Chapter 601 Wretched State
Even though Nan Chen reassured Ning Ran, the latter still felt anxious. Nevertheless, under such circumstances, being frustrated wouldn’t change anything.
“You should lie down and rest properly. Do not waste energy because we don’t know what will happen next,” Nan Chen reminded Ning Ran.
If Nan Chen’s theory was correct, people would most probably be coming over. However, it was uncertain when they would arrive, how many of them would there be, and who would be coming.
Moreover, he was hurt, and Ning Ran, as a weak lady, would not be able to face them off no matter how she prepared herself.
Noticing Ning Ran’s anxiety, Nan Chen said, “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to protect you.”
Ning Ran had always trusted the man. Despite that, she couldn’t help but feel he was only consoling her at this juncture.
“I’m fine, but I’m worried about Erbao. She’s still waiting for us to get a doctor to treat her, but we’re trapped here now.” Ning Ran heaved a sigh.
“Erbao has been discharged from the hospital. The poison in her system is already gone. It’s just that her body is weak now, and she needs plenty of rest. She’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry so much. As for us, since things have come to this, we can only face it head-on. It’s no use panicking. Calm down. After all, it’s a miracle we have escaped with our lives after falling from such a height. Don’t be so pessimistic.”
Every word Nan Chen said hit the nail on the head.
Although Ning Ran couldn’t be as calm and composed as him, she could only trust him and follow his lead.
As time went by slowly, the sky gradually darkened.
After what felt like forever, Ning Ran thought she heard the sounds of paddling.
She and Nan Chen stood up almost simultaneously and turned to look at the source of the sound.
They could vaguely see a small boat coming their way in the darkness.
It was a small wooden boat, and a person with a bamboo hat was sitting on it.
Something was placed on the bow of the boat, but they couldn’t make out what it was.
“Look, someone is here. Do we call out to him?” Ning Ran asked.
“No, don’t do that. Let’s observe it for a while,” Nan Chen said quietly.
As the little boat came nearer and nearer to the bank, the person in the bamboo hat eventually spotted Nan Chen and Ning Ran. The man said something to them in a heavy local accent.
Alas, Nan Chen and Ning Ran couldn’t understand what he said.
“Who’s there?”
The man switched to Chinese this time, albeit sounding slightly off. Fortunately, they understood him.
Waving her arms vigorously, Ning Ran shouted, “Mister, help us!”
“What’s that? Help you? Why? What are you doing there?” he asked.
“We were involved in a car accident, and we need your help!” Ning Ran replied.
The man stopped his boat at the riverside and threw the end of a rope to the bank. After getting off his boat, he tied the rope to a big rock to prevent his boat from being washed away.
“You say you have gotten into a car accident? Are you all right?”
“He’s hurt, but I’m fine. Please, mister. Help us!”
The man walked over. He was a big and muscular man, and his skin was dark, evidence that he often did farm work.
“Can he walk?” he asked.
“No, he can’t.”
“All right. Get on the boat. However, I can only take one of you at a time because I still have something on board. Who’s going first? You or the man?” the boatman asked.
Ning Ran looked at Nan Chen.
If only one of them could leave, it would be pretty dangerous for them.
After all, the risk of leaving Ning Ran on a boat with another man late at night was self-explanatory.
Leaving Ning Ran alone there was a no-no too.
“I want to leave with my wife. Can you unload your cargo here and take us away first? After that, you can return and retrieve your items. If you can help us, we’ll be very grateful. I will repay you,” Nan Chen said.
“Oh? Don’t trust me, eh? I’m a fish farmer who does some cage culturing here. These are actually fish feed, and I need them to feed the fish at night. I can’t put them here. Look, I can only bring one person. That’s the deal—take it or leave it.” The boatman gave his ultimatum.
“Huh? Hey, don’t go! We’ll think about it—”
When Ning Ran saw the boatman preparing to leave, she panicked.
But then, Nan Chen touched her hand lightly, signaling her to stop talking.
The boatman got on his boat and asked, “Are you sure you’re not leaving?”
“If we go, we go together. I won’t leave without my wife. I’m sorry. Thank you for offering, though,” Nan Chen refused.
In the end, the boatman relented. “Okay, fine, fine. Get on. I’ll leave a bag of fish feed here. I think this much is okay. We won’t overload the boat.”
True to his words, the boatman unloaded a bag of fish feed, and Ning Ran thanked him continuously.
“All right, help your husband up. I don’t think getting him on the boat will be easy. You can’t carry him, right?” the boatman questioned.
“Yes, I can’t. Would you mind helping me, Mister?” Ning Ran pleaded.
“All right then.”
With the boatman’s help, Nan Chen got on his feet.
Supporting himself with one arm on the boatman’s shoulder, Nan Chen laboriously hopped on his good leg and eventually got on the boat.
However, he lost his balance and actually fell into the boat, looking quite ungraceful.
That might be the only time Nan Chen was in such a wretched state all his life.
Nan Chen picked himself up, sat at the bow, and smoothened his hair. In an instant, he regained his composure as a dignified young man.
Nevertheless, the fish feed in the bags emanated a pungent smell.
“Mister, what is this river called? And where is the nearest hospital?” Ning Ran asked.
“Ah, this is not a river but a reservoir. Well, they built a dam downstream. They are planning to build a power plant, so the waters here are deep. As for the nearest hospital, it’s in town. But it’s very far from here, so you need to get off at the river bank and hitch a ride there,” the boatman replied.
“Oh, then, where do you keep your fish?”
“A little further down here. We’ll get there in about twenty minutes.”
“Where did you buy your fish food from? The town?” Nan Chen suddenly cut into the conversation.
“Yes, from town. Why?” the boatman asked quizzically.
“Oh, it’s nothing. How far is the town from here?” Nan Chen continued to ask.
“It’s very far. Let me see. It’s about fifty kilometers away from here. Moreover, the road is currently under repair, so getting there won’t be easy. You’ll need approximately three to four hours to get there,” the boatman responded.
“Have you eaten? My wife and I haven’t had our food, so I was wondering if I could buy some food from you. We want to fill our stomachs with something first,” Nan Chen said.
“I’ve already eaten in town, but I do have some food stored at my fish farm. You can have some. I don’t mind,” the boatman answered.
Nan Chen stopped asking.
“Mister, can I borrow your phone to make a call? Our phones died because they fell in the water,” Ning Ran requested.
“There’s no signal here, and I don’t carry my phone with me. How about this? I’ll send you to the hospital tomorrow, and you crash at my place today.”
Ning Ran merely sighed, for she didn’t have a better idea.
When the boat made a turn, their view suddenly expanded. They could see a vast stretch of water and realized this was a huge lake.
In the middle of the lake was an island, and the boat was currently heading there.
Surrounding the island were some cages for fish farming. Occasionally, one could hear water splashes when the fish jumped.
On the island, she saw a three-room cement-brick house with a cement-tiled roof.
After they reached there, the boatman helped Nan Chen off the boat with considerable difficulty.
When they were finished, the sky was totally dark. There was no electricity on the island, so they stood in pitch-black darkness.
“I have a diesel generator here, but I ran out of diesel. I’m sorry, but we have to put up with kerosene lamps for light,” the boatman explained.
Suddenly, Nan Chen asked, “What is your name?”
“My name is Guo Si. You can stay here for the night. I’ll come back and take you to the hospital tomorrow.”
“How much did they give you?” Nan Chen suddenly asked.
“What did you say?” The boatman started to panic.
“I know someone ordered you to come find us. How much did they pay you? If you cooperate with me, I’ll double—No. I’ll increase it tenfold. I’m richer than those people,” Nan Chen coldly said.
