After having breakfast with Fu Jiang and the others, Little Fu left.
The Copper Mountain wasn’t far away, and they could reach it today, so after breakfast, Eldest Senior Brother and the others began to pack up. They hitched up their sleds and set off toward Copper Mountain.
Fu Jiang and the others followed Eldest Senior Brother and Little Fu walked a short distance with them. After looking back at the wolf pack waiting for it not far behind, it took a few more steps forward but ultimately stopped.
Fu Jiang noticed Little Fu lagging and turned around, calling out to it, wanting this child, who had finally returned after years of being lost, to walk with them, not to get lost again.
The other dogs also stopped and looked at Little Fu, hoping it would catch up and continue with them.
Little Fu hesitated for a moment before running quickly toward Fu Jiang. The two sniffed each other and then lightly nipped at each other.
The wolves in the rear began howling and slowly approached Little Fu.
Fu Jiang turned around, leading the other dogs back toward Eldest Senior Brother and the others, who had already covered some distance. Little Fu took a few steps forward and turned to glance at the approaching wolves but stopped again, watching Fu Jiang and the others gradually grow distant.
During this time, Fu Jiang stopped, turned, and called out several times to Little Fu. Anxiously pacing in circles, Little Fu didn't follow its mother but instead stayed with the wolf pack.
The heavy snow blanketed the world, and the cold and solitude filled the air.
As Little Fu watched Eldest Senior Brother, the others, and Fu Jiang grow further away, it raised its head and let out a long howl. The sound was no longer as majestic as before but filled with sadness and melancholy like a child reluctantly bidding farewell to their family.
The cold wind howled, carrying snowflakes that stirred the wolves’ fur, creating a swirling vortex.
In the bitter wind, the wolves' howls echoed one after another, lingering in the air for a long time.
Eldest Senior Brother and the others had disappeared, and in the distance, the wolf's howl, in response to the pack, faded away. Suddenly, the world became quiet, save for the mournful cry of the wind passing through the treetops.
Closing its mouth, Little Fu led the wolf pack, remaining still, silently watching the direction in which Fu Jiang and the others had gone.
After a long while, it finally stepped forward, heading north. This time, it did not look back.
The wolf pack followed their leader, Little Fu, slowly turning into a group of tiny black dots, eventually vanishing from sight. In the snow, they left a trail of paw prints.
With the howling wind and the heavy snow falling again, the tracks soon faded, blending with the surrounding white.
The world was covered in a vast expanse of white, the snow bringing a pure stillness.
It was a place where the wind and butterflies freely wandered.
Behind the dreams, the faint fragrance of gardenias drifted.
It was a village where birds and souls sang together.
The little river flowed quietly.
The earth bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
Through the rough and delicate years, the seasons gently guided me to grow without leaving a trace.
I no longer look back.
The youthful arrogance and gentle strength will forever be unforgettable.
Beyond the fence, that patch of blue sorrow.
More than ten days later, a disturbance came from the west, and a group appeared in the endless white snow.
It was Eldest Senior Brother and the others returning from mining.
At the front was Eldest Senior Brother, alongside the leader of the deer herd, Deer Lord.
A basket of copper ore weighing seventy to eighty pounds was on the sled pulled by Deer Lord.
Although it was only seventy to eighty pounds, it was no easier to carry than the heavier loads carried by the other deer, and in fact, it was even more difficult for Deer Lord.
Because it was its first time, the snow on the ground was loose, and although the other deer were pulling heavier loads, the snow behind them had been compacted over time. The sleds no longer sank, offering less resistance and making pulling easier.
When they reached this point, Eldest Senior Brother looked around, hoping to catch sight of Little Fu. But all he could see was snow, withered trees, and barren grass—no sign of Little Fu or the wolf pack.
Fu Jiang howled, his voice echoing in the vast space, but no wolves were howling in response.
It wasn’t until the miners returned from Copper Mountain that Han Cheng learned of Little Fu’s situation.
He didn’t know how to feel.
There was a sense of relief because the mischievous troublemaker, who once had a bee sting on its head, had been missing for so many years and yet hadn't died. Instead, it had been living well and even become a wolf pack's leader.
There was also a sense of melancholy. With more experiences, some things can never return to how they were. People change, and so do lost dogs.
But still, overall, the happiness outweighed everything else.
It didn’t matter whether Little Fu came back or not. That was enough as long as Han Cheng knew that Little Fu was alive and well.
It might have been for the best. If Little Fu had indeed returned leading the wolf pack, it would have caused trouble for the tribe. The tribe already had plenty of dogs, and adding a whole pack of wild wolves would have been an enormous drain, especially regarding food.
Moreover, the wolves Little Fu led were wild and untamed, so keeping them in the tribe would have felt unsafe. They could easily cause problems.
On the other hand, if they had killed and eaten the wolves that Little Fu had brought back, it would have troubled their hearts.
For Han Cheng and the whole Green Sparrow tribe, this situation was ideal.
The heavy snow covering the land and the winter cold did not dampen the Green Sparrow tribe’s enthusiasm for smelting copper and forging tools.
With the two types of ores in place and after a bit of preparation, the three furnaces at the quarry began to operate in succession.
With the heavy snow falling and the ground frozen, there was no work to be done outside, making it the quietest time of the year for the tribe.
So there were enough hands to carry out the work.
The quarry was busy with the hammering of ore, sorting of stones, charcoal burning, and bellows puffing, all of which occurred in an orderly manner.
As white smoke billowed into the sky, the ores, transported from afar, were processed in the fiery furnaces and poured into clay molds, becoming sturdy and sharp tools.
A few bronze tools had been completed in front of Han Cheng. These tools were twenty centimeters long, five centimeters wide, and two centimeters thick. They had a hole at the top for attaching a wooden handle, and the bottom was thinner than the upper part.
These were bronze hoe heads, the second type of farming tool made by the Green Sparrow tribe, after their bronze sickles.