Ch 18: My Wolf Husband

Walking in the snow-covered Eastern Mountains was challenging, and with one wrong step, you could find yourself waist-deep in a snow pit. Lin Shuishi didn’t venture far, instead staying close to the familiar forest and “visiting” his neighbor, the plump squirrel.

To his surprise, the plump squirrel now had little plump squirrels! The family stood in a row, big and small, munching on pine nuts while watching Lin Shuishi bustle about—an amusing scene.

Lately, Lin Shuishi had been busy not only gathering and storing his own food but also digging up fresh grass for the little horse to eat. After examining the small creature, he saw that it had only a sprained tendon, with no broken bones. A few days of care, and it would be back on its feet.

He went into the forest and gathered plenty of hazelnuts, water celery, and other plants. He also made a special trip to the old tree where the lingzhi mushrooms grew, picking several large, plump red lingzhi mushrooms to nourish himself and the little horse. Carrying a large basket back, the deep snow made the journey tough, but he managed without freezing, even working up a bit of sweat.

The weather had warmed up recently, especially around the treehouse. Even without a fire, Lin Shuishi could comfortably curl up in his pile of animal skins and continue spinning yarn.

As night fell, Lin Shuishi carried a brazier of fire into the treehouse, placing thick wooden planks between the fire and the wooden floor. He sat by the fire on a small wooden couch in the treehouse. Though not as warm as by the earth stove, the temperature was bearable. The jet-black, glossy little foal nestled quietly beside him, while Lin Shuishi busied himself with his spun yarn, using the knitting needles he had carefully crafted—four peeled, sharpened, and resin-coated green branches.

The sweat on his back slowly cooled, but the salt in it stung the wound on his neck, making him think of the fierce Fuli.

At that moment, a human-like beast was leaping through the mountain forest. With sharp teeth and claws bared, Fuli was chasing a stag even larger and stronger than the white wolf king. The stag’s antlers were extremely sharp and robust—enough to gut a lion. But now, the powerful antlers had become a burden, slowing the terrified stag. With a leap, the beast landed behind the stag, pressing it to the ground with strong arms and sinking his teeth into its artery.

In just a moment, the once-mighty ruler of the mountain forest ceased to breathe.

Fuli raised his head, his face splattered with the stag’s arterial blood, which was still warm and steaming in the cold forest. His pupils narrowed to slits, unable to control the primal hunting urge surging through him.

He was no longer hunting out of hunger.

As the bloodlust gradually subsided, Fuli began to feel uneasy. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself, to regain control.

Finally, he bounded up to a mountain ridge, overlooking the ranges.

Tonight, the Eastern Mountain’s night sky was bright with moonlight, dimming the stars. Fuli crouched like a wolf on the mountain ridge, letting the nearly full moonlight shine into his now dark golden beast-like eyes. His breathing was heavy, his muscles slick with sweat. Alone on the silent peak, Fuli instinctively threw his head back and howled at the moon.

The sound was deep and resonant, spreading like waves and prompting all the wolves in the forest to join in. Soon, the Eastern Mountains were filled with howls, sending shivers through every creature.

An old white wolf emerged from a hollow tree, unlike the other wolves who raised their heads to join the chorus. Its expression was grave as it gazed at the almost full moon in the sky.

Lin Shuishi stepped out of the treehouse, listening to the howls that echoed through the mountains. He looked around but couldn’t find the figure he was hoping to see. He glanced down at the partially knitted sweater in his hands—its dimensions were quite large, far too big for his small frame.

The little foal, raised beside the horse king, wasn’t afraid of the wolf howls. It merely watched as Lin Shuishi stepped outside and stood on the platform. Its large, grape-like eyes blinked, its long lashes fluttering. Gathering its strength, it finally stood up, limping over to Lin Shuishi and gently nudging him as if to comfort him.

The chorus of wolf howls also startled another group of people. Old Man Zheng had already set up camp at the foot of the Dongshen mountain. After the snow stopped, they had gathered their gear, packed provisions, and brought hunting dogs, crossing over the Western Mountain to camp at the base of the Dongshen Mountain.

Dongshen Mountain held a deep legendary significance for the people of Rehe Village. It was said to be the domain of the wolf god, who once saved a villager lost in the mountains and made a pact with them never to set foot in Dongshen Mountain, promising mutual non-aggression. Since their ancestors’ time, the people of Rehe Village had never ventured into Dongshen Mountain.

Hearing the faint wolf howls echoing through the mountains only made the legend more believable.

The seven hunters and three hunting dogs gathered around the fire only knew the way through the Western Mountain. Now, they had reached the border river that separated Dongshen and Western Mountains. In winter, the river was frozen solid, unlike the warm river flowing from the Eastern Mountain to the village, which remained warm even in winter. Old Zheng decided that they would cross the river and begin their ascent of the Eastern Mountain early the next morning.

For this journey, in addition to his lifelong brothers, Old Zheng brought along his third son, Dongsheng. Old Zheng had four sons, but only Dongsheng had inherited his skills as a hunter. Dongsheng was a born hunter, even surpassing his father in skill, so Old Zheng felt more confident with him on this trip.

At twenty-four years old, Dongsheng was strong and good-natured, though his years of hunting in the Western Mountain had kept him from settling down with a good family. Old Zheng had already made up his mind: if they could bring Lin Shuishi back alive, he would keep him in their home and eventually make him Dongsheng’s husband. He was confident that Lin Shuishi wouldn’t be mistreated by the wives in the family.

Dongsheng arrived from the Western Mountain with a hunting dog carrying a wild pheasant in its mouth and five plump rabbits he had just caught. He expertly skinned the rabbits, skewered them on branches, and placed them over the fire to roast. The group ate a simple meal with dry rations.

“Old Zheng, are we really heading up Dongshen Mountain tomorrow?” Li Erlang asked nervously, still uneasy from the sound of wolves in the mountains.

In the flickering firelight, Old Zheng nodded solemnly. “When we reach Dongshen Mountain, we’re not to hunt anything. We mustn’t disturb the creatures there. We’ll quietly make our way to where they left Shuishi, and see if the hunting dogs can pick up a scent.”

“But it’s been so long,” someone else added. “The scent on the old clothes we took from his uncle’s house has probably faded. I don’t know if the dogs will still be able to track him.”

Dongsheng swallowed the last bite of his dry roasted meat and reassured them, “Uncle Li, don’t worry. Xitiao and the others have excellent noses. If there’s a trail, they’ll find it.”

With heavy hearts but holding on to a glimmer of hope, the group rose early the next day, crossed the river, and quietly began their search in the forbidden Dongshen Mountain.

Meanwhile, Lin Shuishi had been working on the sweater for several days but still hadn’t seen Fuli. It was as if he had vanished, leaving Lin Shuishi alone in the small, confined space of the treehouse, filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

He had knitted late into the night by the fire, and when he woke up, his eyes were sore. But he still had to prepare food for himself and the little horse, which could now stand but still couldn’t run or jump.

He cooked a pot of meat soup and then prepared a small pot of mashed chestnuts for the little horse. The horse wagged its tail as it ate, but its long mane kept falling into the pot, getting covered in chestnut mush.

Lin Shuishi carefully examined the jet-black foal. With his limited knowledge about horses, he thought it might be a Friesian horse. There could be other colors in the herd, but the horse king and this foal seemed to be purebred.

The mother horse looked magnificent when she ran, with long, powerful legs, a graceful posture, and over half a meter of flowing black mane that fluttered in the wind. She was as fast as lightning, able to outrun an avalanche!

He admired the little horse’s beauty for a while, then reached out and braided its long, black mane, neatly tying it to one side. Only then did the little horse contentedly eat its chestnut mush. Lin Shuishi grinned; with its mane braided, the foal looked even more precious, both sturdy and handsome.

This made him think of that person’s often disheveled hair, which would fall messily down the back of their neck, sometimes brushing against his own neck and cheek. He had memorized the feel of it. Now, his mind wandered even further, imagining that if that person’s hair were braided, it would probably look even better than the foal’s.

It would reveal that person’s smooth forehead, prominent nose, and those deep, piercing eyes—maybe then they would look more “human.”

A few days later, the sweater was finished, folded neatly and softly to the side.

Lin Shuishi decided to venture out. That person had brought a large portion of the dried hides from the wolf’s den to the treehouse. While they were warm, they were also stiff! He needed to tan these hides properly so that he wouldn’t have to worry about clothing or bedding for the entire winter.

Once he made up his mind, he set off, carrying a basket filled with hides, heading toward the hot spring area. He believed that, after the incident with the leopard, no other wild animals would dare come near this place.

Much of the snow in the forest had melted, revealing patches of earth with a hint of green. Lin Shuishi carefully followed the route that Fuli had shown him last time, arriving safely at his destination.

While tanning the hides, he took the opportunity to bathe in the upstream section of the wolf’s spring. The wolves merely sniffed him curiously, sometimes brushing up against him in a friendly manner.

After soaking the cleaned hides in the wolf’s spring, he got up to explore the area around the river where the hot springs converged, wondering if he could find any fish or shellfish to bring back.

Lin Shuishi followed the red rocks to the steamy riverbank, but the river was crystal clear, with no signs of life. He sighed in understanding and was about to return when he suddenly heard a commotion in the nearby valley.

It wasn’t the usual long howl used for communication but rather the aggressive barking and growling that indicated an encounter with an enemy! And why did he also hear a dog’s bark? He had been with the wolf pack for some time and knew that no wolf barked like a dog, which piqued his curiosity.

Lin Shuishi was well aware of his limitations—going there would only add to the chaos. But he remembered the day he saw the wolf king with its belly torn open, and he thought that maybe he could help save an injured wolf. Unable to resist, he cautiously made his way toward the valley.

Several elderly white wolves, who had been soaking in the hot springs, noticed Lin Shuishi heading toward the valley. They shook off the water and carefully followed him.

When Lin Shuishi turned around and saw the white wolves trailing behind him, he felt even more confident.

He quickened his pace, running down into the forest at the base of the valley. There, he saw a group of over ten gray and green wolves surrounding something, growling and snapping viciously. As he moved closer, he froze in shock.

The wolves were in a standoff with two hunting dogs—one lay dead in a pool of blood, its neck broken.

And the hunting dogs were protecting a person who was lying on the ground!