Before he finished speaking, the car body suddenly shook violently. The right front wheel fell into a hidden snow pit without any protection, and the chassis hit the frozen ground heavily, making a terrifying muffled sound.
Zheng Wanqing was thrown forward by inertia, and her forehead almost hit the back of the front seat.
Zhou Lin immediately raised his head and asked with concern: "Madam, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Zheng Wanqing steadied herself and suppressed the panic in her heart, "Did you step on something?"
"I'm afraid it's broken down." Zhou Lin's face was solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "I'll get off and take a look." As he said that, he quickly unbuckled his seat belt, pushed open the car door and got out to check.
A biting cold wind immediately rushed into the car. Even when the door was almost closed, the chill still lingered.
Zhou Lin squatted down to check the wheels, only to see that the right front wheel was deeply stuck in the snow and mud, and the surrounding mud was churned into a mess. He couldn't help but frown, feeling a bit awkward.
Zheng Wanqing saw through the car window the back of Zhou Lin squatting beside the wheel. The hem of his military uniform was instantly soaked with mud and water, and the white breath he exhaled condensed into tiny ice crystals in the cold wind.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier, with goose-feather-like snowflakes falling densely. Zheng Wanqing felt that it was not a good idea to keep snowing like this, so she tightened the collar of her coat and pushed open the car door without hesitation.
"Madam, don't come down!" Zhou Lin was so anxious that his voice changed. "It's cold and dirty here."
"Two people is always faster." She had already taken out the shovel from the trunk.
Zhou Lin looked at her stubbornness and took the tools with a wry smile. They worked together tacitly, one shoveling snow while the other laying wooden planks.
The cold wind whistled past, Zheng Wanqing's hair was blown into a mess, and snowflakes fell on her shoulders and hair ends, quickly melting into crystal drops of water.
Zhou Lin looked at her embarrassed but determined appearance, his heart full of admiration, and he couldn't help but speed up his movements.
After some effort, the wheel finally had hope of getting out of trouble.
Zhou Lin wiped the sweat mixed with mud from his face, his eyes fell on Zheng Wanqing's muddy boots, and said softly: "Madam, it's almost time, please get in the car."
Zheng Wanqing nodded, and when she was about to return to the carriage, her legs, which were numb from standing for too long, suddenly went soft, her feet slipped, and she fell forward.
Zhou Lin was quick to reach out and hold her arm: "Be careful!" He let go of her hand only after Zheng Wanqing stood firm.
After Zheng Wanqing thanked him, she got into the carriage.
When the engine finally roared again, they both smiled at each other.
Zhou Lin glimpsed Zheng Wanqing's blue lips from the rearview mirror. He unbuttoned his military coat and rolled up the coat, which was still warm, and passed it to the back seat: "Madam, please put it on your legs. It can keep out some of the cold."
Zheng Wanqing was about to refuse, but suddenly she shuddered. The hem of her coat was already covered with ice, and it rustled whenever she moved. She finally took the coat and spread it across her legs. The fabric still had his body temperature, mixed with the smell of gun oil and tobacco.
The residual warmth from the coat seeped through, giving her frozen legs some feeling.
Zheng Wanqing handed the kettle to Zhou Lin, "Take a sip to warm yourself up. You've been driving for a long time."
Zhou Lin took it and took a sip: "Madam, if you are tired, take a rest. I will tell you when we get there."
After the car got back on the road, Zhou Lin kept checking Zheng Wanqing's condition through the rearview mirror. It was not until he saw the twinkling lights of the camp in the distance that his tense nerves relaxed.
"Ma'am, we're here." He called softly, with a tired and relieved voice.
Zheng Wanqing slowly opened her eyes and couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief when she saw the slightly blurry outline of the camp.
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