Because it had just snowed, the entire mountain forest was covered in snow. The two of them circled around Majia'ao for a long time but found no useful clues.
As darkness fell, the two men, carrying firewood they had gathered along the way, and the two little ones, with pheasants they had hunted, found a small cave.
It was just enough for them to spend the night, and it was located in a sheltered spot from the wind. An Moxue set up firewood and started a fire, while Wu Sicheng processed the pheasants.
The two little ones surrounded Wu Sicheng, looking at him expectantly.
An Moxue lit a fire and, seeing the two little ones in such a state, couldn't bear to look at them. She asked Wu Sicheng, "Are these two pheasants enough to eat?"
Wu Sicheng looked at the two little ones and said, "Not necessarily."
An Moxue said to the two little ones, "My darlings, this pheasant might not be enough to eat. Why don't you two go hunt a couple more? Otherwise, you might go hungry tonight."
An Moxue used the gentlest words to deliver the cruelest threat. Although the two little ones didn't understand why An Moxue didn't take out the food when she clearly had it, they understood that they would go hungry. How could that be!
The two little ones made two "woof" sounds at each other, then glanced at Wu Sicheng, as if to say, "Stop eating, leave some for us."
He turned and ran out of the cave, disappearing without a trace.
After the two little ones emerged from the cave, An Moxue asked Wu Sicheng, "Do you think they can hunt prey?"
"Don't worry, wolves are naturally nocturnal. Do you think they'll be able to hunt for food?"
"Alright! I worried for nothing. We walked around Majia'ao together, did you find anything?"
"We haven't found anything obvious, but the fact that several people have had problems here suggests there's something wrong. We'll definitely investigate thoroughly tomorrow."
"Do you believe in your intuition?" An Moxue asked Wu Sicheng cautiously.
His reply determined what she would say next: whether to speak or not, and if she did speak, how to say it.
"I believe it's a wonderful feeling. And it appears unexpectedly, not something you can just have whenever you want it, which makes it seem very surreal."
"Just believe me. I had a bad feeling when I got here today, and after walking around Majia'ao, the feeling got even stronger. I felt that it would be dangerous to go in rashly. It's just very strange. Do you understand?"
"Okay, don't worry, just investigate carefully tomorrow."
What he didn't say was that he would go by himself tomorrow, and that the person outside could just wait for him.
Wu Sicheng took the chicken feathers and entrails outside the cave and buried them in the snow. He then washed his hands and the pheasant with the snow.
Back in the cave, they skewered the pheasants on sticks and roasted them over a fire.
As he turned the pheasant around, he asked, "Mo Xue, are you cold? Are you hungry?"
An Moxue sat next to him on the dry firewood. The flickering firelight made her feel a little unreal. She replied, "It's alright, it's just that it's the first time I've been outside in such cold weather, and I'm not used to it."
"I regret bringing you along. I should have come by myself. It's two or three degrees colder in the mountains than at home, and even colder at night. I hope you don't catch a cold."
"No, we have military overcoats, right? The fire will keep burning all night. Anyway, we've gathered so much firewood. It's just that you'll have to work hard tonight."
“It’s not hard. I’m used to being out in the wild. Sometimes it’s even colder than this in the dead of winter. You can stay close to me at night and hold the two little ones in your arms. It will make you feel much better.” After saying this, his ears turned red, but An Moxue didn’t notice. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The two little ones returned after the two of them had finished eating a pheasant. When Wu Sicheng saw them return, he dutifully roasted a chicken for them.
Roast them, and you don't need to clean the feathers and dirt so carefully. Soon the two roast chickens are done. After eating the roast chicken, the two little ones gather around An Moxue.
Before she knew it, An Moxue had fallen asleep with her head resting on Wu Sicheng's shoulder. Wu Sicheng tentatively reached out his right hand and gently pulled An Moxue into his arms, then put her head back on his shoulder. After doing all this, Wu Sicheng's heart was pounding, and this time his face was all red.
He remained in that position all night, only occasionally adding some firewood to the fire, and then closing his eyes again after adding the firewood.
The next morning, when An Moxue woke up, Wu Sicheng had already withdrawn his hand, leaving only An Moxue's head gently resting on Wu Sicheng's shoulder.
An Moxue was completely unaware of what he had done the previous night, which indirectly proved that he had gained An Moxue's trust through subtle influence and that she was somewhat unguarded around him.
The two finished the roasted chicken left over from the previous night, extinguished the fire, and left the cave.
The two explored the outer perimeter for a while, and when they reached the middle, Wu Sicheng stopped and said to An Moxue, "Moxue, you stay here. I'll go in by myself. You stay here to meet me, okay?" Although he said it was a suggestion, his tone left no room for argument.
Seeing his expression, An Moxue knew she couldn't persuade him, so she said, "If there's danger or something unknown, don't rush forward, okay?"
"Okay, I promise you."
“I always feel that danger lies between those two mountain passes. Once you get there, you have to be extra careful.”
"Based on the terrain analysis, I also think that's the most likely place. Just stay here and wait for me. If we don't find anything, I'll be back soon."
An Moxue stayed where she was, while Wu Sicheng moved closer to the center.
Just as they were about to reach the middle of the ravine, Wu Sicheng discovered a young man lying on the ground.
The man was already unconscious, but Wu Sicheng carefully checked him over and found that he was still breathing.
The man climbed out along the ravine, but he didn't find any traces when he came in, so it's very likely that he came before the snow.
Wu Sicheng walked to the edge of the ravine and searched carefully. Finally, he found a sign in an inconspicuous corner. It was this mottled sign that caught his attention.
Instead of heading into the cave along the ravine, he found a few palm-sized stones and threw them inside, which confirmed his guess.
After coming out, he quickly left the place with the unconscious person on his back and walked towards An Moxue.
An Moxue grew increasingly anxious as she waited, and began to regret agreeing to stay with Wu Sicheng.
Finally, just as her patience was about to run out, Wu Sicheng came over carrying a person, walking slowly and deliberately.
Just as An Moxue was about to step forward, Wu Sicheng shouted sternly, "Moxue, stop! Don't come any closer!"
An Moxue's heart skipped a beat, and she stopped in her tracks, looking at Wu Sicheng.
Wu Sicheng said, "I found him outside the cave, and there was a danger sign. I'm not sure yet, but I can't rule out the possibility. Only after a professional arrives and conducts a detailed examination can we be sure. So, until there is an accurate examination, you must stay far away from me. Okay?"
An Moxue nodded.
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