Yan Qi didn’t spend much time down in the valley, but whenever he did come down, he always made a point of meeting up with Xiao Mingming to chat. Sometimes he would go to the Lin family’s house, and sometimes Xiao Mingming would come over, though Lin Changshui rarely joined them.

Seeing the two of them arrive together this morning, carrying things in their hands, he knew this was no ordinary social call.

Since these were guests of Huo Ling and Yan Qi, Huo Feng and Ye Suping exchanged greetings before leading Huo Ying into the house. Once they had seated the two on the kang and served tea and freshly washed wild eggplant, Lin Changshui was seen rubbing his hands together, nervously explaining the purpose of their visit.

But the more nervous he grew, the more his speech stumbled. Even though Xiao Mingming was naturally shy and not particularly eloquent, he had no choice but to step in to help, occasionally interjecting a few words.

After listening for a while, Huo Ling finally understood what he meant.

He poured Lin Changshui some more tea, set down the teapot, and said, “So, you want to come with me into the mountains this fall to drive the wild boar?”

Lin Changshui nodded, looking ashamed. “I—I know about driving the wild boar… The mountain folk have their own rules. You can’t just bring anyone in.”

But he had an elderly mother to support; he wasn’t exactly in the best of health, and now that he was married, he had no other reliable relatives to fall back on. If he didn’t take this opportunity to build up some savings, life would surely become even harder once he and Xiao Mingming had children.

If there was one way to make money quickly near Bailong Mountain, it was undoubtedly mountain herding. But since he hadn’t learned the skills of mountain herding, to venture deep into the mountains, he’d have to find a “foreman” to guide him in—and he’d have to split the profits from selling the mountain produce with the foreman.

Of course, a foreman wouldn’t take just anyone; otherwise, bringing someone along would only slow him down.

He knew full well that Huo Ling was a loner by nature. In the past, when others had asked him to serve as a “guide,” he had turned them all down. This time, he was thick-skinned enough to come begging for help, relying entirely on the friendship between his husband and Yan Qi.

Yan Qi remained silent; this was not a decision he could make. As Huo Ling had said earlier, leading people into the mountains was no joke—it required the utmost caution.

If it were just a few mountain travelers teaming up to dig for ginseng, that would be one thing. Though Lin Changshui was strong and bold—he’d even accompanied them to the small courtyard halfway up the mountain to deliver supplies—he’d never actually ventured deep into the mountains.

The deep mountains and the foothills were two entirely different worlds.

Huo Ling, too, was carefully weighing the pros and cons of this matter.

The two families were bound to have frequent dealings in the future; their friendship would surely extend beyond this generation, continuing through their children. Lending a helping hand to the Lin family was certainly not a bad idea.

For him, taking an inexperienced person up the mountain was indeed a hassle, but he didn’t dislike Lin Changshui; the man was the type to talk little and work hard.

When it came to offering support, the key was whether the person receiving it could stand on their own two feet. Lin Changshui and his wife, Xiao Mingming, were precisely the kind who could.

He’d seen Lin Changshui’s strength firsthand; having him join the expedition would certainly be an extra pair of hands.

Yan Qi kept a close eye on Huo Ling’s expression until the other man glanced his way—at that moment, he knew the matter was settled.

Sure enough, Huo Ling replied, “Alright.”

Lin Changshui seemed unable to believe that Huo Ling had agreed so easily. “R-really?”

Huo Ling smiled. “We’re family—no need for formalities. It’s not that difficult, after all.”

“Thank you, thank you, brother!”

Lin Changshui’s face flushed with joy as he pulled Xiao Mingming close and thanked him repeatedly.

But just as they spoke, a new problem arose. Yan Qi nodded to himself and said to Huo Ling, “But if we count it this way, that makes four of us going into the mountains.”

The rule of “an odd number goes, even return” sounded rigid, but it was a tradition passed down through generations of mountain hunters, and they would never make an exception. For a moment, Lin Changshui and Xiao Mingming grew tense again.

Huo Ling glanced between the two and suggested, “What’s the big deal? Why doesn’t Ming-ger come along too? He can keep Xiao Qi company.”

“I can go too?”

Xiao Mingming looked up in surprise, and Yan Qi also seemed a bit excited. He hooked his arm through Xiao Mingming’s and said, “If I can go, why can’t you?”

Xiao Mingming hesitated. “But if I go too, Mother will be left all alone at home.”

Mrs. Lin’s health had never been great, but it wasn’t as if she were seriously ill; she simply needed to boil two doses of medicine to drink every day. Just a few days ago, during the autumn harvest, she had even gone out to work in the fields.

So Lin Changshui said, “Let’s go… go home and tell Mother. She… she won’t… no, she won’t stop us.”

He looked at his husband earnestly and asked, “Do you… want to go?”

Xiao Mingming didn’t hesitate for long; he nodded vigorously and said, “I want to go.”

For one thing, having an extra pair of hands meant they could gather more mountain produce to sell for money; for another, he’d long wanted to go into the mountains to see what Yan Qi’s little courtyard looked like.

The two lads spent their days together and had talked plenty about life in the mountains.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll just have to hurry a bit—we’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Changshui, Ming-ger, you two should go home first and tell your aunt about it, discuss it with her, and if everything works out, send me word.”

Upon hearing that the trip into the mountains would take over ten days, Xiao Mingming asked Yan Qi what he needed to pack. “I’ll bring two sets of clothes and some dried provisions.”

Yan Qi said, “Just bring clothes and a few daily necessities, plus a water skin for drinking. You don’t need to bring anything else. There’s rice and flour in the mountains, as well as meat and vegetables. If you want to eat, just cook it yourself—no need to go to the trouble of carrying dry rations.”

He added that if they had time, they should go to Ma’er Village to find Bearded Ma and buy plenty of insect-repellent powder.

After jotting everything down, the two took their leave. The items they had brought were originally meant to be returned, but after much back-and-forth, they insisted on leaving them behind.

Once the visitors had left, Yan Qi lifted the lid of the basket to take a look. Inside were six large goose eggs and a large piece of steamed brown sugar cake.

The Lin family didn’t raise geese, so these eggs must have been bought from someone else. Geese lay an egg only every two or three days—sometimes even every three or four—and since they’re so large, they cost much more than chicken or duck eggs.

These goose eggs were still raw, but their shells had been wiped clean, and they were nestled in a bed of dry grass.

The brown sugar steamed cake was set aside on its own, covered with a clean cotton cloth. It gave off a sweet, fragrant aroma; it was no small feat for the Lin family to produce such items.

Take the brown sugar, for instance—Lin Changshui had gone out of his way to buy it in town specifically to help Xiao Mingming regain his strength. There weren’t many pieces to begin with; he would chip off just a little bit each time he boiled brown sugar water, yet he was willing to use a generous amount for the steamed cake.

After the two had put everything away and returned to the room, Huo Ling heard Yan Qi say, “I actually thought you wouldn’t agree to Brother Lin’s request.”

Huo Ling casually picked two mountain eggplant fruits to eat. After chewing and swallowing, he said, “If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn’t agree—arguing wouldn’t do any good. But Changshui is the sort of person who won’t cause trouble once he’s in the mountains.”

He then raised an eyebrow at the young ger and smiled lightly. “With Ming-ger keeping you company in the mountains for the next ten days or so, aren’t you happy?”

“I am.”

Yan Qi spoke honestly, sitting down next to Huo Ling. “At the time, I hadn’t even thought of bringing Ming-ger into the mountains; I just assumed you’d go find someone else.”

“There aren’t any trustworthy acquaintances elsewhere. It’s best not to run into danger in the mountains, but if something does happen, you need to make sure the person behind you is human, not a ghost.”

In the past, there have been those who went into the mountains together only to be betrayed. Some harbored personal grudges before even entering, their intentions corrupt; others were purely self-serving—when a bear appeared, they’d be willing to drag their companions in front of them as a shield, without a care for the other’s life or death.

Huo Ling grew up in the mountains and had heard such stories countless times.

His father often said that human hearts were unpredictable, which shaped Huo Ling into someone who loved the mountains but not people, and preferred quiet over noise.

Upon hearing that Lin Changshui and his wife were also coming along, Huo Feng said cheerfully, “That’s great—the more, the merrier.”

He was the type who hated solitude; living in the mountains, even the sound of a wolf’s howl would send shivers down his spine.

Ye Suping could only look on with envy and say, “Never mind this year—I’m afraid I won’t be able to go into the mountains for the next two or three years.”

After saying this, she felt a pang of craving and added, “Remember to catch plenty of mole crickets for us to make mole cricket tofu.”

Huo Feng reassured his wife, “It won’t be like you can’t go for two or three years. Once you’ve weaned the baby, I’ll stay home to watch the child, and you can go with second brother and his husband.”

Ye Suping laughed, “What kind of mother leaves her child at home and goes out on her own?”

“If a father can do it, so can a mother.”

He patted his chest and said, “It’s just that I don’t have milk. Otherwise, you could go out as soon as you’re done with the postpartum confinement.”

Yan Qi had been standing with his back to Huo Feng, drinking water, but when he heard that, he spat out a mouthful of water.

Huo Ling laughed as he patted his back to help him recover, while Ye Suping—feeling both embarrassed and annoyed yet unable to hold back her laughter—punched Huo Feng twice.

“What nonsense do you spout all day long!”

Being able to make his pregnant wife laugh was a major achievement for Huo Feng.

Huo Ying chased two dogs into the house. Seeing the adults all laughing, she asked curiously, “What are you laughing at?”

Unfortunately, what Huo Feng had just said wasn’t appropriate for a child to hear, so Huo Ling and the others simply smiled without explaining. This drove Huo Ying to distraction; she pestered each of them in turn, and finally, unable to handle her persistence, they had no choice but to tell her they’d heard a joke.

Huo Ying was wise beyond her years; she sensed that her parents, aunt, and uncle were hiding something from her. She pouted so fiercely her lips could have held a teapot, and it wasn’t until Yan Qi took her to eat a piece of brown sugar steamed cake that she was finally appeased.

Now, over at the Lin family’s end.

Upon hearing that Huo Ling had agreed to take Lin Changshui and Xiao Mingming into the mountains, Mother Lin praised the Huo family for their kindness and righteousness.

Upon learning that Xiao Mingming was worried she’d have no one to look after her if he left, she said, “I’m not some old woman in my seventies or eighties. I can still go out and harvest wheat. Why can’t I manage to stay home on my own for a dozen days or so? Back when you hadn’t married into the family yet, Changshui would sometimes go to town to work and wouldn’t come back for days on end.”

She told her son-in-law to go with Lin Changshui without hesitation, but to remember two things.

“Once you’re in the mountains, first, don’t be greedy, and second, don’t cause trouble. People say there are many valuable things in the mountains, but don’t let that blind you. Stay close to that young man—whatever he says, do exactly that.”

Having said that, she set about packing their bags. “Take two sets of clothes and socks, and pack an extra pair of those new straw sandals. The mountain paths are rough—you’ll be climbing up and down. If your shoes wear out, you’ll have a spare pair.”

With his mother and husband at home packing, Lin Changshui simply tucked some money into his bag and hurried off to Ma’er Village to buy medicinal powders.

At this time of year, the mountains were still teeming with snakes and insects, and there was no shortage of grasshoppers either. Knowing his husband was afraid of bugs, he planned to pick out the most effective snake and insect remedies and buy plenty of them—even if they didn’t use them all during the trip, they could save them for future household use.

After a busy afternoon of preparations, at the first hour of the day the next morning, the five of them, covered in morning dew and accompanied by the two dogs, Dager and Huangya’er, plunged headlong into Bailong Mountain.