Chapter 24: The Wolf Cub
That day, Ying Kongtu was also clearing the mountain forest on Bibai Mountain.
He collected the withered eucalyptus branches on the mountain, tied them neatly into bundles, and planned to move them back home.
A small amount of dead branches and fallen leaves left in the forest could protect the soil, provide nutrients for the forest, and offer habitat for other living creatures.
But too much would not do.
The forest could not consume that many dead branches and fallen leaves. It would cause ecological imbalance and also easily trigger mountain fires.
Therefore, he had to clear away the excess eucalyptus branches on the mountain little by little and transport them back home to use as firewood.
Because eucalyptus contained eucalyptol, it gave off a bit of a smell when burned.
However, his firewood stove had a long chimney, so the smell basically would not spread.
Besides, eucalyptol was a kind of oil, so it burned with a very strong flame. It was most suitable for kindling and for dishes that required fierce fire and quick stir-frying.
He rather liked this firewood.
After working on the mountain all day, even though Ying Kongtu’s physical condition was far better than a human’s, he was still terribly tired.
At this moment, he was driving a three-wheeled vehicle fully loaded with firewood, heading home while the dry autumn wind blew against him. His mood was extremely pleasant.
Today was a bright, sunny day.
Now the sun had already set, but great expanses of evening glow still filled the sky.
The rosy clouds were gorgeous, ever-changing, and beautiful to look at.
Ying Kongtu admired the scenery while driving, and the vehicle moved very slowly.
Today, he did not need to go to the mountain god temple, so he did not drive along the county’s main road, only taking the outer ring road.
The wind was strong here, there were few vehicles, and the terrain was open.
With one sweep of his eyes, Ying Kongtu could see very far.
It was at this moment that he saw Dart.
Dart was standing on the top of someone’s courtyard wall, facing off against a tabby cat.
Both cats had arched their backs, puffed out their fur, and were going “aowu, aowu,” their voices low and full of threat.
Seeing them from afar, Ying Kongtu felt somewhat worried about Dart.
He recognized this tabby cat.
It was the local cat boss, the kind of boss that could even beat up dogs.
He had not expected Dart, who had always been timid, to actually dare challenge it.
The tabby cat had a fiery temper. Before Ying Kongtu could drive the tricycle close, the two cats had already started fighting.
The tabby cat was actually a little smaller than Dart, but it was far more agile.
Under ordinary circumstances, Dart would be completely suppressed and beaten.
Today, however, Dart could actually rely on its weight and clever force to counterattack occasionally.
Ying Kongtu soon discovered that Dart had probably learned Tiaozhu’s fighting style. Its moves were more organized than before, which was why it could counterattack a little.
This fellow was actually secretly learning!
And secretly learning from Tiaozhu!
Ying Kongtu did not know what to say.
He had not expected this sweet, coquettish orange tabby to have two faces, one at home and one outside.
Dart only managed to act brave for a little while. Very soon, after adjusting, the tabby cat pressed it down and beat it.
Perhaps because it was the autumn-winter shedding season, Dart shed especially badly while being beaten.
After being hit a couple of times, its long cat fur floated in clumps through the sunset glow, like dandelion fluff scattered by the wind, looking especially miserable.
Ying Kongtu had no choice but to call out, “Dart!”
Both cats paused when they heard the voice. Then they quickly separated.
The tabby cat glanced at Ying Kongtu, then swiftly ran away along the courtyard wall in a few bounds.
Dart remained where it was. Only after the tabby cat left did it lower its head, lick its fur, look at Ying Kongtu, and call out in grievance, “Mi.”
“You little fellow, you even fight outside?” Ying Kongtu walked over and reached out to stroke Dart’s back.
Its fur was thick. Once smoothed down, the places where its fur had been scratched away could no longer be seen.
Dart lowered its head, bumped Ying Kongtu’s palm with its head, and called again. “Mi.”
Ying Kongtu stroked it several times, took a small packet of jerky wrapped in oiled paper from his pocket, opened it, and fed it to Dart.
Dart sniffed, then immediately stretched out its paws, held Ying Kongtu’s hand, and licked and tore at the jerky with pitter-patter sounds.
After feeding the entire small packet of jerky in his hand, Ying Kongtu even seized the rare opportunity to thoroughly pet Dart.
Dart also cooperated very well, lying down on the spot, spreading its hind legs, and exposing its belly for Ying Kongtu to rub.
After playing with Dart for more than twenty minutes, Ying Kongtu finally drove home again.
When he got home, he carried the eucalyptus branches to the woodpile and stacked them neatly. Then he immediately went to the bathroom to wash his hair and bathe. Only after cleaning himself thoroughly did he come out to cook.
Ying Kongtu had only just started cooking when Tiaozhu came back.
It did not go lie down on its cushion as usual. Instead, it circled Ying Kongtu several times, looking somewhat puzzled.
Ying Kongtu watched its nose twitch several times and felt guilty.
Unexpectedly, it seemed not to smell anything. It only tilted its head and thought for a moment, then soon went outside to lie down.
It looked like it had not discovered that Ying Kongtu had just petted Dart.
Ying Kongtu’s heart loosened. Happily, he took deep-sea fish from the freezer, mixed it with dried quail and fish roe, and added it to Tiaozhu’s meal.
One person and one golden cat finished dinner in the courtyard. Ying Kongtu took the bowls back to wash, tidied the courtyard a little, said good night to the golden cat, and went to sleep.
In the haze between waking and dreaming, he sensed something coming in through the window.
Immediately afterward, he smelled Tiaozhu’s scent.
It was probably a little cold outside, so Tiaozhu had come into the room to sleep.
Ying Kongtu, who had been tired all day, thought this and did not pay it any mind.
Early the next morning, before the sky had brightened,
Ying Kongtu was woken by his biological clock. Just as he was about to get out of bed, he quickly discovered a furry thing beside his slippers.
It looked like a small plush toy, perhaps a gift Tiaozhu had brought back.
He was just about to put on his slippers, stand up, and take a closer look.
The furry thing beside him suddenly moved and made a tiny sound. “Hngh.”
Ying Kongtu was startled.
Only after turning on the bedside lamp did he discover that this was not a toy Tiaozhu had carried back, but a gray wolf cub!
The little fellow looked like a puppy, but Ying Kongtu would absolutely not mistake it.
It lay quietly on the floor, shrinking uneasily. Only after sensing movement around it did it whimper twice.
Ying Kongtu cupped the little fellow up.
The little fellow was very light, only a little over one jin. It was just that its fur was fluffy, making it appear a bit larger.
After being held up, the little fellow whimpered uneasily, its eyes looking in Ying Kongtu’s direction.
Unfortunately, it had not been born long ago. A blue film still covered its eyes, and it could not see anything. It could only helplessly paddle its little paws and struggle.
The wolf cub must have been brought back by Tiaozhu.
Tiaozhu had discovered that he liked petting fluffy animals, so it had brought him back a wolf cub.
Wait!
Ying Kongtu suddenly realized that, in the end, Tiaozhu had still discovered that he had petted Dart on the road yesterday.
So that was why this fellow had brought him a wolf cub overnight?
Ying Kongtu instantly did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Heaven knew where it had brought this wolf cub from.
He could be certain that the cub was absolutely not from any of the six mountains under his name.
This fellow had truly run far last night.
Ying Kongtu was completely convinced.
It was nearly October, and the morning was a little cool.
After the wolf cub was placed on the ground, it again tugged at its young little throat and whimpered.
It might be a little cold, or it might feel afraid because it had come to an unfamiliar place.
Listening to the cub’s pitiful cries, Ying Kongtu had no choice but to pick it up again and find a small blanket to wrap it in.
After being wrapped up, the wolf cub quieted for a moment.
Very soon, it cried again.
Ying Kongtu guessed that it was probably hungry.
He glanced at the sky outside.
The sky had already brightened, so he called Wen Zhongshan.
When Wen Zhongshan answered the phone, his voice was very clear. “Kongtu? Morning.”
“Morning.” Ying Kongtu held the wolf cub with one hand. “You’re already up? Are you on your way over to my place?”
“Not yet. Soon.”
“No, wait. You don’t need to come over yet. Something unexpected happened here.”
“Hm? What happened?”
“Last night, Tiaozhu brought me back a wolf cub. Today I have to take care of the cub and go up the mountain to check the situation, so I can’t go pick acorns with you for now.”
“A wolf cub? A newborn wolf cub? Don’t wolves here usually give birth in April or May?”
“Conventionally speaking, yes. In the past, I also rarely saw wolf cubs born in other months.”
“Maybe because I, the mountain god, have awakened, more young animals are being born, more plants are sprouting, and the mountain forest will become even more prosperous.”
Counting the days, this wolf cub should have been conceived around early July.
At that time, Wuchuan Mountain, Baogu Mountain, Qingfang Mountain, and Xiwu Mountain had only recently returned to his hands.
He had cleaned the mountain forest and planted new tree species, so the mountain forest had also been filled with new vitality.
Wen Zhongshan understood. “I thought so. There shouldn’t be wolf cubs born in this season.”
“Under normal circumstances, there really aren’t. This is just bad timing. Ah, I won’t keep talking. The wolf cub is crying again. I need to go out and buy some milk powder.”
“Where are you going to buy it at this hour?” Wen Zhongshan stopped him. “Is goat milk powder all right? I have goat milk powder here, and syringes too. I’ll bring some over.”
“Hm?”
“I bought them before when I picked up some kittens. They shouldn’t be expired yet.”
The pet stores outside had not opened yet. If Ying Kongtu wanted to buy milk powder, he would have to specifically wake up a store owner he knew.
It was great that Wen Zhongshan had some.
Ying Kongtu said readily, “Then I’ll wait for you at home. Hurry over.”
“Right away.”
Wen Zhongshan said he would come right away, and he really did arrive very quickly.
Five minutes later, he appeared at Ying Kongtu’s gate.
Ying Kongtu went out to open the gate while holding the cub.
Wen Zhongshan looked at Ying Kongtu holding the wolf cub and asked, “Did you have a habit of picking up young animals before?”
“More or less?” Ying Kongtu said. “As a mountain god, I would occasionally bring home young animals from the mountain that couldn’t survive.”
“I can tell. Your movements when holding the wolf cub are especially skilled, and the wolf cub is very dependent on you. Let me hold it?”
Hearing this, Ying Kongtu handed the cub in his arms to Wen Zhongshan.
After picking up the cub, Wen Zhongshan was also surprised. “So small.”
“It was probably born only a few days ago.” Ying Kongtu gently stroked the cub’s back through the blanket. “I suspect this cub was relatively weak and was abandoned by the mother wolf, which is why Tiaozhu picked it up and brought it back to me.”
“Picked it up overnight?”
“Yes.” Ying Kongtu smiled. “Just now, I thought Tiaozhu had gotten jealous because it discovered I petted Dart yesterday, so it brought me a wolf cub. Thinking about it now, Tiaozhu probably wouldn’t do something like that.”
Tiaozhu had always been very intelligent. Although it could not speak, it knew everything happening in the mountain.
It would never steal another animal’s young.
Even if it did not get along with wolves, it would not do such a thing.
Ying Kongtu lowered his voice and told Wen Zhongshan a secret. “Actually, Tiaozhu was also a cub I picked up. At that time, the mother golden cat had given birth to three golden cat cubs. Tiaozhu was especially weak. The mother golden cat probably worried that she couldn’t keep it alive, so she abandoned it, and I picked it up.”
In the wild, it was very common for mother beasts to abandon weak young.
And young animals abandoned by their mothers generally could not survive.
At that time, the mountain did not lack fierce beasts, and Ying Kongtu had no particular need to raise a golden cat.
He had simply been moved by pity.
Unexpectedly, the golden cat had stayed by his side from then on and become his companion.
“Tiaozhu was more or less raised by me personally. Later, it liked following me. After that, during one hunt, it was seriously injured and near death. Seeing that it had spirituality, I transformed it into an attendant.”
“Were your other attendants the same?”
“More or less. They were all saved by me when they were near death.”
Hearing this, Wen Zhongshan frowned slightly.
Ying Kongtu was a little surprised. “What’s wrong?”
“They were all ordinary little creatures. For you to elevate them into mountain gods, their divine power shouldn’t have been very strong, right?”
“About the same as ordinary beasts, but they were all very spiritual.”
“That’s not what I mean. I was thinking that during the Age of Dharma Decline back then, even weaker non-humans passed away. For you to protect them, it must have been extremely difficult.”
Starting from the Industrial Revolution, the population surged and the world directly entered globalization, greatly squeezing the living space of non-humans.
At that time, all non-humans had lived very hard lives.
Wen Zhongshan had been born during that period and remembered the situation back then very clearly.
Mountain gods were not particularly powerful gods to begin with. To protect so many attendants—heaven knew how Ying Kongtu had managed it.
Before Ying Kongtu could answer, Wen Zhongshan said softly, “Back then, was it because you divided your divine power among your attendants that you fell into sleep?”
Ying Kongtu could sense Wen Zhongshan’s heartache for him and comforted him, “Even if I hadn’t divided my divine power among them, I wouldn’t have been able to withstand the massive changes in the human world later. I still would have fallen into sleep.”
Wen Zhongshan looked at him for a long while and only said, “You really are remarkable.”
“It’s really nothing.” Ying Kongtu gently patted Wen Zhongshan’s back. “Being able to have a life like this now already makes me very satisfied.”
The wolf cub in Ying Kongtu’s arms could no longer endure it and cried desperately in its tiny voice.
The two stopped chatting.
Ying Kongtu needed to prepare milk powder for the wolf cub, and Wen Zhongshan took the initiative to handle it.
Wen Zhongshan very skillfully went to fetch warm water, adding the warm water first, then the milk powder.
After mixing the goat milk, he supported the wolf cub, letting it lie on its belly, then fed it goat milk with a syringe.
Ying Kongtu saw that there was no need for him to interfere at all, breathed a sigh of relief, and went to make breakfast.
After eating and drinking its fill, the wolf cub curled inside the warm blanket, its little belly bulging. Very soon, it quieted down and fell asleep again.
After Ying Kongtu finished making breakfast, he came over and saw the wolf cub like this. He gently stroked the soft fur on top of its head with two fingers.
“I’ll register you first,” Ying Kongtu murmured.
Previously, Ying Kongtu’s divine power had been relatively weak. If he wanted to register small animals, he had to bring them to the mountain god temple.
Now that he had two more mountains under his name and his divine power had recovered somewhat, there was no need for such trouble.
He directly tapped the cub’s head. “I’ll give you a name first. You have the aura of Jingwei Mountain on you, so you’ll be called Jingwei.”
Wen Zhongshan laughed beside him.
Ying Kongtu, who had finished registering the wolf cub, found it inexplicable. “What are you laughing at?”
“The names of the mountains within your territory weren’t chosen by you, were they?”
“Of course not. They were all named by the local people. As they gradually came into common use, they became the official names of the mountains.”
“I knew it. They’re different from your naming style.”
Ying Kongtu swept him a glance. “I’m bad at naming?”
Wen Zhongshan’s smile became even more obvious. “I’ve never seen you name anything, so I don’t know.”
Ying Kongtu thought about it and realized that seemed true.
Whatever name a mountain originally had, he used that name. He had never given a mountain an additional name.
Tiaozhu and the others used the names of the mountains where they lived, so he did not seem to have named them either.
Today’s Jingwei was even more so.
“Stop laughing. Hurry and eat breakfast. After we finish eating, I need to go to Jingwei Mountain too. Are you going?”
“Yes. I haven’t climbed Jingwei Mountain before.”
“It’s rather remote and rather high, and there are many thorns on the mountain. Ordinary people don’t really like climbing that mountain. Perhaps because there are few human traces, there are wolf packs there.”
Wolf packs were very dangerous for most humans, but for two non-humans like them, it did not matter.
When going up the mountain, Ying Kongtu, rarely, did not carry a back basket. Instead, he carried a backpack, wrapped the wolf cub in a blanket, and tucked it inside.
Jingwei Mountain’s elevation was nearly two thousand meters, and they also had to begin climbing from other mountains.
They climbed for more than two hours before reaching the foot of Jingwei Mountain.
It was autumn now. Large stretches of silvergrass on Jingwei Mountain had already sent up plumes, making the place look very desolate.
And within that desolation, both of them discovered all kinds of wild animals hidden beneath the wild grass.
Rodents, hares, wild birds, and slightly larger foxes and weasels, then even larger wild goats.
“There are really many wild animals here.”
“Maybe because it’s far from human settlements.”
“Besides wolves, there should be other fierce beasts here, right?”
“There used to be leopards and tigers. Now, I don’t know.” Ying Kongtu closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then said, “There should be no tigers anymore. Leopards are still here.”
The two climbed up the mountain.
Ying Kongtu had registered the wolf cub. After entering Jingwei Mountain, he could track the mother wolf’s traces.
Very soon, Ying Kongtu discovered wolf paw prints.
Based on the wolf paw prints, he led Wen Zhongshan and found the wolf den from a distance.
There were no other wolves in the den, only a mother wolf with her four wolf cubs.
Ying Kongtu lowered his head and looked at the gray, fluffy wolf cub in his arms.
The four wolf cubs in the distance also had identical gray fur.
Clearly, they were siblings from the same litter.
However, those four wolf cubs were a full circle larger than the one in Ying Kongtu’s arms. At this moment, they were crawling and playing all over the mother wolf, even biting the mother wolf’s tail.
They were strong and lively, making the wolf cub in Ying Kongtu’s arms appear especially small and thin by contrast.
Wen Zhongshan also saw it and reached out with two fingers to stroke the soft fur on top of the cub’s head. “This little fellow really was abandoned by the mother wolf.”
“Mm.”
“What now? Will you adopt it?”
“I’ll take it back first and try to raise it. Once it grows up, I’ll release it back into the forest.”
There were currently very few predators on the mountain, while there were too many rodents.
Raising one more wolf meant one more fierce beast in the future, which would benefit the mountain forest.
Ying Kongtu did not disturb the mother wolf and the other four cubs. He quietly took Wen Zhongshan back along the original path.
Even if the wolf cub had not been actively abandoned by the mother wolf, after being touched with Tiaozhu’s and their scents, the mother wolf would find it very hard to accept it again.
Ying Kongtu had brought the cub over only because he wanted to investigate clearly.
If the cub had gotten lost by accident and the mother wolf was searching for it in the mountain, then he would have returned the cub.
A wolf cub was not too different from a puppy. Ying Kongtu also had experience raising them. Keeping a wolf cub at home was not difficult for him.
It was just that when Dart quietly came over, trying to act spoiled and beg him for food, and discovered that there was now a wolf cub in his home, its sky nearly collapsed.
Dart even raised its paw and tried to beat up the wolf cub, but Ying Kongtu stopped it in time.
As usual, Tiaozhu lay on its cushion. Hearing Dart howl “aowu, aowu,” it did not even open its eyes, merely moving its ears.
Judging from its tail, it was in quite a good mood.
Seeing this, Wen Zhongshan lowered his voice and said to Ying Kongtu, “As expected of the cat mountain god. Brave and resourceful.”
Ying Kongtu also lowered his voice. “That’s why I said it understands everything in its heart. It just can’t speak.”
There was now a wolf cub at home. Although it looked no different from a puppy, it could not be raised exactly like a puppy.
Ying Kongtu took photos of the wolf cub and sent them to Xing Chang, telling him: I rescued a wolf cub. I may need your help to report it and handle the procedures?
Xing Chang replied quickly, saying it was no problem and that he would ask right away.
That afternoon, when work ended, Xing Chang personally came over. “Kongtu—”
Wen Zhongshan opened the door.
Seeing Wen Zhongshan, Xing Chang showed no surprised expression. “Brother Wen is here too? I came to see the wolf cub. Can I see it?”
Ying Kongtu walked out from the living room. “Why wouldn’t you be able to?”
“Isn’t it because I’m afraid the wolf cub is fragile and might get sick if it comes into too much contact with humans?” Xing Chang put down his things and excitedly rubbed his hands. “I’ll wash my hands first.”
Xing Chang went to wash his hands before going to see the wolf cub.
“So small.” Xing Chang exclaimed, “It’s not even as big as a puppy.”
“That’s why I brought it back. I’ll probably raise it for four or five months. Once it’s half-grown and can hunt by itself, I’ll release it back into the mountain forest.”
“Got it. I told my leader today. Special matters require special handling. It shouldn’t be a problem for you to raise it for a while.”
“It’s good if it can be handled.”
“Raising wild animals is also one of a mountain god’s responsibilities.” Xing Chang smiled at Ying Kongtu and carefully picked up the wolf cub. “We were already mentally prepared for this. You don’t need to worry about troubling us.”
Ying Kongtu nodded. “I understand.”
Xing Chang held the milk-plump wolf cub, satisfied. “This is my first time holding a wolf cub. It’s so soft. Can I hold it like this?”
“Yes. You can also support it with your hand. It’ll be more comfortable.”
Xing Chang immediately rubbed his hands warm and carefully changed positions.
The wolf cub’s front paws opened slightly, paddling twice in the air.
Xing Chang said in surprise, “Kneading? Is it kneading?!”
“Yes.” Ying Kongtu smiled. “It likes you very much.”
“So cute! Tomorrow I’ll go urge my leader and tell her to hurry and help get the procedures done.”
Xing Chang’s efficiency had always been high, especially when handling matters related to Ying Kongtu.
Within two days, Xing Chang had helped complete the relevant procedures.
“Here’s a specially approved note. Under normal circumstances, you won’t need it, but keep it first. If you do need it, you won’t have to scramble.”
Xing Chang handed Ying Kongtu a stamped document.
Ying Kongtu looked at it carefully and found that the document clearly stated the matter of his temporary care of the wolf cub. It also bore the large red seal of the local Forestry Bureau.
Xing Chang truly handled things properly.
Seeing Ying Kongtu put the document away, Xing Chang chuckled twice. “There’s also good news.”
“What good news?”
“I helped the wolf cub get some milk powder money.” Xing Chang opened the chat records for Ying Kongtu to see. “It’s this miscellaneous subsidy of five hundred yuan per month.”
Ying Kongtu looked at Xing Chang’s proud expression and lightly patted him. “Five hundred is enough for it. Thanks.”
Xing Chang said, “We still have to repay the mountain-contracting loan. Saving a little is still saving.”
