After hearing these words, Sheng Xiping rolled his eyes. These troublemakers just wouldn't stop.

Why would they go so far to gather firewood? They clearly wanted to kill two birds with one stone, and maybe catch some wild animals while they were at it.

You think you can fool him with such a petty trick?

"Nonsense! It's already mid-April. Black Bear has been out of the warehouse for a long time. Do you think he'd wait for you to go and kill someone in the warehouse?"

In late March and early April, as temperatures gradually rise, the bears in the caves will sense the changes in the outside world and come out of their enclosures to look for food.

Of course, the solar terms are late in Qianchuan Forest Farm, and the temperature in the mountains is low, so there is a certain chance that the black bears are still in their dens.

"The warehouse we saw was on a sunny slope, and the bear came out late. I even checked with a flashlight; it really is inside," Wang Jianshe assured them confidently.

It is said that the bears that squat on the sunny side of the hillside see the shady side.

The snow melts later on the shady slopes, so Black Bear thinks it's still winter and will leave the barn a while later.

The bears on the shady slopes see the sunny slopes, and since the snow melts earlier on the sunny slopes, the bears on the shady slopes leave the barn earlier.

This claim has always existed, but it may not necessarily be true.

Black bears don't just randomly choose a place to camp in winter; they start looking for targets, marking out their territory, and preparing their camps even before autumn arrives.

Generally speaking, bears will try to find tree hollows that are sheltered from the wind and face the sun to hide in. Unless they are forced to, bears will rarely choose shady slopes.

"Xiping, let's take the dogs and guns and go up the mountain to take a look tomorrow. I swear I really saw a black bear in there."

Those few were a bit anxious, and said it with great certainty.

From the end of the Winter Games to the start of afforestation in May, there was not much work to be done in between.

Regular workers receive a basic salary, but people like Sheng Xiping receive nothing and rely entirely on their wages from working during the winter sports season.

Sheng Xiping is doing relatively well; he got married, and Zhou Qinglan became a substitute teacher and received a salary.

Of course, after spending so much money on a wedding, and having to live together in the future, nobody thinks they have too much money.

As for Wang Jianshe and his group, they were all still single.

A few days ago, Chen Weiguo took the initiative to express his feelings to Liu Hongxia, but Liu Hongxia's parents did not approve of Chen Weiguo, thinking that the Chen family was too much of a burden, especially Weimin, who they felt would be a burden in the future.

Judging from the implication in the Liu family's words, unless Chen Weiguo is willing to separate from the family and live independently after getting married, the Liu family cannot agree to the marriage.

Needless to say, Wang Jianshe had his eye on Li Xue, but Li Xue was an educated youth from Songjianghe.

After all, not everyone is like Zhou Qinglan, who doesn't care about the town or the ditch.

If Wang Jianshe wants to have a future with Li Xue, he probably needs to have the financial means.

Zhang Zhijun and Pan Fusheng are a bit younger, but not by much. If they don't save up some money for their wives, how will they get married?

Gao Haining is under even more pressure. Her child will be born in a few months, and raising the child will cost a lot of money.

They all stared wide-eyed, wondering how to make money.

Otherwise, why would they go all that way to collect firewood? They must have something else on their mind.

Everyone wants to make money, but these days there aren't many ways to make money. In the mountains, besides gathering mountain products, what else do they do but hunt?

Now that we've found the Black Bear's Warehouse, why waste time talking? Let's just go and kill the culprit.

These guys have three guns, and the Sheng family has four pretty fierce dogs. I don't believe they can't kill a black bear.

"Okay, then let's do it tomorrow. I'll bring those dogs back tonight, and we'll take them with us tomorrow just in case."

During this season, bears can leave their enclosures at any time, and having a dog with them can serve as an early warning system, just in case.

And so, the group finalized their plans to go into the mountains, and then Wang Jianshe and his companions said their goodbyes and left.

There was still some time before lunchtime, and Sheng Xiping didn't have much to do, so he accompanied his mother as she wound yarn, and the two of them chatted for a while.

Around 10:30, the mother and daughter worked together to prepare lunch. When those going to school or work returned home at noon, the whole family enjoyed a lively meal together.

In the afternoon, Sheng Xiping took some things to the Liu family's house, intending to bring back his dogs.

"Master, Mistress, what are you busy with? Oh, my eldest brother and second brother are home too."

Upon entering the Liu family's house, Sheng Xiping saw Liu Yujiang and Liu Yuhe in the front yard, in the room of Liu Changde and his wife. He greeted them with a smile.

"Master, mistress, I accompanied my wife on her homecoming visit and bought a few boxes of pastries. I brought you two boxes along for you to try."

The Liu brothers helped Sheng Xiping a lot. With elderly parents and young children to support, Sheng Xiping never came empty-handed; he always brought something with him.

Even if Liu Changde and his wife don't eat it, it's fine to give it to the two little ones.

"Oh, Xiping, you're back from accompanying your wife on her homecoming visit, right? Look at you, what are you bringing home?"

Now that you're married, you need to know how to manage a household properly. You can't be as generous as before.

Qin Qiuyan treated Sheng Xiping like her own son, and when Sheng Xiping brought things over, she couldn't help but give him a few words of advice.

"Yes, don't worry, Master's wife. I will definitely pay attention in the future." Master's wife meant well, and Sheng Xiping naturally appreciated it.

"Big brother, second brother, isn't the team busy lately? Shouldn't we be preparing seeds or something?"

The solar terms here are more than ten days later than in Songjianghe, and planting usually begins in mid-May.

At this time, the production team should prepare seeds and fertilizers in advance and discuss this year's planting plan.

Moreover, there are ginseng fields in Dajianchang Village. At this time of year, it's time to set up curtains and ginseng sheds in the ginseng fields.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!