Searching the mountain

"Wang Yusheng, who told you to give the young man a hard time here?"

Suddenly, a deep, powerful voice came from the entrance. They all turned to see the village chief, Wang Youdao, walking in from the rain with a flashlight.

"Wen Yanyu has taken good care of these children these past few days. Little Tiger was misbehaving earlier, and that was why Wen Yanyu went to have a word with him."

Wang Youdao glanced at Wang Yusheng and said sternly, "What, when a child does something wrong, adults aren't allowed to tell him off?"

Wang Yusheng opened his mouth, seemingly still wanting to argue, but under Wang Youdao's imposing gaze, he ultimately swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue. His expression, however, remained unpleasant.

Wang Youdao said, "I just saw Little Tiger's toy by the mountain behind the village. He probably ran up there."

At that, Wang Decai's pupils abruptly contracted. Still angry a moment ago, he turned deathly pale and instantly began crying out anxiously, "How could he! Why did he go there! What are we going to do!"

Wang Jianhua froze at those words too.

Jiang Wanrou asked, "Then let's hurry and get a few people together to search the mountain."

Wang Decai was utterly despondent. "There are things on that mountain!"

Wang Jianhua sighed and explained, "A lot of the villagers have gone into town to sell things. They won't be back anytime soon. Those left in the village all have trouble getting around. With this heavy rain, the mountain paths will be hard to walk too."

He paused briefly. "Besides, wolves often roam that mountain, and the paths twist and turn. It's easy to go up but hard to get back down. You can't even find your way out in daylight, let alone at night. We generally don't go up there..."

Hearing that, Jiang Wanrou, who had been about to discuss going with the crew, began to hesitate too.

It was pouring outside now. Even if they called the police for a search and rescue team, it would take several hours for them to reach the mountain.

Their group was unfamiliar with the mountain. Leaving aside the wild animals they might encounter, there was the matter of getting lost.

Not only was it dark, but it was also raining so hard. There had been news stories of people going into the mountains to rescue others, only to get lost themselves for days.

Even the accessible mountain road they had taken here had been full of twists and turns, and they had nearly gotten lost several times despite driving. Ultimately, it wasn't their own child. They had to think of themselves too.

Silence settled over them.

[Oh, then he's done for. I almost forgot there are wild animals in mountains like these. That kid's probably a goner.]

[With rain this heavy, if they wait for the rescue team, the kid will probably be dead by the time they find him.]

[The villagers should know the mountain pretty well, right? Getting a search party together shouldn't be that big a problem... I don't know, just saying.]

[The main thing is that it's dark now, and it's raining too. The mountain paths must be really slippery. If something happens, it'll be a mess.]

"I'll look for him," Wen Yanyu said, breaking the silence.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Li Qianhua clutched the hem of his shirt. "Don't go."

He stroked the little girl's head.

"The child's safety matters more right now," Wen Yanyu said calmly. "I just need someone to show me the way up. I'll bring him back."

Duan Mufeng said, "I'll go too."

Lu Mingxu said, "I'll come with you."

"It's dark. It isn't safe..." Wang Youdao's expression was grave, and he was deeply conflicted.

"It's raining so hard outside that even a rescue team would take two or three hours to get here." Wen Yanyu raised his eyes and finished in an exceedingly quiet tone, "If you find someone to take me there, there's still a chance."

At that moment, the entire room fell deathly silent. Only heavy breathing could be heard.

Wang Youdao took out a cigarette, still unwilling to agree.

Just then, Wang Decai grasped Wang Youdao's wrist. "He's the only child my family has left."

The old man's voice trembled, his eyes full of pleading.

Wang Youdao drew a breath and snuffed out his cigarette.

"Come on! We're going up the mountain."

Several men from the production crew also prepared to go up with them.

Wang Yusheng shrank back. "My stomach hurts. I'll stay here and watch the children."

Duan Mufeng cast him a cold glance.

Wang Yusheng lowered his head.

"Can't you stay...?" The children held on to Wen Yanyu's clothes worriedly.

Wen Yanyu put on his jacket, dug a large bag of candy out of his bag, and handed it out to the children one by one. "No. Little Tiger must be very scared right now. Grandpa and I have to bring him home."

Li Qianhua said nothing, only clutching the hem of his shirt tightly.

Wen Yanyu lowered his head, ruffled her hair, and placed her beside Jiang Keyan, who had remained silent throughout.

"Let the girls keep you company for a while. I'll be back very soon."

Wen Yanyu spoke gently, holding the last packet of chocolate out to Jiang Wanrou as he did.

"Don't we have body cameras? You'll be able to see us. We'll be back soon."

"Yanyu, walk slowly."

"Bring a hoe."

"Everyone, take something."

"Little Fish! Your raincoat!"

Before Jiang Wanrou could react, her hand had already instinctively accepted the chocolate.

The departing figures were completely swallowed by the rainy night. Jiang Wanrou suddenly froze.

Something seemed to flash through her mind, vanishing in an instant and leaving only a lingering bitterness that would not fade.

After a long while, she lowered her head and tightened her grip on the chocolate.

The night was black as ink. Rain poured down, its drops battering the mountain and trees furiously. Rain and mist shrouded the entire mountain forest, and the thick darkness of night seemed capable of swallowing everything.

Gale-force winds howled through the forest with an unnerving moan.

"Little Tiger!"

"Little Tiger!"

They moved slowly along the winding path, calling Little Tiger's name as they looked around.

Amid the thunder and rain, the flashlight beams seemed especially weak in the mist. They could barely make out anything around them.

Wang Jianhua was tense all over, scanning their surroundings from time to time and gripping his hoe tightly.

After walking for a while, they reached a fork. Wang Youdao stopped and looked back.

Wen Yanyu walked straight past the old man and took the path on the right.

Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the dim mountain forest in an instant. The thunder that followed nearly pierced their eardrums.

Suddenly seeing a sheer cliff ahead, Wang Jianhua called out a warning. "This is a dead end. We need to go another way."

Wen Yanyu paused, then took another step forward and looked over the cliff, which he estimated to be five or six stories high. Drifting gray mist curled around the branches at its base.

"Found him..." The murmured words were lost in the nighttime rain as layers of pale gray crept over his black eyes.

The others behind him had yet to react.

Wen Yanyu said, "Wait here. I'll bring Little Tiger back."

Duan Mufeng asked in confusion, "Where are you going? Aren't we going together?"

"No need. Just wait here. Don't go anywhere." Wen Yanyu thought for a moment before instructing them quietly, "I'll take you back in twenty minutes."

"But..." Duan Mufeng tried to continue.

Wen Yanyu stepped forward, planting his foot firmly on the mist spreading through the air. With a rush of wind, the young man's figure vanished completely into the night.

"Little Fish!" Lu Mingxu cried out in shock, reaching frantically to grab him. The rest of his words lodged in his throat at the sight before him.

Duan Mufeng: "!!!"

Wang Youdao was startled too. They hurriedly pointed their flashlights down.

Through the darkness, they could faintly make out Wen Yanyu below the cliff, walking steadily into the distance.