“Don’t be afraid, it’ll be fine soon,” Su Wanxing gently reassured, slowly extending her hand toward the rusty iron trap. The white wolf shuddered all over but did not attack her, only staring fixedly at her hand. Su Wanxing held her breath, found the mechanism of the trap, and, using the skill honed from years of martial arts, forcefully twisted it—click! The trap snapped open successfully.
As soon as the iron trap released, the white wolf shrank in pain and let out a miserable roar. Su Wanxing immediately poured the spring water from the leaf carefully over the wound. The moment the water touched the injury, the wolf’s tense body relaxed slightly, and its whimpering decreased. It seemed the spring water was indeed relieving some of the pain.
Overjoyed, Su Wanxing fetched more spring water from her space, carefully cleaning the white wolf’s wound, removing all blood and dirt. Then she poured some disinfectant from a ceramic bottle (packaged in the space’s ancient area) onto the wound. The wolf twitched in pain but still did not attack. Finally, she sprinkled on hemostatic powder and wrapped the wound securely with clean gauze.
Throughout the entire process, Su Wanxing’s movements were gentle yet swift. When finished, she stood up and stepped back two paces, giving the wolf enough space. “There, your wound is treated. Don’t move around too much and rest well.”
The wolf tried moving its injured leg. Although it still hurt, it could move slightly. It lifted its head and looked at Su Wanxing, the ferocity in its amber eyes completely gone, replaced by a hint of gratitude. It even gently brushed her hand, as if expressing thanks.
Su Wanxing smiled, ready to turn and continue searching for herbs, but the white wolf blocked her. At that moment, she heard a fainter whimper nearby—weaker than the white wolf’s, like the struggle of something near death. Following the sound, she saw a small gray-furred wolf lying near the entrance of a cave, barely alive, its abdomen rising and falling weakly. Nestled beneath it were three newborn wolf pups, eyes closed, soaking wet, emitting faint squeaks.
Su Wanxing immediately understood—the gray wolf must be the mate of the white wolf. Having just given birth, it seemed to have suffered complications or injury during delivery, leaving it so weak. She looked at the white wolf beside her, which also stared anxiously toward the cave. It struggled to stand but fell back immediately, emitting helpless whimpers because of its leg wound.
“I’ll check on it,” Su Wanxing said to the white wolf and hurried to the cave entrance. The cave was not deep, dry, and clean—it was clearly the nest of the wolf pair. She crouched down, carefully inspecting the gray mother wolf. Its breathing was very weak, and a long tear in its abdomen was still bleeding slowly. The surrounding fur was soaked with blood. Its body was cold, clearly from excessive blood loss after childbirth, with no replenishment. The three pups huddled beside it, frail and weak—if the mother didn’t survive, they wouldn’t last long either.
Without hesitation, Su Wanxing took the remaining disinfectant, hemostatic powder, and gauze from the oil-paper packet, and fetched more spring water from her space. She poured the water into a clean ceramic bowl (from the ancient area) and fed it to the mother wolf. The mother wolf weakly opened her eyes, glanced at Su Wanxing, and struggled to sip a few mouthfuls of water.
Seeing that the mother wolf could drink, Su Wanxing relaxed slightly and fed it another half bowl. After drinking, the wolf’s breathing stabilized somewhat. Seizing the opportunity, Su Wanxing gently cleaned the tear in its abdomen with the spring water, careful as if handling a fragile treasure. Once clean, she applied enough hemostatic powder and wrapped the wound meticulously with gauze.
Having treated the mother wolf, Su Wanxing turned her attention to the three pups. They were too small to open their eyes and could only instinctively snuggle next to their mother. Su Wanxing took some spring water from her space and diluted it with ordinary mountain spring water—she worried the pups might be too fragile for the full-strength water. Using her fingertips, she gently dabbed the diluted water at the pups’ mouths. They seemed to sense the moisture and instinctively licked it.
After feeding the pups, Su Wanxing finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the weakened mother wolf and her pups in the cave, then at the white wolf anxiously waiting outside. She knew they now needed nutrition the most. Thinking quickly, she took out a large piece of cooked beef wrapped in oil paper from the space’s ancient area—previously vacuum-packed, but now transformed into a realistic ancient-style presentation. It looked like freshly prepared meat, leaving no trace of modernity.
Su Wanxing divided the meat into two portions: one placed in front of the white wolf and the other shredded into small pieces at the mother wolf’s mouth. The white wolf glanced at her, then at the meat, hesitated briefly, and slowly began eating. The mother wolf, smelling the aroma, weakly opened her mouth and ate a few pieces. Gradually, her body temperature rose.
Noticing the time, Su Wanxing saw the sun had risen high in the sky. If she didn’t return soon, Wan Feng and Wanyue would start worrying. She stood up and softly said to the white wolf, “I have to go back now. This meat will be enough for you for a while. Take care of your wounds and stay in the nest to avoid danger.”
The white wolf seemed to understand her words. It lifted its head and let out a low whine, as if saying goodbye. Su Wanxing smiled, picked up her bamboo basket, and began walking down the mountain. The basket was now heavy with herbs, its ropes sinking slightly under the weight, but Su Wanxing felt a deep sense of fulfillment—this was hope for her and her siblings to establish themselves in this world.
The descent was easier than the climb. Su Wanxing quickened her pace, and about an hour later, she returned to the ancestral hall at the west end of the village. Unlocking the gate and stepping into the courtyard, she saw Su Wanfeng holding Su Wanyue’s hand, drawing with small stones on the ground. Upon seeing her return, the two little ones dropped their stones and ran toward her.
“Sister! You’re back!” Wanfeng ran breathlessly, full of excitement. Wanyue squealed “Sister!” in her high little voice, her short legs moving so fast she nearly fell.
Su Wanxing quickly put down the basket, crouched to catch Wanyue, patted both their heads, and smiled. “While I was gone, did you behave? Did Wanyue cry?”
“We behaved!” Wanfeng nodded vigorously, his little face full of pride. “I played with my sister in the courtyard, didn’t run around, and no one knocked on the door. She only cried a little, and I gave her a bun—then she stopped.”
Satisfied, Su Wanxing took out two oil-paper-wrapped roasted chicken legs and several bright red apples from the space’s ancient area. The chicken legs had been previously stockpiled and, after transfer, now appeared as naturally wrapped. The apples were fresh fruit from the space, carefully chosen to look like wild mountain varieties.
“Here, these are small game and wild fruits I got from the mountain. The chicken legs are roasted and fragrant; try them. And these fruits are very sweet,” she said, handing them to her siblings.
The aroma of roasted chicken spread immediately. Wan Feng and Wanyue had never smelled anything so fragrant; their eyes lit up instantly. Wanyue cautiously took a bite, savoring the rich flavor, her little face smudged with oil. Wan Feng ate heartily but did not forget to offer some to Su Wanxing. “Sister, you eat too.”
“I’ve already eaten. You two enjoy it,” she said with a smile, watching their happy faces fill her with warmth. She spread the herbs from the basket on the stone slabs in the courtyard to dry. Sunlight fell on the green herbs, giving off a faint, refreshing aroma.
After finishing her chicken leg, Wanyue hugged her half-eaten apple and leaned against Su Wanxing, asking softly, “Sister, will we be able to eat such delicious food every day?”
“Yes,” Su Wanxing stroked her head firmly. “I’ll work hard to earn money so that Wan Feng and Wanyue can always eat and stay warm, and also enjoy many treats. Eventually, we’ll buy a house of our own and never have to live here again.”
Hearing “a house of our own,” the children’s eyes lit up even more. Wanfeng nodded firmly. “I believe in you, Sister!”
Having settled her siblings, Su Wanxing sat on the courtyard stone slabs, planning how to sell the herbs. She looked over the herbs: bupleurum, platycodon, mint, coptis… all common herbs that wouldn’t fetch much in the town’s pharmacy. Then she remembered the ginseng she had stockpiled in her space—premium wild mountain ginseng, aged and of excellent quality. Selling it in the county town’s pharmacy would certainly bring a good price.