Chapter 18 "...Hold on to my waist! Don't grab..."
"Whoa—!"
Chen Yuanjiang reined in his horse and dismounted. Scanning the chaotic scene, he saw Shu Ran kneeling and Li Dazhuang, who had just regained consciousness, beside her.
"What happened?"
"Officer Chen!" Platoon Leader Wang immediately straightened up. "Li Dazhuang collapsed from heatstroke! It's all thanks to Teacher Shu! She saved him!"
Chen Yuanjiang's gaze fell on Shu Ran, who was trying to stand up by supporting herself on her knees.
Chen Yuanjiang walked straight to Li Dazhuang's side, squatted down to check his pulse and forehead temperature, and then looked at the side of his neck covered with a damp cloth.
"The medic will be here soon," he said in a deep voice, turning his gaze to Platoon Leader Wang. "Go find a door panel, and two more people to carry him back to the company's medical room immediately! Be gentle!"
"Yes, sir!" Platoon Leader Wang immediately called out.
Chen Yuanjiang then stood up and his gaze returned to Shu Ran.
"How are you?" he asked, his tone still devoid of emotion.
"It's nothing." Shu Ran stood up with difficulty, her voice hoarse. "It's just... a little weak." She subconsciously tried to hide her hands behind her back.
Chen Yuanjiang's gaze lingered for a moment on the bandage peeking through the edge of her gloves. He didn't press further, but simply ordered, "You go back too. Medic Xu is treating Li Dazhuang; have her take a look at you as well."
His gaze swept over her trousers, stained with salt and mud, and her worn-out leather shoes, and he reminded her, "Wear liberation shoes when you're working. The supply and marketing cooperative has them. You... have the ration coupons, right?"
Shu Ran nodded, too exhausted to say anything more.
The bottom of the canal was silent. Dozens of men watched silently as Shu Ran walked towards the company.
As Li Dazhuang was carried onto the door panel, he turned his head and whispered weakly as he passed Shu Ran, "...Thank...Teacher Shu...for saving my life...um..."
Shu Ran paused for a moment, nodded slightly, and continued walking forward.
Chen Yuanjiang stood on the canal bank, watching Shu Ran's figure disappear into the swirling dust. His chestnut horse snorted beside him.
Platoon Leader Wang walked over to him, wiped his sweat, looked in the direction Shu Ran had disappeared, clicked his tongue, and whispered, "Officer Chen, this Teacher Shu... you really didn't expect her to be such a tough nut to crack. Just now, she was so calm and collected in the face of danger, so organized and methodical, she actually pulled Da Zhuang back from the brink of death! We guys were all completely stunned at the time..."
Chen Yuanjiang did not respond. He withdrew his gaze and looked at the silent men at the bottom of the canal. "Keep working." He mounted his horse, turned it around, and galloped towards the company headquarters.
At the bottom of the ditch, the pickaxe fell again, the dull thuds echoing all around, and no one spoke again.
Shu Ran's vision became somewhat unsteady, and the distant outlines distorted and swayed in the rising heat and dust.
She was practically dragging herself along. The drainage ditch was about three to five kilometers from the company headquarters, but at that moment it felt like it would never end.
With each step, excruciating pain shot through his lower back, radiating numbness down half his body. His palms burned intensely. He had taken off his work gloves while rescuing Li Dazhuang, and now, sweat mixed with blood soaked through the bandages, making them sticky and clinging to the wound.
Just as Shu Ran rounded a pile of hay, a rapid sound of hooves came from behind her, then stopped a few steps ahead.
A chestnut horse appeared before her, snorting loudly. On horseback, Chen Yuanjiang's figure blocked the sunlight, his gaze from beneath his hat brim fixed heavily on her.
"Come up."
Shu Ran paused, memories of riding together on a horse last time resurfacing—the bumpy ride, the awkwardness, the close physical contact, and the silk nightgown that slipped off.
She instinctively took a half step back. "Officer Chen... I... I can walk." She didn't even dare to look him in the eye, her gaze fixed elsewhere.
In this place where rumors can kill, she, a female educated youth with a bad class background, was riding a horse in the city with a special envoy from the security department... She dared not think about what kind of gossip Zhou Qiaozhen and her gang would spread.
Chen Yuanjiang remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the empty surroundings. He then nimbly dismounted, took the reins, and strode forward, leaving behind only one sentence: "Keep up. The horse is waiting for you ahead."
He actually led the horse away without looking back.
Shu Ran watched Chen Yuanjiang's departing figure; the road to the clinic was still long.
She felt her numb legs and her back, which felt like it was about to break. Dignity was incredibly fragile in the face of survival.
"Fine, I'll just consider it a ride." She moved towards the fork in the road where the poplar forest was located.
As expected, Chen Yuanjiang reined in his horse and waited under the crooked poplar tree at the fork in the road.
Upon seeing her appear, he nimbly dismounted, controlling the horse with one hand and extending the other towards Shu Ran, saying succinctly, "Put on the stirrups, get on."
Shu Ran looked at the tall stirrups, gritted her teeth, and used her uninjured hand to grab the front of the saddle tightly. With all her strength, she almost tumbled and crawled onto the horse's back.
After she was seated, Chen Yuanjiang immediately mounted his horse and sat in front of her. He deliberately straightened his back, keeping as far away from her as possible, and flicked the reins: "Giddy up!"
The horses began to gallop. This time, the pain from the jolting was far greater than before. Every rise and fall of the horse's back aggravated her injured back, causing her vision to blur and her body to sway uncontrollably.
She instinctively tried to grab onto something to steady herself. What was it that she grabbed last time? That's right, it was Chen Yuanjiang's belt.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch Chen Yuanjiang's belt buckle, Chen Yuanjiang seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, his body suddenly leaning forward, while he warned in a low voice: "Grab the saddle!"
Shu Ran's hand froze in mid-air, finally gripping the saddle beneath her. The stinging pain from the wound on her palm made her gasp.
The wind whistled in our ears, and dust swirled in our faces. A few moments passed in a tense standoff.
Chen Yuanjiang didn't turn around, but the line of his shoulder seemed to loosen slightly, and his tone was filled with helpless compromise: "...Hold on to my waist! Don't grab the belt buckle!"
Shu Ran paused for a moment, then released her grip on the saddle and placed her hands loosely on either side of Chen Yuanjiang's waist. She could feel the firm muscles of his waist even through the fabric.
She could feel Chen Yuanjiang's body tense up noticeably the moment her hands touched his, and then he pulled away a little.
There was no further conversation between the two.
As they approached the company headquarters, Chen Yuanjiang reined in his horse.
"Dismount." He was the first to dismount nimbly.
Shu Ran almost rolled down, staggering as she landed, only regaining her balance thanks to Chen Yuanjiang's outstretched arm.
"The clinic." He uttered those three words, led his horse toward the hitching post, and stopped looking at her.
A crowd had already gathered outside the clinic. Company Commander Ma Dehai stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, his dark face filled with anxiety.
Production director Zhao Weidong kept rubbing his hands and muttering to himself, "What are we going to do! The third row is already behind schedule! And now another strong laborer has fallen ill... Sigh!" He kept glancing at the infirmary and then anxiously looking at the sky, clearly more worried about the delayed schedule.
Chen Yuanjiang tied up his horse and strode over. Company Commander Ma saw him and immediately said, "Clerk Chen! Dazhuang, he..."
Chen Yuanjiang nodded slightly, pushed through the crowd, and entered the clinic. Shu Ran forced herself to follow behind him.
The interior was even more crowded and chaotic. Li Dazhuang lay on the makeshift bed, his muscular upper body bare, his face sallow, his chest heaving rapidly, and a hoarse sound coming from his throat.
Xu Junjun was wiping his forehead, neck, and armpits with a damp cloth. When she saw Shu Ran and Chen Yuanjiang enter, her eyes quickly swept over Shu Ran's pale face and bandaged hands before she immediately lowered her head to focus on the patient.
Just then, Li Dazhuang's wife, Zhang Guifen, rushed in crying, "Dazhuang! My Dazhuang!" She saw her husband's shirtless, unconscious state, and then saw Shu Ran standing disheveled by the bed. Without thinking, she threw herself at him, her voice filled with resentment and tears, "It was you?! Was it you, you city vixen, who did this?! My Dazhuang was perfectly fine! How did he become like this after getting involved with you?" She was agitated and reached out to shove Shu Ran.
"Zhang Guifen, what are you doing!" Chen Yuanjiang pulled Shu Ran behind him to shield her.
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