Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

Chen Feng's mind went blank.

Lin Qingfeng walked over quickly and squatted down to examine the area.

The pockmarked old man followed behind, his face extremely grim: "This...this isn't something we can escape, this is..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone could see it.

In the center of that pool of blood was a deep drag mark, thicker than a person's waist, as if something enormous had dragged its prey away.

The trail stretched deep into the forest.

The tall, thin old man followed the trail for a few steps, then suddenly stopped, his voice trembling: "Old Lin, come and see."

Lin Qingfeng walked over.

On the snow, besides the drag mark, there was something else.

Bear footprints.

It was deep and chaotic, as if it had been run through or fought over.

Next to the bear's footprints, there was a shoe.

A cotton shoe, black on the outside and white on the inside, half of it soaked in blood, lay forlornly in the snow.

Lin Xi's face turned pale: "Where...where is he?"

The answer is obvious.

The pockmarked old man squatted down, carefully examined the marks around him, then looked at the shoe, and remained silent for a while before speaking.

"The bear dragged it away."

Although Chen Feng had already guessed it, his heart still skipped a beat when he heard these words.

It was towed away.

A living person was dragged away by a bear.

Lin Qingfeng stood up and looked into the depths of the woods.

The old forest was pitch black, and you couldn't see the bottom.

The drag mark meandered in and disappeared into the shadows of bushes and dead trees.

"Should we pursue them or not?" Lin Dong asked.

Lin Qingfeng didn't answer, but squatted down and looked at the blood on the ground again.

The blood had congealed, turning black and dark, but it was still very glaring on the snow.

The pockmarked old man shook his head: "No need to chase. With that much health, he's already dead."

The tall, thin old man nodded: "The bear dragged him, not while he was alive. That man died on the spot..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Everyone fell silent.

Chen Feng stood there, staring at the shoe, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

That outsider is gone just like that.

Even the body couldn't be found.

The forest is too dangerous in winter.

Lin Qingfeng stood there for a while, then suddenly turned around and walked back.

"go home."

Lin Xi was taken aback: "Dad, you're not looking anymore?"

"What are you looking for?"

Lin Qingfeng didn't even turn his head. "If a bear dragged it away, how could you expect to find a whole one?"

It wasn't that he was heartless; bears in winter lacked food and water, and being startled awake, it was good enough if they didn't come to wreak havoc on the village.

The group looked at each other, but in the end they followed.

Chen Feng, who was walking at the very back, couldn't resist quickly stepping forward to take a look.

The old forest was quiet, as if nothing had happened.

Only that shoe lay alone in the snow, a dark, indistinct blob.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, one flake after another.

When they reached the gate of the old house, the back mountain was already covered in white, obscuring all traces.

Lin Qingfeng pushed open the courtyard gate and said something before going in.

"I'll keep this matter to myself. If anyone asks, I'll just say I didn't see anything."

Several people nodded.

Upon entering the house, Lu Dan greeted him: "How did it go? Did you find anything?"

Lin Qingfeng took off his coat and patted the snow off his clothes: "Found it. Just a few wild boar footprints. What a scare."

Lu Dan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Dinner's ready, go wash your hands and eat."

Several people sat down around the table, and steaming hot food was served.

Chen Feng picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed for a long time, but couldn't taste anything.

That shoe kept popping into his mind.

And the end of the red rope next to the shoe.

Everyone was staring at the bloodstained shoe, but he was the only one who took a closer look and noticed a tiny bit of red peeking out from the snow.

That's a method they often use to mark their path when they're hiking in the mountains.

They usually tie it near the marked location; if they have a good harvest each time they come, they tie one on.

If you encounter a tree that still needs maintenance, replace the old rope.

These ropes are small and fade easily; I'm afraid I won't be able to find them after a while.

The rope Chen Feng saw today was faded!

That outsider probably left a mark around here!

Chen Feng gripped his chopsticks tightly, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

He really wanted to go look again, but that bear really gave Chen Feng a lot of trouble.

To go or not to go?

Going to Xiaoshan might solve the tuition problem; if we don't go, our family will have a very tight budget after the New Year...

The snow hadn't stopped by the time we finished eating.

Lin Dong and Lin west went home separately, while Chen Feng's family stayed at the old house again tonight.

Lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) that night, Chen Feng tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

He remembered the exact location of that red rope end.

He finally drifted off to sleep just before dawn, his dreams filled with the shoe and that tiny red dot in the snow.

When Chen Feng woke up the next morning, it was already broad daylight.

He pushed open the door and went outside. The snow had long since stopped, and the sunlight reflected off the snow, so bright that he couldn't open his eyes.

After finishing his meal, Chen Feng followed his memory and walked to the place from yesterday.

The snow has covered all traces.

The shoes and the bloodstains were all gone.

He squatted down and started digging in the snow.

After peeling it a few times, my fingers touched something hard.

He took it out and looked at it.

It's that end of the red string!

Frozen solid, stained with dried blood.

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat. He gripped the end of the red rope in his hand, stood up, and looked around.

The red string means the ginseng is still there!

In such heavy snow, this person probably can't go very far!

The location of this ginseng is probably correct!

He looked up, examining each tree one by one.

He stopped in front of an old oak tree.

There was a fresh knife mark on the tree trunk, and next to the mark was a piece of bright red rope!

However, the red string was very thin, and if he hadn't seen it, it would have taken him quite a bit of effort!

Chen Feng reached out and touched the knife mark, then looked at the end of the red rope in his hand.

Right.

This is the mark made by that outsider.

He looked around, but the woods were quiet and there was no sound at all.

I don't know if that bear is still nearby, but since I've come all this way, I can't just go back like this.

The mark here indicates that the ginseng is nearby.

But this area is so big, where do we even begin to look?

Chen Feng stood there, somewhat perplexed.

Chen Feng looked around carefully as he walked.

suddenly!

His legs buckled!

He looked down and saw a small mound of earth.

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

The little mound was covered in snow and looked inconspicuous, but its shape was somewhat unique.

He squatted down and gently brushed away the snow on the surface.

Beneath the snow lies a layer of withered grass and fallen leaves, and below that, soft humus.

A tiny bit of yellowish-white stuff was showing in the soil.

Chen Feng's hand stopped.

He held his breath and gently brushed away the soil beside him with his fingertips.

The tender yellow bamboo shoot tips peek out from inside.

This is... winter bamboo shoots?