NABC Chapter 4: Rescuing People
Chapter 4: Rescuing People
Just then, the man shouted "Village Chief!" and everyone immediately surrounded him, calling out repeatedly to the unconscious hunter, "Village Chief! Village Chief, what happened to you?" Someone turned to Zhang Lei, pointing their weapon at him, and asked urgently, "You... what did you do to our village chief?"
Just as Zhang Lei was about to explain, a stern rebuke came from behind the crowd: "Stop!" He looked in the direction of the voice and saw an elderly man with white hair and beard slowly walking towards them. Upon seeing the old man, the crowd respectfully greeted him, "Village Chief, you've arrived!"
The old village chief stepped forward, knelt down, and gently patted the unconscious hunter, anxiously calling out, "Shouhe! Shouhe, wake up!" Then he turned to the younger generation beside him and loudly ordered, "Go quickly and carry him to the pharmacy!" After the group hurriedly carried the village chief away, the old village chief turned to Zhang Lei, his expression softening considerably: "Young friend, don't be afraid. I am the old village chief of this village. The man who just fainted is my son, Ye Shouhe, who is now the village chief of Ye Family Village."
Hearing the old man's words, Zhang Lei finally felt relieved and quickly said, "Hello, old village chief, my name is Zhang Lei, and I'm from Beijing. I found your injured son on the mountain and brought him down." The crowd listened to Zhang Lei's explanation, but their faces still held a hint of skepticism.
The old village chief smiled and waved his hand, "Since you are my son's savior, I can't be impolite. Come, please come with me to my house to rest." Zhang Lei thought that since he was already there, he might as well make the best of it, so he followed the old village chief into the village. Before long, they arrived at a two-courtyard house, and the old village chief led him into the living room.
At this moment, the old village chief looked at Zhang Lei and poured him a cup of tea. Zhang Lei quickly took it with both hands, his face still showing a bit of confusion.
Seeing this, the old village chief smiled and said, "I am Ye Zhenshan. May I ask what you do for a living, young friend, and what brings you to these mountains?"
Zhang Lei looked at Ye Zhenshan and replied with a smile, "Village Chief Ye, my name is Zhang Lei, and I am a purchasing agent from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in Sijiu City." As he spoke, he took out the purchasing certificate from his pocket and handed it to Ye Zhenshan.
Ye Zhenshan took the certificate, looked at it, and nodded with a smile: "Hmm, at this time of year, for a young friend to dare to come to this mountain forest alone, one must be quite capable."
Zhang Lei quickly waved his hand and said calmly, "Village Chief Ye, you flatter me. I just came to the mountains to try my luck."
Ye Zhenshan laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Young friend, don't call me Old Village Chief Ye anymore, it sounds awkward. Given my age, I'll take the liberty of asking you to call me Grandpa Ye."
Hearing Ye Zhenshan's straightforward words, Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Hello, Grandpa Ye, you can just call me Xiao Lei."
Hearing Zhang Lei address him, Ye Zhenshan grinned from ear to ear and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, then I'll call you Xiao Lei."
Just then, a burly man rushed in, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Grandpa! Grandpa! My dad's awake!"
Upon hearing the news that Ye Shouhe had woken up, Ye Zhenshan immediately stood up and was about to leave, but he stopped after taking two steps and turned to look at Zhang Lei.
Seeing this, Zhang Lei quickly waved his hand with a smile: "Grandpa Ye, you go ahead, I'll be fine here by myself."
Hearing Zhang Lei's words, Ye Zhenshan stopped dawdling and hurriedly followed his eldest grandson, Ye Jianjun, to the pharmacy.
Zhang Lei was left alone in the living room. He drank tea from his cup, sipping it one sip after another, until his stomach felt bloated and he felt full. He put down his teacup, stood up, and looked around at the furnishings of the Ye family's house. Looking at the somewhat ancient architectural style, Zhang Lei couldn't help but feel a little curious. What kind of place was this Ye Family Village?
Just as Zhang Lei was observing, a voice suddenly came from behind him. It was Zhang Yulan, Ye Shouhe's wife, carrying some food. She smiled and said, "You must be the Xiao Lei that our old man mentioned?"
Hearing the voice, Zhang Lei turned around, looked at the woman in front of him, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?" Zhang Yulan's smile deepened, and she explained gently, "You saved my man. My name is Zhang Yulan, you can just call me Aunt Zhang."
Zhang Lei's gaze fell on the bowl of steaming food, and he inwardly cursed, regretting that he had drunk so much water earlier. He had no appetite now and quickly waved his hand, "Aunt Zhang, I'm not hungry. By the way, how is Uncle Ye?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yulan's face was filled with gratitude, and she repeatedly said, "We really owe you a lot! Shouhe has woken up and told us the whole story. Xiaolei, our family really wants to thank you for today."
Hearing this, Zhang Lei smiled and said sincerely and frankly, "Aunt Zhang, you're too kind. Anyone in this situation would have lent a helping hand. Uncle Ye is a lucky man."
Zhang Yulan nodded, glanced at the food in her hand, then looked at the sky, and said, "It's getting late. Since you're not going to eat anything, I'll take you to a room to rest."
Zhang Lei was worried about having nowhere to stay, so he quickly nodded and agreed, "Then I'll trouble you, Aunt Zhang." Zhang Yulan smiled and waved her hand, "No trouble at all, it's nothing." With that, she led Zhang Lei to the side room.
Only after Zhang Yulan's footsteps completely disappeared outside the door did Zhang Lei breathe a sigh of relief. He quickly walked to the door, locked it from the inside, and then placed a small brick above the door. Only then did he feel at ease, turned around, and lay down on the bed.
The next day, Zhang Lei woke up and noticed that the small brick on the door frame was still in its original place, and his anxiety immediately subsided. In this era, everything is shrouded in inexplicable tricks; it's always good to be a little more careful.
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Zhang Lei didn't dare to delay, so he quickly straightened his clothes, got out of bed, walked to the door, and opened it.
The moment the door opened, Zhang Lei froze on the spot, his eyes filled with disbelief, and his voice trembled slightly: "You...you are Liu Tianxian?" Looking at the woman standing in front of him, Zhang Lei's mind went blank.
The woman before him stood there, like a silhouette formed by moonlight. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her eyes like autumn waters rippling across the surface, her nose as straight and delicate as a jade carving, and her lips as blushing as newly blossoming peach blossoms. Her long, black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and the light and shadow on her cheeks revealed even the fine hairs, yet she possessed not a trace of worldliness. She seemed like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting, every smile and frown carrying an ethereal purity untouched by earthly concerns.
Hearing Zhang Lei's words, the woman couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. This laugh made Zhang Lei's eyes widen, he almost drooled, and his heart pounded like a rabbit's—this girl's beauty was exactly like Liu Yifei's in later generations.
While Zhang Lei was still in a daze, the woman smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, you're really funny. What celestial being? I'm just an ordinary village girl."
Hearing this, Zhang Lei suddenly realized his lapse in composure. His face flushed, and he scratched his head sheepishly, saying, "I'm sorry, you're so beautiful, I couldn't help but compliment you."
The woman's eyebrows curved even more, and her tone carried a hint of coquettishness: "Brother Zhang, you city people are so direct."
Hearing this, Zhang Lei became even more embarrassed and quickly changed the subject, asking, "By the way, who are you?"
The woman quickly stood up straight and introduced herself earnestly: "Brother Zhang, my name is Ye Shuqin. 'Shu' means the book of the Four Books and Five Classics, and 'qin' means the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting."
"My name is Zhang Lei. Lei is the character for three stones," Zhang Lei said with a smile.
After hearing this, Ye Shuqin's smile deepened: "Brother Zhang, I know you. My parents told me about it yesterday. I'm really grateful to you for saving my dad."
Upon hearing Ye Shuqin's words, Zhang Lei's heart skipped a beat, and a thought involuntarily popped into his mind—Ye Shouhe, isn't that his future father-in-law?