Chapter 20 Sophomore Year
Lao Ba's men came looking for them. The large group rushed to the top of the mountain. Seeing Song Ting standing at the door, they hurriedly asked, "How is it?"
"It's not Xiaojiu, she's in the house."
"That's good, Dashun. Hurry back and tell your Aunt Qin. She's so scared she's already gotten out of bed and is about to come over."
The man named Dashun ran back quickly.
As they spoke, a group of men arrived at the door. Zhenmin, a few steps behind, followed, panting.
Song Ting leaned slightly, his figure obscuring the doorframe and trapping Nan Jiu inside. Nan Jiu squeezed to the doorway and tried to peek outside to see what was going on, but Song Ting's hands, tucked behind his back, pushed him back.
Zhenmin hid behind the crowd, her eyes fixed on Song Ting, and the movement of his arms caught her eye.
On the gravel road outside the iron gate, several villagers ran over with flashlights. Lao Ba called out to them, "Have you found the person?"
Someone replied: "Found it."
Lao Ba and the others immediately followed. Nan Jiu, seeing this, also wanted to go in and see what was going on. Song Ting couldn't bring himself to remind her she wasn't wearing any underwear, so he used his body to block her and said, "Stay inside. There's a spare lock on the drawer. Lock the door, and don't follow me."
As he said this, he closed the door and soon left.
It wasn't until the next morning, when Aunt Qin recounted the events of the previous night, that Nan Jiu realized it had all been a misunderstanding. Two young people in the village had been secretly dating without their families' knowledge. At night, on a hilltop where there were fewer people, they slipped out of their homes and headed for a tryst. They were caught by Aunt Qing, who was using the toilet. She thought a girl had been raped and frantically called for the perpetrators to be apprehended.
The news spread throughout the village. The boy's family claimed they were already preparing the betrothal gifts and planned to visit the girl's family in the next few days. The commotion lasted all night, but it actually led to a happy event.
Nan Jiu stayed in the mountains for two days, with nothing to do and feeling very bored. Seeing that Sang Ya always liked to hang around her, she simply called her over and taught her to dance.
Nanjiu taught her simple moves, and Sang Ya studied diligently. The little girl had a natural love for dancing, though she'd never experienced it before. She gazed at Nanjiu's lithe figure and her long, obedient hair, eyes filled with envy.
After noon, clouds obscured the sun, and the sunny day turned cloudy. Nanjiu simply took off her sun-protective clothing and, wearing a white tank top, taught Sangya the movements. Sangya couldn't hear the singing, so Nanjiu had to face her, letting her follow her lip movements to determine the rhythm, which worked well for her.
When Song Ting and Uncle Eight came up to get the tools, Sang Ya excitedly ran to her father-in-law and Song Ting, pointing at herself and dancing with joy.
Nanjiu came over and explained for her: "She learned a dance and wants to show you."
Uncle Eight smiled and applauded Sang Ya in welcome.
Nanjiu gestured to Sangya. Sangya puffed out her chest, stretched her neck, clapped her hands, swung her arms, spun in circles... her eyes occasionally glancing at Nanjiu. Song Ting's peripheral vision followed Sangya's movement, slightly tilting to the right. Nanjiu, standing slightly in front of Sangya, caught her slight hesitation. With a slight twist of her wrist and a slight tilt of her neck, these fragmented movements acted like a key, unlocking the locked lock within Sangya's body and allowing her to smoothly complete the dance.
Uncle Eight and Aunt Qin, who was standing at the door, laughed and clapped. Sang Ya was so excited that sweat broke out on the tip of her nose. Song Ting hadn't had time to reward her yesterday, so he simply turned around and walked to the village shop and bought an ice cream. When he paid, he asked the owner for an extra one.
Nanjiu squatted beside the chicken coop, looking inside. Suddenly, her arm felt cold. She turned her head and saw Sang Ya licking the ice cream. She handed her the unopened one and pointed in the direction where Song Ting was standing. Nanjiu took the ice cream and saw Song Ting and Old Eighth Uncle were about to leave, so she hurriedly followed them.
Song Ting turned around and looked at her: "Where are you going?"
"You guys take care of yourselves, I'll take a look around."
Nanjiu was almost bored to death on the top of the mountain, so she decided to go down for a stroll.
Song Ting didn't say anything more and let her go.
The cold ice cream melted on the tip of his tongue, dispelling the scorching heat. Nan Jiu squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
After going down, Nanjiu went to stay with Zhang Jiang and the others, and soon learned to operate the trencher. The trencher wasn't difficult to operate, but mastering it did require some skill. Junzi kept pushing the machine up the slope, and several times he even shoveled at the people standing nearby. Zhang Jiang, fearing he might break the tea plants, refused to let him touch them again, leaving him to carry the bag. Inside were cell phones, cigarettes, lighters, water bottles, dry food, and other miscellaneous items that the others couldn't carry around while working.
Nanjiu picked it up quickly. They called Junzi over to watch, and she asked how she could hold it so steady. Nanjiu launched into a flurry of explanations, from body coordination to balance and arm strength. Junzi was so taken in by her, she practically wrote it down in a notebook.
The weather forecast says heavy rain won't arrive until tomorrow, but for villagers in the mountains, the weather forecast at this time of year is essentially a whim. When the rain will come, it's not determined by phone; it depends on the clouds.
Lao Ba kept urging on the other end: "Hurry up, it's coming."
Zhang Jiang did not dare to delay. He took the trencher and asked several brothers to clean up the mess quickly and prepare to evacuate.
Nan Jiu was confused and asked, "What's coming?"
"It's raining heavily." Zhang Jiang didn't bother to say more and rushed to the bottom of the slope with Junzi to pack up.
Nan Jiu looked up at the sky. The sun had just peeked out from behind the clouds. The sun was scorching brightly in the sky, and it didn't look like a heavy rain was coming at all.
However, she was too quick to react. Within ten minutes, a gust of wind blew up, and the sunlight suddenly dimmed. The air was thick with the pungent smell of earth, mingling with the distinct aroma of tea plants, creating a strange feeling. The once boisterous chirping of cicadas had faded away, replaced by distant muffled thunder. After the thunder, the earth suddenly became eerily still. In the blink of an eye, the evening sky was as dark as night.
Junzi's father went to town for something today. Junzi followed Zhang Jiang to put the things scattered on the ground into his bag, and ran back carrying a shovel.
When the first raindrops fell, Song Ting had already strode to Nan Jiu and pulled her, who was still standing there, and said, "Hurry up, run back."
Just as Nan Jiu was about to start walking, a call suddenly came from the bottom of the slope. Zhang Jiang shouted upwards, "Junzi has fallen into the ditch."
In an instant, the raindrops formed into lines and heavy rain poured down.
Song Ting pushed Nan Jiu and said, "You go first." He then said to Uncle Ba and his group, "Take the tools with you. I'll go back."
Song Ting braved the heavy rain and walked down the slope in three or two steps. The raindrops made the soil muddy and Junzi's body got stuck in the ditch. The soil became more and more slippery. He tried to climb out several times but failed.
It turns out he was the one who had created this ditch. A few days ago, his father had asked him to dig deeper at the end so the water could flow out more easily. In this shady spot, he'd been digging for a while, wanting to avoid being lazy. When his father came over and saw what was happening, he kicked him and told him to fill it up a bit more. As soon as his father left, he casually filled it in with two shovelfuls of soil and left too. The soil looked okay on the surface, but underneath it wasn't solid at all.
Zhang Jiang called out to Junzi to hurry back, but he missed a step and fell into the pit he had dug. He could have jumped out with a push, but as the rain continued to intensify, the pit under Junzi's feet became deeper and deeper, and he couldn't climb out no matter how hard he tried.
Song Ting and Zhang Jiang joined forces, grabbing his arms and pulling him upward. Junzi's stocky body felt incredibly heavy to pull up, and as soon as he was pulled, he screamed and howled in pain. Zhang Jiang, unsure where the pain was, tensed up, and let go, causing Junzi to slip into the ditch. Within moments, the mud had reached his calves.
"Come and move this." A clear voice pierced through the rain.
Song Ting looked back and saw that Nan Jiu had returned at some point and was squatting in front of a big rock, exerting all his strength.
Song Ting didn't bother to talk to her. He strode forward, picked up the big rock and threw it into the ditch. Junzi stepped on the rock, and Song Ting grabbed him from behind, grabbed him under the armpits and pulled him out of the ditch. Zhang Jiang handed the shovel to Junzi and shouted, "Go back quickly."
The rain was no longer falling, but smashing down, lashing people violently.
Junzi choked on the rain as he opened his mouth. His face was distorted by the rain. He shouted intermittently: "The bag is inside..."
"Don't worry about the bag, just go."
As soon as Song Ting finished speaking, a slender figure rushed into the rainstorm, passed by him, and jumped into the mud ditch. A backpack was thrown up from below. Nan Jiu stepped on the rocks and extended his hand to Song Ting: "Pull me up."
Song Ting held out his hand, and she pushed off with her feet, using the strength of Song Ting's arm to nimbly climb up. Song Ting picked up the backpack and threw it to Zhang Jiang, and the others quickly evacuated.
Zhang Jiang and Junzi ran to the village, while Song Ting rushed back to the warehouse with Nanjiu. The heavy rain had turned the muddy water into a murky stream, and the rain was so blinding that she could barely open her eyes. Song Ting walked ahead, then turned back: "Give me your hand."
As Nan Jiu raised her hand, Song Ting's broad palm came over her, gripping her tightly as they ran upward. The rain was icy cold, but his palm was scorching hot, seeping into her skin. Lightning flashed overhead, and thunder echoed throughout the mountains. In this apocalyptic scene, his fingers, with devastating force, tore a fiery chasm through the torrential rain. He pulled her along, stumbling forward, each step treading the line between chaos and clarity.
Song Ting opened the door and turned on the lights. Nan Jiu turned around and closed the door, instantly blocking the rain outside. They were able to escape from this doomsday scene.
Nan Jiu leaned against the door, her chest heaving rapidly. Her hair clung to her neck, and the white tank top she wore was completely soaked, the transparent fabric enveloping every curve. Mud and rain clung to her body with a primal, untamed vitality, emitting a frighteningly vibrant color with each breath.
Song Ting's hand still lingered on the switch, his hair ruffled by the rain, a few strands plastered to his forehead. Each breath he took caused the distinct muscles in his chest and abdomen to expand and contract, and his eyes held a hint of anger. "Which is more important, the bag or your life?"
"All of them are important." Nan Jiu raised her wet eyelashes and looked at him straight in the eye. The light in her eyes was like a hook that could kill someone, silently but accurately holding his breath.
Raindrops dripped down his sharp jawline and onto his undulating Adam's apple. Every line on his body was stretched to its limit, the fire in his eyes suppressed deep within his pupils, and the brutal masculine tension enveloped Nanjiu like a giant net.
Neither of them spoke anymore. The strong wind and heavy rain pounded on the door, and the whole house seemed to be shaking, unbalanced, and sinking.
Song Ting felt a soft, wet touch on the back of his hand. Nan Jiu placed his palm on the back of his hand and pressed lightly, and the light in the room suddenly disappeared.
Without hesitation, without trial, her lips met his, her heartbeat pounding against her eardrums with a dizzying thud. Like a deranged arsonist, she trampled underfoot all the shackles, boundaries, and constraints of reality. The raging storm outside and the gloom within served as a shield for her audacity.
His body stiffened instantly. In the absolute darkness, deprived of vision, his sense of touch took over. The tip of her tongue, carrying the coolness of rain, penetrated his lips and teeth, an incredibly soft entanglement that immediately disrupted his breathing. A heavy, rapid heartbeat vibrated in his chest. He had originally pulled her hands apart, but the moment he grasped her shoulders, his knuckles suddenly turned white. A low gasp rolled out of his throat, and the dam shattered. He suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and leaned down. The crushing kiss was like a rainstorm outside the window, plundering and devouring, rushing away her remaining consciousness.
Her body was trapped in his strong arms, her fingers tightly grasping his soaked fabric, and the thrilling stimulation took away all her breath. For the first time, Nan Jiu tasted the feeling of his soul floating.
All this was so short that it seemed like an illusion. Song Ting suddenly took a big step back, and the distance between them suddenly widened. Only his heavy and suppressed breathing remained, like sand grinding in the humid air.
After a cold and suffocating silence, Song Ting's voice was as cold and hard as deliberately wrapped metal: "I'll send someone to pick you up after the rain stops."
He didn't stop, opened the door, and stepped into the howling rain.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
