Jiang Nian opened his eyes and found that he was half buried. He pushed away the mud and rocks on his body.
The movement was too big, and he couldn't help but groan and cover his left arm.
His left arm was hit by a stone, and even with the cotton coat protecting it, he still suffered a serious injury.
But at this moment, he didn't care whether his hand was broken or disabled, he just wanted to find Jiang Yue.
After a heavy rain, the smell of mud covered Jiang Yue's scent. Jiang Nian sniffed back and forth, running like crazy in the direction where he saw her before the disaster.
Finally, he stopped in front of a big pit.
His eyes were red. Here, he could smell the scent of Jiang Yue, which was very strong. Moreover, it was tinged with the smell of blood!
"Yueyue——"
He murmured, his voice shaking and frightened.
The water inside was more than two meters deep. He took off his cotton coat and jumped in regardless of everything.
"Splash!" The water splashed high and Jiang Nian sank into the water.
Huge ripples formed on the water's surface, and it was easy to see the large movements of the people below.
He found Jiang Yue's cotton coat and a blood-stained branch under the water.
But fortunately, her body was not seen.
Jiang Nian felt relieved, and wearing his heavy cotton coat, he stepped on the tree and jumped onto the ground.
The rain was still falling, and Jiang Yue's scent disappeared in this place.
He wiped the water off his face, ignored the coldness, and walked towards the nearest Fengtian City with two cotton coats in his arms.
Maybe Yueyue was rescued by someone?
As for other possibilities, he didn't even dare to think about it.
The Fengtian Prefecture City was also hit by the earthquake, but fortunately, only a small half of the houses and a small half of the city wall collapsed.
The population was small to begin with, and even though a lot of refugees were taken in, the houses were not full, and the number of people who died in the earthquake was not large.
Jiang Nian looked confused.
The guards at the city gate saw that he was soaking wet, had a strong body, and was alone, so they thought he was a rich young man who had met with disaster and treated him quite well.
"Those coming from other prefectures should go through the north gate. We can give you a room there."
Jiang Nian didn't react at all and just walked straight in the direction the guard pointed.
The guard shook his head, unconcerned. For those who had been struck by the disaster, even survival was a luxury. Who could still be considered normal now?
Jiang Nian walked forward blankly, just like the zombie refugees he had seen before.
"Is that Xiao Jiang?"
A cautious voice came from the left.
Jiang Nian turned his head and saw two skinny men, one big and one small, holding kitchen knives and staring at him.
Oh, it’s the Fang family.
He nodded.
Butcher Fang was obviously very happy. How could he not be happy to see an "old friend" in a foreign land?
He and his eldest son had gone out to look for firewood and wild vegetables. Seeing that he was alone, he asked, "Where is Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Nian looked depressed, "I'm looking for her."
Seeing this, the Fang family father and son were shocked and looked at each other. Was this sentence lost, or...
Butcher Fang thought of the strong and capable young lady and felt a pity for her. He didn't want to poke anyone in the face, so he asked, "Have you just arrived in the city? Haven't you been assigned a room yet? It's getting late today, so why not come back with us and wait until tomorrow to line up at the government office?"
Jiang Nian didn't care whether he had a place to live or not. Without Jiang Yue, he couldn't sleep at all. But he wanted to know more about the situation in this city, so he nodded in agreement.
The Fang family had narrowly escaped the flood, but they could no longer keep their mule, which had grown thin and weak. After much deliberation, Fang the butcher killed the mule and traded its meat for a large amount of coarse grain from a wealthy family in the city.
The family has temporarily settled down in this city.
Butcher Fang knocked gently on the courtyard door five times, which was their family's secret signal. On weekdays, Wu Shi stayed at home with her youngest daughter and son, keeping the doors and windows locked tightly for fear of thieves.
But today, Fang the butcher knocked three times, but no one came out. He looked grim and was about to knock again, but was stopped by Jiang Nian.
He carefully placed his padded jacket on the ground and, without even a running start, lightly jumped up the two-meter-high wall without using his left hand.
He didn't enter the house without permission to check, as there was no smell of blood anyway.
He opened the gate, then put away the cotton coat and held it gently in his arms, as if he was holding Jiang Yue.
After Fang the butcher and his son entered the house, they couldn't wait to close the door and rushed into the house. The people who were at home every day were gone!
They were in a state of panic.
Just then, Mrs. Wu and Fang Lu stumbled back from outside.
With tears streaming down their cheeks, they hugged their man/father and cried bitterly, "Xin'er, Xin'er is gone!"
Butcher Fang's eyes widened. "How could he disappear? Did a thief break in and take the child away?"
Wu shook her head and sobbed, "No, he said, he said it was too uncomfortable to be cooped up in the house all day, he didn't dare leave too far, so he just kept an eye on the door. I, I just felt sorry for him, so I agreed. But, but I just poured a glass of water, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared!"
Mrs. Wu cried softly.
The veins on Fang the Butcher's forehead bulged and he couldn't help but slap her.
The crisp sound of the slap shocked everyone in the family. Butcher Fang had always been very kind to his wife and never beat or scolded her.
But he couldn't help it any longer, stiffening his neck and yelling, "You're worried about him! He's nine years old! Are you still going to hold him in your arms and feed him?! It's fine if you don't teach him the truth, but you're still doting on him! You're simply a spoiled child!"
He couldn't understand it. Mrs. Wu was very normal to her eldest son and daughter, but she really wanted to hold her youngest son in her hands.
Along the way, he had corrected some of the child's bad habits in order to prevent him from being a drag on the team. However, once in the city, the child felt that life was easier and fell back into his old ways. It was all because of this mother's spoiling!
Wu covered her face, tears dripping onto the ground, and she even tried to excuse herself, "He said he wouldn't go far..."
Butcher Fang was furious. "If he doesn't go far, won't someone else come over? What if he's already been eaten like a two-legged sheep?"
Wu stopped crying and her face turned pale with fear.
Fang Lu felt sorry for her mother, but she also felt that her brother was spoiled too much and was simply asking for trouble in the years of disaster.
She grabbed her father's arm and advised, "Let's find our little brother and bring him home first before we teach him."
Jiang Nian wasn't interested in their family affairs; he found them quite troublesome. But he also wanted to explore the city, so he said, "Can you show me one of his clothes? I'll help you look for it."
Fang the butcher had seen his skills and quickly agreed. Fang Lu brought out a coat that her younger brother often wore, which gave her an idea of the child's height.
The three men went in different directions to look for her, leaving Fang Lu to stay with Wu to guard the house.
The house could not be left unattended, as they were worried that it was a luring tactic by the thieves.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com