Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The crowd dispersed, and Qing Luan was not idle. She turned to A-Song and said, "Light the torches; we’re heading up the mountain!"
"Why are we going up the mountain?" A-Song asked in astonishment.
"Don't ask so many questions. Grab a fire starter and hurry," Qing Luan replied as she released Xiao Bai and urged A-Song to follow closely behind.
Plain Grandmother and the others understood what Qing Luan intended to do. No one spoke up to stop her, but their eyes were filled with worry and concern.
As Qing Luan and A-Song climbed the mountain, a large fire had already ignited at the designated spot, creating a tense atmosphere throughout the village. Everyone was too anxious to sleep or eat, all eyes fixed on the dock, hoping for a miracle.
"A-Song, gather some branches to light this area," Qing Luan led A-Song to the spot where they had harvested cotton last time. The area had been cleared of weeds, making it easy to chop down the dry cotton stalks. Thus, she chose this location for the fire.
Before long, A-Song had lit the bonfire. Qing Luan carefully monitored it to prevent it from spreading and instructed A-Song to find tree trunks to stoke the flames high enough for those at the base of the mountain to see clearly.
Time passed slowly as everyone in the fishing village anxiously awaited a miracle. No one wanted anyone to be in danger, so small groups gathered together—some comforting Sister Ma and others chatting with the village chief, unwilling to leave.
Half an hour after the fire was lit, a faint yellow light flickered through the haze, tightening everyone's nerves as they feared they were imagining things.
"They're back! They're back..." As the silhouette of a boat gradually came into view for those waiting at the dock, cheers erupted throughout the pier. Gradually, everyone heard it; joy echoed into the sky, and from her vantage point, Qing Luan could see it all.
Seeing that the fishing boats had returned, she and A-Song extinguished the fire on the mountain. Only after confirming that it wouldn’t reignite did they descend. Upon reaching the dock, they found Sister Ma crying like a child, laughing through her tears, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Knowing it was foggy, why didn’t you come back immediately?" The village chief scolded as everyone’s emotions stabilized. "What would you have done if something had happened? You all have families!" It was absurd that they had put themselves in such danger.
Uncle Ma was in disarray from Sister Ma's tears and bitterly smiled at the village chief. "I didn’t want this either. We planned to return as soon as the fog rolled in, but by the time we finished gathering our nets, it was already thick. We were afraid to wander too far into deeper waters; that would have made things worse." He explained what had happened and acknowledged their worries. "When night fell and winds picked up with waves rising, we all thought it was over for us. But then we saw that red glow through the fog and followed it back... I can’t believe we really made it back..." After seeing familiar faces again, he finally let out a deep sigh of relief.
In truth, they were all terrified—not because they feared death but because each of them carried too much they couldn’t let go of.
"Thank goodness everyone is safe. It's getting cold, so let's take the children home," Qing Luan urged as she noticed they were still gathered and had no intention of leaving.
"Miss, thank you so much this time," Sister Ma said, calming down after crying for a while. She knew that the fire on the mountain was set by her and realized that if it weren't for her, they wouldn't have returned today with their group. She felt an overwhelming gratitude towards her and didn't know how to express it. As she spoke her thanks, she began to kneel down...
"Sister Ma, please don't do that," Qing Luan quickly stepped aside to help her up, not allowing her to kneel. She was afraid it would shorten her own life! "This is what I should do. I should be thanking you for coming to me for help and not treating me like an outsider." Their trust in her made her feel that her efforts were worthwhile.
Sister Ma's words of thanks were interrupted by Qing Luan, who urged everyone to take the children home to avoid frostbite. Once she returned, Plain Grandmother and Qin'er hurriedly brought out the ginger soup that had been prepared earlier, urging them to drink it before serving hot soup and rice...
"Qin'er, you're so wonderful," Qing Luan exclaimed as she hugged Qin'er, who had brought her utensils. Excitedly, she reached out playfully to tease Qin'er while trying to suppress the tears that threatened to spill.
"Miss," Qin'er blushed immediately at the embrace and struggled shyly, saying, "Miss, the food will get cold; you should eat quickly." The Miss had learned to tease her like this every time, which was really annoying!
"With Qin'er's warmth, I'm not even hungry anymore," Qing Luan joked, leaning in to kiss Qin'er but was scolded by Plain Grandmother.
"Miss," Plain Grandmother frowned in annoyance and said, "Look at yourself! You're a lady; how can you act like a rogue teasing a girl?" This Miss was truly exasperating; she usually appeared serious and trustworthy but now acted so mischievously that it was both infuriating and amusing.
"Plain Grandmother, it's just a joke; please don't be angry," Qing Luan said as soon as she saw Plain Grandmother getting upset. She immediately released Qin'er and picked up her chopsticks to start eating.
"One thing brings another," A-Song murmured quietly as he watched her frightened expression.
"Miss, have they all returned?" After Qing Luan let go of her, Qin'er returned to normal. She understood that Miss Bai was just teasing her but still felt shy about such intimate playfulness.
"Mm," Qing Luan nodded with her mouth full of food, unable to speak clearly but managing a muffled acknowledgment.
"Sometimes I really think the Miss is too calm; it makes me feel a bit pained. But seeing her like this makes me worry about whether she'll ever get married," Plain Grandmother sat beside them chattering away like an ordinary mother filled with concern for her children.
Qing Luan paused her chopsticks as she listened to Plain Grandmother's nagging. Then, pretending to be nonchalant, she laughed and said, "Plain Grandmother, the young lady in your eyes should be someone who smiles without showing her teeth, gentle and generous, virtuous and kind, right? These things have nothing to do with me. You should lighten up a bit and stop torturing yourself."
If she were to compare herself to Hu Linglong, she would surely die of blood loss.
"You..." Plain Grandmother was at a loss for words, staring blankly for a long moment before finally managing to say, "There are still dishes in the kitchen!"
"Haha..." A few people looked at the deflated Plain Grandmother and secretly covered their mouths to laugh.
Early the next morning, Uncle Ma arrived with a group of people. They carried chickens and ducks—items that were quite precious to them—and entered Qing Luan's courtyard with laughter.
"Uncle Ma, why don't you all rest a bit longer?" After such a thrilling night, they probably didn't sleep well. Getting up so early made her wonder if their bodies could handle it.
"We're used to it," Uncle Ma replied with a smile as he handed over the items in his hands, revealing his white teeth in gratitude. "Miss, thank you so much for saving us yesterday. You are our savior. Please accept these small tokens of our appreciation!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fifth update is finished for the morning; five chapters will be updated in the afternoon.
Comment 0 Comment Count