Chapter 15: Caught in a Storm

At noon, Madam Zheng had just complained about the lack of rain, and by the afternoon, the sky had already darkened. The seasoned farmers in the village predicted that a heavy storm was on its way.

Sure enough, before the group could find shelter, raindrops began to fall in a light drizzle.

Everyone was thrown into chaos—some hurried to protect the grain, while others scrambled to find a place to take cover. The rain grew heavier, making the mountain path increasingly treacherous. Xu Laoye, who was leading the donkey, slipped and fell.

Xu Nian felt anxious. If they kept delaying like this, aside from the risk of getting sick from the rain, she was even more worried about the danger of lightning strikes in such a dense forest.

She shoved her bundle into Tian Shi’s hands, preparing to dash into the storm to find shelter. However, Tian Shi grabbed her sleeve tightly and refused to let go.

“Nian’er, it’s too dangerous! Let’s wait and look together!”

“Mother, look at the mess everyone is in! Don’t worry, I’ll just take a quick look and come right back.”

With that, she broke free from Tian Shi’s grip and ran off.

Watching her eldest granddaughter rush toward the mountaintop, Wang Shi was so furious that she gnashed her teeth.

“That foolish girl! She thinks she can do everything! Wei’an—Wei’an! Hurry and follow her!”

Xu Weian was struggling to push a handcart stuck in the mud when he heard his mother’s shout. Just as he was about to go after Xu Nian, Luo Jin’an reached out and stopped him.

“Keep pushing. I’ll go check on her.”

When Luo Jin’an caught up, he saw the frail, trembling figure standing at the mountaintop, gazing over the mountains. He stood quietly behind her, not disturbing her.

Within moments, the figure moved—and then broke into a sprint.

Though Luo Jin’an was already feeling somewhat dizzy, he still followed.

Because of the sound of the rain and wind, Xu Nian didn’t realize someone was behind her. She ran toward a gentle slope on the mountainside.

She had once heard during a mountain hiking trip with a client that gentle slopes were more likely to have caves. If there was also a stream nearby, following it upstream would surely lead to a shelter.

Sure enough, when she spotted the entrance to a cave, she clapped her hands excitedly. Using a rock, she probed inside to ensure there were no dangers before stepping in.

The inside of the cave was dry and spacious, but the deeper it went, the darker it became. Xu Nian, feeling a bit timid, stopped in her tracks and turned around, intending to call the villagers over.

Just as she stepped out of the cave, she was surprised to see a drenched young man standing at the entrance.

“Why are you standing here?” she asked in astonishment.

“Grandma Wang was worried something might happen to you, so she asked me to follow and check on you,” Luo Jin’an replied.

Xu Nian glanced at the young man, who was trying hard to suppress his shivers, and for a moment, she hesitated.

“Then you go inside and inspect the cave. I’ll go call the others.”

Not giving him a chance to respond, she turned and ran off.

Luo Jin’an dragged his heavy steps into the cave. He had followed closely behind Xu Nian but had hesitated to enter right away, fearing he might startle her. So, he had waited outside in the rain.

Without taking a break, Luo Jin’an carefully inspected every corner of the cave, just as Xu Nian had instructed.

Meanwhile, Xu Nian sprinted back to the group as fast as she could and informed the village chief that she had found a cave for shelter. They didn’t need to climb the mountain; they could just take a detour to reach it.

The village chief was overjoyed and barely had time to praise her before instructing, “Xu family girl, lead the way for everyone!

“Everyone, stay calm! Xu family girl has found a cave—just follow her!”

Although the mountain paths were still slippery, not having to climb steep slopes saved them a lot of effort.

Once everyone was safely inside the cave, Xu Nian reminded them, “Don’t lean against the cave walls, and don’t linger near the entrance. There’s enough space—move toward the center.”

The village chief echoed her instructions, “Listen to Xu family girl! Everyone, shift to the middle!”

After making sure everyone was settled, Xu Nian returned to her family’s spot. Before she could say a word, Wang Shi’s palm came down on her.

“You little brat! Growing wings now, are you? Do you think you’re the only capable one? What, without you, we’d all be dead on the mountain?”

Wang Shi’s loud voice quickly drew the attention of the villagers.

“Sister-in-law Xu, stop scolding the girl! If not for her, I might not have made it off that mountain alive!”

“That’s right, Aunt Xu! I think your girl is amazing. She stays calm in tough situations—better than my own boy!”

“No kidding! When the mountain path got slippery, my husband was completely flustered!”

“Haha…”

The villagers’ words gradually turned into a full-blown praise session for Xu Nian. It wasn’t until she had finished changing into dry clothes that everyone finally got back to their own tasks.

Xu Nian playfully hugged Wang Shi and whispered, “Grandma, you’re so good to me.”

Wang Shi lightly patted her eldest granddaughter, feeling warm inside. She had scolded Xu Nian on purpose in front of the villagers.

She wanted them to remember how much they owed her granddaughter, ensuring that no one would ever bring up the old rumors about her having been “dropped as a baby” again. This way, her reputation would remain intact.

After soothing Wang Shi, Xu Nian turned her attention to her father, worried about his fall. Upon checking, she was relieved to find no serious injuries—just a swollen ankle.

Unfortunately, she had no medicinal wine in her space, but her second and third uncles had gathered firewood and started a fire. Xu Nian heated a flat stone by the fire, wrapped it in cloth, and gently pressed it against her father’s ankle, massaging it.

“Grandfather, bear with it a little. The swelling will go down soon.”

Xu Laoye chuckled, “With my dear granddaughter taking care of me, I’ll get better even without the massage.”

Wang Shi had been worried about her husband’s injury, but seeing his face wrinkled with a broad smile, she turned away, muttering, “I can’t listen to this nonsense—it’s making my teeth ache.”

After tending to her father, Xu Nian checked on the rest of the family. Luckily, no one had developed a fever. Still, to be safe, she asked her mother to boil some hot water for everyone to drink.

As an extra precaution, she took out a handful of jujubes from her space and gave each family member one. This immediately earned her an accusatory look from the little boy, who pointed a tiny finger at her.

“Big Sis, you’ve been hiding delicious food from us!”

Just as Xu Nian was about to sit down and rest, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten someone. But before she could get up, Wang Shi’s urgent voice called out.

“Big girl, come quickly! Is Changsheng running a fever?”

As soon as Wang Shi spoke, a crowd gathered around. Xu Nian twitched her lips—wasn’t this a bit too dramatic?

Still, recalling the pitiful sight of the drenched young man standing at the cave entrance, she squeezed her way into the circle.

Physician Liu was taking his pulse but stammered, unable to come to a conclusion.

Wang Shi and the others grew impatient, urging him for an answer. But this time, it really wasn’t his fault—he had never encountered such a strange case before.

Although Luo Jin’an’s body was trembling from the cold, his temperature remained normal.

Xu Nian didn’t overthink it. She touched his forehead with the back of her hand—no fever. She then checked his palms—they also felt normal.

“Wait… Maybe this is his fever temperature,” she muttered. She still remembered how cold his hands had been before.

Unfortunately, as a modern person, she had never seen such an unusual condition before. Looking at the young man lying there with his eyes shut and his brows furrowed, she could tell he was suffering.

Although she didn’t know exactly what to do, she couldn’t just stand idly by. She soaked a cloth in the cool rainwater and placed it on his forehead. Wang Shi stayed beside him, changing the cloth every now and then.

After several rounds with no effect, Xu Nian suddenly remembered the cherries and sea buckthorn berries in her space. The jujubes were too hard for him to eat in his condition, but she could squeeze the cherries and sea buckthorn into juice and feed it to him.

She wasn’t sure if it would help, but it was better than doing nothing.