crooked from excitement. His small figure started darting energetically through the mountains.
After finishing their pigweed collection with the help of stones, they also started gathering firewood. The three of them kept working until past four in the afternoon.
By the time they were done, three bundles of firewood were tied up neatly beside them. Xu Ying loaded one bundle into the basket on her back and carried another in her arms.
Shitou came back too, his little body lugging a load of pigweed on his back and a bundle of firewood in his arms.
When Mother Xu saw her daughter returning with so much firewood, her heart ached. She rushed over to take the load from Xu Ying. “Oh, my dear girl, why are you carrying so much? Why didn’t you let Shitou carry it instead?
Look at your hands—so red from the strain. My heart hurts just seeing you like this!”
Xu Ying glanced at Shitou’s skinny little frame. Honestly, she thought it was better not to burden him.
Mother Xu frowned deeply, practically fuming with worry.
Xu Ying set down all the firewood, then fumbled in her pocket for a while before pulling out a thick wad of cash.
Mother Xu froze, standing there in stunned silence. She couldn’t even find her voice for a long moment.
Finally, she pulled Xu Ying inside the house, sat her down on the bed, and stammered, “Where… where did you get all this money?”
Xu Ying grinned and gently pulled Mother Xu to sit beside her, then placed two hundred yuan directly into her mother’s hands.
Huo Chen had given her 200 yuan in total—about 100 yuan from selling the wolf meat, and another 100 yuan as a personal thank-you for saving him.
She’d earned it. If she hadn’t saved Huo Chen and Lao Hui, they’d be dead by now.
Mother Xu stared at the money, her mouth falling open wider and wider, until she couldn’t even close it. “Girl… what did you do? You didn’t… you didn’t rob someone, did you?”
“Mom! How could you say that? I earned this money myself!” Xu Ying smiled. “Oh right, I also got these.” She pulled out a handful of ration tickets from her pocket—cloth tickets, candy tickets, meat tickets, even a bicycle ticket.
“How did you earn it?” Mother Xu pressed anxiously, still afraid her daughter might’ve gotten into something illegal.
So Xu Ying told her everything—how she’d gone up the mountain, rescued Huo Chen, helped him hunt, and shared in the profits. “Half the money’s from the wolves we hunted together; the other half’s his gratitude for saving him.”
When she finished, Mother Xu’s eyes welled up with tears. She gave Xu Ying a light smack on the back. “You foolish girl! I told you not to go up the mountain—why did you still go to that dangerous place?
If something had happened to you… what would your father and I do? You’re going to worry me to death.”
Thinking about how close her daughter had come to danger, Mother Xu’s heart twisted painfully.
Xu Ying quickly comforted her. “Mom, it was just one time. I promise, I won’t go up there again.” Seeing her mother so upset, her chest tightened with guilt.
Mother Xu wiped away her tears and handed the money back to Xu Ying. “Here, you keep it. I don’t want it. Save it for your dowry later. Your father and I can still work. Your eldest brother, his wife, your second brother—they’re all working. Your third brother still sends his salary home. We’re not lacking anything.”
But Xu Ying shook her head. “No, Mom. You have to take this money. They earn their own wages. I’m part of this family too—how can I just sit around and contribute nothing? I want to use this money to honor you and Dad. Please take it.”
Mother Xu had initially been upset by her daughter saying she “did nothing,” but hearing Xu Ying talk about filial piety warmed her heart to its core.
She smiled softly. “Then just give fifty yuan to me and your father. I’ll save the rest for you. When you get married, I’ll make sure you have a proper dowry.”
“I don’t want to get married, Mom. I just want to stay by your and Dad’s side forever.”
Mother Xu’s face turned stern. “That won’t do! You’re going to grow up—you can’t not marry. Your father and I won’t be around forever. You’ll need someone to keep you company someday.”
“Do you really not like Dong Zhiqing anymore?”
Just a couple of days ago, she’d heard from a neighbor that her daughter wasn’t interested in Dong Zhiqing anymore. She hadn’t believed it at the time, but after seeing how Xu Ying had ignored him these past few days, she was starting to believe it.
Xu Ying shook her head firmly. “No. I realized he’s just a pretty boy who sponges off others. He’s not someone worth trusting.”
Mother Xu nearly clapped in delight. Her daughter’s words couldn’t be more accurate—Dong Zhiqing really was just a shameless freeloader!
“That’s right, my girl! That boy’s nothing but a leech. Good thing you saw him for what he is.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t fall for his tricks again.” Xu Ying’s eyes were bright and clear, free of the shadows from before.
Mother Xu smiled warmly. “Good. I believe you.”
As evening approached, Xu Ying stood up from the bed. “Mom, let’s kill all the pheasants at home. No point keeping them around—they’ll just lose weight if we wait too long.”
Mother Xu quickly agreed. Those pheasants barely had enough meat as it was; it’d be a waste if they got any leaner.
“I’ll butcher them now. We’ll make pheasant soup for dinner. I’ll dry the rest for later.”
Xu Ying followed her outside as Mother Xu went to kill the pheasants. Meanwhile, Xu Ying headed to the garden to pull up two big radishes to add to the soup.
They had four pheasants in total, and Mother Xu killed them all.
“Mom, let’s stew two tonight. One won’t be enough—we’ve got to nourish you and Dad, and my brothers too…”