"Listen to the captain's wife!"
Yu Jiu was momentarily confused. It wasn't... Never mind, it's the same. She'll be Xu Zijiang's wife when he comes back!
Yu Jiu made up her mind and went to another cave with Gouzi. She relayed the suggestions from this cave to the other cave, where the suggestions were more readily accepted. With Xu Zijiang gone, everyone was missing a leader. Although she was still a young girl, her status as the captain's wife was surprisingly helpful.
By the next day, even those who had previously been unwilling to share their food brought it out, and everyone united as one to get through this disaster.
Having secured the crucial food, Yu Jiu looked outside anxiously, wondering when Xu Zi would return. But all she saw was a raging flood and a jumble of things floating on the water—furniture, pots and pans, even chickens that had been swept away, drifting downstream.
I didn't see Xu Zijiang; I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
On the other side, Xu Zijiang and Li Nannan spent the night on the roof. The cold rain kept hitting them, and the wind was howling. Even Xu Zijiang found it a bit unbearable. Moreover, after a night, the water not only did not recede at all, but rose even higher, almost reaching the roof. They could no longer stay there.
Xu Zi frowned and looked at Li Nannan.
"Can you swim?"
No, it won't.
Li Nannan shook her head, shivering. She shivered, her face pale with cold. She had already taken the bed sheet off her waist and draped it over herself, but she was still cold, so cold. She wanted to hug this stinky man, Xu Zi, to warm up, but she never expected him to dare refuse her!
What a joke! Are you afraid she'll fall for him? That's laughable! She has countless men pursuing her. Even if Xu Zijiang were given to her, she wouldn't want him; she wouldn't even look at him! A country bumpkin like him only deserves to be with a lowly woman like Yu Jiu!
"Oh shit!"
"This is incredibly bad luck," Xu Zi couldn't help but mutter under his breath, his face darkening. Fortunately, the floodwaters were receding; although the water level was still high, it wouldn't have much force to sweep people away.
Xu Zijiang stood up, walked over, and threw the wooden plank he had prepared earlier in front of Li Nannan, saying coldly.
"Lie down."
"Huh? Why? This pose is so awkward, I..."
"Your life or your pride, choose one."
Xu Zi interrupted her sharply, his piercing gaze fixed on Li Nannan, as if he wanted to burn this troublesome girl to death.
Li Nannan had no choice but to shut up in grievance and lie down on the board in a frog-like position. Xu Zijiang then used a bed sheet to simply and roughly tie Li Nannan and the board together, with the other end still wrapped around his body.
"Try slashing your hand, see if you can... never mind, just don't cause me any trouble."
Xu Zijiang gave up on her, his eyes gazing into the distance with a deep look. Then, as if locking onto a route, he plunged into the water and swam forward.
Li Nannan bobbed up and down in the water. Lacking experience, she swallowed several mouthfuls of murky water and immediately cried out again.
"Ugh, ptooey! Can you watch your mouth?! I drank some water! It's disgusting!"
Xu Zijiang ignored her, letting her squeal and scream behind him. He chose a direction and swam forward resolutely. When he got tired, he would hold onto the rooftops along the way to rest and replenish his energy before continuing. However, his good fortune didn't last long. He hadn't even swum halfway when the floodwaters swept in again. The water below began to surge restlessly, almost sweeping Li Nannan away. Xu Zijiang was also pulled back and nearly swept away. He quickly grabbed a nearby tree branch, wrapped a bed sheet around it several times, and waited for his chance.
Another day passed. This was the third day since the flood started, and the floodwaters still hadn't receded. Xu Zijiang hadn't returned either. He had no food; could he survive that long? When would the waters recede?
Since the water level showed no signs of receding today, Yu Jiu once again reduced the food distribution, with each person eating only a small bite and then sitting quietly to reduce physical exertion.
But Yu Jiu couldn't sit still. The mountain path was slippery, and she didn't dare go far down. She called out Xu Zijiang's name loudly at the cave entrance, but received no response. She lowered her eyes, sat cross-legged at the cave entrance, her beautiful face smeared with mud, her hair disheveled, but she didn't care. She looked ahead with a melancholy expression, even her delicate chin seemed to show her sorrow.
"Xu Zijiang, Xu Zijiang, if you don't come back, I'm going to marry someone else. You can just watch me and another man being all lovey-dovey from the ground."
And I'll do those sleazy things you love to do with other people too.
Yu Jiu muttered to himself, his face clearly showing his unhappiness.
Xu Zijiang arrived at the cave entrance at this time. His skin was wrinkled from being soaked in water. He was cold, hungry, and almost had no strength, but he still managed to force a roguish smile and said in a low voice.
"Hmm? Who do you want to be intimate with? Did you ask for my opinion?"
"Xu Zijiang!"
Upon suddenly hearing the familiar voice, Yu Jiu was overwhelmed with excitement. Her eyes reddened, and disregarding the fact that they were in public, she immediately threw herself into Xu Zijiang's arms, clinging tightly to his waist.
"Ahhh! You're finally back! You scared me to death! If you hadn't come back, then I, I..."
As Yu Jiu spoke, she choked up. She pressed her lips together tightly, but clear tears still streamed down from her misty almond-shaped eyes like glistening white pearls. Her raven-feather-like eyelashes were also wet, hanging down in a damp heap. She looked helpless and sad.
Xu Zijiang was both pleased that Yu Jiu cared about him and worried that he had made her so anxious. He quickly picked her up with one hand, hugged her, and gently rubbed his forehead against hers, coaxing her softly.
"Okay, stop crying. I'm back now. You won't look pretty if you keep crying."
"What?! I was so worried about you, and the first thing you say when you get back is that you think I'm not pretty anymore! You bastard!"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Yu Jiu angrily punched his chest, feeling both wronged and angry.
"uh-huh."
Xu Zijiang couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. Yu Jiu's emotions, which had been on the verge of collapse, instantly subsided. She nervously touched Xu Zijiang's chest.
"What's wrong? Did I hit you too hard? Or are you injured? Let me see!"
"No, I didn't... hiss."
Xu Zi gasped in pain, his already pale face turning even paler.
The dog standing nearby couldn't bear to watch and offered a reminder.
"Sister-in-law, the captain is injured in his leg and hand, you're touching the wrong places~~~"
"What! So many injuries!"
Yu Jiu quickly stepped out of his arms, helped him sit down, and regained her senses. She quickly asked Gouzi to bring some food for Xu Zijiang to eat, as he must be starving!
"Does it hurt? How did you get hurt? We don't have any medicine to apply right now. Let me blow on it for you, sob sob."
Yu Jiu was heartbroken. With teary eyes, she hugged his right arm and carefully blew on his hideous wound a few times. She even whimpered like a wounded animal, looking extremely pitiful.
"It doesn't hurt, don't cry."
Even with so many people around, Xu Zi couldn't help but pinch her chin and kiss her eyes twice, kissing away her tears.
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