They say going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is hard.
This great mountain was undeveloped. The paths were all naturally formed, making them rugged and difficult to traverse.
The mountain path was difficult enough on its own, but with over a hundred pounds of pork on their backs, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu had to repeatedly stop and rest on their way down.
At first, it was manageable. But by the end, they could barely walk for five minutes without needing to sit down and rest.
And so, the two of them walked from just after one in the afternoon until nearly six. In October, the sky in the mountains was already dark by then.
They had now reached the foot of the mountain. Another ten minutes or so of walking and they would be clear of the mountain.
Yong'an Village, where Zhao Jun's family lived, had been built for the convenience of the employees of the Yong'an Forest Farm. The village was situated just a short distance from the foot of the mountain.
So, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu decided to take a longer rest there. They would gather their strength so the two of them could make it all the way home in one last push.
This break lasted for over twenty minutes.
As they got up and Li Baoyu helped Zhao Jun hoist the gunnysack onto his shoulder, Zhao Jun suddenly said, "Baoyu, listen. When we get into the village, if anyone asks what we're carrying, just tell them it's mountain goods."
"Uh..." Li Baoyu immediately understood what Zhao Jun was getting at.
But after a glance at the gunnysack by his feet, Li Baoyu looked troubled. "Brother, what we're carrying doesn't really look like mountain goods, does it?"
Zhao Jun laughed. "Don't worry about it. Just say it and walk away. It's not like they'd dare to rifle through our sacks to check, right?"
"No, they wouldn't dare do that." Li Baoyu laughed too.
In those days, who didn't want their family to have a little more meat to eat? Other than your closest relatives or dearest friends, who would be willing to share their meat with others?
With renewed energy, the two of them descended the mountain and entered the village.
It was nearly half-past six by then. The workers from the Forest Farm had already gotten off their shifts and gone home. Those who worked in the fields had also packed it in for the day.
It was the time of day when every family was busy cooking and eating dinner.
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu had timed their return perfectly. From the moment they entered the village until they reached their own front doors, they only ran into two people.
And both of them did indeed ask what Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu were carrying. The boys just answered, "Mountain goods," and, ignoring their questioning looks, trudged on home with the sacks on their shoulders.
By the time Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu reached their homes, their dog had already beaten them there.
The two of them had taken the dog out and been gone all day.
At first, the adults at home had no idea. Their fathers both worked at the Forest Farm and had left for their shifts right after an early breakfast.
As for Zhao Jun's mother, Wang Meilan, and Li Baoyu's mother, Jin Xiaomei, they had left lunch for their children after breakfast and then gone off to work in the fields together.
When the two women returned, it was already past three in the afternoon.
Wang Meilan got home and noticed Zhao Jun wasn't there. She asked her two daughters, but when they both shook their heads and said they didn't know where their big brother had gone, she didn't think much of it.
She wasn't the only one; Jin Xiaomei wasn't worried either.
It made sense, after all. What boy that age could stay put? They had probably just run off somewhere to play.
Besides, both Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei were confident that the two boys would be back for sure when it was time to eat.
But then it got to be past four, nearing five o'clock.
Li Baoyu's father, Li Dayong, took the Forest Farm's small commuter train down the mountain and got home.
Li Dayong entered his yard and shouted over the wall, "Sister-in-law! You home?"
At Li Dayong's shout, Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei both came out of their respective houses.
"You're back, brother?" Wang Meilan greeted him casually. The two families were neighbors, separated only by a low wall, and were as close as family.
Li Dayong held up his right hand, revealing something wrapped in old-fashioned yellow paper and tied with hemp string in a cross-hatch pattern.
"Sister-in-law, your husband asked me to bring back some dried tofu," Li Dayong said. "There are guests at the factory today. He said you and the kids should eat first and not wait for him."
Wang Meilan walked over to the wall and took the package. "Alright. Hey, brother, why don't you take some of this dried tofu back with you?"
"No need." Li Dayong grinned and held up his left hand, revealing a similar package. "You think my big brother would forget about me?"
"Alright then, I'll head back inside," Wang Meilan said with a smile, and went into her house with the package.
Meanwhile, in Baoyu's house's yard, Jin Xiaomei walked up to Li Dayong, took the package from his hand, and smiled. "Perfect. I'll stir-fry this with a few small peppers later. You and the boys love it that way."
Li Dayong said nothing and strode into the house. Once inside, he climbed onto the kang without taking off his shoes, leaning his body against the wall with his feet dangling over the edge.
Then, Jin Xiaomei could be heard from the outer room, telling her younger son to pour some water for Li Dayong.
Li Dayong had two sons and a daughter. Li Baoyu was the eldest son, the second son, Li Ruhai, was thirteen, and he also had a seven-year-old daughter named Li Xiaoqiao.
After a long day's work, Li Dayong felt exhausted. He took the enamel mug from his second son, and as he leaned against the wall, his head felt fuzzy. 'I should take a nap before dinner,' he thought.
But then he realized he hadn't seen his eldest son since he got home. He casually asked Li Ruhai, "Where'd your brother run off to this time?"
Li Ruhai chuckled. "My big brother went up the mountain with Brother Zhao to hunt wild boar and Black Bears."
"Hmph…" Li Dayong had only asked offhandedly and gave a noncommittal grunt. But as Li Ruhai's words registered in his mind, a jolt went through him. He shot upright, and the enamel mug in his hand slipped from his grasp, crashing onto the kang.
CLANG... DANG, DANG, DANG...
The enamel mug rolled and clattered across the kang.
Li Dayong's eyes were wide as saucers. He glared at his younger son and barked, "What did you just say?"
Li Ruhai, startled, froze on the spot.
"What's wrong? What's going on?" Hearing the commotion from the inner room, Jin Xiaomei, who had been cutting the dried tofu in the outer room, immediately dropped her knife and rushed in.
"Speak!" Li Dayong swung his legs down and jumped off the kang. He shoved Li Ruhai, making him stumble, and roared, "I said, speak!"
"What do you think you're doing?" Jin Xiaomei didn't know what was going on, but a mother's instinct to protect her child kicked in. Afraid that Li Dayong would hit Li Ruhai, she immediately shoved him back toward the kang with both hands.
Li Dayong stumbled back, the backs of his knees hitting the edge of the kang, and he collapsed into a sitting position on it.
Li Dayong was furious. He roared at Jin Xiaomei, "You have the nerve to ask me? What kind of mother are you? Has our boy ever even been deep in the mountains before? And you just let him go hunting with Little Zhao?"
"Hunting?" Jin Xiaomei rolled her eyes at Li Dayong in annoyance. She pointed a finger at him a couple of times and scoffed, "What are he and Zhao Xiao going to hunt? Catch a wild duck? Shoot a lynx? At most, they'd dig a badger out of its hole."
If she hadn't said that, it might have been fine. But her words made Li Dayong even more furious. He cursed, "You damned woman! You reckless fool!"
Gritting his teeth, Li Dayong pointed at Li Ruhai and snarled at Jin Xiaomei, "Go on, ask this little brat here! He said our boy and Zhao Xiao went into the mountains to hunt wild boar and Black Bears!"
"What?" Jin Xiaomei's mind went blank, and an icy chill shot through her entire body.
She had grown up around the Forest Farm. From a young age, she had followed the adults to the outskirts of the forest to forage for schisandra berries, mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and other mountain goods. She knew full well how dangerous hunting could be.
Running into a wild boar was one thing. But if they ran into a Black Bear—the kind Li Ruhai and Li Dayong were talking about—then her precious, reckless boy might never come back from that mountain.