Chapter 30: Senior brother, are you worthy of being a student of the teacher?
"Wait for me in the watchtower."
Qi Fang said this to Yan Xue as soon as he came down, and his expression was not very good.
Yan Xue saw that his face was so gloomy that it looked like it was about to drip. Just as she was about to speak, he turned back and said slowly, "You go to the watchtower and wait first."
But his tone was still stiff and his handsome face was tense.
The young man who came smiled and said, "She's my wife after all, so be nice to her."
Qi Fang only replied coldly, "It has nothing to do with you."
It seems that Qi Fang does know this person, but their relationship is definitely not good. Yan Xue did not stay any longer and turned away.
A so-called watchtower is essentially a tower built on a mountaintop using yellow pine. The top floor has a platform with a canopy, allowing for a commanding view of the surrounding area. Only a few important locations use iron towers.
Qi Fang saw that these hills were not big, so he naturally used yellow pine. The reason for using this kind of pine was very simple.
Strong enough and straight enough.
The trunk of the yellow pine is very straight and long, making it particularly suitable for building this type of structure. It is no problem to build it to more than 20 meters.
It's just too high. Even Yan Xue felt dizzy just looking up from below. Standing there on patrol every day requires a bit of courage.
Yan Xue looked back at the road she came from, but didn't see Qi Fang and the young man. After thinking about it, she decided to climb up.
The tower was tall and narrow, and the stairs were steep. Climbing up, the tip of her nose practically touched the stairs. It took Yan Xue several minutes to finally reach the top platform, where she met up with Qi Fang's other shift member, who even helped her collect the things she had brought.
The small platform on the top floor is only eight square meters in size. During the spring and autumn when fire prevention is most critical, the lookouts need to scan the area every ten minutes or so, report every half hour, and eat and sleep on the platform.
Qi Fang must have woken up the other person temporarily. The bedding was still scattered on the platform. A man in his thirties was holding a brick-like radio to report the wind direction while yawning.
Yan Xue didn't want to disturb him, so she just said "thank you" silently and walked to the platform in the direction she came from.
The wind was already strong on the top of the mountain, and after climbing up the tower, which was more than 20 meters high, Yan Xue's thin clothes were instantly blown through. She gathered her clothes together, trying hard to overcome her fear of heights and looked down, but still could not see Qi Fang and the other person.
"Use this." After the man finished speaking on the radio, he came over and handed the telescope to Yan Xue, and couldn't help yawning again.
Yan Xue thanked him and took it. "I'm sorry to have woken you up. Patrolling the mountain must be tiring, right?"
"It's not bad," the man said. "Our logging area is new and there are many people. We only cut trees twice a year, spring and autumn. In some places, the lookouts live on the mountain year-round. That's really boring."
Being a forest lookout was a tough job. The tower was cold and small, and he couldn't eat or sleep well. He had to face the desolate forest and mountains all alone. It was rare for someone to come up. He was in a good mood and talked to Yan Xue quite a bit. Yan Xue also found Qi Fang and the young man through the telescope.
Qi Fang waited for Yan Xue to leave, then dragged her into the nearby woods. "What are you doing here?"
The young man was still smiling, and even straightened his collar which had been tangled by him. "Don't get excited, I just wrote to you and didn't see you reply, so I was a little worried, so I came to see you. After all, we are brothers."
"Are you worthy of being a teacher's student?" Qi Fang looked at him with eyes as cold as ice.
He still smiled, "Compared to you, I am not as good as you, otherwise the teacher wouldn't like you more..."
Before he could finish his words, Qi Fang had already pushed him against the tree trunk. "So you reported him for having overseas connections and leaking state secrets?"
Everyone in the forest farm thought that Qi Fang was dull and seemed to have no interest in anything, including Yan Xue, but in fact he was not like this before.
He has loved reading and taking things apart since he was a child. He has taken apart everything in the house, from radios to watches, even bicycles and wooden warehouses.
At the beginning, there were still a few parts that could not be assembled. By the time he was twelve years old, he was the one who repaired everything in his grandfather's house. At that time, he was full of persistence and concentration.
But just when he was looking forward to graduating from university and contributing to the country's machinery construction with his teachers, the world changed.
And the person in front of me, this so-called senior brother Wu Xingde...
Qi Fang's eyes looked as if he was ready to devour someone at any moment. "You know full well that he was a government-sponsored student studying in the Soviet Union. Those letters were just academic questions he asked others in his early years."
"It's no use telling me, you should go tell those people."
At this point, Wu Xingde's smile faded. "I wasn't the one who forced the teacher to death, so why are you lashing out at me? Do you think that without me, he wouldn't be investigated? Those letters wouldn't be discovered?"
He looked at the younger junior fellow who was taller than him and said, "Why are you still so naive? He stayed in Su before, so there is no way he can escape."
"That can't be you either."
Can an attack from the enemy and betrayal from a student you have carefully cultivated be the same?
Qi Fang didn't even dare to think about how the teacher felt when he learned about this, but Wu Xingde had the guts to mention the teacher at this time, "What's wrong with me? The teacher might even be happy to have saved another student..."
This was extremely shameless. Qi Fang punched him without thinking, and the other person's mouth corner immediately became red and swollen.
Wu Xingde laughed instead of getting angry, and hit him back, "You think I don't dare to do it, right? Qi Fang, I've wanted to hit you for a long time!"
Yan Xue knew that the conversation between the two would not be very pleasant, but she did not expect them to start fighting so quickly. She was nervous when she saw it through the telescope.
However, Qi Fang's logging work over the past two years wasn't in vain; he clearly had the upper hand. Yan Xue was biased, and as long as Qi Fang didn't suffer any harm or get hurt, she wouldn't go down to help.
Obviously, no matter how angry Qi Fang was, there was always a trace of rationality in his mind, and the two separated soon.
Qi Fang sometimes hated his own rationality and hated that he couldn't even seek justice from those people after his teacher's death.
Because he still has concerns, he has a family, and he can't afford to offend those who still hold the power of speech...
Wu Xingde also knew this. He adjusted his glasses and chuckled, "I heard your family is pretty rich, right? Why don't you ask them to help you as a teacher? Are they unwilling, or are they unable to help?"
These words were truly profound and hit Qi Fang right where he felt most pain. Qi Fang looked down at the man he had knocked to the ground, "Do you really think I wouldn't dare do anything to you?"
The rage had subsided, and he became so calm that it was a little chilling.
Wu Xingde then remembered that he was in the wilderness, and besides him and Qi Fang, there might only be Qi Fang's wife on the entire mountain. If he really drove Qi Fang crazy, Qi Fang wouldn't even have to use force, he could just knock him unconscious, tie him up, and throw him into the deep mountains and forests where wild animals roamed...
As for Qi Fang's young wife, it's hard to say whether she's willing to save him, not to mention that she's so petite and looks vulnerable.
Wu Xingde felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, and he stopped trying to provoke the other party.
Seeing that he had behaved himself, Qi Fang turned and left, not wanting to know why he had come to see him.
Wu Xingde couldn't help but say, "Don't you want to redress the teacher's grievances?"
Qi Fang thought, Qi Fang wanted to seek justice for his teacher even in his dreams, even if the teacher was no longer around.
But just like the mountain facing the saw and axe that kept chopping him down, he was powerless.
Qi Fang continued walking, and Wu Xingde could only struggle to get up. "Things are different now. Many research projects have been restarted, and the institute has returned to normal operation. A lot of things were destroyed back then, and now the institute is short of technology and talent. The teacher's matter will definitely be taken seriously."
"Who has the final say in the research institute now?" Qi Fang only asked one question.
Wu Xingde paused, "In order to redress the teacher's injustice and to ensure that all his hard work is in vain, it is our responsibility as students to be patient."
"So you have now successfully joined them by reporting the teacher?" Qi Fang hit the nail on the head.
When that handsome face no longer looked listless, his peach blossom eyes shone with not only coldness but also sarcasm. "You came here this time because you remembered the teacher's research results and want to squeeze out every last bit of value from him?"
If a person is too smart and too sharp, he will be less likable.
Wu Xingde really disliked this junior fellow student, he disliked him from the very beginning. It would have been fine if he was just smart, but he shouldn't have been a little stupid like the other people who were devoted to research.
But since he had come here, he couldn't leave empty-handed. "Can you bear to watch your hard work gather dust, never to see the light of day again? That's what your teacher has painstakingly researched for most of his life. If your teacher knew about it in his grave, wouldn't he be heartbroken?"
Qi Fang paused.
Wu Xingde only knew how to talk about the teacher; it moved him the most. He smiled bitterly, "I know you hate me for being used as a pawn by those people to protect myself, but I couldn't help it. Now that he's gone, we can't let the teacher's hard work go to waste, and even in death he has to bear the stigma."
He sighed, "Besides, if we don't study it, someone else will. In a few years, even if we are willing to use it, it will be useless."
This finally made Qi Fang turn around and raise his eyebrows. "Where is the research institute at now?"
"There's no progress at all. All the data and results were destroyed back then, and we've been regressed by nearly ten years. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought now was a good opportunity and come to you."
Seeing a good chance, Wu Xingde opened his heart even more openly, "The institute is in need of people right now. If we can produce something, I can think of a way to get you back. It's a pity to have such talent trapped here. Besides, you're not alone yet. You have to think about your family."
Although Qi Fang's attitude towards his wife was not very good, his young wife was indeed very beautiful.
Regardless of whether he's given up on himself, attracted by the other person's face, or has other reasons, he should be tempted. If he likes her, take her home and give her a good life. If he doesn't like her, he can find a reason to rely on her and kick her out.
Sure enough, Qi Fang looked at him deeply, his eyes seemed to be sizing him up and measuring him.
After a long while, Qi Fang seemed to have finished his internal struggle and made up his mind, "I want to help the teacher redress his wrongdoing."
Wu Xingde listened attentively and said, "If you have any requests, just tell me. Although your brother's ability is limited and he may not be able to do it, I can always help you think of a solution..."
"But I really don't have that information, teacher," Qi Fang interrupted him calmly, "so you don't have to promise me anything."
It would have been fine if he was rejected harshly at the beginning, but his hopes rose and then fell. Wu Xingde was not only disappointed, but also felt that he had been fooled.
But he was someone who could even betray his teacher and join the very people who wanted to kill him. Naturally, he also had some skills in cultivating his Qi. He just smiled and said, "Of all the students the teacher has taught, you're the one he loves the most. He even treats you like his own son. If we don't know, how could you not know?"
"Teacher, where are those letters? Didn't you tell those people?" Qi Fang asked calmly.
Without waiting for Wu Xingde to speak, he continued sarcastically, "I'm sure you know where the teacher puts the information, and you've even looked for it."
These words made Wu Xingde's expression freeze, it was obvious that he was right.
Qi Fang's sarcasm was even worse. "Don't waste your time. When I left, I didn't know anything would happen to the teacher, and the teacher didn't give me anything. The situation with the teacher's wife should be similar. Instead of wasting time on us, you might as well ask those who smashed things in the teacher's lab and home."
Wu Xingde was about to say something when a sharp whistle suddenly came from the watchtower on the top of the mountain.
Qi Fang turned and left after hearing this. "One last piece of advice for you: go back to your research institute as soon as possible. The mountains are not as safe as you think."
He was tall and had long legs, and was used to the forest environment. After a few steps, Wu Xingde was completely unable to keep up with him.
Thinking about the whistle just now, and then thinking about Qi Fang's eyes that were calm and looked like he wanted to devour someone, Wu Xingde finally straightened his clothes and went down the mountain.
Maybe he was wrong. The teacher's notes containing the core content were not in Qi Fang's hands at all.
Otherwise, how could Qi Fang, a teacher's favorite student and a talented boy who was admitted to university at the age of fourteen, be willing to stay in this mountain valley and be a lumberjack?
If it were him, he would have to find a way to crawl back to the city by all means...
Qi Fang hurried back to the watchtower and climbed up. Shi Hu, who was on duty with him, was already reporting the situation over the intercom. "Abnormal smoke was detected at 2 o'clock, 700 meters away. We suspect a fire."
Seeing Qi Fang coming up, he handed over the telescope. Qi Fang took it and looked in the direction he pointed. "It does look like a fire."
Qi Fang had sharper eyes and stronger mental arithmetic skills. He put down the telescope to take a look, then raised it again and quickly reported a string of more accurate data.
Shi Hu started to curse, "Those little bastards, if you don't want to live, don't go up the mountain and cause trouble to others."
This made Qi Fang turn his head to look at him, and he quickly explained: "A few children ran out from over there, or your wife saw it first."
Qi Fang had noticed Yan Xue on the watchtower a long time ago, but the situation was urgent and he could not care about anything else. Upon hearing this, he just glanced at Yan Xue and asked his companion, "What did the command center say?"
"The fire department has been dispatched, but it will take some time. Let's continue reporting on the fire."
The forest area is vast, and a single lookout tower has to monitor several hilltops simultaneously, so it takes a long time for the fire brigade to arrive. In order to monitor the fire situation in real time and facilitate firefighting efforts, the lookouts are the last to retreat and must remain on the tower to report at all times.
Shi Hu and Qi Fang almost took turns holding the telescope and observing the place where the smoke was rising. Soon the smoke became noticeably larger.
Yan Xue could see it with the naked eye, and Shi Hu could only see it more clearly with the telescope. He couldn't help but curse again, "This damn southwest wind is blowing, don't let it blow towards us soon."
When a fire occurs, the lookouts in the watchtower are in great danger. If they cannot retreat in time, they may face the impact of the fire at any time.
Shi Hu, a man in his thirties, was worried and irritable. When he turned around, he saw Yan Xue standing quietly in the corner.
Qi Fang was also watching Yan Xue, especially after he discovered that the fire was getting bigger, the fire brigade had not arrived, and the wind was still blowing towards this side.
"I should have let you go earlier." Shi Hu reported the fire situation again, and began to talk more nervously. "Although we might not miss them if we go down the mountain earlier, it's better than staying here with us. Why did you have to come today?"
Then he thought of his wife and children, "At least you and your wife are here. If something happens to me, my wife might become someone else's wife."
"I don't think the fire is spreading fast. The fire brigade should be able to arrive in time." Yan Xue said, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she sneezed loudly.
Qi Fang, who had been silent all this time, remained silent, but began to unbutton his cotton coat.
"I'm fine, I'm wearing my coat." Yan Xue waved her hand quickly, "You're wearing less than me, so don't take it off."
Qi Fang still unbuttoned all the buttons of his coat, but of course he didn't take it off. Instead, he held it up and enveloped Yan Xue inside.
The man was tall, so his clothes were naturally big. Yan Xue was covered by him, even burying her head in his chest. The warm body temperature immediately replaced the biting cold wind. Because she was so close, she could even feel the rise and fall of his breathing and the heartbeat hidden in his chest.
An embrace that once comforted her during her nightmares, an embrace that was not wide enough but familiar and kind enough.
Yan Xue took a deep breath and did not push him away. Instead, she put her arms around the man's waist and continued to look down at the tower.
Qi Fang felt it, and while taking the telescope, he put her cold little hand into his sweater.
Shi Hu was nervous, but he was not blind. He felt a little jealous that such a big and conspicuous creature could not be seen even when two people were holding it together.
But think about the newlyweds who have just encountered such a thing. They can just hug each other to keep warm.
Shi Hu pretended not to see it, but he could ignore this, but he could not ignore the fire below, because the wind was blowing towards this side, and soon the smoke drifted over before the fire.
Yan Xue was shielded by Qi Fang's coat, and was still a little bit away. However, Shi Hu, who was facing the thick smoke, started coughing first.
Qi Fang frowned and looked at Yan Xue, "You go first..."
Before he could finish his words, Yan Xue had already slipped out of his arms. "You two continue to observe, I'll do it." She swiftly went to the corner and picked up the towel.
"She's not panicking." Shi Hu said while covering his cough with his hand.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xue had already wet the towel with water and handed it over.
He quickly covered his mouth and nose with the towel, and then handed the next towel to Qi Fang.
Qi Fang wanted to push back, but Yan Xue pressed the towel against his face. She let go and took off her own coat, wet it and pressed it against her mouth and nose.
Seeing that the smoke was getting thicker and thicker, they might not be able to evacuate if they didn't retreat now. As several people were preparing to leave the tower, the fire brigade finally arrived.
Compared to the long wait, the subsequent firefighting went by quickly, as the fire had been discovered in time and the damage hadn't spread. But by the time everything was over and the area had been checked to make sure there was no danger, the sky had still gone from noon to sunset.
Shi Hu's sleepiness had long been frightened away, and he was also very scared. But after looking at Qi Fang and Yan Xue, he said, "It's getting late. Xiao Qi, please send your wife downstairs. I'll watch over here first."
Qi Fang did not refuse, and the couple went down the watchtower one after another and started their journey down the mountain.
Maybe she was choked by the smoke. Even though the fire was out, Yan Xue still felt a burnt smell in the air and couldn't help coughing.
Qi Fang on the other side seemed surprisingly quiet. If it weren't for the sound of footsteps, Yan Xue would have doubted whether there was such a person around.
This made her think of the man who had come to find her. Although she hadn't seen him since he came back, and he must have been sent away, her mood was most likely related to the other man.
And although the man had the upper hand, there were still a few bruises on his face, which made it hard not to notice.
Seeing that they were about to reach the forest where the two men had fought, Yan Xue wanted to ask about the man's injuries, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't help coughing.
A hand immediately landed on her back and patted her gently.
Yan Xue recovered and was about to speak again when the man spoke before her, "Don't come up here again."
His tone wasn't gentle at all, completely different from when he'd held her in his arms on the watchtower, nor did it sound like the man who'd just patted her back. Yan Xue didn't know if it was her imagination, but she even detected a hint of hardness in it.
Before she could delve into the details, the man's second words came crashing down on her, "Don't bring strangers up the mountain either."
What? Did he also remember what happened during the day and blame her for bringing someone he didn't want to see?
Yan Xue raised her eyes, her gaze once again sweeping across the bruises on the man's mouth and face, "Then do I need to not talk to strangers?"
There had just been a fire. Even if they were safe in the end, even if she didn't need anyone's comfort, she didn't want to bear anyone's inexplicable emotions at this time.
There was clearly emotion in these words. Qi Fang stopped and looked at her, "That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?" Yan Xue looked at him calmly. "Two days ago you said you wanted to go up the mountain to calm down, and I didn't say anything. Two days later, I was worried you didn't have enough food, so I came to bring it to you. And now it's my fault?"
She is not always so invincible. Even if you can't provide her with positive emotions, can you please not make things difficult for her at this time?
The young girl's face was rarely smiling. Qi Fang pursed his lips and stared at her for a long moment before whispering, "I was worried something might happen to you."
God knows when he saw Yan Xue and Wu Xingde walking together, his head exploded and he quickly woke up Shi Hu who was sleeping.
Yan Xue didn't know. "Are you afraid something might happen to me? Should I not go up the mountain? Should I not talk to strangers? Should I not even leave the house? Do I want to run into a fire and that person?"
She hated those people in her hometown the most. They clearly favored boys over girls, but they insisted that girls were unsafe outside and made girls work at home while boys went out to play.
I hate many people like my aunt Bai Xiuzhen, who thinks she shouldn't be out in the public eye to make money to support her younger brother and should just find someone to marry as soon as possible.
She hated that in her previous life, when she was taking care of her father alone, no one came to help her share the burden. Then, when her shop started making money, everyone introduced her to potential partners to help run the shop...
After finishing speaking in one breath, Yan Xue also knew that she was not calm again. She lowered her eyes and paused, "I'm sorry, I'm not in a good mood. Please let me be alone."
Seeing her like this, Qi Fang knew very well that his emotions were too volatile today and he said the wrong thing again.
"I'm sorry." He said softly.
Yan Xue raised her hand and said, "We can already see the railway track. I don't need you to escort me the rest of the way."
The young girl walked very fast, and soon only her petite figure remained in sight. Qi Fang watched, feeling a little panicked for some unknown reason.
I don't know if I'm worried that I didn't say anything and my concern became irritating, or if I'm worried that she's drifting away...
But since Yan Xue didn't want him to send her off, he didn't dare to chase her. He stood there and watched Yan Xue reach a place where there were people before he started to return.
When he rushed back to the watchtower, it was already dark. Shi Hu didn't dare to make a fire and was just eating dry food with cold water.
Seeing him come back, the other party raised his eyes and asked, "Did you send your wife back?"
"Yeah." He only responded with one word, because that was his personality, he didn't talk much, and Shi Hu was used to it.
Qi Fang didn't know what he was thinking. He didn't go to eat. Instead, he picked up the telescope and looked towards the bottom of the mountain again.
"It's okay. I just reported it five minutes ago. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sit here and eat." Shi Hu said.
After chewing two mouthfuls of dry food, he remembered something and pointed to the cloth bag beside him. "Your wife brought this over at noon. I helped take it. It's quite heavy. I don't know what's in it."
Yan Xue came with something, and Qi Fang noticed it at first glance, but so many things happened afterwards that he almost forgot about the bag.
Hearing Shi Hu mention this, he put down his telescope and walked over to open it. Shi Hu also poked his head out curiously, and then couldn't help but click his tongue, "I really brought you a lot of them."
Various side dishes in canned bottles are already a common configuration. In addition, Yan Xue also brought two lunch boxes.
One is filled with fried eggs with leeks, which are fresh green and tender with yellow ones. You can tell at a glance that they are fried with the first batch of leeks that have just been harvested; the other is filled with stir-fried cocoon pupae, the dark cocoon pupae have an attractive oily sheen on the surface, and are garnished with a few fragrant chopped green onions.
Qi Fang paused and counted the cocoons carefully.
One, two, three...
There were nineteen in total, but Yan Xue didn't eat any of them and brought them all to him.
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