Chapter 77 The Seasonal Winds Have Arrived

"One, two, three... six," Molly counted softly. When she reached six, she abruptly sat up, her face deathly pale. "It's going to collapse—"

Before she could finish speaking, a loud crash came from the water, like a heavy object falling into the water.

"Don't just stand there, pull the rope and bring them up!" Zhao Jian'an shouted.

Molly hurried to the water's edge, seemingly relieved. "Everyone's on the rope, pull it quickly."

Sure enough, everyone's enthusiasm increased after hearing that everyone had been rescued from the teaching building.

As the water surged, the people at the other end of the rope began to drift downstream.

"Hold on tight, don't let go!" someone on the shore shouted.

"Push harder!"

"Oh no, the tables, chairs, and planks have been washed away."

"Watch out! Don't get hit."

"There are rocks and tree stumps below!"

"Damn it, we've got them hooked!"

"Don't let go, please don't let go!"

The people in the water were rising and falling, while those on the shore were extremely anxious.

“One of them has loosened the rope.” Molly’s heart sank. “No, more than one.”

Molly suddenly started jogging, and before anyone could understand what was happening, she took a few running starts and dashed out, leaping six or seven meters away.

"Molly, danger—"

Zhao Jian'an wiped the rain off his face, his heart sinking.

Everyone else looked at him, puzzled.

"Don't just stand there, quickly pull them up!"

People were rescued one after another.

"Battalion Commander Zhao, three men are still missing."

"No, there are six people!"

"Wrong, if you include Comrade Molly, it's seven."

"Go downstream, go downstream and find them!"

Zhao Jian'an ran along the direction of the water flow, looking at the raging flood as he ran, but apart from the murky yellow water, there were only logs and trees washed down from the mountain, and no sign of Molly.

"There's a river below; we can't cross it," a soldier warned.

The river rose and has now turned into a vast ocean.

Everyone was heavy-hearted; they all understood that Molly and those people were likely in grave danger.

"Look, isn't that a person?" a child shouted, pointing into the water.

"where?"

"Where?"

"There it is, right there! It's swimming towards us!" the child exclaimed excitedly.

Following the child's finger, everyone spotted the person in the water.

"Tie the ropes up and go down to rescue them." Zhao Jian'an paused, then changed his mind, "I'll go too."

After Zhao Jian'an finished tying the rope, the man got a little closer to them.

Zhao Jian'an and several other soldiers, carrying ropes, swam vigorously towards the man. When they got closer, Zhao Jian'an blurted out, "How come it's you?"

Ji Hefeng was holding a soldier in his arms. The soldier had a child on his chest and back. The child had already fainted. He was anxious and didn't have time to ask any questions. He just wanted to swim to the shore.

They quickly reached the shore, and while the others provided first aid to the soldier and the child, Ji Hefeng finally had a chance to ask Zhao Jian'an, "What did you mean by what you just said? Were you disappointed to see me?"

Rainwater streamed into Zhao Jian'an's eyes, making them sting and feel dry. "Your wife, your wife also went into the water to save someone, and now she's missing."

Ji Hefeng's expression changed, and he turned around abruptly to look into the floodwaters. In just two seconds, he said, "I see her."

Before anyone could react, Ji Hefeng went back into the water and swam vigorously in one direction.

"Deputy Commander Ji said he saw Comrade Molly? Where is she?" someone asked.

No one answered; everyone was still searching.

It wasn't until Ji Hefeng swam further and further away, following the direction he was heading, that everyone finally saw the faint black dot in the water.

The pink tentacles hooked onto a rock in the water, stopping Molly and her three companions from drifting downstream. She was exhausted and unable to swim the three of them to shore; she could only do her best to keep their heads above water.

Fortunately, all three were conscious and their vital signs were normal.

"Sister, what do we do now?" a boy asked Molly.

“Sister, someone will come to save us, right?” another boy asked.

"Comrade Molly, can you still hold on? Why don't you let go of me and swim ashore with the two children yourself?" The soldier's face was pale, and the light in his eyes was beginning to fade. He had cut his leg, and the injury must have been quite serious; he had lost all feeling in his leg.

Rather than keeping Molly here and letting everyone die together, it's better to let her go and allow her to leave with the two children.

What he didn't know was that, let alone with two children, Molly herself didn't have the strength to swim ashore now, even if she were all alone.

“Don’t be afraid, someone is coming to rescue us,” Molly said.

The soldiers, however, felt that Molly was trying to comfort them. They were more than 200 meters from the shore. Who had the strength to swim that far to rescue them?

“Someone’s really coming. Just hang in there a little longer,” Molly said again.

The soldier gave a wry smile. "Comrade Molly, stop lying to me. Take these two children and leave."

“Someone’s really coming. It’s Ji Hefeng. He’s almost here, less than twenty meters away.” Molly watched the person getting closer and closer, and for some reason, her nose suddenly felt sore, and a strange feeling called grievance welled up in her heart.

Having never relied on anyone in her past life, she now wanted to lean on Ji Hefeng's shoulder.

She was too tired and wanted to find a place to get a good night's sleep.

"Deputy Regiment Commander Ji isn't in the camp, Comrade Molly, are you sure you're not mistaken?" The soldier was worried that Molly might be hallucinating.

“Ten meters to go,” Molly added.

The soldier still didn't believe it, but the two children turned their heads to look in the direction Molly was looking.

"Uncle, it's true, someone really came to save us."

The soldier's spirits lifted. "Really?"

He turned his head and saw that Ji Hefeng had come up to him, walked past him, and hugged Molly from behind.

"How did you get so tired?" Ji Hefeng's voice was hoarse. Looking at Molly's pale appearance, his heart ached.

Molly gave a slight smile. "It's a long story."

If she had known the school building would be flooded, she wouldn't have bothered with those peanuts.

“Take them away first,” Molly said.

"Can you still hold on?" Ji Hefeng asked, still worried.

Molly nodded. "I can hold on for a little while longer."

Ji Hefeng took his comrade and two children from her arms, saying, "Wait for me, I'll be back soon."

Molly felt much lighter when her hands were empty.

The floodwaters kept hitting her body, and her body grew colder and colder.

Molly watched the direction Ji Hefeng had left in; he was moving as fast as he had promised.

It seems that Ji Hefeng's strength has increased considerably during the months he was away.

Molly's vision began to blur; the floodwaters slowly disappeared from her sight, leaving only a dark shadow steadily approaching her...

Just before she completely lost consciousness, she heard that familiar voice say, "Go to sleep peacefully, leave the rest to me."

On the shore, the soldiers and the rescued teachers and students did not leave, still worried about the two people in the water.

"Deputy Commander Ji's stamina is truly impressive," someone exclaimed.

"This couple are no ordinary people."

"If it weren't for Comrade Molly today, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"That's right. If it weren't for Comrade Molly pulling the rope, we probably wouldn't have been able to get across, let alone bring everyone back to shore in such a short time."

"Even when the house tilted and broke, it was Comrade Molly who first noticed the anomaly."

Mentioning this incident still evokes lingering fear in those present. They witnessed the school building collapse before their very eyes, and almost, almost, they were submerged in the floodwaters along with the cement and bricks.

"We were swept away by the flood, and we thought we were going to die, until Comrade Molly suddenly appeared, grabbed us, and held our heads above the water until Deputy Commander Ji arrived. By the way, where did Deputy Commander Ji come from?"

As soon as the question was raised, everyone looked at the three people who had been rescued by Ji Hefeng.

The soldier shook his head. "I was hit on the head by a rock, I was stunned, and then I was swept away by the current. When I woke up, I was already on the shore."

By this time, Ji Hefeng had already swum to the shore with Molly.

"What's wrong with Comrade Molly?" Everyone gathered around.

"Too tired, she fell asleep." Ji Hefeng didn't put her down, but carried Molly towards the camp. "I'll take her back first, and you can handle the rest of the work."

"When did you get back?" Zhao Jian'an called out from behind him.

"Just got back. The road was blocked, cars couldn't get through, so I got out to walk. I saw someone in the water, so I went in to rescue them. I haven't finished writing the report yet. You guys are busy, see you later."

Ji Hefeng was moving very fast; he was already a hundred meters away, and his voice lingered in the air.

Mo An was boiling water and kept coming to the courtyard gate to look around. Didn't her sister say she would be back soon? How come almost an hour has passed and she still hasn't seen her?

Mo An began to feel uneasy, and this unease intensified over time.

"Uncle, shall we go find Mom?" Lu Lu asked Mo An, looking up as he held up his umbrella.

"Brother Xiao An, hasn't Auntie come back yet?" Yu San San asked as she came out from next door, holding an umbrella.

“I haven’t seen her yet. Here’s what we’ll do, San San, you and Xiao Lu stay home and watch the fire for me. I’ll go see why my sister hasn’t come back yet.” Mo An didn’t plan to take Lu Lu with him; he could get there faster by himself.

Where to?

Ji Hefeng's voice rang out. He appeared suddenly like a ghost, startling Mo An and the others.

"elder sister!"

"Mother!"

"Auntie!"

The three children stared in surprise at Molly in Ji Hefeng's arms.

"Shh-"

"She's asleep, don't disturb her."

The three children shut their mouths.

"Moan, add water to the bathtub. Your sister needs to take a bath."

"I'll go right now." Mo An turned and ran to the kitchen.

Ji Hefeng carried Molly inside, placed her on a chair, and went into the room to find clothes, taking not only Molly's but also his own.

"Brother-in-law, are you going to shower with my sister?" Mo An asked.

Ji Hefeng's face stiffened. He had been planning to do this, but this kid brought it up so casually.

"What's wrong? Is it not allowed?"

"Of course you can. I often shower with Lu Lu too. If you shower with your sister, I'll prepare two extra buckets of hot water for you." He used both the aluminum pot and the large iron pot to boil water, so there was enough for you.

"That would be perfect." Ji Hefeng thought Mo An was such a sensible child.

Ji Hefeng carried Molly into the bathroom. He first took off Molly's clothes, and as the earth-yellow fabric was removed piece by piece, her snow-white skin came into Ji Hefeng's view.

With just one glance, Ji Hefeng's entire body felt like it was on fire.

What a beast!

Ji Hefeng scolded himself, not even looking at what time it was.

Ji Hefeng carried Molly into the bathtub and had her sit against the inner wall of the tub. He then took off his clothes and used the two buckets of water next to him to quickly wash himself clean from head to toe.

He washed himself, got dressed, and then started to bathe Molly.

"Mo An, is there any more water? Add two more buckets," Ji Hefeng called out, placing two empty buckets outside.

"Yes." Mo An didn't ask why the two of them needed so much water to shower.

Ji Hefeng first helped Molly wash her hair. Afraid that he wouldn't wash it clean enough, he washed it twice and scrubbed it twice. Each time he washed it, he used a bucket of water to rinse it.

He found himself covered in sweat just from washing his hair.

Ji Hefeng wrapped Molly's hair in a clean towel, then closed his eyes, muttering, "Don't blame me when you wake up, I had no choice."

The touch is smoother and more delicate than their previous finest silks, making it irresistible and hard to put down.

Suddenly, a tickling sensation came from my nose, and two streams of warm liquid flowed out of my nostrils.

Ji Hefeng: "......."

Ji Hefeng carried Molly back to bed, letting her head rest on his lap. He took a towel and gently dried Molly's hair.

"Mom is just sleeping, right?" Lu Lu asked with a worried look.

"Yes, I was just too tired and fell asleep," Ji Hefeng replied. "What happened today, Xiaolu? Can you tell Daddy?"

Lu Lu never called Ji Hefeng "Dad," but he didn't object to Ji Hefeng calling himself "Dad." He brought over a small stool, handed Ji Hefeng a glass of water, and then slowly recounted what had happened that day.

After listening, Ji Hefeng frowned. If it were just these things, would she be so tired?

Ji Hefeng felt that something must have happened that Lu Lu didn't know about.

"Xiao An, is there anything you need to add?" Ji Hefeng asked Mo An outside.

“No. Brother-in-law, my sister said she wants to drink ginger tea when she gets back,” Mo An reminded her.

"Here, I'll feed it to your sister." Ji Hefeng looked at Molly's dry, chapped lips and thought she definitely needed some moisture. He helped Molly up and let her lean against him.

Mo An brought over some ginger tea and, looking at his sister who was still unconscious, expressed doubt about Ji Hefeng's words, "Brother-in-law, is my sister really alright?"

"It's nothing. Did she used to sleep for long periods when she was exhausted?" This was Ji Hefeng's guess.

Mo An nodded. "This has happened once or twice."

“That’s it.” Ji Hefeng took the ginger tea, put it to Molly’s lips, and whispered in Molly’s ear, “Molly, it’s time to drink some water.”

The sweet and spicy syrup moistened Molly's lips. Molly seemed to taste it and opened her mouth. Ji Hefeng then slowly fed her the syrup until the whole bowl was empty.

“Although your sister’s condition can be cured with a good night’s sleep, it will still damage her health.” Ji Hefeng lied without changing his expression. “So, Xiao An and Xiao Lu, when I’m not home, please keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t overwork herself, okay?”

Upon hearing that it would harm Molly's health, Mo An and Lu Lu's expressions changed, and they immediately nodded vigorously, "We will definitely not let our sister (mother) work so hard in the future."