With these two silly roe deer, which they had acquired effortlessly, the group's spirits, which had been dampened by their trek through the heavy snow, were instantly revived.

"Look, Xiangdong, although hunting here is a bit of a hardship, it's really lucrative!"

Zhou Hongsong spoke to Li Xiangdong with a smile.

Scarface, carrying a male roe deer on his back, walked with a slightly slower pace. His voice was cheerful as he echoed Zhou Hongsong, "Hehe, that's right! These two roe deer are worth a few hundred yuan!"

At this time, the sun was already setting in the west. Li Xiangdong raised his wrist to check his watch; it was already 2:30 in the afternoon.

He now has no idea how far he has gone or where he is, and he can only tell which way is north, south, east, west, or north by the position of the sun in the sky.

"Fifth Brother, are we going back tonight?"

"We're not going back. All the wild animals near the forest have been hunted away, and there's practically nothing big left! We need to go deeper into the mountains!"

Zhou Hongsong pulled Li Xiangdong along, "What's wrong, tired?"

Li Xiangdong shook his head, "It's alright, but where will we stay if we go into the mountains?"

Surely we wouldn't sleep on the snow!

“There are two houses in the woods that were left over from the former forestry team headquarters. We’ll sleep there tonight.”

After exchanging a few words, the group fell silent and continued trudging through the snow.

Talking is too tiring and can easily scare away wild animals.

I don't know how long I walked, but all I could see were birch, larch, Scots pine and spruce trees all around me, and a thick layer of snow under my feet. The light was getting dimmer and dimmer, and soon I couldn't see anything anymore.

Li Xiangdong has excellent eyesight. He can clearly see that the hands of the watch on his wrist are stopped at 4 and 12 respectively. It's only four o'clock in the afternoon, but it's already dark!

Scarface told everyone to stop and took out a torch from his backpack and lit it.

Bright flames leaped, driving away the cold and fear, as Scarface and Zhou Hongsong carefully discerned the path to the cabin in the woods.

Li Xiangdong, He Chaochao, and Li Guoqing huddled together, looking around at the dark surroundings. In the distance, the howls of unknown wild beasts could be heard from time to time, sounds that sent shivers down their spines.

When Li Xiangdong was in western Sichuan, he also went up the mountain at night, but the two experiences were completely different.

Li Guoqing asked in a low voice, "Second Brother, what if there are tigers or wolves on this mountain?"

He Chaochao laughed silently, "We're going up the mountain to hunt, right? You should be asking what to do if there are no tigers or wolves on the mountain!"

Li Xiangdong said, "There shouldn't be any tigers on these mountains, but there might be wild boars and wolves."

Li Guoqing shuddered, "I...I'm a little scared!"

He Chaochao patted her chest and assured, "What's there to be afraid of! Xiang Dong and I have both fought off wolves with one hand. Even if we encountered wolves, they would have to kneel down and call us ancestors!"

The three men were chatting and laughing in hushed tones when Zhou Hongsong and Scarface had already determined their direction.

The group walked on and on, and as the weather grew colder and they were about to be exhausted, the outline of a wooden house finally appeared in front of them.

Zhou Hongsong said happily, "Brothers, let's walk a few more steps, then we'll go inside to eat meat and warm ourselves by the fire!"

The longing for warmth and food instantly infused everyone with energy, and their previously sluggish pace noticeably quickened.

Finally, the group arrived at the cabin in the woods.

Scarface expertly took down the padlock hanging on the door, explaining as he did so, "We can't leave the door unlocked, in case animals sneak in and make nests, but if we lock it, people can't get in either. So, people usually lock the door with the padlock when they leave."

Zhou Hongsong used a torch to light the pine resin lamps and bonfire inside the house, instantly illuminating the room.

He Chaochao closed the door tightly, immediately keeping the darkness and cold outside.

As the temperature inside rose, an unparalleled sense of security arose spontaneously. Several people took off their half-wet clothes and boots and huddled together around the campfire to warm themselves.

Once their hands and feet had warmed up, everyone finally felt their blood flowing freely throughout their bodies, and at the same time, they also felt the intense hunger that was pressing against their chests and backs.

"Brother, is this all we're having for dinner?"

Scarface took out the flatbread, steamed buns, salt, dried meat, and dried vegetables that Li Xiangdong had brought from his bag.

"That's fine. We'll slaughter the roe deer later!"

The iron pot is readily available in the cabin in the woods, and whoever lives there can use it, but water and firewood need to be fetched from outside.

The group quickly divided up the tasks: Li Xiangdong and Zhou Hongsong went to fetch water, Scarface took He Chaochao to the woods to gather firewood, and Li Guoqing stayed inside to prepare a meal.

Dig away the snow, and underneath is a thick layer of pine needles and dead branches. Avoid the top layer that is touching the snow, as it is damp and will easily produce smoke when you light a fire.

Soon, the two of them each carried a large bundle of pine needles and dry branches back to the cabin.

Dry pine needles and pine branches are full of oil, and as soon as they are put into a campfire, they immediately burst into flames!

"Brother Chao, let's go get some more. This kang (heated brick bed) is frozen solid; we need to heat it thoroughly before we can sleep!"

"Okay!"

Over here, the two people kept carrying dry branches and pine needles to the eaves of the cabin.

Over there, Zhou Hongsong led Li Xiangdong more than a hundred meters away, where the torchlight illuminated a scene of pure white.

Suddenly, Li Xiangdong's ears twitched.

"Fifth Brother, I hear water!"

Zhou Hongsong gave a thumbs up, "Your ears are really sharp!"

As he spoke, he walked first to a place where there was a thin layer of ice. He brushed away the snow on the surface with his hand, and then used one end of his torch to break the thin ice, revealing a bubbling spring inside.

"Wow, a spring!"

"Quick, bring the water bottle over here!"

I don't know if it's because the spring is underground, but the water still feels warm to the touch.

The two carried a large bucket of spring water back to the cabin.

Upon hearing Li Xiangdong's footsteps, Lamei and Moli, who had been left behind to protect Li Guoqing, immediately came to greet him, wagging their tails happily and circling around Li Xiangdong's feet.

In no time at all, Li Guoqing had cooked the meal.

Golden-brown baked steamed buns and flatbreads, dried meat stewed with potatoes, and a big pot of vegetable soup.

Everyone devoured the meal, feeling warm all over, and their fatigue was finally dispelled.

Li Xiangdong mixed a bowl of dog food with warm water for Lamei and Jasmine. After the two dogs finished eating, they lay on the ground where the fire had just been lit, wagging their tails comfortably for a long time.

After finishing their meal, the group chatted for a while before going to bed.

The campfire crackled intermittently, and outside, the wind rustled through the branches, causing the snow to fall softly. Amidst the rising and falling snores, Li Xiangdong also drifted off to sleep.