Chapter 285 - 214: King of Sea, Land, and Air (2)

Chapter 285: Chapter 214: King of Sea, Land, and Air (2)

Zhao Wendong grabbed her and hauled her out of the seawater, roaring.

"What’s wrong? Are you alright?"

"I... I’m fine, Dongzi," she sobbed. "My leg just cramped up from the cold."

"The tide’s already come in! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Zhao Wendong furiously dragged her toward the shore. Just then, Zhao Lao Nian and his wife rushed over. Zhao Lao Nian took her other side, and together the two men carried the woman completely out of the water. Spotting the baskets and bags nearby, Zhao Lao Nian’s wife quickly gathered them up and brought them along.

"Let’s go! We need to get her to the educated youth house first. We’ll take turns carrying her."

Seeing the woman begin to shiver, Zhao Wendong made a snap decision. He spoke to Zhao Lao Nian, then hoisted the woman onto his back and started running. Zhao Lao Nian hurried to keep up, glancing back to shout to his wife.

"You and the kids come find me at the educated youth house! I’m going with the captain to get her to safety."

"Okay."

His wife nodded sullenly. Both of them had always been the quiet, reserved type. But recently, after joining the militia, Zhao Lao Nian had become much more talkative and cheerful. Zhao Wendong sprinted ahead with the woman on his back, while Zhao Lao Nian followed close behind, lighting the path with a flashlight.

To keep his balance while running, Zhao Wendong had to cup the woman’s bottom with both hands. It felt heavy and fleshy to the touch. But with a life at stake, he had no time to worry about propriety between men and women, let alone enjoy the pleasant sensation.

Halfway there, Zhao Wendong ran out of steam, so he switched with Zhao Lao Nian, who took over carrying the woman and continued the run. By the time they carried her back to the educated youth house, they found the Zhaos were all there. Seeing them carrying someone, the family rushed over to help. Once the soaking-wet woman was laid on the kang, Chen Yanmei gasped.

"Zhao the Sixth’s wife?"

Zhao Wendong followed the sound of her voice and finally realized the woman was Zhao the Sixth’s wife; he’d been too busy with the rescue to notice before. Chen Yanmei was already directing her daughters-in-law to help. The subsequent tasks of stripping off wet clothes and heating the kang didn’t require the men’s presence. Zhao Wendong quickly beckoned Zhao Lao Nian into Zhao Wenwu’s room. Zhao Wenwu and Jin Xiuying’s quilt was tossed on the kang, covered in the messy traces of their tumbling. Zhao Wendong shivered the moment he stepped inside. Seeing this, Zhao Ergou hurried off to fetch firewood and start a fire.

"Quick, Old Nian, take off your wet clothes and get them dry," Zhao Wendong said, shrugging off his own damp, cotton-padded jacket.

"Right."

Zhao Lao Nian took off his jacket as well, laying its back flat against the warm kang to dry. Before long, the educated youth house grew increasingly boisterous. Zhao Lao Nian’s family arrived, along with many others who had heard the news. The women all went to the room where the patient was, while the men gathered in Zhao Wenwu’s room.

"Dongzi, is she going to be okay?"

Zhao Weiguo squeezed his way in and immediately asked about the condition of Zhao the Sixth’s wife. Zhao Wendong thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"She should be fine. Old Nian and I pulled her out right after she fell in, and we brought her straight back without stopping. At worst, she might catch a cold and be bedridden for a few days, but her life isn’t in danger."

"Alright, alright. That’s good to hear."

"Uncle Weiguo, did you manage to call everyone back?"

Zhao Wendong, also concerned about the other villagers, quickly asked Zhao Weiguo, who nodded happily.

"We got them all back. Our warning was just in time. A lot of people hadn’t even noticed the tide rising and were reluctant to leave. Ah, Dongzi, you’ve really done the village a huge favor this time."

"That’s right! Dongzi, thank you!"

"Thanks to Brother Dong, my family gathered a ton of food."

"Mine too."

The crowd chattered excitedly. After a short wait, the messenger returned with Zhao the Sixth, who was carrying a quilt to take his wife home.

"D-Dongzi... thanks."

Zhao the Sixth’s face was burning with shame. He had never spoken a good word about Zhao Wendong; in fact, he had previously locked horns with him and been put in his place. He never imagined that the very same person would end up saving his wife.

"It was nothing."

Zhao Wendong shook his head and didn’t pay him much mind. ’Sleeping at home while letting your wife come to the beach alone to gather food... how is that any different from my own uncle?’ Just a moment ago, Zhao Ergou had quietly informed him that only Pandi and Laidi had come to the beach to forage. His aunt and Zhao Wenhua hadn’t shown up.

’Now, Zhao Wendong was starting to suspect that his uncle, Zhao Dahai, was faking his illness. He’d beaten up plenty of people recently. The thrashing Li Heihu and his family got today was no lighter than what Zhao Dahai had received, yet they weren’t still bedridden after all this time like he was.’

Everyone was buzzing with excitement, many of them showing off their haul from the beach. After Zhao the Sixth left with his wife, the villagers began to depart for their own homes one by one. Chen Yanmei looked at Zhao Wendong.

"Son, all this commotion has dragged on past midnight. Are you still planning to go up the mountain today?"

Zhao Wendong yawned and thought for a moment before replying.

"Yeah, we’re still going. We’ll just get a good night’s sleep in the mountains."

Hearing that Zhao Wendong’s plan to head for the mountains hadn’t changed, everyone stopped chatting and said their goodbyes, heading home to rest so they wouldn’t delay the group’s departure at dawn. Zhao Wendong looked over their haul: baskets overflowing with mussels, white clams, and flower clams, along with a huge pile of laver and other sea vegetables. He was a little surprised to see that the fish catch included snakehead, barracuda, flounder, and even a few mantis shrimp.

"Whoa, where did these shrimp come from?"

"My dad caught them."

Lin Zhiyin immediately and proudly pointed to Lin Huaimin, who was standing nearby. He was a complete mess, looking nothing like the wealthy tycoon he was. However, the smile on his face was impossible to hide. This late-night trip to the shore seemed to have completely relaxed him, making him feel much lighter.

"Hahaha, you’re amazing, Uncle!"

After saying that, he turned to Wang Lulu and quickly added.