Wen Qian lived alone here, often leaving the curtains open, as the surrounding walls were quite tall.
In the past, when Wen Qian was cutting trees and digging for wild vegetables at the foot of the opposite mountain, she observed her own home.
Not to mention that it was difficult to see clearly with the naked eye, even with a telescope, the movements around the walls could not be fully discerned.
Moreover, with the recent snowfall, the snow on top of the walls had not been cleared by Wen Qian.
The snow covered the previous glass shards, making it too thick, so Wen Qian was worried that the glass shards would not serve their intended purpose of deterring burglars. As a result, she also laid branches of the soapberry tree over the thick snow, effectively increasing the height of the wall.
These soapberry tree branches were actually collected by her when she was back in An Province, as she found the thorns of this tree to be long and poisonous.
When Wen Qian went out to listen to the radio, if it was snowing in winter, she would wear a white cloak as she left her home.
Perhaps influenced by scenes of camouflage in the snow she had seen on the news, she would sometimes put on this camouflage-colored cloak out of boredom, climb a ladder from the back of the house, and slowly move up the mountain.
She would climb a tree and listen to the radio while observing the surroundings.
The radio had earphones, and in the silence around her, Wen Qian dared not make too much noise in the wilderness.
After all, this was not An Province, her hometown. In the summer back home, she had to make noise wherever she went to scare away snakes, but in the winter in Xia Province, Wen Qian did everything quietly.
It was on this particular day, when Wen Qian was observing, that she noticed something amiss.
She couldn't pinpoint the reason, but she had a very bad feeling, so she stayed in the tree longer than usual that day.
Then she saw someone coming down from the opposite mountain.
Wen Qian thought that apart from her location, the person seemed to have no other purpose, so she was on high alert, like a porcupine.
Up in the mountain, there were two people who had been on the run after their companion was killed in a previous gunshot. They were fleeing through the mountains.
However, even if they could escape for the time being in the cold winter, what could they do next? Without food or water, just eating snow would not be enough.
Perhaps the pursuers had stopped chasing them to conserve ammunition and energy, or maybe they thought the fugitives couldn't survive in the mountains, so they decided not to pursue them further.
Xiao Cai and Da Gang were being chased because their traces were discovered after a series of robberies.
The current law enforcers patrolled with guns, and while Xiao Cai and Da Gang initially only committed robberies with knives, they later escalated to home invasions with casualties. They knew the consequences they would face if caught, so they were fleeing desperately.
They had knives and makeshift guns, but their ammunition was running low during the escape.
The two of them took shelter in a crevice in the mountain, building a snow cave. At first, they planned to hide and then return, but there was no food or water in the mountains, and the snowfall was heavy.
Their dry rations were quickly depleting. Xiao Cai was tall but cautious, slightly thinner than the more rugged and fierce-looking Da Gang.
It was precisely because of this that he left clues and was discovered.
The two of them stayed together, with Xiao Cai wanting to endure in the mountains for a while before leaving, but Da Gang insisted on exploring the area.
While Xiao Cai was digging for grass roots in the mountains, Da Gang excitedly returned from his wandering, telling him about a discovery.
Da Gang's discovery was that he had found smooth, cut tree stumps while venturing farther out into the mountains, indicating human activity. Where there were people, there would be food, or so he thought.
Da Gang insisted on going to investigate, regardless of Xiao Cai's objections about not wanting to encounter anyone.
Xiao Cai certainly didn't want to go, as Da Gang might get caught and implicate him too, after they had finally found a place to take shelter.
But he couldn't stop Da Gang, who spent several consecutive days going out to search for signs of habitation.
However, in the surrounding mountains and slopes, there were only scattered cut tree stumps, but no traces of human dwellings.
Venturing farther out would lead to a basin and deserts, where no one would build a home. Although Da Gang didn't believe it, he still tried walking in that direction.
In the distance, he discovered a few low mountains with buildings, indicating that someone had settled there.
It seemed to be just one household, but due to the distance and lack of a telescope, he could only make out the structures and nothing else.
However, the visible smoke signaled human habitation, which delighted him. He hurried back to find Xiao Cai, who remained unmoved.
Da Gang then declared that he would go and check it out himself, and that Xiao Cai shouldn't blame him for not giving him the opportunity, as each would fend for themselves.
In truth, Xiao Cai had secretly stashed away some food elsewhere, intending to ditch this burdensome companion and flee on his own.
This gave him a valid reason, so Xiao Cai asked when Da Gang planned to act.
Da Gang stated that he would go for a closer look the next day.
Xiao Cai didn't stop him, only saying that he wouldn't go, but in reality, he also planned to leave this place when Da Gang started his operation.
Xiao Cai felt that anyone living in such a desolate place must be no ordinary person.
But Da Gang thought that with just a small house, there couldn't be too many people living there, and there might be an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Therefore, Xiao Cai didn't share his thoughts with Da Gang, knowing that Da Gang was not one to listen to advice. They had cooperated previously for mutual benefit, but now they would go their separate ways.
Perhaps Da Gang also realized this, that they would part ways. He now had a direction and a goal, and maybe he could settle comfortably in a house this winter, warming himself by the fire and eating meat.
Unlike Xiao Cai, who was timidly playing the monkey in the mountains, unable to even find fruit to eat.
That day, Da Gang observed the house from the mountain for a long time, only seeing smoke coming from the chimney, but nothing else.
So he went straight down the mountain, unaware that his movements were being watched by Wen Qian in the tree, who immediately became highly alert.
As Da Gang approached the foot of the mountain, with no cover, he worried about being spotted too early, so he took a detour to the side, intending to approach from the flank.
But every move he made was under Wen Qian's surveillance, and she was pondering which weapon to use against this unwelcome visitor.
She was also wondering if there was only this one person, or if this person was just a scout, with more people to follow.
As Da Gang circled around and reached the side of the hill, he noticed that the surrounding wall was exceptionally tall.
In Da Gang's view, the wall seemed to have no entrance, so he quietly circled to the other side but didn't find any doors or windows either.
Did they not go out in winter? Da Gang thought this reasoning seemed plausible.
He then noticed footprints leading up the mountain, but these didn't look like a man's footprints. Judging by the shoe prints, Da Gang became even more excited.
