jdhmnovel Chapter 496 Going and Returning
Chapter 496 Going and Returning
Wang Ying also squatted down, and when she saw the bloodstains at the corner of Shi Wanxia's mouth and the black ash on the ground, tears immediately fell down her face: "Miss Shi, why did you get up? Did you put out this fire?"
She reached out to help Shi Wanxia, but as soon as she touched Shi Wanxia's arm, Shi Wanxia winced in pain. Wang Ying quickly withdrew her hand, feeling extremely distressed.
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken you out for so long, I..."
"Do not blame you."
Shi Wanxia interrupted her, catching her breath, "Have you... found anything to eat?"
Wang Ying then remembered what was in her bosom and quickly took out something wrapped in oil paper. When she opened it, she found two dry, hard cakes with some mold spots on them.
“I went to the grain store I used to frequent, but the rebels had looted it. All that was left were these two flatbreads. I also dug up some wild vegetables by the roadside…”
As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, "I'm sorry to have wronged you, Miss Shi, you didn't even get a decent pancake."
Ya Ya took out a piece of candy wrapped in a crumpled wrapper from her pocket. The candy was half melted. She carefully handed it to Shi Wanxia: "Sister, here, have this. Ya Ya has been hiding it for a long time. It's sweet, and it will make the pain go away."
Looking at the melted candy, Shi Wanxia felt a pang of sadness and pain in her heart.
She remembered this candy; it was given to her by Ya Ya's father before, and Ya Ya had always been reluctant to eat it, but now he was giving it to her.
She reached out and gently touched Ya Ya's head. When her fingertips touched the child's soft hair, her hand began to tremble again: "Ya Ya, eat by yourself, it doesn't hurt..."
"Your sister is lying!"
Ya Ya pouted and stuffed the candy into Shi Wanxia's hand. "My mother said that eating something sweet will make the pain go away. Sister, eat it quickly."
Shi Wanxia clutched the candy, the warmth of which seeped through the wrapper into her palm, making her eyes sting.
She wanted to unwrap the candy and eat it, but she couldn't open the crumpled candy wrapper with her fingers. Instead, the wound on her fingertip started bleeding again because of the force she used.
Seeing this, Wang Ying quickly helped her unwrap the candy and held the half-melted candy to her lips: "Miss Shi, eat it, it's a child's thoughtfulness."
Shi Wanxia opened her mouth and put the candy in her mouth. The sweet taste spread in her mouth, but the sweetness could not suppress the bloody taste in her throat, nor could it suppress the pain in her body.
She took two bites, but couldn't eat anymore. Her stomach churned, and she quickly turned her head away. She started coughing again, this time even more violently, and tears streamed down her face.
Wang Ying quickly patted her back to help her catch her breath: "Miss Shi, slow down, don't rush..."
Shi Wanxia coughed for a while before stopping. She leaned against the wall, her face even paler than before, and even her lips were bloodless.
She looked at the injury on Wang Ying's arm, then at Ya Ya's little hands, which were red from the cold, and felt a pang of pain in her heart.
If it weren't for her, Wang Ying and Ya Ya wouldn't have suffered like this, wouldn't have been unable to get a full meal, and wouldn't have lived in fear every day.
"Sister Wang,"
Shi Wanxia took a breath and said softly, "Wait...wait until reinforcements arrive, I will definitely take you out and find a safe place, and I will never let you suffer again..."
Wang Ying nodded, tears welling up in her eyes again: "I believe you, Miss Shi. I know you're a good person. We'll definitely get out of here."
But Shi Wanxia herself was uncertain. She could feel her body getting worse and worse, her wounds becoming more and more painful, and sometimes she would even experience blurred vision and be unable to stand steadily.
She didn't know if she could hold out until reinforcements arrived, or even if they did, whether they could get out safely.
The rebels were still searching the city, and danger lurked everywhere. These few were either wounded or too young to put up a fight.
She clutched the melted candy, then looked at the black ash and bloodstains on the ground, and felt a wave of despair wash over her.
She wanted to live, wanted to help Wang Ying and Ya Ya live, wanted to see Shen Yanzhou again, but now, she could barely protect herself.
Just then, footsteps and the voices of rebels came from outside the temple gate: "I think I saw some smoke just now, let's go in and take a look!"
Wang Ying's face turned pale instantly. She quickly hugged Ya Ya and hid behind the pile of firewood.
Shi Wanxia also tensed up immediately. She wanted to stand up and block in front of her, but as soon as she exerted force, a sharp pain shot through her ribs, almost causing her to fall over.
She gritted her teeth, leaned against the wall, and slowly moved to the temple entrance, blocking the gap—she couldn't let the rebels in, she couldn't let them hurt Wang Ying and Ya Ya.
The footsteps grew closer, and the temple door was kicked hard with a loud bang. The door panels shook, and dust fell down in a flurry.
Shi Wanxia's heart was in her throat. She gripped the knife tightly in her hand, and even though her hand was still trembling and her injuries were about to make her faint, she did not back down.
She had to hold on, for Brother Cui and the others, for Sister Wang, for Ya Ya, and for herself.
Just as Shi Wanxia's hand touched the door latch, her wrist was pressed down by an icy hand.
The hand was light, yet carried an undeniable force. She turned around abruptly and met Choi Ji-ho's pale, almost transparent eyes.
He had woken up at some point and was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. There was a dark red bloodstain on the wall behind him, obviously from the wound that had bled again when he forced himself to get up.
"do not go……"
Choi Ji-ho's voice was softer than a mosquito's buzz, barely a whisper, and he seemed to gasp for breath after each word. His fingers trembled slightly as he pointed to the waist-high haystack beside him, "Hide inside..."
Shi Wanxia felt as if her heart had been pricked by a needle as she looked at the bloodstains spreading across his chest.
She tried to help him up, but the moment she bent over, a sharp pain in her ribs made her gasp. She could only grit her teeth and say in a hoarse voice, "Brother Cui, you're injured like this..."
"Time is running out."
Choi Jiho interrupted her, but his eyes were firm. He shifted his body, trying to move closer to the haystack.
But as soon as he moved, he started coughing violently, his shoulders shaking, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth down his chin. He quickly wiped it away with his sleeve, afraid that Ya Ya would see it and be frightened.
Wang Ying also realized what was happening, picked up Ya Ya and ran towards the haystack, not forgetting to reach out to help Cui Zhihao: "Young Master Cui, let me help you!"
Lin Yiyu also struggled to sit up. The injury on his leg prevented him from walking, so he could only move towards the haystack little by little. With each step, the cold sweat on his face increased.
Shi Wanxia gritted her teeth and endured the pain to help Wang Ying dig a hole in the hay.
This haystack was used to start a fire before; it's dry and dense, just enough to hide five people.
She first helped Ya Ya crawl inside, then helped Cui Zhihao move in as well.
Choi Jiho's body was very heavy, and she was the only one supporting him. Her wound on her arm was rubbed, and the pain made her fingertips go numb, but she didn't dare to utter a sound.
Finally, the five of them squeezed into the narrow haystack, with bits of hay floating in the air, making them want to cough.
Ya Ya was held tightly in Wang Ying's arms, her little head buried in her mother's neck, not daring to breathe loudly.
Shi Wanxia leaned against the outermost edge and could clearly hear the footsteps of the rebels getting closer and closer outside the temple gate, along with their rough curses.