Chapter 3: Secretary Liang Awakens
Xiao Sun and the others weren’t far away; the path was simply difficult to traverse. About half an hour later, Liang Youyun reached the landslide site.
Of course, this was also thanks to Xiao Sun continuously blowing his life-saving whistle; the sound guided the way, making the direction easier to discern.
But getting them out was the real challenge. Waiting for the rescue team would take time, and the five people trapped in the pit were none of them particularly strong. Climbing out would demand immense effort, yet no one dared act rashly, fearing further landslides and collapse.
Liang Youyun, however, felt deeply grateful; the helper she had brought along proved incredibly effective.
After securing the ropes, the man descended to the bottom of the pit. Using the same method he had employed to rescue Liang Youyun, he lifted each person up one by one.
He transformed himself into a living, adjustable ladder, his broad back serving as the foundation bearing their weight. The ropes around his waist grew tighter with each lift, yet his pace quickened. Just as all five reached safety, a sudden, thunderous crash erupted: a section of ground directly in front of him collapsed, instantly burying him beneath the debris!
Everyone quickly pulled the rope together. Watching the gravel, sand, and mud crash uncontrollably toward the man, Youyun’s heart turned to ice. “This is it,” she thought in panic. “He must hold on! It would be such a tragedy if he died like this! After all, what does this have to do with him? How could he be so unlucky as to run into Liang Youyun? He can’t die! If he does, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!”
The man knew well how to protect himself: he shielded his head with his arms, ran along the side of the slope, and burst through the chaos. The others followed his lead, pulling the rope toward him, and soon he climbed up from the relatively stable side of the slope.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The man, utterly exhausted, sat on the ground, gasping heavily.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Youyun rushed over to check his head, finding no bleeding wounds. Of course, under these circumstances, it was impossible to tell; the man, already covered in mud, now had an additional layer of dirt clinging to him.
He coughed violently. Youyun handed him her water bottle. As he drank, he still avoided letting his lips touch the rim. Youyun helped steady the bottle so he could drink normally.
“At a time like this, why still worry about hygiene?”
“Thank you.” After finishing, the man coughed twice more. “Since this is your personal water bottle, I was afraid I wasn’t clean enough.”
“As if I’m any cleaner than you!”
Youyun gave a bitter smile; wasn’t she covered in mud herself?
“Thank you so much for saving us all. I don’t even know how to repay you. Let me treat you to a meal later!”
Just then, the rescue team and police arrived. After assessing the situation, they confirmed that fortunately, no one was injured. Supporting each other, the group began making their way out of the rainforest.
At this moment, words were futile; language seemed pale before the power of nature. Only upon reaching the village, returning to where people lived, would there be time for criticism or praise. For now, everyone walked forward in silence. Night fell, stars gathered overhead, tree shadows intertwined, and humans appeared as insignificant as ants.
Youyun lagged behind. She had sprained her ankle when she accidentally fell into the pit earlier. At first, she could endure the pain, but after walking so far, combined with the darkness, she found herself increasingly unable to keep up.
A hand reached out to steady her.
“There’s still a ways to go; let me carry you!” the man said.
“I’m fine…” Youyun looked up. It was him. Caught off guard, she met his gaze. In such a dark night, beneath such twinkling stars, she found herself speechless.
He glanced at her right foot. “Walking like this will worsen the injury. If a blood vessel ruptures and forms a hematoma, it could get complicated.”
It sounded rather frightening. Youyun hesitated, but he had already turned around, bending down, waiting for her to climb onto his back.
“Thank you for your trouble… thanks!” She wasn’t the type to burden others, yet at this moment, she couldn’t refuse.
Her arms encircled the man’s neck; she dared not hold too tightly, fearing he might think she was taking advantage.
“Are you a tourist? You don’t look like a local,” she asked.
The man didn’t answer immediately; after a pause, he said, “I just arrived from Jinghong.”
“Oh. Here to see the rainforest, I take it? Just a heads-up for next time: don’t come when it’s raining; it’s far too dangerous.”
She faltered, at a loss for what to say.
“I’m pretty heavy, aren’t I?”
“Not at all.”
“But you’re sweating!” Youyun noticed beads of sweat trickling down his temples, washing a narrow streak through the mud on his face.
“…It’s a bit hot.”
“Maybe I should get down and walk slowly.”
“You’d better try to sleep for a while.”
Youyun didn’t insist further and obediently lay prone.
Before long, drowsiness overtook her, and her vision filled with dazzling, colorful scenes.
Strange—she hadn’t eaten any wild mushrooms recently! Why did she feel so dizzy?
Her chest pressed against his back; the path was rough, yet the man strove to maintain balance and avoid jolting her, which inadvertently increased the friction between their bodies.
Youyun’s gratitude turned into shame; she felt as though the two soft mounds on her chest were being rubbed itchy by his back.
She even experienced the pre-menstrual sensation of breast fullness, followed by images too indescribable to voice.
She quickly stopped herself: What on earth is this? Which wire got crossed? Am I craving a man? Of course not! I’m in my thirties, long past the age of acting on emotion. My list of exes could form an entire basketball team; I’ve honed sharp eyes and the ability to spot scumbags just by their voice. So what’s wrong with me today? How could carrying me on his back make me lose my head like this? It must be related to ovulation! No, no—what has ovulation ever done to deserve this blame? It happens every month, every year. Could it be that, feeling wasted, it’s now urging my body into arousal?…
The more she thought, the more confused she became; unable to find any reason, her face flushed crimson, her body grew hot, her cheek pressed fully against his shoulder, and her vision blurred increasingly…
In a daze, she caught sight of a faint glow nearby; could they be nearing the village entrance?
The delicate fragrance of papaya blossoms drifted in with the night breeze, along with the flickering silhouette of spiky “cacti” illuminated by the lights—that was Uncle Kan Yong’s dragon fruit orchard…
When she opened her eyes again, Liang Youyun saw the triangular red-tiled peaks characteristic of Dai architecture. The multi-eaved, hip-and-gable roof complex belonged to a Dai Buddhist temple near the Nanla River. Beyond that stretched only a sky swirling with stars.
Someone waved a hand in front of her eyes, exclaiming excitedly, “Secretary Liang has woken up!”
Immediately, a commotion ensued. Some came to measure her blood pressure, others to listen to her heartbeat. Youyun instinctively tried to sit up but was gently pressed back down. Only then did she realize she was lying on a stretcher, surrounded by members of the medical team who were examining her.
Youyun had no idea how she had fallen asleep, yet she slept soundly. She dreamed of her childhood—running wild with friends in the village, back when her parents were still together, when her mother was still alive… She remembered feeling so overjoyed that she wept.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered that she always cried when sick with a fever, so this feeling was familiar; she must be running a fever.
She heard a voice both familiar and strange: “The right foot is severely swollen; the high fever is likely caused by inflammation.”
It was him. The man who had carried her on his back.
Unable to restrain herself, Youyun struggled to sit up but was gently pushed back down; the IV bottle swaying above her head limited her movements.
“This bottle is almost finished. Hang in there, Secretary Liang! Everything’s fine, no need to worry!”
It was Yuxiang’s voice. As the propaganda committee member of the party branch, she was a young and beautiful Dai girl, Youyun’s closest sister, and her most “capable” assistant.
Yuxiang had not intended to disturb Youyun’s rest, but she couldn’t hold her tongue. Fond of talking, laughing, and gossiping, she recounted nearly everything that had just happened while Youyun was receiving an IV drip.
The gist of it was that Liang Youyun had left the rainforest with the group but developed a fever midway and was carried back by a stranger. Everyone else was fine; the three college students were especially lively and energetic. They had reunited with the teachers sent by the university, informed their families they were safe, completed their medical check-ups, and were now preparing to spend the night at a village homestay.
“So I’m the only one who got sick?”
Liang Youyun gradually regained consciousness as her fever subsided, her body drenched in sweat. “Looks like I’m really getting old. How did I suddenly come down with a fever?”
Supported by Yuxiang, she straightened up just as media reporters approached for interviews, firing off a series of questions: How were the college students found? Did you feel worried or scared during the ordeal? Why does this unofficial trail to the rainforest continue to exist? Are there any plans to install safety measures in the future?
Youyun felt dizzy once again, but having experience dealing with reporters, she chose her words carefully, offering only pleasant and unassailable responses.
All hiking routes are planned in advance; even the so-called “wild trails” have clear signage. During heavy rain, the village always warns tourists against entering the rainforest. As everyone knows, our Manle Village has always prioritized ecological conservation. Our signature tourism project is the renowned Nanla River Resort Area. Moving forward, in accordance with directives from higher authorities, we will strengthen regulatory enforcement, keeping visitor safety as our top priority…
As for today’s incident, those three college students have already recognized their mistakes. Their attitudes were sincere, and after this ordeal, they now understand even more deeply the preciousness of life…
“Right!” Liang Youyun suddenly realized that the reporter had been saying she was the one who saved the person, and this was something she absolutely needed to clarify.
“The three children weren’t saved by me; I nearly didn’t make it back myself. If it hadn’t been for encountering…” She hurriedly scanned her surroundings, but the man was nowhere in sight. Growing anxious, she exclaimed, “It was the person who carried me back—he saved us!”
The reporter asked, “Do you know his name?”
“What’s his name…”
Only then did Liang Youyun realize she didn’t even know the man’s name. “I’m sorry, I forgot to ask.”
“Then what does he look like?” the reporter pressed. “Could you describe him? It would help with our interview records.”
“He’s very tall, um… very muscular, I suppose quite muscular.” Youyun hesitated; anyone capable of scaling a steep three-to-four-meter slope in one breath must be in excellent physical condition.
“Can you find him? I must interview this hero!” the reporter said.
“Uh… well…” Liang Youyun was at a loss; all she remembered was his mud-caked face and disheveled appearance, making it impossible to discern his features.
Instinctively, she began searching, using the temple’s lantern light to scan the bustling crowd for that figure.
Just as her prolonged search yielded no results, not far away beneath a bodhi tree, someone rose from beside the well.
Her eyes lit up—it was him!
That broad back and those long legs; he must have been washing his face by the well just now, for he was still holding a white towel, wiping his face.
Youyun stretched her neck, fixing her gaze on him. As if sensing her stare, he suddenly turned around and looked in her direction.
Perhaps due to the perfect angle of the slanting light, it gilded the contours of his body and face with gold. He radiated a delicate, soft beauty; no longer a dark, muddy figure, he was like a golden lotus cleansed of污泥.
Though they were far apart, making it impossible for Liang Youyun to make out his features clearly, she had a vague impression that he was a man of steady disposition.
He stood there, and the surroundings fell silent.
That was exactly the feeling.
She gazed at him, forgetting to point him out to the reporter.
Moreover, he quickly turned away, gathered his towel, left the well, and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.