"Aunt Chu, hold on tight to me!"
Ling Huanwu's voice trembled slightly, but was unusually firm, "The soldiers are coming soon! Don't panic!"
Chu Mei looked at her bleeding wrist, then at Su Haiting who had already pushed her way out of the crowd and hadn't even turned her head back. Her eyes instantly filled with rain and tears.
When Political Commissar Hao and his men came over and pulled her up, Chu Mei felt as if she had just escaped death.
She looked down at the sheer cliff below; she was just a hair's breadth away from becoming food for the wild beasts in the valley.
At this moment, Ling Huanwu held up her handcuffed hand, blood dripping from her wrist, but she seemed not to feel any pain as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, showing absolutely no arrogant demeanor after being saved.
Chu Mei opened her mouth, wanting to swallow her pride and thank her.
But the thought of not finding Zhao Jingxiang yet, and of Zhou Jiuzhen turning against her because of her, made her furious. She pursed her lips, turned her head away, and swallowed the words of thanks she was about to say.
Ling Huanwu didn't care what she thought. She patted the mud off her clothes, stood up, and urged, "Let's hurry up and go. If the rain continues, the mountain road will be even more difficult to walk on!"
When Political Commissar Hao saw that Ling Huanwu's hands were covered in blood, he wanted to find a military doctor to bandage them for her, but Ling Huanwu refused.
"It's alright, we need to hurry to the camp," she waved her hand, casually wiping the blood from her wrist onto her clothes, and looked at the soldiers at the back of the group, asking in confusion, "Where are Pilot Song and the others?"
Ling Huanwu couldn't understand why Song Panmei had informed Political Commissar Hao and the others about the villagers' relocation due to the storm surge.
But now he hasn't left with them, which seems very strange.
"You mean Song Panmei? I told him that Jiuzhen is expected to arrive at Shitou Village Wharf by evening, so Comrade Song is waiting at the wharf with several pilots to meet them!"
Political Commissar Hao touched his nose, not daring to mention that Zhou Jiuzhen had sent a telegram back to the unit informing him of Zhou Shuyao's death.
After all, everyone on the island knew about the relationship between the three of them.
It would be better if Zhou Jiuzhen came back and told her about this.
But before Political Commissar Hao could tell Ling Huanwu about Zhou Shuyao's death, Ling Huanwu shouted as if she had been stimulated, "What did you say? Can't you send a telegram to tell him not to come back? If there really is a storm surge, it will be very dangerous for him to come back by boat!"
"wrong!"
Despite her breakdown, Ling Huanwu realized something was wrong. "Didn't Shuyao say he was going to have surgery? Why did Jiuzhen suddenly come back without regard for his brother?"
At this moment, Chu Mei, who was standing to the side, realized something she had overlooked earlier.
Given the current wailing and howling in the valley, her Er Gou and Zhou Shuyao are in even greater danger at sea.
The thought that something might happen to both of her sons made Chu Mei's face turn even paler with worry.
Under Ling Huanwu's persistent questioning, Political Commissar Hao could only sigh helplessly, "Comrade Ling, I originally heard about your situation from Captain Sun and didn't want to upset you, but since you've asked, we don't want to hide it from you either. You should be mentally prepared!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Huanwu's heart clenched, recalling the scene of seeing Zhou Jiuzhen in the coffin in her previous life, and her clenched heart trembled wildly.
"Your brother-in-law...he...he's dead!"
Ling Huanwu was initially wondering if Zhou Jiuzhen had gotten into trouble, but she breathed a sigh of relief when Political Commissar Hao said it wasn't Zhou Jiuzhen.
But the next second, she froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
It's hard to believe that Zhou Shuyao is dead.
"That's impossible. Weren't there supposed to be a matching kidney donor? How could he be dead?"
Ling Huanwu was still refuting Political Commissar Hao's words when Chu Mei, feeling irritated and impatient, interrupted her, "How is it impossible? Your brother-in-law wasn't mentally sound. Anyway, he committed suicide because of you!"
"This is the first time I've ever seen someone so upset over something so trivial. In short, you're a troublemaker; any man who meets you is bound to be in big trouble..."
Chu Mei kept babbling on and on, completely forgetting that it was Ling Huanwu who had just saved her.
Ling Huanwu's probing and questioning gaze fell on Political Commissar Hao, whose expression didn't seem to be joking. Only then did Ling Huanwu believe that he wasn't lying.
In an instant, all the color drained from her face.
Seeing Ling Huanwu's state, Political Commissar Hao and Captain Sun were sweating profusely and frantically winked at Chu Mei, signaling her to shut up.
Political Commissar Hao had just learned from Captain Sun that Ling Huanwu was pregnant.
If Chu Mei, the grandmother, accidentally causes her daughter-in-law's unborn grandson to miscarry, she'll probably regret it to the core.
Seeing that his attempts to silence her with his eyes had failed, Captain Sun could only try to persuade her gently, "Comrade Chu, please say less. After all, Comrade Ling is your daughter-in-law!"
Even the usually fair and impartial Political Commissar Hao's face darkened immediately, his expression becoming more accusatory. "That's right, Comrade Ling just injured her hand like that while saving you. If you shock her and she loses her child, it will be too late for regrets. Let me tell you!"
Chu Mei had no idea what the two men meant. She only knew that they were showing no respect to her, the former wife of a commander, and were speaking up for a young woman. She was furious. "What daughter-in-law? My Er Gou has already signed and submitted the divorce papers. He wants to divorce her. What kind of daughter-in-law is she?"
"As long as she divorces my son, plenty of girls will have children for my Jiuzhen. Do you expect me to wait for this barren hen to have children for my Jiuzhen?"
After speaking arrogantly, Chu Mei straightened her back, pushed aside the soldiers surrounding her, and followed the villagers.
Ling Huanwu stood there blankly, unsure whether she was shocked by her divorce or overwhelmed with grief over Zhou Shuyao's sudden death.
She instinctively turned her head and wanted to go down the mountain along the way she came, hoping to find Zhou Jiuzhen.
Ask him if Zhou Jiuzhen is really dead!
She asked him why he wanted to divorce her.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she turned around, her legs gave way and she fainted completely...
*
Dark clouds surged wildly, and the waves, like raging beasts, repeatedly and fiercely pounded against the small fishing boat that teetered precariously on the crest of the waves.
"Comrades, we need to lower the sails! This wind is too strong; if this continues, the boat will fall apart!"
The boatman shouted at the top of his lungs in the raging wind and rain, but his voice was almost instantly swallowed up by the howling wind.
He gripped the rudder tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force, his face covered in rain and anxiety.
Zhao Jingxiang and Zhou Jiuzhen struggled to move on the violently rocking deck, desperately trying to keep their balance with each step to avoid being swept into the sea by the waves.
They managed to grab the sail rope with great difficulty, trying to lower the sail that was billowing in the gale, but the wind was too strong, and the sail rope seemed to have come to life in their hands, struggling incessantly.
"What should we do? We can't lower the sail!" Zhao Jingxiang's voice was filled with despair and helplessness, his hair flying wildly in the wind.
Just then, a giant wave, as tall as two people, crashed down from the side and slammed heavily onto the fishing boat.
The ship tilted suddenly, almost submerging one side, and seawater surged onto the deck, knocking Zhao Jingxiang to the ground.
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