At the foot of the mountain.
The military personnel and police finally arrived.
The barking of dogs rose and fell.
With the addition of the original villagers and the people brought by Lian Xiao, the search and rescue team suddenly expanded to dozens of people, creating a spectacular scene.
Lian Xiao met with the military personnel who had come up the mountain. After confirming that there were enough people, he walked up to the village chief who had been with them and handed him a stack of crisp banknotes. "Village chief, please give this money to all the villagers. You've all worked hard searching all night. Please accept this money and go down the mountain to rest. The rest of the search and rescue will be handled by us and the military and police comrades. We will notify everyone as soon as we have any news."
The village chief and the villagers were indeed exhausted, their eyes bloodshot. Hearing this, they all breathed a sigh of relief, took the money, thanked him repeatedly, and went down the mountain in twos and threes.
Jiang Linchuan stood on a high ground, gazing at the deep, rolling mountains and forests, his expression solemn.
A whole night had passed, but he hadn't seen a single person. At that moment, his heart felt like it was being soaked in ice water, cold and heavy.
He couldn't help but clench the handkerchief in his hand, and all sorts of bad thoughts flashed through his mind.
Did Xinghe have anywhere to hide last night?
Will the wild animals in the mountains hurt her?
She's so thin, can she withstand the cold in the mountains?
What if you don't see the road clearly and fall down a steep slope?
With each possibility he considered, his heart felt like it was being squeezed tighter, the pain making it hard to breathe.
"Don't worry too much," Lian Xiao walked over and patted his shoulder, his voice also tinged with fatigue, but he still tried to comfort him, "The military police brought dogs over, and they have a very keen sense of smell. I've already let them smell the clothes Xinghe was wearing before, and we also have so many people to help us."
Even so, Lian Xiao himself was also very worried.
This mountain forest is so vast; if an accident were to occur, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But now he and Jiang Linchuan must remain calm.
"Split up and search!" Jiang Linchuan took a deep breath, suppressing his panic, and shouted to the group, "Two people per group, keep your distance, and search carefully! Pay attention to the bushes, caves, and other hidden places!"
"Yes!" the crowd responded in unison, immediately splitting into more than a dozen groups and heading in different directions.
The dog led the way, its nose pressed against the ground, sniffing incessantly.
"Xu Xinghe!" Jiang Linchuan called out first, his voice echoing through the mountains and forests.
"Xu Xinghe! Where are you!"
"Please respond if you hear me!"
Immediately afterwards, the shouts of Lian Xiao and the others rang out, rising and falling, piercing through the morning mist and spreading into the depths of the mountains and forests.
Xu Xinghe leaned against the cave wall, and faint shouts drifted into her ears on the wind.
At first she thought it was her imagination, until her name was clearly heard.
She slammed the book shut, her heart pounding wildly.
Almost instantly, she pushed aside the weeds at the entrance of the hole and squeezed out, shouting in the direction of the sound, "I'm here! I'm here!"
No sooner had the shout fallen than a hurried response came from not far away, followed by a flurry of footsteps.
Xu Xinghe hurriedly climbed onto a rock about half a person's height next to him and stood on tiptoe to look in that direction.
Before long, a familiar figure appeared in the woods—it was Jiang Linchuan!
His hair was a little messy, and his eyes were bloodshot. When he saw her on the rock, he stopped abruptly, then ran towards her like a madman.
Lian Xiao followed closely behind, and seeing that Xu Xinghe was alright, his heart finally settled down.
"Xinghe!" Jiang Linchuan's voice was choked with emotion as he rushed to the rock and hugged her tightly.
His strength was astonishing, as if he wanted to knead her into his very bones. His hot breath sprayed onto the nape of her neck, and her shoulders were still trembling slightly.
"I'm here, I'm fine." Xu Xinghe stretched out her arms and hugged him tightly, her nose tingling and her eyes welling up with tears.
All the fear and anxiety I had endured for the past day and night vanished the moment he held me in his arms.
The two held each other like that, and the shouts around them gradually stopped, even the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves became soft.
Lian Xiao stood not far away, his hands in his pockets, watching this scene with a complicated expression.
Although he was somewhat unwilling, he ultimately did not go forward to disturb them. He simply coughed lightly to remind them that there were still other people around and not to hug for too long.
The search and rescue team should be here soon.
Xu Xinghe came to her senses, nudged Jiang Linchuan, and whispered, "Okay, let go of me now, someone's coming soon."
Jiang Linchuan was reluctant to let go, so he buried his head in her neck and rubbed against her, his voice muffled, "Let's hug a little longer."
It was so good to see her again.
His initial panic and fear, and his restless heart, finally found a place to belong.
"I'm filthy, covered in mud." Xu Xinghe smiled helplessly and nudged him again.
These words finally made Jiang Linchuan let go of her hand. He cupped Xu Xinghe's face in his hands and looked her up and down eagerly.
Fortunately, she wasn't seriously injured, only suffering some minor scratches.
However, the scars were still quite noticeable on her fair skin.
"Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere else? Did you encounter any danger last night?"
"It doesn't hurt, it's just a small scratch." Xu Xinghe held his hand and shook her head with a smile. "I found a cave to hide in, I didn't encounter any wild animals, and I didn't fall, so don't worry."
Seeing the smile on her face, Jiang Linchuan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled down completely. He couldn't help but reach out and hug her. "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright."
Lian Xiao couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and coughed lightly, "Alright, now that we've found the person, let's hurry down the mountain. The main force will be here soon!"
Jiang Linchuan then released Xu Xinghe, but still held her hand tightly, as if afraid of losing her again.
Xu Xinghe felt a pang of heartache seeing the bloodshot eyes and stubble on his chin, so she let him lead her down the mountain.
In the village.
Shen Jianqiu stayed overnight at a villager's house.
However, she barely slept a wink. The image of Xu Xinghe leading the kidnappers away kept flashing through her mind. She was worried that the kidnappers would catch up with her, and she was afraid that she would encounter wild animals in the mountains. She finally managed to doze off for a while as dawn was breaking, only to be awakened by a nightmare.
As dawn broke, she put on her clothes and sat on a small stool by the door, her eyes fixed on the dirt road leading into the mountains.
The dew dampened her trouser legs, making them feel cool, but she was completely unaware.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, movement finally appeared on the dirt road in the distance.
A large crowd descended the mountain path, led by soldiers.
Shen Jianqiu's heart leaped into his throat, and he instantly jumped up from the bench. As soon as he took a step, a piercing pain shot through his foot.
Yesterday, she ran down the mountain in a panic, not only getting several blisters on her feet, but also twisting her ankle without realizing it. She was too scared to notice at the time.
In that moment of panic, every step felt like walking on a knife's edge, and I could only hold onto the wall and limp forward.
She shouted urgently in the direction of the group, "Have you found Xu Xinghe?"
The crowd gradually approached.
A familiar figure walked out from the middle.
Xu Xinghe was still wearing that dress. Although it was a little dirty and had some faint scratches, she looked great. Her face and hair were clean and tidy. She even had the mood to smile and was looking at her with her eyes crinkling. "Jianqiu, I'm glad you're alright. I'm alright too."
Seeing that she was unharmed, Shen Jianqiu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled down. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he reached out to grab Xu Xinghe's arm, choking back sobs, "You scared me to death! I thought... I thought something was wrong with you!"
"Don't cry." Xu Xinghe took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and shook her arm with a smile. "Look, I'm fine, aren't I? I even roasted some wild fruit in the cave yesterday, but unfortunately I finished them all and couldn't bring you any to try."
Shen Jianqiu pouted, then burst into laughter through his tears, "You're the one who dragged me into this. I wasn't worried about you, I was just... afraid you'd die!"
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