296 Up the Mountain

“You’re right. It’s useless for us to read too much into it. We’re all here now.” Yue Jiaojiao picked up the pile of letters on the table and placed them under the box together with the wooden box. “Who knows, the truth might suddenly appear after we forget about this matter. It’s just like how you can’t find something when you crazily try to find it, but when you forget about it one day, that thing will suddenly appear.”

Zhao Zhan heaved a sigh of relief. “If it wasn’t for Madam Qin’s reminder, I might have been stuck at a dead end.”

“That’s alright. I’ll make dinner today. I’ll make two authentic Yang City dishes for you to try.”

Just as Zhao Zhan was about to reject her, Yue Jiaojiao grabbed his hand and said, “Let her cook. I haven’t tasted Yang City’s dishes in a long time.”

It was also because Zhao Zhan’s mood had been too unstable today, so Yue Jiaojiao wanted him to relax a little.

“Zhao Zhan, shall we bring Chengfeng up the mountain?”

Chengfeng, who was lying at the door, heard his name being called, so he ran to Yue Jiaojiao and rubbed his head against her leg.

He had grown into a big boy and had gotten rid of his soft and cute image. He looked very majestic.

The hole in the backyard had been expanded again.

If Chengfeng were to appear in the village now, he would probably make a large number of people faint.

“He doesn’t need us to feed him anymore. Didn’t he stay in the mountain for half a month last time?” Yue Jiaojiao patted Chengfeng’s head a few times, then stroked his fur. “We should send him back to the mountains.”

“Hunters don’t usually go deep into the mountains. What if someone finds Chengfeng wandering around the periphery of the mountains and traps him?”

A tiger could be sold for a lot of money.

If other hunters discovered its tracks, it was hard to guarantee that they would not be tempted to give it a shot.

Zhao Zhan touched Chengfeng’s head reluctantly. “The weather is not so cold now. Chengfeng should go up the mountain to get used to it. When spring comes and the flowers bloom, the wild beasts on the mountain will slowly come out and move around. It will be more dangerous for him.”

Chengfeng seemed to have understood what they were talking about.

His pair of big, golden eyes looked at theirs, and he let out a low chuff sound twice. He then placed his head on Yue Jiaojiao’s lap, his eyes never leaving Yue Jiaojiao’s face.

It seemed to be human.

The rims of Yue Jiaojiao’s eyes reddened, and she hurriedly turned around to wipe her tears away with a handkerchief. “Zhao Zhan, bring your weapon along. Let’s bring him up. Let’s send him deep into the mountains and find him a place where no large animals occupy. Then we can prepare something to build a nest for it.”

The wild beasts had to return to the forest.

Keeping him by their side had suppressed his beastly nature.

Zhao Zhan went to the utility room to make the arrangements.

Yue Jiaojiao thought for a moment, then took her and Zhao Zhan’s hairpins and put them away. She gently patted Chengfeng’s head and said, “Be good. I’ll take you up the mountain, okay?”

Chengfeng raised his head and looked at Yue Jiaojiao.

Yue Jiaojiao couldn’t bear to see the look in his eyes, so she picked up her things, stood up, and walked out of the door.

Chengfeng was still lying there, motionless. Yue Jiaojiao tilted her head to look at him, then beckoned him over. “Chengfeng, come here.”

Chengfeng tilted his head.

He stood up slowly, glanced at Yue Jiaojiao, and then turned to look at the room. He turned a few times on the spot and let out a low meowling sound at her.

Yue Jiaojiao did not move.

Chengfeng lowered his head and slowly walked to her.

When Zhao Zhan came over with his basket, he saw the pitiful appearance of the tiger and sighed.

He walked over and held Yue Jiaojiao’s hand. “Let’s go.”

When the two of them brought Chengfeng to the vicinity of the cave, he stopped and stubbornly used his claws to dig into the ground. He was unwilling to follow them into the mountain.

He kept howling non-stop.

Yue Jiaojiao’s tears rolled down her face.

Zhao Zhan also felt a lump in his throat. He held the woman in his arms and comforted her gently, “Just see it as Chengfeng going to the mountains to play as usual. It’s just that he’ll be playing for a little longer this time. Maybe in the future, when he remembers us, he will come down the mountain to find us.”

Yue Jiaojiao was crying so hard that she couldn’t even speak properly. “Chengfeng…”

Chengfeng walked over. He stood up and placed his paws on Yue Jiaojiao’s waist, hugging her like a human.

“Chengfeng, the mountain is your home.”

For the first time, Yue Jiaojiao didn’t care about the dirt on the ground. She squatted down and hugged Chengfeng’s neck. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Zhao Zhan and I will send you home now. If you encounter wild beasts on the mountain, run if you can’t beat them. Don’t fight them head-on. If you’re injured, come down the mountain and find me at home. I’ll ask Doctor Sun to treat you.

Chengfeng let out a few sounds, as if he had understood the meaning of the words, and his big golden eyes were filled with tears.

When Yue Jiaojiao let go of him again, he obediently followed behind the two of them.

However, his head was lowered, unlike the usual time when he goes to the mountain to play with them where he would run in circles around them.

Zhao Zhan followed the path deep into the mountains.

The trees were getting thicker and thicker, and some greenery could be vaguely seen.

From time to time, they could hear the howls of wild beasts, and they could even see traces of small animals scurrying around.

“It’s almost time.”

Zhao Zhan stuck his machete into the ground. “There are many small animals in this area. There shouldn’t be any large beasts.”

Tigers had a strong sense of territory.

Zhao Zhan didn’t feel at ease to rashly occupy other people’s territory and let Chengfeng fight them.

“There’s a cave next to us too.” Zhao Zhan pointed to a place not far from them. “We can let Chengfeng go there and mark it. It’ll be his home in the future.”

“I was afraid that Chengfeng would miss us too much, so I took two sets of clothes from home.” Yue Jiaojiao was tired from the walk. I’ll leave these clothes in the cave as well, as a memento for him.”

“You rest here for a while, I’ll go and lay out the bed for Chengfeng.”

Zhao Zhan took out a piece of tiger skin from his basket. “This is Chengfeng’s blanket when he sleeps at home. It’s covered with his smell, so it can be considered as him marking his territory.”

“Alright, I’ll take Chengfeng around the area and let him get familiar with the place. Don’t go too far. Be careful and don’t get caught.”

After all, this was the depths of Sunset Mountain.

Danger was everywhere.

Zhao Zhan looked relaxed on the surface, but he had actually been maintaining a high level of vigilance.

“Don’t worry, we won’t.”

Yue Jiaojiao called out, and Chengfeng followed by her feet.

He must have felt the arrival of the departure, so he followed her step by step. He looked depressed, and his usual mischievousness was completely gone.

After Zhao Zhan tidied up the cave, Yue Jiaojiao heard the noise and brought Chengfeng back to the cave.

“Chengfeng!”

As soon as he reached the entrance of the cave, Chengfeng turned around and rushed out as if he was flying to reach them.

Zhao Zhan stopped Yue Jiaojiao, who was about to give chase. “Don’t worry, he should be back soon. With us here, he won’t run home.”

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