Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

Lin Xi sighed.

"I've seen that kid. He even brought us a bundle of firewood before the New Year. He's really simple-minded. He wouldn't take money from us, saying it was just a small favor. Later, my dad invited him to stay for dinner, and he finally had a good meal before leaving."

Yang Chengwu's mother and Lin Xi's wife were related by blood, though they had some connection.

If it were someone else's situation, no matter if it was Lin Qingfeng or someone else, he definitely wouldn't risk going.

But then the kid paused.

Good people shouldn't die young.

Chen Feng's heart stirred upon hearing this.

He had heard this several times before.

Old Yang said it, my father-in-law said it, and now Lin Xi is saying it too.

He suddenly realized that the trip to the mountains was worthwhile.

The two stopped talking and continued on their way in silence.

Although Wufeng Mountain is the back mountain of this area, it is not close in terms of distance.

We're a bit late getting into the mountains today, so let's find a place at the foot of the mountain first thing tomorrow morning.

When it comes to saving lives, it's better to do it sooner rather than later.

After walking for about an hour, it was completely dark.

Lin Xi looked up and pointed ahead, saying, "Walk another two miles, and there's a shack. It was built by hunters before; it'll be fine for a night."

Chen Feng nodded and followed him forward.

The shack was nestled in a sheltered mountain hollow, leaning precariously and looking like it was about to collapse.

But when you go inside, it's fairly clean. There's a layer of dry grass on the floor and a few pieces of unburnt firewood piled up in the corner.

Lin Xi put his things down, went out to collect a bag of firewood, and started a fire at the entrance of the shack.

The firelight rose up, making it warm and cozy.

Chen Feng took out the steamed bun that Lin Xiu had given him, toasted it over the fire, and handed one to Lin Xi.

Lin Xi took it, took a bite, and mumbled, "My sister's steamed buns are just so delicious."

Chen Feng smiled; he felt the same way.

Ta Xue lay down by the fire, resting its head on its front paws and dozing off with its eyes half-closed.

The flickering firelight reflected off their faces.

After finishing his steamed bun, Lin Xi took out a piece of dried meat from his bundle, broke it in half, and handed it to Chen Feng.

"Homemade smoked, have a taste."

Chen Feng took it, took a bite, and found it to be salty, savory, and flavorful—truly delicious.

"Your wife is a good cook."

Lin Xi chuckled.

"That's right, otherwise how could I marry her?"

They both laughed.

It's a joke, of course, and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Chen Feng added a piece of firewood to the fire and suddenly asked, "Third Brother, how many years have you been working in the mountains?"

"I've been going into the mountains with my dad since I was a child, and it's been about ten years now."

Chen Feng nodded.

"Then you're an expert."

Lin Xi waved her hand.

"I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've been around a lot and know where I can and can't go. My dad and I have been to Wufeng Mountain seven or eight times to collect herbs. Back then, we hadn't heard of any bears."

He paused, then glanced into the darkness.

"This time it's different."

Chen Feng didn't speak.

Lin Xi looked at him and suddenly asked, "Brother Feng, how many times have you gone into the mountains?"

Chen Feng thought for a moment.

"The actual mountain climbing trip should be three times."

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment.

"Three times?"

Chen Feng nodded.

Lin Xi looked at him with a complex expression in her eyes.

"So you dare go into the mountains to look for someone? And you even know there are bears?"

Chen Feng remained silent for a while.

"Whether you dare or not, you still have to come, right?"

Lin Xi didn't speak, she just looked at him.

Chen Feng added a piece of firewood to the fire.

"In my past life... never mind, let's not talk about that."

He paused.

Lin Xi didn't ask any further questions. Although the wording was a bit strange, he was someone who had been to the south, so his words should be somewhat different.

After a while, Lin Xi moved closer to the fire.

"Brother-in-law, which way should we go when we go into the mountains tomorrow?"

Chen Feng took the picture out of his pocket and unfolded it by the firelight.

Although the drawing is rough, it has everything you need.

The mountains, ravines, forests, and several streams were all clearly marked.

Most importantly, a circle was drawn in red on the picture.

That was the bear den that Lin Qingfeng had seen when he was young.

Lin Xi leaned closer and stared at the picture for a couple of seconds.

"Where do we start?"

Chen Feng didn't rush to answer; his eyes were fixed on the picture, but his mind was elsewhere.

In his previous life, he overheard people chatting and saying that the mountain-climbing team encountered the bear halfway up the mountain.

The ditch that Wang Laoliu ran out of is on the east side.

Yang Chengwu ran north, towards the bear's den.

But that happened after the bear encounter.

Which route did they take before encountering the bear?

Chen Feng tried hard to recall the few words he had heard in his previous life.

Those people said that the teams heading up the mountain came from the north slope because it was shady there, the snow melted slowly, and the ginseng seeds were easier to see.

North slope.

Chen Feng's finger landed on the map, tracing upwards from the foot of the mountain, across a ridge, around a ditch, and finally stopping in front of an old forest.

"This road."

Lin Xi leaned closer to take a look, and her brows furrowed.

"North slope? Brother-in-law, are you sure?"

Chen Feng nodded.

"Sure."

Lin Xi looked up at him, her eyes filled with doubt.

"I've been to the north slope with my dad before. That path is difficult to walk, with many ditches and bumps, and it's close to bear dens. Usually, people who go hiking take the south slope, which is farther but safer."

He paused.

Why did you decide to take the north slope?

Chen Feng remained silent for a while.

He had already thought of this problem.

Lin Xi is an old hand at mountaineering and knows Wufeng Mountain very well. He might not be able to fool anyone with just a random excuse.

He needs to come up with an explanation.

Chen Feng pointed to the old forest on the map.

"I came up here to dig bamboo shoots during the Chinese New Year, and this is the path I took."

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment.

He knew about those bamboo shoots, and he was extremely envious of them back then.

"You've been here?" Lin Xi wanted to confirm again.

Chen Feng nodded.

"That day I went up from here, went around that ditch, and found bamboo shoots in this old forest."

He paused, then said, "Do you remember that stranger from last time?"

Lin Xi's expression changed.

This just happened not long ago. How could he forget those shoes and those pools of blood?

Seeing that the time was right, Chen Feng added more.

"So I know that I can't go through that ditch. But I've walked this path on the north slope before, and I can get up there."

Lin Xi stared at the picture for a while, then looked up at Chen Feng.

Are you sure that road is safe?

Chen Feng thought for a moment.

"I can't say it's safe. But I know that road leads to that old forest, and if those mountain herders are going to dig for ginseng, they'll definitely go that way."

Lin Xi thought about it for a moment, following his train of thought, and nodded.

That makes sense.

He looked at the map again and suddenly asked, "Then how do you know they didn't take the south slope?"

Chen Feng was prepared.

"Old Yang said that Cheng Wu heard from the townspeople that there's ginseng in the old forest to the north. Those mountain hunters from town, if they're looking for ginseng, must have heard about it too. The north slope is shady, the snow melts slowly, and ginseng seeds are easy to find. Where else would they go if not the north slope?"

Lin Xi listened, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"That's true."

He took the map, examined the route carefully, and then gestured the distance with his finger.

"Go up from here, go around that ditch, cross this mixed thicket, and you'll reach the old forest. If you walk fast, it'll take most of the day to get there."

Chen Feng nodded.

"We'll take this road first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Xi returned the drawing to him and suddenly smiled.

"Brother-in-law, you're amazing. You've only been in the mountains a few times, but you're already more knowledgeable than I have been doing this for over ten years."