"We'll go put out the fire, don't do anything rash."
Su Qingcai patted Su Xiaoning's hands reassuringly, gave her a firm look, then waved to Feng Jiuming, and the two rushed into the fire in an instant.
Their light-footed skills were quite good. They moved nimbly through the burning house, dodging all dangers. One of them carried two children out and handed them over to Ding Yi and Bing Er outside the house for help in moving them.
The rescue operation is proceeding in an orderly manner, but the fire shows no signs of abating. If this continues, the roof beams will likely burn down and collapse soon, trapping Su Qingcai and Feng Jiuming inside.
Su Xiaoning's heart tightened. Seeing everyone around her trying to put out the fire with water, she grabbed a carrying pole and two buckets and ran quickly towards the viewing pool. Even if her efforts were small, she wanted to do her part.
The viewing pool is very large, and the water capacity inside is considerable. If a fire source could be brought to it, it would certainly be able to extinguish the fire. It's just a pity that no one has the ability to carry so much water over at once.
Su Xiaoning shook her head regretfully, filled two buckets with water from the viewing pool, carried them on a shoulder pole, and hurried back to the villa.
The heavy burden on her shoulders bent Su Xiaoning so much that she could hardly breathe, and her legs trembled uncontrollably. But for the sake of the children, she gritted her teeth and persevered, her steps hurried and unstoppable.
She was walking in such a hurry, and it was already dark, that she didn't notice the little mounds of earth on the ground. She tripped over them and fell face-first into the mud.
"Bang!"
The bucket fell to the ground, spilling all the water inside. Su Xiaoning felt helpless, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Tears fell one by one to the ground, mixing with the spilled water, seeping through the thick layer of fallen leaves, "drip, drip," without anyone knowing where they went.
What's going on? It's not solid soil underneath?
Su Xiaoning quickly wiped away her tears and hastily shoveled away the fallen leaves on the ground. Beneath the leaves, she discovered a water trough!
This water trough seems to have been abandoned for many years. From a distance, it looks like it leads to another courtyard. If we could open it up, wouldn't the children be saved?
Su Xiaoning immediately became excited. She quickly waved to several maids not far away and shouted, "Come and help! Let's hollow out this water trough so we can put out the fire!"
Upon hearing this, the maids quickly found some shovels and rushed over to help Su Xiaoning dig the tunnel.
With many hands making light work, the water trough and the viewing pond were connected in no time. Water from the viewing pond flowed continuously into the other courtyard through the water trough.
Su Xiaoning hurriedly ran towards the villa, and as she expected, the water from the viewing pool rushed directly to the source of the fire, extinguishing most of it instantly. With everyone's persistent efforts to fetch water and put out the fire, it was soon completely extinguished.
The house in the villa was charred black, and only Xiao Dao, the last child, remained inside. Su Qingcai held Xiao Dao tightly. He had been blocked by the thick smoke and was determined to protect Xiao Dao even if it meant his death. But unexpectedly, the fire gradually subsided, and he was overjoyed. He quickly took the child and ran out.
Xiao Dao hadn't cried at all while in the fire, but after escaping, he finally broke down and rushed into Su Xiaoning's arms, who was waiting outside the fire, and burst into tears.
"Sister, I'm so scared! I thought I was going to die, waaaaah..."
"How could you die? With your sister here, I will definitely protect you all." Su Xiaoning was heartbroken. She gently stroked Xiaodao's back and softly comforted him. Everyone present watched them silently, and no one dared to disturb them.
After Xiaodao had finished crying and she sensed that his emotions had gradually stabilized, Su Xiaoning cautiously asked, "How did the house you were staying in suddenly catch fire? Did something happen?"
“I don’t know.” Xiao Dao shook his head. “We all listened to our sister and went to bed as soon as it got dark. Nobody got up until midnight when we realized we were trapped in the fire…”
"Then...you didn't sense anything?" Su Xiaoning frowned, her intuition telling her that this matter was not so simple.
Xiao Dao tried hard to recall, and said somewhat uncertainly, "Maybe... I remember waking up once in the middle of the night and hearing footsteps. I thought I was dreaming, so I didn't pay attention to it."
Footsteps? Then it must have been done by a person.
Su Xiaoning gave Su Qingcai a look, and Su Qingcai understood, then went back into the charred house.
No one knows what he checked inside, but when he came out, he said with a solemn expression, "The wood inside has traces of burning fuel. Someone must have deliberately planned this accident."
"Just as I thought!" Su Xiaoning felt a surge of anger. How could someone be so vicious as to kill a group of children like that!
The little knife in her arms trembled slightly, as if he sensed unknown danger. Su Xiaoning tenderly embraced him, comforting him softly for a long time before calling for someone to take him away.
Silence returned to the scene, and Su Xiaoning walked up to Su Qingcai, looking him over anxiously: "Are you alright? I'm sorry, I was too worried about the baby just now, it's not that I forgot about you..."
"I'm fine, you don't need to worry." Su Qingcai didn't seem to care at all and replied gently, "But how exactly was the fire put out?"
"Speaking of which, I have to thank myself for that fall." Su Xiaoning smiled faintly as she recounted how she tripped and fell, which led her to see the water trough, and how she then mobilized others to dig it through.
After hearing this, Su Qingcai clicked her tongue in admiration: "I never thought there was such a method. It seems that heaven has given you a glimmer of hope. Could it be that your lucky streak has returned?"
"I...I don't know..." Su Xiaoning was stunned, hesitating and not daring to answer.
She looked down at her hands, her mind racing. She didn't know if her good luck had returned, but she couldn't explain the strangeness of it all.
Seeing Su Xiaoning's conflicted look, Su Qingcai thought she had misunderstood him and quickly explained, "I didn't mean you have to have good luck. Whether you do or not, you are still Su Xiaoning to me, and my attitude towards you will never change."
"Mmm," Su Xiaoning responded sullenly, burying herself in Su Qingcai's arms.
Su Qingcai reassured Su Xiaoning repeatedly, and only after she stopped crying and started smiling did he feel relieved.
Now that this matter is resolved, we need to thoroughly investigate another matter.
Su Qingcai's face hardened with a serious expression. He summoned Ding Yi and Bing Er and said sternly, "There must be a traitor in the Prince's mansion. Investigate!"
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