Chapter 2: Finding a Way Out
After countless thoughts flashed through her mind, Shen Huan finally mustered up the courage to break the silence: "Did you just save my life?"
When questioning, she was extremely cautious, even a little timid.
His two hands subconsciously grabbed the clothes he was wearing.
Being alone with a very strong man of unknown origin, Shen Huan had to be alert no matter how grateful she was to her savior.
"Yes."
The man answered briefly, sorted out the firewood, and sat down next to her, about a meter away from Shen Huan.
"Thank you……"
"Answer my question first."
Just as Shen Huan was about to speak, the man's tone immediately became serious, and he looked at her with sharp eyes, as if he was interrogating a prisoner.
She couldn't help but feel nervous.
He grew up in the capital, joined the army at the age of fifteen, and is only twenty-eight this year. He has been promoted to the youngest regimental commander.
Not only did he strengthen his body and will in the military camp, but he also witnessed countless life and death separations on the battlefield.
The operation was to rescue the leader's daughter. On the way back, the plane had an accident and was forced to land in this mountainous area.
Until now, the specific cause of the accident has not been determined.
Regardless of whether it was a conspiracy against him or not, the sudden appearance of the woman in front of him made him extra cautious.
"OK!"
Shen Huan felt nervous and nodded quickly. This movement affected the wound, and her face turned pale with pain, but she still didn't dare to say a word.
"Name, how old are you, where do you live?"
"My name is... Chen Yan, the beautiful 'Yan'. I'm just seventeen years old this year. My home is in the first team of Dagou Village outside the mountains." Chen Huan paused and decided to use the new name.
From today on, she will no longer be the girl who waits for others to protect her, but the self-reliant and strong Shen Yan.
"Who are these people? Why are they chasing you? Where are your parents?"
"Oh, it's hard to explain. I was a child bride, sold to the Zhang family when I was young. The man who led the arrest was my father-in-law, Zhang Fuquan."
At this point, a hint of despair flashed in Shen Huan's eyes.
"But they bought me ten years ago, and my mother-in-law never gave birth to a son, and she lost three children in succession. They thought I was the cause of bad luck and wanted to burn me alive. I didn't want to die at all, so I ran as fast as I could, running to this old place in the deep mountains to hope for a chance of survival."
"I'm really not a bad person, and I haven't done anything wrong. Please don't hurt me."
Shen Yan pleaded in a low voice.
There were tears in her eyes and her whole body was trembling. Although Zhu Jingchen frowned, he believed that what she said was true.
He looked at the girl and felt an indescribable pity in his heart.
"It's unbelievable. It's already 1985 and there are still such bad habits." Zhu Jingchen shook his head and sighed.
Before this, he had never heard of the term "child bride" and felt that such feudal and ignorant things should no longer happen in this era.
"There's no other way in poor places. All girls like us are born to be sold. My mother-in-law gave birth to eight daughters in total. Three of them were sold when they were young, and the rest were sold one after another in exchange for betrothal money." Shen Yan whispered.
"People say girls are money-losing, but I think they make a lot of money by selling their daughters. On the contrary, having a son is more expensive, and you have to spend money here and there." Shen Yan said with a wry smile, her lips tightly pursed, but tears still flowed uncontrollably, and the tear mole at the corner of her eye made her look even more charming.
If he hadn't met her during the day, Zhu Jingchen would have thought she was a mountain fairy.
Her beauty is so otherworldly and her eyes are so clear.
Zhu Jingchen avoided his gaze and looked into the distance.
"You're right." Zhu Jingchen said softly.
"You were right to escape," he continued, a hint of encouragement in his voice.
"But they certainly won't give up. There might still be people guarding outside. I'm afraid we won't be able to leave anytime soon," he added after a moment's thought. This thought worried him, but also made him more alert.
“I don’t know how lucky I am. I don’t know if I can avoid those beasts, snakes and insects and survive here for a while.
"By the way, who are you? Why are you here? You look like you're seriously injured."
Zhu Jingchen's gaze finally fell on her.
Although she tried her best to hide it, some wounds on her body could still be seen.
Shen Yan felt heavy-hearted for a moment, then cheered up again.
She pointed at Zhu Jingchen's obviously broken right leg and asked curiously, "Your leg is so badly injured, it must be very painful, right?"
In her eyes, Zhu Jingchen's physical fitness and temperament are different from ordinary people.
"Did you come from that abandoned path? Are you someone who lives on the opposite side of the mountain? Did you accidentally break in while hunting and end up getting injured?" These speculations flashed through Shen Yan's mind.
If that was the case, perhaps she could escape and leave this place by following him? A glimmer of hope ignited in her heart.
After struggling for a moment, Zhu Jingchen nodded and acquiesced.
"My name is Zhu Jingchen, and I will take you out." He said firmly.
"Eat something first," he continued, his tone much softer.
After confirming that Shen Yan was really not a threat, Zhu Jingchen's tense mood relaxed a little. He slowly picked up a piece of freshly roasted rabbit meat from the fire. The rabbit meat exuded an enticing aroma and looked very tempting.
Then he walked up to Shen Yan and handed it to her.
"We can't find any water here right now," he said helplessly, "but you can't stay hungry forever. This roasted rabbit is quite delicious. Just eat some for now to fill your stomach."
"As for finding water, we'll have to leave it until tomorrow. Then we'll work together to find a way out."
Shen Yan looked at the meat in her hand, her heart filled with gratitude.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhu, you are truly my savior! If you encounter difficulties and need help in the future, I will definitely do my best to help you solve them and will not let you feel embarrassed!"
If you don't replenish your energy quickly, your physical strength will soon be exhausted. At that time, not only will you be unable to keep up, but you will also drag others down.
Shen Yan said no more and directly took the barbecue that Zhu Jingchen handed to her and began to chew it quickly.
Rabbit meat tastes really good, especially when you are hungry, it is a rare delicacy.
In fact, the scars on her body were not fatal. Most of them were just skin injuries and minor abrasions. However, because she was in such an environment, she could not receive formal treatment at all.
When she noticed the carefully bandaged wound on the bottom of her foot, she couldn't help but feel touched.
Just when Shen Yan was about to express her gratitude, Zhu Jingchen gently raised his hand to stop her.
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