Chapter 86 She once had gentle eyes and brows.

Chapter 86 She once had gentle eyes and brows.

The three of them ran desperately in the direction they had come from, the wind whistling in their ears and the fallen leaves crunching under their feet.

Jiang Yutang was panting heavily, her throat and lungs burning. She had never pushed herself this hard in the 800-meter sprint during her physical education exam.

She looked up and saw Jiang Huaiyu carrying Cheng Lanzhou on his back. Although his steps were a little unsteady, they were still steady.

Jiang Huaiyu's breathing was so loud that even she, who was two meters behind, could hear it. The sweat on the back of her neck had already soaked her collar and drenched the fabric of her back.

Cheng Lanzhou lay on his back, silent, pressing her hand tightly against the wound on her abdomen. Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips were pressed into a straight line, clearly enduring excruciating pain.

Jiang Yutang gritted her teeth and mustered all her strength; she couldn't hold them back! She clenched her fists, quickened her pace, and followed closely behind the two of them.

After passing through a grove of trees, the cave where we had stayed the previous night finally came into view.

After putting Cheng Lanzhou down, Jiang Huaiyu slumped to the ground, ripped open his clothes, and gasped for breath with his head tilted back.

Jiang Yutang, without taking a break, hurriedly ran into the cave, only to find it empty except for scattered bits of grass; everyone had already left.

She was in a bit of a panic when she caught a glimpse of her bundle on a rock at the cave entrance, with a leaf on top of it.

A few lines of words were crookedly written on the leaf with charcoal.

"We set off at noon as agreed, heading east. We left our belongings behind, hoping they might come in handy. We are determined to return safely."

Seeing the note left by Xu Jiangsong, Jiang Yutang felt a little relieved and quickly opened the bundle. Inside were gauze, ointment for treating external injuries, and the remaining chocolate and compressed biscuits.

Seeing the wound medication and clean gauze, she breathed a sigh of relief: thankfully, at least she could treat Cheng Lanzhou's wound.

She ran out quickly with her bundle in her hand and said to the two men, "They've already left. My brother left a note and my bundle. I'll treat your injuries first!"

Cheng Lanzhou leaned against the rock wall, nodded, and her face remained pale.

Jiang Yutang told him to take off his blood-soaked shirt, put the blood-stained fabric aside, and carefully unwrap the bandages that had been temporarily applied earlier.

Upon seeing it, her brows furrowed instantly.

The bumpy ride had reopened Cheng Lanzhou's wound, and the scabs that had formed were being pulled open, allowing fresh blood to slowly seep out, making the situation even worse than before.

She racked her brains for the first aid knowledge she had learned, but suturing wounds required special medical sutures, either sterile silk threads or absorbable catgut, which were nowhere to be found in the ancient wilderness.

Undeterred, Jiang Yutang bent down and rummaged through the bundle again, his fingers groping through the fabric, when he suddenly touched a small, sharp object.

Her eyes lit up, and when she pulled it out, she saw that it was an embroidery needle with a short piece of silk thread wrapped around its end, which she wondered who had left it there.

Jiang Yutang took out a needle and turned around, her tone serious: "This wound is too deep. Bandaging alone won't stop the bleeding. It needs to be stitched up. I read in a book before that in an emergency, you can use your hair to stitch up the wound. However, we'll need to find suitable thread and re-treat it later."

Cheng Lanzhou leaned against the rock wall, his face so pale it was almost transparent. His hair was damp with sweat and clung to his cheeks, giving him a sickly yet resilient air.

He chuckled softly, his voice hoarse but firm: "As long as I can get through this, what's a little pain?"

Seeing this, Jiang Yutang no longer hesitated, loosened her hair bun, and let her long hair fall down.

She plucked a few thick, tough strands of hair, first soaking them in the disinfectant she carried with her, along with her embroidery needle, to disinfect them.

Then, she picked up a clean gauze, dipped it in disinfectant, and carefully wiped Cheng Lanzhou's wound. With each wipe, her body could be seen trembling slightly.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yutang threaded a strand of hair through the eye of the needle, her hand holding the needle trembling slightly.

She clenched her fingers tightly, forcing herself to calm down, and aimed at the edge of the wound, stabbing it in firmly and ruthlessly.

"Hmm—"

Cheng Lanzhou let out a muffled groan, his muscles tensed instantly, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his lips turned white from being bitten.

Looking at his tense body, Jiang Yutang found it difficult to insert the needle. She could only sew carefully while half-jokingly easing the tension: "How come you have no flesh on your body? It's hard to find a place to insert the needle."

Cheng Lanzhou didn't have the strength to respond. He just turned his head slightly and looked at her serious yet somewhat flustered profile. His tense muscles seemed to relax a little.

Jiang Yutang pinched the skin on both sides of Cheng Lanzhou's wound and carefully stitched it up, her movements becoming more and more skilled, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, falling on Cheng Lanzhou's pale yet resolute face, and on Jiang Yutang's focused profile. Only the rustling of fabric and soft breathing could be heard in the cave.

Finally, the last injection was finished. Jiang Yutang tied a knot with difficulty, cut off the excess hair, and breathed a long sigh of relief: "Okay, now wrap it with gauze and try not to move around too much. It should stop the bleeding temporarily."

As Jiang Yutang focused on finishing the knot, Cheng Lanzhou's gaze remained fixed on her face.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen Jiang Yutang like this. Before, when she sat by the window sewing shoes and embroidering purses for him, she would also have her eyes downcast and her expression serious, occasionally giving the fabric a sweet smile.

Jiang Yutang looked up and met his direct gaze. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Cheng Lanzhou closed her eyes, concealing the complex emotions in them, her voice still hoarse.

Jiang Yutang got up and walked to the side, carefully washing her hands with disinfectant. She turned to the two of them and said, "Suturing is only a temporary measure. We need to catch up with the main group as soon as possible, find suitable sutures there, and then re-treat your wound to avoid infection."

The three of them dared not delay and hurried eastward without stopping.

After chasing for half a day, the sun gradually rose to its zenith, and the scorching sunlight made people dizzy and lightheaded.

Jiang Yutang's lips were already chapped, and Jiang Huaiyu was panting heavily, his steps were unsteady, and Cheng Lanzhou on his back became increasingly heavy.

Suddenly, Jiang Huaiyu shouted excitedly, "There's a figure ahead!"

Jiang Yutang squinted her dry eyes and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Sure enough, on the dirt road in the distance, there was a line of figures, each with shackles on their feet, walking slowly and laboriously. It was their group of exiles!

She suddenly found her strength and, ignoring her exhaustion, started jogging, shouting desperately towards the direction of the group.

"Father! Mother! Eldest brother! We're back!"

In the middle of the procession, Jiang Sumin was dragging his heavy shackles forward when he suddenly scratched his ear and muttered, "Why do I think I heard my little sister's voice?"

He instinctively turned around and looked in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, on the hillside not far away, he saw a small figure waving frantically at them.

Jiang Sumin froze, his face instantly lighting up with wild joy. He immediately turned and shouted towards the cart, "Father, Mother! Big Brother! Little Sister and the others are back!"