"How did it go?"
The moment Lian Youming returned home, Qin Yuhu was already waiting in the living room. Seeing his distracted look, Qin Yuhu could not help asking, assuming his nephew had gotten the short end of the stick.
"If it didn't work out, I'll go have a word with the higher-ups myself. Damn it, that's a Japanese underground fortress—packed to the brim with good stuff. If they're too stingy to cough up a few benefits, how can that sit right with anyone?"
Lian Youming hurriedly said, "I'm fine, Uncle. Everything went great."
The only reason his mind was wandering was that he was still thinking about Li Da's consummate technique, "bird unable to fly."
That man had hardly left him a keepsake—he had basically slipped him a stupefying drug that left him thoroughly spellbound.
Hearing his reassurance, Qin Yuhu asked no further questions. After eating breakfast and leaving a few instructions, he hurried out the door.
Between handling the aftermath of yesterday's incident and dealing with those two children, on top of the forest farm's numerous affairs, he was, as usual, up to his ears in work.
Shen Qinghong, on the other hand, rested at home for the day. She chatted at length with Yan Lingyun, the two of them teasing the swaddled baby while laughing and talking, and Shen Qinghong even whipped up a table of Northeast dishes for the young girl.
To make a long story short, it was not until midday that Lian Youming pedaled his bicycle out the door, carrying Yan Lingyun on the back.
Over the course of the morning, Yan Lingyun had already retrieved the wild ginseng. Now she held a jin of red sausage that Shen Qinghong had given her, sitting sidesaddle. Having eaten and drunk her fill, she beamed with joy, looking as though all her worries had vanished. She even hummed a little tune, swinging her feet in contentment like a wealthy landlord.
The sunlight was mild and warm, the grass grew tall, and the orioles flitted about. Accompanied by the rhythmic, spinning whirr of the bicycle axle, Lian Youming pedaled beneath the sunshine, gliding alongside green waters and winding across rural dikes and open fields.
Behind him, Yan Lingyun's cheeks flushed once more—so hot they scalded, glowing red like the evening clouds at the edge of the sky.
Unsure of what thought had crossed her mind, she suddenly gathered her courage. Pursing her lips, she wrapped her right arm around the youth's waist. Throughout this period of arduous struggle, so much of her joy and happiness had been brought to her by the boy before her. When it came to what she truly wanted, shy though she might be, she would never shrink back.
Even if this fellow was usually a bit flippant and loved to tease and joke with her, whenever major trouble arose, he would always be the first to stand in front of her. He possessed perseverance, courage, and a sense of responsibility, and he hated evil like a sworn enemy...
In the young girl's heart, this silhouette resembled the heroes written about in storybooks—he was the hero of her own dreams.
Yet just as Yan Lingyun's face burned with embarrassment, a complaint drifted from the front: "Ow, hey, don't tickle me there!"
"Pfft!"
Yan Lingyun's tender mood evaporated in an instant.
Lian Youming, however, softened his tone and said warmly, "When the time comes for you to return to the city, remember to let me know. I'll definitely come see you off."
Yan Lingyun had still been puffing with anger, but hearing those words, her eyes reddened again. "I don't need you to see me off! You're so far away. I want my brother to come pick me up. I already mailed a letter home half a month ago. Besides, with all the things I'm carrying, what if I lose them taking the train alone?"
"True enough."
Hearing that, Lian Youming said nothing more.
Who would have guessed the girl would suddenly deliver a vicious pinch to the soft flesh at his waist? "I told you not to see me off, and you're really not going to?"
"Ouch! Why are you pinching me? Hsss!"
Lian Youming grimaced in pain, sucking in cold breaths through his teeth. She had not only picked up Northeast slang—she had even mastered the tricks of the local aunties.
Before Lian Youming could say anything else, Yan Lingyun spoke again, her voice gentle: "I don't want you to see me off. I want you to come find me down south."
Lian Youming gave a mischievous chuckle. "Heh, I'm not going. Just to spite you."
Yan Lingyun, however, looked completely confident. She smiled slyly. "You'll come. With that restless nature of yours and your martial arts training, you're bound to turn the world upside down later on. Besides, don't you want that aged medicine? Different aged medicines possess different properties and produce different effects. Some treat external wounds, some knit sinews and mend bones, some heal internal injuries, and rumors say some can even prolong life. And the formula I'm concocting was handed down by a martial artist from the legendary Ten Tigers of Guangdong back in the day."
Lian Youming raised an eyebrow. So this girl had set a trap waiting for him right here.
"If I go find you, you'll actually give it to me?"
Yan Lingyun narrowed her smiling eyes with a huff. "That depends on your sincerity."
Lian Youming rolled his eyes. "Forget it, then."
"Lian Youming, you little rascal!"
The moment his words landed, a scolding came from behind, followed by a flurry of fists raining down like a shower of blows.
Laughing, talking, and bickering, the two of them soon reached Yan Lingyun's village.
As the moment of parting arrived, Lian Youming felt a touch of melancholy. After this trip, they likely would not have another chance to see each other anytime soon.
Both had to return to their respective forest farms, and before long, Yan Lingyun was bound to return to the city.
Considering the matter of the map, the girl had rendered great service by delivering the report. Setting aside whether there would be an extraordinary reward, she could almost certainly secure a spot to return to the city.
Yan Lingyun hopped off the bicycle, stole a quick glance around, and whispered, "Lian Youming, I have something to tell you. Lean in closer."
"What is it?"
Lian Youming tilted his ear toward her.
With cheeks blushing crimson, the young girl leaned in close and whispered, "*Ngo hou zung-ji lei aa!*"
The moment the words left her mouth, she spun around and bolted.
Lian Youming was left standing there with a bewildered expression. "What kind of gibberish was that? Sis, at least speak Mandarin!"
Gazing at Yan Lingyun's receding figure, he stood dazed for a moment before shaking his head with a laugh, then pedaled his bicycle back home.
***
The following afternoon, Yang Dapao gathered the educated youths who had previously worked on the forest farm, called upon Lian Youming—who had been drying herbs in Kaoshan Hamlet—and another female youth, and led the group as they shouldered their packs and marched back up the mountain.
Lian Youming took the opportunity to count the heads in the group. Aside from two female youths and one male youth who had returned to the city, almost everyone else was present. However, the female youths were missing one person.
It seemed his deduction was spot-on.
The White Lotus Sect expert previously concealed among the ranks had indeed been among the female youths, only to be killed later by Yang Shuang.
Inside the dormitory, the half year of hardship had worn the brothers Yu Wen and Yu Wu down until they were dark and gaunt. Their once-boyish looks had matured considerably, with stubble sprouting on their cheeks, but their showy, swaggering nature remained unchanged as they lounged on their wooden bunks, shooting the breeze and bragging away.
Yet the moment they laid eyes on Lian Youming's vastly transformed physique, both of their eyes widened in shock. "Holy crap, that makes no sense! How come you're built like a tank while the two of us are as skinny as monkeys? Damn it all, scooping shit up on the mountain, hauling manure down below, not a bite of solid food at any meal—that life wasn't meant for human beings!"
Wu Kui stared at Lian Youming with eyes full of resentment. "Come clean. What's the deal between you and Yan Lingyun?"
Lian Youming set down his pack, a strange expression on his face. "What deal?"
Wu Kui beat his chest and stamped his feet. "Those female youths are all saying the two of you hooked up! Do you know how many guys in our village had their hearts broken? If I weren't on the shorter side, I'd definitely be crying my eyes out too!"
Liu Dabiao came over as well, holding a pair of clappers that clattered rhythmically. "Ahem! No need for gossip, no need for chatter; let's tell the tale of our youth team's squad leader! This squad leader stands eight feet tall, a mighty hero, his eyes shining bright... Too bad his hips and head are wide as a winnowing fan, his mouth gaping wide with fangs like a bear's..."
The corners of Lian Youming's mouth twitched. Looking at these buffoons, he quickly slipped out to find Yang Dapao. "Platoon Leader, in order to carry forward the revolutionary spirit of arduous struggle, and to promote the perseverance to endure hardship..."
"All right, all right, cut the crap," Platoon Leader Yang interrupted impatiently. "Just tell me what you want."
Lian Youming's gaze darted toward the few earth houses behind the canteen. "I'd like to live by myself."
Platoon Leader Yang's expression shifted slightly, but fortunately, he did not refuse outright. After pondering carefully, he said, "Don't tell me you don't know there's a hidden chamber down below. Still, it's no big deal—from now on, we'll just treat it as the forest farm's cellar. If you live there alone, you'd better stay sharp and keep a close eye on it... That said, I'm not issuing you a gun."
Although the cause of Qin Yuhu's severed arm had been kept tightly under wraps, no wall in this world was entirely airtight.
Lian Youming gave an affirmative grunt, and only then did he move in.
He had chosen this arrangement primarily so he could practice his martial arts in peace; otherwise, being cramped together with those clowns would only lead to endless, noisy commotion day and night.
Once everything was settled, they were barely allowed half a day's rest before the entire group grew busy again the next morning. Under the guidance of the lumberjacks, they began their increasingly grueling daily labor.
Felling trees was pure physical exertion.
The female educated youths were responsible for lighting fires, cooking, tending vegetables, applying fertilizer, and feeding the mules and horses—handling virtually every chore.
As for Lian Youming and the male youths, they had only two tasks: chopping trees all across the hills, and nursing saplings to protect the forest. Chopping a tree here, planting one there, they did not even return to the mountain camp for meals; food was prepared in advance, and they left early and returned late, scrambling up and down the mountain slopes.
These two tasks alone pushed the entire crew to the brink of tears and exhaustion, leaving them half-dead. Come nightfall, their snoring shook the rafters, so thoroughly drained they didn't even have the energy to fart.
Seeing this spectacle, Lian Youming felt a lingering dread. If his qi and blood had not grown so robust recently, even he would likely have broken under the strain.
Fortunately, he stayed alone in the back. In addition to practicing his cultivation, whenever he grew hungry at night, he could grab an axe, slip into the mountains to find something to eat, and bring back some meat for the educated youths while he was at it.
Platoon Leader Yang saw all of this. Originally, he had felt some concern and intended to reprimand him, but once Lian Youming carried a wild boar back on his shoulders one night, everything changed.
In these times, factory workers in the city could rarely manage meat twice a month, and supplies were strictly rationed. Since Lian Youming took care to look out for everyone, what more was there to say?
In the blink of an eye, more than two weeks went by.
On this day, after finishing his shift, Lian Youming took a cold rinse by himself in the mountains. When he returned, he saw a letter and a wooden box resting on the table.
Upon inquiring, he learned that Qin Yuhu had paid a visit.
The letter had been left by Yan Lingyun.
She... had returned to the city.
Lian Youming remained silent for a moment. He tore open the envelope and looked inside, only to find five large characters written on the paper:
"Remember to come find me!"
Chapter 36