Chapter 14
Shi Wen nodded and stepped back a little, though he remained on the wooden plank, ready to help at any moment.
Once Yan Kexing and Shi Wen had moved a little way from the area where the Tibetan wild ass was trapped, the others on shore pulled hard on the rope.
The rope dragged the Tibetan wild ass forward. It brayed loudly, struggling and kicking with all four hooves.
When the herd of Tibetan wild asses on the other side of the marsh saw what was happening to their companion, they too began braying loudly, frightened and nervous.
Brays of "hee-haw" rose and fell all around them. Shi Wen felt as if he were sitting in an amusement park, surrounded by noise.
The trapped Tibetan wild ass struggled fiercely, sending muddy water flying. The marsh seemed to loosen, but its suction grew even stronger.
The man leading the rescue saw this and said, "This isn't working. We'll have to bring a vehicle over and pull it out slowly."
Yan Kexing assessed the surroundings and pointed ahead. "If you're driving over, the vehicle can't go past that bush."
The man nodded at once. "The marsh starts behind the bush, right? All right, got it."
The man in charge had someone bring a vehicle over. They tied the rope to it, then drove forward, slowly pulling the Tibetan wild ass along.
The Tibetan wild ass brayed as it was pulled and began struggling again.
Shi Wen hurried forward to soothe the frightened animal. Together with Yan Kexing, he tried to pull its legs up.
Several volunteers saw what they were doing and came over the planks to help.
As Shi Wen soothed the Tibetan wild ass, it became less stressed. When the others came over, it struggled briefly but made no further attempt to bite anyone.
Seeing that, the man leading the rescue sent two more people over.
The vehicle pulled from the front with the rope tied to it, while Shi Wen and the others dug through the muck beside the Tibetan wild ass and pulled at its legs.
Everyone strained together, slowly pulling the Tibetan wild ass out of the marsh where it had sunk so deep.
After more than two hours of work, the Tibetan wild ass's legs were finally dragged free as well.
Its legs came out with a soft "pop," marking the moment the Tibetan wild ass, trapped for more than ten hours, was completely free.
The people around them heard it and couldn't help cheering and breaking into applause.
"We did it!!!"
"That's great! All that work wasn't for nothing-"
"Ah, we finally got this guy out!"
Shi Wen stood beside Yan Kexing, surrounded by happy shouts. Caught up in the mood, he joined in the applause, excitement showing on his face.
Yan Kexing turned to look at him and smiled, clapping softly as well.
Chapter 14
The rescued Tibetan wild ass lay on the ground, its whole body caked in mud. Its two big eyes looked very weary, and it appeared utterly exhausted.
The veterinarian waiting nearby hurried over to examine it and said afterward that it was nothing serious; it was just a little weak from exhaustion.
Shi Wen went over to check as well. Sure enough, apart from exhaustion, there was nothing wrong.
Yan Kexing spoke to the man leading the rescue, then took Shi Wen back to the vehicle, intending to drive him back to N City to pick up the puppy.
The two sat in the vehicle, and Shi Wen pulled his seat belt across and fastened it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yan Kexing looking at him, so he raised a hand to touch his face. "Is there something on my face?"
Shi Wen sat up straight and leaned a little closer to the mirror. His face in the mirror was perfectly clean, without a single speck of mud. His skin was fine too, even better than before.
Puzzled, he looked at Yan Kexing, silently prompting him for an answer.
Yan Kexing said, "I remember you were wearing glasses when I first met you."
"Oh, that-" Shi Wen leaned back in his seat. "I thought they got in the way of work, so I stopped wearing them. It doesn't make much difference anyway."
Seeing Yan Kexing's expression, Shi Wen added, "I wear them when I read."
Yan Kexing started the vehicle. "Is the prescription still right for you?"
"I think so?" Shi Wen didn't know whether Yan Kexing was just making conversation, so he gave it a little more thought. "It's hard to get glasses that are a perfect fit, anyway. Most prescriptions are close enough. Why?"
Yan Kexing said, "I was just wondering if you wanted to get your eyes checked again. I have a feeling your old glasses aren't quite right for you anymore."
Shi Wen casually objected, "Is that really necessary? I can make do."
"How can you just make do when it comes to your eyes? The ophthalmology department at N City People's Hospital is pretty good. Since you've come all the way to N City, why not get them checked while you're here?"
After driving for more than two hours, they stopped in the outdoor parking lot at N City People's Hospital.
Shi Wen stared at the large characters spelling out "N City People's Hospital," suspecting Yan Kexing had fed him some kind of bewitching potion. Otherwise, how had he been persuaded so easily?
Yan Kexing opened the door and got out first. "Come on, I'll go with you to see the doctor."
Shi Wen had nothing else to say, so he got out and followed him.
This was the first time anyone had accompanied Shi Wen to a medical appointment since his parents divorced. It felt very strange, and on the way he kept stealing glances at Yan Kexing out of the corner of his eye.
It was a weekday, so there weren't many patients.
Soon it was Shi Wen's turn.
Sitting face-to-face with him, the doctor asked some basic questions, then said, "What was your approximate prescription before? Have you ever had your eyes tested at a hospital?"
Shi Wen said, "No, I always had them tested at optical shops. One hundred and fifty degrees in my left eye, three hundred and twenty in my right."
The doctor looked up and studied his eyes. After a moment, he said, "They don't look like it. It's rare to see an adult with eyes as clear as yours."
Shi Wen said, "Maybe it's because I've been looking at a lot of green plants lately?"
The doctor wrote him an order for an examination.
Yan Kexing accompanied him the whole time, as though the great Professor Yan were on vacation and had nothing at all to keep him busy today.
The results came back quickly. When Shi Wen sat down across from the doctor again, the doctor gave him an extra look.
Shi Wen noticed the doctor's expression at once and immediately grew nervous. "Doctor, is something wrong with my eyes?"
"Something's wrong with my eyes." The doctor turned the results around to show him. "Your visual acuity is 5.3 in both eyes. That's good enough to qualify as a pilot!"
Shi Wen said, "No way. I've worn glasses for years."
After instinctively protesting, he quickly realized the test results probably weren't wrong. He really had been able to see the bottom row of the small eye chart during the test.