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Qing Mengzhu watched the two creatures wrestle fiercely on the ground, first one on top, then the other. He couldn't help saying, "Wait, pause it for a second."

Ming Chunxi paused the video.

Qing Mengzhu said, "If I'm seeing this right, the one on top is a fox, isn't it?"

Ming Chunxi said, "A red fox, a nationally protected animal under second-class protection. The otter underneath is also under second-class national protection. I didn't recognize the exact species."

Qing Mengzhu said, "I think the ones around here are Eurasian otters. I'll call the forestry bureau in a bit. This is ridiculous, two protected animals fighting outside my house."

Staring at the footage on the computer screen, Qing Mengzhu finally understood where all the fur he had seen earlier had come from. "Do you think they were trying to hunt the hazel grouse and started fighting over the prey?"

Ming Chunxi said, "Let's check the backyard."

They went to the backyard together and walked around the fence. Sure enough, they found a large hole dug beneath the bamboo fence.

Qing Mengzhu crouched down for a closer look and found that the soil at the very bottom had already dried. The hole must have taken more than a day or two to dig.

Perhaps his hazel grouse were still small, and the otter and fox hadn't had a chance to get their claws on them yet.

Ming Chunxi looked at him. "Should we move the hazel grouse somewhere else?"

Qing Mengzhu shook his head. "There's nowhere else. If we moved them somewhere else, they'd probably be even easier targets. I'll find time in a couple of days to cut some more bamboo and make the fence deeper and taller."

It was getting late, so Qing Mengzhu went to the kitchen to cook lotus-leaf congee.

There wasn't time to make much variety for breakfast today, so he simply took out the zongzi, planning to steam two to have with the congee.

While Ming Chunxi was here, he might as well try to finish as many of the zongzi as possible.

Over breakfast, Qing Mengzhu asked, "It's a holiday today, and there's dragon boat racing in town. How about we go watch after breakfast?"

Ming Chunxi said, "Do you want to go?"

Qing Mengzhu could tell he wasn't interested and shook his head. "Not really. How about we see what's going on in Vine City?"

Ming Chunxi said, "It's the holiday. I don't want to go back."

Qing Mengzhu could tell. "Then how do you want to spend the holiday? Or I could show you around nearby?"

Ming Chunxi said, "What were your original plans?"

Originally? Qing Mengzhu thought about it. If Ming Chunxi hadn't come, he would probably have spent it like any other workday, either tending his crops or going up the mountain to gather mushrooms and wild vegetables.

Qing Mengzhu hesitated. "Do you want to go hiking with me? I can take you mushroom picking, or we could gather some bamboo leaves to wrap zongzi?"

Ming Chunxi said, "Let's pick mushrooms. Can you tell them apart?"

Qing Mengzhu laughed. "I know them well. Not only can I identify them, I also know where all the mushroom patches nearby are."

He really had explored all the nearby mountains lately, and he knew exactly what grew on them.

Thinking about it that way, hiking wasn't a bad idea. It could make for a pretty good experience.

After breakfast, they put on long sleeves and trousers and hats, packed water and knives, and carried baskets up the mountain.

Hiking was actually exhausting. Someone who wasn't used to it would probably have shaky legs after just a short climb.

Qing Mengzhu kept an eye on Ming Chunxi and soon noticed that he was walking with ease, his breathing not even any heavier. Only then did he remember that Ming Chunxi practiced boxing.

As long as Ming Chunxi had the stamina to keep up, the rest was easy.

They climbed all the way toward the back mountain, and as they gained height, the village, fields, and roads came into full view.

Qing Mengzhu pointed things out to Ming Chunxi. "Those are my fields. Look, the pond beside them is already covered in lotus leaves."

Ming Chunxi said, "They've grown so fast."

Qing Mengzhu said, "A little. I used a lot of fertilizer, so the lotuses grew well. The mountain beside it belongs to my family. There used to be lots of fruit trees and bamboo, but now only a few plum trees are left. The rest all died."

Ming Chunxi said, "Isn't bamboo very hardy?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "Our bamboo died of old age. One day, the whole grove flowered, and after it flowered and produced seeds, the bamboo died. No new bamboo grew on the mountain afterward. Maybe no one was taking care of it, and the weeds grew so thick they took up every ecological niche."

Ming Chunxi said, "That's a shame."

Qing Mengzhu said, "It's not so bad. Once I have some time, I'll plant more bamboo."

They had all kinds of bamboo in the area, and it was used for everything from building vegetable supports and fences to making bamboo wares. Growing some would be more convenient.

On top of that, the local bamboo produced shoots all year round, and bamboo shoot prices had risen year after year for the past two years. If he grew it well, the shoots alone could bring in a decent income.

However he looked at it, planting bamboo was a good choice.

Ming Chunxi looked at the overgrown mountain forest and asked, "Won't it be hard work?"

Qing Mengzhu smiled. "It'll be fine. I can hire people. I couldn't get much done on my own anyway. I'll need to hire people to clear the land, plow it, and plant the bamboo."

They chatted for a bit, then continued climbing.

Halfway up the mountain, Qing Mengzhu led Ming Chunxi off the path and toward a spot on the slope where mushrooms had grown before.

Qing Mengzhu said, "Because of the spores, mushrooms will usually grow again in places where they've grown before. It's been raining these past few days, so we should find a good haul."

Ming Chunxi acknowledged him and continued walking behind him.

After a little while longer, Qing Mengzhu pushed aside the grass with his brush knife. "Look."

Ming Chunxi looked down and, sure enough, saw several plump yellow mushrooms.

Qing Mengzhu said, "These are cluster mushrooms, one of the most common mushrooms on the mountain. They're quite savory and have a crisp texture. They're delicious stir-fried."

Ming Chunxi nodded. "I'll remember that."

Qing Mengzhu glanced at him. "If you're not familiar with mushrooms, it's best not to pick wild ones. I'm used to it."

Ming Chunxi agreed. "Okay."

Qing Mengzhu knew almost every mushroom on the mountain. Today, he only had Ming Chunxi pick the ones that were so easy to identify there was no risk at all.

Ming Chunxi didn't know that and assumed all the mushrooms they hadn't picked were poisonous.

On the way down, Qing Mengzhu also cut two lengths of bamboo to take home, planning to mend the fence with them later.

Ming Chunxi insisted on carrying one of the thicker lengths, and just like that, the image of the elite who had returned from abroad became down-to-earth.

Qing Mengzhu watched from behind him, his eyes smiling all the way home.

When they got home, they had a simple lunch, then each took a shower and a midday rest. Afterward, they chopped the bamboo they had carried down into sections and used them to mend the fence where the hole had been dug.

Ming Chunxi said, "I saw some households in the village using that kind of mesh as fencing for their chickens. Wouldn't that be sturdier?"

Qing Mengzhu tied thin wire to the fence without looking up. "Ugly."

Ming Chunxi said, "Huh?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "A yard fenced in like that is just too ugly. It doesn't fit my personal idea of how to live."

Ming Chunxi looked at the newly finished fence. "I understand."

While they were mending the fence, Ming Chunxi suddenly looked up and turned to one side.

Puzzled, Qing Mengzhu followed his gaze. "What's wrong?"

Ming Chunxi said, "I saw the otter from the surveillance footage, ahead to the right, under that tree."

Qing Mengzhu said, "Huh?"

Following his directions, Qing Mengzhu looked carefully and, sure enough, spotted a large otter with gray fur.

The large otter was peeking around, and when it saw them look over, it darted into the grass.

A few seconds later, its head popped up again, and it continued watching them.

Seeing that they hadn't left, the large otter ducked away in fright once more. This time, it disappeared completely from view.

Qing Mengzhu found it baffling. An otter could make such vivid expressions and spy on what they were doing?

Before Qing Mengzhu had recovered from his surprise, Ming Chunxi took him by the shoulders and gently turned him a little to the left. "The red fox from the surveillance footage is on the left."

This time, Qing Mengzhu didn't manage to see the red fox itself, only a reddish-brown shadow flashing past.