A Good Country Wife
Chapter 215 - 214 Slowly Approaching_1

Chapter 215: Chapter 214 Slowly Approaching_1

Zhao Erhu was desperately searching for someone, while Lin Yue was staring blankly at the place where the river had disappeared. Originally, the river flowed towards their village, but it vanished before a small hill. Lin Yue observed the surrounding geography and concluded that the river must have gone underground, becoming a Secret River, which was why it couldn’t be seen on the surface. She had heard of such phenomena before, but she did not know where the outlet of the Secret River might be. If it couldn’t be found, they would have to divert water to that location, which would require a lot of manpower and material resources, and cause a great disturbance. It would be much better if they could find a place closer to her home.

However, these were not things that could be accomplished right away, as she had no such ability to dive underwater and investigate. She only had the option to ask around nearby, to find out if any rivers had suddenly appeared without a traceable source, or if there were any other abnormal phenomena related to rivers. To have gathered this much information today was already quite good, so she would just have to go back for now and come up with a concrete plan before starting on this matter.

After resting for a while, Lin Yue stood up but felt a little dizzy. It took her a few seconds to steady herself before she felt another warm surge below. Remembering what she was wearing, she instantly felt that being a woman was really troublesome. Having been out for so long, she might have bled quite a bit. Those ’monthly affairs’ products were not as durable as modern sanitary napkins, and she had no replacements at the moment. She hoped not to have any accidents before getting home. Fortunately, she was in the deep mountains, where few people ventured, so she would not likely encounter anyone, or else she would be in real trouble.

But Lin Yue spoke too soon. There might not be people in these desolate mountains, but there were wild animals. The heavy scent of blood on Lin Yue was significant; while human noses could barely detect such smells, wild animals had a keen sense of smell, and a wandering wolf nearby had picked up the potent scent of blood and followed it to locate its source.

Meanwhile, Zhao Erhu and his brother, Zhao Dahuo, along with his wife, were going around the village asking if anyone had seen Lin Yue. Most of them shook their heads, indicating they didn’t know, but a few said that they had seen Lin Yue heading into the mountains. An old man living close to the mountains vaguely saw someone who resembled Erhu’s wife heading into the mountains, while a few children gathering firewood nearby were certain they saw Dalang’s mother enter the woods.

"I tell you, Lord Heaven, my sister-in-law is thin and frail, why would a woman venture into the mountains alone? There are so many wild beasts and poisonous snakes. She is a weak woman and knows no Martial Arts; if she encounters a wild animal, it will be dangerous. What should we do?" Liu’s wife became worried when she heard Lin Yue had gone into the mountains, anxiously pacing around in place.

"I’m saying, Erhu, it’s not that I want to criticize you, but your sister-in-law is young and may not understand some things. It wouldn’t have hurt for a grown man like you to give in to her. Why insist on being angry with her? Now you’ve upset her to the point she ran off into the mountains; what if something happens to her?" Liu’s wife, in her anxiety, spoke out of turn, bringing up Zhao Erhu’s misgivings, earning her a stern look from Zhao Dahu.

Zhao Dahu glared at Liu’s wife. Despite his usual honest and straightforward manner, his strong sense of masculinity was deeply rooted in his mind. "What nonsensical talk! How is that logical? Erhu is a grown man; how can he bow down to his wife? Besides, it’s not my sister-in-law’s first time going into the mountains. It’s not like you, who knows nothing once you’re in the mountains. She is capable and knows how to avoid danger."

"Why can’t it be? You, with no ability, aren’t exactly impressive with others, yet you only know how to shout at me. I’m just worried about my sister-in-law. Don’t you worry about her, too?"

"How could I not worry? But what good does your worrying do? Can it bring people back?"

"Brother, Sister-in-law, don’t fight over me and spoil your harmony. Worrying now is no use. I’m heading up the mountain to look for her immediately. Sister-in-law is right; as a man, I shouldn’t have been angry with my wife. If I find my wife, I’ll apologize to her and won’t make her angry again,"

Zhao Erhu had no idea about Lin Yue’s whereabouts and was worried and anxious. Now that he knew, he was even more anxious and upset. He went home to grab his hunting gear before heading into the mountain to search for her. Zhao Erhu’s face was somewhat grim. He was an experienced woodsman, unlike Lin Yue, who lacked experience. At that time, the blood scent on a woman’s body is very strong. Although his wife had accompanied him into the mountains many times and understood some basic knowledge of the forest, a wild animal could track her down following the scent of her blood. He hoped his wife hadn’t gone deep into the mountain; otherwise, it would be truly dangerous.

Zhao Erhu followed the traces left by Lin Yue. In the past, when they went into the mountains, he had taught his wife that if she was afraid of getting lost, she should mark nearby trees or other stationary objects. Thus, even if she took the wrong path, she could follow the marks back the way she came. It was because his wife remembered his method that he could follow the traces and find her so easily. But the deeper Zhao Erhu followed the marks left by Lin Yue, the heavier his worry grew. Further in would lead deep into the wilderness. This was a path he had taken with his wife before. Why had his wife come here?

Zhao Erhu didn’t believe his wife would run to this place without reason just because she was angry with him. There must be some reason, but he could only know it when he found his wife.

Lin Yue had intended to return the same way she came, but then she thought it would be too far and require a considerable detour. The river was in the direction of their village, and as long as she followed the correct direction, she could make it back to the village. Therefore, she sought a different path to return. However, she didn’t know that a wild wolf had picked up her blood scent and was slowly approaching her.

Although Lin Yue was unaware, the moment the wild wolf set its sights on her, an instinctive reflex made her look in the direction of the wolf, almost scaring the soul out of her—holy moly! A large black-grey wild wolf was watching her intently from not far away, ready to pounce at any moment.

Meanwhile, Zhao Erhu, who was making his way towards Lin Yue’s direction, felt a sudden twinge in his heart, and his eyelids twitched violently. Zhao Erhu had a bad premonition.

Lin Yue’s reaction was swift at the moment of crisis as she hit the wild wolf hard with the stick in her hand, then turned and dashed forward with the speed of a hundred-meter sprint, without any hesitation. The wild wolf, distracted by the stick Lin Yue wielded, jumped back a bit before realizing its prey was escaping and took off after her.

In this chase between human and wolf, Lin Yue occasionally threw stones and other objects from the roadside to slow the wolf’s pace. However, in the end, the speed of man and beast cannot be compared, especially since Lin Yue’s stamina was only average. She was now gasping for breath, unable to catch her breath, and the wild wolf was about to catch up.