In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 30. Saving Lives!

Yan Jun quickly forced himself to suppress the bitterness in his eyes and forced a smile: "Really...really? That's...that's wonderful, Mingming! Congratulations! This is the best way out!"

His voice was a little hoarse, but his blessings were sincere.

Yang Guangming keenly caught the fleeting sadness in Yan Jun's eyes and understood what was going on.

He patted Yan Jun's still thin shoulder, his tone sincere:
"I was lucky. I happened to help a new deputy factory director with a small favor, and he thought I was quite clever, so he gave me this opportunity."

Yan Jun, don't be too discouraged. You have a job, so just keep doing it steadily for now.

"There will always be a way later..."

He didn't just make empty promises; he simply expressed his understanding that we were "in the same boat."

Still excited, Chu Dahu shouted in his loud voice, "Yes, yes, Yan Jun, you're not bad either. You've clearly joined the factory office, so you'll be a cadre in the future. Maybe you can even help us out! Haha!"

His words were spoken in jest, yet they also revealed the most basic expectation of a young person from the lower class that they had "connections at the top."

Yan Jun forced a smile, nodded, and said nothing more.

The atmosphere became somewhat delicate, a mixture of genuine joy for Yang Guangming and a heavy sense of unease about their respective futures.

That sense of uncertainty about the future hadn't completely dissipated; it was simply made more pronounced by the bright sunshine and the "good fortune" surrounding it.

Look at the sun; the tree shadows are already slanted.

Yan Jun pulled out an old pocket watch, worn smooth and shiny—the only valuable thing he had on him—and looked at it: “It’s almost one o’clock. I have to go back to the shop. I still need to take inventory this afternoon.”

He stood up, his movements somewhat hurried.

Chu Dahu also stood up, patted the dust off his backside, dispelling the slight unease from before, and regained his hearty manner: "I'm going to the dock too. I've arranged to help unload two truckloads of goods this afternoon, so I can earn a few extra cents."

He looked at Yang Guangming, grinned, and said, "Comrade cadre, next time we get together, you're treating!"

With a smile, Yang Guangming packed up the empty net bag and toilet paper: "Okay! No problem! Tiger Head, let's meet again before we go to the countryside!"

The three walked along the park path out, preparing to leave in different directions.

Just as I passed through a dense holly bush and approached a small artificial lake surrounded by barbed wire at the edge of the park, a sharp, piercing cry and a call for help suddenly rang out!
"Help! Someone help!"

"The soldier has fallen into the water! Quick, save him!"

"Xiao Hai went down too! Wow..."

All three of them felt a sudden tightness in their chests!
"Something's happened!" Chu Dahu reacted the fastest, letting out a low growl and charging towards the source of the sound like a cheetah. Yang Guangming and Yan Jun followed immediately.

After passing a rockery, two little boys, about seven or eight years old, were crying loudly on the slippery muddy ground by the lake, pointing at the murky lake surface, their faces pale with fright.

In the center of the lake, two small figures were struggling in the water, splashing water everywhere. Their heads bobbed up and down, clearly having swallowed water. Even their cries for help were weak and intermittent!

"Someone has fallen into the water!" Yan Jun's face turned pale and his voice trembled. "I...I can't swim!"

"I'll go!" Chu Dahu didn't hesitate at all. He ran wildly, kicking off his worn-out liberation shoes, and shouted, "Mingming, you'll help!" Before he finished speaking, there was a loud "plop" and his strong figure plunged into the murky lake water like a cannonball, swimming with all his might towards a child who had fallen into the water some distance from the shore.

He was an excellent swimmer, and his movements were swift and powerful; he quickly approached his target.

Yang Guangming's swimming skills were only average, but he didn't care about that at the moment. He quickly took off his coat and shoes and jumped in after him.

The icy lake water instantly enveloped his entire body. He struggled to swim towards another child who was struggling more and was closer to the shore. The lake water carried a fishy smell and the stench of rotting seaweed, and the resistance was considerable.

"Hold on tight! Don't move!" Yang Guangming shouted as he approached the child who was choking and rolling his eyes back. He reached behind and supported the child under his armpits, struggling to lift the child's head above the water. The child clung tightly to Yang Guangming's arm as if it were a lifeline.

On the other side, Chu Dahu had successfully caught the first child and was swimming towards the shore with one hand, dragging the child with steady and powerful movements.

On the shore, Yan Jun paced anxiously, wanting to help but unable to do so. All he could do was shout into the water, "Be careful! Be careful!"

Fortunately, the two children hadn't been in the water for long, and the water wasn't too deep. Thanks to Chu Dahu and Yang Guangming's strenuous rescue efforts, the two soaking wet and shaken boys were quickly pulled safely ashore.

"Cough cough cough..." The two children lay on the muddy ground, coughing violently and spitting out a lot of murky lake water. Their faces were still pale and their bodies were trembling, but their breathing gradually became steady, and they were obviously out of danger.

The other two children on the shore rushed over crying and surrounded them.

Yang Guangming and Chu Dahu were also exhausted, especially Yang Guangming, who was not a very good swimmer. He had almost completely exhausted himself by dragging a struggling child back.

He slumped on the muddy ground, panting heavily, soaked to the bone, his hair plastered to his forehead, water dripping down his face.

Chu Dahu felt a little better, wiped the water off his face, and asked, panting, "Little brat, what happened? The water here is very deep, how could we just go down there?"

The first child to fall into the water, the one called "Little Soldier," who looked a little older, sobbed, "I... my ball fell into the water... I tried to get it... I slipped... Xiao Hai tried to pull me up... and fell in too..."

He was wearing a brand-new sailor shirt, which, although soaked, was clearly of good quality and had no patches.

The child next to him, named Xiaohai, was also wearing a clean blue vest, which also had no patches.

At this moment, the boy named Xiaobing seemed to have recovered a bit. He raised his wet little face, and his still-shaken gaze unconsciously swept over the person who had saved him.

His gaze fell on Yang Guangming's face, who was panting and supporting himself on his knees.

Yang Guangming's half-worn white shirt clung to his body, soaked through, and water dripped from his hair, but his handsome and dashing face appeared exceptionally clear.

The soldier's gaze lingered on his face for several seconds, carrying an instinctive, profound impression of someone who had survived a near-death experience.

"Alright, alright, it's good that you're alright!" Chu Dahu stood up, wrung out the hem of his soaked shirt, water gushing down. "Be careful next time! The ball may have fallen, but your life is more important! Understand?" His tone was stern, but filled with lingering fear and concern.

"Xiao...I understand..." The children nodded, still shaken.

"Hurry home!" Yang Guangming stood up, feeling his strength returning. He pointed towards the park exit. "Go back quickly to change your clothes, drink something hot, and be careful not to catch a cold! Never come to play by the water again!"

"Thank you... thank you, brother..." The soldier glanced timidly at Yang Guangming again, as if trying to remember his face, before being helped by his friends and stumbling as he ran out of the park.

(End of this chapter)