Chapter 60: Shelter
The rain had stopped, but the damp morning mist had not yet dissipated. Wu Yuetang pushed aside the animal-skin curtain at the cave entrance, and was suddenly blinded by a flash of golden light. Through a break in the clouds, the long-lost sun peeked out, illuminating the puddles of the remaining rain with shimmering light. Her heart leaped, and as she turned, the hem of her coarse cloth skirt brushed against the icy ridges on the cave wall, making a crisp sound.
"It's clear! The sun is out!"
Shouts echoed off the cave walls. The Zhao family's wife, kneading dough, dropped her wooden basin. Several men practicing with hunting forks knocked over a tool rack. Seven or eight children cheered as they rushed toward the cave entrance. The most anxious were the village chiefs. Chief Wang, without even the time to fasten his loose belt, rushed out in his straw sandals. The sun instantly gilded his wrinkled face.
"Thank goodness, God..." The old man stroked his icy beard, trembling, and turbid tears fell on the back of his hand covered with light snow. "We finally made it!"
Everyone gathered at the cave entrance, gazing at the valley shrouded in mist. The muddy mountain path, scoured by days of torrential rain, still shimmered with water, while the slope, a mixture of rotten leaves and gravel, gleamed glossy in the sunlight. After consultation, the village elders decided to wait until the sun rose higher before setting off. As the sun climbed, the accumulated water gradually dissipated into white mist, revealing a layer of compacted earth on the mountain path. While still a bit slippery, it was barely navigable.
As they packed their bags, dissatisfied whispers echoed from the corner. Aunt Sun leaned against a haystack, her fingernails still stained with the remains of animal bones she had chewed the previous night. "Why are you leaving? It's so comfortable to just sit here and eat." Chen Chunhe immediately chimed in, her shrill voice piercing the clamor: "That's right! Who knows what disaster might happen out there!" The old Wu family's father and son simply collapsed at the entrance of the cave, unmoved by the shoving and pushing.
"If you don't want to leave, that's fine." The old village chief suddenly picked up the peach wood crutch that was leaning against the rock wall and slammed it heavily on the ground. "This cave is left to you. You can chop firewood and hunt prey by yourselves in the future!" These words startled the lazy men so much that their faces suddenly changed. Aunt Sun almost tripped when she stood up in a panic, and Chen Chunhe's complaints were stuck in her throat.
The team wound its way down the mountain, the outline of Night Wolf Mountain gradually becoming clear in the distance. Wu Yuetang clutched the hot system interface in her sleeve, the silver-blue map swirling across her retina. This snowy mountain, just two kilometers away, was shrouded in ice and snow year-round. The deadly avalanche in the original novel occurred in mid-October—and yet, at this moment, the snow at the foot of the mountain had already reached ankles, and a chill wind blew ice crystals against her face.
"Wu girl!" Several village chiefs gathered around. Village Chief Wang stuffed a cloth bag of dry food into her arms. "Thanks to you for leading us all along the way. We'll need you to make decisions later!" Everyone's eager eyes focused on her, but Wu Yuetang secretly glanced at Ye Jingchen at the front of the group. He was adjusting a newly made animal trap with his head down, and the firelight flickered on his face.
"Wu girl! You should lead the team!" Several village heads were still unwilling to give up. Village head Wang put his calloused hands on her shoulders and said, "We all trust you."
Wu Yuetang shook her head slightly, her eyes sweeping over the thinly dressed elderly, weak, women and children in the team: "I'll just follow along. Only if everyone does their part can we go far." She knew in her heart that only by stepping away from her role as team leader could she free up her energy to deal with the impending crisis - the avalanche in the original novel that swallowed hundreds of people was now in the countdown.
As dusk darkened the sky, the team finally arrived at the foot of Night Wolf Mountain. The setting sun dyed the snowy peaks blood-red, and a sharp mountain wind blew, carrying icy crystals, as if to freeze everyone's breath. Wu Yuetang tightened her cloak, and the white mist from her breath condensed into tiny ice beads before her eyes. The frozen ground beneath her feet was as hard as iron.
Days of rain had turned the mountain path into a muddy mess, slowing the group's progress. But after two months of recuperation in the cave, the villagers were still full of energy. Even with their heavy backpacks, no one complained of fatigue. However, when the first wisp of cold air penetrated their collars, many people shivered involuntarily, their thin cotton coats rendered useless in the howling north wind.
Ye Jingchen suddenly approached, and his animal skin cloak with the scent of cedar almost brushed the tips of her hair: "The weather in the snowy mountains is very cold. Those old people and children in the back who are wearing only thin clothes may not survive for more than three days." He frowned and looked at the children whose lips were frozen purple, his eyes full of worry.
Wu Yuetang gazed at the distant, snow-capped peaks, the countdown in her mind flickering. She took a deep breath, the chill air stinging her lungs. "We'll be here for two days. You and Hunter Zhang will teach everyone how to set traps and make hunting spears. They'll hunt their own game and make warm clothing from animal skins. Whether they survive or not depends entirely on themselves."
"What about you?" When Ye Jingchen turned around, the hunting knife on his waist gently collided with Wu Yuetang's waist, making a slight sound.
"I'll go check out the surrounding terrain and draw a simple topographic map." Wu Yuetang looked around and continued, "Once you have made arrangements here, we need to find a shelter."
"Shelter?" Ye Jingchen was stunned. The twilight in the mountains made his profile look even more stern. "The terrain around here is open. What kind of danger could there be?"
Wu Yuetang stared into his clear eyes, a bitter taste rising in her throat. The cold wind rippled her hair. She lowered her voice, each word icy and icy: "October, avalanche."
Ye Jingchen's entire body trembled, and the animal hide rope in his hand fell to the ground with a "clack." In the distance, the snow-capped peaks glowed an eerie blue in the twilight, like a dormant giant beast, quietly waiting for the moment to devour life.
When she found the village chief, the old man was repairing his broken leather boots by the light of a pine torch.
"Grandpa Village Chief, I have something urgent to tell you." Wu Yuetang squatted down. "Night Wolf Mountain will be closed to the elements in mid-October due to heavy snow. In serious cases, there will be avalanches. We must find shelter in advance."
The village chief's cracked hands suddenly stopped, and panic appeared in his cloudy eyes: "Girl, this is not a joke..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that two months ago, it was this girl who predicted the rainstorm three days in advance and helped the villagers evacuate the area, thus avoiding the flash flood. His rough hands unconsciously rubbed his beard, and sparks from the fire crackled and splashed on the edge of the blueprint, leaving small, charred holes.
The news spread like cold water on boiling oil, quickly spreading among the village chiefs. An old woman from a neighboring village, leaning on a jujube wood cane, trembled as she approached the campfire and said, "I've lived most of my life, and I've never heard of snow in October..."
Before he could finish his words, Hunter Zhang suddenly threw a piece of wood into the fire and said in a hoarse voice, "Ten years ago, my father was buried in the snow while hunting on this mountain. It was just after the beginning of October!"
Amidst the flurry of discussion, the village chiefs finally reached a consensus. Liuwan Village Chief Wang slammed a copper basin, the firelight casting a shadow on his wrinkles. "Whether the news is true or not, it's always a good idea to be prepared. Animal hides can keep you warm, traps can store food, and even if there's no avalanche, we'll have less suffering in the days ahead!"
However, when this decision was announced to the villagers, the cave erupted in chaos. Aunt Sun slapped her thigh and leaped to her feet, her greasy apron swinging as she moved. "It's Wu Yuetang's nonsense again! She was the one who caused the last rainstorm, and now she's trying to mess with us again!"
Chen Chunhe echoed in a shrill voice, her nails scraping against the stone wall. "Why should we listen to her? My Chen family has been making a living in the mountains for generations, and we don't know as much about astronomy as a little girl?"
Wu Shouyi, the old Wu family member, suddenly kicked over the pottery jar at his feet, and the pottery shards shattered into sharp teeth on the ground. "If you want to do it, do it! Our parents haven't recovered from the cold they caught in the cave last month. Why should we take risks?"
A noise broke out in the crowd. Wang Xiaobin's sister-in-law turned her face away quietly, the wooden spinning shuttle in her arms was clenched until it turned white - she had just seen the father and son of the old Wu family gambling on animal dominoes in the corner of the cave this morning.
Even harsher words pierced like ice spikes. Someone pointed at Wu Yuetang's back and whispered, "She's a jinx! If you follow her, you'll be in trouble sooner or later!"
Others shouted sarcastically, "If you are so capable, why don't you make cotton-padded clothes? Are you going to let us, the old, weak, and sick, fight with wolves for skins?"
Ye Jingchen gripped the hunting knife at his waist and was about to step forward to argue, but Wu Yuetang stopped him. She stared at the dancing flames in the fire, the light warming the coldness in her eyes. "Let them talk," her voice was so soft that it was almost swallowed by the wind. "When the snow falls, those who regret will understand that some words are not prophecies, but the path to survival."
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