The next morning, the group woke up one after another, washed up and got dressed, lit a campfire to heat up the leftovers from yesterday, ate a simple bite, and prepared to go out again.

Li Xiangdong pushed open the door, and a flurry of fine, scattered snowflakes flew towards him, landing right on his face.

"Hiss~"

It feels cool and itchy.

Today is a bright and sunny day. The warm sunlight shines through the dense forest, scattering across the white snow, the gurgling spring, the roof of the log cabin, and the tall, straight pine trees...

The world is covered in a blanket of white snow, the trees and branches are like jade, crystal clear. The wind blows gently, and the snowflakes, gleaming with a cold light, dance freely in the air, reflecting a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.

The five people and two dogs slowly made their way through the beautiful scenery, heading deep into the forest in search of prey.

The group searched the snow for tracks, hoping to determine what animals had walked by.

For example, the footprints of wild rabbits are usually two large footprints in front and two small footprints behind.

This is because wild rabbits have small front feet and large hind feet. When they hop, their front feet land first, and then their hind feet swing forward, so their hind feet usually land in front of their front feet.

Squirrel footprints are groups of four tiny paw prints.

Fox footprints are similar to cat footprints, but larger.

Like cats, foxes also walk in alternating patterns, which is what we often call "cat-like walking." This creates a complete and relatively neat row of footprints.

In this way, hunters could identify passing animals by their footprints and droppings.

However, they walked for a long time, and apart from their own footprints, the snow was flat and there were no other traces.

"Damn it! There's nothing here!"

Scarface spat on the ground dejectedly.

Zhou Hongsong glared at him, "This is nothing! Why are you so impatient!"

Scarface looked gloomy. "Big brother, I'm worried!"

Zhou Hongsong reassured him, "Selling the roe deer will raise enough money."

"But, we all discovered it together..."

Scarface felt a little embarrassed. If he had killed the two roe deer, it would have been perfectly reasonable for him to keep them all for himself. But now, glancing at Li Xiangdong and the other two, he felt a bit awkward...

Upon hearing that something was amiss, Li Xiangdong quickly said, "Scarface, if you need the money urgently, just take it. The three of us have no objection!"

As he spoke, he glanced at He Chaochao and Li Guoqing.

These two are not short of money at all. They have been working for Li Xiangdong for so long and have earned tens of thousands of yuan. They don't even care about two roe deer.

He Chaochao waved his hand generously, "Brother Scarface, don't worry about taking it. We're just here to hunt, broaden our horizons, and relax."

Li Guoqing also said, "That's right, that's right!"

Scarface said with a hint of gratitude, "Then I won't stand on ceremony, brothers, you're too kind!"

Since they hadn't found any prey yet, Li Xiangdong asked Scarface, "Scarface, is there anything we can help you with?"

Scarface thought for a while, then let out a long sigh, "Ah, brother, it's a long story."

Actually, it's not that long; it's just about things between men and women.

So how did Scarface end up in the labor camp? It all started with his childhood sweetheart.

Scarface and Mai Zi, the girl next door in the village, were childhood sweethearts. They grew up together and, as they got older, they naturally started dating because they both had feelings for each other.

Scarface's widow mother was also happy to help and made arrangements to propose marriage to her son.

But the Mai family simply wouldn't agree!

Wheat's father immediately returned the two boxes of pastries that Scarface's mother had brought. He said directly, "As parents, what we worry about most is our children. When his mother and I pass away in a few years, what I'll worry about most is my son!"

Mai Zi has an older brother who became mentally impaired after suffering from meningitis when he was young. Now in his mid-twenties, he still often runs around and plays wildly with a bunch of kids who pee and play in the mud.

Under these circumstances, no one would marry him.

But Mai Zi's family only has this one male heir, and they are counting on him to have children and carry on the family line!

So Maizi's parents' plan was to use Maizi to get a wife for their son.

They've already identified their target: a brother and sister from Mai Zi's second aunt's village.

These brother and sister are also pitiful. They have no parents. The brother is dull and honest. He raised his sister from infancy. The family was dirt poor and couldn't even find a wife.

The younger sister couldn't bear to see her brother waste his life like this, so she decided to find him a new wife to settle down with.

After a while, with Aunt Mai acting as a go-between, the matter was almost settled.

The remaining uncertainty lay with Mai Zi. She knelt down and begged, threw tantrums, went on a hunger strike, and even threatened to hang herself, but nothing worked.

Wheat's father only said one thing: "Even if you die, go die in someone else's house! Don't delay your brother from getting married."

In the end, things got out of hand, and Scarface secretly went to Wheat's house, hoping to steal her away and elope with her.

Who would have thought that Mai Zi's parents had already anticipated this move and caught him, sending him directly to the brigade headquarters.

The charge is readily available: burglary.

If the case had been handled the way it was done back then, he would definitely have spent several years in prison!

In the end, in order to save him, Mai Zi agreed to arrange a marriage for her brother, and only then did Mai Zi's father withdraw the lawsuit.

However, Scarface eventually spent three years in a labor camp, where he met Zhou Hongsong.

“Look at the scar on my face, it was cut by Wheat’s father with a sickle.”

Scarface's expression was a mix of crying and laughing; as he thought of wheat, his eyes gradually reddened.

Li Xiangdong felt incredibly conflicted. No one but him could truly understand Scarface's feelings.

After a long pause, He Chaochao finally asked, "How is it now? Has Mai Zi gotten married?"

Scarface tried hard to control his emotions, and he said in a muffled voice, "I got married. I married Zhang Guihe. Zhang Guihe's sister also married Mai Zi's brother."

Li Guoqing was confused. "Scarface, are you making so much money to take the wheat back?"

Scarface shook his head. "Zhang Guihe is a useless, honest man. If I take Maizi away, her brother and sister-in-law will definitely get divorced. It's a knot that can't be untied."

Seeing that Li Guoqing and the others still looked puzzled, Zhou Hongsong explained, "After Scarface came out of the labor camp, he found out that Zhang Guihe had broken his back while picking pine nuts on the mountain and was now bedridden. Maizi gave birth to a daughter for him, and now the whole family relies on Maizi's hard work to make a living."

Scarface sighed, "I couldn't bear to part with the wheat, and I couldn't take her with me, so I helped Zhang Guihe out. The reason I'm so eager to make money this time is because they left behind so much debt, and Zhang Guihe still needs to have back surgery at the county hospital..."

I understand now, I understand everything.

Li Xiangdong patted Scarface's shoulder sincerely, "Brother, you're a man of honor and loyalty!"

These words almost brought Scarface to tears. So many people had gossiped about him behind his back, calling him a cheapskate, a loser, and a fool!