Chapter 68 Don't be afraid, the weather is so nice, and the golden brocade is so beautiful.
The old men in the mine were bickering and pulling at each other, vying to jump into the water. This lively scene reminded Jin Suiqing of the drunken old men at the veterans' restaurant arguing for their bills. There was an eeriness to the liveliness, and Jin Suiqing couldn't help but laugh.
When the old men saw her smile, they shyly scratched their heads and laughed along. Finally, everyone laughed, and the laughter echoed in the mine, stirring up ripples on the green water. Jin Suiqing lowered her head and wiped away her tears, saying to Gong Dagou, "Gong Dagou, you go."
She couldn't hesitate and had to make a decision. Jin Suiqing said firmly, "The situation is probably not optimistic. The waterway may have been blocked by falling rocks. Let's go and see if it's blocked underwater."
Gong Dagou nodded, took off his clothes, jumped into the water with a splash, and disappeared around the bend.
A short while later, Gong Dagou swam back, looking rather unwell.
Gong Dagou shook off the water and said truthfully, "The waterway and the underwater area are both blocked."
Jin Suiqing gasped; the situation was worse than she had imagined.
After shaking off the water, Gong Dagou shivered from the cold, but he wasn't wearing any clothes. He continued, "There's a stone beam across the water, supporting the falling rocks and mud. Water keeps gushing out from the gaps."
Ye Zhufeng thought for a moment and asked, "Is the stone beam stable?"
“Stable,” Gong Dagou nodded, arms crossed. “I tried tapping it, but the mud and sand were so thick that there was almost no echo.”
For a moment, everyone's expression turned solemn, unsure whether this was good news or bad news.
The presence of flowing water and the presence of gold and green furrowed brows indicate that the water level outside is higher than inside. This is likely due to an earthquake, which caused this mine to connect with other mines, allowing underground currents to flow in and causing the water level to rise.
If the stone beam collapses at this moment, the accumulated water will flow back and could flood the mine, and no one will be able to escape.
Therefore, attempting to dig out the blockage and then swim out is not feasible.
Firstly, they had no boats and no footholds to dig on the water; venturing into the water would be tantamount to suicide. Secondly, some of them were wounded, and even if they could clear the blockage, those with mobility issues would be unable to swim against the current.
Gong Dagou jumped up and down twice from the cold, and continued, "I even dived underwater to check, and the bottom wasn't completely blocked."
Jin Suiqing remained silent, but could not hide her delight. If that were really the case, it would be good to dive out!
Jin Suiqing complained, "Why are you breathing so heavily when you talk?"
“Because it’s cold,” Gong Dagou said seriously. Just as Jin Suiqing was about to continue asking questions, Gong Dagou gasped for breath and said, “Although it’s not completely blocked, people can’t get through. They can only feel the water flowing through.”
"..." Jin Suiqing covered her face, her voice weak and utterly defeated, "Is there anything else?"
Gong Dagou shook his head. "That's all."
For a moment, the mine was as silent as death.
After hearing Gong Dagou's description, no one dared to say anything discouraging, but they also couldn't relax anymore.
After a long silence, Ye Zhufeng, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, rested his chin on his hand and asked, "Can we blast open the blockage?"
Jin Suiqing shook his head, "There is a difference in water level inside and outside. If it is blown open, the cave will probably be flooded. Those who are quick-witted can swim out, but the injured will probably not make it."
Especially Ye Zhufeng.
The powder barely covered the wound on her wrist, but blood continued to seep out. Once it got wet, the water would wash away the powder, making it very difficult to stop the bleeding. If it dragged on any longer, even with the system protecting her, she would still have to face death.
She came into this world to save her, and Jin Suiqing must return with Ye Zhufeng unharmed.
However, Ye Zhufeng's words did enlighten Jin Suiqing.
What if we only blast underwater?
First, blast a small opening in the underwater tunnel, just big enough to control the water flow and allow people to pass through. Have the more agile people swim out first, and then direct others to dig a drainage ditch to divert the lake in the cave. That way, they can enter the mine to rescue people without boats.
If the plan is feasible, the most needed resource right now is explosives that can trigger small-scale explosions underwater.
After a moment of contemplation, Jin Suiqing gathered everyone together and proposed this plan.
At this moment, Jin Suiqing desperately hoped that someone could refute her and propose a better way that could save everyone.
She was feeling suffocated by the weight of everyone's lives on her shoulders.
Unfortunately, after hearing Jin Suiqing's plan, everyone was in an uproar, and no one objected. Knowing that boiling water was dangerous, they couldn't think of a better way to save themselves.
Jin Suiqing closed her eyes wearily. After a long while, she forced down the fear and panic in her heart. "Since no one is arguing with me, let's give it a try. It's better than sitting and waiting to die."
Jin Suiqing opened his eyes and calmly said, "Give me all the sulfur-based gold mined tonight."
The miners remained silent for a long time, looking at each other, before slowly gathering together in a small group. After the rustling sound of their clothes, Li Yousheng, acting as their representative, held a handful of impurities from the sulfurous base of the gold and, with the help of two other old miners, walked unsteadily to Jin Suiqing.
Fear filled Li Yousheng's aged face as he asked in a trembling voice, "Boss Jin... can you really lead us all out of here?"
Jin Suiqing didn't dare look him in the eyes, and gave a dry laugh, "I..."
She was afraid she couldn't.
Since there's still more to the story, she and Ye Zhufeng should be able to survive. But the people in front of her, who are placing their hopes on her, are ordinary people who don't even have names in the book. While she, as a reader, is immersed in the protagonist's dramatic adventure, these ordinary people are still struggling desperately to make ends meet.
Jin Suiqing saw herself in them.
What's wrong with people wanting to live, wanting to live well?
Zhang Yuyi was right, Li Yousheng was right, and Gong Dagou was right.
None of the people trapped in the mine were at fault.
She didn't know whose fault it was.
Self-doubt overwhelmed fear; Jin Suiqing's face turned pale, her fists clenched, and she hung her head dejectedly, not daring to answer Li Yousheng.
At this moment, apart from the sound of water and the heavy, choked breathing coming from the miners' lungs, Jin Suiqing could hear nothing else.
In my otherwise empty mind, a few words were now repeating themselves over and over:
what to do?
Who will help her? Who will save her?
She is not a savior, and she never wanted to be one!
"I'll take you out."
Jin Suiqing suddenly heard Ye Zhufeng's voice.
Ye Zhufeng leaned against the wall and slowly stood up. She shielded Jin Suiqing behind her, took the sulfur-based gold from Li Yousheng's hand, and said in a relaxed yet solemn tone, "I can take you out."
Jin Suiqing suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at Ye Zhufeng. At this moment, Ye Zhufeng also looked back at her, smiled gently, and said, "Don't be afraid."
“You’re not wrong,” Ye Zhufeng said as if he could read minds, and grabbed Jin Suiqing’s hand. “Qingqing, tell me what to do, and I’ll make the decision.”
*
At the foot of the abandoned mine, Jin Shiyu rode up on horseback. Looking from the foot of the mountain, on the desolate hillside, scattered blue flames stretched out, their dark, tiny figures, like ants, surrounding a ruin, hammering and breaking things with tools.
Jin Shiyu rode his horse up the mountainside, and before the horse stopped, he jumped off and anxiously grabbed a miner, saying, "Have you seen a girl? She's about as tall as my chest."
Seeing that the person was confused and didn't understand what he was saying, Jin Shiyu quickly let go of the person and let another person continue to ask. His forehead was covered with sweat, his clothes were disheveled, and his sideburns were messy. While asking questions, he gestured to his chest to show Jin Suiqing's height and describe Jin Suiqing's appearance.
He reluctantly and patiently asked each question one by one.
Until he pulled Xu Qingqing back.
Xu Qingqing was stunned. She didn't expect Jin Shiyu to appear here. In her panic, she dropped the shovel and it fell to the ground.
Jin Shiyu, anxious to find Jin Suiqing's whereabouts, completely failed to notice Xu Qingqing's strange behavior and repeated Jin Suiqing's characteristics. Xu Qingqing was confused for a moment, then realized that it seemed to match Grandma Ma's description, and cautiously asked, "Was that girl's eye very big and bright?"
Jin Shiyu gripped Xu Qingqing tightly as if she were grasping at a lifeline: "Yes, she has big eyes, and her name is Jin Suiqing."
Gold Fragments Green...
Gold Fragments and Green?
Isn't that the name of Boss Jin that Gong Dagou mentioned?
Xu Qingqing realized what was happening. "The person is trapped in the cave! Young Master Jin, your family is so wealthy and powerful, quickly go and get more people to dig! We must be quick, there is water in the mine, if it overflows, the person inside will be in danger!"
Ignoring his curiosity about why the woman in front of him knew him, Jin Shiyu grabbed her and asked urgently, "Is she really inside?"
Xu Qingqing didn't dare to make things up. She only glanced at him before quickly picking up the shovel and continuing to dig.
Jin Shiyu panicked. After catching his breath, he suppressed his fear, picked up an unused hoe from the ground, and joined the team digging the mountain.
Before the dozens of black-robed guards who had been chasing after Jin Shiyu could even stand still, they saw Jin Shiyu standing out from the crowd of people digging the mountain.
They stared blankly at Jin Shiyu, whose once-refined and elegant clothes were now disheveled; his once-neat sideburns were now covered in wisps of hair, and his fair face was covered in sticky sweat and grime.
Is this still the same young master with obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Even his usually calm and composed eyes were filled with unfathomable fear. He usually only held a pen, but his long, slender, pale hands expertly gripped a hoe, pounding it against the mound of earth again and again.
Young Master Jin didn't turn his head; only his voice could be heard, both sinister and cold.
He said, "Go and report to His Highness the Crown Prince that if Jin Suiqing cannot be dug out, I will be buried here with her."
The chilling tone, combined with the resolute intent to die, startled the group of death guards who dealt with blood.
The Crown Prince has ordered that upon arriving in Jiangnan, one must obey Jin Shiyu's orders and keep a close watch on Jin Suiqing and the Princess, ensuring that no one is allowed to contact or act upon them.
Now that neither of them had been accomplished, if Jin Shiyu died on the mountain, their heads would be in danger. With that, they had no time to spare. The guards dared not delay any longer, grabbed the scattered tools, and rushed into the mountain-digging team.
With lives at stake, no one dared to rest. For a time, the only sounds outside the mine were the clanging of stones being smashed and heavy panting. The calming incense was potent, and Jin Shiyu, still exhausted, forced himself awake, flashes of white light passing before his eyes.
No one knows how long he dug. Jin Shiyu was covered in sweat, his outer clothes were soaked, and he was on the verge of dehydration. The guards told him to rest, but Jin Shiyu wanted to keep digging like a magic weapon, but he dared not stop the movement of his hands.
He was afraid that if he stopped, he would never see Jin Suiqing again.
As he dug, Jin Shiyu tried to adjust his breathing, but it didn't seem to help much. His head was spinning, as if he were back on the ship, and he heard the sound of waves crashing in his ears, almost like a hallucination.
My body grew increasingly weak, the dirt on my cheeks dried, and the sweat and stray hairs on my neck clung to my skin. My dizziness returned, and my stomach churned violently.
Jin Shiyu didn't dare stop and continued digging.
Unable to withstand the force, the rotten and fragile wooden handle in his hand broke off, and splinters pierced his palm. Jin Shiyu ignored them, threw the hoe aside, and squatted down to dig with his hands.
He must be very dirty and disgusting right now, Kim Si-ok thought.
His body was numb and cold, and he couldn't help but think of the dragon boat, where Jin Suiqing sat by the bed and poked his forehead with her warm fingers.
"What's dirty about it?"
"Jin Shiyu is not dirty at all."
"What exactly are you struggling with?"
What is he struggling with?
He found it disgusting, filthy, the person dirty, the blood dirty, the heart dirty.
His name is Jin Shiyu. His blood carries evidence of his mother's wrongdoings, and his heart is filled with vile thoughts about his younger sister, whom he once nearly strangled to death.
His name could not be changed, and his bloodline was not his own. He felt thoroughly filthy, filthy to the bone. Every time he dreamed at midnight, he transformed into a demon, holding a boning knife and peeling off his own bones and skin. The blood that flowed out was not red, but thick, filthy black mud.
Only she, who was once my younger sister.
She said he wasn't dirty, not at all.
Jin Shiyu lowered his head and gasped for breath. He looked at his palm, where the wooden stick had pierced his hand. The blood that flowed out mixed with mud and sand, just like in his dream, flowing out dark, murky blood.
Kim Shi-ok almost laughed.
He looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and the moon and stars were few. The Jiangnan region had been experiencing continuous rain, but after her arrival, it was blessed with clear skies and fine weather.
He wanted to hold Jin Suiqing in his arms, just like when they were little, and eat watermelon and watch the stars together. Jin Suiqing would always stuff the tip of the watermelon into his mouth, saying, "This is sweet, give it to your brother."
Jin Shiyu thought to himself, he couldn't bear to part with her, how could he bear to? The weather was so nice, and Jin Suiqing was so kind, how could he bear to let her lie in the mountains?
So what if it's dirty? As long as Jin Suiqing doesn't mind. He lowered his head, rested for a moment, and when the dizziness subsided, he continued digging.
He moved a stone aside, and suddenly heard someone shout, "Look at the sky! Look at the sky!"
"It's a Kui Dragon! It's a giant Kui Dragon, and it's flying towards the mine!"
Author's Note: Mini-Theater:
Jin Suiqing's eyes darted around, and she stuffed the tip of the watermelon into Jin Shiyu's hands: "Brother, this is sweet, eat this one."
Jin Shiyu found her annoying and shut up, refusing to eat.
Little Jin Suiqing blinked: "Brother doesn't want to eat, but I will."
She ate all the pointed parts of the watermelon.
So don't trust your memory, it's unreliable. [noob emoji]
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