The child was terrified; his legs were trembling and his teeth were chattering.
In that instant, Su Qingzhi felt so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe.
My throat feels tight, and my eyes feel hot.
But she knew she couldn't cry or back down now.
Shen Zhiyu noticed that she was in a bad mood and gently patted her shoulder.
He cleared his throat, forcefully suppressing the stinging in his eyes and the sadness in his heart.
"Children, don't be afraid, we're here to save you. Really, we won't hurt you, we'll take you home."
The girl standing at the front suddenly raised her head, and beneath her dry, yellow hair, her wet eyes suddenly lit up.
But the light quickly dimmed again.
"Stop trying to comfort me..."
After she finished speaking, she hugged a smaller child tightly and buried her face in the child's tattered collar.
"Let's row our oars, and the little boat will push through the waves..."
Su Qingzhi suddenly began to sing softly.
The melody of the nursery rhyme echoed in the small, enclosed room.
Younger children look blankly at each other, unable to understand the meaning of the lyrics.
But the older children were jolted awake the moment they caught the familiar melody.
A boy bit his lip tightly, refusing to make a sound.
"The teacher taught us this song."
A child whispered.
"You...you really came to save us?"
The girl at the front asked, trembling.
Su Qingzhi stepped forward.
"Born a Chinese, loyal to the Chinese spirit, the torch will be passed down for generations, and we will swear to defend our nation's borders to the death."
After she finished speaking, her expression was solemn, and her eyes were piercing.
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiyu's mind went blank.
My heart suddenly felt hot, a surge of blood rushed up, and my eyes involuntarily stung.
He stood there, gazing at Su Qingzhi's profile.
This is the person he loves, Su Qingzhi, whose beliefs have never wavered.
Upon hearing this, the girl's body, which had been tense to the limit, finally relaxed little by little.
Her tears fell silently, and her shoulders slumped.
"We... have been waiting for you for a long time."
Su Qingzhi didn't mind that the child was dirty, nor did she hesitate.
She crouched down and gently patted the girl's head.
"Sorry we're late."
The girl's tears flowed uncontrollably, and her lips trembled.
"I'm so sorry everyone, I didn't take good care of my younger siblings. They...they...some are sick, some have been starving for too long, and they've...they've stopped talking..."
She couldn't continue, and could only let the tears stream down her face.
When the other children saw her crying, they began to sob softly one after another.
In that instant, the dark room was filled with low sobs.
"You've done a great job, don't cry."
Su Qingzhi held the girl's hand tightly.
"Next, we'll take you away from here. Not just you, but many more people are trapped, and we'll go together to rescue them. Can you tell me your name?"
"My name is Xiao Wu."
The girl answered breathlessly, wiping away tears as she tried to calm herself down.
"They...they all call me Xiao Wu."
"Okay, Xiao Wu."
Su Qingzhi nodded, her tone gentle.
“I know you’re tired and scared, but please hang in there. Can you tell me, do you know what’s going on here? Who’s controlling this place? How many people are still being held captive?”
Su Qingzhi actually felt quite uncomfortable with this oppressive atmosphere.
But now is not the time to run away; she must remain calm.
Sure enough, the little girl stopped crying as soon as she heard the question.
She lowered her head and pondered for a while, her eyes becoming serious.
“I only sneaked out once.”
She spoke softly, her voice tinged with lingering fear.
“That night, during the shift change, the iron gate opened a crack, and I took the opportunity to slip out through the crack. There were five cells on both sides of the corridor. In addition to the cell we were in, one of the other four cells held several children who were about our age.”
"The remaining three rooms are: one is for an elderly man and woman who are constantly coughing, as if they are very ill; another is for an adult man who doesn't speak all day, but sometimes he will suddenly bang on the wall; and the last room is for women. From what I heard them talking, they seem to be a doctor and a teacher, and they are being kept separately."
Xiao Wu finished speaking in one breath, explaining every single detail in detail.
After hearing this, Su Qingzhi immediately kept these words in mind and said, "Don't move or run around. I'll go find someone to look after you."
"Okay! Thank you, sister, thank you, brother!"
Xiao Wu nodded understandingly, her eyes slightly reddening.
Su Qingzhi and Shen Zhiyu were about to turn around and leave, but they had only taken half a step.
Xiao Wu suddenly called out again, his voice tinged with panic.
"Sister, wait a minute."
Upon hearing the sound, Su Qingzhi immediately stopped and quickly turned to look at her.
"What's wrong? Is there anything else?"
"Sister, did you... bring the medicine?"
Xiao Wu lowered his head, his voice growing softer and softer.
"Several of my younger siblings have high fevers, they keep coughing, and they're talking nonsense..."
As she spoke, her throat tightened as if something was blocking it, and she choked up before continuing, "I...I used to have a younger brother who also had a high fever. Back then, no one cared for him, and there was no medicine. In the end...in the end, he didn't make it."
"I'm afraid this time... it will be like last time..."
Su Qingzhi's face instantly darkened.
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