novelden Chapter 191 Raising troops to investigate crimes
Chapter 191 Raising troops to investigate crimes
After another arduous trek of nearly three hours, the group finally reached the village entrance in the middle of the night.
The group quickened their pace and hurried towards the village.
Despite it being late at night, a large number of people were still gathered at the village entrance.
Upon seeing them return, the crowd immediately cheered and spread the news.
Some went to inform the old Party Secretary, while others ran into the mountains to tell the people looking for him to stop bothering.
"Good, good, everyone's back."
A short while later, the old Party Secretary came over. Seeing that everyone had been found, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
Xiao Zhang, who was on Li Xiangyang's back, still had a fever and was burning hot all over.
Xiao Hong, whom Wang Ergou was carrying, was too tired to speak.
"Quick, everyone lend a hand, let's get this person to Doctor Qian's house!"
At the old Party Secretary's command, several young villagers immediately stepped forward to help.
"Xiao Chen, you're fast! Go quickly and inform Dr. Qian!"
A young man took off running towards Doctor Qian's house.
Not long after, lights came on in Dr. Qian's yard.
"Put the one with the fever on the bed."
Dr. Qian called out and quickly stepped forward to help the person.
He took her pulse and checked her forehead temperature, his brow furrowing deeply: "Her fever is quite high; we need to bring it down quickly."
"Why would someone run off into the mountains for no reason? Luckily, this person drank the ginseng water, which saved their life, otherwise..."
"I'm searching for medicinal herbs," Dr. Qian said with concern.
Hearing Dr. Qian say this, the educated youth lowered their heads in shame.
Seeing that Dr. Qian knew the illness so well without him having to say anything, Li Xiangyang finally felt relieved.
Only then did he realize how tired he was, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Xiangyang, you must be tired too. Go back and rest."
Upon seeing this, the old Party Secretary said with concern.
"Alright, we'll be going now." Hearing the old Party Secretary's words, and truly exhausted, Li Xiangyang nodded: "Uncle He, it's so late, why don't you stay tonight and come home with me for the night?"
Exhausted and with his feet aching terribly, He Mancang nodded weakly.
It was already late at night when we left Dr. Qian's house.
"Sigh, if it weren't for you guys, I would have lost my life," He Mancang sighed.
"Uncle He, what are you saying? You've only fallen into a ditch. Even without us, you can save yourself. Come on, go back and get some sleep," Li Xiangyang said with a smile.
Wang Ergou interrupted, asking, "Brother Xiangyang, that bear...?"
“Keep it with you for now,” Li Xiangyang interrupted. “We’ll talk about it in a couple of days. Uncle He, what do you say?”
He Mancang nodded with a smile: "You really need to rest. This has been quite a tiring day."
After parting ways with Wang Ergou, Li Xiangyang took He Mancang back to the old house.
It wasn't that he didn't want to take people to the new house, but he knew without a doubt that the heating would be frozen solid again, making the house completely uninhabitable.
Upon arriving at the old house, after forcing themselves to heat up the kang (a heated brick bed), the two fell asleep without saying a word.
The next day, Li Xiangyang didn't open his eyes until noon.
Old He had already gotten up and was chopping firewood in the yard.
"Uncle He, why are you up so early?" Li Xiangyang put on his clothes and went out.
"I can't sleep," He Mancang said, putting down his axe. "I feel like you young people have helped me so much, I have to do something for you."
Li Xiangyang smiled and shook his head: "Please don't be so polite, sir. I'm sorry I overslept and made you help with the chores. Are you hungry? I'll cook for you right away."
Just then, Wang Ergou came running up, panting: "Brother Xiangyang, Uncle He, something's happened!"
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Li Xiangyang asked curiously.
"The families of those educated youths we rescued yesterday have come all the way from the city. They're making a scene at Doctor Qian's house right now!" Wang Ergou was still panting as he spoke.
"This is such a worry, I haven't even eaten yet," Li Xiangyang complained, his face grim.
"I know you haven't eaten. Here, this is cornbread my mom made. It's fresh out of the pan, still a little burnt. Just eat it with some pickled vegetables as you walk."
As Wang Ergou spoke, he handed each of them a cornbread pancake.
Now that Wang Ergou has money, these flatbreads are steamed and then fried in oil, making them especially fragrant and crispy. They taste particularly delicious when eaten with pickled vegetables.
Li Xiangyang and He Mancang ate as they walked, and soon they arrived at Doctor Qian's house.
A commotion could be heard from afar.
The courtyard of Dr. Qian's house was crowded with people, and several well-dressed middle-aged men were pointing at the old Party Secretary and Dr. Qian and shouting loudly.
"What do you mean by this? Our child had an accident in your village, and now you don't even have an explanation?" A middle-aged man wearing glasses said, his face flushed.
“Yes, how do you manage things? Leaving children in such a dangerous place…” a woman said, wiping away tears.
"Do you really think we're easy to bully? It's because we're innocent..."
……
Listening to the barrage of accusations from the other side, the old Party Secretary's face darkened considerably.
The person hadn't even reached the village; they had just run off into the mountains. As soon as I got the news, I immediately sent people to look for them.
Now that the person has been found, these family members are making a fuss.
Moreover, they came with an attitude of demanding an explanation.
Just as the old Party Secretary was about to speak, Li Xiangyang quickly squeezed in: "Uncles and aunties, please calm down. After all, everyone has been found, and it wasn't a big deal."
"Heh, what do you mean 'it's nothing serious'? What counts as a serious matter? And who are you?" the bespectacled man asked with an unfriendly expression.
"Me? My surname is Li, Li Xiangyang. We were the ones who went into the mountains yesterday to rescue the children."
Li Xiangyang suppressed his anger and said.
"Rescue her?" The bespectacled man sneered. "If it weren't for your mismanagement, how could my daughter have ended up like this..."
"Dad..." Xiao Zhang suddenly spoke from the bed, "It really has nothing to do with the village. We wanted to go into the mountains ourselves. If it weren't for Brother Xiangyang and the others, we'd be..."
Xiao Zhang's words stunned the bespectacled man.
The other parents also quieted down and looked at each other.
“Uncle and Aunt, I know you’re worried about the child,” Li Xiangyang said, seizing the opportunity. “But this really can’t be blamed on the village. On the contrary, if it weren’t for the villagers’ timely search and rescue efforts, frankly speaking, the child would be gone long ago.”
He Mancang nodded in agreement, "Yes, there are bears in those mountains. If we hadn't arrived in time..."
"A bear?" Several parents' expressions changed drastically.
"That's right, what are you all making such a fuss about? They didn't even reach our village before running off into the mountains. When the old Party Secretary got the news, he immediately sent Xiangyang to find me to help rescue them… And you guys had the nerve to shout and yell, searching for them for ages, risking your lives to rescue them, and we weren't even charging you…"
Wang Ergou, unable to contain his anger, interjected.
"Alright," Li Xiangyang interrupted Wang Ergou, "They're just worried about their own child."
Hearing Wang Ergou's words, the bespectacled man's attitude softened visibly: "Um... I'm sorry, we didn't understand the situation. Thank you for saving the children."
"Of course," Li Xiangyang smiled. "If you're worried, you can stay in the village for a few more days until the children are fully recovered."
Seeing that the situation had eased, the old Party Secretary quickly said, "Yes, yes, I'll arrange accommodations right away."
Seeing the old Party Secretary lead several parents out, Li Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief.
These days, dealing with the affairs of educated youth is the most difficult.
Each of them had no idea about the other's family background.
Don't underestimate them just because they are a vulnerable group now that they are sent to the countryside. Once the college entrance examination is reinstated, who knows what achievements they will make in the future?
What if they make it big and hold a grudge...