1983, Northeast China

Chapter 31 Oh, Uncle is here

The fire in the dugout was still burning, and the only sound in the house was the crackling of firewood in the hearth.

Sankesong is not a treasure land.

It is a place where lives are buried.

Li Cheng held the bowl, looked at Lao Wei, then at Chen Shi, opened his mouth twice, but in the end, he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

If you keep talking nonsense at this point, you might actually get beaten up.

"The sky is about to fall," Old Wei said. "If you don't want to feed the weasels anymore, go back to the village."

Chen Shi wanted to ask more questions.

Old Wei didn't look at him again, kicked the willow basket, and said, "If I threw you into the mountains, you'd be nothing but a greenhorn. Go back the way you came, don't take shortcuts."

Li Cheng jumped up as if he had received a pardon.

Old Wei opened the door, lifted the straw curtain, and the cold air outside immediately blew in.

"remember."

Chen Shi stopped.

"Go back and tidy up. Don't rush into the village. If there's anything fishy near the courtyard wall, clean it up before it gets completely dark."

Li Cheng felt a chill run down his spine. "Uncle Wei, can those sly thugs really follow us into the village?"

"These greenhorns don't know how to read the village boundary markers," Old Wei said. "When they're starving, they'll go wherever the smell is."

After the two left the dugout, Old Wei closed the door.

Chen Shi glanced back, and the snowpack became inconspicuous again, as if it had hidden itself.

After walking a dozen steps, Li Cheng dared to speak loudly, "Why has Uncle Wei lived alone for so many years? Doesn't he get uneasy?"

"Who knows?" Chen Shi said. "Maybe some people feel more at ease living in the mountains."

Li Cheng couldn't understand it, but he found the words chilling.

As he approached the mouth of the gully, he considered going around on the right slope, thinking, "It's shorter to go that way, and it'll save me half the distance."

Chen Shi grabbed him.

"I'm not leaving."

"What's wrong?"

"As soon as Old Wei finished speaking, he turned back the way he came."

"You listen to everything he says?"

"He lived in Laonangou for so many years." Chen Shi said as he walked, tracing the route he had come from. "We almost got killed today."

"Stop talking, I think I heard Green Skin's voice again."

"They might really be following you. Look back."

"Are you kidding me? You're such a mean person. I'm going to tell my mom that I can't come to your house."

The two chatted casually, walking at a moderate pace.

As they approached the village, Chen grabbed a handful of snow from the roadside and, following Lao Wei's instructions, carefully tidied himself up. After finishing, he even tidied up Li Cheng as well.

Ya Ya has become smarter now. She no longer waits for her uncle by the window; instead, she looks at Huang Er's ears.

If Huang Er's ears stand up and his tail wags, it's highly likely that his uncle has returned.

Chen Shi pushed open the door and saw Ya Ya's little face.

"uncle."

Chen Shi's heart softened. "Yes, you're back."

"Finally back! If it had been any later, I would have gone to call Zhao Defa and asked him to bring some men to meet us in the ditch."

As soon as Li Cheng entered, he leaned against the makeshift bed Chen Shi had set up. "I knew you'd be here, so I went straight home with Chen Shi. Mom, you have no idea what happened today... Uncle Wei... he really scolded me..."

"You have the nerve to complain after being scolded? When don't you get scolded every day?"

Li Cheng looked at Chen Shi with a wronged expression.

Chen Shi did not speak up for him.

It was quite unexpected for Chen Shi that he could turn "encountering a scoundrel" into "being scolded by Lao Wei".

Chen Xiulan put Xiaoman in the stroller and came out from the inner room. "Shizi, why are you so late?"

"I walked a bit too far and then ran into Uncle Wei, which delayed me for a while." Chen Shi walked over without bringing the air conditioning inside.

Chen Xiulan didn't believe him, so she pulled on his sleeve and made him turn around to make sure there was no blood before she felt relieved.

"After this, don't go too far away."

"I know."

He didn't mention the green-skinned man; saying so would only frighten her and serve no purpose whatsoever.

Aunt Wang was more attentive than the children. When Li Cheng went to the stove to drink hot water, she went up to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi left the willow basket outside and didn't bring it inside.

Aunt Wang glanced at it. "The meat has been delivered?"

"Yes, it's been sent out."

"Just take it." Aunt Wang wasn't bothered by the small amount of meat; instead, she breathed a sigh of relief. "A lifesaver like me deserves all the thanks. What are you doing?"

"There was a rabbit skin inside, and the bottom of the basket was covered in snow," Chen Shi said. "Uncle Wei said to bring as little as possible into the house."

Aunt Wang glanced into the house; no one had followed them out. "What happened to you in the mountains?"

"No one was hurt, and they didn't bring anything back. Auntie, don't ask any questions tonight, or my sister might get suspicious."

Aunt Wang was no naive woman; she knew Chen Shi wasn't just putting on airs.

"Okay, I'll shut Li Cheng up."

"Why are you blocking my way?"

Suddenly, a head popped out from behind Chen Shi and Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang turned around and slapped Li Cheng on the back of the head with lightning speed. "Are you a ghost? You walk without making a sound."

"Ouch!" Li Cheng clutched his head. "Mom, are you going to hit me for this too?"

"Shut up and stop spouting nonsense." Aunt Wang tilted her head towards the house. "If you keep talking nonsense and scare Ya Ya and your sister, I'll teach you a lesson."

"What do you mean 'my sister'?" Li Cheng argued, sticking his neck out. "I'm three days older than her. Besides, I didn't make this up."

"Just in case." Aunt Wang didn't give her a chance to explain, waving her hand to interrupt him, "So you won't forget, so I'll teach you a lesson."

After saying that, she acted as if she had accomplished some great task, turned around and "whoosh whoosh" went back into the house, leaving behind a self-righteous back view.

Li Cheng watched his mother go back into the house, then spread his hands at Chen Shi's retreating figure, saying, "What did I come here for? Just to get slapped? Is that what you mean?"

Chen Shi didn't turn around, but nodded very slowly and solemnly.

"Alright." Li Cheng felt as if all his strength had been drained away. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a long sigh. "I'm going back."

Chen Shi carefully wiped the bottom of the basket clean, bit by bit, in the yard.

The rabbit skin had already been scraped clean of oil, but it still smelled. Huang Er's nose twitched violently, and its front legs tentatively reached forward, as if trying to come closer.

Chen Shi looked at it, and imitating Aunt Wang, he gave it a tap on the head, "Lie down properly."

Yellow Ears let out a whimper and finally lay back down.

Chen Shi tied the rabbit skin to one corner with hemp rope and hung it on the sorghum stalk near the door of the outer room.

The draft is strongest here, which dries the hide quickly while keeping Huang Er and Ya Ya out of reach.

Chen Xiulan watched him bustling around outside, then put on a coat and came out. "Shizi, it's so cold outside, what are you fiddling with?"

"Clean up the hides," Chen Shi replied. "Uncle Wei said they'll stink if not handled properly."

"Alright, alright, come inside." Chen Xiulan stepped forward, glanced at the crooked knot he had tied, and was both annoyed and amused. "You're so clumsy, don't ruin this good stuff. Just leave it here, I'll clean it up tomorrow."

Ya Ya was curiously peering through the window on the kang (heated brick bed). Hearing this, she imitated Chen Xiulan, shaking her little head and echoing in her childish voice, "Uncle, clumsy."

Chen Shi patted the snow off his hands and wiped the water off his hands on his pants. Looking at the little face in the window, he smiled helplessly. "Alright, your uncle is clumsy, so I'll be responsible for hanging it high up and waiting for your mother, with her skillful hands, to tidy it up."

"Then Uncle, hang it higher up," Ya Ya instructed worriedly.

"It's already hung up to the highest point," Chen Shi looked up and answered confidently.

Chen Shi slept very lightly that night.

Suddenly, a soft, sobbing murmur drifted over.

"uncle......"

Almost simultaneously, Chen Shi, who had been dozing with his eyes half-closed, suddenly opened them.

"Hey, Uncle's here."

He immediately responded.

Upon hearing the reply, the breathing on the other end became steady and long.