Chapter 61 There's No Going Back

Chapter 61 There's No Going Back

The fat constable, already seething with anger, could no longer contain himself. He rushed up to Jiang Yutang, pointing his finger at her nose and cursing, "It was all your bad idea! If those two run away and don't come back, I'll kill your whole family first!"

Jiang Yutang raised her head, her previous fawning and forbearance gone. Instead, she glared fiercely at the fat constable, her teeth grinding together, and said, word by word, "They will definitely come back!"

The fat constable was about to lash out when he saw that she dared to talk back to him like that, but the thin constable held him back.

Now is the time when we need manpower, and if we really push the Jiang family too far, it won't do them any good.

As night deepened, several more displaced people succumbed to the disease. The survivors grew increasingly panicked, their faces etched with despair.

Jiang Yutang squatted beside the cart, her back to her family, and secretly reached for the time-travel book in her arms.

She had no other choice. Even if she could only go back to get a few bottles of water and buy some antibiotics, it would be better than sitting and waiting to die.

The night sky was breathtakingly beautiful, but she had no mind to appreciate it, forcefully exhaling the weight pressing on her chest. Taking advantage of her family's inattention, she quietly took out a book and pressed her fingertips firmly against the pages, but the expected white light did not appear.

Jiang Yutang was stunned, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

She frantically pulled out the book, and to confirm, she even cut her finger hard against the pages, blood dripping onto them, but the book still didn't react.

What's going on?

Panicked, she crouched down, clutching the book, her heart pounding. Her hands trembled as she carefully turned the pages, one by one, until finally, she realized something was wrong.

The red branch mark on the first page has disappeared. Does this mean something about the number of times you can travel through time?

Jiang Yutang's mind raced as she sorted through her thoughts, and the red branch mark in her mind gradually overlapped with a certain character.

It's "correct"!

The tally mark was used to count attempts. When she found this mark, she should have had three attempts left, hence the three strokes on the page. But the curved lines made her mistake it for a meaningless tree!

She squatted there, choked with sobs, overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness and regret.

What if we really can't go back to the modern world? Grandpa is still alone in the hospital. If the prepaid fees are deducted and the hospital stops treating him and kicks him out, how helpless will he be if he can't find himself?

The more she thought about it, the deeper her fear became. She could no longer control her emotions, buried her head in her knees, her shoulders trembled slightly, and she began to sob silently.

"Tang'er? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Suddenly, Yun's gentle voice came from behind, filled with deep concern.

Jiang Yutang hurriedly wiped away her tears, shook her head, and dared not turn back to look at Yun Shi. She already had a mountain of troubles; she couldn't afford to add to them at this critical juncture.

Madam Yun naturally noticed that she was hiding and crying, assuming that she was frightened by the yamen runner's threat earlier, so she stepped forward, gently patted her back, and spoke firmly.

"Good child, don't be afraid. Huaiyu and Lanzhou will definitely come back safely. If those yamen runners really dare to target us, they'll have to step over my dead body first before anyone can lay a finger on you!"

Yun's words were like a warm current, instantly striking Jiang Yutang's heart.

The tears she had been barely holding back finally broke free. She pressed her hands to her eyes and let out suppressed sobs, releasing all her fear and grievances.

Her family members noticed her emotional state and simply gathered around her, standing silently beside her.

Jiang Songzhi gently patted her shoulder. Even Jiang Sumin, who was usually cold and sharp-tongued, stood quietly to the side, his eyes full of worry.

After crying for a while, Jiang Yutang gradually calmed down. She raised her head, rubbed her red and swollen eyes, and gave her family a somewhat forced smile.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Jiuzhe felt a little helpless. He subconsciously reached for his handkerchief to wipe her tears, but then remembered that she hadn't returned the handkerchief he had received before. He could only manage to say, "Use the handkerchief from before to wipe your tears."

Jiang Yutang was taken aback, then chuckled as if remembering something, and shook her head: "It's not with me."

She slowly stood up and subconsciously rubbed her arms: "I'm sorry, I'm fine. I made everyone worry. It's getting late, everyone should go and get some rest. We have to travel tomorrow."

"If anything happens, be sure to tell us. Don't keep it to yourself." Mu came over and gently tidied her messy hair.

“Yes, no one is as trustworthy as family.” Zhu gently patted her shoulder, and perhaps because she was about to become a mother, a touch of kindness appeared in her eyes.

Jiang Yutang nodded heavily, her heart filled with warmth.

After everyone had settled down to rest, she also lay down on the bamboo mat that had been laid out. She closed her eyes and silently comforted herself.

There's no use in rushing now. Fortunately, she discovered during her previous time travel that wherever she is, time in the other world will pass much more slowly, giving her time to figure out a way back.

The most urgent task is to weather the current cholera crisis. Once Jiang Huaiyu and Cheng Lanzhou return and find a doctor, things may get better.

Another night passed, and the death toll in the camp rose by seven or eight more. The bodies were hastily dragged away and buried in the distance, and the air was filled with fear and the smell of decay.

The constables who had been barely holding on before were now swaying precariously. The thin constables had sallow faces and were breathing very weakly.

He lay on the ground, his eyes unfocused, when suddenly a crazy idea popped into his head.

The Jiang family must have lied to him. Cheng Lanzhou and Jiang Huaiyu will never come back. They will all die here!

The thin constable mustered his last bit of strength, suddenly drew the sword from his waist, staggered to his feet, and strode toward the Jiang family with a fierce look in his eyes.

Everyone was focused on their sick relative, and no one noticed this deadly threat.

Just as Cheng Daier helped Lin Shi to her feet, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the thin yamen runner raising his sword out of the corner of her eye, and cried out in fright.

"careful!"

Jiang Yutang turned her head at the sound, only to see the gleaming blade already close to her eyes, leaving her no time to dodge. She instinctively closed her eyes and raised her hand to shield her head, trying to block the fatal blow.

Just at this critical moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew by, and then she felt her body being spun around by a force, and landed steadily in a warm embrace.