"Grab him!"
Yu Jiu anxiously reminded him, and she flicked the branch again, hitting him right next to his chin.
"If you're too weak in your hands, you can bite a branch with your mouth and stick your nose out!"
"If I can't pull you up, and you can breathe with your nose sticking out, then I can go find someone to rescue you!"
"Did you hear me? Move a muscle!"
Yu Jiu grabbed the soft vine again and swung the branch around, this time hitting the man directly on the head.
This might have jolted the man awake, for he quickly freed his other hand to grab a tree branch, which was much easier to grip than the slippery earthen wall. Once he had a firm hold, he hugged the branch tightly and dangled from the lakeside, his head finally emerging from the water.
"Cough cough cough, no, I'm out of strength, I can't hold on for much longer, can you try to pull me up?"
The man had no strength left to stand up or even try to climb up the tree branches. If Yu Jiu didn't pull him up soon, he might not even have the strength to hold onto the branches and would sink back into the water.
"Can you last 10 minutes? I'll ride my bike back to our team to call for backup. It'll take 10 minutes round trip. The vine should be able to hold up; it's quite resilient."
Yu Jiu had great faith in the resilience of this soft vine.
"It can hold on, but I can't! I can only last two minutes! Please, save me, my ancestors!"
The man was in tears. He had just struggled on the brink of death. He was terrified that Yu Jiu would just abandon him and he didn't think he could hold on until Yu Jiu called for help.
"Okay, okay, I'll save you, I'll save you."
Yu Jiu had no choice but to pull on the soft vine with all her might, trying to lift him up. But the man was so heavy that his feet wouldn't move to help her. With Yu Jiu's strength, how could she possibly lift a grown man?
She pulled for a minute and then gave up.
"You're too heavy, I really can't lift you. What's wrong with your legs? Can't you straighten them? Why don't you try standing up?"
Yu Jiu was exasperated. She wanted to find someone to help her, but he wouldn't let her, insisting that he would die there if she left. Yu Jiu was speechless.
If she weren't completely unable to swim, she could have easily jumped down and pulled him up. However, given his excited reaction, as if he had found a lifeline, if someone actually went down to rescue him, he might have clung to that person out of fear and refused to let go.
If he doesn't cooperate at all, the end result could be that they both sink and drown. Yu Jiu had seen such examples before, so even though the water at the lakeside wasn't as high as hers, she didn't want to go down. She couldn't risk her own life to save him.
Xu Zijiang loves her so much. They've only just gotten married. If she dies, not only will she lose out, but Xu Zijiang will also lose out. She's even afraid that Xu Zijiang will commit suicide for her.
"No, my legs are sore, they're cramping, I can't stand up, I really can't stand up, I can't feel my legs anymore, and my hands are going to give out too. Please help me, please help me!"
The man said excitedly, and his movements became much more exaggerated. Yu Jiu felt that he wasn't completely without strength; his legs were so weak that he couldn't feel anything at all. She thought he must be terrified, instinctively afraid, and dared not try to stand up in the water again.
"Then hang in there, I'll think of something else."
"Help! Help! Is anyone there? Someone help me!"
Yu Jiu ran to the roadside and shouted a few more times, but still no one passed by or heard him.
"No, I still have to find someone to save you. I really can't save you by myself."
Yu Jiu was extremely reluctant to go into the water. She came back and told the man that she was about to leave. She had already gotten on her bicycle when she noticed that he, who had been holding onto a tree branch and had his head above water, was gradually sinking again, and bubbles started to rise from the surface of the water.
·····
"I'll save you, I'll save you, okay? Don't die, quickly grab onto a tree branch!"
Yu Jiu had no choice but to run back, frantically pulling on the soft vine again.
The man didn't really want to die; he was just exhausted and slipped back into the water. A few seconds later, he regained his senses and struggled to grab onto the soft vines, trying to surface.
"No need for branches anymore. Just wrap the soft vines around your hands a few more times, and I'll pull you up a little. Then I'll hold your hands, okay? If you're too scared to stand up in the water, put your feet on the edge of the mud for leverage. I'll pull you up, and you can kick a couple more times and you'll be up!"
Yu Jiu gave very serious instructions. She had made herself perfectly clear; if he still didn't cooperate, she wouldn't save him. As long as the person didn't die in front of her, she wouldn't feel guilty or afraid.
"Cough cough cough, okay."
Perhaps sensing Yu Jiu's impatience, the man dared not cause any more trouble. He obediently listened to Yu Jiu's instructions, coughed a few times to expel the water from his lungs, and then pulled off the branch.
He wrapped the soft vine around his hand several times, then clung to the earthen wall, trying to reach up. Yu Jiu pulled on the vine, using all her strength to pull the man up 10 centimeters, and then she suddenly grabbed his hand.
Without needing the soft vines, she could use more strength. Yu Jiu gritted her teeth and pulled the man's hand upwards with all her might.
"Now's the time! Quickly put your feet on the mud wall and use that as leverage to get up!"
Yu Jiu gave quick instructions. The man, not wanting to die, tentatively moved his aching leg. With his right hand held by Yu Jiu and his left hand pressed against the earthen wall, he grimaced for two seconds, then suddenly kicked off the wall with his foot and jumped up like a rabbit.
With the help of him, she felt much lighter, and Yu Jiu felt much more relaxed. She used all her strength, grabbed the man's hands, and leaned back forcefully. With a thud, she finally threw the man onto the shore.
Yu Jiu was so exhausted that he collapsed to the ground, his arms aching and numb, almost breaking.
"How much do you weigh? If you eat so much, don't try to swim, okay? You're so hard to save!"
Yu Jiu couldn't help but rub her arm and complain, "Really, you have to be careful when saving people, or you might end up getting yourself killed."
"I'm sorry, I..."
The man, still shaken, collapsed to the ground. He looked apologetically at Yu Jiu, about to say something. Suddenly, Yu Jiu glanced at her watch and jumped up as if she'd been burned. She said hastily...
"Oh no, I'm going to be late again. You should be able to get back by yourself, right? I'm leaving now, you'll have to figure it out yourself!"
Seeing that he was still conscious and hadn't fainted, Yu Jiu simply ignored him, got on her bicycle, and pedaled so hard that sparks were flying from the chain, and quickly headed to the department store.
It was already 8 o'clock. Yu Jiu locked her bicycle and rushed up, panting. Fortunately, although she was late, several other people at the counters hadn't arrived yet, so everyone was late and she didn't stand out as much.
Unfortunately, today was the day of a surprise inspection by management, and even the manager was reprimanded. Seeing that it was past working hours but several counters were still empty, the manager couldn't contain her temper and, with a dark expression, went through the latecomers one by one.
"You, you, you, and you! All of you, come here! Do you think this is your home? You can come and go as you please, and be late whenever you want! I just told you something yesterday, and today you have to give me a reasonable explanation!"
"Otherwise, I'll reassign you!"
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