CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 162: SLEEPING BEAUTY

The old hunter Anthony originally lived on the slopes of the Alps near Nice, where he had been for over a decade. After he adopted a boy with an unknown background, he moved to a spot on the mountain closer to the direction of Italy. Those old hunters who were familiar with Anthony couldn’t understand why he wanted to move to a place with fewer game. According to Anthony, on the mountainside near Italy, one could feel the warm winds from the Mediterranean, making the Alpine winters a bit more bearable. In truth, he just wanted to stay out of sight.

This year, the warm Mediterranean breeze belonging to the old hunter Anthony blew in the middle of the night. A "bang bang" knock on the door rattled the snow off the hunting cabin’s eaves, not to mention waking up Anthony, who was sound asleep inside.

"In the middle of the night..." When he was young, Anthony the old hunter had a fiery temper. After drinking two bottles of whiskey, he could bare-handedly wrestle with a winter bear. But after he became a foster father to a child, his temper had mellowed a lot.

When he opened the door, Anthony the old hunter expected to see a lost mountaineer.

There were two people, one of whom had already passed out. The old hunter Anthony’s eyes widened as he made eye contact with the visitor.

Anthony stretched out both hands to form a "ten" sign.

"You’re mistaken, Anthony, it’s been twelve years. I was really worried that when I entered, I’d only see a rusty hunting rifle," Pello said as he placed Su Ziceng on the bed and freed his hands to give his foster father a firm hug.

Anthony cursed. There was a saying widely circulated among hunters, "As long as the gun is there, so is the man; the gun rusts, the man’s gone."

"I can still down two bottles of whiskey in one go; death is still a long way off for me," Anthony had another famous quote, "Birds die for food, Anthony dies for whiskey."

"Seeing you’re still so robust, I’m relieved. In a few days, make me a bear trap. I want to go bear hunting in the mountains," Pello made sure Su Ziceng was covered up and checked her forehead. She had been unconscious for more than 24 hours. If not for her normal breathing and heart rate, Pello would really worry about her...

Anthony watched as Pello put the person down and shook his head. A few strands of unmelted snow fell from his hair, his gestures akin to those of the hunting hound tied outside his cabin.

"Who is she? The woman you mentioned before?" It had been over a dozen years since Anthony last saw Pello, but they would occasionally make phone calls.

"No, she’s a business partner," Pello did not want to reveal his revenge to Anthony, nor did he want to talk much about Su Ziceng’s identity. Anthony was a good man; if it wasn’t for his critically ill wife needing money for treatment, he wouldn’t have done bad things like killing for Olson. When he turned back and saved the barely breathing Pello, the woman who had been with him for over twenty years also took her last breath. Anthony said it was retribution, God couldn’t overlook his evil deeds, and it all reflected on his woman. Therefore, for the next three years, he raised Pello in silence until Pello became a quite famous hunter in the mountains. Only then did his face, which had lacked smiles for many years, begin to show some.

"A business partner? You really are just like your birth father, quite skilled at making money," Anthony never even inquired into Pello’s true identity. Born in the Alps, he might not step out until he died. So for Pello, who chose to leave, all he could offer was a blessing as cold as the snowy mountains, "When will you bring that Wen lady to visit?"

Pello subconsciously glanced at Su Ziceng, who was still sleeping soundly, with a rosier complexion than before. The room was warm, and for the first time in many days, Pello thought of Wen Maixue. Before this, it was the avalanche, then his tetanus, followed by Su Ziceng’s coma—there was hardly any time for him to think about Wen Maixue.

No rescue team had entered the mountains for over a dozen days, which must mean Olson had Wen Maixue under control. Pello felt a sense of guilt towards Wen Maixue, who had been dragged into the "Olson Incident" because of him; he would fulfill his promised vow after everything was settled.

As for the Su Ziceng lying in bed, Pello did not know what she had done during those days; his feverish delirium left him with little clarity of mind. All he could see was Su Ziceng sitting idly by the carcass of a deer—despite it being just that scene, his heart ached.

"Anthony, I want you to take her down the mountain next time; her eyes are suffering from snow blindness and need medical treatment," Pello said, sitting dry next to Anthony’s newly kindled stove, his shoes, stiff with cold, were roasted dry.

"And what about you?" Anthony looked at Pello’s face, thoughtfully. Pello was a considerate kid; even when he was nursing a gunshot wound, he knew how to comfort himself as he was nearly broken by the loss of his wife. He did not seem like someone who would carelessly abandon a companion.

"I have more important things to do," Pello tried to convince himself. Once down the mountain, snow blindness could be cured; Wen Maixue, now in the grasp of the Olsons, needed his help even more.

"The snow on the mountain is not stable, be careful going in alone," Anthony said without further ado, taking an axe from the cabin, without explanation, he went outside. Before he descended the mountain tomorrow, he had to set a bear trap for Pello.

Pello was not someone who easily asked for favors, even during his first winter bear hunt, he had never made any requests to Anthony. But now, his adopted son had asked for a bear trap, which meant this "bear" must be no ordinary prey.

Inside the hunter’s cabin, two people remained. Pello approached the bed, gazing at the sleeping Su Ziceng. Her lips still bore a smile, despite days of harsh conditions, she had not been crushed.

"Su Ziceng, you really are a strange person, at times wilfully infuriating, and at times stubbornly heart-wrenching," Pello took a damp cloth and wiped the bloodstains off her cheeks.

"If you wake up and don’t see me, will you resent me?" Pello wondered if Su Ziceng, upon awakening, would pester Anthony, relentlessly asking about his whereabouts.

If she knew Pello left her for Wen Maixue, she would certainly throw a fit of rage, and even Anthony might not be able to handle it then.

Better to have Anthony say nothing at all, Pello thought as he discarded the wet cloth, leaning against the bed, listening to Su Ziceng’s steady breathing. His mind raced with plans for the coming days, his hand searching inside his coat for the pistol that remained closest to his heart. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)