After making sure everything was in order, he straightened up and walked over to Emily.
"I'll carry you over," he said, his tone matter-of-fact, as though it were only right.
Emily's face grew hot, but she nodded.
Su Wei crouched down in front of her.
Emily climbed onto his broad, hard back. It was all solid muscle, and even through the thick clothing, she could still feel its heat.
Su Wei lifted her onto his back with ease and walked steadily toward the snowmobile, carefully settling her onto the rear seat.
Throughout the process, he took particular care to avoid her injured foot.
"Sit tight."
He secured the last of the packed tent and sleeping bags to the sled, then hitched the wooden sled to the back of the snowmobile with nylon rope. It was loaded with fearsome-looking game.
"Cotton Candy," he called.
The little fox immediately jumped out of Emily's arms, darted over to Su Wei's feet, and looked up at him.
Su Wei picked the fox up and tucked him back into Emily's arms.
"Keep an eye on him. Don't let him run around."
Emily hugged the warm little creature close and nodded.
Then she reached out and unconsciously grabbed the clothing at Su Wei's waist.
Su Wei climbed onto the snowmobile, put on his goggles, and looked back at Emily one last time.
"Hold on tight."
He turned the key.
The engine gave a muffled cough, then a second one.
Emily's heart leaped into her throat.
The next second, with an explosive roar, the snowmobile's engine finally came to life.
The tremendous roar shattered the morning stillness, echoing wildly through the open, snowy forest.
The machine vibrated violently beneath them, and a strong smell of gasoline and engine oil spread through the air.
Su Wei did not hesitate for a moment.
He twisted the throttle hard.
The snowmobile's track spun rapidly, digging a deep hole in the snow. Its front end jerked upward, then it surged forward!
"Ah!"
Emily cried out as the powerful inertia threw her backward. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms tightly around Su Wei's waist.
Dragging the heavy sled, the snowmobile plowed a deep trail through the snow and roared off down the mountain.
The wind whipped past their ears.
Icy snow churned up by the track struck their faces in a blinding spray.
Emily buried her face deep against Su Wei's broad back. All she could see were spruce trees rushing past on either side and a vast expanse of white snow.
The journey home had begun.
Chapter 29: Arrival, Storing the Haul, and Going to Town to Have a Leg Examined
The roar of the engine tore through the silence of the snowy forest.
Su Wei leaned forward, shifting his weight over the front of the snowmobile. His arm muscles tensed as he gripped the violently shaking handlebars.
Dragging the heavy sled behind it, the snowmobile forced a path through the snow.
The powerful inertia pressed Emily's whole body against Su Wei's back.
She could only cling tightly to his waist and bury her face in his thick clothing to escape the icy snow churned up by the track.
The wind howled in their ears.
Spruce and birch trees raced past on either side, and the world before them became a blur of white and rapidly receding lines.
Su Wei did not take the route they had come by.
That route was shorter, but the terrain was complicated, with steep slopes and dense forest interspersed, and visibility could easily be limited.
It was suitable for traveling on foot, but not for a snowmobile.
Besides.
Behind him now, he had not only a haul worth nearly ten thousand dollars, but also someone he needed to protect.
He chose another, more open ridgeline.
The route was longer, but the slopes were gentle and visibility was good.
Choosing the lowest-risk option was the right choice.
Cotton Candy was held tightly in Emily's arms, his fluffy body warm.
He tucked his head into the crook of Emily's arm, leaving only a pair of darting blue eyes exposed as he curiously watched the snowy scenery fly past.
After about two hours of travel, the engine's roar finally grew a little quieter.
Su Wei released the throttle, letting the snowmobile gradually slow down.
"Are you all right?"
He turned his head, snow flecking his face.
He wiped his face with his hand and asked.
It took Emily several seconds to react. She released one hand and wiped the melted snow from her face. Her nose was red with cold, giving her voice a heavy nasal sound.
"I'm... I'm all right!"
Her arms ached and tingled from being tensed for so long, but as she held tightly around Su Wei's waist, those solid muscles strangely helped her taut nerves relax.
Su Wei nodded and accelerated again.
The terrain grew gentler, the trees thinned out, and tracks left by other hunters or forest rangers occasionally appeared in the snow.
They had left the deep mountains behind.
At this point, things had become relatively safe.
They could make phone calls now.
After more than two further hours, the snowmobile crested the last mountain ridge, and a broad valley appeared at the edge of their view.
A dark, two-story log cabin stood in the middle of the valley.
Thick snow covered the roof and windowsills, and a completely frozen lake lay beside it.
At that moment, Su Wei's body relaxed.
He shut off the engine.
Silence returned to the world, broken only by the rustling of wind through pine needles.
"Are we... here?" Emily asked, a little uncertain. She peered out from behind Su Wei and looked at the solitary cabin.
"We're here. Wait a moment."
Su Wei climbed off the snowmobile, loosened his somewhat stiff limbs, and walked straight to the garage behind the cabin. He took out his key and opened the heavy wooden door.
The garage lock was one he had bought on his last trip to the supermarket.
Emily sat on the snowmobile, watching him.
He first unhitched the wooden sled from the back of the snowmobile.
Then he bent down and grabbed the rope with both hands. His arm muscles bulged and his veins stood out as he dragged the exceptionally heavy load into the garage, step by step.
Next, he began unloading.
The enormous deer hide had already been salted and rolled into a bundle. He hung it on an iron hook on a roof beam.
He neatly stacked the venison, divided into waterproof bags, in a separate freezer.
It had been left behind by the original owner's father, specifically for storing game and fish.
Last was the bag of highly valuable devil's claw.
He carried the bag to a metal storage cabinet at the very back of the garage and secured it with a heavy padlock that clicked shut.
By the time everything was done, about ten-odd minutes had passed.
Su Wei's movements were efficient and quick.
Emily simply watched in silence.
She watched him put away the bloody game piece by piece, watched him wipe the bloodstains remaining on the sled with a rag, and watched him finally clap his hands and shut the garage door.
Only then did he walk back over to her.
"Come on. I'll take you to the clinic in town."
He walked over to the snowmobile and held out his hand to her.