Chapter 365: The Wolves’ Door Deal and the Industrious Red Squirrel

The shape was all wrong, and it didn’t feel right in her hand—too light, too uneven. What Crippled Wolf brought wasn’t the Yi Stone, it was actually three hickory nuts.

The green husks on the hickory nuts were already wrinkled, meaning they hadn’t just dropped from the tree. They must have been hiding under the leaves on the Green Lantern Pecan tree over on Hill Sixty, where Xia Qing hadn’t noticed them.

Hickory nuts were decent, sure, but nowhere near as valuable as a Yi Stone…

Xia Qing collected herself quickly and forced a cheerful smile. “Thanks for the gift, Crippled. Really appreciate you bringing these all this way.”

Three hickory nuts might make a nice gift, but they were nowhere near enough to trade for real supplies.

Seeing Xia Qing accept the nuts, Crippled Wolf padded over to the wooden door set under the eaves, put a paw squarely on it, then turned to look at her.

Peering at the clever wolf through her night vision goggles, Xia Qing asked, “Crippled, are you planning to carry this wooden door home? Sure, go for it—but how do you plan to move it yourself? And honestly, do you really think a wooden door would look good up on Hill Sixty?”

When Xia Qing didn’t walk over, Crippled Wolf circled around her once, then went back and set his paw on the door again.

The realization hit Xia Qing. She pointed to her own nose, then at the door. “You want me… to haul the door over for you?”

Crippled Wolf flashed his two tiny fangs in a broad wolfish grin.

Heavens above and earth below…

A wolf was trying to use three hickory nuts to persuade her to lug a three-meter-wide wooden door sixty miles through the mountains to deliver it straight to his den. That was math even stingier than old Iron Rooster Yang Jin’s!

Xia Qing shook her head firmly. “I’m not going. It’s too far. If you want that door back, get Huge Wolf to come carry it.”

The smile slipped from Crippled Wolf’s face as he seemed to think it over. The Alpha—sated and now licking the last of the blood from his golden chin—fixed his gold eyes on Xia Qing, too. Crippled Wolf’s little sister dragged her two hind legs out from the Sheep Shed, the sound of her chewing at their latest catch enough to make Xia Qing’s scalp prickle.

Once more, Xia Qing stood her ground. “I’m not delivering that door. I need it to fix up the territory’s walls, and work starts at dawn. I don’t have the time.”

Crippled Wolf seemed to get the hint. He turned to leave, took a few steps, then paused and glanced back at her.

That look, Xia Qing understood—it meant “Follow me.” She called out, “Where to? I have work starting at dawn, I’m honestly busy.”

Crippled Wolf walked a few more paces, turned to check if she was following.

Xia Qing stayed rooted to the spot. Old Goat finally lost patience, nudged her in the waist, and pushed her forward after Crippled Wolf.

Old Goat was way better at communicating with the wolf pack than Xia Qing ever managed. Choosing to trust her ally, Xia Qing followed Crippled Wolf out of the territory and into the valley.

Crippled Wolf finally stopped at the entrance of an abandoned cave and set his big paw on the stone. Xia Qing finally got it. “You want the door installed here?”

Now that she understood, Crippled Wolf grinned, showing those little pointy fangs—looking almost cute.

The mouth of the cave was about the same size and shape as the front door to Xia Qing’s own house. So from the start, Crippled Wolf never planned to carry it to Hill Sixty—he wanted the door set up here all along.

Xia Qing didn’t really get why he wanted a door here, but she was decisive as ever. She nodded. “Alright, I’ll bring the door over and install it for you before sunrise.”

Xia Qing was always someone who acted fast—if she could get something done now, she wouldn’t leave it for later. She headed home, packed up her toolkit, hefted the wooden door, and strode out.

The Alpha followed behind her. Crippled Wolf hoisted his crippled-legged little sister on his back and fell in behind the Alpha. Er Gou and Old Goat brought up the rear.

From the shadowy Northern Buffer Forest, Hu Zifeng stared, dumbstruck, at this unusual procession. Now he finally understood what exactly the wolf pack had traded for with Xia Qing last time.

Do proper wolves really need doors?

Or maybe… are wolves who need doors even wolves at all?

Once in the valley, Crippled Wolf set his crippled-legged sister down inside the cave, then lay down beside the Alpha at the entrance, both watching Xia Qing get to work.

Old Goat hadn’t set hoof in this valley in a long while. He wandered around, rummaging as if looking for something. Er Gou stuck close to Xia Qing, very clearly trying to help.

But truth was, there wasn’t much he could actually do to help set up a door.

Xia Qing first measured the doorframe with a tape measure for a snug fit. Then came the banging and drilling—hammer, drill, and a flurry of work until the door was fastened in place. She stuffed every gap between the wooden door and the cave wall with rocks or boards until it was sealed tight.

Once finished, she stepped back and asked the client to check her work. “Crippled, what do you think? Will this do?”

Crippled Wolf came over, batted at the handle with his paw and padded into the cave. The Alpha trotted in after him. After a bit, both wolves pushed open the door from inside, came out, and flashed her huge grins—clearly delighted.

They really were spirits in wolf form, she thought.

Xia Qing was satisfied too—at least she didn’t have to drag the door sixty miles. “This bit of land counts as my territory. As long as you all keep quiet, you won’t have to worry about humans here. It’s safer for you here than at Section Three.”

By the time Xia Qing finished up and left the valley with Er Gou and Old Goat, the sky was already light. She pulled out her phone, ready to check in on her ‘model neighbor,’ Red Squirrel.

That industrious little guy was already gone—off to Section Three for more food, it seemed.

Having such a high-achieving neighbor spurred Xia Qing, another avid food gatherer, to work even harder. First stop: Red Squirrel’s food stash!

She climbed a tall tree, flashlight in hand, checking the squirrel’s hoard. The stash had grown, but instead of the black peanuts Xia Qing had been hoping for, the additions were just a handful of corn kernels.

Coming down from the tree, she asked, “Er, did you give Red Squirrel some corn kernels?”

Er Gou just looked at her with innocent, clear eyes. Xia Qing couldn’t read a thing from him, so she turned to Old Goat, quietly munching grass by her side. “Old Goat, did you give Red Squirrel corn?”

Old Goat twitched his ears, pretending not to hear.

“So neither of you did it? Then how did corn get into that squirrel’s stash? Maybe it came from another territory?” With her companions trailing behind, Xia Qing mulled it over on their way home. “An evolved sea eagle wouldn’t be much threat to Speed-Evolved Squirrels, but Third Brother’s Princess Cat is a real carnivore—she’d love a bite of Red Squirrel. What do you figure Red Squirrel’s chances would be if a cat got hold of him?”

Xia Qing had no idea what sort of evolutionary powers Princess Cat had, and didn’t plan to intervene in animal feuds. If Red Squirrel sneaked into someone else’s territory for food and got caught or killed by the local guardian, well, it meant he was both underpowered and too reckless.

She’d already saved him once from Xin Yu’s hands—there wouldn’t be a second time. Unless he came scrambling back battered and desperate, with some offering that would truly tempt her, just like the wolves had.

But clearly, that was beyond the little guy’s abilities.

Xia Qing went home, had breakfast, spread out the corn, and set Er Gou to keep watch from the roof. Then she consulted with Lu Yuhui, trying to speed up the construction work as much as possible.

Because by three in the afternoon, the second batch of refugees would be arriving.

Lu Yuhui divided the twenty-person construction team into two squads. The first continued surveying, marking lines, digging trenches, and pouring concrete. The second team got to work on the already-erected wall frames, welding on wire mesh and anti-climb spikes.

Hu Zifeng sent four team members to protect the construction squads, while Xia Qing went back to clear out the fields and get ready for autumn planting.