Chapter 64 - 1#
The convoy stopped again on the mountain road.
“I’m sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”
“…”
The mechanical voice sounded again, each time colder than the last.
Jing Shun felt his heart go numb from the cold, turning his head to look out the window at the rain that was about to stop, but hadn’t yet.
Many sections of the mountain road had been blocked by rolling mud, rocks, and broken trees. Almost every short while, the rescue team ahead had to stop to clear the obstacles.
The team had set out from Chuanshi before seven in the morning. After more than six hours of driving, they still remained separated from Yi County in the disaster area by a stretch of road.
A voice came through the walkie-talkie of the person in charge in the front row, a broken transmission:
“The blockage is severe. All members of Team One and Team Two, disembark to help! Vehicles and personnel behind, wait where you are! Try not to move around!”
A simple sentence might mean another half hour, or even longer, of waiting.
Jing Shun didn’t dare cause any trouble for the firefighters and rescue workers, so he stayed in his seat, his heart wrung with pain.
Chen Yiming handed him a thermos of warm water. “Mr. Jing, have some water?”
Jing Shun took it absentmindedly. It wasn’t until the steam from the cup carried the fragrance of jasmine tea that he lowered his head. “This…”
Chen Yiming said, “Sir knows you love flower tea. He always brings some on every trip. I have two or three spare packs here—he asked me to keep them ready.”
“…”
Jing Shun’s eyes glistened, his eye sockets stung and felt a bit sour from the steam.
He suppressed the deep unease inside him and asked the public welfare project leader in the front row, “Teacher Chen, still no contact with the others in the team?”
Chen Ke shook his head, the burden on his shoulders feeling a thousand times heavier.
He had been making calls the entire way. Of the twelve-person team, including Chi Gui, not a single phone was connecting.
Was it due to signal damage, or had something happened to all of them collectively? If it was the latter, then things had truly spiraled out of control!
Yesterday morning, when they checked the weather forecast, everything looked fine—at worst, cloudy turning to light rain. How had it changed so drastically overnight?
This mountain weather really could change in an instant!
Knock, knock.
Someone walked up to the car window and tapped.
Chen Ke recognized the figure and quickly rolled down the window. “Captain Mo!”
Captain Mo was the lead commander of this rescue team. He glanced at the people in the car and got straight to the point. “We’ve made contact with the magistrate of Yi County using a signal receiver.”
“The overall disaster situation in the county seat is still within manageable limits, but several villages up in the surrounding mountains have been badly hit—most have been buried by mudslides and flash floods.”
“The villagers and disaster victims who managed to escape from the surrounding areas have been settled at Yi County Elementary School. We’re still counting the numbers.”
“…”
Jing Shun couldn’t help asking, “Captain Mo, are there any members of our charity team there?”
“This is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about—”
Captain Mo got to the key point. “We just confirmed with the principal of Yi County Elementary School. No members of the charity activity team have been seen.”
“…”
Jing Shun’s grip on the thermos tightened abruptly, the color draining from his face.
“Not seen? Does that mean they’re still up in the village and haven’t come down?” Chen Ke’s expression turned grim. “Could something have happened? What do we do now?”
Captain Mo nodded. “The rain has stopped for now. The county has organized its own search and rescue teams to go into the mountains.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a rescue worker ran over. “Captain Mo, we’ve confirmed it! The road ahead is blocked for about forty to fifty meters, and there are huge boulders. It’ll take at least an hour to clear it completely.”
Waiting around for that hour wasn’t an option, but walking from here to the center of Yi County would take at most an hour and a half.
Captain Mo made a quick decision. “Immediately reorganize the teams. Team One stays to clear the road. Team Two will proceed on foot to Yi County and contact them to send vehicles to meet us.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hearing this order, Jing Shun spoke up. “Captain Mo, could… could we follow behind the team? We’ll absolutely cooperate with unified actions and won’t cause any trouble for the rescue team!”
Captain Mo studied Jing Shun, as if weighing this sudden request.
Jing Shun saw his hesitation and pleaded, nearly begging, “My… my partner is missing. I really need to get there as soon as possible.”
Chen Yiming hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself. At this point, he knew he couldn’t persuade Jing Shun, so he chimed in, “Captain Mo, don’t worry. We promise to follow orders! We absolutely won’t leave the team on our own!”
Before his words faded, several more people from the vehicles behind ran over.
They were locals from Yi County who had been working elsewhere. Hearing that their families were in trouble, each one was frantic with worry.
“We’re locals—we know this road well! If the car can’t get through, surely people can walk, right?”
“I’ve been calling home, but no one answers. My kids and elderly parents are there—I’m losing my mind!”
“Exactly! Who can just sit still?”
The rain had completely stopped, and the sky was even showing signs of clearing. Having the rescue team lead the way into the county was far better than letting panicked civilians take matters into their own hands.
Captain Mo discussed the specifics with the overall command and then gave his consent.
Jing Shun got the approval and quickly downed half a cup of the flower tea, letting it warm his body before stepping out of the car.
Chen Yiming followed closely, looking worriedly at Jing Shun’s legs. “Mr. Jing, can you manage?”
“I can.”
Even if I can’t, I’ll grit my teeth and push through!
Jing Shun didn’t want to stay in the so-called shelter convoy, listening over and over to the unanswered phone calls. That only made his torment worse.
Rather than that, it was better to just walk!
Jing Shun found a tree branch to use as a walking stick and looked at Chen Yiming. “Let’s go. We’re going to find Chi Gui.”
He firmly believed that Chi Gui would be safe.
Chen Yiming nodded. “Alright.”
…
Ten minutes later, the walking team set off.
Jing Shun had rushed out this morning and hadn’t had time to change out of his pajamas—he’d only thrown on a thin down jacket over them.
Now, the post-rain chill relentlessly crept up his loose pant legs, making his legs shiver uncontrollably.
The mountain road, obstructed by mud, rocks, and timber, was not easy to navigate. Jing Shun gritted his teeth and stayed at the back of the line. Even with Chen Yiming by his side, offering occasional support, he still fell several times in the mud.
His pant legs were caked with mud, and his shoes were soaked through.
Jing Shun’s body had only recently recovered; this kind of trek was hardly suitable for him. But he stubbornly clenched his jaw, didn’t utter a word of complaint, and worked hard to keep up with the rescue team, determined not to hold anyone back.
“…”
The mountain road stretched endlessly.
Jing Shun’s breathing grew heavier and heavier. The wind carried a steady stream of cold air into his nose, and a nauseating taste of blood spread through his throat and chest.
He had lost all sense of direction, relying purely on a stubborn tenacity. Just as he was walking in a daze, a sudden commotion broke out at the front of the line—
“Someone’s there!”
“A lot of people are coming down the mountain!”
“Hurry! Give them a hand! Help out!”
“…”
Jing Shun and Chen Yiming were at the very back of the line and didn’t immediately understand what was happening.
Maybe it was that unique telepathy between lovers—the moment he looked up, Jing Shun spotted the most conspicuous height in the crowd.
“…Chi Gui?”
He muttered uncertainly at first, until, across the sea of people and the distance, he met a familiar gaze from afar—
Jing Shun didn’t know where the strength came from. He couldn’t control himself as he broke into a jog. “Chi Gui!”
“…”
Chi Gui initially thought he was too tired and was seeing things. The next second, he reacted just as quickly.
“Shun Shun!”
Just as Jing Shun’s strength gave out and he was about to fall, Chi Gui pulled him into his arms. Looking at his lover’s pale, haggard face, he felt a surge of anxiety.
“Why are you here? What are you running for!”
“Chi Gui…”
Jing Shun didn’t care if anyone else saw. He just hugged the person in front of him tightly.
The suppressed panic and unease burst like a balloon in that moment, leaving Jing Shun trembling all over. He wished he could melt entirely into his lover’s arms. “You’re okay… that’s good, that’s good.”
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”
Chi Gui wrapped Jing Shun inside his coat and whispered soothingly, “Baby, be good. Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Jing Shun inhaled deeply, breathing in the familiar scent of tea that surrounded him again, and the terror deep in his heart finally began to ease.
“Sir, how are you?”
Chen Yiming deliberately slowed down a bit before approaching. Once he confirmed that Chi Gui was unharmed, the heavy stone in his heart finally dropped.
“Mr. Jing and I kept calling you, but no one answered. We couldn’t rest easy, so we followed the rescue team into the mountains.”
“It’s nothing. It’s a long story.” Chi Gui was clearly more worried about Jing Shun’s condition. He looked around. “Let’s find a place to sit and rest. We’ll talk later.”
Chen Yiming nodded. “Alright.”
Among those coming down the mountain with Chi Gui, besides the other volunteers from the charity team, there were also over a dozen villagers from Wada Village, most of them elderly.
Some had been injured or twisted their ankles during the descent.
The rescue team learned what had happened and stopped to reorganize and provide assistance.
Chen Yiming got two folding chairs from the rescue workers. “Sir, here.”
Chi Gui immediately made Jing Shun sit down and draped his own coat over his lover’s knees. “Are you cold? Did you walk all the way here?”
“…”
Jing Shun was still shivering and didn’t speak.
Chen Yiming explained instead. “The mountain road was blocked, so the cars couldn’t get through. We followed the rescue team on foot for over half an hour.”
“That’s too reckless.” Chi Gui took Jing Shun’s icy hands and tried to warm them. “What if something had happened on the way?”
Chen Yiming thought about how persistent Jing Shun had been, but hesitated to say more.
So he turned the conversation back to Chi Gui. “Sir, what happened on your end?”
Jing Shun looked up at Chi Gui, waiting for the answer.
Chi Gui met his lover’s gaze and explained seriously, “Around seven last night, the rain in the mountains suddenly intensified.”
The village chief’s house was at the very end of the village, backed against the rear mountain, with a stream running beside it. Amid the lightning and thunder, Chi Gui looked out the window—
Loose soil and rocks were falling from the mountain, and a rumbling sound like muffled thunder was coming from deep within the mountain.
Chi Gui had learned some warning signs of natural disasters before. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately went to find the village chief. The chief, more experienced, noticed the water level rising abnormally—
The two of them put their heads together and divided the work to start evacuating people.
“If a mudslide happened, heading downhill would likely be too slow. The village chief said that going uphill there was a natural cave that could serve as a shelter. In past heavy rainstorms, the village had also organized evacuations there.”
In the face of a natural disaster, who dares to be careless? Most of the charity team were young and strong, so everyone raced against time to help the elderly villagers who had trouble moving to start climbing up.