Gu Xichao recalled that on June 27, 1981, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Qing Province in western China, a natural disaster and man-made calamity that caused countless deaths and injuries.
The driver in front, Meng Feng, is a young local guy who has been working as a tour guide on the plateau for a long time. He has dark skin, slightly sunken eye sockets, deep eyes, a high nose bridge, and the unique flavor of a northwestern man. He looks honest and simple.
Gu Baiting had to discuss business with someone during the day, so Su Nianmei took Gu Xiaobao for a walk around.
Meng Feng's Mandarin was not very standard. He said, "In front of us is Matou Mountain, the highest mountain in our area, with an altitude of more than 4,000 meters. You outsiders may not be able to adapt to it when you first come here."
Although Meng Feng's car was very stable, the mountain road was bumpy, and Su Nianmei and Gu Xiaobao were still a little shaken in the back seat. She pinched a few leaves of tea and put them in her mouth, and asked, "Is Gandhi Lake just ahead?"
Meng Feng looked at the rearview mirror while driving, showing his white teeth, and said with a simple smile: "After crossing the Matou Mountain, we will reach Gandhi Lake."
The little girl looked young, with fair skin and a pretty face. Her lips were a little purple due to lack of oxygen. She was carrying a little baby.
He took them out to play for a few days. Both of them were very vigilant, and he didn't know the specific situation of the little girl.
Meng Feng couldn't help but ask a few more words, "Girl, are you here to seek marriage? This Gandhi Lake is our holy lake. It is rumored that if two lovers drink the water of our Gandhi Lake together, they will be blessed by our gods and will live together forever."
Su Nianmei smiled but didn't respond. She glanced at the windshield, then turned to the side of the road. The sky and clouds intertwined into one, pressing down heavily, making her chest feel stuffy and short of breath.
Gu Xiaobao's face was pressed against the car window, with the tip of his nose against the glass. There were few passing vehicles on the road. At a glance, the sky was blue and the grass was green.
Su Nianmei half leaned on the back of the chair. The higher she went, the higher the altitude became. She felt uncomfortable and closed her eyes for a moment.
Gu Xiaobao turned around and gently placed his hand on Su Nianmei's forehead. His voice was clear, but he seemed afraid of disturbing her, so he gently fell into her ear and said, "Mom, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Su Nianmei half-closed her eyes, reached out and grabbed Gu Xiaobao's little hand, put it under her nose and smelled it, it had a milky scent.
She gave Gu Xiaobao some knowledge and said, "It's okay. This is normal. When you are on the plateau, the higher the altitude, the thinner the air. People will experience some uncomfortable symptoms, such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, headaches, etc."
Gu Xiaobao sat back down next to Su Nianmei obediently, holding Su Nianmei's index finger in his palm, and said, "Then why don't I feel anything?"
Meng Feng said: "Little brother, altitude sickness varies from person to person. Generally speaking, the healthier the person, the more severe the altitude sickness will be."
When Gu Xiaobao heard this, his round eyes widened a little. I don’t know what he was thinking about. He was in a low mood, lowered his head, and said "Oh".
Su Nianmei felt her fingers tighten suddenly. Gu Xiaobao pursed his lips and said, "It's a good thing that Dad didn't come. If he had come, he would have been very uncomfortable."
Su Nianmei's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. Gu Xiaobao was still young, and this was the first time the child had been so far away from Gu Xichao. She felt that she was being a little willful and ignoring the child's feelings, so she asked, "Baby, do you miss your daddy?"
Gu Xiaobao bit his lower lip. Su Nianmei said, "Dad is at work. He has to carry out a secret mission, so he can't come with us."
Gu Xiaobao's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Yes!"
Meng Feng teased the child and said, "What does your father do? How come he is so awesome!"
Gu Xiaobao raised his chin slightly, pursed his lips, clenched his hands into fists, and said calmly: "My father is a hero, super powerful, and he carries out secret missions every day."
Meng Feng followed suit and echoed a few words.
Gu Xiaobao stared at his toes for a moment, as if he was not as excited as he appeared. He stood up and half-knelt on the seat, resting his head on Su Nianmei's neck. He hugged Su Nianmei's neck, like a deflated ball, with his face against Su Nianmei's earlobe, and whispered, "Mom, I actually miss Dad a little bit."
Su Nianmei rubbed Gu Xiaobao's face and touched his head. His soft hair looked a little yellow in the sunlight. She asked, "Just a little bit. How much?"
Gu Xiaobao used his index finger and thumb to indicate the distance of a small fingernail and said, "This is just a little bit, no more."
Su Nianmei said: "No more?"
Gu Xiaobao said: "Who told him not to go home every day? This is enough."
Su Nianmei wanted to say something when the car suddenly shook violently. There was a "boom boom" sound, and a large rock rolled down and hit the front of the car with a bang.
The splashing pebbles hit the windshield, making crackling sounds.
Meng Feng's face changed immediately and he braked quickly.
"Oh no! There's an earthquake!"
Su Nianmei subconsciously hugged Gu Xiaobao into her arms and covered Gu Xiaobao's head with her hands.
Gu Xiaobao turned his head and saw the ground behind the car beginning to collapse. There was a continuous rumbling sound and the car was shaking violently and seemed to be still sinking.
He closed his eyes.
After a while, the shaking stopped.
Meng Feng tentatively opened the car door and leaned half of his body out. The road in front was blocked by rocks and the road surface behind collapsed. He turned his head to look upwards.
A big tree on the steep mountain wall blocked the sliding rocks. The rocks were shaky and the branches tended to loosen.
"Come out quickly!" Meng Feng opened the rear door and shouted.
With a "bang", stones rolled down with branches, hitting the roof of the car and raising smoke and dust.
"Mother!"
Su Nianmei's body reacted before her mind did, and she raised her hand to push Gu Xiaobao out of the car.
Su Nianmei threw herself on the seat, half of her leg was numb from the shock, the iron sheet of the roof seemed to be pressing on her body, her back was scratched, it was burning with pain, and she couldn't move at all.
Faint light seeped in through the gaps between the stones, making the place gloomy and dim.
Gu Xiaobao's voice rang in my ears.
After a while, the surroundings seemed to be quiet. Su Nianmei didn't know how long she had been trapped. The air in the car seemed to be getting thinner and thinner.
The temperature slowly drains from the body.
She thought she was about to die, and the familiar feeling of panic came over her again. It's ridiculous that someone who has died once is still so afraid of death.
The more immobile the body is, the clearer the consciousness becomes.
When she closed her eyes, what came to her mind was the scene when Gu Xichao asked her to apply medicine. The breeze was gentle and the moon was bright. The man had a broad back and taut muscles. The wound was hidden from his back to his waist. He had a wildness that was inconsistent with his personality, which added a bit of beauty to the man.
He didn't even blink when applying the medicine.
She was so delicate, she thought. I can't bear even the slightest pain.
"My dear, my dear." It sounded like someone was murmuring, or like a dream.
Su Nianmei tried hard to open her eyes, but couldn't. She seemed to be hallucinating because she was missing Gu Xichao so much. His voice can be heard even at this time.
She sneered. She had only liked this one person in her life, but unfortunately, she never got to meet him. Or he left in a huff.
She heaved a sigh of relief, as if it would be better if they did not meet. If they did, she would probably look even uglier now. The mind of a little woman is so complicated and changeable.
Her head seemed to be covered by something, and warmth spread from her head to her whole body. There was a faint scent lingering at the tip of her nose, and her body felt light and seemed to be moving.
Su Nianmei's eyes flashed and brightened a little.
Gu Xichao picked up Su Nianmei and shouted, "Doctor! Doctor!"
Two or three rescuers around lifted the handle and put Su Nianmei on the stretcher.
Gu Xichao was about to get up, but just as he stood up, his legs began to tremble, his vision went dark, and he was about to fall backwards. Gu Baiting quickly supported him.
The hospital was in chaos. Qishan was a small town, and although the earthquake did not cause serious damage, the beds in the town hospital were all occupied, and a few extra beds were placed in the corridor.
Su Nianmei felt uncomfortable in her left hand and was about to raise her hand and move it a few times.
His bony fingers covered her fingertips, holding her hand firmly.
"Be good, don't move."
Su Nianmei was startled by the voice, and she froze in a daze. Her eyelids seemed to be glued shut, and they were extremely heavy.
She finally opened her eyes a crack, and the light shone in, blindingly bright.
She tilted her head and saw that there was still an IV in her left hand. Gu Xichao was sitting on the chair, leaning forward, holding down her fingers.
"How do you feel?" Gu Xichao asked with anxious eyes.
Su Nianmei had just woken up and her body senses had not yet fully recovered. She stared at Gu Xichao, and before she could say anything, her eyes turned red.
Tears flowed down my cheeks, hot and burning.
"I thought...I wouldn't be able to see you again."
There were calluses on his fingertips, and the warm, rough touch slid across her cheek, but he was extremely gentle as he wiped away her tears.
Gu Xichao's throat moved up and down. He had seen her like this three times already, and he was more afraid of losing her than she was.
"I am here."
He said softly, sitting closer to Su Nianmei.
"Don't worry, the doctor said your injuries are just superficial. It's nothing serious."
Their hands were placed on the bed, with their fingertips touching.
Su Nianmei looked at Gu Xichao's lips. They were thin, looked soft, a little purple, dark in color, and even a little cracked. The man subconsciously licked his lips with his tongue.
Su Nianmei's body felt hot as she watched, and her lips opened and closed.
"Sleep a little longer. It's still early. Bai Ting bought us some food. We'll get up and have some porridge later." Gu Xichao said.
Su Nianmei said "hmm" and closed her eyes. Her fingertips were restlessly trying to touch the man's hand. Her index finger touched his index finger, and neither of them spoke.
In this dull ward, the joyful fingertips performed the surprise of long-parted reunion and escape from disaster.
On their behalf, I said what should and should not be said.
As her body relaxed, her senses became more obvious. Su Nianmei's lower abdomen tightened and her cheeks turned red. Her toes were curled up and were grabbing the sheets.
She opened her eyes, raised her right hand with difficulty, and waved to Gu Xichao.
Gu Xichao leaned forward, his tall body blocking the sunlight, casting a shadow on Su Nianmei, like the whispers between lovers.
"I want to..." She pursed her lips and said, "I want to go to the bathroom."
Gu Xichao looked at Su Nianmei, her ears turned red, her voice was small and soft, and her right hand was against his chest grabbing her clothes.
He coughed, picked up the bottle with his right hand and stood up.
After waiting for a while, the little girl still didn't move.
"Leg pain?" he said.
Before Su Nianmei could answer, Gu Xichao picked her up with one hand and held the IV bottle for her with his left hand.
The man picked her up by the waist, and the fresh and sharp breath penetrated her nose. Su Nianmei felt dizzy. Their bodies touched and the heat was transferred to each other.
"Hold me tight." Gu Xichao's eyes wandered and he supported Su Nianmei's body.
Su Nianmei said "Oh" and obeyed obediently. She hooked her right hand back and hugged Gu Xichao's neck. She leaned her head on the man's shoulder and stared at his sharp jawline. It seemed that he hadn't shaved for a few days and there was some stubble on his chin.
The public toilet was a separate room outdoors. Gu Xichao didn't realize something was wrong until he reached the door. He stood at the door and hesitated for a long time.
He was obviously not allowed to enter the women's restroom.
Su Nianmei looked at his cheeks which were almost turning red, bit her lip and tried not to laugh out loud.
Gu Xichao waited for a long time and stopped an aunt who was entering the toilet, and begged the aunt to help Su Nianmei go in.
The aunt glanced at Su Nianmei who was being held, and did not respond. She went into the bathroom and walked around before coming out. She spoke with a local accent that was a bit difficult to understand, and said, "Brother, I can't hold your wife in this state. I just went in and looked around, and there wasn't anyone there. Why don't you hold your wife in your arms and I'll guard the door for you."
Gu Xichao didn’t quite understand what they said.
The aunt pulled Gu Xichao's clothes inside and stood at the door herself.
"I can actually leave." Su Nianmei buried her face in Gu Xichao's chest, feeling a little embarrassed.
Gu Xichao took a big step forward.
Su Nianmei thought Gu Xichao was going to hold her, so she struggled to get off and said incoherently, "I, I can do it."
Gu Xichao lowered his eyes and looked at her, as if considering the feasibility of her words.
Su Nianmei tentatively moved her legs to show Gu Xichao that she could walk.
Gu Xichao was afraid that Su Nianmei would open her wound again, so he let her go.
Looking at Su Nianmei, he was about to take off his pants.
He looked away and tightened his grip on the IV bottle.
The sound of water rang in his ears, Gu Xichao's body tensed up, and sweat broke out on his forehead.
The author has something to say: What a shameful chapter.
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