1983, Northeast China

Chapter 59 Temporary Gun Issuance

Ya Ya spread out the "Picture Literacy" book on the kang table and pressed her finger on the word on the first page.

"Home."

She read it softly, as if afraid of making a mistake, and looked up at Chen Shi after she finished.

Chen Shi was squatting in front of the stove adding firewood when he heard the sound. He turned around and smiled, "Yes, home."

Ya Ya immediately pushed the book towards Chen Xiulan, "Mom, this is home. There's still smoke coming from upstairs."

Chen Xiulan leaned against the pile of quilts, her face pale, but a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes. Xiaoman slept in her stroller, her mouth moving slightly, as if she were nursing in her dream.

Aunt Wang lifted the firewood curtain, glanced at it, and then put it back down.

"We're running low on firewood. After all that fuss yesterday, we've been burning firewood all the time. If this keeps up, we won't last more than a few days."

Chen Shi patted the dust off his hands.

"I'll go to the lumberyard later and bring back some dry branches."

Aunt Wang turned to look at him. "Now? You go by yourself?"

"How could I? I have to bring my brother along." Chen Shi took out the paper from his pocket, glanced at it, folded it up, and put it back. "Let's take the right path, not the wrong one."

Li Cheng was squatting at the door stroking Huang Er's fur when he heard this. "Calling me 'brother' always brings trouble, but this time I'll go with you. I want to see if that piece of paper will work."

No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.

The curtain was suddenly pulled open, and Zhao Defa stood in the doorway, his anxiety evident on his face. "Shizi, don't go to collect firewood yet."

This was clearly a serious matter. Chen Shi quickly stood up and asked, "What happened?"

Zhao Defa glanced into the house, then lowered his voice, afraid of disturbing the children, and said urgently, "You keep going into the mountains, it's impossible for the young men in the village not to be envious. Zhao Xiaohai went into the mountains yesterday at noon, saying he was going to try his luck, but he hasn't come back yet."

Aunt Wang's expression changed immediately. "Hasn't come back all night?"

"Hmm." Zhao Defa rubbed his face. "His mother cried all morning. The whole family is so carefree. They thought he went to his girlfriend's house after he came back. They went to ask this morning, but he didn't go at all."

Li Cheng stood up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's find them!"

Zhao Defa looked at Chen Shi.

"We've already called a few people, but none of them dare to go to the outer edge of Laonangou. It snowed lightly last night, making the roads difficult to navigate. Xiao Hai is a brave kid; if he goes into the wrong ditch and freezes all night, he'll be in serious trouble."

The room quieted down. Ya Ya, clutching her book, looked anxiously at the adults.

Chen Xiulan straightened up a bit, "Shizi..."

"I'll go," Chen Shi said.

Aunt Wang immediately interjected, "You can go, but the wolves have left, and the old noise hasn't been completely cleared out. You need to take care of yourself first."

Zhao Defa seemed to have been waiting for these words, patting his chest and saying, "I'll register you in the village."

After saying that, he turned back and shouted towards the courtyard, "Bring it in."

A young man who looked like a militiaman carried an old rifle into the house. The rifle was wrapped in old cloth and a small bag of bullets was hanging on the back.

Li Cheng's eyes widened immediately.

Zhao Defa solemnly placed the gun on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), but his hand remained firmly on it. Looking at Chen Shi, he said, word by word, "This is a militia gun from the brigade. It's not for you; it's for you to take temporarily to rescue people. I've written a note, noted the gun's serial number, and given three bullets. Return with every single one. You also need to clarify whether you fired or not."

Chen Shi didn't reach out; he looked at the note first.

The inscription read: "Zhao Xiaohai went into the mountains and has not returned. Chen Shi is assisting in the search and has been temporarily given a gun for self-defense." Below are Zhao Defa's signature and the brigade's insignia.

"Uncle Zhao..."

"I know, I know," Zhao Defa saw Chen Shi's concerns. "I've already sent someone to deliver a message to the forest rangers. If they run into the rangers, show them this note and the letter of introduction together."

Chen Shi then took the gun.

The gun was heavy, and the cold metallic smell seeped into his hands. He checked the chamber and counted the three bullets.

It's not a hunting gun.

This is a matter of life and death in our hands.

He slung the gun over his shoulder, walked up to Ya Ya, and said, "When I get back, I'll teach you to read."

Ya Ya snapped the book shut, stood up, tilted her little face up, and looked at Chen Shi with bright, sparkling eyes. "Uncle, come back soon."

"Um."

When I went out, Huang Er had already run to the gate of the yard.

Chen Shi thought about it for a moment. Dogs have a keen sense of smell and can detect wild animals before entering the mountains, making them much more reliable than humans.

"Go." He uttered only one word.

Yellow Ears jumped up in a flash, its tail wagging like a little whirlwind, circling his legs twice before rushing out the door. After running a few steps, it stopped, looked back at him, and let out a low, excited whimper.

Chen Shi, Li Cheng, and the two young men Zhao Defa had called over walked together out of the village. Just as they reached the timber road crossing, they encountered a man wearing a forestry worker's cotton-padded coat riding a horse.

The man reined in his horse at a distance and first looked at the gun on Chen Shi's shoulder.

"So many people, and they're carrying guns? Where are they from?"

Chen Shi took out the letter of introduction and the temporary gun requisition slip.

"Zhao Xiaohai from Kaoshantun went into the mountains and hasn't returned. The brigade asked us to assist in the search. The gun is just for self-defense, with three bullets. We'll hand it over when we get back."

The man took it and looked at the red seal, then at Chen Shi.

"You are Chen Shi?"

"Yes."

The man returned the paper but didn't immediately move aside. He glanced at the group of young people before his gaze finally settled on Chen Shi's face.

"Just the four of you?"

"We've called everyone in the village who can go into the mountains, but there are still a few who don't dare to go towards Laonangou."

The forestry worker glanced in the direction of the forestry station. He had other things to do, and there were only two people on duty at the post, one old and one new, and neither of them could be freed up.

"The area east of the outer perimeter of Laonangou was cleared of old explosives last month, which blasted down several pine trees and left many craters on the ground. When you reach that area, go around to the west slope, don't go straight."

After saying that, the man turned his horse aside to make way, saying, "If you find someone, shout it from the forest ridge."

After Li Cheng and the others had walked a distance, he whispered, "This paper is really useful."

Chen Shi didn't reply, he just straightened the gun.

Once inside the timber shed, the wind subsided, but the snow became even thicker. Last night's light snow had covered the old tracks in a thin layer; it felt soft underfoot at first, before hardening beneath.

Huang Er smelled the old cotton gloves that Zhao Xiaohai had brought from his home and sniffed along the roadside.

The footprints were messy at first, but they became less frequent at the fork in the road leading to the outer edge of Laonangou.

"Here." Chen Shi squatted down.

There was a trail of footprints in the snow, with the left foot's outer edge being the deepest.

Zhao Xiaohai's mother once said that the child's shoe sole had come unglued, causing him to walk with a limp.

Yellow ear fungus also stopped here.

They followed the footprints, but after a short distance, the footprints stopped.

Last night, the light snow piled up thickly on the leeward slope, completely covering people's footprints.

Yellow Ear wrapped its head around twice, its nose pressed against the snow, and it made a low, urgent sound in its throat.

Li Cheng looked at the several forked ditches ahead, his face turning pale.

"How do we find it? Should we go back and call a few more people?"

"Having more people won't help; they'll just scatter the footprints and make it even harder to find."

Chen Shi squatted down, brushed away the surface of fresh snow with his hands, and felt the hard shell underneath.

There was a shallow, slanted crack on the snow crust, and he looked up at the tree branch next to him.

A small branch broke off; the inside of the break was still wet and white, but there was no hard frost on the outside.

"He didn't go down the ditch; he went up the slope to avoid it."

"What are you hiding from?" Li Cheng asked.

"have no idea."

Huang Er, having just caught a whiff of the aroma, suddenly darted up the slope.

Chen Shi followed, stepping across a patch of hard ground covered in snow, and found half a shoe print next to a tree root.

The outside of the left foot was pressed in deeper.

Zhao Xiaohai ran here.

The further in you go, the harder the path becomes. On both sides are oak and larch trees laden with snow, their branches hanging low, and if you're not careful, you'll get covered in snow.

Huang Er suddenly let out a low cry.