After getting off the train, Zhou Mufeng, based on Miaomiao's description, asked around for places that offered tie-dyeing techniques.
He actually got the right answer; it was in a remote Miao village, hundreds of miles away from where he got off the bus.
The weather was gloomy, with dark clouds rolling in, so he quickly asked about buses to the Miao village.
The mountain road to the Miao village is winding and there's no direct transportation there. A minivan agreed to take him to the nearest place.
"One hundred yuan. Go ask around. If I didn't live over there, you wouldn't be able to find a car to go there." The driver wasn't doing charity work; he clearly stated the price to him.
He was still hesitating when his phone rang. It was Lu Wanqing calling him.
She panicked when she realized Miaomiao hadn't called her for two days. She kept getting busy when she tried to call back, which really worried her.
I called Mu Feng just to ask if he knew what was going on.
"Auntie, I'm so sorry, I haven't been able to contact her for two days either. She's currently on her way to the Miao village in Hunan Province."
Lu Wanqing felt dizzy and quickly urged him to find Miaomiao no matter what.
Just as Mu Feng was about to agree, a torrential downpour began, soaking him completely. To make matters worse, his phone was ruined by the water.
"Hello...hello..." Lu Wanqing was even more anxious now, and quickly called Huo Xiao, asking him to find someone to contact the local area as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the van driver yelled at Mu Feng, "Young man, get in the car. One hundred yuan is really not expensive."
Mu Feng quickly went upstairs, shook the phone, and fiddled with it, only to find that it was completely unusable.
"Young man, is this your cell phone? It must have been very expensive. It's such a pity it's all waterlogged." The driver looked distressed, feeling sorry for him.
Mu Feng wasn't upset about losing his phone; rather, without it, his mother and aunt couldn't contact him.
"Uncle, how much longer until we get to the nearest Miao village? How far is it after we get off the bus?" He started chatting with the driver.
The driver told him that it would take at least another six hours to drive there, as the mountain roads were difficult to navigate and the speed was very slow.
After getting off the bus, there are still dozens of miles of mountain roads, each only half a meter wide, which will take several hours to walk there.
"Let me tell you, the place you're going to just had a mudslide a couple of days ago, and I heard people died there. You might not be able to get through," the driver advised him.
Mu Feng's heart skipped a beat. "Someone died? Do you know who died?"
"I have no idea." The driver only lived nearby and had only heard about it.
Zhou Mufeng no longer harbored any illusions and immediately started negotiating with the driver, offering to pay him to be a guide so they could reach the Miao village as quickly as possible.
The driver hesitated. He hadn't been home for a long time and missed his wife and children. He was a little troubled by the prospect of being delayed for several hours.
"Uncle, to tell you the truth, my girlfriend went missing while she was here on a business trip. She might have been caught in the mudslide you mentioned. I have to go and rescue her."
"I still have over a thousand yuan on me. I can give it to you if you agree." Mu Feng looked at him sincerely.
At this point, keeping money is of little use; finding Miaomiao is the most important thing.
The middle-aged man chuckled, "Young man, I can tell you're quite wealthy. How about this, give me another hundred, and I'll take you there, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow during the day. It's too dangerous to walk on mountain roads at night. What's done is done; you can't risk getting yourself involved."
Mu Feng had no choice but to nod in agreement.
The van drove along the winding mountain road, flanked by deep forests, which was quite terrifying.
He was only thinking about saving Miaomiao, so he didn't find it particularly scary.
A few hours later, as darkness fell, the uncle drove the van back to his village and took him home.
The uncle's house was quite nice; it was a red brick house with three rooms.
His wife and children came out to greet him happily, asking after his well-being.
"Who is this person?" A young woman who looked to be in her early twenties, probably his eldest daughter, asked somewhat shyly after seeing Zhou Mufeng.
"Get some food for the hitchhiker, and tidy up the storage bed for him to stay in," the uncle instructed.
His wife busied herself preparing the meal, while the young woman went to make the bed. There was also a little brother, about ten years old, who was very talkative and kept asking Mu Feng all sorts of questions.
Zhou Mufeng responded casually, thinking to himself that this was a warm family, with a harmonious couple and friendly children. He wondered how many children he would have if he married Miaomiao in the future.
By the time everyone gathered around to eat, the uncle's family already knew about his situation.
"Don't worry, I heard that people did drown in the mudslide that day, but no girls were among them. Your girlfriend will definitely be fine," the young woman assured her.
This news alleviated his anxiety to some extent, making him willing to eat a few bites of food.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the uncle took Mufeng to the Miao village as promised.
His eldest daughter insisted on coming along, and once she did, his younger brother wanted to come too, and the group quickly grew.
Zhou Mufeng was very grateful. Not only did the person lead the way, but they also kept comforting him, saying that they would help him no matter what.
Upon arriving at the Miao village, the uncle inquired along the way and finally learned that Miaomiao was recuperating at the village clinic.
Zhou Mufeng quickly took out three hundred yuan and stuffed it into the uncle's hand, thanking him profusely.
"Hey, we agreed on two hundred, why are you giving me three hundred?" The uncle pulled out a bill and handed it back.
His daughter snatched all the money from his hand and returned it to Mu Feng.
"Dad, how can you ask for payment for doing a good deed?!"
As she spoke, she pushed her father away.
Zhou Mufeng watched their departing figures, his heart filled with emotion.
He immediately headed towards the clinic.
At this moment, Miaomiao is lying in bed, writing a letter.
She and her two assistants were caught in a mudslide; one was buried in the mud, and the other had his leg broken by a rock. They were taken to the county hospital by the village.
My leg was also scraped and I was unconscious for two days. I just woke up today and need to rest for a few days before I can get out of bed.
Communication here is terrible; the entire village is so poor that there isn't a single telephone. After her cell phone broke down, she lost contact with the outside world.
Someone suggested that she write down the situation and then find someone to report it to a nearby place with a telephone.
Halfway through writing, he rested his chin on his hand, pen in hand, deep in thought, when he saw Mu Feng standing at the door with tears in his eyes.
"Miaomiao, I've finally found you! What happened to your leg?" Mu Feng stepped forward and hugged her.
Her leg was wrapped in gauze; to the uninitiated, it would look like it was broken.
Miaomiao laughed and cried at the same time: "It's nothing, just a scratch and a little blood."
The two hugged each other for a long time, each telling the other what had happened.
"Mu Feng, are you really not going to give them the money? It's normal to get a little reward for doing a good deed." Miao Miao was a little annoyed that he took the money back.
Mu Feng scratched his head: "They returned the money and left, and I was in a hurry to see you, so this is how it ended."
"Never mind, we'll go thank them together later," Miaomiao comforted him, then suddenly remembered the letter.
"Oh right, I need to learn how to use the phone as soon as possible. No, when you get here, go find a phone and tell my mom what's going on. She must be worried sick."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
