Chapter 54 Rescue of the Sinking Village: The Original Novel's Male Lead, Intoxicated?!
Butler Wang was the first to react: "Why is there a power outage?"
He picked up his phone to call and confirm, and came back a few minutes later to report: "They said that the flash flood caused by the heavy rain washed away the external power supply equipment, and they are currently carrying out emergency repairs. Our manor has a backup power supply, so we can start it up first and it won't be affected."
It's raining now, so the solar panels that were installed a long time ago can't be used for the time being. But the Sheng family has other backup power sources, which can supply electricity for one or two months if used sparingly.
"Um."
Ling Shu calmly finished her European-style bread, seemingly unaffected by the power outage.
Butler Wang nodded to them and quickly turned to make the arrangements.
The lights are dimmer than before.
Ling Shu stood up and turned off the chandelier switch, trying to save money wherever possible.
Since it's daytime now, we don't need lighting.
Sheng Zhujun rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window: "Shushu, how about we go feed the chickens later?"
She originally wanted to invite Ling Shu to watch TV series in the room, but considering the need to save electricity, she decided to do some entertainment activities that didn't require electricity.
While feeding the chickens, pick out a plump one, slaughter it, and cook it over a wood fire.
"Okay." Ling Shu nodded in agreement.
She had finished eating, stood up, and instructed the maid beside her, "Take Sheng Yun Shen back to his ward."
Sheng Zhujun exclaimed "Huh?" somewhat surprised: "Aren't you taking my brother?"
"I'm not bringing it."
Ling Shu paused.
Sheng Yun Shen's abnormal temperature this morning still bothered her, and she felt it was more appropriate for him to rest in the ward. Taking him out might cause him to catch a cold if he accidentally got wet in the rain, which would be even more troublesome.
"Okay." Sheng Zhujun didn't say much, and pulled Ling Shu out together.
The maid stepped forward and quietly pushed Sheng Yunshen, who was in a wheelchair, into the elevator.
Ling Shu didn't return to Xiaominglou until evening after leaving the house.
The damaged electrical equipment hadn't been repaired yet, and only a few lights were on in Xiaoming Building, making it look rather dim. Ling Shu thought for a moment and then instructed the servants to turn off the elevators.
She climbed the stairs and went into the room.
Sheng Yun Shen was surrounded by a bunch of medical instruments, like a sleeping prince surrounded by thorns.
Ling Shu walked to his side, reached out and touched him, and felt that he was still a little feverish.
She frowned and asked him again, "Are you really not feeling unwell?"
In her mind, Sheng Yun Shen's voice sounded listless: "I'm fine, don't worry."
Ling Shu breathed a sigh of relief.
Today she instructed caregivers A and B to check on Sheng Yun Shen's condition every two hours. According to their reports, everything was normal.
She's probably overthinking it.
In these extraordinary times, she has to be extra cautious.
Ling Shu sat down by the bed and took Sheng Yun Shen's hand.
She was speaking when a dull thud came from outside, as if something was collapsing or crumbling. Judging from the sound, it must have come from a great distance.
Ling Shu's brow twitched, she stood up, and quickly walked to the window.
The heavy rain plunged the world into darkness, making even the distant lights of Beijing appear blurry, like candles that could be extinguished at any moment.
She couldn't tell where the sound was coming from.
Ling Shu was about to call Butler Wang when his call came first.
He brought bad news: "Miss Ling, something has happened outside!"
Butler Wang said gravely, “The Sheng family’s external communications have been cut off.”
The Sheng Family Manor is built on a mountain, and there are two roads leading up the mountain: a winding mountain road and a tunnel. This morning, the tunnel started to flood and has been closed.
The mountain road is now closed.
The Sheng family manor has become an isolated island.
Of course, this isn't the worst news.
“The neighboring village of Chen has also been affected. It is now without water and electricity and is also at risk of flash floods at any time. The villagers are in a very dangerous situation. The authorities had arranged for them to go down the mountain to take temporary shelter, but the road has collapsed and all the rescue vehicles are blocked at the foot of the mountain and cannot get over.”
Scattered across the outskirts of Beijing are many villages and towns, one of which, not far from the Sheng family manor, is called Chen Village. Ling Shu had passed by it several times by car and vaguely remembered that Chen Village was not large, with only a few dozen households. Most of the young people had gone out to work, leaving only the elderly and children in the village.
I never expected the rain to be so heavy, with flash floods even occurring in the suburbs of Beijing.
These details were not mentioned in the original book, and this was the first time Ling Shu had learned about them.
She stood by the window for a moment, then called Qin Hong: "Madam, I'd like to temporarily settle the people from Shencun at the Sheng family's place."
It was already late at night, and the village was filled with the elderly, children, and the sick and disabled, now completely isolated and helpless. If the Sheng family didn't come to their aid, they were destined to have no sleep tonight.
Ling Shu couldn't stand idly by.
Of course, she didn't do good deeds blindly.
Before making the call, Ling Shu had already considered how to settle these people: "The main building of the Sheng family is large enough to accommodate them temporarily. There is a wall separating the main building from the other buildings, which can keep them isolated."
The main building of the Sheng family is often used to entertain guests. To prevent guests from wandering around and accidentally entering, there is a special wall around the main building to separate it from the living area of the Sheng family.
On the other end of the phone, Qin Hong agreed without hesitation: "Xiao Shu, you think the same way I do."
She had lived in the Sheng family for decades and had a close relationship with the old village chief of Shen Village. Since Shen Village was in trouble, the Sheng family should naturally offer their help.
With Qin Hong's support, Ling Shu felt at ease.
She was no longer sleepy, so she simply took her umbrella and went out with Butler Wang to settle the villagers of Chencun.
Fortunately, Li Yin had sent her several high-performance SUVs yesterday. Butler Wang and the other servants made several trips back and forth and quickly brought all the villagers from Chen Village over. Food and dry clothes had already been prepared in advance in the main hall. Ling Shu stood on the second floor, watching the servants carefully take care of the still-shaken villagers.
Looking down from above, there are about forty or fifty villagers in Chencun, most of whom are elderly people and children.
There were only a very small number of young and middle-aged people, probably less than ten.
The villagers sat together in twos and threes, eating and repeatedly thanking the Sheng family for their generous help.
The elderly village chief, his hair gray, wiped away tears repeatedly, leaning shakily on his cane, insisting on thanking Qin Hong in person. Butler Wang, seeing how exhausted he was, tried to stop him, finally managing to persuade him to stay.
The rooms upstairs in the main building are all ready. However, there are only a limited number of rooms, so the villagers may have to sleep in cramped conditions tonight.
Under the orderly arrangement of Steward Wang, the villagers quickly went to their rooms to rest.
The hall fell silent again.
Having confirmed that everything was arranged, Ling Shu breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
As she was about to turn the corner, her ears twitched, and she heard a low arguing sound coming from not far away.
Ling Shu frowned and immediately stopped in her tracks.
The first voice to ring out was that of a middle-aged man, who sounded furious: "There are so few rooms here, it's already troublesome enough that the whole family has to squeeze in to sleep. If I don't have some alcohol, I simply can't sleep."
After the middle-aged man finished complaining, a woman's voice immediately followed: "Brother Ming, we were in a hurry to leave and forgot to bring the wine from home. Otherwise, just bear with it."
"Endure?" The middle-aged man was very dissatisfied. "Why should I endure? This is the Sheng family, a well-known wealthy family in Beijing. Don't they even have a bottle of wine?"
His words showed no respect for the Sheng family, and were even somewhat sarcastic: "A billionaire boss took us in, and all he did was provide us with some water. It's really shameful to say that."
The woman was still nagging and trying to calm the man's anger, but Ling Shu's expression had already turned cold.
She didn't need to look to know who the two people talking were.
Standing on the second floor, she surveyed all the villagers of Chen Village. Among them was a middle-aged couple with their two sons. The husband's face was flushed, his eyes were cloudy and lifeless, and his left hand trembled slightly from time to time, clearly indicating that he was a long-term alcoholic. The wife, on the other hand, was timid and submissive, her face filled with weakness, always seeking her husband's opinion before doing anything.
She immediately took a special liking to these two people and planned to instruct Butler Wang to send someone to keep a close eye on them.
Unexpectedly, this drunkard started causing trouble just a short while later.
Ling Shu didn't move and patiently continued listening.
The man seemed to have grown impatient with the woman's persuasion and suddenly raised his voice: "Why are you just telling me to bear with it? Shouldn't you help me find the Sheng family and have them send me some wine? Otherwise, how am I supposed to sleep, huh?!"
Besides his angry roar, there were also sounds of pushing and pulling.
It sounds like they were both yelling and hitting each other.
Ling Shu's eyes turned slightly cold, and with a swift movement of her toes, she immediately went out to stop them.
She turned out of the corner and saw clearly the two arguing in the stairwell. The situation was exactly as she had guessed: the middle-aged man's face was purplish-red, one hand was tightly gripping the middle-aged woman's collar, and the other hand was clenched into a fist and raised high.
The woman was clearly used to being beaten; she was so frightened that she raised her hand to cover her head, showing no intention of resisting.
At that moment, another person moved even faster than Ling Shu.
His hands moved with lightning speed; one hand controlled the man's fist as it tried to fall, while the other hand pulled the man's hand away.
The man had his back to Ling Shu, so she couldn't see his face. She could only tell that he was tall and imposing, clad entirely in black, and every movement he made exuded power. His height was also extremely imposing; the middle-aged man looked like a chick next to him, his imposing presence alone making him feel half a head shorter.
Seeing him try to stop him, the middle-aged man's chest heaved, his face extremely ugly: "You unfilial son, you unfilial son!"
Ling Shu stopped again and observed quietly.
Just now in the hall, the eldest son was the most composed and quiet one. He neither ate nor drank, sitting silently in the corner, his head covered by a hood, most of his face hidden in shadow, so his expression was not clear.
Ling Shu couldn't help but glance at him several times.
She could tell at a glance that the alcoholic middle-aged man was a potential danger, but she couldn't quite gauge the depth of this quiet and reserved young man's character.
In retrospect, his timely intervention to stop his father from beating his mother probably makes him a righteous person.
His combat skills seem pretty good too.
Not far away, the middle-aged man struggled desperately, trying to break free of the hands that were holding him: "Let go of me, you unfilial son! Are you trying to anger your own father to death?! Have you forgotten why I drank?"
His words seemed to have some kind of magic; the next moment, the eldest son quickly let go of his hand and silently stood between him and his mother.
The middle-aged man rubbed his wrist, a cold smile on his face, and stared defiantly at his eldest son: "I don't care, I have to drink tonight. I'll give you half an hour to get me some alcohol."
He smugly and sinisterly boasted about his ability to control his eldest son, saying, "You can't protect her every second, can you?"
The implication was that if he didn't get a drink today, he might resort to violence at any moment.
His eldest son, standing opposite him, remained silent, like an emotionless wall.
The middle-aged man was too lazy to waste words with him: "Half an hour, you hear me? I'm only giving you half an hour!"
After saying this, he sneered at his eldest son behind him, "Aren't you going to help me to my room?"
"They're here, they're here."
The woman hurriedly stepped out from behind her eldest son and earnestly helped him upstairs. As they walked upstairs, she turned back to instruct him, "Child, this is the Sheng family home. Getting wine is very easy. If you really can't get any, just ask them to buy some. Don't keep your father waiting too long."
Even after the two figures had disappeared, the eldest son remained motionless, standing there for a long time.
Ling Shu didn't say anything, patiently standing by her side.
She finally realized that the middle-aged couple were simply willing to hit and be hit; they probably even thought that hitting was a sign of affection. If the eldest son didn't bring back any alcohol in half an hour, there would probably be more trouble.
After a few minutes, the eldest son finally moved.
He turned around and looked at her from afar.
Ling Shu didn't flinch, her gaze meeting his directly. He had fair skin, a sharp, angular face, and eyes as black as ink, revealing no emotion, only boundless indifference.
Like a knife that doesn't know how to conceal its edge.
Ling Shu silently praised him, smiled at him, and took the initiative to show goodwill.
When settling the villagers, she didn't show herself directly, but stayed on the second floor observing the whole time. But given this young man's keen senses, he should have noticed her upstairs long ago and guessed that she was a key figure who could speak for the Sheng family.
But Ling Shu felt that he wouldn't ask her to bring him wine.
Just as she expected, the young man glanced at her, then abruptly looked away and turned to walk downstairs.
Ling Shu put her hands behind her back and followed along with great interest.
The young man did not resist her "stalking".
To be precise, he didn't seem to care.
He went down the stairs, through the empty banquet hall, and headed straight for the kitchen on the first floor.
Several servants were still busy in the kitchen, washing the dishes and chopsticks used by the villagers. Hearing footsteps coming in, the maid standing at the door stopped what she was doing and turned around curiously.
The young man walked up to her and finally spoke.
His voice was deep and resonant, like the hum of metal: "Can I help you wash the dishes?"
The maid stared in surprise, shaking her head repeatedly: "No need, no need, you are all guests of the Sheng family, we can wash ourselves."
The young man didn't give up: "I'll help you wash the dishes."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the servants present, and emphasized, "All the dishes. After they're washed, I want a bottle of wine, any kind of spirit will do."
The maid was even more confused.
Wash all their dishes, and the reward is a bottle of liquor?
She couldn't help but ask, "What do you want the wine for? Do you want to drink?"
The young man didn't answer, but stared at her stubbornly: "Is it okay?"
The maid frowned: "If you want to drink, I can help you see if there's any leftover wine from the previous banquet in the kitchen. As for washing dishes, you really don't need to."
She was actually somewhat annoyed by the young man's behavior of asking for alcohol, but looking into his calm and indifferent eyes, she couldn't bear to refuse.
"No."
The young man shook his head. "Wine? Trade it for washing dishes."
The maid secretly grumbled at how this person couldn't understand her. Just as she was about to say a few more words, she saw Ling Shu walking up behind the young man. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone instantly became respectful, "Miss Ling."
Ling Shu walked to the young man's side and instructed the maid, "Let him wash, you can go now."
"yes."
The maid and the other servants stopped what they were doing and quietly withdrew.
Ling Shu took out a bottle of ordinary white wine from behind her and placed it on the table next to her.
She just picked this up from the warehouse on her way there.
She wanted to see if this young man really intended to wash all the dishes just to buy his alcoholic father a new bottle of liquor.
The young man's gaze swept over the wine bottle, and without saying a word, he stepped forward, skillfully tied on the apron that the servants had placed by the sink, picked up the bowl, and began to wash it.
Ling Shu stood with her arms crossed, observing from the side.
His movements were steady and methodical, showing no sign of impatience.
In just a few minutes, two-thirds of the dishes in the sink had been washed.
Ling Shu became increasingly interested as she looked at it, and couldn't help but raise her voice to ask, "Have you practiced martial arts?"
The young man lowered his eyes and answered calmly, "I've learned boxing and swordsmanship."
"Fist techniques? Sword techniques?"
These two words sounded unfamiliar. Ling Shu raised an eyebrow. "Where did you learn them?"
The young man quickly replied, "It's a family heirloom."
By the time he said that, the remaining dishes were almost washed. He was really quick.
It's a family heirloom?
Ling Shu reached out and touched her chin, feeling even more interested.
She paused, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! I heard there's a martial arts school in Chen Village that's about to go out of business. Is it your family's business?"
I heard about this from Butler Wang.
It is said that Chencun used to be a large village, and there was a martial arts school called Changming Martial Arts School in it that had been open for decades. It was said that the martial arts skills were passed down from their ancestors. More than ten years ago, martial arts training was popular, and villagers would send their children there to exercise when they had free time. The reputation of this martial arts school was also known in several nearby villages.
Times have changed. Newborns are learning Taekwondo, Judo, Kendo, and Boxing, and no one is learning traditional martial arts anymore. Martial arts schools are struggling to attract students, getting worse year by year, and constantly teetering on the brink of closure.
This young man and his family are actually the owners of the martial arts school?
Upon hearing Ling Shu mention the martial arts school, the young man paused for a fleeting moment. But this pause was extremely brief, and he quickly resumed wiping the plates as if nothing had happened.
He only answered Ling Shu's question with a simple "Mm".
Ling Shu didn't press him further, and continued watching him wash the dishes with great interest.
In just ten minutes, he washed all the dishes, dried them all, and put them away. He also cleaned the sink and mopped the floor.
The messy kitchen has been transformed into a spotless and clean space.
The young man looked around to make sure nothing was missing, then took off his apron and hung it on the wall.
He walked over to Ling Shu, picked up the wine she had just placed on the table, and whispered, "Thank you."
After saying thank you, he lifted his foot to leave.
Ling Shu raised her hand to block him.
A half-smile played on her lips: "Today you trade washing dishes for wine, what do you plan to do tomorrow?"
The young man looked down at the ground and said in a calm tone, "The rain will stop tomorrow, and we will leave and not bother you anymore."
Ling Shu chuckled softly, but did not mention the fact that the rain would continue.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the villagers will likely have to stay here for a few more days until the rain stops before they can leave.
She withdrew her hand and did not ask any further questions.
The young man continued walking forward.
His figure walked further and further away, and he was about to turn the corner and leave the corridor.
Ling Shu suddenly asked again, "What's your name?"
Such an interesting person made her want to know his name.
However, she didn't intend to hear the answer. Given the taciturn nature of young people, she would probably pretend not to hear and leave directly.
Surprisingly, the young man actually answered her this time.
His tone remained indifferent: "Intoxicated."
After answering with his name, he didn't ask who Ling Shu was, and quickly turned and left down the corridor.
Ling Shu turned around abruptly, only to find the corridor completely empty.
For a moment, she looked bewildered: "Chen Zui... he's actually Chen Zui?!"
The original male protagonist is intoxicated?!
-
After receiving the liquor, Chenzui quickly went upstairs and stood outside the room assigned to their family.
He took out his phone and checked the time; there were still ten minutes left until the half hour his father had requested.
Through the door, he could hear Shen's father cursing intermittently inside. Before coming to the Sheng family, Shen's father had already drunk two bottles of baijiu at home, and was in a semi-drunk state. Now, he was probably getting drunk and started cursing as usual.
In Shen's father's eyes, this world is a giant XX, and everyone in it is fucking sick.
Especially when drunk, Shen's father could curse at anything he could grab all night long with great passion. Only when the effects of the alcohol wore off would he finally fall asleep, snoring loudly.
For the past few years, this has been an essential part of their family's nightly routine.
Chen Zui remained expressionless, still holding her phone, completely ignoring her father's angry urging from inside the room.
It wasn't until the half-hour deadline arrived that he finally regained his strength and pushed open the door to go inside.
The room reeked of a familiar alcoholic odor.
Hearing the door open, Mr. Shen, who was lying in bed, lifted his eyelids to look. Seeing that he was holding wine, his expression finally softened, and he waved his hand: "Bring it over quickly!"
Shen's mother sat next to Shen's father, intently massaging his legs without even looking up.
The younger brother, Shen Le, was engrossed in watching short videos on his phone. He was chuckling to himself, seemingly oblivious to Shen Le's arrival.
It was as if their family members had entered, but rather a meaningless mass of air.
Chen Zui seemed to have long been used to it, showing no expression as he walked over and handed the wine to his father.
The father eagerly opened the bottle, chugging it down in large gulps while mumbling incoherent complaints.
"That Sheng family is utterly shameless! Trying to fob us off with this cheap liquor, I'll make sure they regret it when we get back..."
The amount of profanity was so high that it made Chen Jiu's brow furrow slightly.
While massaging her father's legs, her mother looked up at him and forced a smile: "My child, you must be tired too. Go and rest. Your father and I will sleep in the bed tonight, and your brother will sleep on the chaise lounge next to us. You'll have to sleep on the floor. It's all carpeted here, so it won't be cold at all. You're the healthiest person, you'll be fine."
After saying that, she gestured to the side, indicating that Chenzui was asleep on the carpet next to the bed. There, a pillow and a thin blanket were carelessly tossed about, crumpled together like trash.
Chenzui said nothing, turned around, lay down on the carpet, and quietly closed her eyes.
His handsome face was expressionless, devoid of any emotion, only indifference.
For some reason, he suddenly recalled the question the smiling woman in the kitchen had asked him earlier.
"Today you trade washing dishes for wine, what do you plan to trade for it tomorrow?"
Lost in their own world, they were oblivious.
All he knew was that he had never looked forward to tomorrow.
Every day in this world is nothing but torment.
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