Chapter 25 During the rainy season, her life could go on with or without him...
Lin Fei rushed into the weaving room, his first instinct being to grab the water from the corner and extinguish the fire.
Fortunately, she still retained her senses and remembered the safety knowledge she had learned: you should not use water to extinguish fires caused by household appliances.
There was no fire extinguisher at home, so she didn't have time to think about anything else. She first tore down the cloth hanging in the corner, soaked it all in a bucket of water, and then used all her strength to pull it out.
Liang Yanzhe arrived at this moment, guessed her intention, and quickly offered to help her.
"Cover the cotton loom, hurry up." Lin Fei ignored his soaked clothes, steadily hugged the seemingly heavy fabric, and ran towards the cotton loom in the corner.
After covering one section, Liang Yanzhe grabbed Lin Fei's hand and said, "You go out first, I'll take care of the rest."
"No!" Lin Fei broke free from Liang Yanzhe's hand and ran to tear off the second piece of cloth.
The fire was getting increasingly out of control. Since cloth is flammable, the pile of cloth and cotton thread used for weaving in the corner had been almost completely burned.
They busied themselves with the task, but only managed to cover the cotton loom with three pieces of cloth; the rest were all burned.
Lin Fei was choked by the thick smoke, coughed violently, and couldn't stop gagging.
The fire had already spread to the doorway. Fearing that the exit would be blocked, Liang Yanzhe picked up Lin Fei and, ignoring her struggles, took her out first.
Lin Fei's eyes reddened with anxiety, "Those are all the fabrics we need!"
Worried that she would rush back in, he held her tightly with a force that she couldn't break free from.
Fortunately, the fire station was only 100 meters away from the street. The firefighters responded quickly. As the fire was about to spread to the second floor, they grabbed dry powder fire extinguishers and rushed into the fire.
“You…” Liang Yanzhe was so angry that he couldn’t utter a single word of rebuke when he met Lin Fei’s eyes, which were red from the smoke.
Lin Fei keenly sensed his displeasure and whispered an apology.
His anger subsided, replaced by a bittersweet feeling.
She then added, "I know what I'm doing. No matter how big the fire is, I will go inside. Everything else can be burned away, but Grandma's cotton loom cannot be lost."
"Lin Fei, you really are..." He really couldn't do anything with her.
Grandma heard from her neighbor that her house was on fire, so she rushed home.
Upon seeing that it was a weaving workshop, the old man's legs went weak, and he would have fallen to the ground if Chi Xin hadn't been supporting him.
"Grandma." Lin Fei ran over and helped Grandma up.
Grandma pointed at the weaving room, unable to speak, almost unable to breathe.
"I've covered it with a damp cloth, it's alright." Lin Fei was clearly panicked herself, but she still had to make time to comfort her grandmother.
Liang Yanzhe walked over and said, "Let me take a look."
Lin Fei pulled Chi Xin aside, making room for Liang Yanzhe.
Liang Yanzhe comforted Grandma, briefly checked her heartbeat, and taught her how to regulate her breathing.
The area outside was packed with neighbors, all craning their necks, curious about what had happened at the Lin family's house.
Chi Xin went outside and said, "Everyone, please don't block this area, you'll be blocking the firefighters' way."
They only took a few steps back, but some people still wanted to enter the house until the fire department set up a cordon, at which point they calmed down a bit.
Lin Fei had been guarding the courtyard. The moment the fire was extinguished, he couldn't wait to go in, but was stopped by the staff who came out.
"We've just put out the fire, don't go in yet." The captain took off his fireproof mask. "Preserve the scene; we need to conduct a fire investigation."
Lin Fei pointed to a corner of the room and said urgently, "I don't mean anything by it, I just want to know if the loom is okay."
Grandma still uses an old-fashioned cotton loom, made of bamboo and wood, which are flammable. If it gets into a fire, it will most likely be burned to ashes.
This is something Grandma considers as important as her life; it absolutely cannot be harmed.
The firefighters understood Lin Fei's concerns and sent someone to check on the situation in person.
Fortunately, the fire had not spread, and she covered it with a damp cloth in advance. Of the two cotton looms inside the house, one was half burned and the other was intact.
Hearing this, Lin Fei breathed a sigh of relief and ran back to the lobby to find Grandma and tell her the good news that the cotton loom was alright.
Grandma's condition has indeed improved a lot.
Unfortunately, all the Zhuang brocade used as cultural and creative materials was destroyed in the fire.
Lin Fei stood at the doorway, looking at the dark walls and windows. He wiped his face, trying to suppress his mixed emotions and hold back the tears that were about to fall.
As I brushed the back of my hand against my eyelid, I suddenly felt a piercing pain and realized that the area between my thumb and forefinger was burned, with the skin already broken and flesh exposed.
A sense of frustration washed over her, and she took a few steps back, accidentally bumping into the person behind her.
She looked up and met his gaze, her eyes brimming with warm tears, as if after the chaos of war, she had finally found a place for her heart to rest, letting all her strength drain away as she leaned against him.
"I'll treat your wound." Liang Yanzhe's voice was even gentler than his eyes, making her feel incredibly at ease.
Lin Fei seemed to have lost her mind, letting him press her down on the stool and give her an emergency treatment with the only medicine they had at home.
The girl's thin shoulders hunched over, making her look especially pitiful in the cold wind.
Liang Yanzhe took off his black jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Firefighters will need to investigate the fire scene to determine the cause of the fire.
Fortunately, someone cut off the power shortly after the fire started, and the burning power strip did not cause widespread damage. If there had been less flammable material in the house, the fire would not have been so severe.
Hearing this, Lin Fei looked at the main power switch that was slightly higher on the wall and guessed that Liang Yanzhe had turned it off before going into the weaving room to find her.
She always thought she was being rational, but looking back, she realized how dangerous her actions were.
"Look at my brain, how could I forget to cut off the power first?" Lin Fei felt a chill run down his spine, unable to imagine that if the power hadn't been cut off, the fire wouldn't have been extinguished in time, and once it reached a certain point, the possibility of an explosion at the scene would have been very high.
"You've done very well, don't blame yourself anymore." Liang Yanzhe didn't blame her. He bandaged her wound and instructed, "Don't get it wet. I'll treat it again for you once I get some burn ointment."
Lin Fei looked at his dark palm, then at Liang Yanzhe's fair hand, which also had several dark marks on it, and gave a pouty expression that he knew was ugly.
"Why do I feel so wronged just listening to you talk?" Lin Fei looked up at the ceiling. "I haven't done anything wrong. The fire is so big, but I'm perfectly fine. What's there to feel wronged about?"
"Silly girl." Liang Yanzhe thought to himself that nearly two months of careful preparation had all gone down the drain. If this wasn't unfair, then what was?
She's just too demanding of herself; she can't tolerate even the slightest mistake.
Ignoring the others present, Lin Fei buried her head in Liang Yanzhe's shoulder, swallowing all her sobs and only daring to sniffle softly, trying to relieve the depression in her heart.
After the staff fills out the investigation report, someone needs to sign it.
Before Lin Fei could get up, Liang Yanzhe pressed down on her shoulder.
"I'll go make the arrangements, you take a break." He strode towards the staff.
Upon learning that they were planning to open a shop, the firefighters frowned and pointed out several safety hazards.
The wiring in the weaving room is aging, and the layout of the weaving room is unreasonable, requiring rectification. The store does not have at least two fire extinguishers, which does not meet fire safety standards.
Lin Fei accepted the penalty notice without question.
As long as everyone is safe, nothing else matters.
Before anyone else could catch their breath, Lin Fei contacted cleaners and repairmen to come and clean the weaving room the day after tomorrow. They were to check not only the wiring in the weaving room but also all the wiring in the house and replace any that posed a risk.
She even ordered all the fire safety supplies that she needed to keep in the store online.
Chi Xin sat next to Grandma, his lips tightly pressed together.
"Grandma, if you're not feeling well, I'll help you upstairs to rest," Chi Xin couldn't help but say. "The older sister herself was quite frightened and has been dealing with the mess the whole time. Let's not add to her troubles."
Grandma looked at Lin Fei, who was communicating with the firefighters.
Before entering the fire, she took off her flammable sweater, revealing a thin, dirty white inner lining. She wore a large men's black jacket over it, and even her pants and shoes were covered in dirt.
The person who should be the one most in need of care and attention is now shouldering everything.
"Help me upstairs, then tell her I'm going to rest now." Grandma's eyes were full of heartache for her granddaughter, but also a little relieved.
Faced with the unexpected incident, the granddaughter remained calm and handled the situation properly.
Chi Xin also wanted to help Lin Fei. Right now, they should settle Grandma down as soon as possible, otherwise Lin Fei would have to deal with the fire department staff and then comfort Grandma.
After seeing the fire brigade off, Lin Fei scanned the house but couldn't find Grandma.
Chi Xin happened to be coming downstairs: "Grandma said she was sleepy, so I helped her back to her room to rest."
"Is Grandma alright?" Lin Fei was worried that Grandma was still emotionally distraught, after all, the weaving workshop that she cherished as much as her life had been burned down.
"It's really nothing." Chi Xin patted Lin Fei's dirty clothes. "Go take a shower and change your clothes."
Lin Fei had no interest in doing these things: "I..."
"Didn't you already contact people?" Chi Xin interrupted. "Anyway, I'm on vacation at home with nothing to do, so I'll help you keep an eye on them cleaning. We can talk about other things after the weaving room is restored."
Lin Fei frowned, disregarding everything else, and asked urgently, "Do you think I'm too fragile to handle this? Are you questioning me?"
Chi Xin chuckled silently.
What are you all so competitive about?!
Chi Yao, who had just run home from the street corner, was still catching his breath when he heard his two older sisters talking. He rushed over, fearing that a "battle" was about to break out.
"Eldest sister, second sister didn't mean that. She just wanted you to get some rest."
"Second sister, you need to speak clearly. How can you be so cold when you're trying to help? Smile!"
Liang Yanzhe put his arm around Lin Fei's shoulder, drawing her attention to him.
He coaxed softly, "It's getting late, let's go home first, and your wound hasn't been treated yet."
Lin Fei glanced at the siblings and realized that her behavior had been a bit hurtful. She left with a message saying she was leaving first, and then returned to the city with Liang Yanzhe.
I got home at 9 p.m.
There was a bag of medicine and a bag of food on the cabinet by the door.
They were all ordered in advance by Liang Yanzhe.
She touched her stomach with her uninjured hand and then remembered that she hadn't eaten dinner.
Perhaps because they had both been in the fire, they had a strong odor on them. When Shunshun came to pick them up, she smelled the pungent smell and took several steps back.
Lin Fei, who had no interest in doing anything before, now wanted to take a shower.
Liang Yanzhe treated her wound again and wrapped it with plastic wrap to prevent it from getting wet.
Lin Fei held his hand up in front of him: "It looks like a pig's trotter."
"Don't joke about yourself." Liang Yanzhe gestured for her to sit in the bathtub.
Lin Fei, wearing a thin tank top and shorts, soaked in warm water, her head resting on the edge.
Because her hands were not in a convenient position, Liang Yanzhe washed her hair.
He wet her hair with warm water, and the man's well-defined fingers ran through the strands, gently combing them open and massaging her with just the right amount of pressure to help her relax.
Lin Fei was almost asleep when Liang Yanzhe woke her up.
"Take a shower." Liang Yanzhe wrapped up her long hair and took the shower gel from the shelf.
"No, I can do it myself."
Although they had been intimate, she couldn't bring herself to let him help her bathe, as it was different from cleaning up afterward.
She pushed the man out the door, closed it, and let out a long sigh of relief.
After all the fuss, Lin Fei finally sat down at the dining table at ten o'clock and ate a hot meal.
Liang Yanzhe was worried that her wound would fester, so he prepared her food in a bland style.
She was so hungry she was about to vomit, but she didn't care about anything else and quietly stuffed bite after bite into her mouth.
After eating and drinking her fill, Lin Fei leaned back on the sofa, watching the latest variety show on the projector, but she was watching it absentmindedly.
"Don't go to bed too early tonight." Liang Yanzhe sat down next to her.
Lin Fei turned his head: "What do you want to do?"
He shook his head slightly, a gentle smile blooming on his lips: "Today's accident was too sudden. You've already been through a fire. Staying conscious for six hours can reduce the psychological trauma."
"Six hours...doesn't that mean I'll have to wait until three o'clock?" Lin Fei couldn't think of what he could do during that time. "I'll go to the study."
Liang Yanzhe pulled her into his arms: "You're not allowed to go to the study either."
Lin Fei counted on her fingers and said, "I can't sleep, I can't work, I can't do anything..."
The man looked at her and wisely swallowed the word "love".
"The TV series isn't good either." Lin Fei lay down in a huff, resting her head on the man's firm thighs, and deliberately rubbing against his lower abdomen.
Liang Yanzhe's self-control was beyond that of ordinary people. She was practically using that spot as a pillow, but he really didn't react at all.
"Sleep well." Liang Yanzhe looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing. He took the pillow next to him and placed it behind her head, separating the two of them.
Lin Fei, oblivious to Liang Yanzhe's unusual reaction, continued, "I've already thought of a solution. Let's postpone the shop opening for a month. Grandma can focus on making the custom-made cheongsams for our clients, and then we can talk about the cultural and creative products."
"I'm so unlucky, everything I do always ends up going wrong."
"For example, when I go to draw merchandise in a blind bag, I definitely won't get what I want the first time, only the second time. Or, for example, when I filled out my college application, I didn't get into the first major, but I got into the second. I'm used to it, so I accept today's unexpected turn of events. I'll just start over again. I, Lin Fei, have plenty of patience. Let God torment me as much as he wants."
She became increasingly discouraged as she talked, but in the end she tried to cheer herself up.
Should we say she's optimistic within pessimism?
"The solution has been decided, so can we stop thinking about this for now?" Liang Yanzhe thought Lin Fei was becoming more determined after setbacks, but it turned out he had no choice but to accept the unpleasant reality.
I understand that her anxiety cannot be soothed by a few words of comfort. The only way to calm her down is to let her get into the bad situation again and use her abilities to solve it.
He also believed she could do it.
But he still had his own selfish motives.
I want her to bear less burden.
I couldn't wait to do something for her too.
But he seemed to have discovered that Lin Fei's life could continue with or without him.
Thinking about this, he became slightly agitated and stopped thinking about it further.
Lin Fei sat up, looking at him with bright eyes: "Did I do a good job?"
"Hmm." Liang Yanzhe seemed a little absent-minded. "You're fine."
Lin Fei removed the pillow, straddled his lap, and hugged his neck tightly: "Praise me a few more times."
"Do you always seek praise from others?" Liang Yanzhe asked, feeling bewildered.
Why do I always like to compare myself to others?
What is it meant to highlight?
Lin Fei shook his head: "When others praise me, it's not sincere, but when you praise me, I feel very at ease."
Liang Yanzhe couldn't see through her.
Just seconds ago she gave him the feeling that she didn't need him, but now she makes him feel that she can't live without him.
Was it genuine emotion, or was her acting just too good?
She nestled in his arms.
"Mr. Liang, please praise me more."
Liang Yanzhe patted her on the shoulder: "Help me read the thesis."
Lin Fei rested her chin on his shoulder: "You're such a spoilsport..."
It's this late, why bother reading papers?
Liang Yanzhe went back to his room to deal with some urgent materials, while Lin Fei and Shunshun played in the living room.
Confirming that Liang Yanzhe wouldn't leave the room anytime soon, she tiptoed upstairs to the second floor.
Shunshun followed behind her, and she couldn't get rid of him, so she simply carried him to the study.
Lin Fei is the type who wants to find things to do the more anxious he is. He doesn't want his brain to rest, fearing that if he is idle, he will start thinking about life again, thinking about random things, and then fall into extreme pessimism.
She didn't like the gloomy Lin Fei.
She would do everything she could to make Lin Fei happy.
At her desk, Lin Fei was focused on making a small garment.
This isn't for the baby, it's for Shunshun.
Shunshun obediently lay on the table, quietly watching Lin Feifei sew, and fell asleep without realizing it.
At 2 a.m., Liang Yanzhe finished working on the urgent materials required by the college and left his room.
The living room was empty; the cat was nowhere to be seen.
The projector automatically plays the latest episode of a variety show, creating the illusion that someone is always in the living room.
She has quite a few little schemes up her sleeve.
Liang Yanzhe went up to the second floor.
Her study door was indeed open.
"Shunshun raises his hand, let Mom see if the sleeve is too long or too short."
"Don't move, or you'll prick yourself with the needle."
"Lift your leg up, and we'll measure your waist."
Liang Yanzhe slowed his pace, interrupting the tender moment between the man and the cat.
"It's getting late."
Lin Fei paused for a moment, almost choking Shunshun.
"Why are you walking so quietly! You scared me to death!" Lin Fei glanced at the time. "It's only two o'clock, how can I sleep?"
Liang Yanzhe's gaze lingered on him, and he said with a smile, "You seem to be fine, you can go to sleep now."
"Here I am!" Lin Fei put down the clothes, turned off the lamp, and ran and jumped towards Liang Yanzhe.
She trusted Liang Yanzhe completely and thought she was fine, but she woke up from a nightmare after sleeping for less than half an hour.
Liang Yanzhe dared not sleep too soundly; as soon as she made a sound, he immediately gripped her hand tightly in response.
"What did you dream about?" Liang Yanzhe touched the fine sweat on her forehead and brushed her bangs aside.
Lin Fei spoke after a while, his voice slightly hoarse: "I dreamt that there was a torrential rain in the port city, and I was trapped alone in the waiting room. The outside world was bizarre and strange, and the plane I was supposed to take was late."
"Then what?"
"You arrived, but you didn't say a word to me, and then you left."
Liang Yanzhe fell into a long silence.
"You saw it?" he asked.
Lin Fei said confidently, "I saw it! It was right there in my dream, crystal clear!"
He seemed to say something, but his voice was too soft for Lin Fei to hear.
A faint smile played on his lips as he comforted her, "It was just a dream, don't worry about it. Would you like some water?"
Lin Fei sat up: "Yes, I want it warm."
The warm water prepared by the bedside had cooled down, so Liang Yanzhe went to the living room to get her a glass of water at just the right temperature.
Lin Fei quickly finished the drink and felt much better.
She handed the water glass back.
"There's still half a sip of water left, finish it." Liang Yanzhe's mild obsessive-compulsive disorder kicked in.
Lin Fei had no choice but to obey, otherwise the man wouldn't let her off the hook.
Liang Yanzhe insisted on putting the water glass back in its original place, took the empty water glass, and walked out again.
Lin Fei had just lain down when the loud banging on the door startled her.
"What's wrong?" She got up uneasily, quickly put on her shoes, and ran to the living room.
Before Liang Yanzhe even reached the display screen in the entryway, he could hear Zhong Shuwen's voice through the door.
"Afei, are you there?"
"Afei, open the door quickly."
Without thinking twice, Lin Fei strode forward and opened the door.
In just a few seconds, she wondered if the news of today's fire had reached him, and that he had to come over and nag her so late at night?
Zhong Shuwen, who was outside the door, was wearing pajamas just like them, looking flustered and pale.
"How……"
Before she could finish speaking, Zhong Shuwen interrupted her urgently.
"Grandpa has had a relapse and is in the emergency room. Don't worry about that now, you and I will go back to Hong Kong together."
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Author's note: [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] The Port City Line is now open.
Still 66, thank you everyone for your support! Still asking for nutrient solution and comments, mwah!
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