Chapter 95 Midnight Raid

Chapter 95 Midnight Raid

Negative speculations and doubts disturbed Cheng Lanzhou's thoughts.

His face suddenly darkened, and he began washing clothes with unusual force, as if he were wrestling with the clothes.

Jiang Huaiyu stared at her coat, which was being pulled hard, and muttered to herself.

He raised his hand, wanting to plead for his clothes, but seeing the other person's cold aura, he wisely kept quiet.

The two didn't exchange another word until they finished washing the clothes.

When it came time to distribute the food in the evening, Jiang Yutang considered that Cheng Lanzhou must be exhausted after carrying Cheng Daier all day, so she gave him half a piece of chocolate.

"You must be tired today, so take a good rest and replenish your energy." Her tone was natural, without a trace of selfishness.

Cheng Lanzhou glanced at the half-eaten chocolate wrapped in foil, but for some reason, the original rich aroma was inexplicably mixed with a sour taste.

"I don't need it."

The tone of refusal was cold and forceful, with a deliberate air of aloofness on his face.

Jiang Yutang stood there, stunned, tilting her head in confusion.

He was perfectly fine when she borrowed the pot at noon, so why did he suddenly become so hostile after only a few hours? She hadn't offended him.

There was no need to make a fool of himself. Jiang Yutang shrugged, withdrew his hand, and turned to walk towards Jiang Huaiyu, who was clearing away the dishes.

He handed over the chocolate, laughing exaggeratedly, "Third Brother, you worked hard doing the laundry today, here's half a chocolate as a reward for you."

Jiang Huaiyu's eyes lit up, and she gave a haughty snort, reaching out to take it: "Little sister really knows how to care for Third Brother!"

Jiang Sumin, standing to the side, scoffed, "Come on, you lost the game of rock-paper-scissors, you're a man of your word, and you still want credit? You're not happy about it?"

"I refuse to accept this! Let's do it again, who's afraid of who!"

Jiang Huaiyu immediately chimed in, and the two started arguing again.

Jiang Yutang watched her brothers bicker, then stood by with her arms crossed, acting as referee, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

Cheng Lanzhou, who was not far away, watched them and listened to their laughter, but the bitterness in her heart grew stronger.

Nobody took it to heart; they just slept it off.

The next morning, as the team was ready to depart, Cheng Lanzhou suddenly approached Jiang Yutang, his face expressionless but his voice hurried: "Could you lend us some more painkillers?"

"ah?"

Jiang Yutang looked puzzled and asked, "Didn't we just give you six pills the night before last? The dosage is two or three pills a day, how come they're gone after only one day?"

Cheng Lanzhou stood there with her eyes lowered, saying nothing.

"I won't give you the medicine until you explain why." She frowned, her eyes gradually turning warning.

Meeting her determined gaze, Cheng Lanzhou sighed and helplessly rubbed her forehead: "My elder sister was in a lot of pain. She took one pill but it didn't work, so she secretly took a few more."

"What?!"

Jiang Yutang was so angry that she burst out laughing. She put her hands on her hips, her chest heaving violently. She took two deep breaths to suppress the anger that surged up in her heart, then turned around and stormed off toward Cheng Daier.

Cheng Lanzhou could only follow silently behind.

When Madam Lin saw Jiang Yutang coming over, she was about to go up and greet her, but Jiang Yutang didn't stop and rushed straight to Cheng Daier, her tone filled with impatience and anger.

"Auntie! How could you take extra medicine without permission?"

Cheng Dai'er was startled by her sudden reprimand, and some of the refugees around her were already looking on curiously.

Jiang Yutang didn't care about her feelings at all and continued, "I clearly told you that you can only take one pill at a time, and there must be an interval of more than four hours. Why did you ignore my words? Do you really think this painkiller is a magic pill that will work immediately after you take it?"

"I......"

Cheng Daier knew she had made a mistake, but she had never been scolded like this in front of outsiders before. She couldn't bear it and couldn't help but retort.

"I can't stand the pain anymore, what can I do if I don't eat? I can't just keep enduring the pain!"

"you--"

Jiang Yutang was so angry that she rubbed her hair, and the fine strands of hair stood up slightly due to static electricity, making them look particularly frizzy.

As a medical professional who upholds a professional attitude, what she hates most is patients who disobey medical advice and act on their own.

She propped her forehead up and spun around in place, forcing herself to calm down before explaining in a softer tone.

"This medicine doesn't work immediately after you take it, because... it doesn't know where you're in pain; it has to search all over your body first."

The phrase sounds a bit scary at first glance; someone unfamiliar with the context might think they're eating tadpoles. However, this metaphor is the most obvious and easily understood by the people here.

"If you take it without considering the dosage, it won't relieve the pain and will irritate your stomach. When your stomach starts hurting again, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

Faced with her reprimand, Cheng Daier gripped the thick woolen cloth tightly, her cheeks flushed red, but unusually, she did not argue back.

She saw Jiang Yutang's reddened eyes, and perhaps the other party genuinely cared about her.

Remembering her impulsiveness, she pursed her pale lips and finally whispered three words: "I understand."

Watching from the side, Madam Lin wanted to offer some advice but didn't know how to say it. She could only gently pat Cheng Dai'er on the back and give Jiang Yutang an apologetic smile.

"Yutang, don't be angry, she's just delirious from the pain."

Jiang Yutang sighed, took out the last pill from her waist and handed it over: "This is the last one."

Cheng Daier took the medicine, nodded silently, and after a moment of hesitation, softly uttered "Thank you."

Jiang Yutang turned around and saw Cheng Lanzhou standing behind her, looking at her with a half-smile on his lips.

She immediately put on a stern face, walked straight past him, and returned to her own group.

Cheng Lanzhou watched her sullen back, clenched his fist to his mouth, and coughed lightly to hide the smile in his eyes.

He walked up to Cheng Daier, his tone regaining its composure: "Elder sister, I'll carry you on my back."

Cheng Dai'er noticed the lingering smile on his lips, and feigning anger, lightly tapped him: "Still smiling!"

As night fell, the two families gathered around a bonfire, eating hard flatbread with warm oatmeal porridge. After a brief chat about their upcoming travel plans, they lay down to rest.

The camp gradually fell silent.

Jiang Yutang was fast asleep when she was suddenly pushed hard. The force was so great that she opened her eyes and saw Jiang Huaiyu with a gloomy face. She quickly made a shushing gesture.

Immediately afterwards, he pulled out a folding knife from his waist, his lips moving silently as he whispered, "Quick, go wake up the others!"

Jiang Yutang instantly snapped out of it; something terrible must have happened.

She dared not delay, and carefully got up, crouching low as she moved her feet, trying not to make a sound.

She nudged her three older brothers awake one by one, whispered "There's danger," and then quickly walked over to Yun Shi and Jiang Shengan, gently waking them up.

Jiang Huaiyu tilted her head slightly towards the group, gesturing towards the dense forest behind her.

Seeing her bewildered behavior, Madam Yun asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

Just as Jiang Huaiyu was about to explain, his gaze suddenly locked onto the direction behind them, his pupils contracted sharply, and he roared, "Run!"

Before the words were finished, a shrill scream suddenly came from the refugee camp on the other side, like an alarm bell waking everyone from their slumber.

Immediately afterwards, chaotic shouts, fighting, and cries erupted from the once-silent camp.