Chapter 51: Saving Someone

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Saving Someone

Seeing the little young master unmoving, Deng Yuyuan frowned and shouted, "Hurry up! Can’t you see he’s unconscious?!"

Even the most withdrawn children had an instinct to seek safety and avoid danger. The little young master had grown up at home pampered with a life of luxury and privilege. He had only allowed himself to wallow in his fear because Deng Yuyuan seemed so amiable. The moment she turned fierce, his muscle memory from the past dozen days kicked in, and he quickly and nimbly began to clean himself up.

Deng Yuyuan directed him to wrap the blood-stained knife in the sour, foul-smelling blankets left on the ground by the brutes, clutch it to his chest, and crawl into the bamboo basket.

She then scooped the unconscious child into her own arms. With one little boy on her back and another in her embrace, she walked at a quick and steady pace.

The moment they descended the mountain and reached an area with signs of human presence, Deng Yuyuan’s tears poured down. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Somebody, come quick! Someone’s dying! Help carry these two to the hospital!"

Hearing that there was no danger and it was just a matter of transporting people, the bystanders immediately gathered around. Someone even had the time to ask, "Deng Zhiqing, how come you’re always picking people up from the mountain?"

Deng Yuyuan was still trapped in the aftershock of her fright. Looking blank and dazed, her lips trembled as she stammered, "No, it’s not... There are human traffickers on the mountain... I, I—"

A woman noticed her unstable emotional state. Checking the weak breathing of the child in Deng Yuyuan’s arms and seeing the poor condition of the one in the bamboo basket, she realized the severity of the situation. Having experienced the previous incident, the villagers knew not to move the injured recklessly. She smacked her husband’s shoulder. "Hurry up and get someone from the clinic, and call the village head!"

"Neighbors, lend a hand! Let’s help Deng Zhiqing into the house to rest and get her some hot water first. She must be terrified."

The little young master, who had been lifted out of the bamboo basket by an older woman, turned his dull, stagnant eyes toward Deng Yuyuan. For once, he truly felt the meaning of the saying that there was always a higher mountain. She definitely hadn’t acted like this just a moment ago!

Deng Yuyuan also looked at the little young master. Bean-sized tears streamed down her face continuously as she wept in a miserable, pitiful manner, looking completely frail and endearing.

The little young master was already in a trance and temporarily doubted his own memory. He indeed hadn’t gotten a good look at Deng Yuyuan’s face earlier. He wondered if she had saved them despite being this terrified.

What followed was the arrival of the village head, an ambulance, and a police car. Vehicles came and went, and Deng Yuyuan was pulled along with them, getting to enjoy a free full-body checkup.

However, medical resources were scarce in this era, and the needle used to draw blood was so thick and large that it truly hurt.

The village head brought his wife along this time. Midway, he even ran over to reassure the youth at the Knowledge Youth Institute, telling them to stay home and promising that he would absolutely bring Deng Yuyuan back safely and in one piece.

The hospital they went to happened to be the one where Fang Zhongwen worked. The unconscious child was immediately sent to the operating room. The little young master had a broken arm and leg. The police wanted to start their investigation with the only adult involved, but the village head stubbornly blocked the door.

"She’s a heroic villager who stepped up for justice! No matter how anxious you are, you can’t go questioning her right now."

The police officer was equally frantic. "The higher-ups said we need to investigate this clearly and bring the culprit to justice immediately. If we don’t hurry and they escape, what then?"

"What do you mean, ’what then’? Go search the mountain yourselves first!" The village head refused to yield a single inch. Usually, he was very cooperative with the authorities’ work, but Deng Yuyuan was already fair-skinned, and now her palm-sized face was deathly pale. Seeing her curled up in the corner clutching her chest, he was genuinely afraid she would be left with psychological trauma.

Other villages had educated youths who hung themselves or jumped into rivers, but his village hadn’t had a single one. The village head wasn’t going to let Deng Yuyuan’s life be ruined because she did a good deed.

The police officer lowered his voice. "He’s the child of the Meng Family that the higher-ups were talking about. If we figure this out, there will be no shortage of benefits for you, me, and her in there."

"Then let’s take the benefits first and stall the progress." The village head seemed to revert to his youthful days as a scoundrel.

"Old Zhang, don’t be like that. Go in and see if her condition is alright. If not, then forget it for now and let her rest."

The village head beamed, though his smile was somewhat forced. He patted the police officer’s shoulder. "Good buddy."

A portion of the police force went to search the mountain. Two officers went to the Knowledge Youth Institute and the village to ask about Deng Yuyuan’s usual routines, while another recorded the village head’s statement.

Only one female police officer went into the room to keep Deng Yuyuan company, gently soothing her emotions.

Deng Yuyuan was an educated youth who cooperated well with police work. Even though the female officer didn’t press for answers out of sympathy, Deng Yuyuan tremblingly and intermittently recounted the events herself.

The female officer slowly pieced together the course of events. The kidnappers had occupied a cave Deng Yuyuan frequently visited and tried to commit an indecent act against her. In a moment of desperation, not knowing how, she had grabbed a knife, slashed the man, and run out. There was also another kidnapper who had fled the scene.

When asked further, Deng Yuyuan couldn’t remember clearly.

Seeing her pained expression, the female officer figured that her body’s natural defenses had triggered a mechanism to blur her memories in order to protect her. They could only hurry up and catch those two kidnappers to interrogate them.

"Will I... will I go to jail?" Deng Yuyuan asked, completely panicking as she sat on the floor hugging her knees. She absolutely refused to sit on a chair.

"No, you won’t. You acted courageously for justice, and they committed hooliganism against you. Even if you had beaten them to death, it would count as self-defense," the female officer reassured her. "You are a hero of the people. You saved two families! Do you want to freshen up a bit? I can help comb your hair and dress you up nicely. The two families might come over to thank you later."

As far as she knew, the little boy’s family was already crying their hearts out in front of the operating room. They had even asked about the benefactor’s situation and wanted to kneel in gratitude, but the police persuaded them not to, lest they frighten the savior.

Members of the Meng Family had also boarded a plane and were rushing over—an entire extended family at that. After all, the little young master of the Meng Family was currently the only eldest grandson, the sole grandchild. Naturally, the elders treated him like a precious treasure, fearful he would shatter in their palms or melt in their mouths.

Deng Yuyuan’s condition was still poor, but hearing the female officer say she wouldn’t go to jail for injuring someone, her emotions gradually calmed down. She asked the female officer to leave first so she could tidy up her appearance alone.

No matter how worried the female officer was, she had to respect the citizen’s wishes. The moment she stepped out, she placed a finger against her lips, signaling the male officers to lower their voices.

"How is the situation? What did you find out?"

The female officer relayed the location of the cave Deng Yuyuan had mentioned, along with the circumstances of the incident.

"There’s nothing more. She suffered quite a shock, and we can’t question her any further. If we push her, something bad might happen."

When Deng Yuyuan finally came out, her face was still void of a smile. Her eye sockets were tinged with redness, and her misty eyes held a heartbreaking sorrow as she walked out, looking completely distracted and out of sorts.

The female officer helped her adjust her collar, stood by her side, and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Do you want to eat something?"

Deng Yuyuan nodded.