The large bear, with its keen sense of smell, detected someone approaching and roared a warning.
But the more it roared, the more excited the approaching people became.
Roaring without running meant it was trapped.
After confirming the bear had fallen into the trap, everyone rushed forward, forming a circle around the trap’s opening.
“Growl… Grrr!”
The black bear’s eyes reflected the firelight as it glared at these bold humans, emitting furious roars.
But with each roar, fresh blood gushed from its belly, pierced by the spikes.
“Let me put it out of its misery.”
Duan Zheng hefted his spear and thrust it into the large black bear’s eye, killing it almost instantly.
“This bear must weigh several hundred pounds!”
A youth named Xiao Liu licked his lips, his eyes showing no fear of the beast, only anticipation for the meat.
Shen Mingqing curled his lips into a faint smile: “It might be over a thousand pounds.”
The youths let out exclamations of “Wow,” each beaming with joy.
But now there was a problem: how to get the bear out.
Duan Zheng and Shen Mingqing exchanged a glance, both recognizing in the other’s eyes the desire to preserve the bear hide intact.
In the end, Shen Mingqing sent two youths back to fetch ropes and bring two mules along.
The others first cleared the excess spikes from the trap to make it easier to tie the ropes later.
Hearing the black bear’s roars from the foot of the mountain, Zhao Nuanxin’s heart raced. Despite not believing in gods or ghosts, she silently prayed.
Suddenly, two figures appeared in the darkness.
“Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao.”
Fearing they might startle Zhao Nuan by appearing suddenly, the two youths called out to her from afar.
Zhao Nuan quickly walked over, her tone anxious: “Why have only you two returned? Where are the others?”
“Don’t worry, Sister Zhao, everyone is safe.”
“When we arrived, the black bear was already weakened. We came back to get ropes and bring the mules over.”
Hearing this, Zhao Nuan’s heart settled, and her legs went weak for a moment.
Then, excited, she turned back to fetch a large bundle of ropes and draped them over the mule’s back.
“Mom, I want to see the big bear.”
“Ah ma… Grrr.”
Yan’er clung to Zhao Nuan’s leg, coaxing to go along.
Zhou Ningyu joined in the fuss, his big eyes blinking as he looked at Zhao Nuan.
Seeing that the other children who had stayed behind were also eager to go, Zhao Nuan lit more torches and added firewood to the bonfire.
Raising her arm, she declared: “Let’s all go.”
When Shen Mingqing saw Zhao Nuan bringing the two children along, his eyes held a hint of disapproval.
But Duan Zheng jumped into the pit and spread his arms.
Yan’er cheered and leaped down.
The little girl showed no fear and didn’t mind the sticky bloodstains on the bear’s belly.
After running her hand over the black bear a few times, she looked up: “Mom, its fur isn’t as soft as I imagined.”
“Really?” Zhao Nuan had only seen black bears in zoos and had never actually touched one.
Shen Mingqing rubbed his nose and jumped down as well.
“Ahem…” He looked up at Zhao Nuan above. “Come down and see?”
Zhao Nuan waved her hand, intending to refuse.
“Grrr… Ah grrr…”
But the little Zhou Ningyu in her arms was flailing his arms and legs, straining toward Shen Mingqing.
Reluctantly, Zhao Nuan handed the little one to him: “Let him touch it.”
Zhou Ningyu grabbed the black bear’s fur and refused to let go, whimpering and babbling all the while.
The boldness of these siblings truly seemed cast from the same mold.
“Alright, bring them up now.”
At Zhao Nuan’s command, both children were lifted out of the pit.
Such a large bear would take days to process—they needed to work faster.
Duan Zheng and Shen Mingqing worked inside the pit, tying up the massive black bear.
The bear was simply too enormous. The two men panted heavily, only just managing to secure it firmly.
The youths above twisted several ropes together and fastened them to the mule.
“Crack!”
The whip snapped through the air. The mule dug its hooves into the ground and pulled forward.
The ropes tightened, the mule’s hooves skidding on the ground, yet the black bear in the pit barely budged.
The youths padded their shoulders with straw, hoisted the ropes over them, then gripped the ropes with one hand in front and one behind, planting their feet firmly like the mule as they pulled with all their might.
“One, two, three—heave ho!”
“Four, five, six—put your back into it!”
Finally, the massive black bear shifted.
Duan Zheng and Shen Mingqing used thick, arm-sized poles to leverage it upward, their faces flushed crimson and veins bulging on their necks.
Bit by bit, the enormous black bear was dragged out of the trap.
Having died only recently, blood gushed from it in torrents. Zhao Nuan’s heart ached at the sight.
Bear blood was highly nourishing—perfect for generating warmth in winter. What a waste.
“Heavens!”
Shen Mingqing suddenly cried out in shock.
“What’s wrong?” Zhao Nuan hurried over.
Peering into the trap, her voice rose sharply: “There’s another one!”
But her shout made the youths turn to look, losing their momentum. Instantly, they stumbled backward.
Duan Zheng shouted, “Hey, hey—steady now!”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Zhao Nuan encouraged them, “Put in more effort! Tomorrow we’ll have stewed meat!”
“Yes, we’ll eat until we’re full!” Shen Mingqing chimed in, rallying the youths.
The bear below appeared to be not yet fully grown, but it still weighed around five or six hundred jin—enough to feed them for a long time.
“Hey! Keep it up, brothers!” Xiao Yi, who had followed Shen Mingqing the longest, roared, “You can do it!”
The other youths held their breath and shouted in unison, “Keep going, brothers!”
The massive black bear began moving again.
This time, they pushed through in one sustained effort, not stopping until the bear was completely out of the trap.
Next came the second bear, nearly half the size and weight of the first.
It was pulled out with little difficulty.
The group collapsed onto the ground, sitting or lying haphazardly, panting heavily from exhaustion.
Staring at the bear lying like a small mountain before them, they exchanged bewildered glances.
Recalling their lives since coming up the mountain, the youths felt their numbness fading, replaced by a sense of purpose.
It started with someone—no one knew who—and soon laughter grew louder and louder.
Shen Mingqing watched these laughing youths, his nose suddenly tingling with emotion.
He had been abandoned here by his father at fourteen and had taken in orphaned beggars mostly out of fear of loneliness.
Over time, these children had voluntarily followed him.
He could still scrape by in the city, so they had ended up drifting through life together.
But today, something within him had shifted.
Shen Mingqing didn’t yet understand exactly what had changed, but he knew it was Zhao Nuan who had brought about this transformation.
Duan Zheng watched the young people and sighed.
As long as they had vitality, that was what mattered.
Yan’er joined in the laughter too. She didn’t know why she was laughing, but she simply felt happy.
Zhou Ningyu saw her sister smiling and kept wriggling in Zhao Nuan’s arms—following her sister’s laughter was always the right thing to do.
Zhao Nuan looked down at the child. This life was as beautiful as she had imagined. How wonderful.
After resting enough, everyone decided to carry the bear cub up the mountain first.
They tied the bear horizontally to a tree trunk, and seven or eight youths lifted it effortlessly.
Zhao Nuan brought the two children back with them. Everyone was tired, and she needed to return to prepare some food.
After setting the bear cub on the ground, Zhao Nuan asked them to take a few sweet potatoes down the mountain.
Xiao Yi looked reluctant: “For the mules? What a waste.”
Zhao Nuan explained: “It would be better if we didn’t need to use them, but I noticed those two mules are exhausted. I’m afraid they won’t be willing to move without some incentive.”