“I can’t just sit here anymore,” Jiang Yunfan said, unable to contain himself. “I still have a lot of things in my room that I haven’t packed.”
Jiang Lanxin was also thinking about her belongings and wanted to run back inside.
But Shen Yihuan trusted her instincts.
She had a strong feeling that the earthquake would strike very soon.
She reached out and blocked them.
“You can’t go inside.”
Jiang Lanxin had never truly accepted Shen Yihuan.
Now that Shen Yihuan was stopping her, her rebellious streak flared immediately.
If you won’t let me go in…
Then I’ll do exactly that.
She shook off Shen Yihuan’s hand and rushed toward the house.
At that very instant…
Shen Yihuan felt it again.
That mysterious, almost indescribable tremor beneath her feet.
She stopped thinking.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
She lunged forward and grabbed Jiang Lanxin.
The next second—
The earth shook violently.
The ground heaved upward.
With a deafening crash, the earthen house collapsed.
Dust filled the sky.
The earth beneath Jiang Lanxin suddenly bulged upward.
Everything spun around her.
She couldn’t keep her footing.
Her entire body pitched forward, hurtling straight toward a collapsing wall.
Using every ounce of strength she had, Shen Yihuan yanked her back.
Jiang Lanxin was saved.
Instead…
The force of the momentum sent Shen Yihuan stumbling several steps forward.
She slammed heavily into the ground.
“Ow…”
A cry escaped her lips.
The broken stones dug painfully into her chest.
Her knees felt as though they no longer belonged to her.
“Yihuan!”
“Daughter!”
“Sister-in-law!”
She heard the Jiang family’s horrified cries.
She heard wooden beams snapping all around her.
Looking up…
She saw that all three main rooms of the Jiang house, along with the side buildings, had collapsed into ruins.
Even the chicken coop and courtyard wall had not escaped.
Everywhere she looked…
Broken beams.
Shattered tiles.
Rolling clouds of dust.
“Cough… cough…”
The choking dust made her cough uncontrollably.
Panicked, Liu Guiying rushed over and carefully helped her up, anxiously examining her from head to toe.
“Where are you hurt?”
“Does it hurt badly?”
Jiang Yunfan was also terrified.
Supporting Shen Yihuan by the other arm, he quickly helped her away from the edge of the collapsing rubble.
Seeing that his youngest daughter was still standing there in complete shock, Jiang Chunsheng hurried over and pulled Jiang Lanxin to safety.
He wanted to scold her.
But seeing the terror frozen on her face…
The words died in his throat.
Forget it.
Fortunately…
His daughter-in-law was a wonderful person.
He had seen everything clearly.
If Shen Yihuan hadn’t risked herself to save Lanxin…
His foolish daughter would almost certainly have smashed headfirst into that wall.
The gratitude and appreciation he felt toward Shen Yihuan deepened immeasurably.
When Shen Yihuan fell, she had instinctively protected her head.
Fortunately, her injuries weren’t severe.
Her chest hurt.
And both knees were bleeding badly.
Lifting her skirt slightly, Liu Guiying gasped.
The skin on both knees had been scraped away over a large area.
Fresh pink flesh was exposed beneath.
Blood streamed steadily down her legs.
Heart aching, Liu Guiying shouted,
“Where’s the medicine?”
“Where did we pack the wound medicine?”
“Hurry and bring it!”
Jiang Yunfan nudged the still-dazed Jiang Lanxin.
“Quick!”
“Find the medicine!”
“Big Sister-in-law is hurt!”
Only then did Jiang Lanxin snap back to reality.
Ignoring her own fear, she hurried to search for the medicine.
Her throat tightened.
It felt as though something were squeezing her heart.
A rush of emotion surged upward, making her eyes burn with tears.
She had almost died.
Yet…
Shen Yihuan had saved her.
An overwhelming wave of shame flooded through her entire body.
Her face turned bright red.
Her trembling hands finally found the medicine.
The moment she saw Shen Yihuan’s bloody knees…
She lowered her eyes.
She didn’t even dare look directly at her.
Shen Yihuan could tell the girl was consumed with guilt.
Wanting the lesson to sink in a little deeper, she deliberately ignored her.
Jiang Lanxin twisted her fingers together nervously.
She barely even dared breathe.
Liu Guiying’s attention, however, was entirely focused on Shen Yihuan’s injuries.
She didn’t notice her daughter’s embarrassment at all.
Seeing dust clinging to the wounds, she immediately instructed,
“Lanxin.”
“Go fetch some warm water.”
“We need to clean your sister-in-law’s wounds first.”
As though receiving a pardon, Jiang Lanxin hurried away.
“Right away!”
Being able to do something for her sister-in-law was exactly what she wanted.
With Shen Yihuan injured, Jiang Chunsheng and Jiang Yunfan, as grown men, couldn’t be of much help.
Instead, they looked around.
In only a few brief moments…
Most of Xinghua Village had become a sea of ruins.
Heartbreaking cries echoed everywhere.
The sight filled both men with worry.
Where were Jiang Changfeng and Jiang Canghai?
Were they all right?
Had they already started home?
Surely nothing had happened to them?
…
The two people they were worrying about were, in fact, already on their way home.
Halfway there, Jiang Changfeng met Jiang Canghai, who was hurrying back from town.
When Jiang Changfeng had said there might be an earthquake…
Jiang Canghai had believed him completely.
His eldest brother was steady and dependable.
He never spoke carelessly.
Jiang Canghai proposed returning to town first to warn his teachers and classmates at the academy.
Jiang Changfeng asked,
“If this isn’t certain…”
“Will they even believe you?”
Jiang Canghai answered,
“Whether they believe me is their choice.”
“Whether I tell them is mine.”
“Brother…”
“If I don’t go back and warn them…”
“I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Jiang Changfeng looked into his younger brother’s determined eyes.
Finally…
He turned around and accompanied him back to Fengling Town.
Their first stop was Changfeng Academy.
There, they informed Jiang Canghai’s teacher that an earthquake might strike that night.
Afterward, they searched throughout town for Jiang Canghai’s classmates and friends.
Some thanked them sincerely.
Some remained skeptical.
Others laughed at the warning outright.
Because everyone lived in different parts of town, the effort consumed quite a bit of time.
As for the classmates who lived outside Fengling Town…
Jiang Canghai could only sigh helplessly.
He had already done everything he could.
He and his brother only had two pairs of legs.
There was simply no way they could reach everyone.
Besides…
No one knew where the earthquake’s epicenter would be.
Or which places would ultimately be affected.
Everything was only an educated guess.
Beyond that…
All they could do was fulfill their duty and leave the rest to fate.
Once they had done everything they believed they should…
The brothers finally began heading home with clear consciences.
Halfway back…
The earthquake struck.
Fortunately, they happened to be crossing an open area.
Aside from the terrifying sensation of the world spinning beneath their feet…
They were unharmed.
The people inside town, however, were far less fortunate.
Collapsed buildings.
Devastation everywhere.
Cries of misery filling the streets.
Fortunately…
They were too far away to witness it.
Once the shaking subsided, Jiang Changfeng’s thoughts were consumed entirely by his family.
He and Jiang Canghai sprinted toward home as fast as they could.
When they finally arrived…
Liu Guiying was applying medicine to Shen Yihuan’s wounds.
Hearing Shen Yihuan gasp in pain…
Jiang Changfeng’s expression changed instantly.
He rushed over at full speed, startling both women.
Seeing that her eldest son had returned safely, Liu Guiying finally relaxed.
“Changfeng.”
“Yihuan was injured while saving your sister.”
“Stay with her.”
“Comfort her.”
She placed the medicine into Jiang Changfeng’s hand.
Then she quietly led Jiang Lanxin away, deliberately leaving the young couple alone.
Shen Yihuan suddenly felt incredibly awkward.
She had lifted her skirt to expose her knees for treatment.
As a result…
Her long, straight, fair legs were now completely visible.
And Jiang Changfeng was staring directly at them.
She felt heat creeping into her calves.
Even her toes curled awkwardly.
Embarrassed, she hurriedly reached to pull her skirt back down.
Jiang Changfeng gently caught her hand.
“Don’t move.”
“Let me finish applying the medicine first.”
His eyes never once left the bloody wounds on her knees.
The thought of anything else never crossed his mind.
As a hunter, injuries were simply part of everyday life.
He had never considered cuts and wounds to be a big deal.
But seeing such painful injuries on Shen Yihuan…
His heart ached unbearably.
If he could have taken her place…
He would have done so without hesitation.