Even before she tore open the plastic wrap, the spicy aroma hit her nose.
A mini-hot pot—this was tonight’s dinner!
Staring at the simmering red oil and chilies, Song Yue eagerly ripped off the film, snatched a piece of tripe, and popped it into her mouth.
Delicious~
The tripe was thin and crisp, curling naturally as it blanched in the hot pot. It had a wonderful, crunchy texture.
But something was missing.
She slapped her thigh. The dipping sauce!
Slipping into the space, she returned half a minute later with a bowl of sesame oil, a teaspoon of vinegar, a pinch of salt and MSG, and a handful of chopped scallions, cilantro, and crushed peanuts. A simple yet fragrant dipping sauce, ready to go.
Outside, a torrential downpour raged; inside, the room filled with the rich scent of hot pot.
Every ingredient she dipped in the savory sauce and popped into her mouth sent a jolt of spicy, numbing heat straight to her brain, electrifying her taste buds.
That was the beauty of hot pot.
Anything could be cooked in it—sliced meat, meatballs, shrimp dumplings, potatoes, lotus root, bean curd skin… In the face of the red oil and broth, every food melded into a perfectly balanced flavor.
Song Yue savored the meal until the bowl was empty.
She finished with a cold Coke, feeling so relaxed that it didn’t seem like she was fighting for survival, but on vacation.
Compared to the meager dinners everyone else was eating, her meal felt like a feast.
Mindful of the space’s importance, Song Yue had taken precautions even while indulging. Only after ensuring all doors and windows were shut tight—preventing any appetizing aromas from drifting out—did she bring out the mini-hot pot.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Song Yue’s first task was to check the floodwaters from the balcony.
It was worse than she’d hoped. The water had risen from the third floor to the fourth. At this rate, even the Lakeside Hotel, the highest point in the area, wouldn’t be safe in a few days.
She washed up quickly with cold water, stored the empty food packaging in the space, and tossed a few bottles of mineral water and packets of crackers into her backpack for show before heading downstairs.
Most of the survivors were waiting in the seventh-floor Observation Hall.
Song Yue scanned the room and noticed the grim looks on everyone’s faces. When she walked in, several employees glanced at her, their expressions shifting abruptly before they looked away.
Only Sister Mei, Nannan, and two others approached her, their eyes filled with hesitation.
“What’s wrong?” Song Yue asked. “Just say it.”
Nannan lowered her voice. “They still want to borrow your kayak. They were just discussing it with us because you weren’t here.”
“But rest assured,” Sister Mei added, “we won’t bring it up without your consent. No matter how much they beg, we won’t agree to anything.”
Song Yue nodded, her expression calm.
She had anticipated this.
The entire hotel now knew she possessed the only watercraft. Combined with her composed demeanor and apparent experience, it was inevitable that anyone with half a brain would try to negotiate for the kayak.
Song Yue had already decided how to handle it. She stepped onto the Observation Hall’s dais and faced the crowd.
“The kayak is my personal property,” she announced, each word deliberate. “I will not lend it out.”
The atmosphere turned icy.
“However,” Song Yue continued, her tone shifting, “I can tell you how to escape. Whether you’re willing to try—or even have the courage to try—is up to you.”
The room fell silent before someone asked skeptically, “What method?”
“The tourist sightseeing boats.”
“What? The sightseeing boats?” Several people stood up in protest. “Do you have any idea how far Thousand Crane Lake is from the Lakeside Hotel? How are we supposed to get to them?”
“And after days of torrential rain,” another added, “even if we make it there, there’s no guarantee the boats will still be in place.”
“You’re right, miss. That’s too risky. It won’t work.”
The crowd’s protests grew louder, yet Song Yue remained unruffled, watching them with a calm that left Sister Mei and Nannan anxious.
Just then, a figure appeared at the top of the stairs. “I know where the sightseeing boats are. And there’s more than one.”
Heads snapped toward the speaker. Sister Mei and Nannan stared, stunned. It was him—the man who had checked in with his injured wife.
Lin Sheng glanced at Song Yue, as if they had already coordinated, then addressed the group. “We were trapped in the hypermarket, certain we were going to die. But by some miracle, the flood swept a sightseeing boat right to us. It got snagged on the west side of the building. We grabbed hold and rode it here.”
“When we arrived yesterday, I saw two more boats caught behind the hotel, held back by some cables. They aren’t submerged yet. You can use them.”
The room erupted.
“I know where that is! The high-voltage lines behind the hotel!”
“My God, I complained about those lines being a fire hazard. Who knew they’d end up saving two boats?”
“Thank goodness! We don’t have to risk searching for them!”
“What are you waiting for? Go get the boats!”
The crowd surged into the hallway like a school of sardines, desperate to reach the boats before someone else did. The once-crowded seventh-floor lobby emptied in an instant.
“Thank you,” Song Yue said with a smile. “You didn’t have to come downstairs. I could have told them myself.”
Lin Sheng had shared the information about the sightseeing boats while Song Yue was treating Sister Xin the previous day.
He shook his head. “No way. Without your timely treatment, Sister Xin might not have survived the night. Your medicine worked—the bleeding has stopped. When I came out this morning and saw you all here, I worried the hotel staff wouldn’t believe you. I wanted to help vouch for you.”
He hadn’t expected to arrive just in time.
Lin Sheng felt a surge of relief. He wasn’t much of anything, but he knew the importance of gratitude. Song Yue had treated his wife for free, and the least he could do was explain the situation to the others.
Sister Mei and Nannan watched from the sidelines, completely lost. They had no idea what the two were talking about.
Treatment? Medicine?
Since when did Song Yue, an art student, know how to treat people?
But Lin Sheng’s earnest expression left no room for doubt, and Song Yue herself had accepted his praise with calm composure. All signs pointed to the fact that she had truly stabilized the woman’s condition.
Sister Mei and her three companions swallowed hard, their admiration for Song Yue reaching new heights.
Huang An and the woman with the young girl were equally astonished. They had followed her since the hardware store and knew she was decisive and capable—far more so than most—but they never imagined she could also heal.
This is incredible, they thought. We have to cherish her like a treasure!
While their hearts raced with excitement, Song Yue remained oblivious. Her mind was already on the next step.
Noticing the seventh-floor lobby was now empty, she spoke plainly. “I plan to leave the hotel today.”
What?!
The group, still reeling from their earlier revelation, froze.
“So soon?” the woman with the girl asked, her eyes wide. “The flood hasn’t reached us yet. Can’t we wait a few more days?”
“Right, Xiao Yue,” Huang An added, licking his lips. “The water won’t reach the eighth floor, will it? Besides, it’s been days already. The government’s rescue teams could be here any minute. Can’t we just wait a bit longer? We might even be able to leave safely.”
Song Yue understood. The woman with the child couldn’t move easily, making any journey far more dangerous. Huang An, a semi-local, was naturally cautious and hesitant to venture into the unknown when he could stay in a familiar place.
But Song Yue had to leave. The hotel was doomed to flood sooner or later, and she had a mission to complete.
After confirming with the woman and Huang An, and hearing their firm refusal to go, she dropped the matter.
She turned to Sister Mei and Nannan. “What about you two? Are you coming with me or staying here?”
The four women didn’t hesitate. They nodded vigorously. “With you!”
The idea of staying was laughable. They weren’t blind; they’d seen exactly what Song Yue was capable of over the past few days.
Song Yue had provided the kayak, saved the four women, and shared her first-day rations with them. She had even treated the injured woman upstairs.
If they had any common sense at all, they knew she was their only hope.
Without her, they’d be nothing more than fodder, doomed the moment they stepped away from a powerhouse.
Clinging to the strongest survivor was the only rational choice.
Seeing that Sister Mei and the others were on board, Song Yue headed upstairs to retrieve the kayak and prepare for their departure.
But Lin Sheng stepped forward. “Why didn’t you ask me?”
Song Yue paused, taken aback. “Sister Xin is still injured. Are you really willing to put her back on the road now?”
An injured person was even more difficult to manage than a child. If they encountered danger on the way, there would be no easy way to deal with it.
That’s precisely why I didn’t ask him, she thought.
“We can’t just sit here and wait to die,” Lin Sheng said. “The rain won’t stop, the floodwaters are still rising, and there’s no sign of a rescue team. Sister Xin and I analyzed the situation last night—staying in this hotel is like being a frog in a pot of warm water. We’re just as unsafe here.”
He paused, taking a deep breath. “Besides… Sister Xin still needs your medical treatment.”
If they let the young woman go, he couldn’t guarantee they’d find anyone else as capable.
To ensure she didn’t think they were just trying to ride her coattails, Lin Sheng quickly added, “The sightseeing boat we used yesterday is a double-decker. It’s large, stable, and I’ve hidden it in a secluded spot. We can use that instead.”
One party providing medical care, the other providing transportation. It seemed fair.
Song Yue found the deal agreeable, and she and Lin Sheng struck a pact on the spot.
Sister Mei and the others were overjoyed; a boat was far safer and more comfortable than a kayak.
The elderly couple from the eighth floor heard they were leaving and asked to join.
The old man, perhaps fearing Song Yue would see them as a burden, added quickly, “My wife and I have vacationed here every year. We know the area well—we can guide you.”
“That’s right,” the old woman chimed in, desperate to prove their worth. “And I know sewing. See? I made this buoyancy pack from the materials Miss Huang provided.”
The scene suddenly reminded Song Yue of Grandma Wang from her past life.
The same flood, the same desperation.
Back then, Grandma Wang had been abandoned by her own family in an abandoned building, seen as a burden because of her age. If a search party hadn’t found her, she would have starved to death.
Song Yue remembered how Grandma Wang had wept and knelt on the ground, terrified they would leave her behind. She had tried to sell her own value, listing everything she could do: I can sew clothes. I can carry loads on a shoulder pole. I can grow vegetables. I don’t eat much—I’m easy to keep alive…
The memory still stung.
Song Yue wasn’t a saint; she knew she couldn’t save everyone. But she wasn’t a machine either. She was human, with a heart that still beat. As long as she was alive, she would help anyone she could.
Brother Lin’s sightseeing boat was a double-decker that could hold thirty to thirty-five people. The moment the elderly couple had asked to join, Song Yue had already decided to let them come, regardless of what they said next.