A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

The soil was quickly dug away, the exposed cavity widened, and the children's voices became clearer.

Old Qian lay there shouting, making the children in the cave call out their names one by one.

All five children were present.

Several adults gathered at the back, and their faces lit up with hope when they heard their children's names.

A thunderous roar echoed as the old doctor stood under the eaves, his lifeless eyes gazing at the sky.

"Thunder is rare at this time of year."

"The rain sounds even louder now, but that's better than anything happening."

The rain was so heavy that a thin layer of mist rose in the courtyard, and Mu Nanzhao felt inexplicably uneasy.

He went to the main room and grabbed an oil-paper umbrella. "I still want to go and take a look. I'll trouble you to watch the house, Elder Jiang."

The old doctor heard the sound of the umbrella opening and didn't say anything to stop it.

On the west side of the back mountain, the silt was finally cleared, revealing a small opening.

Old Qian asked someone to extend a torch to illuminate the cave, and to his surprise, he saw what was inside.

Five children huddled together, right below.

The children looked up at the light, some bursting into tears, others excitedly calling out for their parents.

However, for the adults outside, this was far from the time to celebrate. Rainwater had flooded the cave, reaching up to the children, and they had to be brought up quickly.

The entrance is currently only wide enough for one person to pass through.

Old Qian wanted to go down by himself, but Gu Xixi stopped him.

"No, look at the soil around the hole, it's soft and slippery. If you accidentally touch it when you go down, it might collapse again."

Old Qian asked anxiously, "If we can't go down, what other options are there?"

Gu Xixi took a torch and lit it up and down, left and right, into the cave.

"Doggy! Doggy!"

A boy looked up; it was Qin Dasao's son.

He was usually a leader among the kids, often leading his friends to climb slopes and trees, chase dogs and chickens, which caused Qin's sister-in-law a lot of worry.

At this moment, it's clear he's quite brave; he didn't cry. "Are you Aunt Xixi?"

"It's me," Gu Xixi replied, then asked, "Are you hurt?"

Gouwa shook his head, "No, I'm fine!"

"How are the others?" Gu Xixi continued to ask. "Is anyone injured, or in pain anywhere?"

Gouwa chatted with the other four children for a few minutes, then looked up and said loudly, "No! We've been in the cave the whole time. No one fell down, but we just can't get out. It's so cold soaking in the water."

Seeing how calm and collected Gouwa was in the face of danger, Gu Xixi felt even more confident.

"Your aunt has given you an important task. Do you dare to accept it?"

Gouwa suddenly stood up, head held high and chest puffed out. "Anyone who's scared is a little dog!"

Before long, someone brought a thick hemp rope. Gu Xixi used a torch to light the way, and carefully lowered the rope into the hole little by little.

The collapsed soil formed a slope on the left side.

Although the soil is loose and slippery, and the slope is very steep, if it is a child's weight, and with the help of the rope to stabilize their footing, there is still a good chance of them climbing up.

Unfortunately, there was nowhere to secure the rope nearby.

Only after the rope end reached the bottom could a burly man wrap the top of the rope around his waist a few times and stand in a horse stance.

Two more strong men stood in front of him, one on each side holding the rope.

Meanwhile, the children inside the cave were not idle either, lining up in a row under the direction of Gu Xixi and Gouwa.

Old Qian asked seriously, "Is everything ready?"

"Alright!" the children, Gu Xixi, and the three men responded in unison.

Gouwa first pushed the youngest girl up the slope, saying, "Remember what I just told you, don't rush. As long as you take each step firmly and hold on to the rope tightly, you can climb up!"

Gu Xixi reached out from the cave entrance and smiled at the little girl, "Don't be afraid, Auntie is here to catch you."

The other three friends also offered words of encouragement from behind.

With tears welling up in her eyes, the little girl bravely climbed up.

Gu Xixi tucked that small hand into her own, her heart inexplicably softening.

But she dared not relax, and with a strong pull, she lifted the little girl's entire body out of the cave.

Aunt Zhang was there to help and immediately took the little girl in her arms.

Everyone cheered, "It's done!!"

The first one was successfully rescued, followed by two, three, and four.

Gouwa was last in line, but he also climbed up safely.

Sister-in-law Qin hugged her son and wept uncontrollably, "Let your mother see him quickly."

Gouwa, however, was quite pleased with himself, grinning and saying, "Mom, I told you! If I covered the rear, everyone could climb up. Aren't I amazing?"

Sister-in-law Qin was amused by his tone and poked him on the forehead with her finger, saying, "Look how capable you are."

"Wasn't this all your Aunt Xixi's idea? How did it become your credit?"

Gu Xixi said, "I dare not take credit. It's all thanks to everyone's good cooperation and all-out efforts."

Old Qian laughed heartily, "The children also deserve credit."

"They were all incredibly brave in that critical moment; the kids from Huachidu Village are truly outstanding!"

Gu Xixi was looking at Lao Qian when she suddenly felt an unusual shadow above her head.

She instinctively looked up, but before she could see what it was, something slammed down on her and sent her flying.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

At first, there was complete silence, then gasps of shock rose and fell.

Gu Xixi fell to the ground, with someone pressing heavily on top of her.

She was in pain all over, and without bothering to tell whether it was from being hit or falling, she first struggled to raise one hand and pat the person on top of her.

"Hey, are you alright?"

After a moment, Mu Nanzhao's voice was heard, "He won't die."

He tried to get up, but as soon as he moved, his brows furrowed.

Gu Xixi realized something was wrong and struggled to lift her head. "You're injured? What was that?"

Beside the two of them lay a large rock.

Thanks to Mu Nanzhao, who pushed the stone away a few inches while avoiding its landing point.

Otherwise, he and Gu Xixi would either be dead or seriously injured.

Sister-in-law Qin and Aunt Zhang were the first to react and rushed over to help Mu Nanzhao up.

"Xiao Chen, how are you?"

Mu Nanzhao slowly exhaled, making himself appear as if nothing was amiss.

"I am fine."

As he spoke, he looked up at the top of the cliff.

There was clearly a figure flash by just now; this was probably not an accident.

Seeing that Mu Nanzhao seemed to be really alright, Aunt Zhang went to help Gu Xixi.

Xi Xi scrambled to her feet, glanced at Mu Nanzhao, and with a sullen face, pulled him away.

"Hurry back, my two tea trees will rot if they're soaked for too long."

Aunt Zhang, unaware of Xixi's real reason for being in such a hurry to go home, remained where she was, giving instructions to Sister-in-law Qin and the others.

"The child was soaked in cold water and was also frightened."

"When we get back, we must give them hot baths and make them hot ginger soup to drink."

In the Gu family courtyard, the old doctor was still standing under the eaves.

As Gu Xixi dragged Mu Nanzhao closer, the old doctor tilted his ear and frowned.

"Quick! Get him inside and lie down!"