Chapter 52.2

“Aunt Jiang, that reed leaf over there is big.”

Song Xiangdong pointed to the tall reeds ahead, but he couldn’t reach them. Jiang Nian wasn’t much taller.

She put down the basket and saw Chen Fang and the others approaching. She met Hou Meng’s resentful gaze and frowned slightly, ignoring them. She tiptoed to pull the reeds down and pick the leaves.

“Xiao Nian, we’re leaving.”

Chen Fang said.

Jiang Nian heard the words and just turned to look at Chen Fang when she caught sight from the corner of her eye of Hou Meng quickly reaching out towards her. Jiang Nian’s expression changed abruptly. She grabbed hold of a reed, used its leverage to sidestep two steps away, just enough to dodge Hou Meng’s push, causing her to miss and stumble towards the river.

But little did anyone expect, Song Xiangdong saw her grab the reed and joyfully ran over, “Aunt Jiang——”

“Xiangdong!”

“Song Xiangdong!”

Adults and children shouted together. Feng Mei heard a splash, turned her head and saw Song Xiangdong fall into the river. It wasn’t winter now, and the river was flowing fast. They were all standing at the riverbank picking reed leaves, and no one dared to get too close to the water.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Xiangdong, Xiangdong!”

Feng Mei knelt by the riverbank, desperately looking into the water. She couldn’t swim, watching helplessly as Song Xiangdong was carried further away by the river. She screamed frantically, “Does anyone know how to swim? Quickly, call for help!”

Xu Yan dropped her basket in shock, “I’ll go get help!”

Chen Fang and Hou Lian were stunned, looking at Hou Meng in disbelief. Hou Lian was furious and slapped her, “How could you do such a thing! If something happens to Xiangdong, our Hou family will be ruined because of you! even your brother-in-law will be implicated by you!”

Hou Meng covered her face, crying and apologizing non-stop, “Sister, I just wanted to scare Jiang Nian. I didn’t know she would dodge, and I didn’t expect Xiangdong to run over. I didn’t mean it, I just wanted to play a prank. I didn’t think it would turn into such a big disaster.”

In an instant, she shifted all the blame onto Jiang Nian, making everyone believe that if Jiang Nian hadn’t dodged, Song Xiangdong wouldn’t have fallen into the river.

Amidst the confusion, all eyes turned to Jiang Nian. They saw her plunge into the water after Song Xiangdong, swimming towards him as he was carried away by the swift current. Feng Mei crawled to the edge of the river, shouting, “Jiang Nian, save my Xiangdong, please save my son!”

The current was strong, pushing Jiang Nian further downstream. As she surfaced, she could only see Song Xiangdong’s arm stretched out above the water.

Several kilometers away from the military base, near the bridge, villagers and soldiers were called upon to help. Xu Yan rushed to the base, grabbing any passing soldier, “Song Xiangdong fell into the river and got swept away! Does anyone know how to swim? Hurry, we need to save him!”

The news quickly reached Commander Song, who was at the training grounds. Seeing the urgent soldier approaching, he shouted, “What’s all this commotion about?”

The soldier gasped for breath, “Commander Song, Song Xiangdong fell into the river and got swept away. People were already on their way to help, and Sister Feng fainted. I had to inform you immediately.”

Commander Song and Lu Yu’s faces turned pale. Without hesitation, they rushed towards the nearby bridge. Meanwhile, Lu Guosheng was also shocked, his voice trembling, “Quick, let’s go save him!”

With the river swollen from melting snow and recent rains, everyone feared for the little boy swept away by the water. The chance of survival was uncertain.

Outside the base, soldiers from the Second Regiment scrambled out. When Song Bai and Tang Ze saw the chaos, they paused, thinking the Second Regiment was about to engage in some exercise. Song Bai spotted Captain He and called out, “Captain He, what’s happening? Are you having a competition?”

Captain He’s face was serious, “It’s Song Xiangdong. He fell into the river.”

Upon hearing this, Song Bai turned and ran without a word. By the time Tang Ze realized what was happening, Song Bai had already disappeared.

At the bridge, a crowd had gathered. Chen Fang sat on the ground, with Feng Mei lying across her lap. Feng Mei, though awake now, remained seated, her voice hoarse from shouting Xiangdong’s name. Hou Lian glared angrily at Hou Meng, “Look at the trouble you’ve caused! I should never have agreed to let you come here!”

Hou Meng couldn’t speak, tears streaming down her face as she hung her head in shame.

Half of the Second Regiment had come out. They turned to look, seeing a crowd of soldiers in uniforms rushing forward. Leading them was Lu Yu, followed by Captain Lu, Commander Song, and Captain He. Upon seeing Lu Yu and Commander Song, Hou Lian felt a pang of guilt, wishing she could punish Hou Meng again.

In the river, several men from the neighboring village who knew how to swim had already searched around. Coming back to the shore, they shouted, “No sign of them!”

Chen Fang shouted to Commander Song and the others, “Jiang Nian jumped in to save Xiangdong. But now, both of them are missing.”

“Plomp, plomp…”

First was Lu Yu who jumped in, followed by Commander Song, Captain Lu, Zhu Jun, and Captain He. They dove into the water. Some soldiers who knew how to swim followed suit, searching the riverbank. Hou Lian and Chen Fang saw Song Bai dive into the water.

Hou Lian kicked Hou Meng, “Look at what you’ve done! I should never have agreed to let you come here!”

The river flowed powerfully, and it was already close to sunset. The rescuers had not yet found them.

Lu Yu surfaced, his eyes glaring at the turbulent river. Commander Song wept, “Find Xiangdong, quickly find him!”

“Commander Song, don’t worry. We will find them.”

After speaking, Zhu Jun plunged back into the water.

The riverbank was packed with onlookers, anxiously waiting for any sign of the two. As the afternoon slipped away and dusk approached, hope was fading.

Lu Yu surfaced again, his eyes bloodshot. The current was strong, and the soldiers who surfaced from time to time to catch their breath dived back in. They had passed several villages without any trace of Jiang Nian or Song Xiangdong. Everyone’s hope was dwindling. The river was strong enough to carry away two people for hours, and the chances of survival were slim.

“Jiang Nian!”

“Jiang Nian!”

“Song Xiangdong!”

Lu Yu shouted into the rushing river, his desperation evident.

“Lu Yu!”

Song Bai surfaced, shouting, “Search further downstream. They might still be there!”

After passing through several communes, there were no more inhabited areas ahead. The distance to the next commune was thirty kilometers from this one. If they weren’t found here, it was likely they had been swept further downstream. The soldiers continued along the riverbank, hoping by sheer luck to encounter the two who had been swept away by the river.

“Xiangdong, don’t scare your dad. Come back!”

Commander Song ran along the roadside, shouting as he ran.

Feng Mei was still lying on the bank, completely drained of spirit. Xu Yan saw Hou Meng standing not far away and couldn’t hold back any longer. She rushed over and started tearing into Hou Meng, hitting her: “You bastard, you vile woman! How could your hands be so wicked! Did Jiang Nian and Xiang Dong offend or provoke you? Why do you harm them like this!”

Hou Meng was beaten by her sister and felt both angry and scared. Then Xu Yan rushed over to hit her again, and unable to endure it, they started fighting. Despite being from the Hou family and her younger sister, Hou Lian couldn’t bear to see her sister being beaten. She pulled Xu Yan away, but this resulted in Xu Yan being slapped twice by Hou Meng.

Chen Fang, seeing this, walked over and pushed Hou Lian away, pulling Xu Yan aside. With a stern face, he glared at Hou Lian and Hou Meng, “If anything happens to Jiang Nian and Song Xiangdong, you’ll be in trouble!”

If she had known that Hou Lian’s sister was this kind of person, she wouldn’t have brought them both to find Feng Mei. Now that such a big mess has been made, her family, especially Old Tang, would find it hard to explain!

People around pointed and talked about Hou Meng and Hou Lian, which infuriated Hou Lian.

Soldiers who had jumped into the water changed one after another. They had already left the nearby commune and were heading towards another commune thirty kilometers away, some swimming in the river and others running along the bank in search.

When it was pitch dark, voices finally came from downstream: “There’s a figure over there!”

Lu Yu and several others who had plunged into the water heard the voices from afar. Soldiers sprinted towards them in the twilight. Lu Yu and Song Bai quickly got ashore, and Zhu Jun and Captain Lu also climbed up. Their clothes were soaked, leaving long trails of water stains where they had run.

“Jiang Nian!”

“Sister-in-law!”

“Sister-in-law”’

Without even seeing who was in front of them, they started shouting, holding onto the only hope that the shadow in the darkness was Jiang Nian or Song Xiangdong.

Jiang Nian, hearing the voices from afar, looked up and saw a group of people rushing towards her at high speed. Seeing Lu Yu leading the way through the crowd, Jiang Nian’s tightly strung emotions seemed to find an outlet. She shook the dizzy Song Xiangdong on her back and said tearfully, “Xiangdong, you’re okay now. Uncle Lu and the others are here.”

Song Xiangdong’s face was flushed, feverish and delirious.

“Xiangdong!”

“Jiang Nian!”

Song Bai and the others also ran over. When they saw Jiang Nian carrying Song Xiangdong on her back, both unharmed, they shouted in relief, their hearts finally at ease.

Everyone had nearly given up hope, but they hadn’t expected the two swept away by the river to return unharmed.

Song Bai ran over to take Song Xiangdong from Jiang Nian’s back. Jiang Nian’s body went limp, and Lu Yu caught her arm, supporting her. He grasped Jiang Nian’s small arm tightly, one hand holding her cold face, and saw the vivid and breathing Jiang Nian in front of him, truly understanding what it meant to have lost and regained!

Jiang Nian looked up at Lu Yu, who was close at hand. His hands were cold and damp with moisture, soaked through, with no dry spot left.

“Lu Yu…”

Jiang Nian cried, “I’m so tired…”

After saying this, she collapsed completely. Lu Yu scooped her up horizontally, holding her tightly and firmly, lowering his head to nuzzle Jiang Nian’s cold forehead affectionately. “I’m here, everything’s okay now.”

“Deputy Commander Lu, how are they?”

Captain Lu and the others ran over. Lu Yu’s Adam’s apple rolled a few times, restraining the impulse in his blood, and turned with Jiang Nian in his arms. “Let’s go to the hospital.”

Song Bai carried Song Xiangdong, quickly heading for the county hospital.

They didn’t know how Jiang Nian and Song Xiangdong had gotten ashore, nor how the slender and delicate woman had managed to carry the unconscious Song Xiangdong along the way.

From here to the county hospital was more than forty kilometers. Zhu Jun said, “Deputy Commander Lu, I’ll run back to the military base to borrow a car.”

Having said that, he sped off.

Song Xiangdong was now running a fever, and his condition couldn’t be delayed. Jiang Nian was unconscious, and they didn’t know her condition.

Meanwhile, soldiers who had found people spread the news.

It was already dark, and many people gathered along the riverbank along the way, all anxious to know if the woman and child had been rescued. Commander Song ran halfway and saw Zhu Jun running back. Before he could speak, Zhu Jun said, “Commander Song, they’ve been found. Sister-in-law was carrying Song Xiangdong on her back when we found them, and they’re now with Deputy Commander Song and others.”’

Hearing that Song Xiangdong was fine, Commander Song knelt down, covering his face and crying aloud.

‘It’s okay now, it’s okay now. Thank you, thank you, God, for sparing my child’s life——’

Several soldiers helped Commander Song towards where Song Xiangdong and the others were.

Soldiers along the way passed the word one by one, and the news quickly reached the bridge.

“They’ve been found, everything’s okay!”

“Sister Feng, Song Xiangdong is fine!”

Wave after wave of loud voices echoed. Feng Mei snapped out of her daze, and it took her a while for her pupils to focus. Xu Yan crouched down and shook her shoulder. “Did you hear that? Xiangdong is fine, he’s perfectly fine.”

“Xiangdong, Xiangdong, my son, my son is okay?”

“He’s fine!”

Xu Yan also cried, pulling Feng Mei up. Feng Mei’s body was still weak. After staggering a few steps, she saw the soldiers running towards her and grabbed their arms, asking anxiously, “Are they okay?”

The soldier nodded, “It was Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law who carried Song Xiangdong back. Both of them are fine. Deputy Commander Lu and the others have taken them to the county hospital now. Song Xiangdong has a fever, and Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law fainted.”

“I knew Jiang Nian was a woman of her word.”

Feng Mei finally smiled. She turned and grabbed Xu Yan, laughing nonstop. “Xiangdong is fine, Xiangdong is fine. Jiang Nian brought Xiangdong back!”

Xu Yan said, “Sister Feng, let’s go home and take care of the child first, and then go to the county hospital together.”

Feng Mei now listened to everything Xu Yan said and did as she said, with Liu Jianye following them back together.

Chen Fang, as she left, said to Hou Lian, “Thank goodness Jiang Nian and Xiangdong are safe. Otherwise, none of you would have a good outcome.”

Hou Lian breathed a sigh of relief and glared at Hou Meng, “Why are you still standing here? Waiting to be drowned in other people’s saliva?”

Once the people were found, the crowd dispersed, and the lively riverside gradually quieted down.

Commander Song saw Song Xiangdong being held by Song Bai, burning up and barely conscious. Commander Song took Song Xiangdong into his arms and kissed him on the forehead, “Xiangdong, Dad’s here.”

Song Xiangdong opened his eyes drowsily, not quite sure who he was seeing, “Dad…”

“Eh!”

This was the sweetest voice Commander Song had ever heard. He carried Song Xiangdong towards the county town.

Seeing Lu Yu carrying Jiang Nian forward, Song Bai walked over and glanced at the unconscious Jiang Nian, furrowing his brow. “Give her to me. I’ll take over.”

“No need.”

Lu Yu held Jiang Nian tightly and walked briskly ahead.

Captain Lu followed behind. Earlier, he had asked Deputy Commander Lu to let him carry his sister-in-law to give him a rest, but Deputy Commander Lu insisted on carrying her alone.

Halfway there, they finally encountered Zhu Jun driving a car. They squeezed into the car and rushed to the county hospital.

The icy river water engulfed overhead, making it hard to breathe. Jiang Nian struggled, grabbing Song Xiangdong’s sinking hand. She tried to swim towards the shore but couldn’t fight the strong current. She drifted downstream until her exhausted body was caught by a fallen tree trunk at the riverbank.

She clung to the trunk, dragging Song Xiangdong to the shore. After he had coughed up water, she passed out.

Later, she didn’t know how far she had walked carrying Song Xiangdong. All she knew was that the road ahead seems endlessly long. The sound of the river echoed in her ears, with the unconscious Song Xiangdong behind her. Jiang Nian felt despair and helplessness but continued forward with a determined heart.

“Cough, cough…”

Harsh light hit her eyes, and Jiang Nian coughed forcefully before coming to her senses. She furrowed her brow, slowly opening her eyes to the glaring sunlight reflected off the glass. Her arm tightened, and a hoarse voice reached her ears.

“Awake?”

Following the voice, she saw Lu Yu sitting by the bedside. His cold, handsome face looked somewhat weary, with a hint of stubble and dark circles under his eyes. His deep black eyes showed a hint of crimson, indicating he wasn’t in good shape. His grip on her arm seemed to be conveying strength to her, gradually clearing her groggy consciousness.

“Mmm.”

Jiang Nian coughed twice more, and Lu Yu stood up. His palm reached behind her neck to lift her and picked up an enamel mug from the table, offering it to Jiang Nian’s lips. “Drink some hot water to soothe your throat.”

“I can do it myself.”

Jiang Nian tried to sit up straighter, intending to take the enamel mug from his hands, but Lu Yu stopped her. “Let me feed you.”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips and didn’t refuse further.

She drank half a cup of water in one gulp. After the hot water went down, her uncomfortably cold stomach felt much better. Lu Yu held Jiang Nian’s slender shoulders, unwilling to let her go, wanting her to lean against him. When Jiang Nian stopped drinking, he lowered his head and asked softly, “Would you like something to eat?”

He was very close, his chin almost touching Jiang Nian’s forehead, intentionally or unintentionally brushing against her skin.

An unusual tingling sensation spread from Jiang Nian’s forehead. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she unconsciously lifted her head, unexpectedly meeting a pair of deep black, affectionate eyes. They were so close that their noses almost touched, their breaths entwining. Jiang Nian could even see her own pale and exhausted face reflected in the other’s eyes.

Lu Yu’s gaze was fixed on Jiang Nian, his thin lips lightly pursed. His Adam’s apple rolled several times as he tried to restrain himself from getting closer to Jiang Nian.

“Jiang Nian…”

Unable to suppress the urge in his blood, Lu Yu suddenly tightened his grip on Jiang Nian’s shoulders and followed his heart, inching lower until he kissed Jiang Nian’s lips. It was as if he had never tasted anything so fresh, yet Jiang Nian’s lips seemed to have an addictive poison.

The soft touch on her lips drove Lu Yu crazy, enraptured.

He held onto her shoulders, attempting to push past her teeth to delve deeper