Saying that, Bai Lu deliberately moved closer to him.
Now they were practically touching, causing the two men behind them to clench their teeth in anger.
Damn dog.
Today’s grudge was settled.
They would wait until they had figured out this dog’s background in the village before making their move.
Li Yu could already smell a faint scent of gardenia flowers.
He was truly speechless.
“Comrade Bai Lu, didn't your mother tell you that men and women shouldn’t be too close?”
“Of course, she taught me that.”
Li Yu was just about to retort, following her train of thought.
But she gave a sly smile and continued.
“But my mother also said that if you encounter danger, you should run to a safe place first.”
“I’m new here, and I don’t know anyone. It’s dark and scary, and you’re carrying a gun. Your side is definitely the safest. You wouldn't refuse to protect me, a female intellectual youth who has come to the countryside, would you?”
Li Yu felt like he had swallowed a fly.
This little girl had taken the conversation to a level he couldn't refuse.
Intellectual youths going to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants, those were words from above.
If he were to refuse outright today, even Li Xue Wu wouldn't be able to protect him.
“Fine, you can stay there if you want, I don't care anymore.”
Li Xue Wu, who was worried that Li Yu would be stubborn and refuse, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the young man give in.
As for Bai Lu, a smile bloomed on her face.
Round one, a small victory.
They walked for a while longer.
Bai Lu felt tired and bored.
So, she turned to Li Yu and said, “Comrade Li Yu, just walking like this isn't going to work. I heard from the village secretary that you're a hunter. Why don’t you tell me some interesting stories about your hunting experiences to pass the time?”
A smile curved Li Yu's lips.
“You sure you want to hear stories from me now?”
Bai Lu clearly noticed the mischievous glint in Li Yu's eyes.
But she still gritted her teeth and stubbornly said, “Just tell me a story, I've always been curious about you hunters.”
“Ahem!”
The smile on Li Yu's face grew wider, and he cleared his throat.
“Then I'll tell you about a strange thing that happened when my grandfather took me up the mountain when I was a kid.”
Little tiger cub, you dare to make me look bad? I'll make you scared today.
Being able to hear some entertainment to pass the time.
Whether it was Li Xue Wu, Lao Yu, or the two male educated youths who had had a bit of a conflict with Li Yu earlier, they couldn’t help but perk up their ears.
“Have you heard the saying, 'Wolf on your shoulder, don't look back, bear waving, run fast'?”
Just hearing those words, combined with the surrounding atmosphere.
Bai Lu felt goosebumps all over her body.
She shook her head subconsciously.
Only then did Li Yu speak.
“Then I'll tell you a story about a bear waving.”
“I remember when I was young, I would often go up the mountain with my grandpa, carrying a gun on my shoulder that was almost taller than me...”
If you were to ask about the most cunning animals in the forest.
Most people might say it’s the Qing Pizi (wolf), because they work together as a team.
They even like to ambush, taking people by surprise.
Some might say it's the Da Zuo Zi (tiger), because they’re incredibly clever, and a couple of hunters with ten or so dogs could still be outsmarted by them, ending up with heavy losses.
But if you were to ask Li Yu, he would definitely say it’s the Shan Ba Tou (bear), especially the older ones who have eaten people and were surrounded and still not caught.
Because this creature was always a primal nightmare.
Years ago, many people in the village liked to go up the mountain to find wild vegetables and mountain goods.
After all, they were always hungry, so they could only find these things to fill their stomachs.
There was an old bachelor living in a dilapidated house on the west side of the village, a refugee who had lost all his family to starvation, and the villagers called him Lao Qian. He always wore a worn-out hat.
He was actually a decent person, willing to help his neighbors when they needed it.
This guy had a big appetite and often ran out of food at home.
So, he could only go up the mountain to look for wild vegetables to eat. After a while, he had explored almost the entire surrounding forest.
There were quite a few people going up the mountain at the time, and the edible things in the shallow forest were basically gone.
Lao Qian was truly starving.
So he could only venture into the deeper mountains.
Almost no one in the village had the courage he had.
So, the vast mountain became almost his exclusive territory to gather things.
He tasted the sweetness of it, and Lao Qian would go up the mountain almost every day, often not returning until the afternoon.
He would carry all sorts of wild vegetables and fruits, making the villagers envious.
But one day.
The second fool, who lived next door to him, noticed that Lao Qian hadn’t returned.
The second fool didn’t think much of it, assuming that Lao Qian had found something good in the deeper mountains and was just delaying his return.
But when it was almost dark, the man still didn’t come back, and he panicked.
He quickly went to find Li Yu's grandfather, who was a respected marksman in the village.
But even he didn’t dare to go into the forest at night with his dogs.
So he waited and waited, until it was just a little before dawn.
The old man then took the second fool, Li Yu, and their dogs up the mountain.
That day, fog had descended upon the forest, obscuring the view of distant objects.
The three of them and the three dogs followed the mountain ridge, looking for Lao Qian’s tracks.
They kept searching until almost noon.
The fog hadn’t dispersed.
Li Yu was still young, and as he searched and searched, he started to stray off the path, going behind a tree to pee.
Just as he was pulling up his pants and about to return.
He suddenly noticed a blurry figure appearing in the fog in the distance.
He was startled and quickly pointed the gun he was carrying on his back, crookedly, at the figure.
He shouted loudly.
“Don't come any closer, or I’ll shoot!”
But as the thing got closer, Li Yu saw the figure walking on two legs.
He instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because the only thing in the forest that could walk like that in his memory was a human.
Thinking of Lao Qian, who was missing, he shouted to the figure.
“Uncle Lao Qian, is that you?”
But the figure didn't answer, instead, it waved at him.
Li Yu looked closely, and through the hazy fog, he could see a hat on the figure's head.
It had to be Lao Qian.
Because only Lao Qian in the village liked to wear a hat, even in the middle of summer.
People asked him why he couldn't bear to take it off, and he said it was the only thing left from his old partner.
Li Yu put away his gun, walking towards the figure, grumbling.
“Uncle Lao Qian, why did you stay in the forest for the whole night without going home? You made my grandpa drag me out of bed early in the morning, and I didn’t even get breakfast, just to find you.”