Chapter 137: Hunting for an Extra Meal

After the Changjin Lake Campaign, the field Yi Yuan was crowded with wounded. Li Ping'an, with his nimble body, was changing the dressing for a young soldier. Removing the gauze, the wound had festered and smelled foul.

Company Commander, can my leg still be saved? The young soldier gasped, cold sweat pouring from his pain.

"Nonsense!" Li Ping'an expertly cleaned the wound. Come spring, I'll still have to teach you to shoot—you need to actively cooperate with the doctor's treatment.

But when he moved to the next wounded, his heart sank—this person's wound was even worse. Doctor Lin Xueqing hurried over, her brow furrowed above her mask: only a few doses of anti-inflammatory medicine left; the severely wounded can't even be allocated any. Now there's a severe shortage of medicine; many wounded have nothing to treat with and can only endure. Moreover, without meat, recovery is slow.

During midnight rounds, Li Ping'an heard two wounded murmuring softly:

Third Company today carried out another two who died from lack of medicine...

If this continues, we'll all...

He silently walked outside the Yi Yuan, his fists clenched white. Gazing at the distant snow‑covered mountains, he suddenly recalled his childhood hunting trips in the hills of his hometown.

He needed to go into the mountains to try his luck. Li Ping'an decided silently.

Before dawn the next day, he took his Type 97 rifle and trudged through the deep snow toward the mountains. The mountain path was tough; each step sank to his knees. After walking half a day, he finally spotted game on a leeward slope—not wild boar, but several wild rabbits foraging in the snow.

Li Ping'an held his breath and slowly raised the rifle. But his injured arm wouldn't obey, the barrel kept wavering. Just as he was about to fire, his foot slipped and he tumbled down the mountain gully.

His old wound burst open, blood instantly soaking his cotton coat. He struggled to crawl into a cave, his consciousness fading.

In the critical moment, he recalled the Spiritual Spring Space. With a thought, his whole body immersed in the warm spring water. The sharp pain gradually faded; he gulped several mouthfuls of water, feeling a warm current surge through his entire body.

Upon exiting the space, he was astonished to find his wound already scabbed, the scar fading. Even more astonishing, his eyes became unusually sharp—he could see the whiskers of a rabbit a hundred meters away clearly.

This hunt went unusually smoothly. The rabbits were still foraging; Li Ping'an crept up like a cat. The gunshot rang, the rabbit fell—everything in one smooth motion. He then fashioned several snares from branches and caught two pheasants.

Enough for the wounded to have a soup. He weighed the game.

On the way back, Li Ping'an pondered how to explain how quickly his wound had healed. He finally decided to say he'd found some hemostatic herbs in the cave.

Heavens! Cooking Squad Leader Lao Wang saw the game and was so startled his ladle dropped. "Company Commander Li, this is truly sending charcoal in the snow!"

The whole Yi Yuan bustled into action. Lightly wounded helped prepare the game, while the female nurses busily boiled soup. When the first pot of pheasant soup was ready, its aroma filled the entire camp.

Sip slowly, everyone gets a share. Li Ping'an fed the severely wounded spoonful by spoonful.

A young soldier sipped and wept: "This taste is like my mother's cooking..."

Lin Xueqing came over with a bowl: "Company Commander Li, your wound healed remarkably fast."

My physique is good. Li Ping'an answered vaguely, serving her a drumstick.

What's even more astonishing is that the wounded who drank the game soup recovered especially fast. Their originally festering wounds began to grow new flesh—even the doctors thought it miraculous. Only Li Ping'an knew deep down it was because he'd secretly added Spiritual Spring Water to the soup.

From then on, Li Ping'an often went into the mountains to hunt. Sometimes he brought back hares, sometimes pheasants. Once he even picked up a frozen roe deer, letting the wounded enjoy meat.

Cooking Squad Leader Lao Wang joked: "Company Commander Li, you should become a hunter!"

But good luck doesn't always last. One evening, Li Ping'an encountered a wolf pack in the deep mountains. Seven or eight pairs of green eyes glowed in the twilight, their fangs gleaming white.

Come on! He gripped his dagger, calculating how to break through.

Just then, Tie Zhu's shout came from afar: "Company Commander! Where are you?"

The wolf pack fled at the gunshot; only then did Li Ping'an realize his cotton uniform was soaked through with sweat.

From now on, you can't act alone. Lin Xueqing bandaged his wolf‑claw wound while complaining, "Everyone's counting on you."

Those words reminded Li Ping'an. He began taking the lightly wounded on hunts, teaching them to read animal tracks and set snares. Soon the Yi Yuan had a hunting squad; it not only solved the food problem but also got the wounded moving, boosting their spirits.

On New Year's Eve, the Yi Yuan unexpectedly enjoyed a full meal. Everyone gathered around the fire, eating roasted game and humming hometown tunes. Li Ping'an gazed at the flames, recalling the words from the Ping Le letter: "Brother, the jujube trees in the courtyard have borne fruit."

Are you homesick? Lin Xueqing sat down beside him.

I miss my sister's fried sauce noodles. Li Ping'an chuckled, passing over a skewer of grilled mushrooms.

A young soldier limped over on his crutch: "Company Commander Li, once the war's over I'll go to Beiping to learn hunting from you!"

Li Ping'an shouted his agreement: "I'll take you to see the sky bridges and eat braised stew!"

Amid the laughter and chatter, no one noticed Li Ping'an slip away to a dark corner, mixing Spiritual Spring Water into the severely wounded's medicine. The moonlight shone on his earnest face; those gradually healing wounds were this hunter's greatest reward.

When spring arrived, most of the wounded in the Yi Yuan could get up and walk. The director exclaimed at the summary meeting: "This is truly a miracle!"

Only Lin Xueqing gazed at Li Ping'an thoughtfully. She realized this company commander had too many unexplainable things about him—just like the mysteriously improving wounded, just like the game he constantly brought back.

But when she saw Li Ping'an patiently teaching the young soldier to identify medicinal herbs, she felt reassured. After all, as long as we win the battle and let the soldiers return home alive, nothing else matters.

By the stream, Li Ping'an cleaned his hunting gear. His face reflected in the water looked younger than half a year ago. The Spiritual Spring Water hadn't just healed his wounds—it had washed away the traces of time as well.

Company Commander! Tie Zhu came running up excitedly: "Superior orders—we're moving out!"

Li Ping'an gazed southward and nodded slightly. In his pocket he carried the new letter from Ping Le, which said the peach blossoms at Hu Tong Kou had bloomed.