Chapter Sixty-Four Worries
The heavy rain showed no signs of stopping, and as darkness fell, the entire island became so quiet that it seemed as if only the sound of wind and rain could be heard.
He Mingzhou's house was situated on high ground, and Xin Li had stored up a lot of food beforehand, so the three of them wouldn't go hungry.
The water outside has already reached the steps, and I'm afraid it will flood the house next night as well.
Aunt Yang felt very guilty about this.
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be trapped here."
She clutched the urn tightly in her hand, her face full of regret: "At the time, I was only thinking about taking the two children away, and I didn't pay any attention to this urn at all. I abandoned it once, and I really don't want to abandon it a second time..."
Little Flower nestled close to her mother, her face radiating peace.
Seeing this, Xinli twitched her lips and said, "Aunt Yang, you don't need to blame yourself. In the end, this is a natural disaster. There's no right or wrong to speak of. You and Xiaohua can sleep on the second floor tonight. I'll stay here on the first floor and keep watch."
"That won't do."
Aunt Yang glanced at the water level outside and objected firmly, "You've only just arrived on the island, so you don't know. During typhoons, the water level rises very quickly. If you stay on the first floor and the water floods in, you'll have a hard time escaping."
"It's okay, I can swim."
Xinli thought that she still had the strength to save Xiaohua today, let alone when she was alone.
"That won't do either!"
Aunt Yang still firmly opposed letting Xinli keep watch alone at night.
"Besides, this is the consequence of my own actions. You can go upstairs to sleep, and I'll keep watch on the stairs."
"Don't worry, I've been through storms before, so I can handle these things."
If it weren't for her experience, Aunt Yang wouldn't have dared to go directly to find the ashes.
Her only thought was not to implicate others because of her own problems.
He just didn't expect Xiao Hua to chase after him, and that he would be rescued by Xin Li again.
"Speaking of which, He Mingzhou has been gone for quite some time. They should be out in boats searching for stranded residents nearby. Why haven't they returned yet?"
Even if the storm hinders the rescue operation, I'm sure everyone will be willing to step in and support us.
Wouldn't they want a chance to escape?
"Did they return from the other direction?"
Based on her experience, Aunt Yang said, "After our island was flooded, we couldn't even tell which way was which. We could only see the rooftops of some houses."
"The base is located at the highest point. Once the rescue team has rescued someone, they will definitely choose the shortest route to go directly up, so they may not go around it."
Xin Li said firmly, "He Mingzhou said he would come to pick me up, so he definitely will."
Aunt Yang glanced at Xin Li, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Actually, what Aunt Yang wanted to say was that at such a moment, He Mingzhou might not necessarily do anything on his own for the sake of Xin Li.
Especially now, nobody knows what the situation is like on the whole island.
He Mingzhou is probably still busy rescuing others.
"Then let's wait a little longer." Aunt Yang felt that the hope was very slim.
But seeing the determined look on Xinli's face, she didn't say anything.
Xinli knew what Aunt Yang was thinking; these were all human nature, and Xinli couldn't say that Aunt Yang's thoughts were wrong.
But He Mingzhou was the man she chose, and Xin Li had complete faith in her judgment.
Without hesitation, she went directly to the empty room in He Mingzhou's house and moved out the small wooden boat.
Xinli discovered the boat early on, but her relationship with He Mingzhou wasn't as close back then as it is now, so she didn't ask.
She later learned that He Mingzhou had built the boat himself.
Going to sea is definitely out of the question, but this is exactly the kind of opportunity it can come in handy.
What are you trying to do?
Aunt Yang was startled by Xin Li's actions: "Are you going out?"
Xin Li nodded: "I suspect that He Mingzhou and the others have been held back by something."
Aunt Yang immediately stepped forward to stop him: "There's such a big storm outside, and it's getting dark. How can you go out at this time? What if He Mingzhou doesn't find you and gets trapped somewhere instead?"
"Xinxin, please don't act impulsively!"
Xinli knew that Aunt Yang meant well, but she was still really worried about her.
"No, I have to go out and look for it."
Xinli carried the small wooden boat to the door with one hand. Just as she was about to launch the boat into the water, the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open.
He Mingzhou, soaking wet, appeared at the door.
Seeing that Xin Li was still there, He Mingzhou's tense brows relaxed instantly.
“Shen Shen…”
He Mingzhou called out to Xin Li, and Xin Li immediately dropped the boat she was holding and rushed over.
The two embraced tightly in the water, their faces filled with the joy of finding each other.
"Hey, come on up!"
"There's still some hot water in the pot. You should take a hot shower right away, and make sure you don't catch a cold."
If you get sick at this time, it will be a double torment for both your body and mind.
Xin Li noticed that He Mingzhou's body was very heavy, and knew that he must be exhausted. With a strong effort, she carried He Mingzhou on her back.
Xiao Hua couldn't help but exclaim when she saw this: "Sister Xinli is so strong!"
He Mingzhou was surprised to find that Xin Li was so capable. After a moment of astonishment, he slowly smiled.
The two went up to the second floor, where Aunt Yang busied herself helping to boil water and wash clothes.
Xinli quickly stopped her, saying, "No need, Aunt Yang. The clothes won't dry at this time anyway, and it's not even certain if I'll be here tomorrow."
"You and Xiaohua should go and rest to conserve your energy. There's a tough battle to fight tomorrow."
"Okay, okay."
He Mingzhou was a grown man after all, and Aunt Yang relaxed a lot when he arrived.
Aunt Yang took Xiaohua to another room to rest. Xinli brought the noodles Aunt Yang had cooked to He Mingzhou: "Did you come here alone? Why didn't you go back with the others?"
The fact that He Mingzhou arrived in such a disheveled state suggests that the rescue team must have left.
Xin Li found it strange. He Mingzhou was the captain of the rescue team. Was it really okay for him to leave without permission?
"I promised to come pick you up."
He Mingzhou was indeed very tired today, having reached his physical limit. He lay on the bed, looking at Xin Li's still radiant face, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "You really are a pleasant surprise. You saved Xiao Hua and Aunt Yang?"
"yes."
Xin Li straightened her chest and said, "I heard Xiao Hua's cries for help, so I went out to check and found that Xiao Hua was about to be swept away by the water, so I brought her back immediately."
"Xiaohua said she came out to find Aunt Yang, so I went to Aunt Yang's house again."
Before Xin Li could finish speaking, He Mingzhou pulled her into his arms.
Both of them smelled of the sea, salty but not unpleasant.
"What's wrong?"
He Mingzhou nuzzled his chin against Xin Li's shoulder, revealing a rare hint of softness and vulnerability: "It's good that you're alright. Don't do this again next time."
He Mingzhou participated in the entire rescue operation today, so he naturally knows just how powerful this storm is.
Thinking that Xin Li's frail body had been adrift in the wind and rain for so long, He Mingzhou felt a wave of fear.
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