Chapter 63: Little Grey’s Strange Behavior
“Brother, in the two years you’ve been in the countryside, have you met anyone you liked? Like, someone you’d want to date? Tell me about it!”
Seeing how that female comrade had acted just now, Ning Xiyue’s inner gossip-loving spirit was itching to come out. She wanted to pry into her brother’s love life. Judging from how he’d looked earlier, he didn’t seem interested in that woman — but she wondered if he had feelings for anyone else.
Ning Qingyuan chuckled and lightly poked his sister on the forehead with a finger.
“What are you thinking? Your brother barely has enough time to work and read every day — how would I have time to date? I’ve seen other educated youths dating, and it’s such a distraction. It’s troublesome. My energy is limited, and I don’t want dating to get in the way. If I neglect my studies, Dad will throw me out of the house.”
“So disciplined.”
Ning Xiyue felt a second of pity for the female comrade just now. Her brother clearly hadn’t awakened to the idea of romance yet — there’d be no drama to watch for now.
Speaking of which, Ning Qingyuan had something to tell his sister, and he repeated it several times as a warning:
“You’d better not start dating either. You’re still young. Don’t rush into that. If you need anything, just come to me, alright?”
Ning Xiyue hadn’t expected the topic to turn to her. She raised her hand and swore, “Don’t worry, Brother. Mom already told me too. I remember — I won’t be dating anyone out here.”
Dating was nowhere near as fun as eating melon seeds and watching the drama unfold.
The siblings chatted and laughed as they walked, and soon they arrived at the place where Ning Xiyue had arranged to meet Aunt Yangliu.
“Brother, here we are. This is where I agreed to meet Auntie.”
Not far away from them, Aunt Yangliu was walking toward them with a basket on her back. When she saw Ning Xiyue, she called out, “Xiyue, you’re here. Perfect timing — I just got here too. Come on, let’s head back to the team.”
Ning Qingyuan stepped forward and greeted her politely: “Hello, Auntie. I’m Xiyue’s second brother, Ning Qingyuan. Thank you for looking after my sister.”
Aunt Yangliu’s eyes lit up when she saw him. “Oh my, such a handsome young man. Do you have a girlfriend? Do you want Auntie to introduce you to someone?”
Her niece happened to be looking for a match, and Xiyue’s second brother really was quite good-looking.
Ning Qingyuan felt a little uncomfortable inside, but his smile didn’t waver as he politely replied,
“Thank you, Auntie, but I’m not planning on dating right now. I don’t have a home or a career yet — being with me would just mean suffering. And my parents are strict. They told us we can only date and marry after we turn twenty-five. So I’ll have to decline.”
Ning Xiyue slipped her arm around Aunt Yangliu’s and chimed in to help: “It’s true, Auntie. Our parents don’t allow us to date early. And my brother is pretty flighty — he’s not steady at all. So, we’ll have to turn down your kindness.”
She could tell from Aunt Yangliu’s eyes that she was interested in her brother.
Were all the aunties in the brigade this eager to play matchmaker whenever they saw young men and women?
Aunt Yangliu was a sensible woman. She realized she had been too forward. Although she felt a little disappointed at their refusal, she wasn’t angry.
“That’s a shame. No matter — I was just asking. These days, it’s all about mutual consent anyway. Don’t think too much about it. Come on, Xiyue, let’s go back.”
She decided to leave her niece’s matchmaking business to her niece’s parents — she had no desire to meddle in thankless matters.
“Brother, give me the basket. You can go back now.”
Ning Xiyue swung the basket onto her back, waved to Ning Qingyuan, and glanced down at Little Grey before turning around.
Little Grey, on the ground, seemed to understand her look and trotted happily after her.
“Little Grey, come back,” Ning Qingyuan called.
But Little Grey ignored him completely. He didn’t even turn his head and just kept following.
Hearing the sound behind her, Ning Xiyue turned and looked at the dog following her. She grinned at her brother. “Brother, let Little Grey stay with me for a few days. I’ll bring him back later.”
Seeing both the girl and the wolfdog looking at him with hopeful eyes, Ning Qingyuan chuckled and shook his head. “Alright then. If anyone tries to bully you, just let Little Grey deal with them.”
“Goodbye!”
With his permission, Ning Xiyue scooped up the dog without hesitation and walked off without looking back.
Perfect — she’d gotten her hands on the little wolf cub. Now she just needed to “harvest” some more benefits from him.
Aunt Yangliu looked curiously at Little Grey in Ning Xiyue’s arms, puzzled as to why she’d bring a dog all the way back.
“Xiyue, why are you taking a dog back with you? If you want to raise one, there are plenty in the team. Just a few days ago, Aunt Liu’s dog had three puppies. You could go and adopt one — it’d be much easier.”
“It’s fine, Auntie. I just think Little Grey is obedient, so I want to keep him for a few days. If I get tired of it, I can always give him back to my brother.”
She wasn’t planning to raise a dog — she wanted to raise this particular wolf that could give her a protective charm.
“Auntie, let’s hurry up. It’ll be dark soon.”
“Alright.”
They didn’t chat much after that and quickened their pace.
Even though summer nights came late, the mountain roads were rough. They didn’t dare waste time and aimed to reach the team before dark.
Aunt Yangliu had a basket of sweet potatoes on her back — grain she had borrowed from her mother’s house before, which she was now repaying with sweet potatoes.
It was quite tiring to carry.
Halfway back, Aunt Yangliu, panting heavily, called for Ning Xiyue to stop and rest for a moment before continuing.
She set the basket down on a slightly higher spot and looked at Ning Xiyue with admiration.
“Xiyue, you’ve got great stamina. You’re carrying a whole basket on your back and holding a dog from time to time, and you’re not even complaining about being tired.”
Ning Xiyue shook her head. “Auntie, my basket’s just filled with some dried goods — it’s not heavy. If I were carrying a basket of sweet potatoes this far, I’d definitely be whining by now.”
Aunt Yangliu wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Let’s drink some water and rest.”
Ning Xiyue took out her canteen, drank a few sips, and poured a little water into her hand for Little Grey to drink too.
After a short while, Little Grey started whining toward a certain direction.
“Little Grey, what’s wrong?”
Ning Xiyue noticed something was off. She petted his head to calm him and looked in the direction he was calling.
Aunt Yangliu stood up. “Maybe he’s noticed something. Dogs have sharp ears and noses. Let’s stay alert.”
After a few more whines, Little Grey bit at Ning Xiyue’s leg and tugged her forward.
Ning Xiyue picked him up, her expression changing drastically. “Something’s not right, Auntie. Listen — I think I hear some kind of roaring in the distance. Let’s get out of here.”
“Quick, quick, quick! Let’s go before we run into a black bear!”
Aunt Yangliu had heard it too. She quickly hoisted her basket onto her back — she knew there were wild beasts in these mountains.
Ning Xiyue helped lift the basket onto her back, and the two of them hurriedly left the area.
After running a few steps, they realized the noise was getting closer. It sounded like two animals fighting, and the roars were now clear.
“This is bad — it’s two wild boars fighting over prey. Xiyue, run!”
Aunt Yangliu shouted, dropping the basket of sweet potatoes without a second thought and sprinting ahead.
“It’s too late!”
