Chapter 48 (continued)

It must have been tough for them to drag such a wolf back.

Shi Wen, then patted the Hu Zai and dogs that had come closer.

The wolf was only injured, not dead.

Perhaps because the little ones in the house had a habit of sharing their prey with Shi Wen, they didn't kill the wolf.

Yan Kexing over and, after examining the wolf with Shi Wen, said, "It might not be unconscious; it's just faking it."

Shi Wen, "You can do that?!"

Yan Kexing patted An Wa, who was nestled at his feet, and said to Shi Wen, "That's why they say she's a cunning wolf."

Shi Wen, carrying a wolf, tsk.

Although the wolf was not truly unconscious or seriously injured, Shi Wen still took it home and bandaged its wounds.

It's a Class II protected animal in China, so it should still be rescued.

Shi Wen the wolf.

Yan Kexing is cooking meat for the little ones in his family as a reward.

His cooking skills were much better than Shi Wen's. All the little animals in the house were squatting in a row behind him, and even Cong Zai jumped down from the cabinet and kept rubbing its head against his leg, acting cute.

Amidst the rich aroma of meat, the injured wolf's ears twitched, and its eyelids twitched as well.

Shi Wen both infuriating and hilarious.

He got a rope and tied the wolf's two front legs and two hind legs to prevent it from suddenly attacking people or fighting with the family's small animals.

Shi Wen called Zhou Hongzhong and briefly explained the situation.

Zhou Hongzhong agreed to come pick them up later and said, "We received reports of wolves attacking the sheep a couple of days ago. It's probably because of the cold weather that they came out to forage and got into a fight with your dog and the tiger cub."

Shi Wen, "I don't know what happened. We just got back and saw it; it gave me quite a fright."

Zhou Hongzhong: "Please be careful about the safety of the people and livestock on the ranch. The wolf pack's range this time is much larger than before; they shouldn't be roaming this area."

Shi Wen I don't know much about wolves and have no opinions to offer.

However, he had heard Fu Meng say before that the wolf problem was quite serious here. In the past, every herder's family would have several sheep taken away by wolves every year.

Hatred between wolves and humans grew. For several years, wolf packs would come out to attack people, and people would also go in groups to raid wolf dens. Except for two wolf cubs that were kept to reproduce, all the other wolves and wolf cubs were killed or thrown to their deaths.

That's why there's still a rule in pastoral areas that you can't put your arm around someone's shoulder from behind.

Only wolves would put their arms around someone's shoulder from behind, waiting for them to turn around before biting their neck.

Fu Meng had previously said that if someone ever puts their arm around your shoulder, remember not to turn around, and if you have any tools in your hand, just hit them from behind.

That was over a decade ago.

Later, the number of wolves dwindled, and they became a Class II protected animal in China. People no longer dared to hunt wolves; if they encountered one, they could only call the police. If their livestock were caught, they could only accept their bad luck.

The conflict between wolves and herders is a structural conflict.

The area is only so big; the wolves need to survive, and the herders need to survive too, so they have no choice but to compete.

Things have improved in the last two years. The country's laws and regulations have become more and more comprehensive. If herders have evidence that their livestock have been taken by wolves, they can receive some subsidies to make up for their losses. As a result, the conflict between humans and wolves has gradually eased.

The little guys on the ranch brought back a wolf, proving that a wolf pack might be active in the vicinity.

The next day, Shi Wen took his dogs and two Hu Zai, grabbed an axe, and rode his motorcycle to patrol the ranch.

To his surprise, there was nothing unusual about the ranch.

All the barbed wire fences on the ranch were intact, and there were no signs of digging holes underneath, so the wolves could not have crossed the fences to enter the ranch.

Shi Wen puzzled. This was strange; since the barbed wire was still there and there were no wolf paw prints in the pasture, where did the Hu Zai and dogs get their hands on the wolf?

Was it only the injured wolf with exceptional jumping ability that allowed it to leap over the two-meter-high barbed wire fence and jump in from the outside?

Shi Wen glanced at the Hu Zai and dogs at home.

A group of guys were looking out of the ranch through the barbed wire fence.

Shi Wen's heart skipped a beat, and he stared directly at the Hu Zai and dogs, asking, "Where did you hunt that wolf yesterday?"

The two Hu Zai and four dogs immediately looked away, feigning ignorance.

Shi Wen: "Hmm?"

Shi Wen them all too well; they're fine when they're not pretending, but as Shi Wen knows something's wrong.

Shi Wen glanced at the dogs and pulled out An Wa: "An Wa, you speak."

An Wa looked up at Shi Wen with a shocked expression, her face blank with a "what am I supposed to say?" look.

Shi Wen remained unmoved. "Confess now."

An Wa: "Eek."

Shi Wen grabbed its neck and said, "If you don't report it, you'll have your snacks taken away!"

"And you guys—" Shi Wen at the dogs and Hu Zai, coldly and ruthlessly saying, "We did this together, no one's getting away. If you don't explain yourselves clearly, we'll all have our treats taken away."

Fu Wa got anxious. "Woof woof!"

Le Wa spun around in circles, barking, "Woof woof!"

After a few seconds, Heiwa gave in first, letting out a soft "woof," and stood up to walk to the side.

Shi Wen knew it was going to lead the way, so he quickly let go of An Wa and followed.

A group of dogs and Hu Zai walked dejectedly behind Heiwa.

After a short while, they reached a relatively high earthen slope. Heiwa took a few steps back, then gathered its strength in its four paws and jumped up, leaping over the barbed wire.

Shi Wen: "!!!"

Isn't this Cong Zai's move?

When did you dogs become so effeminate?!

After jumping over, Heiwa looked back at his friends.

The other dogs and Hu Zai lined up one by one and jumped over the barbed wire fence in front of Shi Wen, leaving Shi Wen alone behind it.

Shi Wen stared at them in shock.

One of the Hu Zai wagged its tail Shi Wen and barked, signaling Shi Wen jump over quickly.