CHAPTER 174: 168 DESPAIR

Chen Ming wiped the dust off his face and gave them a look as if they were idiots. "If you don’t want to die, just stay out of the way. Those are my parents, of course I’m going to save them."

"Tian Yi... Are you okay, Tian Yi!" Li Xiaoqin’s family, having just survived the disaster, rushed out from their home. Li Xiaoqin stumbled forward and threw herself into Tian Yi’s arms, clutching his waist as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Dad, Mom." Gou Sheng also cried, clinging tightly to Tian Yi’s leg.

The frightened cries of children, the sounds of birds and beasts, and the chaos of the earthquake blended together. After days of despair and numbness, Tian Yi suddenly snapped back to his senses. Slowly, he reached out his arms and embraced the mother and child. Nothing could be more precious than this moment.

Tian Sangsang woke from a daze, her whole body wracked with unbearable pain.

She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, but it was clear the earthquake had passed, leaving devastation everywhere.

"Yanyan." Tian Sangsang called out, her voice hoarse and dry, her lips cracked. She tried to lift her arm, but felt something pressing against her back. Turning her head with difficulty, she saw it was a chunk of collapsed rubble. Fortunately, it wasn’t too large and still within her ability to move.

However, the result of the entire building collapsing was that she was trapped in a confined space. The ground was littered with small debris, sharp and uneven, and more rubble was piled on top. She couldn’t stand, only manage slight movements within the space.

Tian Sangsang adjusted her head and attempted to use her hands to clear the stone off her back.

"Crash." As she moved it aside, more rubble shifted to fill the gap. Carefully, she turned her body and cleared out a small, stable space with her hands.

"Yanyan, Yanyan, are you there?"

"It’s Mommy."

"If you’re there, can you respond?"

"Yanyan..."

Tian Sangsang was frantic with worry. She no longer cared about the dust covering her body as she shouted in the narrow space. Before she passed out, she had clearly seen a large piece of debris falling from above—she prayed it hadn’t crushed her son. They were both in the bedroom, and since it wasn’t too large, her voice should reach him if he was there.

The collapsed rubble above them naturally formed various gaps, which created small spaces of hope amidst the wreckage.

Tian Sangsang crawled forward, peering into one such gap. Tentatively, she called out, "Yanyan, Yanyan, where are you?"

"Little Milk Tea, if you’re there, bark for me." Tears rolled down her face as she spoke. Was her son hurt? The earthquake was so dangerous, yet he was just a child—he shouldn’t have to endure this. She didn’t dare think further.

At this moment, she didn’t move recklessly, fearful of disrupting the precarious balance and triggering further collapse.

She had never experienced an earthquake before, only seen it on the news. But when it actually descended upon her, it was overwhelming, consuming her in terror. It came without warning, with no way to prepare. Natural disasters and human misfortunes always left people powerless.

"Woof." A faint bark came through, accompanied by the soft voice of a child: "M-mom..."

Joy surged onto Tian Sangsang’s face. Holding her breath, she listened intently to pinpoint the direction of the sound: it came from ahead.

Why did she have to be chubby? At crucial moments like this, it became a burden. Tian Sangsang lifted her arm, supporting herself with her elbows, and squeezed through a narrow stone crevice. The cramped space made moving forward excruciatingly difficult. As she pushed off the ground with her feet, a sharp pain shot through her right foot—a nail had pierced her flesh.

"Hiss..." Tian Sangsang curled her toes in pain, gritted her teeth, and continued moving forward. At this moment, nothing was more important than finding her son. Her focus on him was so strong, she hardly noticed the blood trickling from her foot.

After squeezing through, the space ahead opened up a bit. A large section of the roof had collapsed to the ground, while part of a wall propped it up, forming a stable triangular space.

"Yanyan!" Tian Sangsang stared ahead in disbelief, feeling as though her throat was being choked. Tears instantly flooded her eyes.

"Oh my God." She leaned forward, wrapping Meng Shuyan in her arms. "Oh my God, your legs..." What had happened? Both of her son’s legs were trapped beneath the massive wall segment. Damn it! No, no! Why was this happening!

"Mom." Meng Shuyan’s voice was faint, like the mewing of a kitten. Yet each word felt like a blade slicing through Tian Sangsang’s heart.

"How are you?" Tian Sangsang tenderly wiped the dirt off his face, staring into his dark, wide-open eyes as her vision blurred with tears. "Does it hurt? Don’t worry, Yanyan, Mommy will get this off you right now."

"It doesn’t hurt." Meng Shuyan shook his head weakly in her arms, lifting his battered hand. "Mom, don’t cry. It doesn’t hurt much." He wanted to cry too, but he had already shed his tears quietly earlier. His legs had hurt terribly at first, but now the pain had faded to near numbness.

Her cold tears landed on his hand, one drop after another.

Tian Sangsang gently held his hand, her voice soft and comforting. "Everything will be okay, Mommy will help you."

Little Milk Tea stood nearby, licking Meng Shuyan’s cheek. Right now, Meng Shuyan looked like a wounded little rabbit, his lower body crushed under the debris, leaving only his upper half visible.

Tian Sangsang reached out, gripping the edge of the stone slab, straining with all her strength to lift it. But no matter how hard she tried, the slab wouldn’t budge, not even a crack.

Meng Shuyan lay on the ground watching her, his eyes glistening.

"Yanyan, don’t be afraid. It’ll be okay soon," Tian Sangsang forced a smile at him, trying once more to lift the stone. Her hands rubbed against the rough surface until they bled, but the stone remained immovable.

Her heart ached terribly. She tried again and again without success. Why couldn’t she even do this? Why was she so powerless? At this moment, she felt how insignificantly small and weak humans were. Her son was right in front of her, and she knew what she needed to do, but she just couldn’t do it—she couldn’t move it.

Wait, the space—there was space. But even if she had a shovel right now, it would be nearly impossible to pry this thing open.

"Mom." Meng Shuyan called out to her.

Tian Sangsang lifted his upper body, cradling him and stroking his little head. "Mommy will try again in a moment."

Mommy couldn’t lift it alone. Meng Shuyan’s tiny hand gripped her bloodied one, his eyes reddening. He said, "Mom, I want to sleep."

Tian Sangsang looked down at him. His delicate little face, wiped clean of dirt, was now pale as paper. His breathing was faint and shallow.

"No, don’t sleep!" Tian Sangsang panicked, touching his face. "Please don’t sleep, okay? Mommy will tell you a story. Whatever you want to hear, Mommy will tell it to you."