CHAPTER 283: CHAPTER 283: REALLY FELL IN LOVE

"I need to see." Cradling her cheeks, his rough index finger lifted her chin, looking at her somewhat obviously swollen red lips. His eyes, which flashed like stars, emitted a sigh, "You are not allowed to get hurt, understand? If you dare to hurt yourself, see how I’ll deal with you." He was ferociously giving instructions, but the words that came out expressed an unwilling compromise, and it seemed he must have gone mad. Yet after making the promise, his heart pounded with undisciplined fervor.

"Thank you, Mr. Song, I promise you, I will take good care of myself, and you must also take good care of yourself. Eat on time, and don’t get hurt, understand?" Xu Xiuxiu immediately said with a beaming smile, her hands raised to hang on his neck as she earnestly instructed him.

"Okay." Song Yuanhuan agreed.

...

After the flood, the problems were severe. Song Yuanhuan had been fighting for a long time because of it. He was like an iron man, starting from the first day of the torrential rains, getting at most three hours of rest a day, and sometimes not even closing his eyes for those three hours. His strong sense of responsibility did not allow him any respite.

Because resting for ten minutes less might save one more life. As a military man, he was long used to the combat principle that time was life.

"Gu Yuan, Qiu Qimin, lead people to pry open this rubble." He had passed by this pile of debris earlier and heard a faint sound. He wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly, but preferring to waste time rather than miss out, Song Yuanhuan called his subordinates who were busy nearby.

"Report, Captain, this debris has already been searched through." The speaker was Lieutenant Gu Yuan, who thought that Song Yuanhuan wasn’t aware and therefore spoke up to remind him. With so many collapsed buildings at the site, there was no point wasting time over a place already searched, so he spoke up with a puffed chest.

"Who led the search?" Song Yuanhuan asked with a grim face, full of dissatisfaction in his tone.

"Civilians living nearby came to help voluntarily."

"..." Hearing this, Song Yuanhuan’s face grew even darker. "Gu Yuan, I command you, go and search through it again right away." It was clear that Song Yuanhuan was holding back from exploding with anger.

"Yes, sir." Although Gu Yuan didn’t understand and was dissatisfied, thinking Song Yuanhuan’s command was superfluous, a soldier’s duty was to follow orders. So Gu Yuan immediately rounded up some construction workers and a few soldiers, and together, they started to tackle the collapsed debris in front of them.

After giving his orders, Song Yuanhuan did not just stand by. He worked alongside the others, lifting and prying as needed.

"There, there seems to be someone under this," Wei Jiaqiang, a construction worker with some experience, took the lead in prying at the floorboards. When he reached a rather complex part of the collapsed wall, he suddenly frowned, hesitated, and spoke, "And it seems they’re still alive; judging from the weak cries for help, they must have been trapped for a long time."

From the beginning of the downpour, the nearby villages had been in grave danger. Once the weather cleared, the walls, soaked through, collapsed on a large scale. The troop anticipated this outcome and wanted to relocate the villagers, but with all the standing water outside, many were reluctant to leave their homes. After all, a home is a harbor, a place of safety; staying there, at least they wouldn’t get rained on. With food, they wouldn’t starve, surely they could hold out until the end of the rain.

But they all seemed to have overlooked the fact that rural mud houses were not firm. After being soaked and beaten by accumulated water, they were prone to collapse. So by the time everyone came to their senses, the collapse was already in a critical stage.

At this moment, the people under the debris, though still alive, had most likely been trapped for several days. If they had eaten well before the rain, that would be one thing, but if they had gone into this hungry, surviving up to now was nothing short of a miracle.

So when Wei Jiaqiang uttered these words, the surrounding air instantly froze, carrying with it a heavy breath.

"Start the rescue immediately." Everyone looked towards Song Yuanhuan, and without any hesitation, he uttered four words, instantly giving everyone present a pillar of strength.

Right, rescue immediately.

Everyone snapped to their senses, regaining a serious and meticulous attitude. Even Gu Yuan, who was originally dissatisfied with Song Yuanhuan and thought he was up to no good, was now thoroughly convinced, and joined the rest with full dedication to rescue the people hidden under a collapsed corner and a table. It was precisely because she had taken shelter under the table that, even though the table could not withstand the collapse and was damaged, it had at least saved the life of the person underneath.

And when they finally rescued the person, they discovered that she was a pregnant woman, big-bellied and likely close to giving birth. Although she was delirious when she was rescued, her hands were protectively cradling her belly. Despite not having eaten for several days, and her forehead and arms were covered in extensive injuries with much blood lost, the baby in her belly was miraculously unharmed. She had managed to survive until now with her willpower and the determined love of a mother.

Seeing this scene, everyone at the site was deeply moved. Even the hardened soldiers had tears welling up in their eyes at this moment. A pregnant woman, about to give birth, brought into this world a new life full of hope because of their relentless efforts. And this child, who had experienced hardship even before birth, was surely destined to be extraordinary.

Wei Jiaqiang at this moment was also incredibly overwhelmed, an indescribable feeling washing over him. But he who had rescued the woman by his own hands simply covered his surging chest, feeling his heart pounding fiercely, a sensation he knew he would remember for a lifetime.

Soon, the news that Song Yuanhuan’s team had rescued another pregnant woman from the ruins spread among those present, and after being examined by military doctors, she was safely sent to the city hospital for emergency care.

Xu Xiuxiu had witnessed the pregnant woman being taken away. Seeing the relieved and grateful smile the woman gave before she left, Xu Xiuxiu’s impression of Song Yuanhuan underwent a significant change, and her heart was deeply stirred.

Previously, her thoughts about Song Yuanhuan and her understanding of military men were not profound, relying purely on imagination. But now she had truly stepped into his world, understood how he conducted himself, watched him command his men with vigor and decisiveness as they rescued a pregnant woman from underneath the ruins of a house.

At this moment, Xu Xiuxiu finally realized just how much she loved this man.

From the moment she arrived in this world, she had been consoling herself to accept Song Yuanhuan. It wasn’t about profound feelings, but in an era that frowned upon divorce, especially military divorces that were hard to obtain, having a man who loved you and lovely, innocent children meant a happy and fulfilling life. To Xu Xiuxiu, she had no other grievances or complaints, yet in her heart’s deepest, most private place, there lingered a tiny selfishness of her own, content, but not completely enraptured.

After all, by the standards of her time, she was already very fortunate. Yet at this moment, that small selfishness was being invaded; she felt a deep love enveloping her, and she ultimately accepted, truly and wholeheartedly, that she had fallen in love with Song Yuanhuan, a man who was stern and decisive in his actions outside, but tender and gentle with her in private.