Chapter 188: First Meeting Qin Huairu

He Yuzhu tore off his outer clothes in a few quick motions and dove into the ice hole.

A bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped his entire body, like thousands of steel needles piercing his pores, freezing his internal organs until they felt as if they had shrunk into a ball.

He took a sharp breath and plunged underwater, groping until he grabbed the sinking figure, then struggled to lift the person above the surface.

But the edge of the ice was too slippery; the moment he let go, the person slid back down.

"Pull him up!" He Yuzhu shouted to the few young women.

The three stunned young women finally snapped out of it and scrambled over to help.

But they couldn't pull him up at all; several times, they nearly slid into the ice hole themselves.

Fortunately, He Daqing arrived in time; he lay flat on the ice and had several soldiers hold onto his legs, only then managing to pull the man up.

He Yuzhu climbed out of the ice hole and felt that the breeze outside was even colder than the water; his teeth chattered incessantly.

A soldier had already started a bonfire on the bank, adding a touch of warmth to the frozen landscape.

The unconscious man was laid beside the fire. Seeing that the man had stopped breathing, He Yuzhu hurriedly knelt to the side, interlaced his hands, and rhythmically pressed on the man's chest.

"One, two, three..." he counted under his breath...

It was unclear how much time had passed before the person who had fallen in suddenly spat out a mouthful of water and slowly opened his eyes.

Only then did He Yuzhu heave a sigh of relief and move closer to the fire to warm up.

Beads of sweat rolled down his temples, yet his body shivered uncontrollably from the cold—it was truly a trial of ice and fire.

At this moment, the young women finally turned from their weeping to joy. A young woman wearing a floral-patterned cotton-padded jacket saw her relative wake up and immediately knelt before He Yuzhu, kowtowing: "Thank you, benefactor, thank you, benefactor..."

"Get up quickly, how can you do this!" He Yuzhu hurriedly reached out to help her up.

The moment the young woman looked up, she happened to see that he was wearing only a pair of soaked briefs, and her face instantly turned red to the roots of her ears.

He Yuzhu was also incredibly embarrassed, but fortunately, He Daqing arrived in time to hand him a blanket to break the tension.

"My second brother... is he really alright?" the young woman asked in a low voice, keeping her head down.

"His life is saved, but catching a cold and running a fever will likely be unavoidable." He Yuzhu wrapped the blanket tightly around himself, his voice still trembling slightly.

He Daqing and the others had already wrapped the person who had fallen in tightly with a quilt.

Although the man was still shivering, he was able to speak weakly: "Many thanks... for saving my life..."

Only then did the young woman stand up and quietly raise her eyes: "Are you here to handle business in our village?"

"Chen Qingshan is my Siqiang; we are here to find him to collect livestock."

"Master Chen? I'll take you there!" The young woman's eyes lit up.

He Yuzhu took the clothes He Daqing had warmed by the fire and quickly put them on.

Several soldiers also lifted the man who had fallen in onto the vehicle. He Daqing asked with concern: "Zhuzi, can you still drive?"

He Yuzhu moved his frozen hands and feet: "It's fine, I've recovered."

The young woman hesitated before speaking: "Benefactor, I would like to get in the car to take care of my second brother, and show you the way while I'm at it."

"Get on." He Yuzhu opened the car door.

The young woman sat in the middle, holding the weak man, but her eyes kept scanning the interior of the car: "This is my first time riding in a car. I heard some people get carsick."

"It depends on the person; some can't stand the smell of gasoline, while others get sick in any vehicle." He Yuzhu started the engine, and the car pulled away steadily.

"My second aunt is like that; she threw up the whole way when she got married in a sedan chair." The young woman laughed as she spoke, revealing her snow-white teeth.

Only then did He Yuzhu notice that this young woman had delicate features and a well-proportioned figure, and she looked exceptionally beautiful when she laughed.

"You brought so many cars; are you planning to buy a lot of goods?"

"Yes, my father happens to need them."

"That's great!" The young woman's tone became light. "My family has been worrying that the sheep we raised wouldn't sell."

"Aren't these things quite in demand?"

"Ordinary families can't afford them, and those officials either drive the price down or buy on credit." There was dissatisfaction in the young woman's tone.

"So that's how it is." He Yuzhu suddenly realized.

"I haven't asked for the benefactor's name yet?"

"My name is He Yuzhu. And you?"

"Qin Huairu. The one you saved is my second brother, Qin Huaizhong."

At this time, Qin Huaizhong interjected weakly: "Many thanks... if it weren't for the benefactor pressing my chest just now, I'm afraid I would have..."

Qin Huairu asked curiously: "Is pressing the chest really useful?"

He Yuzhu nodded: "This is called Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. If it weren't for those few presses, Second Brother Qin would likely have been in danger."

Qin Huairu looked at him gratefully: "Thank you so much, Brother He."

"You... might be older than me?" He Yuzhu asked tentatively.

He had already basically confirmed that this was the same Qin Huairu from the original Siheyuan who had been entangled with him for half his life. He couldn't help but look at her again. She was indeed very beautiful.

"What are you thinking about?" Qin Huairu asked softly when she saw him lost in thought.

"Nothing." He Yuzhu pulled back his thoughts.

"I was born in the twenty-third year of the Republic of China," Qin Huairu said.

"Then you are older than me!" He Yuzhu said.

"But you look much more mature than me," Qin Huairu said with a smile.

"I do look a bit older than my peers," He Yuzhu smiled.

For some reason, Qin Huairu's face turned red again.

At this moment, Qin Huaizhong suddenly retched, and He Yuzhu quickly stopped the car to help him down.

Qin Huaizhong vomited violently, and Qin Huairu patted his back, her face full of worry.

After checking, He Daqing said: "Zhuzi, let this young man take a horse-drawn carriage; the smell of gasoline in the car is too strong and doesn't suit him. You drive ahead first. Go find your Siqiang and see where to park the vehicles."

Qin Huairu looked at He Yuzhu, at a loss for what to do.

He Yuzhu said gently, "My father is right; your brother is too weak and cannot smell gasoline. With my father looking after him, it will be fine. Come with me to the village to find some people first."

After getting back on the road, with the patient gone from the car, the atmosphere was much more relaxed.

Qin Huairu suddenly remembered something: "You don't know yet, do you? Your Siqiang is going to marry my aunt."

"What?" He Yuzhu's hand shook, and the car veered slightly off course. Thinking about it, his Siqiang was not yet forty, and business had been good these past two years, so it was indeed time to start a family. It was just so unexpected.

"How old is your aunt?"

"Thirty. Her husband was taken away by the Japanese devils to build blockhouses back then and never came back..." Qin Huairu's voice trailed off.

"Does she have any children?"

"She has a daughter, six years old." Qin Huairu wiped the corner of her eye. "Your Siqiang didn't mean to keep it from you; he said something happened at the shop and he had to postpone the wedding..."

"You don't need to worry; my Siqiang is a man who keeps his word," He Yuzhu said, his eyes rolling as he thought. "Since my father is here too, I will try to urge him to get the wedding done in these next two days."

"Really?" Qin Huairu's eyes lit up. "My aunt has been so worried these days that she hasn't been able to sleep well."

"Leave it to me."

As soon as the motorcade reached the village entrance, they saw Chen Qingshan bringing people to meet them.

He grabbed He Yuzhu: "I never imagined you would come!"

"Siqiang, I have let you suffer a grievance. The matter in Si Jiu Cheng will be resolved soon."

Chen Qingshan patted his shoulder: "I don't blame you; it is all because of these troubled times."

He Yuzhu leaned in closer and lowered his voice: "Siqiang, you are really not being fair; you are about to have a wedding and didn't even tell me!"