Forest Ranger: Help! A golden eagle cub is relying on me

Chen Chuan looked at the two little tiger cubs sucking peacefully under the mother snow leopard, then looked at Cheese with a curious look on his face and Rice Bucket who was humming at his feet. The mountains and forests were rugged, but at this moment, this scene added a bit of warmth.

He stretched out his hand and rubbed Cheese's small head, which felt smooth. Then he pinched the back of Rice Bucket's fleshy neck, and the guy hummed louder with pleasure.

"From now on, you two will be brother and sister."

Chen Chuan's voice was not loud, as if he was stating something very ordinary.

Cheese blinked his little black bean eyes and tilted his head, as if trying to digest this sudden "promotion". His serious look was completely different from his usual playful and carefree nature.

The glutton was still rubbing its wet nose on Chen Chuan's trouser legs, making Chen Chuan laugh and cry. It was obvious that it had no idea about the change in identity of this "brother" and its attention was completely focused on eating.

Under the mother snow leopard, the two little tiger cubs who had just eaten and drunk their fill seemed to understand what Chen Chuan said. They almost simultaneously stopped the slight gurgling sounds and raised their tender little heads together, facing the direction of Chen Chuan.

Their eyes were not yet open, and this synchronized movement was completely instinctive.

One of the cubs even let out a childish "wool", which was weak and thin, but seemed to be responding to Chen Chuan.

Seeing this, Cheese's little head turned quickly, and a gleam of light flashed in his bright black eyes, as if he suddenly figured something out, completely different from the confusion just now.

It squeaked, turned its head and rushed towards the wooden house. Its agile figure formed a huge contrast in speed with its small body, and it disappeared in a flash.

When Lunchbox saw Cheese running away, he was stunned for a moment, then followed him grunting, moving his four short legs hard, but it was a bit strenuous for him to catch up. His clumsy posture formed a sharp contrast with Cheese's agility.

A moment later, Cheese came back with a small piece of pine cone that was gnawed and covered with saliva, his tail cocked proudly. He placed the pine cone carefully next to the wool mat, not too far from the two cubs.

It looked up at Chen Chuan, then at the little tiger cub, with obvious expectation in its eyes.

Soon after, the glutton came back with a hollow stomach, holding a dry grass root in its mouth that it had found from somewhere and was also soaked with its saliva. It imitated Cheese and placed the grass root next to the pine cone.

It also nudged its nose as if showing off its "gift".

Cheese gently pushed the pine cone with his little paw, then looked up at the two little guys who were sleeping soundly, and made a few tiny "squeaks" in his throat, as if inviting them to play together.

The foodie also nudged the grass root with his nose, humming a few times, his eyes full of curiosity about his new companion.

Chen Chuan looked at the actions of these two funny guys, and the smile in his eyes became even deeper.

"When they grow up a little, they will be able to play with you."

He soothed them gently, and Cheese and Rice Bucket finally calmed down, but there was still some expectation in their eyes.

The afternoon sun gradually set in the west, and the shadow of the wooden house became very long.

Suddenly, a rapid ringing sound with a slight electrical noise broke the silence, sounding particularly abrupt in this pristine mountain forest.

It's a satellite phone.

Chen Chuan walked into the cabin and picked up the slightly bulky phone. A familiar number popped up on the screen. "Hello, Mom."

The mother's slightly anxious voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Chuan'er, you are alone in the mountains, please take care of yourself. It's cold, wear more clothes and don't catch a cold. Are the wolves and bears over there causing any trouble?"

My mother's nagging is still the same, no matter how big or small.

Chen Chuan listened patiently and responded, "I know, Mom. Everything is fine here. We have enough food and clothes. They are also well behaved and don't cause any trouble."

"That's good, that's good..." The mother paused, and her tone became more cautious.

"Chuan'er, you are not young anymore. The son of the old Li family in the east of the village is two years younger than you, and his child can already help with cooking. Have you...ever thought about your own affairs?"

The topic change was a bit abrupt, but Chen Chuan was not surprised.

He was silent for a moment and looked out the window. Big Bear and Little Bear were wrestling in the snow, while Little Blackie was jumping up and down to cheer them on. Tiger Girl was lying not far away, licking the two little tigers gently. Cheese and Rice Bucket also gathered around Snow Leopard Mom, rubbing against her.

This lively scene contrasted with the quietness on the other end of the phone.

Yes, I am not a child anymore. This thought quietly emerged in his mind.

"Mom, I understand. I'll consider it." His voice sounded calm.

On the other end of the phone, my father couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed the phone and said sternly:

"You little brat, stop talking and take action! Your mother is almost worried about you! Aunt Wang next door asks me every day when you will bring a wife back home!"

Chen Chuan smiled helplessly: "I know, Dad."

After hanging up the phone, the cabin returned to silence, but Chen Chuan's mood was a little fluctuating. He walked out of the cabin and looked at the snow-capped mountains dyed golden by the setting sun. They were still magnificent, but seemed to have some other meanings.

At this moment, the satellite phone rang again at an inopportune time, and the rapid ringing made him frown slightly.

Chen Chuan picked up the phone and saw the familiar name on the screen, his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

It’s Ayiguli.

"Hello, Chen Chuan." Ayiguli's clear voice came from the other end of the phone, like a mountain spring, with a unique charm, diluting his previous boredom.

"Ayiguli, is there something wrong?" Chen Chuan tried his best to make his voice sound normal.

"It's nothing serious." Ayiguli paused, as if hesitating, and then lowered her voice, with a barely perceptible hint of probing, "It's just... I just want to ask you, do you have... a girl you like?"

Chen Chuan's hand holding the phone tightened slightly. This question was like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake, causing ripples.

In his mind, he unconsciously recalled Aiguli's bright eyes like the starry sky over the grassland and her brilliant smile when they parted.

There was a brief silence on both ends of the phone, with only the sound of each other's gentle breathing transmitted through the electric current.

"I..." Chen Chuan was about to speak, but his throat felt dry and he didn't know how to phrase it. The calmness he usually had when commanding the beasts was gone at this moment.

Ayiguli seemed to have sensed his embarrassment, and a hint of light laughter came into her voice, breaking the delicate silence: "If you have made up your mind, tell me. There is no rush."

"Ayiguli,"

Chen Chuan took a deep breath, and the fresh air seemed to make his confused thoughts clearer.

"Let's... meet up."

Ayiguli on the other end of the phone paused noticeably, and a slight sound of clothing rubbing against each other was heard.

She cleared her throat, her voice sounding a little disturbed.

"Okay."

Her voice was not loud, but it revealed an irrepressible lightness, with a slight rise at the end of the voice.

"Where are you? I'll go down the mountain to find you." Chen Chuan's voice was a little anxious, almost blurted out.

"No need," Aiguli said with a hint of joking, "I'm at the foot of the mountain, at the old place."

These few words were like someone setting off small firecrackers next to his ears, and Chen Chuan's head buzzed.

He hung up the phone almost yelling, stretched out his arm, pulled down the thickest sheepskin coat on the wall, and put it on at random.

There was not a trace of his usual calmness in that movement.

He opened the door of the wooden house and the cold wind blew in, but he seemed not to feel it and rushed out, running quickly towards the path at the foot of the mountain.

The snowy mountain road was a bit slippery, and he almost slipped several times. He cursed the weather under his breath, but he didn't dare to slow down. Behind him, a series of footprints of varying depths quickly extended.

The mountain breeze blew on his face like a small knife, but Chen Chuan felt like there was a small stove in his heart, burning him all over.

Finally, when he crawled and panted to the simple road at the foot of the mountain, he saw her at a glance.

In the gray evening sky, the bright red color is particularly eye-catching.

Aiguli was wearing a red down jacket and a white woolen hat with the brim pulled down low.

Perhaps because she had been waiting for too long, her cheeks and nose tip were a little red from the cold. When she saw Chen Chuan running towards her, she was stunned at first, then her eyes curved up, and that smile seemed to be able to melt the cold of this winter.

Chen Chuan rushed to her and looked at her red nose and the white breath she exhaled. His heart tightened for no reason. When the words came to his lips, they turned into:

"You...you are crazy? It's so cold, and you came here without even saying hello in advance!"

His tone was a bit harsh, but he couldn't hide his worry.

Ayiguli sniffed, looked at him with sparkling eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards with a hint of cunning:
"I just wanted to give you a surprise."

Chen Chuan felt a little uncomfortable being looked at by her and snorted:
"Surprise? I think it's a shock! What if I'm not here, are you going to freeze into a popsicle here?"

Ayiguli was not annoyed, but smiled even more happily. She reached out her hand and gently pulled his sleeve:

"Okay, I figured you'd be here. Let's go, find a place to sit for a while, my legs are numb from standing so much."

The two walked side by side on the empty mountain road, and the snow under their feet made a "crunching, crunching" sound.

The surroundings were very quiet, with only this monotonous sound and the shallow breathing of the two people.

Night has completely fallen, the sky is as clean as if it had been washed by water, and the stars are so clear that they seem to be within reach.

They sat down on a rock half covered with snow by the side of the road.

The stone was cold, and the heat seeped through the thick clothes, but Aiguli unconsciously moved closer to Chen Chuan.

"The stars here are so beautiful." Aiguli looked up and spoke softly.

Chen Chuan also raised his head. He had been looking at the starry sky for decades and never felt that there was anything special about it.

But tonight, with someone more beside me, it seemed like even the stars were a little brighter.

"Yeah, after watching it for a long time, it's just like that." He responded, but his eyes involuntarily drifted to her beside him.

Aiguli turned her head and looked at Chen Chuan's profile in the faint starlight, the lines of his face were clear and distinct.

She was silent for a while, then asked in a low voice: "Chen Chuan, have you...really thought it through?"

The voice was very soft, with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.

Chen Chuan turned his head and met her eyes, which were still clear in the night.

He didn't say anything, but stretched out his hand and covered the back of her cold hand on her knees. Her hand was small and her fingertips were cold.

Aiguli's body shook slightly and she wanted to pull her hand back, but he held it tightly.

His palm was broad and rough, with a burning warmth that continued to flow over her. She stopped moving and let him hold her.

Under the starlight, neither of them spoke again. The night wind blew, bringing with it the unique cool breath of the mountains and forests.

The night gradually faded away, and a hint of paleness began to appear on the horizon.

Aiguli's head had rested gently on Chen Chuan's shoulder at some point, and her breathing became even and long.

Chen Chuan didn't move, even though half of his body was numb, for fear of waking her up.

There was a faint scent of shampoo in her hair, mixed with the fresh air from the snowy mountains, it was a pleasant smell he had never smelled before.

I didn't sleep all night, and my body was overwhelmed by fatigue, but my spirit was surprisingly excited.

The rocks beneath me no longer seemed so cold.

"It's...about to dawn." Aiguli's voice was hoarse from just waking up, and there was also a hint of almost inaudible melancholy.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. There was a faint red mark on her cheek caused by Chen Chuan's rough clothes.

Chen Chuan looked at her, and the anxiety in his heart caused by the long night of waiting disappeared at this moment.

"Okay, I'll take you back." His voice was a little hoarse, but firm.

The two stood up and stretched their stiff bodies. The snow under their feet creaked, breaking the tranquility before dawn.

Aiguli's red down jacket looks even more vivid in the dim morning light.

She put on her woolen hat again, and a few strands of naughty hair poked out from under the brim, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Chen Chuan walked in front, and from time to time he reached out to push away the icicle-covered pine branches hanging by the roadside to prevent them from scratching her.

Aiguli followed silently behind him, looking at his broad back, and suddenly her heart felt much more at ease.

The way down the mountain felt much shorter than the way in. Every step was like stepping on the drumbeat of farewell.

Finally, at the corner of the simple road, the outline of an off-road vehicle appeared.

The car body was covered with a thin layer of frost, and it was parked there quietly, like a silent giant beast.

Chen Chuan opened the car door, his movements as quick and efficient as ever, but he did not urge Aiguli immediately.

He held the car door and looked at her with deep eyes.

Aiguli also looked at him, moved her lips, wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.

"Come in, it's cold outside." Chen Chuan spoke first, his voice lower than usual.

Aiguli nodded and bent down to get in the car.

Just as she stepped into the car door, Chen Chuan suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.

She was startled and looked back at him.

Chen Chuan's Adam's apple moved, as if he had made a great decision: "Ayiguli, I will come to you after I have dealt with things here."

Aiguli's eyes suddenly opened wide, and were instantly filled with watery light, shockingly bright.

She nodded vigorously, her voice trembling with an uncontrollable tremor: "I'll wait for you!"

Aiguli stood by the car door and looked up at Chen Chuan.

The morning light shone on her face, softening the lines. Her usually clear eyes were now rippling with complex and indistinguishable emotions.

Chen Chuan read a deep reluctance and a flash of expectation in her eyes. Deeper inside, there was a hint of shyness that was typical of her age, which he had not noticed before.

She seemed to want to say something, her lips moved slightly, but in the end she just whispered: "Be careful...on the road."

Chen Chuan's throat tightened and his voice was a little dry.

This simple reminder seemed so clumsy compared to the thousands of words surging in his heart.

He wanted to say "take care of yourself", wanted to say "I will miss you", wanted to ask "when can we meet again", but when the words came to his lips, they turned into silent nods.

He just looked at her, trying to engrave her current appearance deeply in his mind.

Aiguli nodded, and the hood of her down jacket swayed slightly with her movements.

The slight movement attracted Chen Chuan's attention every time.

She suddenly stretched out her hand and quickly touched the back of Chen Chuan's exposed hand.

Her fingertips were cold, but the touch caused a slight tremor in his heart, as if rekindling the warmth of last night's cuddling.

This brief contact is a silent continuation of emotion.

"I'll...wait for your call."

Her voice was so soft that it almost disappeared in the slightly cold air in the early morning, but it clearly penetrated Chen Chuan's ears and gently passed through his heart.

This whisper, in this empty valley, seemed to have become the most private agreement between the two people.

After saying that, she seemed to not dare to look Chen Chuan in the eyes again. She turned around and got into the car.

The movement was hasty and somewhat like escaping, completely different from her usual calm and composed demeanor in front of the villagers, revealing the shyness unique to a young girl.

Chen Chuan even felt that she got into the car a little faster than usual, as if she was afraid that if she stayed for another second, she would lose control of her emotions.

The car door slammed shut, sounding particularly abrupt in the silent valley.

The sound fell heavily, bringing a temporary pause to this short but profound time together.

The lingering aftertaste in the decisiveness is the unique sense of ritual of this farewell.

The sound of the engine starting was heard immediately, and the low roar broke the long-standing tranquility of the mountains and forests. It formed two completely different sounds with the occasional crisp bird calls coming from afar, one belonging to the modern intrusion, and the other belonging to the eternity of nature.

The car window slowly lowered, Aiguli stuck her head out and waved vigorously at Chen Chuan.

The smile on her face was trying hard to bloom, bright and brilliant, trying hard to hide the barely perceptible moisture in her eyes.

This bright smile, intertwined with the sadness brought about by the impending separation, reflects her stubborn strength.

Chen Chuan stood where he was and raised his hand as well.

His movements were somewhat stiff, far less free and easy than usual.

This unnaturalness comes from the emotions that are surging in the heart but are forcibly suppressed.

He thought that his expression must be very strange at the moment.

The off-road vehicle slowly drove away, and its wheels kicked up fine snow foam on the roadside.

The white dust lingered in the air for a moment, then fell quietly, as if the momentary disturbance had never happened and the forest remained the eternal forest.

Chen Chuan kept staring at the car, watching it bump along the winding mountain road, watching it turn into a small red dot, and finally disappear completely at the end of the mountain road.

That focused gaze, cast at the empty road ahead, also carries the lingering concern in his heart.

He could even imagine Aiguli in the car, perhaps secretly looking back, or watching the scenery rapidly receding outside the window, and what she was thinking in her heart.

The surroundings had completely returned to their former tranquility, with only the whimpering sound of the wind blowing through the pine forest and the occasional chirping of birds that calmed down after being disturbed.

These familiar voices that we are used to hearing on a daily basis seem particularly clear and lonely at this moment because of the emptiness in my heart.

He felt like a part of himself had been hollowed out, a place that had just been filled with Aiguli's presence.

He turned around slowly, his movements a little hesitant, as if the snow-covered branches could not bear the weight.

He faced the east, and the snow-capped mountains dyed red by the gorgeous morning glow looked majestic and magnificent.

His tiny figure seemed insignificant in front of the magnificent natural scenery, yet it seemed extremely real because of the emotions he had just experienced in his heart.

The early morning sun finally penetrated the mountain mist, and the golden light fell unreservedly on his shoulders, dispelling the slight chill that had gathered on his body.

This warm touch revived simultaneously with the heat that gradually rose in his heart.

It was not an anxious fire, but a calm and firm force.

He took a deep breath, and the cool and fresh air mixed with the unique scent of pine wood rushed into his lungs, as if washing over his limbs and bones.

As the breath slowly exhaled, the last trace of fatigue and confusion caused by separation seemed to dissipate.

During this simple breathing, my state of mind was quietly refreshed.

Then he laughed.

That smile blossomed across his weather-beaten face, dispelling the gloom between his brows, and his eyes became clear, revealing a kind of sudden enlightenment and clarity.

This relief was not only because a relationship had received an initial response, but also because he was completely freed from all the previous confusion about the future and the troubles of the past.

He is no longer the Chen Chuan who lived in a muddle-headed way.

He looked at the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The eternal magnificence now took on a whole new meaning in his eyes.

It is no longer just cold rocks and snow, but some kind of guidance, some kind of witness.

The appearance of Aiguli was like a ray of light, illuminating his way forward.

And he should take every next step carefully for her and himself.

He thought, maybe this was a new beginning.

She touched her pocket, and there seemed to be a slight chill from her fingertips still lingering there.

He looked down at the back of his hand, as if he could still feel the fleeting touch.

"Telephone……"

He repeated in a low voice, then raised his head with a more determined look.

Well, let’s find a place with good signal first.

(End) (End of this chapter)