Song Chuzhao sat up, her mind a hazy blur. She reached out and touched the earthen wall in front of her, then saw the sparse sunlight filtering through the leaves overhead. She immediately understood that Gu Fengjian had fallen into the pit.
These two people could end up squatting in a pit together, it seemed there was a story to tell.
Seeing that Song Chuzhao was fine, Tang Zhirou, remembering her disdain for her, pulled back, saying, “Were you trying to scare me? I thought you fainted.”
Song Chuzhao pressed her forehead, sorting out her thoughts, and said in a low voice, “I was just thinking.”
Tang Zhirou dared not sit down, but stood with her arms crossed on the side.
A small amount of water had accumulated at the bottom of the pit, and the smell in the air was nauseating. Tang Zhirou couldn’t see anything on the ground, and her heart was filled with fear. After the fall, she now had a stinging itch all over her body, and she desperately wanted to take off her clothes and wash off a layer of skin in the water.
“What do we do now? We’ve fallen into this place, and who knows when we’ll be found. Our clothes are dirty, and we’re hungry… I also need to use the privy.” Tang Zhirou said in despair, “Third Girl Song, please talk to me. It’s so dark here, I’m really scared.”
Song Chuzhao didn’t listen carefully to her words, but was checking her own body to see if she was injured.
Her clothes on her back were wet and stuck to her skin, making her uncomfortable, but she had no time to care about such small details at the moment.
She stood up, looked at her hands up close, and moved her limbs.
The muscles in her elbow were slightly sore, perhaps due to the forced support when she fell, but it was nothing serious.
Song Chuzhao was filled with relief.carpreads.pages.dev
Her own body was just different, it was incredibly light and full of strength, like walking on clouds and wind, she could punch a string of kids with one punch.
Seeing that Song Chuzhao completely ignored her, Tang Zhirou’s already fragile heart shattered into a million pieces, and she cried, “Third Girl Song, can you please pay attention to me? I’ve already begged you, and you still treat me so coldly. In your heart, am I not even worth a speck of dust?”
Song Chuzhao finally noticed her and said with a headache, “Don’t cry, I’m listening, tell me again.”
Tang Zhirou said, “You think I’m annoying, don’t you? I’ll be annoying if I want to! We’re in this situation, Third Girl Song, why are you so mean to me?”
Song Chuzhao said innocently, “…Are you alright?”
Tang Zhirou burst into tears with a “wa.”
Song Chuzhao was helpless and treated her like a child. The children on the border were always free-range, so she would let her cry for now. The more vigorous her cries, the more it proved that she should be fine.
Song Chuzhao approached the wall, inserted her fingers into the soil, and tried to climb up using it as leverage. After she circled the dirt pit and confirmed the hardness of the four walls, Tang Zhirou’s crying had not stopped.
She cried very emotionally, her tone was very sad, her breath was steady, and her voice was strong. Song Chuzhao couldn’t understand how she could have such abundant emotions.
The sound was ringing in Song Chuzhao’s head, and she couldn’t take it anymore, so she said, “It’s just a pit, what are you crying about? I haven’t ignored you, and you haven’t encountered anything dangerous, what’s there to cry about?”
Tang Zhirou stopped crying for a moment and said, “It’s so dark here, aren’t you really scared? From the time we went up the mountain, there hasn’t been a single normal place, there might be ghosts, who knows.”
Song Chuzhao listened and laughed, “You’re worried about that? You might as well pray that a snake doesn’t suddenly appear. And hope that there aren’t any poisonous insects or rats in this pit. Whether ghosts are willing to come out to see you, I don’t know, but those things are really dangerous.”
Tang Zhirou’s eyes widened in terror, and then she cried even louder.
“There are rats? This ghost place actually has rats? No wonder I’m so itchy, is there poison in this water?”
Song Chuzhao: “…”
Tang Zhirou jumped up, “Something is crawling on my feet! Is it you?”
The veins on Song Chuzhao’s forehead started to throb.
Tang Zhirou wailed, “Mother…”
Song Chuzhao grabbed her collar and shouted, “Don’t cry! What’s the use of crying? Don’t jump either, you can’t jump out of this pit! Calm down!”
Tang Zhirou said, “Who told you to scare me!”
“I’m just telling the truth,” Song Chuzhao said. “If you’re really scared, hurry up and climb out of this pit.”
Tang Zhirou’s crying gradually subsided, and she asked, “How do I climb out?”
Song Chuzhao said, “This wall isn’t smooth, it wasn’t built to trap people, of course you climb it with your hands.”
Song Chuzhao fumbled around on the ground, found a stone, adjusted its direction, and used its sharp edge to dig into the wall. She easily carved out a shallow pit.
Song Chuzhao took Tang Zhirou’s hand and led her to the wall, ignoring her reluctance, and forcefully said, “Learn. Dig a few pits in the wall to make it easier to get a grip. Use your hands to grab the uneven parts, push off with your feet, and you’ll be up in no time.”
Tang Zhirou couldn’t believe it.
Song Chuzhao cut her off, “Don’t cry, and don’t complain! Otherwise, I’ll leave you here alone!”
Tang Zhirou huffed in defiance, turned around, and reached out to climb the earthen wall.
She had no experience like this, didn’t know how to use her strength, her fingers hurt, but she still couldn’t move.
She quickly gave up, shaking her head and saying, “I can’t.”
Song Chuzhao laughed in exasperation, “You say you can’t before you even start? Use the same energy you used to scream. Even if it were a few times higher, you could still climb it.”
Tang Zhirou said, “I… I’m just a woman. You’re overestimating me.”
Song Chuzhao said, “What does that have to do with being male or female? Men don’t have anything extra that they can use to climb a wall.”
Tang Zhirou’s face quickly flushed red, “You… you’re too rude!”
Song Chuzhao patted her waist, ruthlessly saying, “Climb!”
Tang Zhirou’s eyes were red and swollen, and she remembered that her tears were useless to this woman in front of her, so she might as well save them.
She turned around again, grabbed a stone in the wall, and struggled to climb up.
Song Chuzhao directed from behind, “Push with your feet! Use your legs to push off. Don’t lean back. Don’t shake your hands!”
Tang Zhirou climbed two steps, her arms went weak, and she wanted to come down. Song Chuzhao propped her up by the waist and continued to lift her up.
“Up you go!”
Tang Zhirou was caught in a difficult situation, and she said angrily, “I told you I can’t! My hands hurt!”
“If you’re not willing to put in the effort, don’t blame others for saying you’re useless!” Song Chuzhao said. “I thought you had some spirit, but now I see you’re just spoiled!”
Tang Zhirou turned her head towards the bottom and said, “You’re scolding me again! Why do you always scold me?”
“I’m angry that you’re not trying! I’m so frustrated with you!” Song Chuzhao said. “You clearly have a chance to save yourself, but you’re not even willing to try, you’re wasting all your energy crying and complaining. Where’s your ambition?”
Tang Zhirou said, “I’m not like you, I haven’t learned martial arts!”
Song Chuzhao said, “That’s why I’m helping you! Do you need someone to pave the way for you before you can walk? What’s wrong with you? I won’t spoil you! Tang Zhirou, unless your hand is broken, you’re going to keep climbing!”
Tang Zhirou gritted her teeth, sniffling, sobbing, and pushing herself with all her might.
The pit wasn’t actually that deep. Song Chuzhao helped her from behind, so it was relatively easy. When she reached a height she couldn’t reach, Song Chuzhao stepped back a little to prevent her from falling.
Tang Zhirou, whether it was due to the stimulation or not, truly mustered all her strength and climbed to the top, successfully escaping.
Seeing the person disappear out of the opening, Song Chuzhao breathed a sigh of relief. She rolled up her sleeves, tied her skirt, and using her light skills, followed in three or two steps.
The light outside suddenly became brighter, and Song Chuzhao was forced to close her eyes. After a moment, she opened them again.
Tang Zhirou sat nearby, exhausted, looking at her with resentment, her tears flowing silently, making her appear pitifully helpless.
Seeing her like this, Song Chuzhao sighed helplessly and squatted down in front of her. She searched her body and found that Gu Fengjian hadn’t brought a handkerchief when he left, so she could only pull out the sleeve of her inner garment to wipe Tang Zhirou’s face.
Tang Zhirou initially recoiled in fear, but after realizing that Song Chuzhao wasn’t trying to hit her, she remained still, allowing her to wipe her face with a hint of surprise.
Song Chuzhao’s rare gentleness towards her only made her feel more wronged. Tears flowed down her face like a broken string.
Song Chuzhao said in a gentle voice, “Didn’t you make it up? It wasn’t a difficult task at all, you just thought it was impossible. You were crying so much just now, look at you, was it really necessary?”
Tang Zhirou said, “I didn’t want to.”
Song Chuzhao said, “Others look down on you, and you look down on yourself. What kind of confidence do you have to demand respect from others? Say less, ‘I can’t,’ and do more.”
Tang Zhirou turned her face away and said, “So you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, I just hope you can be stronger. Speak your mind, solve your problems, what can crying change?”
Song Chuzhao changed her position and said earnestly, “I know you want to rely on others. You’ve been told since you were little that women are incapable and need to rely on men, right? But are men reliable? If he truly loves you, he might give you some warmth and be good to you. But what if he falls in love with someone else one day? Will your life also be lost with him? Ask yourself, is a man’s love valuable? Is your life valuable?”
Tang Zhirou found her words reasonable and looked at her curiously, asking, “Do you treat Fifth Young Master the same way?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Gu Fengjian wouldn’t cry in front of me, nor would he rely on others when encountering problems, and he wouldn’t say to me, ‘You just need to rely on me.’”
Tang Zhirou asked, “Then what would he do?”
“He would say, ‘If you want to do something, go ahead. I know you can.’” Song Chuzhao said, “He’s even more open-minded than I am. He disregards worldly views and has a broad mind. You should learn from him.”
Tang Zhirou muttered, “That’s easy to say. There’s only one Fifth Young Master in the world, and you’ve already taken him.”
Song Chuzhao didn’t hear her and said, “County Princess, you have a noble status, everyone looks up to you, you’re already better than many people. I don’t think you’re indecisive. Remember this, if you want others to respect you, don’t just think about showing weakness. Tears can only bring sympathy, not respect. Ask for help openly, a hundred times better than throwing a tantrum.”
Tang Zhirou said, “I didn’t throw a tantrum! I was just anxious!”
Seeing this, Song Chuzhao chuckled softly and extended her hand towards her, “Finally got your spirits back? Then get up.”
Tang Zhirou lowered her gaze, staring at her hand for a long time before taking it. As she got up, she whispered, “I think you’re pretty open-minded too.”
Tang Zhirou’s emotions came and went quickly. After calming down, she couldn’t bear to recall her previous behavior. She patted her bottom, avoiding her gaze, and asked in a feigned bravado, “Where should we go next?”
There was no need to answer this question, because Song Chuzhao had already seen two figures leaping in the distance.
Gu Fengjian was running quickly, his brows furrowed with rare anxiety. He jumped down from the high slope, almost slipping. He grabbed hold of a nearby dead branch to regain his balance.
Song Chuzhao, seeing the danger, instinctively shouted a warning, “Slow down!”
Gu Fengjian, seeing that she was alright, slowed down slightly.
In recent days, Song Chuzhao had become accustomed to seeing her own face, but seeing Gu Fengjian’s face still felt strange.
After all, she didn’t like looking in the mirror every day.
Gu Fengjian walked through the shadows of the trees, his figure alternating between light and darkness, quickly approaching her. His face was cold, but when he looked at her, he tried to smooth out his furrowed brows.
Song Chuzhao was about to greet him when Gu Fengjian grabbed her shoulder and asked, “Are you alright?”
Song Chuzhao said, “I’m fine. I even brought the County Princess out.”
Tang Zhirou opened her mouth to speak, wanting to ask Fifth Son Gu why he had come, but then she realized that Gu Fengjian wasn’t even looking at her. Swallowing the bitterness in her mouth, she wisely closed her lips.
Gu Fengjian asked, “How did you bring her up here? Did you carry her? You should have waited for me to help you with something so dangerous. I came as quickly as I could.”
Tang Zhirou inexplicably felt as if someone had just slashed a cold knife across her neck. Why was Fifth Son Gu glaring at her?
Song Chuzhao said, “She climbed up herself. The young County Princess was quite the hard worker today.”
Tang Zhirou felt both touched and proud upon hearing this.
Song Chuzhao had actually praised her?!
Gu Fengjian pursed his lips, seemingly unable to find anything else to say.
The cold wind blew against Song Chuzhao’s damp clothes, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
Gu Fengjian immediately untied his outer robe and draped it over her, his fingers forcefully pulling the collar tight. He caught a glimpse of the mud stains and the cut on her hand, and his expression turned dark. He muttered, “It’s good you’re alright.”
Tang Zhirou was also shivering. Her eyes darted to the clothes hanging on Lieshui’s arm, and she blinked hopefully.
Lieshui calmly shook out the clothes… and put them on herself.
Tang Zhirou: “…” You guys just go ahead and do that.