Chapter 34: Earth-shaking Quake
Shang Wan heard the sound and ran out, only to see the little turtle, who had been playing happily on the soft cushion with the two children, shrink its head back into its shell, with faint red light emanating from the turtle shell, as if it was about to explode.
Shang Wan didn’t rashly touch the little turtle and asked Xiao Huan, “Did you feed it the wrong thing?”
“We didn’t feed it anything.” Xiao Huan shook her head, frowning at the little turtle. “It suddenly turned like this.”
“Mom!” Yuan Yuan crawled over and tugged at Shang Wan’s clothes, pulling twice anxiously. “Knife! Road!”
The three people in the courtyard were completely baffled.
Shang Wan knew Yuan Yuan had awakened the beast-taming ability and could communicate with animals, so she must want to tell her something.
She picked up the little one and gently patted her back. “Don’t be anxious, speak slowly. What do you want to tell Mom?”
“Daddy!” The little one pointed toward the door of the west wing room, sweating on her forehead, her face flushed from holding it in before spitting out one word, “Thick!”
“You want your dad to come out?”
Yuan Yuan nodded her little head vigorously. “Thick! Thick!”
Shang Wan stuffed Yuan Yuan into Xiao Huan’s arms, ran into the west wing room, picked up Lu Chengjing, and carried him out, placing him on the stone slab where Xiao Hui was sunning its fur.
Xiao Hui had run off somewhere unknown.
As soon as Shang Wan put him down, the ground suddenly began to shake, and thunder boomed in the clear sky.
The earthquake shook the mountains, and the earth and rocks cracked open.
The dilapidated thatched hut collapsed instantly, walls and roof toppling amid flying dust, leaving only ruins and broken walls.
Shang Wan scooped up everyone at the fastest speed and moved them to a more open area.
The originally quiet village rang with clamor and cries, with many villagers fleeing outside with their families.
Two breaths later, the ground stopped shaking.
Li Xiaoshan was worried about home, but Shang Wan grabbed him to stop him from running around, staring unwaveringly at the little turtle.
The red light on the turtle shell had not faded.
Shang Wan pursed her lips tightly; the earthquake wasn’t over yet.
Once, twice, three times—the aftershocks grew lighter each time, and the red light on the turtle shell completely disappeared.
As soon as Shang Wan let go, Li Xiaoshan bolted home, gritting his teeth, tears streaming in the wind.
Chaotic cries came from the village; many people were trapped under houses, and Shang Wan couldn’t ignore it.
She took a deep breath, placed Yuan Yuan in Lu Chengjing’s arms, and earnestly exhorted the three, “Stay here and don’t move. I’m going to save people. If anything happens, shout loudly for me—I can hear you.”
Lu Chengjing looked at her for a moment, his dark eyes calm, and said slowly, “Be careful with everything.”
Shang Wan reached out to brush his loose hair behind his forehead, and with a flicker of her figure, she was already a hundred steps away.
Following the cries for help, Shang Wan checked house by house. If there were people to rescue, she left; if no one could rescue or there weren’t enough people, she stepped forward to lend a hand.
Often, before the villagers could even finish their thanks, Shang Wan had already moved to the next house.
She was strong and fast, one of her worth ten.
“Dad! Dad, don’t die!” Li Xiaoshan squatted beside Li Old Father, crying with tears and snot streaming, while Li Xiaomei sobbed along.
Li Dashan knelt checking Li Old Father’s injuries and, seeing the blood all over him, couldn’t help secretly wiping tears.
His dad had suffered so much in his life.
Fleeing to Elm Tree Village, growing up on food from various families, he finally learned a craft, saved money to marry a wife, had three children, and the family lived happily together—life was finally getting better.
Who knew that six years ago, taking a job in the city shattered their hard-won happy life.
When Li Old Father was carried back, one leg was broken, and Zhao Aunt, who had gone to the city to find him, vanished without a trace.
Li Old Father was like a soulless shell, neither eating nor drinking all day, wasting away before their eyes.
Villagers said Zhao Aunt had run off with a rich man from the city, abandoning Li Old Father and the three children.
Li Dashan, furious, fought with them, beating them until their heads bled. That family came to the Li Family demanding an explanation from Li Old Father.
After returning home, the Li Old Father who hadn’t spoken a word finally reacted. After apologizing with compensation gifts, he shut the door and told the three children the truth.
Zhao Aunt, seeking justice for her man, had offended a noble person and was beaten to death with clubs; her corpse was chopped up and fed to dogs.
The three children cried bitterly, but pitifully, Li Old Father didn’t even know who that noble person was; Li Dashan wanted revenge for his mother but had no one to find.
“Dad, hold on—I’m going to get Doctor Yuan.”
Seeing Li Old Father breathing out more than in, even his eyes closing, Li Dashan stood with red-rimmed eyes, exhorted his younger brother and sister to watch Dad, and turned to run.
When Shang Wan arrived, Li Xiaoshan and Li Xiaomei were already crying like tearful messes; Li Xiaomei was sobbing so hard she was about to faint.
Li Xiaoshan cried hoarsely, “Dad, open your eyes and look at us! I won’t be naughty anymore. I’ll learn the craft with Big Brother; whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it. You haven’t seen me marry a wife yet—don’t die!”
“Hey, make way, make way.” Shang Wan pushed Li Xiaoshan aside. “If you delay any longer, your dad will really die.”
Li Xiaoshan sniffed, staring foolishly at Shang Wan. “Sis, how did you get here?”
“To save people.” Shang Wan took out the small porcelain bottle, pried open Li Old Father’s mouth, and fed him three drops of spiritual spring water.
Li Old Father had five or six broken bones; Shang Wan deftly helped set them, used wooden boards fetched by Li Xiaoshan and Li Xiaomei to fix them, and had them untie their belts to tear and secure the boards.
By the time Li Dashan ran back carrying Yuan Musheng, Shang Wan had already left.
Yuan Musheng had gauze wrapped around his forehead with blood seeping through. He squatted to check Li Old Father’s injuries and found his breathing steady, wounds handled perfectly.
He looked suspiciously at Li Xiaoshan and Li Xiaomei. “Did you handle these injuries?”
The two children shook their heads together; Li Xiaoshan said, “My sis did.”
Yuan Musheng: ?
Li Xiaomei clutched Li Old Father’s big hand and added softly, “It was Lady Shang. She fed Dad medicine and set his bones.”
Yuan Musheng was surprised—his younger brother’s wife had this skill?
“Your younger brother’s wife handled it very well. Uncle Li’s condition is stable now. Be careful when moving him; best to find another person to carry him.”
The three agreed repeatedly.
Houses completely collapsed in the village were few; after all, not every house was as old and dilapidated as Shang Wan’s thatched hut.
With the village chief absent, the village elders were the backbone. They had villagers gather families in open, unobstructed areas and helped where needed, everyone pitching in voluntarily.
It took an hour to rescue everyone.
This was thanks to villagers living close together and Shang Wan’s speed. If all were as far apart as the thatched hut, one hour wouldn’t nearly suffice.
Surviving the disaster, everyone wore anxious expressions. Why had the earthquake struck out of nowhere?
The elders, with their experience, barely kept things steady, telling everyone not to panic or run around, to stay put and not go into houses for things.
Shang Wan landed beside Lu Chengjing; her clothes were dirty, and her fair face was smudged with ash.
Lu Chengjing took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Shang Wan directly leaned her face over. “Tired. You wipe for me.”
