TIPS – Chapter 94

“Eat up, eat until you’re full.” A-Hu was delighted to see his appetite so good. Grinning from ear to ear, he said, “In two more nights, I’ll marry you.” He sat not far from the bed, chuckling to himself while lost in thought. Then he added, “I’ll go fetch some river water later, so you can give me a baby. Then I’ll finally have a child.”

Listening to the coarse man’s wild dreams and fantasies, Song Jingwei felt a wave of nausea, but he couldn’t throw up—he had to keep eating. If this crude man became too unbearable, he would force himself to think of something else instead. Like his baby at home, clean and fresh, with the sweet scent of milk. And the baby’s father, Shen Junxi— even when they were close together, there was never any foul smell, only the faint scent of soapberry flowers.

He couldn’t help but think again: Shen Junxi was a thousand times better than this uncouth savage. He suddenly felt truly grateful that he had met Shen Junxi back then, and not a real filthy beggar. If the first person he’d met had been someone like A-Hu, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to endure it.

Thinking of Shen Junxi made Song Jingwei a little worried about the young man’s situation. The two of them had fallen down the mountain together. A-Hu had found him, but hadn’t seen the young man. There were only two possibilities: either they had been separated during the fall, or when he passed out, the young man had already gone far away. Either way, he hoped Shen Junxi was safe.

What he didn’t know was that Shen Junxi had spent the night on the mountain. At dawn the next morning, he encountered A-Hu. Seeing that the man was big and burly, and unable to judge his intentions, Shen Junxi dared not approach to ask questions. He simply followed the wild, hunter-like man from a distance and saw that, indeed, he had gone to check his traps.

Apparently, the hunter wasn’t having a lucky day. There was nothing in the traps.

From afar, Shen Junxi watched as the hunter threw a tantrum by the traps. But then, strangely, the man suddenly burst into a bizarre, eerie laughter. With his bearded face, he looked downright creepy.

Inside the small wooden cabin, they had just finished breakfast. A-Hu cast several greedy glances at Song Jingwei, seemingly reluctant to leave, and clearly fighting the urge to do something.

It was this very look that kept Song Jingwei on guard every second. As long as this wild man made even the slightest move, he was ready to respond. Of course, he couldn’t overpower A-Hu in a fight. Everything had to be taken one step at a time—he really had no better plan.

“Hmph! What are you worried about? I said we’ll get married in two days, so I won’t touch you until then. I won’t lie to you.” A-Hu didn’t like the way Song Jingwei looked at him like he was guarding against a thief. Grumbling, he picked up his bow and hunting knife and muttered, “Didn’t catch anything yesterday either. What a lousy day!” Then he turned to say, “I’m going hunting. You stay here quietly and don’t even think about running. The mountains are full of traps. If you die, don’t blame me.” He walked a few steps, then turned back and added menacingly, “Let me tell you, the last man who tried to escape either got eaten by wild beasts or fell into a trap and died. Don’t make me drag you out of a pit…” He said this with a disgusted look, as if he’d actually done such a thing before.

Song Jingwei listened expressionlessly, showing no reaction.

Perhaps his calm demeanor made A-Hu feel it was no fun anymore, so the man pouted and left. As usual, he locked the door with an iron chain. A-Hu believed this was very secure—after all, the man inside looked thin and weak, clearly lacking strength. Besides, he had just said so many terrifying things. Surely… he wouldn’t try to run, right?

Shen Junxi, who had been following this whole time, saw the hunter leave with all his gear, looking quite fierce. He had originally planned to ask for something to eat or drink, but the hunter quickly disappeared into the forest.

Exhausted, hungry, and parched, Shen Junxi looked toward the small cabin with the thought of going inside. It was the hunter’s home, so there should be food and drink. If he took something, he could always leave some silver in return. Under such special circumstances, it wasn’t exactly stealing, right?

Thinking this, Shen Junxi slowly approached. After enduring a full night and day, his body and mind were worn out to the extreme.

If he didn’t still hold onto hope of finding Song Jingwei, he probably wouldn’t have been able to move at all.

Looking at the cabin just steps away, he couldn’t help but fantasize—what if, when he opened the door, his wife was waiting inside for him? Such a beautiful thought was a precious comfort to someone on the brink of despair.

“….” Shen Junxi’s dry, cracked lips parted. His vision was already blurry. He quickened his steps and reached the door, only to find it secured with an iron chain. A cruel reality.

Of course, he could break in, take what he needed, and leave money behind—but forcing the door was another matter entirely.

Caught in this dilemma, he sat down wearily at the door. At this moment, his mind was filled with encouraging words for himself. What kept him going was his determination to find his wife. He must find his wife!

Inside, Song Jingwei heard the commotion outside. At first, he thought A-Hu had come back, maybe forgetting something. But after waiting a long while and seeing the door remain closed, he began to suspect it wasn’t A-Hu. Then who could it be? A wild animal in the mountains?

His heart skipped a beat, and he slowly stood up, quietly walking to the door. Outside, there was still no sound. It probably wasn’t a wild beast—if it were, it would’ve made a move already.

“Who’s out there?” A-Hu had said there was no one else in the mountains. If someone really was here at this time, then it could only be…

Resting outside, Shen Junxi thought he must’ve been dreaming when he heard his wife’s voice. He suddenly sat up straight, but all he saw around him was still the same desolate mountain hollow, with no sign of people.

“Shen Junxi?” Song Jingwei called out softly, without much hope.

“…” This time, it was real! Shen Junxi turned toward the wooden door of the cabin, his face full of emotion. He leaned against the door and gently tapped on it.

“Is that you, Shen Junxi?” Song Jingwei’s heart skipped a beat as well. If it really was Shen Junxi outside, then everything would be okay.

“Mhm! Mhm!” Hearing that familiar voice again, Shen Junxi nearly burst into tears. He knocked on the door again, the taut string in his heart finally loosening—he had found his wife.

“Good.” Song Jingwei was emotional too, but he quickly calmed down and spoke to the young man outside. “Quick, keep an eye on your surroundings. If you see a man with a beard, hide immediately.”

Hearing that, Shen Junxi shook his head vigorously. That man had gone into the mountains and wouldn’t return for a while. He still had time to rescue his wife. So that bearded man really wasn’t a good person. Thank goodness he hadn’t approached rashly earlier.

Song Jingwei waited for a moment, then continued, “If he’s not here, it means he went out hunting. He probably won’t return anytime soon, so think of a way to open the door. We’ll leave together.”

“Mhm!” Shen Junxi nodded, took off his backpack, and quickly began searching around for something useful. After a while, he picked up a large rock with both hands…

He first gave the door a few light knocks to signal Song Jingwei to back away. Once he heard Song Jingwei retreat inside, he began slamming the door with force. He kept hammering away, over and over, until a hole finally appeared in the thick wooden door. Once a hole had opened, it got easier—he would break the whole door down in no time.

Finally, he saw the person inside. Shen Junxi’s face was haggard, but he smiled with teary eyes.

Song Jingwei looked at him too. It had only been one night, but the young man already looked worn down. He had dark circles under his eyes and stubble all over his chin—he looked utterly exhausted and pitiful.

“Come in quickly,” he said to the young man.

“…” Shen Junxi opened his dry, cracked lips and stepped inside. He didn’t do anything at first—he just wanted to hug his wife.

Song Jingwei hugged him back—it felt like hugging a large dog, kind of pitiful. Maybe the situation had been so dire it had scared the young man badly. And sure enough, the young man gestured with his hands: “I looked for you for a long time. Once I woke up, I couldn’t find you. I thought…” I thought I’d never find you again, and I was so scared I didn’t know what to do.

“I hit my head back then and passed out. When I woke up, I was already here. I didn’t know…” Feeling the young man trembling as he hugged him, Song Jingwei could clearly feel the emotional breakdown in the other’s heart. There was no denying how much the youth cared for him.

“Mmm…” Shen Junxi buried his face deep in his wife’s neck, breathing in his scent. Only then did he finally feel safe again.

“Alright,” Song Jingwei patted his back. “First, get something to eat and fill your stomach. We still need to escape later.”

Upon hearing that, Shen Junxi nodded quickly. He got up and let Song Jingwei sit on the bed, then began searching the cabin for food.

“There’s a firestarter over there—light the charcoal and heat it up before eating.” Though time was tight, seeing how worn-out the young man looked, Song Jingwei couldn’t bear to let him go without even a sip of hot water.

Thankfully, the charcoal still held some warmth and was easy to rekindle. The pot had already been cleaned, so they added in some dried meat and made a pot of dried meat soup.

Since the portion was small, it cooked quickly. Shen Junxi didn’t care about the flavor—he ate while cooking, just stuffing his stomach as fast as he could.

Seeing how he was wolfing everything down, Song Jingwei knew the guy had to be starving. It made sense—since they’d entered the mountains yesterday morning, they’d gone nearly three or four meals without food. And food aside, he probably hadn’t even had water. Otherwise, his lips wouldn’t be so cracked.

“There should be a spring in the mountain. Why didn’t you look for water to drink?” If he really tried, he could’ve found something to eat too.

“…” Shen Junxi looked up from the pot, gesturing seriously, “I lost you. I had no mind for water, no mind for food. I only wanted to find you.” That was truly what he’d felt—there was only one thought in his heart: to find Song Jingwei.

It wasn’t that he didn’t feel tired or hungry. He just couldn’t care about those things. Compared to finding his wife, everything else felt trivial.

“Are you an idiot? If you died of hunger or thirst, how would you find me?” Song Jingwei frowned with disapproval. Such a simple question—didn’t the youth understand? He felt incredibly fortunate. With so many traps and wild animals on this mountain, it was already a huge stroke of luck that the youth had survived the night. He put on a stern face and said, “In a mountain like this, the first priority is to keep yourself safe. Eating and drinking water are musts. At the same time, you need to be careful of wild animals and traps.”

“Mm…” Shen Junxi looked at him and nodded silently, chewing the slightly tough dried meat, his heart filled with warmth.

“Hurry up and eat. We’ll be leaving soon,” Song Jingwei said as he glanced outside, still worried that A-Hu might return at any moment.

When they set off, they brought along a bag of dried meat, a knife, a fire starter, and some charcoal. For this, Shen Junxi even gestured, “Should we leave some silver for him?”

“No,” Song Jingwei snorted. The young man didn’t know how terrible A-Hu was, but Song Jingwei did. If Shen Junxi hadn’t found him, who knew how he would have escaped after two more days. If he couldn’t get away, wouldn’t he have to face A-Hu forcing himself on him? So as far as Song Jingwei was concerned, he had no goodwill toward A-Hu—just not getting revenge was already lenient.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi naturally listened to his wife. No matter what she said, he would do it.

When he had lost her earlier, it felt like the sky had collapsed. He was completely at a loss. But now that he held her hand again, he instantly felt grounded, as if nothing could scare him anymore.

It was mid-morning then, the sunlight still fairly bright, though the weather remained cold. Fortunately, when they had rolled down the mountain, they had been dressed warmly—their cloaks and bundles were all still with them. Huddled together, the two walked through the mountain without knowing their direction, relying solely on instinct, unsure whether they were heading the right way.

“If that A-Ji wasn’t lying, we should be able to find tea farmers if we head toward flatter terrain.” Based on what they had heard along the way and A-Ji’s words, Song Jingwei led Shen Junxi in the direction of level ground.

Luckily, they eventually found a small mountain path.

“Let’s follow the path,” Song Jingwei said, and the two broke into relieved smiles, feeling a lightness as if a weight had been lifted.

With the guidance of the path, no matter how far they still had to go, they were no longer afraid. What’s more, having someone by your side—someone who would never leave you, who supported you no matter what—gave one true inner strength.

Still fearing that A-Hu might be chasing from behind, they didn’t dare linger for long.

However, walking mountain paths at night was dangerous, with the risk of encountering wild beasts. So when dusk fell, Song Jingwei decided not to go any farther and said, “I remember there’s a cave back there. Let’s go back and stay the night.”

It wasn’t far—after walking a few minutes, they returned to the small, narrow cave Song Jingwei had mentioned.

“Move that stone over,” he instructed. Looking around, the two of them pushed a round boulder to the cave entrance, leaving just enough space for one person to squeeze through.

They gathered firewood nearby and lit a fire in the cave. Using a knife, they whittled sharp wooden stakes and planted them at the entrance to guard against wild animals.

Once the fire was lit, the cave warmed up. They took out dried meat to chew on slowly, replenishing their strength. Listening to the howling wind outside, they leaned on each other for warmth. Especially in such an environment and situation, emotions between people became more tender and sensitive.

At a time like this, Song Jingwei no longer felt like pushing the young man away. Instead, he moved closer, even checking if Shen Junxi was cold.

“… ” Shen Junxi adjusted his wife’s cloak a bit more tightly, smiling faintly at the fire. After experiencing such despair and collapse, this moment felt especially precious and cherished. He thought to himself, Let’s never be apart again. Once was painful enough—he never wanted to go through it again.

“Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up in the second half of the night,” Song Jingwei said. In a place like this, they couldn’t both sleep at the same time. If a wild beast came, it would be dangerous.

“… ” Shen Junxi thought for a moment and shook his head, gesturing, “You sleep first. I’ll keep watch.” He wasn’t going to let his wife stay up. He figured it wasn’t a big deal to lose one night of sleep—at worst, he’d just be tired tomorrow.

“When I say sleep, you sleep,” Song Jingwei said firmly, pressing the young man’s head against himself to make him lie down.

Though his tone was harsh and his actions not gentle, the intent was kind. Shen Junxi understood that, and it moved him deeply. He nestled against his wife, not even daring to breathe too loudly, afraid that after this moment, Song Jingwei might go cold on him again. If that happened, he wouldn’t know how to handle it. After having tasted someone’s care, losing it again would be unbearable.

“Sleep early and get as much rest as you can. We’ve got to rise early and keep going tomorrow…” Song Jingwei murmured as he stared into the fire. He could clearly sense the young man’s nervousness, his emotion, and the feelings brewing inside. Shen Junxi was someone who wore his heart on his sleeve—it was all too easy to read.

To be honest, he really enjoyed being around someone like this. It didn’t feel bad at all.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi leaned against him, responding sweetly. He was sure he would have a good dream tonight.

In truth, Song Jingwei had thought similarly. He knew Shen Junxi hadn’t properly rested in his desperate search, so he wanted to let him sleep longer. But the young man’s internal clock was accurate. Around the second half of the night, he woke up on his own.