Chapter 75 Three Hours
At the bottom of the canyon, the sound of rain was like a waterfall.
Song Zhiyi knelt on one knee on the slippery rock, calmly assessing the situation. Huo Siqi, Huo Mingxuan, Huo Chen, and Zhao Yutong, the daughter of a distant relative of the Huo family—four young people huddled under a rock wall that could barely provide shelter from the rain, all soaked to the bone and pale-faced.
Huo Siqi's right ankle was swollen badly, Huo Chen had obvious abrasions on his arm, and Zhao Yutong was shivering and her lips were turning purple—typical symptoms of hypothermia. Huo Mingxuan was slightly better, but he was also shivering in the cold wind.
"Don't panic." Song Zhiyi's voice was clear and calm amidst the rain. "Siqi's ankle needs to be immobilized, Huo Chen's wound needs to be cleaned, and Yutong's hypothermia needs to be treated first."
She quickly took four thermal blankets from her backpack, which Huo Zheng helped unfold and wrap around the four young men. He himself, wearing only a soaked down jacket, stood on the edge of the rock face, observing the surrounding environment.
"Uncle, you..." Huo Mingxuan tried to hand back a thermal blanket.
"I'm fine." Huo Zheng said without turning his head. "Conser your energy and don't talk."
Song Zhiyi began treating the injuries. First, she applied a cold spray to Huo Siqi's ankle and quickly performed a professional A-frame immobilization. Then she turned to Huo Chen and rinsed the mud-covered wounds on his arm with saline solution.
"Bear with it." Her movements were precise and swift, disinfecting, applying medicine, and bandaging all in one go.
Huo Chen was in so much pain that sweat beaded on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and kept quiet. He secretly glanced at Song Zhiyi's focused profile and suddenly remembered his father Huo Zhenbang's words—"Your sister-in-law is no ordinary person. Don't let her quiet demeanor fool you; she's more reliable than anyone else when it matters."
He didn't think much of it at the time, but now he understands it deeply.
Zhao Yutong huddled under the thermal blanket, her teeth chattering: "Sister Song... what if we..."
"No." Without looking up, Song Zhiyi turned to Huo Chen immediately after treating her wound. "You only have mild hypothermia. Now take deep breaths and take it slowly."
She took an aluminum first-aid blanket from the side pocket of her backpack, unfolded it, and wrapped it around Zhao Yutong's thermal blanket to create a makeshift insulation layer. Then she took out a small packet of glucose powder, poured it into a collapsible cup, and mixed it with the rainwater that Huo Zheng had just collected.
"Drink slowly to replenish your energy."
Huo Zheng had already lit the emergency stove. The small blue flames burned stubbornly in the humid air, and steam began to rise from the small pot on top of it.
"Everyone, drink some hot water," Song Zhiyi said to Huo Zheng, while continuing to check on everyone's condition.
Watching Song Zhiyi's methodical movements, Huo Siqi suddenly choked up, "Sister-in-law... I'm sorry... it was my fault for insisting on going to see that waterfall..."
“This is not the time to talk about this,” Song Zhiyi said calmly. “Conserve your strength, keep your body warm, and wait for rescue.”
After she finished speaking, she stood up and walked to the edge of the cliff, observing the water level in the canyon alongside Huo Zheng. The rain had subsided, but rainwater from upstream was still gathering, and the water level in the canyon was rising at a visible rate.
"This position can hold for another hour," Huo Zheng said in a low voice.
"At most forty minutes," Song Zhiyi corrected. "The water level is rising faster than expected. If the rescue team can't arrive in time, we need to move to higher ground."
She pointed to a relatively gentle slope on the left: "Over there, do you see that clump of phoenix bamboo? It's higher up there and there's some shade."
Huo Zheng squinted at it and nodded: "Good eye. Trained in the battlefield?"
"Experience," Song Zhiyi replied simply, having already returned to the group of young people and begun packing her backpack in preparation for a possible relocation.
At 2:50 p.m., the rain had almost stopped. Faint voices and footsteps could be heard in the distance.
"Siqi! Mingxuan!"
"Chenchen! Yutong!"
Huo Yanli's voice came from above, tinged with obvious anxiety.
Song Zhiyi stood up and saw Huo Yanli and Guide Chen leading four rescue team members carefully down the hillside. Huo Yanli was at the front, covered in mud, his trousers torn by thorns, and there were several scratches on his face, but his eyes were sharp, and he locked onto her position immediately.
Seeing that she was safe and sound, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief. But then he noticed Huo Zheng standing next to her—the two stood side by side, their clothes equally soaked, their expressions equally calm, and their postures equally professional as they surveyed the terrain. That unspoken understanding made Huo Yanli's eyes darken.
"Yanli-ge!" Huo Siqi cried out.
Rescue team members quickly stepped forward to take over. Huo Yanli strode over to Song Zhiyi: "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Song Zhiyi's report was concise and professional. "Siqi sprained her right ankle, which has been immobilized; Huo Chen suffered an abrasion on his left forearm, which has been cleaned; Yutong has mild hypothermia, which has been treated to keep her warm; Mingxuan is in good condition. No one is in life-threatening danger, but they need to be taken to the hospital for examination as soon as possible."
She paused, then added, "The water level in the canyon is rising; we recommend evacuating as soon as possible."
Huo Yanli nodded, then turned to direct the rescue team to prioritize the transfer of the injured. Only two stretchers could be carried at a time; Huo Siqi and Zhao Yutong were carried on. Huo Chen and Huo Mingxuan could walk on their own, so the rescue team secured them with safety ropes.
The return journey was exceptionally difficult. The mountain path was muddy and slippery after the rain, and with the injured, progress was very slow. Song Zhiyi walked in the middle of the group, taking care of Huo Chen and Huo Mingxuan, who were able to walk.
While traversing a steep slope, Huo Chen suddenly slipped and slid downwards. Song Zhiyi reacted swiftly, grabbing his backpack strap and simultaneously kneeling to increase traction. Huo Zheng rushed over from the other side, and together they pulled Huo Chen back to safety.
"Thank you, sister-in-law, thank you, brother-in-law..." Huo Chen was still in shock.
"Watch your step." Song Zhiyi let go of his hand and continued forward, as if the danger just now was nothing out of the ordinary.
Huo Yanli walked at the back of the group, watching her and Huo Zheng's tacit cooperation, and a mix of emotions welled up in his heart. It was a tacit understanding that he couldn't break into, built on shared experiences and expertise.
The team continued for another ten minutes or so, until they reached a rock face that required climbing. Rescue workers were setting up a temporary rope system.
Huo Zheng walked to Song Zhiyi's side and whispered, "The wound on your arm has reopened."
Song Zhiyi glanced down at her left arm—a small patch of the gauze that had been bandaged was now soaked with blood. She hadn't even noticed it herself.
"It's nothing," she said.
“An infection is a serious matter.” Huo Zheng took out a new dressing from his first-aid kit. “Turn around.”
Song Zhiyi turned around, and Huo Zheng skillfully unwrapped the old gauze, disinfected, applied medicine, and bandaged it again. His movements were very professional, clearly indicating that he frequently treated this type of wound.
Huo Yanli stood not far away watching this scene. Huo Zheng's fingers gently brushed against Song Zhiyi's arm, her eyelashes trembled slightly, but her expression remained calm, as if she had become accustomed to this level of touch.
At that moment, Huo Yanli suddenly remembered what Huo Zheng had said earlier—
“I saw her in Syria. She was evacuating children under heavy fire.”
"Yanli, what kind of person have you underestimated?"
It turned out they hadn't just "met" before. They had crossed paths on the battlefield, possibly even facing life and death together. The trust and tacit understanding forged through that experience was something he, someone who only worked in the peaceful business world, could never comprehend.
After the bandaging was finished, Huo Zheng patted Song Zhiyi on the shoulder: "All done. Let the doctor take another look later."
"Thank you, Uncle."
At 4:20 p.m., the group finally returned to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain. Ambulances and family members' cars were waiting there, and the scene was chaotic.
"Siqi! Chenchen!" Aunt Zhou Jing and Aunt Lin Wanru rushed over almost at the same time.
"Mom..." Huo Siqi hugged her mother and cried, "It was my sister-in-law and brother-in-law who saved us..."
Zhao Yutong was also surrounded by her family, and she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Mrs. Huo strode up to Song Zhiyi and, seeing the blood-soaked gauze on her arm, her face darkened: "Doctor! Come quickly!"
"Mom, I'm really fine..." Song Zhiyi wanted to refuse, but Huo's mother had already pulled her towards the ambulance.
As the doctor re-treated Song Zhiyi's wound, Huo's mother stood by and watched. When she saw the wound inflicted by the rock—not deep, but long, stretching from the elbow to the forearm—Huo's mother frowned even more deeply.
"You silly child, you didn't even say you were hurt." Her tone was reproachful, but more than that, it was full of concern.
"It's really not serious," Song Zhiyi said calmly.
"It's up to the doctor to decide how serious it is," Mrs. Huo said, turning to the doctor. "Does it need stitches?"
After a careful examination, the doctor shook his head: "No need, the wound is relatively clean, just disinfect and bandage it. But be careful to keep it waterproof and change the dressing on time."
After her wounds were treated, Song Zhiyi got out of the ambulance. The rest of the Huo family gathered around her.
Her uncle, Huo Zhenbang, looked at her and said solemnly, "Zhiyi, thank you so much for today. These children are so ignorant and have caused you trouble."
"Of course," Song Zhiyi replied succinctly.
Aunt Lin Wanru held her hand, her eyes reddening, "Zhiyi, thank you... thank you so much... if anything happened to Siqi, I..."
"Don't worry, Auntie, Siqi is fine. She just needs a few days of rest."
Huo Chen and Huo Mingxuan also came over and bowed deeply to Song Zhiyi: "Sister-in-law, thank you."
"No need for that." Song Zhiyi helped them up. "From now on, stay close to the group when hiking and be careful."
Her tone was calm and gentle, without any lecturing tone, but the two young people listened very attentively.
Not far away, Huo Zheng lit a cigarette and said to Huo Yanli beside him, "See that? That's her."
Huo Yanli silently watched Song Zhiyi, who was surrounded by the Huo family. She remained calm and composed, but the way the Huo family looked at her was completely different now—no longer scrutinizing and critical, but genuine gratitude and respect.
“She doesn’t need to deliberately please anyone.” Huo Zheng exhaled a puff of smoke. “She can be herself and that’s enough to earn respect.”
Huo Yanli recalled that day at the Civil Affairs Bureau three years ago. When he proposed the five-year agreement, she simply said "okay" calmly and then turned and left.
At that time, he felt that she was no different from other women, except that she coveted the title of Mrs. Huo.
Now he understood that when she agreed to "yes," she genuinely felt indifferent to the marriage. Because she had more important things in her life, and her heart held a broader vision.
The ambulance was heading to the hospital. Song Zhiyi said to Huo Yanli, "I'm going to the hospital to accompany Siqi and the others for their check-ups. You..."
"I'll go with you," Huo Yanli interrupted her.
Song Zhiyi paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
The two sat side by side on the train. The setting sun cast warm light and shadows through the windows.
Song Zhiyi leaned against the car window, closing her eyes to rest. Her eyelashes cast faint shadows under her eyes, her face still had mud spots that hadn't been wiped off, and her wet hair clung to her forehead. She looked tired but still calm.
Huo Yanli looked at her and suddenly asked, "Why do you always carry such a complete set of first-aid equipment in your backpack?"
Song Zhiyi opened her eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm used to it."
"Habits developed on the battlefield?"
"Um."
"Always so...well prepared?"
"Better safe than sorry." She turned her head to look at the scenery rushing past the window. "In some places, a moment of carelessness can mean the difference between life and death."
Huo Yanli recalled Huo Zheng's words—"That shrapnel was only two centimeters away from her spine. If it had been any more off, she might not be able to stand up now."
His throat tightened, and he wanted to ask: Does the scar on your back still hurt?
But in the end, I didn't ask.
Some wounds are best left unmentioned at times like these.
The car drove towards the hospital. The setting sun dyed the sky orange-red, and the clouds were edged with gold, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Huo Yanli looked at the sky outside the window and suddenly wanted to know—
What did the sunset look like during those war-torn days?
Isn't it just as beautiful?
So beautiful that it makes you forget your pain and danger, and just want to take one more look at this world?
The car stopped in front of the hospital. Song Zhiyi opened her eyes and prepared to get out of the car.
"Song Zhiyi," Huo Yanli called out to her.
She turned around.
"Thank you," Huo Yanli said in a low voice, "for everything that happened today. And for... everything I didn't know."
Song Zhiyi looked at him, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
“You’re welcome,” she said. “It’s what I should do.”
She pushed open the car door and walked into the hospital lobby. Her figure quickly disappeared behind the revolving doors.
Huo Yanli remained in the car and did not immediately follow.
He wondered how much overlap there was between what she "should do" and what she "wanted to do" in her heart.
Is it possible for him to gradually move from the realm of "what he should do" to the world of "what he wants to do"?
It might be difficult.
It may take a long time.
But looking at the light shining at the hospital entrance, Huo Yanli suddenly felt—
Some people are worth waiting a lifetime for.
Even if it's just until she occasionally turns around and glances at him following behind.
That one glance was enough.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com