Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Zhou Rui felt sorry for his father.

This wasn't being sentimental; he clearly remembered that in his previous life, after his father became disabled, he could only sit for the rest of his life, but he still kept weaving bamboo baskets...

Moreover, ever since my uncle separated from the family and left, the pressure of the family has been on my father's shoulders, like a huge weight pressing down on him.

He never complained of being tired; he simply took on the responsibility silently.

Zhou Shiwei turned his head and was clearly stunned when he saw his eldest son's actions.

After a while, he reached out and patted Zhou Rui's arm, saying casually:

"It's alright, Dad can still handle it."

……

After a brief adjustment, Zhou Shiwei once again rallied everyone to stand up and continue carrying the prey on their way.

Zhou Rui wondered if it was just his imagination, but he seemed to sense that his father's strength had increased.

The four of them set off on their journey home again, as the sun was already setting.

When they started walking again, Zhou Rui silently moved the log on his shoulder forward a little and leaned back slightly, so that he could put in more effort.

The last and most difficult stretch of road is the path connecting the pine forest to the front of the mountain.

The path was rugged and uneven, with jagged rocks and tall weeds and bushes completely obscuring the view. Moreover, you had to stay on the right route, or you wouldn't even know when you fell into a ditch.

It was already past five o'clock when the group entered the path, and the sky was getting dark. Fortunately, with Zhou Rui leading the way, they did not get lost and successfully made their way through.

Upon reaching the front of the mountain, everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief, as from a better vantage point, they could see villages quite far away.

At this moment, Zhou Ming could no longer hold back his suppressed emotions and finally released them.

"Awesome, bro! I'm coming back next time. This is way more fun than working on a construction crew!"

He shouted as if to encourage himself.

Just now in the pine forest, Zhou Ming was completely different from how he had been wandering around aimlessly that morning, partly because he was tired, and partly because he was genuinely scared.

But now, the fear on his face was completely gone; instead, excitement was mixed with exhaustion.

Although the village could be seen in the distance, Zhou Shiwei behind him did not completely relax his vigilance and continued to urge them on seriously.

"Erwazi, don't be careless. We haven't left the mountain yet, and it's getting late. Although the front mountain is not as dangerous as the back mountain, wild boars often appear there."

Today, Zhou Shiwei showed more caution than he has most of the time.

Even he, who was always decisive, wavered in his beliefs at times.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming composed himself and continued walking in silence.

Just as the last glimmer of red on the horizon faded, the group walked and rested intermittently until they finally emerged from the mountainous region.

Upon arriving at this point, Zhou Shiwei instructed everyone to put down their prey and sit down to rest.

Everyone was exhausted, and the estimated time had exceeded Zhou Shiwei's expectations. He had originally thought that he could still make it a little further towards the village before dark.

But reality rarely goes as people wish. Even though their rest periods along the way were short, and despite their hurried pace, it was already dark when they finally emerged from the mountains.

Fortunately, they had left the mysterious and perilous mountains behind them behind.

Zhou Rui glanced back with lingering fear. The mountains were already shrouded in gray-black, and soon they would be completely dark.

"Dad, if it weren't for you this time, we would probably be in real danger. With just the few of us, we'd probably still be wandering around in the mountains at the earliest..."

Zhou Rui spoke sincerely.

It was Zhou Shiwei who kept urging them on and controlling the pace from behind, and they finally managed to get out of the mountains before dark.

Zhou Shiwei's arms and shoulders were trembling slightly, but he didn't care and let out a long breath.

"Big brother, with this experience, you must be more careful next time..."

"However, we are returning with heavy loads this time, so even if we walk fast, it is still too tiring."

Zhou Rui noticed Zhou Shiwei's slightly trembling shoulders and arms.

Carrying over 90 kilograms of weight, plus the mountain path... Although the section by the stream was relatively flat with no ups and downs, the section through the pine forest was equally difficult.

Because the path from the stream to the pine forest is uphill.

Even someone as strong as Zhou Shiwei, even with his amazing physique, even though he spent years doing heavy work and carrying sand and ash in construction teams...

However, this is still his limit; no, it could even be said that this is the limit for an ordinary person.

Zhou Rui was also carrying some things at first, the blood of two deer, and the rabbit. He was also almost exhausted.

Interestingly, when Zhou Ming was walking through the pine forest, he also noticed his father taking care of him, but he didn't say anything.

Instead, he went to discuss it with his older brother, Zhou Rui, and thus, he also took on some of the extra weight of the groceries.

When Zhou Rui had a break, he went to help his second uncle lighten his load for a while.

The four of them supported and cooperated with each other, carrying and lifting the enormous water deer to get it out of the mountains.

Among the group, the only one in slightly better condition was Zhou Ming, but he also looked like he was about to die, and he had lost his earlier joy.

Zhou Shiwei looked at Zhou Ming, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes. Then, he forced a bitter laugh and chuckled:

"Was it fun? Do you want to come again?"

Zhou Ming mustered his strength to sit up. He looked at his father's shoulders, his face devoid of any excitement.

"Dad, now I realize just how much you've endured all these years. And when we were little, how did you ever go into the mountains all by yourself..."

"How can you single-handedly support this family again..."

Zhou Ming wasn't ignorant; he was just outgoing and lively, not fond of thinking things through, and had a playful nature. He lacked his older brother Zhou Rui's resourcefulness and decisiveness.

However, this does not mean he has no conscience. In the last stretch of the journey, he could feel his father's body trembling slightly.

It was only then that he noticed the bloodstains on the other person's shoulder, so now, the happy expression on his face was gone.

Upon hearing this, the first person to react was not Zhou Shiwei, but the usually taciturn Zhou Shijie.

He wasn't as strong as his older brother Zhou Shiwei, but he still managed to carry the next level of weight. However, he showed no pride; instead, his face was full of regret.

"Brother, I used to be... a real scoundrel!"

His shoulder also hurt, and there were faint bloodstains.

Zhou Shiwei looked at the two of them, seemingly unsure how to respond for a moment. After a long while, he finally smiled.

His shoulders and arms were trembling, but he was laughing, laughing heartily.

Then, he stood up and once again encouraged everyone with his magnetic and steady voice:

"Let's go! All the offspring of the Zhou family are excellent! Hahahaha..."

However, his voice was noticeably hoarse when he said this, whether from exhaustion or some other reason was unclear.