PCJ – Chapter 145 Night Raid

“What’s going on tonight? So many wolves! There must be at least a hundred of them again,” said Liu Qiaoye.

“Yeah, where did so many wolves come from in Meishan? They haven’t shown up in decades,” Zhang Youping also found it very strange.

Unable to sleep, Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye talked to each other in bed.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua was already fast asleep, snoring away. Zuan Shanbao lay under the bed, occasionally opening its eyes.

On a nearby mountain, in a forest of scattered rocks, almost every stone had a big grey wolf standing on it. They stood silently on the snow-covered stones, waiting for the lead wolf standing at the highest point to give a command. The big grey wolves had become emaciated, their fur somewhat disheveled, losing the luster it once had.

Only the lead wolf retained its majesty, appearing even more resolute in this time of crisis for their species.

They stood there, waiting for the right moment. To the wolf pack, the village was dangerous. They wouldn’t venture into human territory unless absolutely necessary.

The wind howled, causing the fur of the lead wolf standing at the highest point to flutter continuously.

Suddenly, the lead wolf descended from the highest point and began to run forward. All the big grey wolves followed, running after the lead wolf.

Then they split into groups, heading towards various villages.

In Meizi’ou Village, almost every household had an electric light on outside their doors. Due to the fear of wolf attacks, someone at the village committee meeting suggested lighting a lamp in the yard, thinking it might deter the wolves. As a result, every household had an electric light on at their front door these past few days. If not for the wolf threat, the frugal people of Meizi’ou would never waste electricity on a light outside their doors.

“The wolves are here!”

A desperate shout shattered the calm of the night. Windows in every house gradually lit up. The villagers had been very alert recently, waking at the slightest disturbance.

“The wolves are here! The wolves are here!” Another terrified shout echoed.

The wolves had indeed come; dozens of them charged into the village entrance of Meizi Village.

Zhang Youping, who had been sleeping with his clothes on, immediately jumped out of bed at the sound.

“What’s happening?” Liu Qiaoye also opened her eyes.

“It seems the big grey wolves have entered the village. You go wake up Jiaohua and take him to the attic. It’s safe up there,” Zhang Youping said, grabbing an iron rod and running towards the attic. At this moment, he wouldn’t risk opening the main door. Who knew if there were wolves around their house?

Climbing up to the attic, Zhang Youping poked his head out to look at the village. All he could see was either a vast expanse of white or a mass of darkness, unable to discern the situation outside.

Zhang Jiaohua was groggily awakened by his mother, struggling to open his eyes and look at her in confusion. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Get up, quickly. There are a lot of wolves in the village,” Liu Qiaoye said nervously.

“Mom, don’t worry. Our house is protected by the house deity. The wolves won’t dare come here. We also have protection talismans. The wolves won’t come close,” Zhang Jiaohua reassured her without a hint of concern.

“Stop talking about that. Just get up. Your dad wants us to go to the attic,” Liu Qiaoye said, dressing her son.

Zhang Jiaohua’s quilt was thin, but his bed was warm. Getting up in the middle of the night, he put on a thin coat and followed Liu Qiaoye to the attic without shivering.

“Dad, did you see the wolves?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“No, but someone just shouted that the wolves are here, so they must have entered the village,” Zhang Youping replied.

“Dad, don’t worry. The wolves won’t come near us,” Zhang Jiaohua said, looking outside but unable to see any wolves.

Zuan Shanbao also climbed up the stairs, trying to snuggle into Zhang Jiaohua’s arms.

“Why did you come up? You never brush your teeth or wash your face. Don’t rub against me; you’ll give me lice!” Zhang Jiaohua pushed Zuan Shanbao away slightly, but it immediately jumped back.

Zhang Manyin also turned on all the lights in his house, draping a cotton coat over his shoulders. The cold air quickly seeped into his neck, making him shiver.

“Old man, don’t you dare go outside. Your old bones can’t even feed one wolf,” Ma Donghua said, trembling as she dressed and got out of bed.

“I’m not going out. Back in the day, our militia had dozens of guns and fought off the wolf packs. I killed dozens of wolves in one night,” Zhang Manyin reminisced.

“That’s not right. When we got married, you said you killed a dozen wolves. How did it become dozens now? Jijang said you only killed a few. Which is true?” Ma Donghua caught a slip in her husband’s story, though she knew the truth after living together for decades. She was just teasing him.

“Shh…”

Outside, there seemed to be a sound of footsteps.

“Wolves!” Both Zhang Manyin and Ma Donghua turned pale.

They both moved to the front door, peeking outside through the cracks.

A few big grey wolves were pacing on the main road outside their yard. The wolves were taller than the biggest local dogs, though they were emaciated. Their eyes, however, were fiercer than those of the dogs.

“What should we do?” Ma Donghua whispered, her body trembling.

“Don’t panic, and don’t make a sound,” Zhang Manyin said, pressing down on his wife’s shoulder.

But one of the big grey wolves seemed to hear Ma Donghua or catch a scent. It began to walk toward Zhang Manyin’s yard.

“It’s coming! It’s coming!” Ma Donghua was truly scared. In such moments, women tended to be more frightened.

Zhang Manyin grabbed a steel fork from near the door, ready to fight the approaching wolf to the death.

The big grey wolf cautiously approached the door step by step.

Both Zhang Manyin and Ma Donghua held their breath, Ma Donghua covering her mouth tightly to stifle any sound.

Zhang Manyin gripped the steel fork, eyes fixed on the door.

The big grey wolf reached the door, ready to sniff through the crack.

A golden light suddenly shot out from the house deity talisman on the altar, directly hitting the big grey wolf.

“Yelp!”

The wolf yelped in pain and fled from Zhang Manyin’s yard. The other wolves on the road also scattered in an instant.