An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 19 Fear

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou's expression suddenly became more serious. She gently put her hand on the little boy's shoulder to comfort him and asked with concern, "What's wrong with Grandma? Don't worry, tell your sister slowly."

The little boy's eyes were red, and his voice was trembling with sobs: "There are only my grandma and me at home. Every morning, my grandma goes up the mountain to pick some matsutake mushrooms, termite mushrooms and the like, and then takes them to town to sell while they're still fresh."

She usually comes home before lunch, and at the latest by 2 p.m., but she hasn't returned yet today.

Halfway through her sentence, perhaps frightened by her own bad thoughts, the tears that had been brimming in her eyes suddenly streamed down her face.

Meng Youyou felt a pang of sadness, but she still gathered her thoughts and gently asked, "How is Grandma's health usually? Has anything unusual happened recently?"

The little boy bit his lip: "Grandma's legs have never been very good, but she goes up the mountain to pick mushrooms every day in order to save money to support my schooling."

Since last year, Grandma's legs have started to hurt if she walks for too long at once. The mountain paths are also difficult to walk on. Before, she could barely manage to walk a little and then rest.

But I heard from my grandma that there are more and more people selling wild mushrooms at the market lately, and if you go too late, they won't sell well, so she always forces herself to be quick.

The little boy stepped forward, his two small hands timidly grasping the hem of Meng Youyou's clothes tightly, as if clutching a lifeline. His voice choked with sobs as he pleaded, "Pretty sister, please help me, please help me find my grandma, okay? Xiaofeng only has her grandma all alone!"

Meng Youyou reached out and grabbed the little boy's hand, only to realize that although it was still autumn, the little hand in her palm was unusually cold.

Meng Youyou looked at Huo Qingshan, and their eyes met. They both saw worry in each other's eyes.

Meng Youyou stood up. "Huo Qingshan, what are your plans?"

In the heat of the moment, I even forgot to address him as Battalion Commander Huo.

Huo Qingshan lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "It's getting dark, we need to prepare some flashlights and torches. I'll ask Zhong Heng to organize the soldiers later. We're not familiar with the mountain paths here, so we'll need to find some local villagers to guide us, and then we'll split into groups to go up the mountain to search."

Meng Youyou glanced down at Xiaofeng, who was crying so hard she was almost out of breath, and felt even more distressed. Her desire to leave immediately grew stronger.

"How about I take Xiaofeng first? Grandma might be injured or in danger. Time is of the essence, and the sooner we find her, the lower the risk will be."

Huo Qingshan firmly rejected the idea: "It's not safe to take a child up the mountain this late, and are you sure you want to go?"

Meng Youyou's eyes were firm: "I promised Xiaofeng that I would help him find his grandmother, so of course I'm going."

Chu Yao also came over when she heard the noise and joined the conversation: "How about Battalion Commander Huo and I go up the mountain first, and you, Translator Meng, wait here for Zhong Heng to organize everything before we go up the mountain with the main force?"

Meng Youyou looked at Huo Qingshan, waiting for him to make a decision.

After thinking for a moment, Huo Qingshan made a decision: "In this way, you, medic Chu, will stay here and watch over Xiaofeng and wait for Zhong Heng and the others to come. As far as we know, only the two of us know some medical skills, so you and I will have to split up. This arrangement will increase the probability that we can provide timely emergency assistance on-site after we find the person."

Meng Youyou, come with me up the mountain to find people first. I have a walkie-talkie, and Zhong Heng and Zhang Yong have one too. We can contact each other and communicate as soon as we encounter any problems.

……

On the mountain, Huo Qingshan held a flashlight, his figure agile, his steps steady and swift. His sharp eyes scanned every blade of grass and tree around him in the dim light.

The mountain road was rugged, and Meng Youyou followed closely behind the man with some difficulty. Her forehead was covered with sweat, but she didn't bother to wipe it away.

As night deepened, time slipped away quietly amidst the tense search.

In the deep mountain forest, only their footsteps and rapid breathing could be heard.

The occasional hooting of owls made the atmosphere even more tense. Just then, the walkie-talkie on Huo Qingshan's waist crackled to life, followed by Zhong Heng's voice: "Battalion Commander, we've found Xiaofeng's grandmother. She accidentally broke her leg and suffered some minor injuries. We've given her some basic treatment and are now preparing to move her down the mountain."

Huo Qingshan picked up the walkie-talkie and replied, "Received. Immediately notify the other search teams to retreat down the mountain. Make sure no one is left behind. Remember to count the number of people when you reach the foot of the mountain. Report any problems immediately. We are also preparing to descend the mountain now."

The forest was pitch black with very low visibility. The wind howled, carrying the chill of the night, and rustled the surrounding trees.

Every now and then, the low growls of wild beasts and the sharp cries of unknown animals mingled together, reaching Meng Youyou's ears and gradually making her nerves tense.

On the way down the mountain, Meng Youyou suddenly screamed "Ah!"

Huo Qingshan quickly turned around, shining the bright light of his flashlight on the spot, and saw a mountain rat dart away in a flash.

Meng Youyou's face turned ashen. She suddenly jumped onto Huo Qingshan, her hands gripping his neck tightly like pincers, and cried out in a sob, "There are rats!"

Huo Qingshan frowned, his tone both helpless and commanding: "Stop fooling around, come down now. It's just a mountain rat, what's so scary about it?"

Meng Youyou's eyes were filled with terror, her lips trembled slightly, and her body involuntarily curled up, pressing closer and closer to him. She sobbed and shook her head in his arms, her voice barely audible.

The man's chest rose and fell slightly, and he unconsciously held his breath. His muscles, which had been tense for some time, dared not relax at all, and he was inexplicably frozen in a state of immobility.

His voice grew increasingly cold and hard: "Get down right now!"

Seeing Huo Qingshan's increasingly cold and stern expression, Meng Youyou struggled internally for a long time before finally biting her lower lip and reluctantly sliding off him.

Huo Qingshan glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "Stay closer to me."

Meng Youyou, still shaken, reacted slowly, stammering, "Oh."

Not long after they left, Meng Youyou let out another terrified scream.

A gray snake was coiled in the grass at her feet, flicking its tongue. Its cold gaze seemed to pierce through the darkness, and its triangular head swayed slightly in the grass. It was very close to her, as if it would attack at any moment.

Terrified, Meng Youyou jumped onto Huo Qingshan again, tightly hugging his neck with both hands and instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist with such force that it seemed she wanted to melt into his body in order to seek more security.

Meng Youyou refused to let go no matter what, her voice trembling with a near-breakdown sob: "Snake, there's a snake!"

Huo Qingshan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly drew his military knife from his waist. With a flick of his wrist, the knife, gleaming coldly, pierced the snake precisely, and the gray snake instantly went still.

Huo Qingshan noticed that something was wrong with Meng Youyou. This time, he patted her back gently and said in a reassuring tone, "It's alright now, you can get down."

Meng Youyou stubbornly buried her head in the crook of his neck and shouted in a hoarse voice, "I won't get down. I'd rather die than get down this time. Huo Qingshan, carry me down the mountain."

Huo Qingshan felt the body in his arms trembling incessantly, and could even clearly feel his clothes being soaked with her tears.

Seeing how frightened Meng Youyou looked, he hesitated for a long time, but finally his heart softened. He sighed helplessly, adjusted his posture slightly, and began to carry Meng Youyou down the mountain.

This is the second day of our trial run, and I hope everyone will support us! Please keep reading! If you haven't added it to your bookshelf yet, please do so! And if you can, please vote for it!
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(End of this chapter)