Chapter 80 Fang Minzhou was clearly frightened by him…
Fang Minzhou was clearly startled, but quickly calmed down. Before she could turn on the light, Wang Kan walked over first and asked, "Why are you making my bed?"
His questions were impartial and seemingly innocent, but only seemingly so.
Fang Minzhou's face flushed slightly, but she didn't think about turning on the light. The dim light was just right. She looked up at Wang Kan and said, "My grandma was busy and forgot. Don't overthink it. I've made beds in many rooms."
Wang Kan was momentarily speechless. "...Can't you just say something nice to me?"
What do you want to hear me say?
Fang Minzhou asked the question earnestly, but to Wang Kan, it sounded like a thorn in his side.
Sometimes he really hated Fang Minzhou's sharp tongue, but when he caught a glimpse of the neatly made bed next to him, he immediately lost his temper. Just thinking about how Fang Minzhou had smoothed out the sheets made him itch all over, as if he himself had been gently caressed by her hands.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he unconsciously took a step closer. He noticed Fang Minzhou's lips were pursed, as if she were nervous. What was she nervous about?
The wind and rain blew open the half-closed balcony door, and Wang Kan suddenly became a little more awake, remembering that she had gone back to her room to take a shower. She had worked all day and was sweating profusely.
She stepped back and grabbed a change of clothes from her bag on the ground. "Didn't you promise to get back together with me? Then you don't need to make it sound so aloof."
He spoke confidently, but inside he was trembling. He didn't hear Fang Minzhou reply as he reached the bathroom; his steps became weak and unsteady. He turned around, but by the dark window, he couldn't see Fang Minzhou's face clearly.
Wang Kan turned on the bathroom light, but this only exposed her. "If you're actually going to reject me..."
He laughed as he spoke, amused by the very possibility.
But Fang Minzhou shook his head, and Wang Kan was stunned. His heart was delayed and pressed down, then pounded violently.
"Why don't you take a shower first?" Fang Minzhou said softly.
Wang Kan's breathing became a little rapid as he stared at her, "...How am I supposed to take a shower if you're like this?"
Fang Minzhou replied as if she had heard a joke, "Just wash it however you want."
"Come here."
Fang Minzhou walked over without hesitation, stepping into the bathroom where the light could illuminate the space between them. Wang Kan noticed her expression was stiff, like a child's pencil drawing, and although her eyes were smiling, there was a complex sense of unease in them.
Seeing that he wasn't entirely at peace, Wang Kan felt much better, but why did he still feel a pang of heartache? He suspected that Fang Minzhou knew something, but she suddenly touched his face and said the same thing again, "Take a shower first."
Half of Wang Kan's body was stiff and numb, and he forgot what he wanted to ask. He leaned closer to her and asked, "Do you think I'm dirty?"
"Yeah, there's a smell of sweat," Fang Minzhou said, then smiled helplessly, "How am I supposed to say anything nice about that?"
Wang Kan swallowed hard, scrutinizing her intently. He felt she was deliberately provoking him; she couldn't possibly be unaware of the flirtatious undertones of her words.
Not to be outdone, he lowered his head and sniffed her neck, the faint scent of shampoo and laundry detergent vaguely reminiscent of something in his memory. She blinked slightly, appearing calm at least outwardly, but Wang Kan felt a surge of heat within him. If it weren't for the inappropriateness, he would have wanted to drag her into the bathroom to shower together.
It's not that I haven't done it before, but... he held his breath and straightened up, thinking it was better to take it slowly.
Fang Minzhou sat on the sofa for a while before remembering to turn on the light and close the doors and windows. But this made the sound of water in the bathroom even more obvious. It was rushing around, as if water was being poured over her.
The more she listened, the less she could bear it; it was agonizing. She wanted to leave, but she didn't want Wang Kan to use it as an excuse to mock her later. She thought to herself, "We've been apart for too long, and I've been suppressing my feelings for too long. Just listening to him shower makes me feel ashamed. He said he'd correct his bad habits, but how do I even begin?" She had no clue.
Suddenly, she heard her grandmother calling her from downstairs. Fang Minzhou jumped up from the sofa, took a few steps to the door, and, after confirming that her grandmother was calling her, quickly answered. At the same time, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.
"My grandma is calling me, I'll go downstairs first," Fang Minzhou said in the bathroom.
Wang Kan responded a few seconds later, and then there was no sound from outside.
He came out after showering. The room was brightly lit, and the wind and rain were pounding on the doors and windows even more fiercely. Wang Kan waited for a while, touched the sheets, and lay down fully clothed for a bit more. Fang Minzhou still hadn't returned. Realizing that he probably wouldn't be able to wait for her this way, he went downstairs.
There were no guests at the guesthouse today, and the young man named Guan Yang had already left. However, he did not see Fang Minzhou, but only her grandparents standing worriedly in the lobby, looking out the door.
He asked what was wrong.
They seemed to have just discovered him. "Hey, Old Chen, he was drinking at home, and he got drunk. He didn't have any family members with him, so he came to us to borrow our car."
"I can't drive either, and my eyesight is bad at night, so I asked Minzhou to go check on her. She hasn't come back yet. I wonder if she took her to the hospital?"
"If you're going to send someone, send them to the town hospital. Why send them to the city? The main problem is that we can't get through on the phone. Did you even bring them?"
“Yes, yes, I made sure she was there before she left. It’s just that you guys were drinking,” Zhang Xiufen said, getting more and more anxious. “I told you not to drink, you can’t stand not drinking for a day…”
"I drank it?" Zhao Qingyou's voice rose as well. "Where did I drink it? Old Chen himself has high blood pressure."
Wang Kan pieced together the general situation from the old people's argument, and her heart grew colder and colder as she listened.
He calculated the time; it had been almost half an hour since he hadn't finished showering. The village was small, and the hospital was at most a ten-minute drive away. The main problem was that it was nighttime during a typhoon, and accidents were unpredictable.
He called Fang Minzhou, but no one answered. He muttered a curse under his breath, and when he hung up, he found his hands were trembling.
Zhao Qingyou was going to look for the raincoat. "I'll go check now. I offered to come with you, but you wouldn't let me. It's just a few steps, can't you walk that far? I..."
"Where are you going?" Zhang Xiufen shouted. "What if you fall outside and have to be taken to the hospital?"
"Falling could kill me?! I don't know what's going on..."
Wang Kan continued to dial Fang Minzhou's number, but no one answered on the third try.
Zhao Qingyou was taken aback, and a look of hesitation crossed his face.
Zhang Xiufen looked at the old man, then at Wang Kan, "It's alright, let's wait a little longer. They might be back soon. I'll go check in the yard..."
"Go and see what you can see in the yard!" Zhao Qingyou shouted unhappily.
Wang Kan had already put on his raincoat. He casually picked up an umbrella by the door and said, "I'll go outside and take a look. You guys wait for news at home. Maybe Minzhou will be back soon."
After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked into the wind and rain.
The torrential rain stirred up a white mist in the dark night, swallowing up the light of the streetlights, which flickered in the wind. The puddles on the slope formed streams that went up to his ankles, and by the time he walked down the slope, the water had risen to his calves.
Wang Kan wiped his face and almost groped his way forward. There was no one on the road, and no one at Old Chen's house at the bottom of the slope. The river beside him was unusually turbulent and rushed away.
Wang Kan couldn't quite describe his feelings. Any thoughts that popped into his head were immediately suppressed by the raging storm. This was for the best; he needed to stay calm, or he'd be blown away by the wind too. He took out his phone again; the screen was completely wet. With great difficulty, he dialed Fang Minzhou's number, held it to his ear, and headed towards the town hospital amidst the busy signal.
As he walked, he grew angry and then regretful. He walked faster and faster, but the road, which was not far, seemed endless. In the end, he was at a loss for which way to go. The world was vast and he could not find Fang Minzhou anywhere.
His face was covered in water, and his eyes were stinging and dry from the rain. In the pouring rain and mist, he suddenly saw someone coming towards him.
"Mr. Wang!" It was Li Wenshu from the village committee. The wind and rain were so loud that he shouted, "With such a big typhoon, why are you still outside?"
Wang Kan came to his senses a little. He repeated the name "Fang Minzhou" twice and explained the situation, saying that he couldn't find her.
"She went back!" Li Wenshu said in surprise. "She was going to drive, but I thought it was too dangerous, so I asked someone else. Later, I asked that guy to let Lao Lin and her go back first."
Raindrops dripped from the brim of his raincoat onto his face.
Li Wenshu was also a little worried, so he pulled Wang Kan aside to shelter from the rain, saying, "Why don't you call back to the guesthouse and ask?"
Wang Kan dialed Fang Minzhou's cell phone again, but no one answered. He then called back to the guesthouse. As soon as the call was answered, he heard Granny Zhang's upturned voice: "Little Wang?"
Wang Kan's heart calmed down for a moment. "Yes, Grandma, has Minzhou come back?"
"She's back, she's just back! Oh dear, her phone got wet, really! Where are you now?"
“I happened to run into Li Wenshu here at the village committee.”
"Oh, oh, oh, then you..."
"It's good that Min-joo has gone back. I'll go back soon too."
Grandma Zhang kept apologizing: "Okay, okay, oh dear... I'm so sorry, come back quickly, I've made you some ginger soup."
Wang Kan agreed, looking at the rain-soaked road he had come from, but now he felt a sense of calm. His grandmother called Fang Minzhou's name on the other end of the phone, as if she wanted him to come over and say something. He was startled for some reason, then said it was nothing and hung up.
Only now do I feel a lingering fear.
"How did it go? Did you get back?" Li Wenshu asked.
Wang Kan nodded.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Look at you like this..." Li Wenshu said, glancing at Wang Kan, then stopped speaking. He then invited Wang Kan to sit in his office, "Here's a towel to wipe yourself down. A car will be back soon, and I'll give you a ride home. It's on my way."
Wang Kan thanked him.
Li Wenshu poured him another cup of tea. After chatting for a few minutes, he received a phone call. After finishing the call, Wang Kan had recovered enough. Li Wenshu put away his phone and said, "Let's go."
It takes about ten minutes to walk from the guesthouse to the village committee. It would be quick by car, but the rain was too heavy, so Li Wenshu drove very slowly. The windows were soaked, and the wipers couldn't keep up.
Just as the car crossed the bridge, Wang Kan suddenly rolled down the passenger window. "Wait a minute."
The wind and rain rushed into the car in an instant. Li Wenshu slowed down. "What's wrong?"
"...The wall collapsed."
Li Wenshu was startled and looked out the window. Following the direction Wang Kan pointed, he saw that a piece of the wall by the river was missing, hidden in the rain and under the trees, almost invisible.
He quickly drove over, and as soon as the car came to a stop, Wang Kan opened the door and rushed out. Li Wenshu parked his car and followed suit. From a distance, it was a blurry blur, but up close, a vast expanse of ruins was chilling.
The wall was perfectly fine, how did it collapse? If it had just collapsed, it wouldn't be a big deal. Just as I was thinking this, I heard Wang Kan shout loudly, "Uncle Li is on the phone! Someone's here!"
The dark sky suddenly brightened, followed by a muffled clap of thunder. Li Wenshu's legs went weak, and after regaining his senses, he frantically reached for his phone.
The rain was so heavy that I had to press the screen several times before it responded. I was in such a hurry to get off the bus that I didn't even put on a raincoat, and I was soaked to the bone in no time.
"Hang in there!" Wang Kan had already started digging with his hands. "Is there anyone else besides you?"
After receiving a reply, Wang Kan called out to him, "Uncle Li, you're all alone!"
Li Wenshu wiped his phone on his soaked shirt, and finally the call went through. He quickly gave the exact location, called 119 and 120 for help, then called the village chief, and then immediately went to rescue the person.
The person buried was in a triangular area. Wang Kan had already dug away some stones and broken tiles, and the person's head and face were revealed through the gaps. Li Wenshu recognized the person and couldn't help but exclaim, "Old Lin! It's you!"
Wang Kan kept working, but then looked at Lao Lin with surprise.
Old Lin was still conscious, and with tears streaming down his face, he kept saying, "Save me," "I don't want to die."
The faint buzzing of mosquitoes was swallowed by the heavy rain; if they hadn't passed by, no one would have heard it at all.
"Old Lin, it's alright, it's alright, I've already called for help," Li Wenshu said hurriedly.
They dug another hole, and Wang Kan reached out to wipe the mud off Old Lin's face. "Uncle Lin, don't worry, we will definitely get you out. Now, conserve your energy and don't inhale too much mud."
“Yes, yes, yes,” Li Wenshu continued to reassure Old Zhang.
He was old and his strength was failing, but his subordinates dared not slack off in the slightest. Wang Kan worked even harder, and finally waited for the village chief to arrive with his men. Together, they moved the largest stone slab that was pressing down on Lao Lin. At this time, the ambulance also arrived, and the paramedics carried the man away on a stretcher. The village committee found someone to accompany Lao Lin's wife, who had rushed over, and the rest of the people breathed a sigh of relief.
Someone draped raincoats over Li Wenshu and Wang Kan, pointed at their hands and exclaimed, "Oh dear, do you need to get this sorted out?"
Li Wenshu looked down and saw his own battered fingers, while Wang Kan's hands were covered in even more scars.
Wang Kan said, "It's alright, I'll take care of it when I get back."
The village chief looked at the young man and was about to thank him when another clap of thunder shook the earth.
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