Ch 16: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi had been taken by the villagers of Yuanshan Village to Dongshan to be sacrificed to the wolves for over a month before whispers of this event reached the ears of his late father’s brothers. They heard it from a young woman who had returned to Rehe Village after visiting her family.

The news caused an uproar among the men, all of whom were seasoned hunters with blood on their hands. They quickly rallied under the leadership of the eldest, Old Man Zheng, and after a brief discussion, a group of them set out on a ten-mile journey to demand an explanation for the death of their late friend’s only bloodline.

Old Man Zheng was especially incensed. Years ago, while hunting at the foot of Xishan, he and his brothers had been attacked by a grizzly bear. It was Lin Shuishi’s father who had saved them, though Zheng was left with a crippled leg. This injury had forced him to take up carpentry to provide for his family, but it also meant that he owed his life to Lin Shuishi’s father.

When he heard that his friend’s only child had been sacrificed to the wolves, he was filled with rage and regret. He couldn’t help but think that he should have taken the boy in and raised him as his own, even though he already had four sons of his own, and rumors might have spread. Marrying him off would have solved the issue. He shouldn’t have given in to Lin Shuishi’s uncle’s pleas, thinking it was for the best, only to have it lead to the boy’s demise.

Now, a group of men had gathered at Lin Shuishi’s uncle’s house, and tensions were high.

A younger hunter, Li, couldn’t contain his anger. He had already taken an ax to the wooden door, and now, seeing that the heartless aunt still refused to admit anything, he shouted in fury.

“You wretch! When Brother Lin and his wife passed away, we wanted to raise Lin Shuishi ourselves. But you and your husband came begging, crying about family ties and how important it was to keep the bloodline together. That’s the only reason we let go!”

Another man added, “Not only did you take away all of Lin Shuishi’s family’s belongings, but we each chipped in something. With what we gave you, you could have supported not just one, but three or five children! So where is Lin Shuishi now?”

The woman’s eyes darted around, thinking quickly. She forced a smile and said, “The boy grew up, so of course, he got married! He’s now a concubine to a wealthy family in town!”

Old Man Zheng, seeing that she still wouldn’t tell the truth, scolded her harshly, “Enough with your lies! Call out Sun Bighead! Hand over the boy to us, and we’ll let this go. If not, know that Rehe Village doesn’t take such things lightly!”

The aunt, however, seemed to have no fear. She leaned against the doorframe and sneered, “Hmph! My brother works at the county office. He’s a favorite of the county magistrate! You lot didn’t bother to find out who you’re dealing with before coming to threaten me? Ha! You’d better go home and take a good look in the mirror!”

The men were furious and stormed into the house, grabbing the cowardly uncle, who stammered and refused to speak. They gave him a good beating! The woman, enraged, lunged at them, and a chaotic brawl ensued, with her hairpins breaking and beads scattering across the floor.

She sat down on the ground, wailing and slapping her thighs, “The butchers from Rehe Village are killing people! They’re bullying us because we don’t have any sons!” But when she saw that no one paid her any mind and the men continued to beat her husband until he spat out a tooth, she steeled herself, thinking of her successful brother. She decided she had nothing left to lose.

“You filthy scum! You want to find Lin Shuishi? I’ll tell you where he is.”

The men stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the woman, who was still sitting on the ground, making a scene. “Looking for him? Go look in the belly of a wolf in Dongshan! Maybe you’ll find some bones left!”

“You!” hunter Li shouted, grabbing the woman and slapping her. He was about to swing his ax when the village chief and other villagers from Yuanshan arrived. Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Old Man Zheng, realizing that things had gone too far, gritted his teeth and reluctantly ordered the men to let the couple go for now.

The men then searched the couple’s house, taking everything that had once belonged to Lin Shuishi’s father—good furs and fine bows. To leave such items in the hands of such people was to waste them! The village chief didn’t stop them; as long as there was no legal trouble, no one wanted to meddle.

The woman, her face swollen from the slaps, continued to curse, “You filthy swine, just you wait! You’ll all be thrown in jail and lose your heads!”

Amid her venomous words, the men trudged back to Rehe Village through the snow.

On the way, hunter Li muttered, “What do we do now? We might never find Shuishi. How are we going to face Brother Lin when we’re in the ground?”

Old Man Zheng remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“Wait for the snow to stop, then we go into Dongshan!”

The group paused momentarily upon hearing this, but soon after, they slowly resumed walking.

Meanwhile, deep in the Dongshan mountain, Lin Shuishi was completely unaware of the events unfolding. He was in the wolf king’s den, surrounded by a pile of fluffy wolf cubs, carefully grooming their fur. The little cubs, still in the process of shedding their baby fur, were enjoying the attention immensely, purring contentedly. Lin Shuishi looked at the growing pile of soft fur beside him, pleased that he was gathering enough for his project.

For the past few days, with the snow falling, Fuli had stayed in the wolf den. Although the den was warm, space was limited, and the unique, rugged scent of the man constantly filled Lin Shuishi’s nostrils. As they lay side by side on the animal skins, their bodies would occasionally brush against each other, causing Lin Shuishi to be extremely cautious even when coughing. Whenever they accidentally touched, his heart would race, and he’d be left flustered for quite some time.

Thankfully, his little savior appeared at the entrance of the den, sneaking in with a mix of caution and boldness. Observing Fu Li’s silence, the cub gathered its courage, acted cute, and successfully coaxed Lin Shuishi away to the wolf king’s den.

The wolf king’s den, which was more spacious to accommodate the young cubs, was cleaner and more organized than Fuli’s den, lacking the various animal skins and trophies scattered about. The ground was hard-packed from years of use, and the interior was meticulously clean.

Lin Shuishi hesitated at the entrance, wary of entering for fear of angering the adult wolves. In his mind, mother animals, especially those with young, were usually fiercely territorial.

Just as he was about to turn back to the nerve-wracking confines of Fuli’s den, the large queen mother wolf emerged. She sniffed him kindly and gently led him into the den.

Despite the snow, the wolf king and the mother wolf needed to patrol the area around the den to prevent any unforeseen dangers. Recently, as the wolf king’s injuries had healed, Fuli had returned these duties to the couple.

As they were heading out for their “work,” they happened upon Lin Shuishi hesitating at the entrance and felt at ease leaving their pups in the care of this “sister-in-law,” unconcerned about their solitary elder brother guarding the den.

This was Lin Shuishi’s second time encountering the wolf king, and he found it astonishing how the wolf had healed at an inexplicable speed. The wound on its belly was almost invisible, though the wolf appeared slightly thinner.

The wolf king approached Lin Shuishi, giving him a cursory sniff as if to greet him, before bounding off into the snow-covered hills with the mother wolf. Their white fur quickly blended into the snowy landscape, disappearing from view.

Lin Shuishi, surrounded by a dozen noisy, chubby little white balls, used his hands as a comb, collecting a handful of their baby fur. The little white wolf, satisfied with having brought Lin Shuishi to its den, curled up contentedly at his feet and fell asleep.

By midnight, Lin Shuishi was exhausted, but the cubs were still full of energy. Just as he was about to doze off, a dark figure appeared at the entrance of the den. The wolf cubs instinctively stopped playing and pouncing, immediately huddling together.

Lin Shuishi crawled forward a bit to get a better look. The dark figure suddenly entered the den. It was a frustrated Fuli, baring his teeth as he hoisted Lin Shuishi onto his broad shoulder and carried him back to his own den.

Outside, the snow had lessened, and a nearly full moon peeked through the clouds, casting a faint outline.

Inside the den, Fuli was restless, constantly rubbing his body against Lin Shuishi.

The scent of another male on the female made him agitated and furious. He pinned Lin Shuishi against the animal skins, his nose pressed against the delicate nape, sniffing carefully. Unable to control himself, he bared his sharp teeth and bit down.

Lin Shuishi struggled in fear, but the strong body behind him ruthlessly suppressed him.

He listened to Fuli’s fierce growls from behind, frozen in place, stubbornly lowering his head, refusing to look at or speak to Fuli.

Seeing the slight bleeding on Lin Shuishi’s neck, Fuli finally came to his senses, feeling as if his blood was boiling, surging within him. Afraid he might crush the delicate neck beneath him, he quickly pulled away. After a while, Lin Shuishi felt the pressure on his body suddenly lift. When he turned around, Fuli was gone.