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41. Sustained Sound

The incident happened suddenly. Chen Shuoyin felt like she had been struck by an electric current and ran into the courtyard. Several people crisscrossed the yard, grabbing whatever containers they could find to fetch water from the large storage barrels.

The elderly villagers lived simple, traditional lives, still using manual hand-pump water dispensers. The production crew members, accustomed to handling equipment and editing videos rather than rural life, searched anxiously for a faucet, looking around in distress.

The old house was mostly constructed of wood, and the kitchen was stacked to the ceiling with firewood, painstakingly carried down from the mountains.

Through the half-open door, Chen Shuoyin saw bright flames, rising in sinister clusters as if taunting the powerless people.

She quickly grabbed the nearest container and handed it to a crew member, swallowing hard to keep calm. “The house is entirely made of wood. At this rate, the fire will be impossible to contain. Call the fire department immediately. I’ll go borrow a hose from a neighbor and connect it to their faucet.”

“Okay, okay! Do you need me to do anything else?”

Chen Shuoyin started to run but hesitated for a moment. She looked deep into the burning kitchen and caught a glimpse of Pei Yu moving back and forth, passing supplies.

“Putting out the fire is the priority. Save lives first.”

The old man wailed in anguish, his voice heartbreaking. Watching the flames grow within minutes, he swung his hands in despair, pounding his thighs.

“My home! I spent decades building it, brick by brick! Young man, my chicks and ducklings are still inside! Winter is coming, and I moved them into the kitchen to keep them warm. I rely on them to grow and sell for money—please, I beg you, save them for me!”

The fire had started in the stove’s firewood storage area.

The old man had lived alone for decades. When he was chosen by the production team, he received a generous payment and was so excited that he didn’t sleep all night. Out of pure gratitude, he slaughtered a few chickens and ducks he had raised for a year to prepare a feast for them.

While tending the fire, his cotton pants accidentally caught on dry pine needles used as kindling. As he stepped forward, the embers ignited the firewood pile nearby. The sparks didn’t stop; the dry wood branches caught fire, crackling and spreading quickly.

His back was turned as he chopped vegetables, completely unaware of the danger behind him. By the time he smelled the burning, the flames had already spread deep into the woodpile.

He watched helplessly as the fire consumed the firewood he had painstakingly gathered from the mountains—wood he had saved for the winter. In an instant, it turned into glowing embers, reduced to black charcoal by the wind. Tears streamed down his wrinkled face as he clutched his calloused hands over his eyes and sobbed like a child, filled with regret.

Gray smoke snaked out like an ominous mist. Pei Yu reassured him, “Sir, don’t panic. I’ve already called the fire department. The fire truck will be here soon. Your safety is the most important thing—please get out now.”

“No! I must save my home,” the old man insisted stubbornly. “Even if I have to go down with it, I can’t stand by and watch my house burn to the ground.”

He ran to the water pump and started working the handle vigorously. Water gurgled from the spout in a thin stream. “Come quick! Get the water!”

“Mr. Pei, you should get out first. The fire is getting out of control,” a crew member shouted. “Let’s wait for the firefighters.”

“Alright, help evacuate the people nearby. Go inform the neighbors and tell them to turn on their water hoses in case the fire spreads to their homes. We need to prevent further damage,” Pei Yu instructed methodically while continuing to douse the flames.

“What about you?”

“I’ll get these out first, then I’ll leave.” Pei Yu pointed to a cage full of chicks, chirping frantically as the smoke thickened. He grabbed another bucket of water and threw it at the fire. “Has Chen Shuoyin returned yet?”

“I saw her run out.”

Pei Yu’s tense expression eased for a second before he resumed his work.

“The water is here!”

Chen Shuoyin had managed to borrow several hoses from different houses and connected them together to draw water from dozens of meters away. The high-pressure stream shot out as she ran into the kitchen and aimed it directly at the flames.

The acrid smoke stung her throat. The entire kitchen was engulfed in fire, leaving only one exit. She coughed and shouted, “Pei Yu, the water pressure isn’t enough! Go find a fire extinguisher!”

His sharp features were covered in soot, his once-pristine appearance completely ruined. He took the hose from her hands and stepped further into the blaze. “It’s too smoky in here. You go.”

“Do you have a death wish?! Get out!” Chen Shuoyin’s voice trembled. The thick smoke made it difficult to breathe, and her chest heaved erratically. “I’ve been through more fires than you. I have experience. Listen to me!”

A burning wooden beam, its thatched roof consumed, collapsed between them, drawing a fiery line of separation.

Pei Yu glanced at her coldly. “Go.”

The old man’s cries echoed from outside. The wind made the fire flicker menacingly. Sweat trickled down Chen Shuoyin’s forehead as her vision blurred. Under Pei Yu’s unwavering, stubborn gaze, she relented.

“Fine, I’ll go. But if you die before I come back, I’ll haunt you as a ghost.”

She covered her nose and mouth, crouched low, and dashed outside. She pushed through the panicked crowd and shouted, “Who has a fire extinguisher? I’ll replace it with ten later!”

A man rushed forward. “I have one!”

“Anyone else? The more, the better!”

“I have one too!”

One by one, more voices joined in.

Hope flickered in Chen Shuoyin’s eyes, though her heart remained heavy. “Please, take me there.”

One man lived nearby. Within two minutes, he handed her the extinguisher and asked skeptically, “Do you even know how to use this?”

She tied her hair back, her slim figure appearing even taller. With her delicate frame, she didn’t seem capable. He hesitated to hand it over, fearing she’d waste it.

Without answering, she swiftly pulled the safety pin, gripped the hose firmly, and pressed the handle, directing the spray at the fire’s base.

Her proficient technique and correct stance left onlookers stunned.

A white cloud burst forth. The fire on the outer walls was briefly extinguished, but as the wind blew, it reignited within seconds.

More people returned with fire extinguishers, handing them to her. There were only four or five in total.

She used them one by one. But the fire kept roaring back, chipping away at her mental resolve. Her eyes burned from the heat, tearing up involuntarily. “It’s useless… When are the firefighters arriving?”

“They’re in town.”

“Is Pei Yu still inside?” She tossed aside the empty extinguisher, her gut twisting with dread.

A cameraman stammered, “He… he pushed the old man out, but then the roof collapsed. The fire’s too big now—we can’t see him anymore…”

Chen Shuoyin clenched her fists, repeating to herself:

No.

She had changed the outcome of a fire before. She could change this one too.

Just then, the fire truck arrived. The crew pulled her back.

Minutes later, firefighters carried out a man wrapped in a soaked bedsheet.

Chen Shuoyin rushed forward, pulling off the cloth.

“Pei Yu, open your eyes.”

His lips were dry, his face covered in soot. The once-sharp, dominant features were peaceful, like a sleeping dog.

A doctor checked him. “He’s breathing.”

Chen Shuoyin’s strength drained away as she sank to the ground.

Pei Yu was alive.