Chapter 13

Su Cheng wanted to go home, too, and to see her parents again, but while the former was still possible, the latter never would be.

The two kept clinging to the tree until the current gradually eased.

As the ground emerged again, most of the pain in Su Cheng's abdomen had subsided. She lifted her shirt. The bruising was still there, but she felt much better.

Su Cheng's earlier water bottle had long since fallen and been swept away, so she could only take out another.

She took two small sips to wash away the taste of blood in her mouth, then passed it to Yun Nian. She did not have much water left in storage either, so they had to conserve it.

Su Cheng finally felt hungry and regained her appetite. She took out chocolates, and she and Yun Nian each ate one.

Only when Yun Nian saw Su Cheng's complexion improve did she relax, regaining some of her own energy.

With the immediate threat to her health resolved, Su Cheng finally had the strength to plan what to do next.

The tree was already showing signs of bending. If rescue remained out of reach, Su Cheng was very worried about whether it could withstand the next onslaught of waves.

They now had two choices: remain in the tree or look for new high ground.

Su Cheng hesitated briefly between the two choices, but chose the former and stayed in the tree.

The tree's ability to withstand one wave showed that its roots were indeed firm. Whether it would fall in the next wave was a matter of probability.

But if they moved, aside from not knowing which direction to take, they would have nowhere to hide if they got injured along the way or were unlucky enough to encounter an earthquake or the next wave.

"The rescue teams will reach this area sooner or later. We have to do something to attract their attention..."

Su Cheng glanced at the ground. Her gaze settled on a pile of fabric and assorted objects, and she had an idea.

"Niannian, I'll go down first and find some things we can use."

"I'll come with you!"

"Okay."

Su Cheng slowly climbed down. The ground was very soft. Fortunately, both she and Yun Nian still had their shoes on, so they did not have to worry about directly cutting the soles of their feet, but they still needed to take care to avoid sharp objects.

Walking ahead, Su Cheng turned back to remind Yun Nian, "Go slowly. Don't slip."

"Okay."

Su Cheng found a branch on the ground, just the right thickness and length to serve as a walking stick. It was perfect for pushing aside small obstacles on the ground.

She gave the branch to Yun Nian, then took the shovel out of her storage slot to scrape away thin, sharp objects in the mud that might pierce their soles.

Only when she approached the debris pile did Su Cheng realize that the mud-covered objects were a television, a battered refrigerator shell, several broken boards, and some red fabric tangled around the boards.

Su Cheng crouched and pulled out the red fabric covered in wet mud. When she stretched it out, she discovered it was a satin scarf.

Yun Nian crouched beside her and asked in confusion, "Big Sister, what are we looking for?"

"Colored fabric, and cans too. Flashlights and things like that will also work," Su Cheng said.

"Okay! I'll look over there."

"Be careful."

Su Cheng rummaged some more. She found no more fabric, but discovered a waterlogged phone in a gap between several boards. Unfortunately, it was not waterproof and would not turn on.

An unusable phone was worth less than a brick.

Regretfully, Su Cheng tossed the phone back onto the debris pile, tied the red satin scarf around her waist, and turned toward another pile nearby.

There were puddles on the ground. Su Cheng walked around them, but nearly slipped when she stepped on the mud. Fortunately, she steadied herself with the shovel in time.

This was a heap of broken furniture. A sofa lay on top of a metal doorframe, with fragments of light fixtures on it, and a refrigerator lay on its side nearby.

Su Cheng used the shovel to push aside the large and small plastic fragments scattered over the ground, then approached and opened the refrigerator first.

A bottle of juice was wedged in the side rack of the refrigerator compartment. The freezer was empty.

With some effort, Su Cheng freed the stuck bottle of juice and put it into her pocket, storing it in the same slot as her water.

"There's a rope here too..."

Su Cheng unwound the coils of ny-

lon

rope wrapped around the sofa's bottom post.

As she removed the nylon rope, she spotted a lighter mixed in with plastic bags and mud.

Su Cheng dug out the lighter and pressed it. "Click, click..."

It doesn't work?

Unwilling to give up, Su Cheng wiped the water off the lighter on her clothes, adjusted the flame to its highest setting, and pressed it several more times. At last, a flame sprang up with a whoosh.

"Good job."

Su Cheng turned her attention back to the sofa. Reaching through a tear in the upholstery, she pulled out the wet cotton stuffing.

She simply untied the satin scarf from her waist and spread it out to hold the stuffing and lighter, making a makeshift bundle that she carried in her hand.

The newly found nylon rope took the scarf's place around her waist.

"That'll do for now."

Su Cheng wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The blazing sun hung high overhead, its light scorching and dazzling. She had only been moving for a short while, but was already sweating from the heat.

Su Cheng retraced her steps to the tree, set everything down, and returned the shovel to her storage slot.

She spread out the scarf, removed the lighter, and laid the stuffing out to dry.

The sun was strong and there was no wind, so these loose scraps of cotton would dry quickly.

Su Cheng glanced at Yun Nian, who was still crouching and rummaging through the debris, then waved and called her back.

Yun Nian did not linger when she heard the call. After tiptoeing through a muddy patch, she jogged back in small steps. "Big Sister, I found these!"

She held up two half-damp jackets, one red and one yellow, both bright colors.

Su Cheng freely praised her. "Great job!"

"Next, I'm going to burn the dried cotton to make smoke. We need to climb the tree and gather thin branches."

Su Cheng told Yun Nian her plan honestly. Ever since Yun Nian had shown maturity far beyond her age, Su Cheng had stopped treating her as an ordinary child who needed to depend on her, and instead treated her as a partner she could speak to as an equal.

"Can't we use the boards over there?" Yun Nian asked.

Su Cheng shook her head and explained, "Those boards are soaked through. They won't dry anytime soon, and they might not catch fire."

Yun Nian nodded in understanding, looking as though she had just learned something new in class. "Oh, so that's why."

The two climbed the tree one after the other, stood on the thick branches, and carefully snapped thin twigs off the branches around them, also picking some dry leaves from the tips.

Su Cheng hung the two jackets Yun Nian had found in the treetop, adding two conspicuous splashes of color to the tree.

Because they had to be careful not to fall, they broke off the twigs very slowly. Only when there was a small pile on the ground did they climb down.

By then, most of the cotton stuffing had dried in the sun.

Su Cheng pinched the dry cotton into strips to use as tinder and laid them over the twigs and dry leaves. Once she lit the cotton with the lighter, the flames quickly spread along it and ignited the branches underneath.

Wisps of smoke rose...

Both Su Cheng and Yun Nian hoped it would bring good news.

Su Cheng picked up the scarf and nylon rope. "If rescue still hasn't come by tonight, we'll use these to tie ourselves to the tree so we don't fall if we accidentally fall asleep."

Yun Nian's eyes lit up. "You're amazing, Big Sister!"

The sun was blazing, and sitting around the fire would only make them hotter. Su Cheng and Yun Nian rested in the shade beneath the tree and finished the water left in the bottle from earlier.

Su Cheng's bracelet showed that the current time in this instance was 12:10 p.m.

Su Cheng did not intend to do anything during the hottest part of the day. With limited food and water, staying in the shade and moving as little as possible was a good way to conserve energy.

A weight settled on her shoulder. Su Cheng turned her head. Yun Nian had slumped against her.

Su Cheng first felt her forehead. She had no fever, and apart from slightly dry, peeling lips, her complexion was normal. She was simply sleepy.

Only then did Su Cheng relax, letting her sleep soundly against her shoulder.

Children did not have as much energy as adults. It had been hard on Yun Nian to keep following her around and hold out for so long.

Author's note:

Happy National Day, darlings~

Chapter 13

The bright jackets in the tree and the rising smoke finally paid off.

Su Cheng heard people moving in the distance. She raised a hand to touch her ear and listened closely. The footsteps grew clearer. She had not misheard. Her hearing was better than before.

"Yun Nian, wake up."

Su Cheng woke Yun Nian from her sleep, stood up, and looked toward the sound.

"There are people here! Is anyone there?"

She called toward the sound.

Yun Nian rubbed her eyes. Seeing what Su Cheng was doing, she immediately understood and hurried to join in. "Help! Is anyone there? We're over here!"

Su Cheng heard the footsteps drawing closer. Amid their repeated calls, two men in red work uniforms, one tall and one short, appeared on the horizon to the upper left.

They had pronounced facial features and did not look to be of the same ethnicity as Su Cheng and Yun Nian.

Each carried a toolbox, and their clothes and hats identified them as members of a search-and-rescue team. Once they got a clear look at Su Cheng and Yun Nian, they quickened their pace.

Yun Nian bounced twice in excitement, her eyes reddening with tears of joy. "Big Sister, are we saved?"

"Yes."

Su Cheng also breathed a sigh of relief. Once they followed the search-and-rescue team out of the tsunami-affected area, this instance would essentially pose no life-or-death difficulty.

After taking a closer look at their faces, the two rescuers spoke in accented Chinese. "Are you from Country C?"

Yun Nian nodded repeatedly. "Yes!"

The tall rescuer's gaze settled on the small fire, and he offered affirmation and praise:

"We only just started searching this area. We were originally going to take another route, but we saw the smoke in the sky and came this way first."

The shorter man nodded too and pointed at the jackets in the tree. "Then we saw the clothes up in this tree, which made us even more certain of the direction."

Yun Nian gave Su Cheng an admiring look. "It's all because Big Sister is the smartest!"

The tall rescuer looked Su Cheng over, his gaze lingering briefly on the scar on her face. "Are you injured?"

"I can't feel the wound on my face." Su Cheng pointed at her abdomen. "My stomach got hit, but it doesn't hurt much now."