Chapter 112 "You said...warm me up..."
The crowd gradually dispersed and resumed their snow removal work. Shu Ran kept her head down, mechanically shoveling snow with a shovel, but her mind was racing.
The patrolling militiamen's words echoed in her ears: "...hoofprints, drag marks...indicate that unidentified individuals have infiltrated..."
Identity unknown.
When Chen Yuanjiang left the company, he said it was an urgent mission and his return date was uncertain. He rode off on his chestnut horse. Old Ice Cliff was a treacherous place, and heavy snow blocked the mountain passes. Besides someone like Chen Yuanjiang with a special mission, or… an enemy agent, who would go there in such weather?
Reason told her that all of this was just her speculation, without any evidence. It was very likely that they were indeed enemy agents she needed to be wary of.
But my intuition is screaming: What if it's him? What if his mission is thwarted, he's injured and trapped, or something worse?
She knew the militia's primary mission was search and surveillance, and, if necessary, "decisive action." If the person below was indeed Chen Yuanjiang, injured or incapacitated, and their identity couldn't be immediately verified…
She dared not think any further.
"Teacher Shu? Teacher Shu!" Sister Wang's voice pulled her out of her chaotic thoughts. "Why is your face so pale? Are you cold? Go and rest for a while!"
Shu Ran looked up and met the concerned gazes of Sister Wang and Li Xiulan. She forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."
Li Xiulan handed over a military water bottle, "Have some hot water to warm yourself up."
Shu Ran took the water, sipped it, but the warm water failed to dispel the chill in her heart.
She looked at Sister Wang and Li Xiulan, knowing that their earlier advice was genuinely for her own good. In this relatively conservative company, a single young woman, especially one with a questionable family background, would only bring shame upon herself by rashly standing up for a male cadre. They were protecting her.
But there are some things she has to do, even knowing the consequences are unpredictable.
She had to go. At least until things got out of control, to confirm whether the person down there was indeed him.
Having made up her mind, she calmed down instead.
She pretended to be exhausted, leaning on the shovel and taking a few deep breaths: "Sister Wang, Xiulan, I feel a little dizzy. I'd like to sit down in a sheltered spot for a while."
Sister Wang, without suspecting anything, quickly said, "Go quickly! We're here!"
Li Xiulan quickly nodded, "Go and rest, don't push yourself."
Shu Ran glanced at them gratefully, then slowly moved behind a pile of cleared snow, making sure no one was paying attention to her direction for the time being. She decisively put down her shovel, crouched low, and, using the snow pile as cover, quickly slipped towards her hut.
Back in the cabin, she quickly put on her thickest cotton trousers, tightened her cotton-padded coat, and put on her cotton hat. Then, her gaze fell on the thick wool scarf and gloves that Chen Yuanjiang had given her.
Without hesitation, she picked it up, wrapped the scarf tightly around her neck several times, and put on gloves. She then took out the military water bottle left by Chen Yuanjiang, filled it with hot water, and also put in some dry rations and a small piece of mutton fat wrapped in oil paper. This stuff was high in calories and could come in handy in a critical moment.
Finally, she glanced at the hut, pushed open the door, and the wind and snow immediately rushed in. She hunched her shoulders and went out, closing the door behind her. Then, she followed the path behind the company headquarters, heading towards the entrance of the Old Ice Cliff Canyon.
Chen Yuanjiang had taken her along this road once before. It was autumn then. He said it was a shortcut, but it wasn't easy to walk, and told her to remember it in case anything happened… He didn't finish his sentence, but she remembered it.
The wind and snow were biting, and visibility was extremely low. She trudged through the knee-deep snow, each step requiring immense effort.
The biting wind seeped through the gaps in her scarf and into her neck, quickly numbing the exposed skin on her face. She could only move forward relying on her hazy memory and general sense of direction.
We can't stop. If we stop, we might be stuck in this snow forever.
She walked for an unknown amount of time, so long that Shu Ran felt as if time itself had stood still in this vast expanse of white.
Her legs felt like lead, her lungs ached from inhaling too much cold air, and her consciousness began to fade. All she could hear was the wind, her own heavy breathing, and her own heartbeat.
She got lost.
A sense of panic rose within him. In this desolate, snow-covered wilderness, even if something happened, no one would notice. Moreover, after dark, wild animals such as wolves and bears might roam here.
"Calm down... Shu Ran, calm down..." She forced herself to stop, turned her back to the wind, and tried to calm her wildly beating heart. She looked around; everything was white, and all landmarks were covered by the heavy snow.
She remembered that Chen Yuanjiang had once taught her to pay attention to the undulations of the ground and the faint topographical features in this kind of weather.
She tried to recall that there should be a slightly raised earthen slope near the path, with several clumps of particularly hardy camel thorns growing there.
She gritted her teeth and continued to grope her way forward.
She persevered for a while longer, and just as she was about to despair and consider finding her way back, her foot kicked a hard object covered in snow. It wasn't a stone, and its shape... She crouched down and dug through the snow—it was half a withered, gnarled camel thorn root.
Found it! Her spirits lifted, and she readjusted her direction based on the location of the camel thorn.
Hope gave her new strength. She continued forward, her strength rapidly dwindling, her hands and feet already numb, sustained only by sheer willpower.
Finally, just when she felt she was about to collapse into the snow and never get up again, the terrain in front of her began to descend, forming the entrance to a canyon covered in ice and snow—the Old Ice Cliff had arrived.
The wind was stronger at the bottom of the valley, whipping up snowflakes that stung her face. She could barely open her eyes, only squinting through a slit, as she searched along the base of the cliff, following the directions given to her by the militiamen.
She was a little scared; she was afraid of the terrible sight she might see.
After walking a while longer, she saw a dark patch in the distance that was different from the surrounding snow-white.
It was a shadow lying on the ground.
Her heart pounded, and she stumbled and lunged forward.
Closer, closer still. The outline became clearer: a dead horse, its saddle hanging askew to one side, its reins scattered on the snow.
The horseshoe pattern was familiar; it was Chen Yuanjiang's chestnut horse! The horse lay in the snow, one leg twisted at an odd angle, its body covered in snow, and it was lifeless.
The horse is here, but where is the person?!
Shu Ran felt a chill run from her feet to the top of her head. She rushed to the horse carcass and frantically dug at the surrounding snow.
"Chen Yuanjiang! Chen Yuanjiang—where are you?!"
As far as the eye could see, there was only a vast expanse of white. Utter silence reigned, with no response whatsoever. Apart from the horse and scattered tracks, there was no other figure.
Where did he go? Was he injured? Was he dragged away? Or... is he already...?
Fear overwhelmed her, and she could no longer remain rational.
She crawled around frantically, using both hands and feet, desperately digging away every patch of snow that might be covering something.
"Where are you... Answer me! Chen Yuanjiang! Come out here!"
She kept digging and shouting, as if by not stopping she could deny the worst possibility.
The wind and snow continued to howl, and despair almost swallowed her whole.
Just as she was exhausted and about to collapse in the snow, her toes touched something hard again. This time, it felt different; it was like… fabric, frozen fabric.
Her unyielding determination compelled her to gather her last strength and kneel up, her hands, already numb from the cold, desperately digging through the snow.
A touch of military green came into her view.
It's the color of a military overcoat! Exactly the same as the one Chen Yuanjiang wore when he left!
She dug faster and more urgently, throwing away the snow to reveal more of the military green, until Shu Ran's fingernails were filled with snow and mud, a stinging pain came, and that familiar figure was completely exposed before her eyes.
Chen Yuanjiang was half-buried in the snow, curled up in a low-lying spot at the entrance of what appeared to be a wild animal's burrow, and remained motionless.
His face was turned toward the cave entrance, his eyebrows, eyelashes, and the area around his lips were covered with a thick layer of white frost, and his complexion was pale. One of his arms was bent unnaturally, clearly from a fall.
"Chen Yuanjiang!"
Shu Ran rushed to his side and reached out to check his breath. It was so faint that she could barely feel it.
She then touched his carotid artery, her fingertips tracing the cold skin for a long time before she finally felt a very faint pulse.
He's still alive! Shu Ran almost burst into tears.
She immediately looked around. This so-called "earthen cave" was actually just a shallow depression at the base of the rock wall, barely enough to shield them from the wind and snow, but certainly not enough to keep them warm. Chen Yuanjiang's military overcoat was already soaked through with snow and frozen stiff. He had to be moved to a more sheltered place; otherwise, even if he was still breathing, he wouldn't last much longer.
She remembered that while searching earlier, she seemed to have glimpsed several huge rocks leaning against each other in the distance, forming a crevice that was even deeper than this one.
Without thinking, Shu Ran grabbed Chen Yuanjiang by the back of his military overcoat and tried to drag him out. The weight of an adult male, combined with his soaked and icy clothes, made him feel as heavy as a stone.
She used all her strength, her face turning red, to barely drag him out of the snowdrift a little.
"Well……"
Perhaps aggravated his injury, Chen Yuanjiang let out a weak groan.
"Chen Yuanjiang? Can you hear me?" Shu Ran immediately leaned down and called out to his ear.
He did not respond, his brows furrowed in pain, and he was not fully conscious.
Shu Ran didn't delay any longer. She adjusted her posture and dragged herself toward the direction of the rock crevice in her memory.
The snow was up to her calves, making each step incredibly difficult. She was panting heavily, and the sweat that had just started to appear turned icy cold, sticking to her back and chilling her to the bone.
The distance of a few dozen meters felt like an eternity. Finally, she managed to drag Chen Yuanjiang into the natural shelter formed by the crevices in the rocks.
This place is definitely much better than the shallow pit we just saw. At least it's sheltered on three sides, and the wind and snow are much less.
She carefully laid him flat, letting him sit against the relatively dry rock wall at the very back. Then she took off the thick wool scarf from her neck and wrapped it around his frostbitten face and neck without saying a word, leaving only his mouth and nose exposed for breathing.
Next, she began to treat his severed arm. Without a splint, she broke off several relatively straight and sturdy dry branches and used yarn torn from her scarf to securely fasten his forearm to his chest, preventing further injury from movement.
After doing all that, she was exhausted and almost collapsed. But an even more serious problem lay ahead—hypothermia.
Chen Yuanjiang's body was ice-cold, and his breathing was so faint that the white vapor was barely visible. Conventional methods were unlikely to warm him up.
She knew the most effective way was through body heat conduction, especially in situations where there was a lack of external heat sources.
Shu Ran hesitated for only a moment.
All notions of gender segregation and idle gossip seem laughable and pale in the face of a life. Having lived since the 21st century, Shu Ran understands the preciousness of life better than anyone. She is not a saint; she has her own selfish desires. She cherishes the rare opportunity to live again, but her selfishness does not include using someone else's life to protect her own reputation.
She decisively unbuttoned her cotton-padded jacket and inner garment, then forcefully lifted Chen Yuanjiang's frozen military overcoat, and then unbuttoned the cotton-padded jacket inside until her chest skin was exposed.
She pressed her warm body tightly against his chest, then wrapped them both up as much as possible with her cotton-padded coat.
The moment their skin touched, she shivered from his coldness, goosebumps rising on her skin. But instead, she hugged him even tighter, using her own body heat to warm him.
Time flowed by in silence and cold. Outside the crevice in the rock, the wind and snow continued to rage. Inside, only the intertwining breaths of the two could be heard.
Shu Ran could feel her body heat draining away, and Chen Yuanjiang's body was drawing away her meager warmth. She began to tremble uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but just when Shu Ran felt herself about to freeze, she felt the person in her arms seem to move slightly.
She immediately lowered her head and whispered in his ear, "Chen Yuanjiang? Chen Yuanjiang, wake up?"
He didn't open his eyes, but a hissing sound came from his throat.
"Cold..." he murmured, unconsciously snuggling closer to her, seeking that faint source of warmth.
Shu Ran's heart tightened, and she hugged him even tighter: "Hang in there, it will warm up soon."
She seemed to be speaking to him, and also to herself.
After a while, he seemed to regain a little consciousness, but he was still confused. His injured arm moved slightly, as if he wanted to push her away, but it was weak and powerless.
“…Go…” his voice was broken, barely a whisper, “…Danger…Don’t worry about me…”
Shu Ran's anger flared. Even at a time like this, he was still thinking of pushing her away? Not only did she not let go, she tightened her grip even more. "Don't talk! Save your energy!"
Chen Yuanjiang had no strength left to struggle. He calmed down, his chin resting weakly on her thin shoulder, his faint breath brushing against her neck.
Silence descended once more.
Just when Shu Ran thought he had fainted again, he suddenly spoke again, his voice ethereal.
"How long...do you think it will take to warm me up?"
Shu Ran was taken aback, not expecting him to ask that. She replied irritably, "Stop talking nonsense! As long as it warms up, who cares how long it takes!"
He seemed not to hear her reply, continuing to mutter to himself, his voice growing softer and softer.
"Now that you've warmed up... shouldn't we... let you go?"
Shu Ran's body stiffened.
Then, she heard him speak in a tone that was both desperate and lingering, murmuring:
"But I...can't bear to part with you..."
"..."
Shu Ran froze completely. The sound of wind and snow, the cold, the pain in his body—all his senses vanished in an instant, leaving only his murmured words in the world.
Reluctant to part with it?
She never imagined she would hear the words "reluctant" from this man.
Her heart ached with a bittersweet feeling.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found her throat was so blocked that she couldn't utter a single word.
Shu Ran felt him lean more heavily into her arms.
She stopped talking and just hugged him tighter.
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Author's Note: This chapter was so hard to write! [laughing and crying emoji]
Please, everyone, please add this author's work and upcoming stories to your favorites!
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