The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

The setting sun bathed Kaoshantun in a golden glow.

Just as Li Kaixin and his group settled Zhao Laosi back home, a commotion and heavy footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Except for his wife and children, all the villagers who were crowded in Zhao Laosi's house curiously rushed out.

As soon as they stepped outside, everyone froze, followed by a chorus of gasps of shock.

The hunting party, led by Tiezhu, was seen carrying the carcasses of at least one, or even two, gray wolves on their shoulders as they trudged back.

Then they were piled up in the threshing ground in the village.

The more than twenty wolf carcasses were piled up on the threshing floor like a small mountain. The strong smell of blood and the visual impact made the villagers feel terrified!

All eyes turned once again to Li Kaixin, who was standing at the door of Zhao Laosi's house.

That gaze, however, was now completely replaced by unbelievable admiration and a hint of barely perceptible awe.

The villagers knew all too well what Zhao Laosi's abilities were, and they also knew what it meant to face the wolf pack alone.

Village Chief Zhang took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and walked up to Li Kaixin, his tone carrying a hint of admiration.

"That young man from the city is quite capable!"

Li Kaixin bowed slightly, his attitude humble: "No, no, it's all thanks to Brother Zhao's extensive experience. I was just lucky."

Seeing Li Kaixin's shy demeanor, Village Chief Zhang stopped talking about it and pointed to the pile of wolf carcasses.

He cut to the chase and said, "Our village won't take advantage of you."

"Alright, we'll keep a quarter of these wolves, and you can find a way to have them taken away."

"What do you think about leaving those two horses you and Siwa brought down to Siwa's family to help them recover?"

Li Kaixin quickly waved his hand, looked around at the villagers, and finally his gaze landed on Village Chief Zhang's face, revealing a sincere expression.

"Village chief, you're too kind! This is absolutely necessary!"

"I just came to Changbai Mountain to see it for myself. I already feel terrible that Brother Zhao got so badly injured trying to get me into the mountains. If I took these wolves, what kind of person would I be?"

After a pause, seeing that Village Chief Zhang still insisted, he continued, "If it really doesn't work, these wolves can be attributed to Brother Zhao. It's my compensation to him and also a token of my appreciation to the village. Just give me four wolf pelts, and I'll use them as spoils of war."

Looking into Li Kaixin's clear and determined eyes, Village Chief Zhang knew it wasn't a lie, and his heart was filled with emotion.

After a moment's hesitation, he patted Li Kaixin's shoulder forcefully, his voice tinged with emotion: "Good young man, so kind! On behalf of the entire village, thank you!"

He had already made up his mind that when calculating work points at the end of the year, he would definitely give Zhao Laosi's family a larger share.

The villagers' expressions changed once again after hearing Li Kaixin's words.

My admiration for his bravery turned into heartfelt respect.

Immediately afterwards, a great joy swept over everyone.

With so much wolf meat, the whole village can have a good meat meal tonight! Cheers immediately resounded throughout Kaoshan Village.

Village Chief Zhang went back into the house and whispered a few words of advice to Zhao Laosi.

Outside the courtyard, Li Kaixin was surrounded by this enthusiasm and felt somewhat at a loss.

Especially the young women and wives in the village, they whispered among themselves, staring intently at the young man from the city.

They had heard that he was not only highly skilled, but also a driver from Beijing, one of the eight high-ranking officials, and a recipient of government-subsidized rations.

In his previous life, Li Kaixin was a programmer who buried himself in code and had no romantic experience. In this life, he is only seventeen years old and has never experienced anything like this before.

Being stared at by so many direct and passionate gazes made me feel my face burning, and I didn't know where to put my hands and feet. My ears turned bright red.

Just then, Village Chief Zhang came out of the house, saw Li Kaixin's embarrassed look, and glanced at the laughing girls.

She immediately straightened her face, glared at him, and said, "What are you looking at! You all have nothing to do, so hurry up and go to the canteen to help prepare the wolf meat. You women, skin the wolves properly, don't waste such good hides."

The girls and wives, after being yelled at by the village chief, stuck out their tongues, laughed, and dispersed, but their eyes kept glancing at Li Kaixin.

Li Kaixin felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Taking advantage of the village chief's restraint, he quickly ducked down and fled back into Zhao Laosi's house, causing the young wives outside to burst into good-natured laughter again.

Once inside, Li Kaixin calmed himself down, took out the ten yuan he had prepared beforehand, and handed it to Zhao Laosi.

"Brother Zhao, keep this money. It's the guide fee we agreed on."

When Zhao Laosi and his wife saw this, their faces changed, and they waved their hands repeatedly. Zhao Laosi struggled to sit up.

"You saved my life today and gave so much wolf meat to the village. If I take your money back, am I even human?!"

Zhao Laosi's wife also said urgently, "Yes, brother, we absolutely cannot accept this money."

"We may be poor, but we can't be so ignorant."

Seeing that Zhao Laosi's family was adamant about not wanting the money, Li Kaixin stopped insisting and took it back.

He then smiled and said, "Alright, Brother Zhao, Sister-in-law, I appreciate your kindness."

"Okay, then please don't mention paying back my previous medical expenses again, or I'll really get angry."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed.

Time passed slowly, and the setting sun outside the window was already casting its last rays.

Village Chief Zhang walked in again, holding five clean and tanned wolf pelts in his hands, their fur glossy and thick.

"Young man, the wolf pelt is ready. As you said, here's an extra one for you, as a small token of our village's appreciation. You can't refuse it now."

Without saying a word, Village Chief Zhang shoved the wolf pelt into Li Kaixin's hand.

Looking at the five fine wolf pelts, Li Kaixin knew it would be pretentious to refuse any longer, so he solemnly accepted them: "Thank you, Village Chief."

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Kaixin got up to say goodbye.

He said to Zhao Laosi and Village Chief Zhang, "Brother Zhao, take good care of your injuries."

"Village chief, it's getting late, I need to get back to the county guesthouse."

Village Chief Zhang and Old Zhao urged in unison, "It's so late, and the mountain roads are difficult to travel. Why don't you just stay here in the village for the night?"

Li Kaixin politely declined, saying, "No, I've been out all day without any news. My master and the others must be worried. I need to go back and let them know I'm safe."

Just then, the familiar sputtering sound of a tractor came from outside the courtyard.

Zhao Laosan jumped out of the car in a flurry of activity, and before he even entered the courtyard, he started shouting in his loud voice.

"Fourth brother! Fourth brother! I heard you got attacked by wolves, is it serious?"

Rushing into the house, he saw that although Zhao Laosi was bandaged, he was in good spirits, and he was relieved. He then punched Zhao Laosi hard on the shoulder.

He said irritably, "You idiot! You scared me to death!"

When Village Chief Zhang saw Zhao Laosan arrive, he immediately ordered, "Laosan, you've come at the right time. Take the tractor and take Comrade Li back to the county guesthouse."

"Make sure it's delivered safely!"

"No problem! I've got it covered!" Zhao Laosan patted his chest and agreed.

Li Kaixin said goodbye to Zhao Laosi, and then walked with Village Chief Zhang and Zhao Laosan toward the tractor parked in front of the village canteen.

Just as they reached the tractor, Village Chief Zhang called out, "Wait a minute!"

Immediately, several sturdy villagers took out several bulging cloth bags from the canteen and put them into the tractor's trailer without saying a word.

Village Chief Zhang held Li Kaixin's hand, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

"Young comrade, we live in a poor mountain village and don't have anything good. These are some mountain products that the families in the village have pooled together."

"There are some monkey head mushrooms, dried hazel mushrooms, and some wild walnuts, pine nuts, and other local products from Changbai Mountain. Take them back and let your family try them."

"If you don't accept this, you're looking down on Kaoshantun."

Having come this far, Li Kaixin had no choice but to accept it.

At this moment, many villagers who were still busy inside and outside the canteen also gathered around. Hearing that Li Kaixin was leaving, they shouted all at once:

"Comrade Li! Don't leave! Stay and eat wolf meat!"

"Yes! Let's have a drink before we leave!"

"I still have some sorghum liquor stored at home!"

"We'll definitely come again next time! Let's have a good drink!"

Listening to the villagers' words of urging and invitation, Li Kaixin felt somewhat helpless, unsure how to respond to this overwhelming enthusiasm.

Seeing this, Village Chief Zhang stepped in to resolve the situation.

He said loudly to the villagers, "Alright, alright, Comrade Li is a public servant, he has to follow the rules and go back to report."

"Come back to Kaoshantun when you have the chance. We'll make sure you have plenty of meat and wine then."

The villagers knew they couldn't keep him, and after watching Li Kaixin climb onto the truck bed, they all came forward to say goodbye.

"I'll definitely come again!"

"Comrade Li, have a safe journey!"

Amidst the villagers' enthusiastic farewells, the tractor carrying Li Kaixin slowly drove away from Kaoshantun.