Chapter 314 - 316: Picking Up a Wolf Cub
An Ning had just reached her front door when she heard Du Guijuan’s panicked wails.
"Where’s my son! Where’s my son!"
Du Guijuan was shouting all over the yard, the panic and terror in her eyes looking all too real.
An Ercheng was also anxious. He wanted to comfort Du Guijuan but also wanted to go out and find the boy, leaving him spinning in circles, completely disoriented.
"Stop your damn wailing!"
An Sancheng’s roar made Du Guijuan choke back her sobs, swallowing the sound halfway.
"What’s the point of crying? He couldn’t have gotten lost in the village. Go out and look."
An Sancheng saw An Ning and the others returning at the gate and strode over in a few large steps.
"An Ning, go look for him. An Xiaoming has run off somewhere."
’That little boy from yesterday...’ An Ning thought. ’Though he hadn’t said a word, he seemed like a child with a mind of his own.’
"Dad, I’ll go to the village office and have them make an announcement over the loudspeaker. Little brother, you get some kids together to search. Jiang Xia, you ask the villagers for help."
"And Hua Cheng, you and Yang Jianguo follow Wei Qi and Da Huang and search the village."
An Ning gave out the orders, and everyone sprang into action.
In the yard, Lin Cuihua took off her apron, tossed it to her sister-in-law, and said, "I’m going out to look. You watch the house and wait here, just in case the boy comes back."
Gao Guijuan, holding Hei Dan’er, nodded to show she understood.
The whole family mobilized. An Ercheng ran out too, leaving only Gao Guijuan and Du Guijuan at home, plus the one small baby.
A short while later, Yin Xuemei came over to teach a class. When she heard what had happened, she didn’t go out but stayed behind.
’It’s not that I think ill of people,’ she thought, ’but one can never be too careful.’
A few minutes later, the village’s loudspeaker crackled to life.
"Attention, attention! A visiting child, An Xiaoming, has gone missing."
"An Xiaoming, if you can hear this, come home right away. Your mom bought candy and is waiting for you."
"An Xiaoming is wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and black pants. He has a buzz cut and is about the same height as Wang Xiaohu."
The completely down-to-earth description allowed the villagers to quickly get a rough idea of what the boy looked like.
The announcement was repeated several times, especially the part about his mom buying candy and waiting for him to come home and eat it.
An Ning walked out of the village office and joined the search party.
She spread her spiritual power, scanning the entire area above the village. Nothing.
She had a bad feeling. He wasn’t in the village, which meant he must be outside of it. ’Could he have run out of the village? Or up the mountain?’
Just as An Ning was deciding where to go, Yang Jianguo ran over, covered in sweat and panting for breath, trying to speak.
"Don’t rush. Breathe in... breathe out..."
After taking a couple of breaths to steady himself, Yang Jianguo said anxiously, "Teacher An, someone said they saw An Xiaoming at the foot of the mountain! Wei Qi and Da Huang charged straight up the mountain from there!"
Yang Jianguo felt as if An Ning had turned into a shadow. With a WHOOSH, she flashed past him, leaving a cool breeze in her wake.
"Tell the villagers not to go up the mountain! Don’t cross the safety line!"
An Ning’s warning lingered in the air. Yang Jianguo yelled at the top of his lungs, "Got it!"
After shouting his reply, Yang Jianguo took off running again, heading for the village office to make another announcement.
An Ning, already running, pushed her speed to the human limit, charging up the mountain like a gust of wind.
Not far behind her, Jiang Xia was also rushing up the mountain like a madman.
As it turned out, Hua Cheng was no fool. He had instantly guessed something was wrong on the mountain and chose to tell Jiang Xia.
As a man experienced in the ways of love, Hua Cheng understood all too well how much a man wants to protect the woman he loves when she’s in danger.
Although his own love affairs had a short shelf life, he was sure Jiang Xia’s would last.
So, when Hua Cheng told him, Jiang Xia had charged up the mountain without a second thought, leaving Hua Cheng unable to catch up even as he chased after him.
’Brother, you’ve really fallen for her this time,’ Hua Cheng muttered to himself.
He didn’t continue up the mountain. With his physical condition, he’d just be a burden.
He’d be better off using that energy to arrange for backup.
Hua Cheng wasn’t familiar with village affairs, so he ran back to the Jiang family’s home to find Grandpa Jiang and Master Tang.
Meanwhile, An Ning, who was already on the mountain, instantly spread her spiritual power to search for any trace of An Xiaoming.
The first thing she found wasn’t An Xiaoming, but Wei Qi and Da Huang, along with the ten dogs that guarded the fruit trees, all trotting neatly behind them.
An Ning followed their trail, and after a few dozen meters, she finally found An Xiaoming.
"Damn it all!" An Ning couldn’t help but curse to herself.
An Xiaoming was currently hiding in a dirt hole, clutching a small, fluffy animal.
’On a mountain, it obviously wouldn’t be a dog.’
If An Ning wasn’t mistaken, An Xiaoming was holding a wolf cub.
Thinking of the wolf pack that had just recently migrated to the area, An Ning felt a massive headache coming on.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t win a fight, but she didn’t want a fight with casualties.
Wolf packs are not to be trifled with.
They are vicious and hold grudges.
If she provoked the pack, this mountain would no longer be safe.
Unless... she killed them all.
An Ning didn’t want to do that unless it was absolutely necessary.
An Ning quickened her pace and soon caught up with Wei Qi and Da Huang.
When the two dogs saw it was An Ning, the hairs standing on end along their necks magically flattened, and they fell in line on either side of her.
"You’ve both done a great job. Stick with me and follow my lead, understand?"
"WHIMPER..."
"WHIMPER..."
Da Huang and Wei Qi whimpered softly at An Ning, not out of distress, but to keep quiet.
An Ning ran in the direction her spiritual power was indicating, taking a moment to think that the two dogs were almost too smart for their own good.
Three minutes later, An Ning arrived with the dogs at the side of a collapsed dirt hole. She lay flat at the edge of the opening and looked down at An Xiaoming, who was still holding the wolf cub.
"An Xiaoming."
Seven- or eight-year-old An Xiaoming looked up and saw a familiar face.
"An Ning... Sis."
That last word, "Sis," was said with some reluctance. The scene of his mother trying to borrow money yesterday was still fresh in his mind. ’This big sister is really fierce.’
An Ning looked at the boy, who hadn’t cried or shouted, and asked, "Why didn’t you call for help?"
An Xiaoming stood up and said with a slightly disdainful tone, "There’s no one here. If I shouted, only animals would hear."
"Heh, so you knew there were only animals. Then what are you doing holding a wolf cub?"
An Xiaoming’s eyes widened instantly. He looked at An Ning, then at the sleeping cub in his arms, and his hands went stiff.
"I-i-i-it’s—it’s not a dog?"
An Ning didn’t answer, instead warning him, "Don’t let go. If that cub gets hurt, we won’t be able to get off this mountain."
As if to confirm An Ning’s words, a long howl echoed from not far away.
An Ning extended an arm and said to An Xiaoming, "Protect the cub. Give me one of your hands, and I’ll pull you up."
An Xiaoming wasn’t stupid. He held the wolf cub tightly with one arm and gave his other hand to An Ning.
"You should run first."
As An Ning pulled An Xiaoming up, she heard him say this.
"You’ve got a good heart, after all."
Once An Xiaoming was up, An Ning took the wolf cub into her own arms.
"AWOOOO—"
The wolf pack had arrived.