Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 28 - 25: Saving a Person

The group of people shouted as they walked, but by the time they reached the place where the children said they had all split up, there was still no sign of Shusheng.

At this point, though no one wanted to admit it, they had to face the fact that Shusheng had likely gone deep into the mountains.

Mr. Zhao’s expression was grave, his cloudy eyes brimming with sorrow.

Black bears were active at this time of year, and with the plunging nighttime temperatures, any further delay meant the boy’s chances of survival were slim.

Mr. Zhao immediately split the crowd into several teams to search in different directions.

He was old but vigorous, so he led one team himself. The other two were led by Chen Song, an arrest officer from the government office, and an old hunter from the village.

The groups quickly dispersed. After walking for a while, Chen Song glanced back and saw his third brother, Chen Lin, lagging at the very end of the line, looking completely out of it and about to fall behind.

He yelled, "Third Brother, what are you dawdling for? It’s the middle of the night! If you don’t keep up and get lost, where are we supposed to find you?"

Normally, being yelled at like that by his older brother would have made Chen Lin scowl. When he was in a foul mood, he’d even spit and roll his eyes to show his defiance toward his brother, Chen Song.

But right now, he didn’t have the energy for any of that.

’If Mom heard about the kids going into the mountains from someone else,’ he thought, ’then how did she know Shusheng would end up alone? Who could have told her that?’

’No one could have predicted something like this. So, there’s only one explanation: his mother has divine powers!’

The conclusion left Chen Lin completely stunned.

He was filled with a mix of awe for the supernatural and for his mother, yet he couldn’t help but indulge in a wild daydream. ’If Mom knew Shusheng was in danger beforehand, does that mean she can also foresee where gold and silver are hidden?’

He wasn’t asking for much. Just one thousand taels of silver—no, gold—and he wouldn’t ask for another thing his entire life.

Chen Lin’s mind wandered, his eyes nearly blinded by the imaginary gleam of gold.

When his brother’s shout snapped him out of his wonderful daydream, Chen Lin’s first instinct was to snap back.

But then he remembered that his brother wasn’t just his brother anymore. He was a constable at the government office now. Could he really afford to offend him?

Even before, if he dared to defy his brother, he would get a fistful and a sound beating.

Chen Lin didn’t dare delay any longer. He just answered grudgingly, "Coming, I’m coming."

"Dashong, what do you make of this?"

Zhao Jing, dressed in the long robes of a scholar, had just pulled a straw sandal from beneath a hidden bush.

The sandal was the same color as the withered grass covering the mountain and was hidden so well under the bush that most people would have missed it completely.

But Zhao Jing had noticed. With just one glance, he said confidently, "This is Shusheng’s shoe."

Of all the rowdy children in the Zhao Village, only Shusheng’s straw sandals had a thin layer of cloth stitched over the toe. The story went that the boy was so reckless he’d torn off his toenails multiple times. His grandmother, feeling sorry for him, would painstakingly sew a scrap of cloth over the front for a bit of protection.

Chen Song took the shoe, his handsome, resolute face breaking into a joyful expression. "This is Shusheng’s shoe. Jing, you’re the observant one. We owe you for this. This is great. Now that we’ve confirmed he came this way, it’ll be much easier to search. We’ll find him soon, I’m sure of it."

The villagers behind Chen Song also started cheering. "It’s all thanks to Jing!"

"That’s a scholar for you. Always so dependable."

"I was just about to tell Jing to go home so we wouldn’t interrupt his studies. Good thing I kept my mouth shut..."

Zhao Jing gave a small, polite smile and nodded to the village elders. He said nothing more, simply falling in line behind Chen Song as the group set off again, their spirits high.

The discovery of the shoe had raised everyone’s morale. They searched with even greater care, calling out as they went, but still, there was no reply.

They continued on for about another fifteen minutes, but there was still no trace of Shusheng. Any farther and they would be in the truly deep, dangerous part of the mountains.

Everyone was on edge, and many were already thinking of turning back.

Chen Lin wanted to leave too, but he didn’t dare. For one, he didn’t want to be mocked for being a coward. For another, until he could confirm whether Shusheng had really fallen into a trap, he would remain skeptical of his mother’s words.

Just as Chen Lin was cautiously hesitating, he suddenly heard Chen Song and Zhao Jing cry out at the same time.

"Look out! There’s a trap at your feet!"

"I smell blood! Someone’s here!"

It took only a moment to find Shusheng in the trap.

Everyone cheered, but their joy was short-lived. They quickly saw a sharp jujube wood spike that had pierced straight through Shusheng’s back, its tip emerging from his stomach.

Shusheng’s clothes were soaked in blood. In the flickering light of the torches, the boy’s face was ashen and his lips were ghastly pale. He had already passed out from blood loss.

The crowd recoiled in horror, thrown into a panic like ants on a hot griddle.

"What are we going to do?"

"He’s lost so much blood... he’s not going to die, is he?"

"Oh, heavens... If Shusheng doesn’t make it, his mother will cry herself to death."

Chen Song’s heart was pounding, but this was no time for fear. He carefully bent down, slid a hand under the boy’s back, and gripped the jujube spike. Shuer, he applied his strength and lifted the child, spike and all, into his arms.

"Dashong, I have some styptic powder!"

"I have some in my pouch too! Take it, use it all!" "Don’t pull the spike out! We have to get him to a doctor in the county town..." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"I don’t know if he can make it to the county town..."

As Chen Song charged frantically down the mountain with the boy in his arms, some villagers ran off to notify the other two search parties and Shusheng’s grandparents.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jing, drenched in sweat, hurried down the mountain with the other men, close behind Chen Song.

As he neared the old scholar tree, his sharp eyes caught sight of a female figure behind it, moving back and forth as if trying to stay out of the torchlight.

Coincidentally, the spot where Chen Wanqing grew her huangqi was just past that very tree.

Zhao Jing’s first thought was, ’Is my sister out here digging up huangqi in the middle of the night?’

But he immediately shook his head with a small laugh. ’My sister would never do something so reckless.’

Thinking back on the fleeting glimpse of the figure, Zhao Jing pondered for a moment and finally realized who it was.

He stopped walking.

An older man walking nearby noticed he had stopped and looked back. "Jing, what’s wrong? You should hurry down the mountain and have some ginger tea. You scholars have delicate constitutions; don’t let yourself catch a chill."

Zhao Jing frowned. "You go on ahead, Uncle. I’ll be right back."

The man assumed Zhao Jing needed to relieve himself and chuckled, pointing in a certain direction. "It’s safe over there. That’s a good spot."

They were out of the deepest part of the forest now, in an area where women and children often foraged for mushrooms and fungus. The man didn’t think a strapping young lad like Zhao Jing would be in any danger, so he didn’t wait, instead hurrying to catch up with the main group to check on Shusheng.

After the others had gone, Zhao Jing raised his torch and walked slowly toward the tree.

Hiding behind the tree, Chen Wanyue bit her lip, silently cursing Zhao Jing for ruining her plans.

She had wanted to stay hidden, but the torchlight threw her shadow into plain view. There was no hiding now.

Zhao Jing didn’t bother to walk around the tree to face her. Instead, he simply looked at the shadow on the ground and asked, "Chen Wanyue, did you come all this way just to find me?"