Chapter 483: A Thrilling Night Deep in the Mountains
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Mom! Mom!"
A piercing cry broke the evening silence of the mountains.
A guy in his thirties, who seemed like a farmer based on his clothes, was holding a boy under the age of ten in his arms. He was running among the thorns and vines, followed by a peasant woman, who looked to be about the same age as the farmer.
As they ran away, they looked back in horror, as if something terrible was chasing them. Not far behind them, bushes were swinging violently and a pair of green eyes were vaguely visible.
"I can't run anymore…Just leave with Hu Wa."
The woman was so tired that she was out of breath, clinging to a tree and no longer able to take another step. In a blink of an eye, she was more than ten meters behind her husband.
"Keep up!"
Her husband did farm work everyday, and even though he was holding their child, his physical strength was much better than hers. He stomped anxiously, "The wolves are catching up!"
Their hometown suffered from famine and floods. As a result, the family of three fled with their fellow countrymen to this region. They heard that under Britain's rule, Hong Kong was not affected by the war, so they had been seeking opportunities to sneak into Hong Kong. They just wanted to arrive in Hong Kong as soon as possible, so they ran day and night, but ended up running into these remote mountains and getting attacked by a pack of wolves. Panic-stricken, they were separated from their fellow countrymen, who suffered the fate of the wolves.
It was a bad harvest year. The bloodthirsty wolves probably came from the Western regions, attacking people when they were close to starving.
"Leave with our child! I'll catch up after some rest."
The face of the peasant woman was smeared with tears. She knew her husband's temper all too well. If she stopped running, then her husband would definitely stop running, and the three of them were bound to die here. That's why she said she would catch up later, it was an excuse to make her husband keep running.
"What are you talking about? You silly woman, keep up with me!" Her husband was not that gullible. He knew his wife was only able to run this far because they didn't stop to take breaks. If she stopped, he was afraid that she wouldn't be able to run any longer.
"Mom! I want my mom!"
Less than ten years old, Hu Wa was crying and reaching for his mother. Due to malnutrition, Hu Wa appeared to be thinner than most children of the same age. His arms as thin as twigs were stressful to look at. Luckily, that meant he was lighter, otherwise his father would not be able to run so far carrying him.
What the mother hated most was the thought of being separated from her child.
Instead of running to her husband and her child, she gritted her teeth and pushed herself away from the tree and into the path beside her. She exhausted her last effort to run and shouted, "Chen Tiedan! You must take Hu Wa to Hong Kong. If something bad happens to him, I will come back and haunt you."
Chen Tiedan froze for a second before he realized what was going on. She was bringing the wolves her way, in hopes that he would survive with their child.
Silly woman! You have been stupid your whole life, why are you being smart today?
Chen Tiedan thumped his chest and stomped. He grit his teeth to hold back his tears.
Seeing his mother disappear in the woods, Hu Wa wanted to call her, but his father covered his mouth.
With tears in his eyes, Chen Tiedan couldn't see anything clearly. He turned around, pushed branches aside, and ran ahead staggeringly.
"Ah!"
He hadn't run very far when he heard his wife's cry.
Chen Tiedan closed his eyes tightly, thinking that he was about to hear his wife's wailing before she was torn apart by the wolves.
"Meow!"
"Bark!"
He froze for a moment. Whose cat and dog were those? The cat may be a wildcat, what about the dog? Was it a wild dog?
"Ow-woo!"
He heard a whining, as if someone was injured. A similar sound was often heard when his neighbor's German Shepherd was kicked in the stomach.
He looked back terrifyingly, staring in the direction his wife ran. The branches of that area were rustling violently, as if there were beasts fighting there.
Chen Tiedan knew the odds were against his wife, but he hadn't completely lost hope because the commotion was quite unusual. Before his fellow countrymen died, they all let out a harsh wail. Why was his wife so quiet?
When he was lost in thought, Hu Wa broke free from his arms and ran back. He wiped his tears and shouted, "Mom! Mom! Where are you?"
"You bastard! Stop! I will beat you when I catch you!"
Chen Tiedan was so furious, he began to chase his son right away. Hu Wa was an only child, and he remembered his wife's words, that he must take Hu Wa to Hong Kong and settle down there. He would return to this place to collect his wife's remains, if any.
He strode fast to chase his son. When he was about to catch Hu Wa, a bush in front of them suddenly split down the middle and a fierce-looking wolf jumped out.
Chen Tiedan was shocked. He subconsciously threw himself to Hu Wa, using his own body to protect his child. He clenched his teeth, waiting for the great pain that was sure to come. Even if they were going to die, he couldn't let his child die before him.
The wolf opened its mouth and revealed its white fangs. It was going to bite Chen Tiedan in the neck.
At this moment, a shadow as swift as lightning jumped out from the woods, raised its leg, and kicked the wolf in the shoulder.
The kick was so strong that the wolf, that probably weighed around 50 kg, rolled several times in the air before it hit a tree and fell to the ground.
Chen Tiedan rubbed his eyes, staring incredibly at their savior. It was a big German Shepherd he had never seen before.
Famous glanced at them. After confirming that they were not hurt, it immediately ran back to where Old Time Tea was fighting the wolves. Tough and muscular by nature, these wolves were very difficult to defeat.
However, even if they were ten times as vicious, they wouldn't easily win when Old Time Tea and Famous were working together.
Chen Tiedan picked up Hu Wa and was about to continue running when he heard a familiar voice, "Hu Wa. My husband. Where are you?"
He thought his wife had been killed by the wolves. He was so surprised to hear her voice and he shouted, "My wife! We're here!"
His wife followed his voice and ran to him. Her face and body scratched by tree branches, but she had no major injuries.
Chen Tiedan thought he was in a dream, so he pinched his thigh and asked, "What is going on? Are we in hell?"
"Mom!" Hu Wa didn't care if this was a dream or not, he plunged into her arms and cried.
Tightly hugging Hu Wa, the wife smiled tearfully, "What are you talking about? Your ancestors must have heard my prayer! I was almost eaten by the wolves, when a cat and dog saved me!"
"Dog? Was it a big German Shepherd?" asked Chen Tiedan.
His wife nodded vigorously, "And a cat."
"That dog had just saved me and Hu Wa. Where did they come from? They are so marvelous," Chen Tiedan exclaimed.
The three of them hugged, and their hearts filled with joy. They also knew that they should not stay here any longer, they had to find a safe place to stay for the night.
But they were unfamiliar with this place and had no idea which way was safe.
Darkness surrounded them. The cries of night owls could be heard from afar. They were so scared that even the slightest sound startled them.
A bush moved and all three of their faces paled. Chen Tiedan extended his arms to protect his wife and child.
Old Time Tea and Famous jumped out from the bush. His wife pulled her husband down so she could whisper, "That's the cat and dog that saved me."
Chen Tiedan didn't know what to say, he was worried that this cat and dog were monsters who drove away wolves just so they could eat them.
Seeing the family safe and sound, Famous said to Old Time Tea, "I will go drive the wolves farther away."
When it finished speaking, it plunged into the woods again to drive the wolves deep into the mountains so that they wouldn't disturb the humans living nearby.
Old Time Tea nodded. It lifted a paw and waved at Chen Tiedan so that he would follow.
Chen Tiedan's palms were full of sweat, he had no other choice, but to follow Old Time Tea while holding his wife and his child.
Old Time Tea was familiar with the mountain and it led them. Chen Tiedan and his family suddenly saw a light and left the woods. They had arrived at the edge of an open space in the mountain. There was a building in this open space. It was the Temple for the Righteous Cat and Chivalrous Dog.
There was no light on in the temple. Chen Tiedan was illiterate, but with the moonlight, he could see the statues on the left and right side of the temple and understood what this building was. This must be a shrine someone built for the cat and dog. It didn't seem like this was the first time they had saved people.
"Mom, I'm hungry." Hu Wa noticed the meat on the table and was drooling.
They had been begging for food on their way here and hadn't seen such a meal in a while.
"Come on, we are not hungry." His mother quickly comforted him.
It's a lie, of course because their stomachs began to sing when they smelled the food.
Old Time Tea jumped onto the table and pushed a plate of braised pig's trotters to them, but they just stood still and didn't dare to move or eat.
Old Time Tea picked up the largest trotter and put it in front of Hu Wa.
Hu Wa was so hungry. Before his parents could stop him, he picked up the trotter and began to chew, his face quickly smeared with oil.
Old Time Tea jumped back to the table and pushed the plate with trotters again.
Chen Tiedan and his wife looked at each other, timidly picked up two small pig's trotters and took a bite. Since Old Time Tea had no reaction, they finally let go and dared to continue eating the meat.
Old Time Tea sighed slightly. It was yearning for the peace and prosperity that Famous described.