Chapter 217
Chapter 217: Chapter 216 Hurry and Save Me_1 Chapter 217: Chapter 216 Hurry and Save Me_1 “Wife, Niuniu, are you in there? It’s Zhao Erhu, your man, your husband, if you hear me, shout back!”
Lin Yue had been muttering all along when she heard her husband’s voice coming from the cave entrance. Joy spread across her face, and she quickly stood up and called out, “Zhao Erhu, Zhao Erhu, I’m here! Hurry and save me!”
Zhao Erhu, upon hearing his little wife’s voice, was overjoyed. He hurriedly pressed his body close to the entrance to hear her better. “Wife, how are you now? Are you alright? Are you injured?”
Lin Yue had been talking to herself for a long time, and now that someone had arrived who could listen to her complaints, she voiced them loudly. “Of course, I’m not okay; it’s so cold here, I’m nearly frozen to death, I’ve been waiting for you for so long, why did you only come now?!”
“Just wait for me, I’m coming down to save you right now,” Zhao Erhu said as he tied the hemp rope he’d brought around a sturdy tree. After testing the rope’s strength, he secured the other end to himself and slowly descended into the cave.
Fortunately, the cave did not drop straight down but sloped gently, or Lin Yue would not have fallen from such a height and still come out virtually unscathed— it was this slanted dirt slope that had saved her. Because of this incline, Zhao Erhu could not see Lin Yue and the inside of the cave directly from the opening. He could only try to gradually lower himself into the cave.
“Zhao Erhu, I’m here!” Lin Yue, upon sighting Zhao Erhu, waved at him excitedly.
Zhao Erhu had just entered the cave and was still adjusting to the light inside. It took him a moment to make out Lin Yue clearly. He then landed in front of her and checked her from head to toe. “Niuniu, having fallen from such a high place, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m not injured, but Zhao Erhu, why did you take so long to come? I was chased by a wild wolf and then fell into this wretched place. Now I’m both hungry and tired, absolutely pitiful!” As soon as Lin Yue saw Zhao Erhu descend, she started to complain to him. She then felt warmth envelop her; Zhao Erhu had taken off his coat and draped it over her.
Zhao Erhu pretended to be angry and lightly patted Lin Yue’s head, feeling annoyed that his little wife always made his heart race with fear. If this continued, he’d be scared out of half his life. Countless times this had happened, each with a different cause, but it always genuinely worried and scared him. Couldn’t she be a little more obedient?
“You still have the nerve to say that, Niuniu. I’ve spoiled you, allowing you to be so wilful. No matter how angry you are, you can’t just carelessly run off to the mountain alone. What if I hadn’t hurried here today or hadn’t found you? Just think before you act. If you continue like this, see if I’ll still care for you.” Zhao Erhu took this opportunity to lecture his little wife, but at this moment, they both avoided mentioning the quarrel they had had before.
“You’re still scolding me even though I’m already in such a state! It wasn’t on purpose, after all. It was for a serious matter, and I’m just unlucky to have encountered such an incident. Last time I went to the riverside, I didn’t come across any wild animals. When I saw that big black-grey wolf, I was nearly scared out of my wits. If I hadn’t run fast, I’d be a wild wolf’s lunch right now,” Lin Yue recalled the incident and still felt a shiver down her spine, unaware and clueless when exactly the wolf had set its sights on her.
“It’s quite normal for wolves to target you, with the heavy scent of blood on you, we’re lucky that more dangerous beasts weren’t attracted. Thankfully the woods here aren’t too dense and there are relatively fewer wild animals. Otherwise, if you’d encountered tigers or leopards, you wouldn’t have had the chance to run,”Hearing what Zhao Erhu said, Lin Yue realized it was the blood scent on her that had attracted the wild animals. She thought she was just particularly unlucky, not considering this reason. But then, blush crept onto her face as she thought of something else.
Previously chased by wolves, she hadn’t had the time to think as fleeing was a priority. Then she fell into this place, Lin Yue had not considered the matter of her own condition. Now that she thought about it, the area below her waist must be drenched in blood. It was just too dark to see here, but how could she face anyone once she went out?
“Moreover, what urgent matters do you have to come alone deep into the mountains?” Zhao Erhu had been curious before, and now that he heard Lin Yue say she came into the mountains for urgent business, he was even more eager to know what the little wife planned to do.
“I was thinking about the ten acres of new farmland our family cleared. The weather has been so hot recently, and it hasn’t rained for months. Relying on you, brother, and sister-in-law to fetch water from the village to irrigate the fields every day is not a long-term solution. So I thought of the river you showed me last time we were here, to see if we could find a way to bring water down from the mountain for irrigation. Including our land, there are several dozen acres of uncultivated land around that nobody is farming. If we could solve the water issue, we could buy those acres. It would definitely be a more cost-effective deal. Later, we could build a manor there,”“Drawing water from the mountain is a good idea indeed, but it’s still far from our land, and it will require a lot of effort,” Zhao Erhu, too, had been worried about the weather recently. After hearing Lin Yue’s idea, he seriously considered the feasibility of the plan.
“That’s what I thought as well. Now I’ve come up with a solution, but whether it will work or not requires further exploration,” Lin Yue said. After thinking for a while, she decided to take Zhao Erhu to see the Secret River right then, “Come with me, I’ll show you a place.”
Zhao Erhu followed Lin Yue to see the Secret River and found it to be quite miraculous indeed. He had been puzzled when he saw such a big river suddenly disappear before, but out of concern for his little wife, he didn’t have the mindset to be curious. Now, having heard his little wife’s explanation, he understood what was going on.
After hearing his little wife’s ideas, Zhao Erhu felt they were more and more feasible and wished he could get the job done immediately. However, it wasn’t something that could be achieved in haste, especially since his little wife had been cold and hungry in this cave for so long. They needed to get out first and then return later with proper equipment to explore. If things were as his little wife said, it would be wonderful.
After coming out of the cave, Zhao Erhu caught and roasted two pheasants to fill his little wife’s belly. Then he carried Lin Yue on his back and started walking back. On the way, he spotted a bayberry tree with fruits that were starting to turn red. Lin Yue asked Zhao Erhu to remember the location for when they could come back to pick bayberries.
“What’s so good about bayberries? They are everywhere in the mountains, oddly sour, and eating too many can soften your teeth. If you want fruits, the peaches should be ripe by now. I’ll go into the mountains in a couple of days and pick some for you,” Zhao Erhu, who had spent years hunting in the mountains, knew well which patch of woods bore which fruit trees. When he was hunting, he would occasionally pick wild fruits to stave off hunger.