The snow was very thick. Xiao Li walked in front, while Cheng Zi and Lu Jing followed behind.

"Let me tell you, there's another valley on the other side of this mountain, but we can't get there now. If you have the chance to come back in the summer, I'll take you there to see it."

"Mom, have you explored the entire mountain?"

"Yes, back then we went up the mountain all the time."

The four children were so envious. "Mom, can we come back for our birthdays this year? We want to visit Grandma, and you can take us up the mountain with you?"

"Sure, as long as your ancestor Zhou, great-grandfather, grandfather, and father agree, I have no objection."

"Mom, this is yours. Go and talk to them."

"I don't want to, I don't care."

"Then I'll have to ask my third brother to do it. He might be more effective than you in doing it."

"Okay, then it's up to Weiyu."

"Little Si, you've betrayed your brother!"

Zhang Hongmei burst into laughter after hearing this.

They arrived at the sweet potato field that Zhang Hongmei used to cultivate.

"I planted sweet potatoes here. I was small and weak back then, so I had no choice but to plant them directly. I thought that even if I didn't have a good harvest, I would still be happy if they grew a little. Unexpectedly, they yielded a good harvest here, and that's how we solved the food problem for the whole village for a month."

"Mom, you're amazing."

"What's so great about it? It's just that he's afraid of going hungry, and he's always thinking about how to store up more food."

I used to dig traps here, and I actually caught one – Liu Qiang's dad. We always went up the mountain together. Back then, being able to eat meat was a real blessing.

"Mom, should we continue going up?" Zhang Zhenye asked, frowning, looking somewhat nervous.

Zhang Hongmei also sensed it, and the other three children also frowned.

"Xiao Li, let's go down the mountain."

Looking at the expressions on the faces of the mother and her five children, Zhang Shouyi said, "Lu Jing, go ahead. Chengzi and Xiao Li, you two cover the rear and strengthen the defense."

The group of nine hurried down the mountain, and just as they reached the foot of the mountain, they faintly heard the howling of wolves.

"Mom, judging from the howling, it should be a pack of wolves."

"Yes, it's dangerous here. We need to tell the villagers to go up the mountain less often in the future."

“Mom, I’m going back to tell our Master Jia to let us come here for training, and we can even kill the wolves,” Zhang Ruifeng suddenly said.

"It's too dangerous for you to come here."

The other three glared at their younger and older brothers, thinking, "Idiot! Why did you have to tell everyone? You should have just gone back and told your master. Your mother would be worried if she found out."

“Hongmei, don’t worry, Jia knows what he’s doing. They can’t just come whenever they want.”

"Hmph! I know you guys well enough. Once you've got this idea, you'll definitely find a way to come over."

Tell your Master Jia that if he comes, he must take me with him; no one knows this place better than me.

The group of nine returned home, and Gu Chuanming and Zhang Xingguo watched them go.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Grandpa, we only went halfway up the mountain before coming back."

"I doubt you'll be able to reach the summit by now. Zhenye, what do you think?"

“Great-grandfather, I think this Gaimao Mountain is quite interesting.”

Just as Zhenye finished speaking, Weiyu leaned over and asked, "Great-Grandpa, how about we get a day off for our birthdays this year?"

"You want to come back here?"

"Yes, then we can go up the mountain. Is that alright, Great-Grandpa?"

"Okay, but you won't be able to reunite with us for the New Year."

The children fell silent. It was still a little sad that they couldn't be with their families on this traditional day of reunion.

"Great-Grandpa, could you come up the mountain and spend the New Year with us?"

Gu Chuanming shook his head. "I can't stay there for too long either."

"This won't work either?"

The four of them exchanged glances, and Zhang Weiyu reacted quickly, saying, "Great-Grandpa, let's think about it for a while before we talk about it."

"Okay, you two can discuss it yourselves."

The four little ones went back to their room arm in arm.

"Boss, let's wait and see. If Master Jia agrees to let us zip up our clothes here, we can take a holiday for the New Year. If not, what should we do?"

Zhang Zhenye thought for a moment and said, "If it really doesn't work, let's just wait for the Spring Festival holiday. I'm afraid my mother will be sad."

"good!"

Having reached an agreement, the four of them let it go.

"Isn't it time to eat? I'm hungry."

The family went to the old lady's house, where the clansmen had just left.

The old lady's words made them all feel ashamed. Their restless hearts calmed down a bit.

"Ancestor, we heard a lot of wolf howls on the mountain, so we still advise everyone not to go up the mountain."

The old lady nodded. "I understand. I'll let everyone know. You shouldn't go this afternoon either."

"We were planning to stay with you this afternoon."

Zhang Hongmei and Liu Jingze met up. "Brother Jingze, are you leaving with us tomorrow?"

"Okay, I'll go with you guys, that way it'll save time."

"Alright, do you start work on the 15th?"

"Hmm, I'll go back and spend some time with the four children. Hongmei, what do you think about me going up the mountain to teach them chess?"

“I really don’t know, you can ask Grandpa.”

"Hmm, I'll ask Old Gu about it later."

Zhang Shouyi felt very uncomfortable listening to this, and would sound the alarm whenever he saw Liu Jingze approaching.

Liu Jingze was well aware of Zhang Shouyi's nervousness. "I'll go find Old Master Gu right now."

Zhang Hongmei put the matter aside and chatted with the old lady and the four children in the house.

While the old lady was taking her afternoon nap, Liu Jingze took them to roast peanuts, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Basically, he just played with them.

Just as it was almost time for dinner, Da Shan and his son came over.

“Hongmei, I’m going to work tomorrow. I was thinking of taking my parents away from here, but they don’t want to.”

"It's hard to leave one's homeland, so of course the old man didn't want to."

Brother Dashan, you should put your mind at ease and get married as soon as you find someone suitable. That way, your parents will feel at ease.

This marriage may scare you, but who knows, you might just meet the right person?

“I know that over the years, I have saved up some money and am preparing to buy a house in the city.”

"That's a great idea. With a house, you can find a like-minded wife."

"I know that. With my qualifications, what kind of person could I possibly find?"

"You can't just imagine it; if fate brings you together, you might even bump into it by chance."

"I hope so. I really don't want my parents to worry anymore."

"Alright, let's not talk about me anymore. You're leaving tomorrow too, right?"

"Yes, the children won't be leaving for many more days, let's go home."

"Hongmei, take care! Thank you."

“Brother Dashan, if you really don’t want to stay here, just give me a call. Finding a job shouldn’t be a problem.”

"Yes, I'll consider it."

The father and son said goodbye and went home, leaving behind many local specialties.