Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 158 Following the Child's Footsteps

After listening to Yu Qiutang's brief account of the whole story, Yu Dejin fell silent. He subconsciously looked into the distance. While these people were making a fuss, it had already become completely dark.

The distant mountains that were originally hazy were now gray, as if they were painted with very light ink.

At this time, the woman in the team fell in front of Yu Dejin, almost hugging his thighs, "Uncle Dejin, please talk to my uncle and ask him to go and take a look. I beg you, if you don't go, my son...son..."

She was so angry that she couldn't catch her breath and fell directly into her sister-in-law's arms.

Yu Dejin sighed and looked at Yu Qiutang, "How about you go with me?"

Everyone stared at Yu Qiutang eagerly.

"Are you going or not? Give me some advice. We are all from the same village, why are you so serious?"

"That's right, kid, why are you like this? You're embarrassed to see someone in trouble. If you have the ability, just help them. Will someone die?"

Because Yu Qiutang had not spoken and had not given a clear answer, some of the onlookers finally became unhappy and began to make sarcastic remarks.

"Look at this poor fellow. I am just not familiar with the mountains, otherwise I would have gone there long ago."

"Yeah, why did you go to the mountains?"

Wang Haofeng was getting annoyed watching from the sidelines, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you guys talking about? Do you think going to the mountains is such a simple thing?
You all know what's going on in the mountains in the middle of the night. You all keep talking and saying nice things. Who can't say nice things? But in the end, you still want us to go in a dignified manner. What kind of people are you?"

"What are you talking about, Wang Haofeng? What does it have to do with you? I didn't say anything about you!"

"You didn't say anything about me, but you said something about my brother. That's not okay either. I tell you..."

Yu Qiutang grabbed Wang Haofeng and signaled him to stop talking.

This guy has an impatient temper and things might get really awkward.

He looked at everyone, nodded and said, "Okay, I agree to go to the mountains..."

"That's great."

"I've said it before, Qiu Tang is a sincere and kind-hearted child, I will definitely not leave him alone."

"That's it."

Zhang Jiashen pulled Teacher Yang over and said, "Qiu Tang, I'm counting on you. If you can bring the children back this time, the school and I will remember your kindness."

"Us too, too!" Several mothers also rushed to share their thoughts.

Yu Qiutang interrupted everyone's various expressions and looked at them calmly: "Every time I go into the mountains, I have to spend money, and this time is no exception.

So, before I set off, there are two things I want to make clear in advance. The first is that the child has been in the mountains for several hours, and it is night now. Even I cannot guarantee that I will be able to bring him back.

You should be mentally prepared for this. I promise that I will do my best to find them. Do you understand me?"

The mothers looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded in unison.

"That's good. Let's all bear witness to this. Don't say I didn't try my best. I, Yu Qiutang, am an open and honest person. If I agree, I will not hesitate."

Everyone nodded again.

"That's necessary. It's meant to help..."

"That's right. No matter what, it can't be blamed on this child."

Everyone discussed and nodded.

"Second, as I said earlier, every time I go into the mountains it takes time and is dangerous. I can't go into the mountains to help for free. You must pay me..."

When he said this, everyone was very surprised, even his father and Wang Haofeng were very surprised.

"As for the fee, you can calculate it in your mind and see how much the child is worth. If you give me more, I will charge you more. If you give me less, I won't mind it either, but you have to give it."

After saying that, he stopped talking, waved to Wang Haofeng, and quickly went back to prepare things.

Meanwhile, everyone was once again caught up in discussion.

Some people think that Yu Qiutang is right. Given the danger and effort involved, it is necessary to charge some hard work fees.

Some people also couldn't understand it. They were all from the same village. How could someone just sit there and ask for money when their child was in such a dangerous situation? His character and morals were too poor.

When they said these words, they did not avoid Yu Dejin.

Yu Dejin initially thought it was not a good idea for his son to ask for money, fearing that these people would come back to bite him later, and that it would be unnecessary to ask everyone to be witnesses.

At this moment, it seems really necessary.

Some are the kind of people who just enjoy watching the fun and don't mind making trouble.

They seemed to be following the three mothers to beg for help, but deep down, what they were most concerned about were the children's skipping school and going to the mountains, the accountability of the parents and the school, and how to find the three children in the middle of the night, rather than the safety of the children themselves.

In addition to this, of course, one can directly criticize Yu Qiutang from a moral perspective.

In their view, human life is of paramount importance and should be put first.

Yu Dejin originally wanted to help his son explain a few words, but after listening to a few words and seeing some people looking at him with disgust, he suddenly felt a little bored.

He said nothing and left in silence.

ten minutes later.

Yu Qiutang and Wang Haofeng were already fully armed, with guns on their backs, cold weapons in their hands, ropes wrapped around their shoulders, and two flashlights each.

Dahei, who had not yet gone to sleep, was put to use again.

It squatted quietly beside Yu Qiutang like a general, waiting for the order to set off.

Yu Qiutang was thinking about going to these three homes to get the children's clothes or supplies and letting Dahei smell them, but he didn't expect that the three mothers seemed to have come with the same idea and brought their children's clothes.

I originally wanted to find clothes for my child to wear when the weather gets cold, but now it just happens to be a source of smell for the dog.

After sniffing, Yu Qiutang asked Wang Haofeng to put away the three pieces of clothing.

He pulled Dahei and was about to leave.

"and many more!"

Miali came running over from behind the crowd, shouting, holding two cloth bags in her hands, giving one to each of them.

"These are freshly steamed buns. Eat them on the road. Be careful."

"it is good."

There were so many people around that it was not convenient for Yu Qiutang to say anything. He nodded to Mi Yali's seriousness, turned around and left quickly.

Wang Haofeng followed closely behind.

Miali watched the two figures quickly disappear into the darkness. She clenched her fists lightly and looked at the villagers around her who were waiting anxiously. She felt that they were so annoying.

A large group of people stared at Yu Qiutang. But he was not a god, so he couldn't do whatever he wanted.

He said he came to ask for help, and he was kneeling and crying. That was the normal way to ask for help. I was afraid that if he was not granted help, he would be beaten to death with a stick and would never be able to live in the village again.

Perhaps these mothers didn’t think so.

But objectively speaking, Yu Qiutang is still being put on the spot. It seems that he has a choice and there is really no room for negotiation.

Only he could come up with a plan to ask for money, which was considered a small win-win for the team.

I hope they can return safely with their children.

She muttered to herself.
.
It is not appropriate to walk on mountain trails at night unless it is absolutely necessary.

Yu Qiutang is a man of great skill and courage.

Wang Haofeng is ignorant and fearless.

Only with such a combination can we take risks and move forward under pressure.

Oh, and there's Dahei.

Since the dog was adopted by them, he has been eating and drinking well every day and has been treated much better than before.

It is also much stronger than before.

Fortunately, it probably knew that its original owner did not cherish it, so it recognized from the bottom of its heart that Yu Qiutang and Wang Haofeng had saved it.

And I have great trust in them.

"Heizi, walk slower!" Heizi, who hadn't been out for a long time, was obviously very excited. He was ready to run wildly before he even ran out of the path at the door.

Yu Qiutang hurriedly called out to him.

His eyesight is better than that of an average person at night, but still far behind that of a dog.

This guy is dark to begin with, and if he runs far away, you won’t be able to see where he is.

Heizi was very obedient. He turned around and ran back to a distance of two or three meters in front of the two people. If he ran a little faster and found that the distance was getting bigger, he would turn around and run back, or wait where he was.

Very well-behaved.

When will my three little ones be able to play a role?

Yu Qiutang couldn't help but ponder.

After reaching the fork in the road, Wang Haofeng turned right, but was stopped by Yu Qiutang, "Don't go that way!"

"what?"

Wang Haofeng looked ahead,
"Don't we always go this way? The entrance to the mountain trail is right in front of us. Why not go this way?"

"You don't understand. We are not going to hunt or get anything this time. We are looking for children, so we have to think from the perspective of the children."

"Is that so? Then tell me, what is the child's perspective? I don't understand. I don't have any children, and I don't have two little nephews like you do."

"You talk too much nonsense." Yu Qiutang glared at him.

"Let's go to the area near the school first."

"Okay then, I'll follow you."

Wang Haofeng has many shortcomings, but his strengths are also outstanding, especially when it comes to Yu Qiutang, where he focuses on being obedient.

If you don’t understand, then just don’t understand.

He believed that as long as he followed Yu Qiutang, he would be right.

Or maybe Yu Qiutang was wrong, but he wasn't that wrong.

The two continued walking straight ahead, crossing a wheat field. Instead of taking the main road, they went straight through the field to the school.

Before you notice it around the manor, as soon as you step out, the wild wind rushes towards you unbridled without any walls or trees to block your view, and it immediately becomes as cold as a knife.

Maybe frost is about to fall.

Yu Qiutang thought to himself.

Fortunately, the two of them were well prepared. They were wearing tight clothes and had scarves wrapped around their necks. Otherwise, the cold wind would have blown into their necks and would have chilled their entire bodies.

"Susu!"

The wheat in the wheat field, after a short period of growth, has slowly dried up due to the drop in temperature. Walking on it feels like walking on firewood.

But it’s a good thing it’s at this time. If it were any other season, you wouldn’t dare walk through the wheat fields. The owners would definitely rush out with sticks to drive you away when they see you.

After crossing the wheat field, there is a small pit in front. Go around the edge of the pit and you will reach the back wall of the school.

Wangzhuang Primary School has a special terrain, with the back belonging to Team 4 and the front belonging to Team 5.

The fourth team is higher.

Team five is seven or eight meters lower than team four as a whole.

This is the particularity of hilly land. It is not noticeable when viewed from close up, but if you put it on a map, you can see that there are still large step differences.

The two stood at the back wall of the school, looking at the school at night.

This is the place where their home is closest to the school. If they are late, the two of them and another friend will jump directly from this platform.

There just happens to be the school's garbage dump below.

There's a lot of garbage piled up there, so it's okay to jump in.

In other words, rural children are tough. If they were city children, especially those who have not exercised, they would have a hard time climbing up seven or eight meters even with something to cushion them.

But they all jumped it many times and nothing happened.

If you don't jump from here, you have to go around the main road in front, which will take more than ten minutes.

Not to mention being late easily.

Teacher Yang also liked to stand guard at the door. Not only would you be beaten if you were late, you would also be forced to walk around the playground in circles, and in the end you might even have to stand by the flower bed and freeze for the entire morning.

It’s definitely a loss.

Just jump off the back wall and solve all your troubles.

"What should we do now?" Wang Haofeng saw that Yu Qiutang remained silent, so he had to ask him.

Yu Qiutang was silent for a moment, then pointed to a place and said, "Those three kids, they're in the fifth grade, right?"

"It seems so..." Wang Haofeng was not sure, "What's the difference?"

"I remember it was that row of classrooms for the fifth grade?"

“I think so…” Wang Haofeng scratched his head in embarrassment, “I can’t quite remember.”

"It's only been a few years since graduation, and you've forgotten?"

"Hey, you forgot, didn't something happen to me in fifth grade? I didn't go to school for long."

Yu Qiutang was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "That's the fifth grade. They were at the fifth grade entrance at the time, so they definitely wouldn't run to the right, because the right side must pass the teacher's office."

"That's right, then what?"

"Let's go over there." Yu Qiutang said no more and took the dog quickly to the east of the school.

Running down the slope, there was an alley below, and there were almost houses in the alley.

There was a green lantern hanging at the door of one house, which was quite creepy.

That's the custom here.

If the relative has been dead for less than seven days, a green lantern will be hung at the door.

Wang Haofeng shrank his head, quickened his pace, and followed Yu Qiutang closely.

He is timid, but he is not afraid of humans or beasts, even if he cannot defeat them, and he will just go straight ahead and fight. He is brave, but he will shrink back when he hears anything supernatural or spooky.

Yu Qiutang didn't bother with all this and groped his way along the outer wall of the school. When he reached a position in front, he saw a gap.

He lay on the gap and looked inside, facing the fifth grade classroom.

"It should have slipped away from this side."

Wang Haofeng nodded. They had all done things like climbing over the wall and escaping.

Yu Qiutang turned around, looked at the surroundings, and tried hard to imagine himself as a few students.

They had just come out of school and must be very nervous, wanting to escape from the teacher's sight as quickly as possible.

But even after leaving school, they didn't dare to go home immediately.

For naughty children, the school and parents are in the same boat. If the school punishes them, the family will not feel at ease either.

They must be worried that if they run back home, the teacher will come and give them a beating.

Of course, from the moment he ran away, he was destined to be beaten.

But the children can’t imagine it lasting that long, so they try to hide away for as long as they can.

Since I can't go home and I have to avoid the teacher's sight, I definitely won't take the main road. There is a small square in front, which is also the location of the village committee.

There are two small shops and two pharmacies. There are often teachers playing chess or watching others play chess in front of the small shops. If you pass by, you may be caught on the spot.

The consequences would be disastrous.

Avoiding this direction, the only option is to take the path on the southeast side. Go forward along the pond. There is a forest. After passing through the forest, you will reach the foot of the nearest mountain.

(End of this chapter)