As the sky grew darker, Chen Qingqing became increasingly anxious. She hadn't returned home yet; her parents must be worried sick.
Although she was exhausted, she still mustered all her strength and dragged the makeshift raft forward.
But my legs felt like they were filled with lead, growing heavier and heavier.
She was so tired she could barely stay awake; she longed to lie down and rest for a while.
But she knew she couldn't stop now, so she gritted her teeth and persevered, slowly moving towards the village.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Closer, closer and closer.
Looking at the faint lights flickering in every house in the village, and with her own door so close at hand, she mustered her strength and encouraged herself.
"Keep going, hang in there a little longer, you'll be home soon."
Suddenly someone shouted, "Qing girl, is that you?"
Chen Qingqing looked up and saw three figures running towards her. Overjoyed, she shouted, "Mother, it's me!"
After saying that, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
Upon hearing the response, Lin's heart finally settled, but seeing her daughter collapsed on the ground, her heart clenched again.
He quickly ran a few steps to Chen Qingqing, hugged her tightly, and anxiously called out,
"Qing'er, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere? Let your mother take a look."
Chen Zhanshan also looked worried. "Qing'er, what happened? Why are you so late?"
Chen Qingqing forced a smile, "Dad, Mom, don't worry, I'm fine, I'm just too tired."
"Where have you been, my child? Why are you only coming back now? You've worried your mother to death!" Lin Shi couldn't help but shed tears.
"Sister, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, Dad would have gone to Wolf Valley to look for you." Chen Han wiped away her tears.
"Xiao Han, don't worry, I'm back safe and sound!" Chen Qingqing said with a smile to Chen Zhanshan, "Dad, don't worry, I'm fine."
Seeing his daughter exhausted, Chen Zhanshan felt heartbroken. "Good child, it's good that you're alright. Come on, let Dad carry you home." He then handed the torch to Sun and squatted down.
"Dad, you don't need to carry me, I can walk by myself." Chen Qingqing pointed to the raft behind her. "Dad, can you help me drag this home?"
By the light of the torch, Chen Zhanliang noticed that Chen Qingqing was dragging a wooden frame behind her. He looked at her suspiciously and said, "Qing'er, why are you dragging wood back? We have enough firewood to burn all winter. You don't need to go up the mountain to collect firewood for your father."
Madam Lin glared at Chen Qingqing reproachfully, "Qing'er, you're really something. Didn't you say you were going into the mountains to gather herbs? How come you brought back so much firewood? You don't need to do these chores anymore."
Seeing that they had misunderstood, Chen Qingqing shook her head and smiled, "Dad, Mom, I didn't put firewood there, there's someone on it!"
Hearing that someone was there, Chen Han mustered his courage and went closer. He gently touched it with his hand and cried out, "Dad, it looks like a dead person!"
"Xiao Han, don't be afraid, he's not dead yet, he's still breathing!" Chen Qingqing quickly explained.
Chen Zhanshan was startled. He took the torch from Sun and went to the wooden frame. Upon closer inspection, he discovered a person lying there motionless. He was immediately horrified.
"Qing girl, what's going on? Who is this person?"
Madam Lin was also startled, her whole body trembling. "Yes, Qing'er, who is he?"
Chen Qingqing struggled to her feet. "Dad, I don't know who he is either. I found him in the mountains. I saw that he was still breathing, so I dragged him back."
If I don't save him, he'll probably be eaten by wild animals. We need to take him home quickly; he could die at any moment if he doesn't receive timely medical treatment.
Madam Lin looked worried. Although her daughter had accidentally cured Master Fan's itchy disease, the man in front of her seemed to be seriously injured. If he couldn't be cured after being taken home, it might cause trouble, since Qing'er really didn't know how to treat illnesses.
She quickly said, "Qing'er, why don't we send this person to Futian Hospital in town? What if he dies in our house? That would be a real problem."
Chen Qingqing knew that Futianyuan was a welfare institution of the Great Ning Dynasty, equivalent to a modern relief center.
Hearing her mother say this, I understood what she was worried about. But this person was seriously injured. If he was sent to Futian Hospital in town and did not receive timely treatment, he probably wouldn't live more than three days.
"Mother, don't worry, your daughter can cure him."
Seeing her daughter's resolute attitude, Mrs. Lin didn't say anything more.
Chen Zhanshan didn't have many concerns and said calmly, "Xiumei, you don't need to worry. These days, countless people go up the mountain to hunt and dig for ginseng. If they are not careful, they will fall off the cliff."
Since Qingya ran into this man, it means he's lucky to be alive. How can we just stand by and watch him die? Let's go home and talk about it later.
Mrs. Lin nodded. "Alright then, let's go home first."
Chen Zhanshan grabbed the rope and hurried home...
The Chen family
Lin quickly vacated the room where Chen Han was staying and put the injured man on the bed.
After settling everything in, Chen Zhanshan asked, "Qing girl, where did you find this person?"
Chen Qingqing didn't want to tell the truth. If her parents knew she had risked her life to enter Wolf Valley, been chased by hungry wolves, and fallen off a cliff, she could forget about ever going into the mountains alone again. She sighed softly.
"Father, I intended to go into the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs, but I unknowingly wandered into a ravine. When I tried to turn back, I found this person lying motionless in the grass."
I thought he was dead and was so scared I turned to run away. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I mustered up my courage to take a closer look. To my surprise, he moved slightly. I couldn't just leave him to die, so I made a raft out of branches and dragged him back.
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