Searching for Treasures in the Clouds

The managers of the black-hearted factory only provided workers with one steamed bun a day, and did not care about drinking water. Occasionally, when they were in a good mood, they would release water from the tap for them to drink. Otherwise, if they wanted to drink water, they could only drink the water accumulated in puddles on the ground. There were several broken vats in the factory, which accumulated some rainwater, which was also one of their water sources.

Yu Ru didn't drink water the whole day she left the factory, and now she hasn't had water for almost two days. Her lips were so dry that they cracked and bled, and her skin was as dry and wrinkled as a piece of leftover bread. All signs showed that her physiological tolerance was about to reach its limit.

Yin Shiji actually used a soy sauce bottle to fill a small bottle of water for her to take with her. She found it when she checked the package this morning, but she wasn't really dying yet, so she didn't dare to drink it, for fear that she would have nothing to drink when she wanted to in the future.

The water source that now appeared was a gift that hit the mark for her. Her instinct for survival drove her to run towards the stream regardless of everything after she saw it.

The stream water was fairly clear, and one could see with the naked eye that there were many dead branches and leaves in the stream, and fish and shrimps were swimming leisurely in it. As the stream looked very shallow, Yu Ru knelt down by the stream when she came to it, put her hands together in the shape of a half bowl, and scooped up water to drink.

Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, this water is dirty, but for Yu Ru, this is the cleanest water she has seen in more than half a year. She hurriedly scooped up a handful of water with her hands and quickly sucked it into her mouth. The stream water has a smell of mud and grass leaves, plus a little blood.

She was so thirsty that she automatically ignored the smell of blood. The moment it came into contact with the water, a cold and slightly sweet taste exploded in her mouth, spreading along the tip of her tongue and rushing straight to the top of her head, causing her to shiver. The sweet stream water instantly refreshed her. She drank a lot of water until her stomach was so bloated that she couldn't drink any more.

After drinking the water, she looked back and saw the big fox looking at her. There was also another big fox that looked the same but slightly bigger looking at her next to it. She didn't know when it came.

Yu Ru patted her knees, stood up and returned to the foxes, squatting in front of them. She leaned forward, hugged the big fox with both hands, and said to it: "Thank...thank you, big dog."

The big fox she was holding hummed a few times, as if responding to her words. Then, it broke free from her arms, walked to the side, and looked back at her.

Seeing this, Yu Ru followed.

The big fox brought her to a place a few steps away, where there were very lush and winding vines, as complicated as a large bundle of knotted ropes, crisscrossed more densely than a fishing net, making it impossible to see what was under the leaves.

After the big fox stopped at this position, it put its two paws on a certain place and turned its head towards Yu Ru to look at her.

Yu Ru understood its general meaning, but she was afraid of poisonous snakes lurking in the lush branches and leaves, so she didn't dare to get close. She just stood there, bent down, and looked at where its claws were. Through the gaps between the roots and vines, she vaguely saw a fluffy red ball moving inside. There were also intermittent weak cries coming from the place where the little ball was, and she immediately realized that it might be a "puppy."

"Oh! Puppy!"

Yu Ru sighed in surprise and immediately pulled the vines that were wrapped around the little fox. The vines were hard and prickly, so she didn't dare to pull too hard for fear of hurting the little fox. She pulled them slowly one by one, as carefully as if she was untying a knot.

Suddenly, she pulled apart all the plants that trapped the little fox, and a small hole appeared for it to escape. The little fox was very excited to see the light again, and it cried "Aho-ho" under the cover of the plants, trying to find directions and butting its head like a little fly.

"Don't be afraid, little dog. I'm here to save you."

Yu Ru had been chased by a dog before, and she didn’t dare touch a dog that hadn’t been released in good faith to her beforehand. But now that she saw that this “little puppy” couldn’t get out, she became anxious and decided to give it a try.

"Little dog, don't bite me."

Yu Ru first gently placed one hand on the little fox and touched it tentatively. Seeing that it did not behave excessively, she felt relieved. She put her other hand on it, scooped it up with both hands, and held it in her palms before carrying it out.

The untied little fox immediately jumped to its mother's side and rubbed the big fox's legs. It rubbed the big fox's legs, turned its head around the legs twice, barked a few times, and looked at Yu Ru, as if to thank her.

Yu Ru was also very happy that the family was reunited. She squatted on the ground and said with a smile: "Big dog, are you and your baby in trouble? Tell me and I will help you...help you rescue the baby. If not, I will leave. There are bad guys who want to kill me, and I want to escape. My second dad said it is very dangerous here, with big tigers and poisonous snakes. I have to find a way down before dark. If there is a chance, I will come to see you again."

The two big foxes looked at each other, one of them walked forward and rubbed its head against Yu Ru, while the other one walked forward a few steps and looked back at Yu Ru, as if to lead the way.

Yu Ru hugged the big fox that was rubbing against her, then looked at another fox that was walking to the side and asked, "Big dog, do you want me to follow you? Are you and your baby trapped in a trap?"

The big fox stared at Yu Ru, wagged its tail, walked forward a few steps, and then looked back at Yu Ru again.

Yu Ru understood that this meant that she should follow. She looked up at the sky and saw a little gray through the gap, indicating that the sky was already bright. This brightness made her feel uneasy. She didn't dare to waste any more time, so she didn't talk to the foxes and immediately followed the fox that seemed to be taking her somewhere.

The place the fox wanted to take her to seemed very far away. She followed it across another stream, through the dense jungle, over several slopes, down several slopes, through several "tunnels" made of plants, and through another dense forest...

……

It's evening,

Yu Ru followed the big fox out of the darkest part of the mountain and came to a place with a wide view. The terrain here is relatively flat, and there are not so many plants blocking the view. The surrounding plants are very sparse, and you can see a complete sky and clear surroundings.

The mountains in the distance were magnificent, rising and falling like the raging waves on the sea, rolling one after another and rippling into the distance. The sky and the earth were gorgeous, and the silky clouds dyed the sky soft and beautiful.

In the distance, the outline of the mountains is gradually flattened by the distance, and finally merges into the sky and the earth, retreating into the background. In the closer distance, there are many mud houses, stone houses, cave houses, and houses, and the roads are connected in all directions. The roads here are very solid at first glance. Although they are not paved with cement, there is not much dust raised, which is enough to show that this is a place where human activities are very frequent and many people have walked here.

People of all kinds, including people carrying buckets of water, people carrying hoes on their backs, people holding children’s hands, old people, young people, young children, etc., were walking leisurely on the road.

Yu Ru looked into the distance in astonishment, watching the curling smoke rising above the house, and tears came to her eyes. The big fox beside her looked at her, gently nudged her waist with his head, and pushed her forward.

Its action brought Yu Ru back to her senses. She lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, then knelt on the ground and hugged it. "Thank you, big dog, thank you, thank you, thank you, woo woo woo woo woo...thank you for saving me."

The fox leaned against her and called out a few times, as if in response to her words.

The man and the fox hugged each other for a while, and then the fox took the initiative to withdraw from Yu Ru's arms. It walked a few steps back the way it came, and looked back at Yu Ru, its eyes calm and filled with a kind and honest expression.

Yu Ru looked at it, pursed her lips, and tried hard to hold back her tears. Then she bent her knees and knelt on the ground to kowtow to it. She kowtowed many times in a row until she felt pain in her forehead, and then she raised her head. At this time, the fox had gone far away, its body shrank a circle, and stood at a farther place. It had not left yet, and was still staring at her.

Yu Ru stood up and waved to it, bidding it a final farewell.

The big fox lowered its head slightly, then quickly raised it again, as if nodding to her. After doing this, it turned and left without looking back, and its figure soon disappeared in the lush branches and leaves in the distance.

After parting with the big fox, Yu Ru trotted all the way to the village at the foot of the mountain. She ran with a limp, running towards the dreamlike freedom.

The wind picked up again.