Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Rescuing Someone

Before the shout ended, a figure ran out from the woods and headed straight for the ditch, seemingly poised to jump into the river.

As she got closer, with the faint moonlight, Ling Chengyan could roughly discern that the runner was a woman, judging by her slim figure, she was either very thin or underage.

As she stopped her horse, four or five men pursued out of the woods.

“You wretched girl, want to die? It’s not that easy…”

“Get her, whoever catches her tonight gets her!”

The men shouted and joked as they chased, the woman in front had already rushed onto the riverbank and was about to jump, while those behind didn’t seem overly urgent, more like a cat toying with a mouse, spreading out to encircle her.

Ling Chengyan sat atop her horse, dressed in dark clothes, the horse was also chestnut black, motionless and silent, and under the cover of darkness, even though she was only a hundred steps away, those people hadn’t seen her.

The woman stood on the bank, looked back at the few men chasing, and suddenly screamed up at the sky: “Mother, wait for me…”

Before the shout concluded, she plunged into the ditch.

With a splash… water splattered everywhere.

Seeing the woman actually jumped into the water, the men finally grew anxious, angrily ran up the bank, leaned their heads to look into the ditch, but in the heavy darkness, it was as if the woman had sunk into the water without a trace.

“…Should we go down?” someone asked.

“In this cold weather, going into the water, do you want to die?”

“Exactly, the water’s too cold, you’ll cramp right away…”

A few skewed debates were exchanged, some spat into the water discontentedly, cursing as they returned to the woods.

Ling Chengyan quietly dismounted, tied the horse to a tree on the other side of the ditch, and descended to the ditch, searching along the water flow.

After walking about thirty to fifty meters, there was a patch of dried reeds by the ditch that hadn’t been burnt by wildfires.

Ling Chengyan saw these reeds, a smile couldn’t help but tug at her lips, she walked over, stretched out her stick: “Come out, they’re gone.”

No response, only the water quietly flowing.

Ling Chengyan extended her stick forward, saying: “If you don’t want to fall ill, hurry up and come out.”

The stick grew heavy, Ling Chengyan exerted a bit of force, pulling the soaking woman from the reeds.

Ling Chengyan glanced at her, took off the jacket she was wearing, wrapped it around the woman without saying much else, helped the woman onto the horse, urged the horse across the brick bridge, and entered the woods.

Ling Chengyan kept a close ear on the sounds in the woods, ensuring those out to pursue hadn’t emerged, her breath yet to ease, she heard someone behind shouting: “Who’s up front?”

The woman in her embrace shivered with fear.

“Leave me be,” the woman trembled saying.

Ling Chengyan paused for a moment, ignored her, and shouted back: “Is it brother?”

“Hey, finally caught up with you!” replied Wang Lianfa.

As the words ended, he too came riding swiftly.

Ling Chengyan had already exited the woods, pulled her horse to a halt, watching the two riding out of the woods, and instantly recognized them as her cousins.

“What brings the two brothers here?”

“We worried for your safety alone, rode out to meet you, but barely got past the Old Crow’s Mouth when your second brother’s bike chain slipped… spent ages fixing it, just finished when we heard the horse hooves…”

Approaching nearer, Wang Lianfa noticed there were two people on the horse: “Weren’t you off to drop someone off?”

Is this without having dropped off?

Ling Chengyan pressed her lips together, said: “Let’s talk at home.”

The group directly headed back to Ling Chengyan’s place, Ling Chengyan fetched a set of her old clothes for the woman to change inside, she then explained the situation to her two cousins outside.

Wang Lianqi listened, his brow furrowing, thought for a moment, stood and said: “This is no small matter, I need to go tell our father.”

Ling Chengyan replied: “I’ll tag along, bring the two children back.”

Seeing the two heading out, Wang Lianfa quickly followed, but not before latching the door shut from the outside.

Ling Chengyan noticed his gesture, did not stop him.

The three arrived at their uncle’s home, the two sister-in-laws and children had already retired, uncle and aunt were in bed but hadn’t extinguished the light.

With the arrival of Ling Chengyan and company, aunt shuffled out from bed, slipped into shoes, and lifted the curtain at the door: “Come in, it’s chill outside.”

The trio filed into the inner room, uncle Wang Futang sat at the bedhead wrapped in a cotton jacket, holding an unlit tobacco pipe.

Shi Tou was sleeping soundly, Xiao Xing had sat up, peered out, and upon seeing Ling Chengyan enter, her little face burst into a smile: “Mom!”

Ling Chengyan embraced her, helped her don back the light padded jacket and pants, explained what she had encountered on the way: “I haven’t yet inquired about the girl’s background, I’ll ask when I get back, and tell you more tomorrow.”

Uncle shook the ash from his pipe, pondered: “With the two kids, one shouldn’t recklessly invite strangers home… why don’t your sister-in-law accompany you over there?”

Ling Chengyan shook her head, smiling: “Don’t worry, uncle, I’m good.”

With Shi Tou in arms and hand-in-hand with Xiao Xing, they returned home, the woman had changed into dry clothes, and cleaned her own attire, now hung on the indoor clothesline.

Ling Chengyan opened the door, as the woman originally sitting on the bench abruptly stood up, looking alertly toward the door.

The room lit by lamps, the woman’s hair thoroughly undone and re-combed, now half dry, hanging over her shoulders, under the lamp, her face gaunt almost to deformation, eyes not large but stark with vigilance and panic, notably captivating.

“There’re flatbreads in the basket…” Ling Chengyan first settled Shi Tou in the inner room’s bed, turned to find the woman still standing by the stove, head lowered without moving, she then reached for the basket of dry rations, handed her a flatbread.

The woman accepted it, holding it in both hands, but didn’t eat immediately.

“Not hungry? Or can’t stomach cold rations?” Ling Chengyan said, lifting the pot lid and pouring water into the pot.

“No, I don’t fear the cold, I’m afraid of bringing you trouble…” the woman’s voice began lowering.

Ling Chengyan covered the pot lid, lit the fire, then said: “If there’s trouble, I’ve already stirred it up. Whether you eat this or not, it won’t change anything.”

Continuing her words, beneath the stove the flames roared, Ling Chengyan tossed a few twigs into the fire, turned to put Xiao Xing to bed.

The little girl had already washed her hands and feet at her grandmother’s, so Ling Chengyan tucked her into bed, presented her with the radio awarded from the competition: “Tomorrow I’ll buy some batteries, and you’ll be able to listen to the radio.”

Xiao Xing reaching out her small hand, cautiously touching the radio switches, feeling the luster of the casing, wide-eyed smiles breaking, nodding vigorously.

“Alright then, I’ll put it by your pillow, guard it as you sleep.” Ling Chengyan tugged at the blanket seam to snug her in, gently patted a few times, soon the little girl was asleep.

She’d been tired for a while, resisting sleep waiting for her mother. Now that her mother returned, she could rest assured and drift into slumber.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep