Chapter 211

Chapter 211

After saying that, Zhao Xi felt it didn't sound right—like he was hoping the guy would die?

This was his buddy from the village, after all.

So he quickly changed his tune: "Sun Xuming, it's so great you're alive!"

That shout was so loud it not only snapped the dazed Sun Xuming out of his trance, but also caught Old Man Zhao's attention, making him finally notice there was another familiar kid on the raft—wasn't that Silang's nephew!

The elderly Sun couple had been wiping their tears day in and day out, crying until their eyes were nearly blind, searching the river nonstop but finding nothing, convinced that their youngest grandson from the eldest branch had been swept downstream.

Old Man Zhao remembered him well. Every village had a few kid leaders, and Sun Xuming was the head boy of Liuhe Village. He got along like a house on fire with Zhao's own grandsons, always causing trouble together—chasing chickens, teasing dogs, and running wild—which made them thoroughly disliked by the village women.

"Ah Ming, it's so good that you're okay! Your grandpa and grandma will be overjoyed to see you safe and sound!" Old Man Zhao shoved his eldest son aside. Seeing his grandsons all jumping onto the second raft, he didn't bother to stop them. Instead, he took a big stride over to his wife.

The bamboo raft sank a bit, wobbling for a while before stabilizing.

After pinching his daughter's cheek, Old Man Zhao finally turned his attention to Sun Xuming. He could roughly guess that, under those circumstances, for this kid to have survived and ended up with Xiaobao, it had to be thanks to his daughter's rescue.

The sacred land could only admit two outsiders at a time, and with Qing Xuan, that made exactly two.

Had the sacred land been exposed?

Old Man Zhao's gaze at Sun Xuming turned murky. Qing Xuan definitely knew—it was far too unlikely for someone swept away by the flood to just happen upon a bamboo raft. Under those circumstances, apart from entering the sacred land, there was hardly any other way to survive. He didn't delude himself into thinking he could hide it from Qing Xuan.

But he wasn't too flustered either. He'd actually been mentally prepared for a while. This kid used to be half-family, and now he would be fully one of them. Since he had risked his life to jump into the river to save Xiaobao without knowing anything, to doubt or distrust him now would reflect badly on Old Man Zhao's character.

But Sun Xuming was an outsider, and the sacred land absolutely couldn't be exposed. If he knew, then Old Man Sun would know, and then the Sun family—even the whole Liuhe Village—would know.

He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his daughter again.

He turned to look at Qing Xuan.

After a brief pause, Qing Xuan shook his head slightly and said meaningfully, "Uncle, Sun Xuming was lucky to run into me. I saved him."

He saved him—nothing to do with Zhao Xiaobao, and even less with the sacred land.

"You little rascal." Old Man Zhao seemed to catch on, and a smile crept onto his face. He suddenly pulled Qing Xuan into a tight embrace, thumping his back hard with his big hand, his voice thick with emotion as he said, "Thank you, old uncle thanks you, Qing Xuan, I thank you!"

Thank you for jumping into the river to rescue Xiaobao. Even if his daughter could have survived, a child swept downstream alone in a strange place—she could have screamed her throat raw and it wouldn't have done any good. There was no way she could have found her way back to them. In this world, a single turn could mean a lifetime apart. If he missed this chance, he would die with his eyes open.

He took a close look—his daughter wasn't injured. Qing Xuan had taken good care of her.

He also noticed the baskets tied to the bamboo raft. So thoughtful, the kid was meticulous and considerate. He was extremely satisfied and grateful.

"From now on, when we have banquets at home, you'll sit at the head table. Whatever's in the kitchen, you eat. If there's something you want that we don't have, your old uncle will find a way to get it for you. You're like my youngest son now. From now on, we'll treat each other as family, no holding back." Old Man Zhao hugged him tightly, not caring whether Qing Xuan liked it or not, pressing him into his arms. "Qing Xuan, our family is just ordinary farming folks—no power, no position, no money—but there's one thing no one can compare to: we're warm-hearted. We treat our own well, no scheming. Your uncle and aunt, from now on, we'll open our hearts to you. We're family now. Don't feel looked down upon. Just think of it as having another home, another family."

The young boy was enveloped in his tall, broad chest, his nose filled with warmth and the smell of sweat, but also sheltered from the night wind. For Qing Xuan, this was a completely novel and strange experience—a warmth he had never felt from his master or his senior brothers.

The moment he was embraced, he felt uncomfortable. He wanted to push away, to escape. But when his hand pressed against the warm, firm, and powerful chest, he suddenly felt a reluctance and couldn't bring himself to resist.

Words like "youngest son" and "family"—he felt as if he'd been scalded, his face and even the tips of his ears heating up and turning red. His limbs stiffened, his body rigid, unable to react, just letting himself be held and cuddled.

Was this what being cherished felt like?

Qing Xuan couldn't be sure, but he genuinely felt a warmth and intimacy he had never experienced since he could remember.

"Oh, there are two more over here!" Zhao Xi's loud voice broke the awkward tenderness.

He stood on tiptoe, craning his neck to look. Having confirmed that the child in his grandmother's arms was his little aunt, the heavy stone in his heart finally fell. His eyes darted around, now free to focus on other things.

That kid Sun Xuming seemed scared stiff by their arrival, not saying a word when someone spoke to him. Zhao Xi really wanted to jump over and knock some sense into him, but the opposite raft clearly couldn't take his weight. So he shifted his attention to the other two kids—one tall, one short.

"Who are you two?" He leaned forward, half his body hanging over the edge, squinting as he looked them up and down. "I'm Zhao Xi. Zhao Xiaobao is my little aunt. You don't know who Zhao Xiaobao is, do you? She's the one in my grandmother's arms. Yes, she's my grandmother. We came to find my little aunt and little uncle. They were swept away by the flood, and now we've found them."

"And Sun Xuming, that dumbstruck Sun Xuming, is my good buddy. I thought he was dead, but he's still alive. I'm so happy!"

"Who are you two? How are you with my little aunt? Did you save her, or did she save you?"

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

He talked fast and a lot, words pouring out like a waterfall, leaving Gan Xiu dizzy and unsure which question to answer first.

Just then, everyone from the rafts behind jumped over, taking turns to squeeze in and get a look at Zhao Xiaobao and Qing Xuan. Man Cang was both shocked and overjoyed—he never thought they'd survive being swept so far downstream by the flood. It was like smoke rising from their ancestors' graves!

Oh my god, he was so happy he could hardly breathe. Good, good, this was great! Now Dad and the village elders wouldn't have to worry about Uncle and Aunt doing something desperate. They could keep on living!

Dagouzi and the other kids were ecstatic too, chiming in all at once: "Why isn't little aunt waking up? How can she sleep so soundly? Uncle Qing Xuan, we were so worried about you and little aunt! It's so great that you're okay! The village elders were worried too. My mom and grandma talked about you every day. It's wonderful that you're still alive!"

"Uncle Qing Xuan, we took care of Little Tiger for you. Don't worry, we fed him every meal."

They crowded around, all wanting to jump onto his raft, but Man Cang held them back. If they kept jumping like that, the raft would definitely capsize.

"Good, thank you all." Qing Xuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. His biggest worry had been Little Tiger. With food so scarce, people barely had enough to eat—who would think about a cat or dog? When he was around, he could share his own rations. But with him gone, he was really worried that lazy cat might starve.

Of the two, he was the hunter.

After they finished chattering, Man Cang couldn't help but say, "You kids have some nerve! What if you'd run into a broken tree or a collapsed wall in the dark? And there are cliffs too. We saw two small cliffs during the day. If you'd been paddling fast and only spotted the cliff at the last moment, you wouldn't have been able to stop." These kids had guts that could burst the sky. If it weren't for the fact that there were so many men with strong yang energy to ward off the yin and evil spirits, even he wouldn't dare travel at night.

And there were more than just livestock floating in this river!

Gan Xiu clutched her clothes, holding her brother tightly against her. Suddenly faced with so many strangers, she was a bit scared. Hearing this, she said softly, "Someone told us about the cliffs along the way. We remembered, and we didn't go off course."

But her voice was too soft, drowned out by the joy of reunion.

Since they had found the missing ones, there was no need to rush. Zhao Ertian stuck his bamboo pole into the river, and the five rafts huddled together crookedly, resting on the spot.

The kids were exhausted from traveling, and the rescue party hadn't rested much either. They had expended a lot of energy. Now that the tension was released, they swung their arms and felt sore all over.

Except for the Gan siblings, everyone else was family. Naturally, all eyes turned to them. Even Old Man Zhao pulled Qing Xuan aside and quietly asked, "What's the story? Did you save them?"

"Helped them out of convenience," Qing Xuan nodded. He explained how he rescued the Gan siblings, including the fact that they didn't look alike and some cognitive differences, and his guess that Gan Lei's origins were unclear. He held nothing back. "I originally planned to drop them off at a suitable place along the way, but Gan Lei begged me to take them a bit further, and we would part ways when we reach Qushan County."

"They're going to seek refuge with relatives. It wouldn't be right to leave them halfway, and since it's on the way, I just brought them along."

Old Man Zhao patted his shoulder. Surviving the flood was no small feat, especially for two kids. Unless someone was heartless, they would lend a hand to save them.

He had done the right thing.

"What are the siblings' names? Are all their family dead? Did they mention which relatives they're going to?" he couldn't help asking.

"The sister is Gan Xiu, the brother is Gan Lei. They only had a grandfather, who died saving them," Qing Xuan said. "Gan Lei is quite guarded. He didn't bring it up, so I didn't ask."

He generally had little curiosity about others' affairs. If they needed help and spoke up, he wouldn't refuse if he could lend a hand.

But since the other party was wary, he naturally wouldn't pry into their secrets.

Old Man Zhao nodded. When they returned to Liuhe Village, they would have to find time to go to the prefectural city and check on the situation. Whether they could enter the city or not, they needed to see how Er Niang's family was doing. They wouldn't rest easy without a look.

Since the two children were going to a village under the prefectural city to seek refuge with relatives, if it was on the way, they could also give them a ride.

Before the flood, the prefectural city was full of refugees; no one dared to step out of the village without a gang of eight or ten tough men.

Although I don't know what it's like outside now, it must be worse. Before, the homeless were refugees fleeing from elsewhere, but now there are many more local disaster victims. If it were an earthquake, you could still dig grain from the collapsed ruins, sift out the sand and gravel, and the remaining millet, rice, and flour could still fill your stomach.

But not with a flood; once millet, rice, and flour get wet, they become inedible. Now, downstream of Anyang County, including the disaster-stricken prefectural city, what the surviving people need most is food.

These two children dared to travel alone; probably as soon as they set foot on the main road, they would be tied up and thrown onto a campfire.

He didn't say this, thinking he would bring it up later. Children without adult protection find it too hard to survive in this world; he wouldn't refuse to lend a hand if he could.

Thinking of this, he sighed deeply in his heart, feeling sorry for these children who lost their loved ones overnight.

Why aren't they more cautious? How can they survive without any street smarts? Bad guys keep popping up, and there's no adult around to back them up and give them courage.

"Now then, Gan Xiu, Gan Lei, don't be afraid. We're not bad people." Turning to see the two children huddled in the corner, he tried to make his smile as kind as possible so as not to scare them. "It's still early. Find a place to sleep peacefully. You don't need to steer the raft anymore; we adults are here, no need for you kids to work."

Gan Xiu tightly held Gan Lei, nodded at his words, but didn't say anything.

But Gan Lei, in a very formal manner, cupped his hands and thanked him: "Thank you, elder."

Old Man Zhao barely suppressed a scoff of disbelief. Elder? Me? Was he that old? His daughter was only a few years old; he was still young!

Forget it, he wouldn't argue with a child. Rubbing his nose, his gaze fell on Sun Xuming.

Seeing this boy, he thought of Old Man Sun and his wife, who almost fainted from crying when they retrieved the bodies of Sun Dalang and his wife. Sigh!

"A Ming, what are you standing there for? Go over there and stay with Xi'er and the others. The raft can't hold so many people." He deliberately put on a stern face, putting on a bossy act, and waved him away. "Go on, let Xi'er give you some flatbread."

After saying that, he turned and shouted to his grandson: "Give your little uncle two flatbreads as well... and also for Gan Xiu and Gan Lei!" "Got it, Grandpa!"