Chapter 177 Needs a Doctor

"Qingqing, may I help you onto the rock and hug your waist from behind?"

"Can."

Only the surface of the stone is exposed. The waves created by the flood hitting the stone are very powerful, but at least you won't be completely submerged in water.

Xu Rui is a restrained and polite person; even at this moment, he didn't forget to ask questions.

Lu Qingqing suddenly realized that he was actually a very nice person.

With the people's livelihood at heart, he is even more dedicated than a typical official.

Furthermore, he is a gentleman.

"You shouldn't have jumped."

They could have been perched on a tree, but now they're stuck in the water.

He seemed to be too nice to her, going beyond the boundaries of a partnership.

The surging waves drowned out Lu Qingqing's voice.

Xu Rui helped her onto the rock.

She asked in a low voice, "Qingqing, when you said you wanted to buy a husband, was it true or just an excuse to avoid marriage?"

These words were also drowned out by the booming sound.

Neither of them seemed to say anything.

He held her waist, shielding her from the crashing waves.

His gaze was fixed on the top of her head, which was covered in mud.

He hoped it was the latter.

That way he will still have time.

Lu Qingqing straightened her clothes, thankfully the backpack strap held them in place and prevented them from coming apart.

One of her shoes had already been swept away, so she simply took off the remaining shoe and slapped the back of her hand to shake the leech off.

Then I started rummaging through my loyal backpack.

Find a broken, flattened egg.

Fortunately, it didn't get into the sand.

He carefully cleaned the shell and turned to offer it to Xu Rui's mouth.

He didn't mind and ate it in one bite.

A little while later, they found another sealed candy, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Lu Yun carried her medicine kit, and it's probably completely destroyed now.

However, he also often keeps several commonly used medicines in his bag.

Some have hemostatic properties, some have antipyretic properties, and some have anti-cold properties.

Lu Qingqing poured out a few pills to prevent colds, ate them herself, and then turned to put them into Xu Rui's mouth.

He was used to being fed; as soon as she reached out, he opened his mouth.

Aren't you afraid she might be feeding you poison?

There was nothing left to eat in her bag, so she turned to look at the rising water.

The tree they had just been hanging from had been knocked askew by the impact.

If it keeps going, it will collapse.

Xu Rui followed her gaze and saw it too.

I couldn't help but worry about this big rock.

He patted Lu Qingqing, signaling her to lie down and hug the rock tightly, while he went into the water to investigate.

Lu Qingqing hugged the stone tightly and lay down.

Xu Rui lowered his head and submerged in the water, then came up a moment later.

"fine."

The stones are huge; I don't know how many are buried underground, but they're very stable.

He continued to put his arm around Lu Qingqing's waist, completely unaware that his clothes had come undone, revealing most of his chest.

So white!

And he really does have a chest and muscles; he's not the skinny man people imagine him to be.

However, some scars hadn't faded, there were two scratches, and a bruise in the center of his chest, along with bits of mud and sand, which perfectly captured the sense of devastation.

A rather unethical thought flashed through Lu Qingqing's mind.

She reached out her hand again.

The man's eyes brightened slightly, and he opened his mouth.

He then had a close encounter with a large crab that had lost its claws.

"Hahahaha..." Lu Qingqing laughed loudly.

He thought it was something delicious, but when he realized it was a big crab, his eyes widened from crescent moons to full moons.

The woman's eyes were bright, and her smile was radiant.

The belly under his hand swelled and bulged, full of vitality.

The man wasn't angry; instead, the corners of his lips curved into a smile.

Palaces of pearls and shells, goblets of gold and jade, have faded to ash.

It's not as bad as desolate mountains and wild fields, but a bright smile amidst the mottled sewage.

Wealth, honor, power—none of that matters.

Throughout his life, he tried his best, all he wanted was a true love.

Is it possible?

The current has finally subsided, and it's now possible to wade uphill.

Xu Rui carried Lu Qingqing ashore.

Lu Yun and several guards also ran back.

"Little sister, go to the car and change your clothes first."

Lu Yun had clearly been crying again; her eyes were red.

"Go back and get some rest, don't catch a cold," Xu Rui whispered from behind.

Lu Qingqing turned around and asked, "Do those disaster-stricken villages need doctors?"

"……need."

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow."

Having said that, he didn't hesitate any longer and boarded the carriage barefoot.

Only after the carriage was out of sight did Xu Rui turn his gaze away.

"Continue the investigation!"

...

Inside the carriage, Lu Yun kept turning back, finally asking, "Little sister, do you think Xu Rui has some... ulterior motive?"

"What is the purpose?"

"He has some ill intentions towards you. When I tripped, it must have been his men who threw the stone!"

Once you get up, you'll see him dragging you away!

I noticed his eyes kept glancing at you, as if he thought no one would notice. I was watching him the whole time!

Lu Yun spoke with a hint of resentment, but that resentment quickly turned into unease.

"But he's not a bad guy either. If you fall into the water, he'll jump in after you. He's a real man."

"But then again, he can't marry into the family, so does he expect you to go to the city to be his wife?"

It's not impossible, as long as you're willing, but I'm afraid he'll bully you in the future, and my father, older brother, and I won't even be able to seek justice..."

"Brother, you're overthinking it." Lu Qingqing interrupted his increasingly uncontrollable thoughts.

"You're a grown man, don't focus on these trivial things."

All I saw was that he genuinely cared about the people.

A sudden downpour occurred in the middle of the night, so I went to check on the riverbank.

In that respect, he is one who stands in the light.

"..."

Lu Yun fell silent.

He felt ashamed.

My little sister is absolutely right.

The son of a county magistrate could have stayed comfortably at home, served by servants, but instead he was leading a group of people to work on the dike.

Perhaps he really does have feelings for his younger sister, but whether it works out or not is up to her.

Judging from Xu Rui's demeanor, he's not the type to force or coerce others into buying or selling.

Okay, he won't keep an eye on him anymore.

...

The next day, with the help of a guard, Lu Qingqing took Sixi to Dabozi Village, the most severely affected by the disaster.

Ruins and collapsed buildings, flooded streets, white banners fluttering, and mournful cries echoing through the air.

The villagers leaned numbly against the broken wall, their eyes lifeless.

Some people came out of their homes carrying buckets and used ladles to scoop water directly from the potholes.

"This water is undrinkable," Sixi tried to stop him.

The man shoved Sixi aside menacingly, then fetched a bucket of water and went into the house.

"Aunt..."

Lu Qingqing shook her head and followed the man to the collapsed house.

She saw an old man, a young woman, and a child of about three years old lying in the courtyard.

Their faces were ashen; they were all dead.

The water the men brought was for them to wipe their faces and bodies.

Upon seeing this, Lu Qingqing turned around.

"The bodies cannot be left out for long. Hasn't the magistrate ordered that all the dead be buried?" she asked the guard.

“Miss Lu, the villagers are hostile to the government officials. The officials have given orders, but many people have disobeyed and even injured the officials.”

The guard recounted, "They didn't even believe the doctor sent by the master."

"What does this mean? Who has been treating them these past two days?"

Just as the guard was about to answer, a villager shouted:

"Young Master Wan has arrived!"

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