Chapter 233: Chapter 233: Falling into a Trap

Bearing his master Sun Haoran’s request, Tang Kai Xuan boarded a train to Labor County. He was on his way to meet his junior sister, a woman to whom his master was deeply indebted.

Tang Kai Xuan found himself quite curious about this junior sister.

Meanwhile, in Nianqiao Village, Zhao Nuanyue, Zhao Nuan Yang, and Little Red Carp had just finished the autumn harvest. It was time to head into the mountains to gather delicacies and fulfill their quota. Thanks to Little Red Carp’s help, their daily trips to the back mountain yielded not only an abundance of these treasures but also a variety of wild fruits, all wonderfully sweet and sour.

The wild fruits on the mountain behind Nianqiao Village were especially plentiful this year.

Adults would often pick a few on their way home to give their children as snacks. The older kids, who were big enough to go up the mountain on their own, could often be heard laughing with excitement whenever they discovered a patch of fruit.

Li Qiong and Zhao Nuanyue decided to venture farther out with the others to search for mountain delicacies, hoping to gather more and complete their quota sooner.

Li Qiong, however, was too impatient and gradually became separated from Zhao Nuanyue and the rest of the group.

She had almost filled her large basket when she stumbled upon a large trap just ahead, cleverly concealed beneath a layer of dry grass.

"Ah!" Li Qiong cried out as the ground gave way beneath her. She tried to leap back, but it was too late. She tumbled into a pit over ten feet deep. Fortunately, the trap wasn’t lined with sharpened wooden stakes, or she would have been killed instantly.

Aching all over, Li Qiong struggled to her feet, only to find she couldn’t put any weight on her leg. ’It must be broken,’ she thought.

Li Qiong could do nothing but sit there, sweating, and crane her neck toward the opening of the pit, screaming, "Help! Help...!"

’I shouldn’t have been in such a hurry,’ she thought. ’I should have stayed with Zhao Nuanyue and the others.’

’Sigh... I thought all the bad apples in Nianqiao Village were gone, that it was safe now. I can’t believe there are still dangers like this. I was too careless.’

Li Qiong shouted until her throat was raw, but she heard no one approaching.

The sky grew darker as night began to fall, and Li Qiong’s anxiety mounted. No one was passing by, and she couldn’t climb out on her own. Her only hope, perhaps, was that Zhao Nuanyue and the others would realize she hadn’t returned and come looking for her.

Hearing the occasional cry of an animal, Li Qiong grew even more frightened.

"SOB... SOB..." Overcome with fear, Li Qiong couldn’t stop herself from crying.

Suddenly, she felt so pathetic.

At her most vulnerable, Li Qiong’s thoughts turned to her cold-hearted family and her hopeless future. Then, she thought of the few good friends she had... ’Maybe there’s still a glimmer of hope after all...’

"Who’s there?" Just as Li Qiong was sobbing her heart out, a man’s voice called out. "Who’s in the trap?"

Hearing a voice, Li Qiong stopped crying. ’Is he a good guy or a bad guy?’ she wondered. ’And can he even get me out of here?’

As the footsteps drew nearer, a figure appeared at the edge of the trap, peering down. Li Qiong tilted up her face, a mess of tears and dirt, and exclaimed, "It’s you! Li Jianjun!"

"Li Qiong, it’s you!" Li Jianjun said, stunned for a moment. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was someone he knew.

"How did you fall in there?" Li Jianjun asked. He had come out hunting and decided to check a trap he’d dug earlier. He never expected to catch a person instead of prey.

Li Qiong finally let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Li Jianjun meant she wouldn’t have to wait for Zhao Nuanyue to realize she was missing and come to her rescue.

"I don’t know what kind of bastard sets such a convincing trap. I didn’t see it at all and fell right in while I was gathering delicacies," Li Qiong said angrily. "It’s a good thing there weren’t any spikes in here, or I’d be dead by now."

He was about to admit he’d dug the trap himself, but seeing how furious Li Qiong was, Li Jianjun wisely kept his mouth shut. He changed the subject and said with a light chuckle, "That’s some bad luck. Can you stand up?"

"It’s very bad luck. I can’t put any weight on my leg, I can’t stand up at all," Li Qiong said plaintively. "Li Jianjun, you have to figure out a way to get me out of here. If you do, I promise I’ll stop teasing you about being bad at your studies."

Hearing this, Li Jianjun couldn’t help but smile. It was just the usual playful banter between classmates; he’d never been offended by it.

"Alright, just wait here," Li Jianjun said. "I’ll go find some vines to pull you up." He looked around and saw plenty of vines nearby. He decided to grab several to make sure the rope would be strong enough.

Soon, Li Jianjun had braided the vines into a sturdy rope. He lowered it into the pit and said, "Li Qiong, tie this around your waist, and I’ll pull you up!"

Li Qiong grabbed the vine rope and quickly tied it around her waist.

"Make sure you tie it tight, Li Qiong," Li Jianjun called down. "If it’s not secure, you could fall again and get hurt even worse."

Hearing that, Li Qiong wrapped the vine around her waist one more time and checked the knot carefully.

After a moment, Li Qiong finally called out, "Okay, it’s secure! Go ahead and pull me up."

"Okay, don’t be scared. I’m pretty strong," Li Jianjun said. He was a little nervous himself, but he trusted his experience to see this through without any problems.

Li Jianjun braced his feet on either side of the pit’s edge and began to pull with all his might.

Li Qiong wasn’t fat, but she was tall and therefore quite heavy.

Fortunately, Li Jianjun was even stronger. He hunted frequently in the mountains to help support his family, so he had immense strength. Hoisting Li Qiong out wasn’t a difficult task for him. In a little over a minute, he had her safely out of the pit.

Once she was on solid ground, Li Qiong felt a wave of relief, but the pain in her leg was immense.

"Li Jianjun, my leg is broken. I can’t walk. Will you carry me down the mountain?" Li Qiong asked, looking at him plaintively. "Please? I can pay you!"

Li Jianjun found this rather amusing. He shook his head and said, "We’re friends. I’d carry you down even if you didn’t offer me money."

With that, Li Jianjun emptied the game from his back-basket into the trap and set the basket aside. He’d come back for them tomorrow.

"You’re just leaving your game in there? What if it’s gone when you come back tomorrow?" Li Qiong asked, feeling it was a waste. There were two pheasants and three rabbits in his catch.

Li Jianjun just smiled, unconcerned. "If they’re gone, I can always hunt more," he said. "It’s getting late. You can hold my hunting rifle, and I’ll carry you down the mountain."

"Thank you, Li Jianjun. You’re as kind-hearted as Director Li. You’re a good person," Li Qiong said in praise, her heart filled with gratitude.

In truth, aside from those few bad apples from before, everyone in Nianqiao Village was very kind.

Li Jianjun crouched down. "Don’t mention it. Anyone would have done the same. Come on, get on my back. I’ll carry you down."

Li Qiong climbed onto Li Jianjun’s back, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders and neck, afraid she might fall.

It was the first time Li Jianjun had ever carried a girl his age on his back. He stood up and asked, "Ready? We’re heading down the mountain."

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