Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

By the time I left the city hospital, it was already bright daylight.

The chill of spring hadn't completely dissipated, and the wind blew in from the street corner, carrying a damp, muddy smell.

Zhao Shanhe stood at the hospital entrance and glanced back at the direction of the second-floor wards.

Old Xu has stabilized for the time being, and Liang Tiejun has also taken over the Hongxing Factory.

He did not stay at the hospital for long.

The factory's Liberation trucks were still parked outside the yard, their cargo beds still covered in mud and water from the previous night.

Zhao Shanhe got on the bus, leaned against the carriage and closed his eyes. By the time the bus had bumped its way back to the vicinity of Kaoshantun, the sun had already risen high in the sky.

The road at the village entrance was muddy, and there were still a few patches of snow that hadn't completely melted by the ditch, huddled in the shade, looking gray and dusty.

After getting off the bus, Zhao Shanhe didn't go home first, but went to Old Sun's house first.

This time, he didn't come empty-handed.

He carried two bottles of wine, a piece of pork, and a bag of pastries.

The items weren't particularly valuable, but they were all practical things.

After getting off the bus, Zhao Shanhe didn't go home first, but went to Old Sun's place first.

He didn't come empty-handed.

Two bottles of wine, a piece of pork, and a bag of pastries.

The items weren't particularly valuable, but they were all practical things.

Come to think of it, it's been a while since he's properly visited Old Sun.

Although Erga and his men would send over rice, noodles, meat, and wine every now and then, and if they got some good hides, they would also send over a usable one for the old man, it had been a long time since he had actually sat down to have a drink and a few words with Old Sun.

There have been one problem after another lately.

First it was collecting leather, then the Red Star Factory, then foreign trade, machinery, and then Lao Xu's injury.

Zhao Shanhe was so busy he barely had time to breathe. In the end, he even neglected to personally visit old relationships with them.

Old Sun's feelings for him were not those of an ordinary person.

The Azure Dragon was given to me by Old Sun. The connection with Ivanov was also made by Old Sun.

Last night's box of life-saving medicine, in the final analysis, was also retrieved from this supply chain.

Now that the medicine has been obtained, Old Xu has been pulled back from the brink of death.

No matter which mountain he needs to go to or what he needs to do next, he should first come and see this old man.

Old Sun's dugout is still in the same old place.

When spring arrives, the frozen soil on the ground begins to loosen, and the slope in front of the door is covered in mud and water as people walk on it.

Thin wisps of smoke rose from the chimney, and several animal hides that were not completely dry hung by the door, carrying a damp smell when the wind blew.

Zhao Shanhe walked to the door, first rubbed the mud off his shoes on the stone, then patted his trouser legs before reaching out to lift the curtain.

The familiar smells of leather, smoke, and damp earth immediately wafted out of the room.

Old Sun sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding an old cloth in his hand, slowly wiping the barrel of a gun.

Hearing the noise, he didn't even raise his head, only snorted through his nose:

"Oh, now that you're busy being a big shot, you still remember this old man?"

Zhao Shanhe stood at the door and smiled:

"Uncle Sun, it's been a long time since I've visited you."

"Come on."

Old Sun raised his eyelids and glanced at the wine, meat, and snacks he was carrying:

"Put the things down."

Zhao Shanhe placed the things on the kang table. Only then did Old Sun look at him seriously, from his face to his shoulders, then to his cuffs and trouser legs, finally settling on his eyes, which were still bloodshot.

Old Sun stopped cleaning his gun:

"Did he kill someone yesterday?"

Zhao Shanhe paused slightly as he put the things down, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

After a couple of breaths, Zhao Shanhe looked up at Old Sun, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth:

"Uncle Sun, your nose is still so sensitive; nothing can be hidden from you."

Old Sun scoffed, his tone tinged with disdain:

"Your nose is nothing. The smell on you is so strong it's pungent, you could smell it even through the curtain. It's a mix of blood, gunpowder, burnt wood, and that muddy smell of the old forest. It's impossible not to smell it."

As he spoke, Old Sun used his gleaming pipe to tap on Zhao Shanhe's wrinkled cuffs, which were soaked in snow water:

"And then there are your eyes. Last night you not only saw blood, you saw lives, and a large number of lives. The ruthlessness from just killing hasn't completely dissipated in your pupils yet."

Zhao Shanhe paused for a moment, then stopped trying to hide it and nodded in acknowledgment.

Old Sun placed his pipe on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), squinted, and his gaze became deep:

"Is it about Ivanov's side?"

"Um."

Zhao Shanhe had no intention of hiding anything from this shrewd old man, and lowered his voice:

"I have a brother by my side, named Lao Xu."

"My arm is badly injured. The hospital needs to use some imported medications, otherwise I'll have to have it amputated."

"The usual methods won't work in time, so we have to find Ivan."

When Old Sun heard the word "amputation," his eyelids twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Zhao Shanhe continued:

"Ivanov knew that someone might have the medicine."

"That man's name is Belikov."

"I have an old grudge against Ivan."

"We went to see him, but the talks broke down."

He paused here, his voice even lower:

"That group didn't just want to kill Ivanov."

"They know about Kaoshantun, and they also know that Ivanov is involved with me."

"Keeping it will only cause future trouble."

The room fell silent.

The firewood in the brazier popped softly.

Old Sun squinted and stared at Zhao Shanhe for a long time.

After a long while, he picked up the old cloth again and slowly wiped the gun barrel.

"Did you get the medicine?"

"Got it."

"The person was saved?"

Zhao Shanhe nodded:

"My life has been saved, and my arm has been saved for the time being."

Old Sun then gave a soft "hmm".

"Then it won't be a wasted trip."

He glanced at Zhao Shanhe again, his voice indifferent:

"As long as you don't regret it."

Zhao Shanhe looked at the brazier:

No regrets.

"That's fine then."

Old Sun leaned the gun back against the corner of the wall, turned his head, and suddenly changed the subject:

"You haven't been here for so long, how's that black dog doing? And the one I gave you, does it still bite?"

Zhao Shanhe was taken aback, and the cold, murderous aura on his face finally softened a little:

"Yes. It's just that I've gained some weight recently."

Old Sun's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his voice rose several decibels:

"You've gotten fat? Did the dog turn you into a pig?"

Zhao Shanhe coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed:

"Niu Niu adores it, and Lin Xiu often feeds it too. She pours meat bones and leftovers into its bowl all the time."

Old Sun's face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and he slammed his pipe heavily onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Useless! That's a wolfhound breed, not a Pekingese to guard the yard and play with the kids! Dogs are like people; once they're well-fed and warmly rested, their teeth become dull and their minds become scattered. If you really ruin it, it'll be the first thing to hold you back when you go back into the mountains."

Zhao Shanhe keenly sensed the hidden meaning in his words and looked up at the old man:

"Did you know I was going into the mountains?"

Old Sun picked up his pipe again, slowly stuffed a pinch of tobacco into it, lit a match, and took two puffs. The bluish-purple smoke slowly dissipated from the wrinkles on his face.

"You just got out of the hospital, and instead of going home or back to the factory, you came straight here with wine, meat, and snacks, acting all humble and seeking advice. If you don't have anything important to ask, do you really miss this old man who's almost in his grave?"

Zhao Shanhe didn't respond to the teasing.

He stared at the plume of smoke, his voice deep and somewhat suppressed, as he unleashed the deepest, most hidden shock within him:

"Uncle Sun, tell me the truth, are there still Siberian tigers in this old forest?"