The higher up the mountain, the more difficult the path became. Zhou Qiqi gritted her teeth and used both her hands and feet to climb higher.
The sharp pebbles hurt her palms terribly, the withered grass cut the back of her hands, and the cold wind blew into her collar like a knife, making her shiver.
But she dared not pause for even a moment, with only one thought in her mind: to find Grandpa Liang!
Each step upward was extremely difficult, and my breathing was rapid and foggy.
Finally, panting, she climbed to the top of the precipitous cliff.
In the last, dim light before sunset, she confirmed with horror—
I didn't misread it before!
That drifting white fabric was indeed the material of mourning clothes!
The man wearing that glaring white mourning clothes was none other than Old Master Liang, Zhao Damei's father-in-law!
The old man was suspended in mid-air, and judging from the situation, it looked as if he had resolutely jumped off the cliff.
Fortunately, a crooked old pine tree that had stubbornly grown out of a crevice in the rock below managed to catch the back of the old man's tattered cotton-padded coat with one of its not-so-thick branches, keeping his life hanging in mid-air!
But the branch was thin and weak, swaying precariously in the air, and could break at any moment!
Beneath him was a dark, bottomless valley!
Zhou Qiqi's heart clenched instantly, almost stopping beating!
She lay on the edge of the cliff and called out several times towards the line below, "Grandpa Liang! Grandpa Liang! Can you hear me?"
There was no response, only the howling wind.
She squinted and looked closely in the dim light, only to be horrified to discover.
The old man's eyes were closed, and his face was ashen; he seemed to have completely lost consciousness!
What made her scalp tingle even more was that there seemed to be a dark, semi-congealed stain at the old man's graying temples, which looked like blood!
He has a head injury!
As for the extent of the injury, or how serious it is, there is simply no way to determine it!
The situation is extremely critical!
The life-saving crooked pine tree didn't look very sturdy; its branches creaked softly in the cold wind, as if it might collapse under any moment.
The old man's old cotton-padded coat could hardly last any longer; every sway of it was terrifying!
Zhou Qiqi's heart pounded like a drum. She carefully climbed to the very edge, with pebbles tumbling down beneath her.
She stretched her arm as far as she could, but her fingertips were still at least half an arm's length away from the old man, and she couldn't touch him at all!
The cliff edge was pitifully narrow, the soil was loose, and it was covered with loose rocks. It was already very difficult for her to maintain her own balance, let alone pull an adult up.
She tried to lean out and grab the old man's collar, but as soon as she exerted force, the soil and rocks beneath her loosened and slid down, scaring her so much that she quickly pulled back, almost pulling herself down with her!
She was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead. She grabbed the only "tool" at hand, a withered tree branch as a walking stick, and tried to reach for it.
But the branch wasn't long enough, and she was afraid that if she wasn't careful, the stick might poke the unconscious old man or damage the already precarious life-saving branch.
With just a light touch, the branch from which the person was hanging began to shake violently, causing the old man's body to sway dangerously. Zhou Qiqi was terrified and immediately dared not move.
She dared not attempt any actions that might bring further risks.
Every single one could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back!
She tried to call out to Zhao Damei and Deng Cuixiang, but her voice became hoarse from shouting, and no one answered her.
The cold wind howled, and the surroundings were eerily silent, with only her heavy breathing and heartbeats breaking through the silence.
Overwhelmed by fear and helplessness, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and forced herself to calm down.
Don't panic! Right now, you can only rely on yourself!
No! It wasn't just her!
Suddenly, she opened her eyes again, a glint of light flashing in them.
She remembered that the last time Shen Huaichuan was hospitalized in the military hospital, it was for a similar situation. At that time, he even wrote a report summarizing the rescue plan, which she had also read.
What was the first step again?
That's right! Securely fastened!
The first step is not to blindly reach out, but to first secure yourself!
With a guiding principle in mind, the initial panic was replaced by a calm determination.
Her eyes darted rapidly around her, searching for anything she could use for leverage.
Soon, she noticed two old tree stumps, about the size of a bowl, not far apart on the edge of the cliff. Their roots were deeply embedded in the rock and soil, making them look very stable.
With her hope rekindled, she did not hesitate and immediately took off the cotton scarf from the future from her neck.
He quickly took off his coat and twisted it into a rope with both hands.
She connected the scarf and clothes into a rope to increase its length and strength.
This is what Shen Huaichuan wrote in his report: "Double insurance."
One end was tightly bound around his waist, tied in a knot.
On the other end, she painstakingly circled around the two old tree stumps, using all her strength to tie the strongest knot she could think of.
Thus, a suggested safety rope is complete.
Next, it was time to rescue them.
This time, feeling more confident, she moved with much more ease. She carefully bent down again, almost half of her body hanging over the edge of the cliff. Using the rope around her waist, she stretched out her arms again, reaching towards the old man.
Once...twice...three times...
Her fingertips brushed against the rough cotton cloth again and again, the cold rock edge piercing her chest with pain, the night wind blew coldly, and her body temperature kept dropping.
But she refused to give up. Gritting her teeth, she mustered her last bit of strength and pushed forward just a little bit more!
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