"This rain is rather heavy," Song Qingchao asked Bai You'an, who was pretending to sleep beside her, "Should we let them in to take shelter?"
Bai You'an nodded, remaining silent, but he shifted over to make space.
Seeing this, Song Qingchao immediately lifted the carriage curtain and called for Song Qingmu and Ying Zhong to come in.
The two entered the carriage, their heads covered with straw mats.
Ying Zhong's high ponytail was completely wet, and he kept wiping his clothes, like a restless little monkey.
Compared to Song Qingmu, he was excessively lively.
Song Qingchao took a clean handkerchief and gently wiped the rain from Song Qingmu's forehead. "Your clothes are all wet, change quickly."
She sneakily took out a set of clean clothes from her small basket and handed it to Song Qingmu.
Song Qingmu blushed, "Here?"
Song Qingchao didn't understand at first. "Where else?"
Then she slapped her thigh. "I'll turn around."
As she turned, she saw Bai You'an's playful eyes.
She thought to herself, what can a blind person see?
Ying Zhong cried out from the side, "I want clean clothes too, Sister Chaocao."
Song Qingchao quickly moved aside. "There aren't any, really."
Finally, Bai You'an impatiently reached under the footboard, pulled out a piece of clothing, and threw it onto Ying Zhong's head. "Change."
Ying Zhong happily began to undress, startling Song Qingmu, who was holding her clothes in a daze.
Song Qingmu quickly took off her outer garment and covered Ying Zhong's head with it.
This made Bai You'an chuckle from beside them.
Song Qingchao: ???
This is truly a disaster.
Thunder rumbled outside, accompanied by lightning, making those who were already restless even more agitated.
The carriage was not spacious; it was just right for her and Bai You'an to sleep normally. Now with four people, it was rather cramped.
Song Qingmu, to prevent Bai You'an and Ying Zhong from touching her, nestled herself against the edge, which was quite comfortable.
Suddenly, a clap of thunder startled everyone awake.
Song Qingchao rubbed her eyes and merely turned over.
A moment later, she heard a "clatter" and a heart-wrenching cry.
She sat up abruptly, startling Song Qingmu who was sleeping beside her. "What happened?"
"Something's wrong."
All four sat up. Ying Zhong, who was sleeping on the outermost side, quickly lifted the curtain, and they all began to observe the situation outside.
Lightning had struck a tree, breaking its trunk, which then crashed to the ground with a loud noise.
A few of the travellers ran away, but some were still crushed underneath.
"Save them!"
Bai You'an was the first to rush out, with Song Qingchao closely following.
She hadn't expected that Bai You'an, who was usually so carefree and lazy about everything, would be so proactive in such a situation.
Standing before the tree trunk, the group felt a bit helpless.
This tree trunk was as thick as two people and likely weighed a ton.
The soldiers, wearing straw hats, cupped their hands around the trunk and tried to lift it upwards, but even with their combined strength, no one could move it.
Shou Hou picked up a long spear from the ground and inserted it under the trunk, intending to pry it open.
But the tree trunk didn't budge at all; no matter how many people pushed it, it was all in vain.
Those under the tree trunk cried out in pain, some spat up blood and had already fainted.
Bai You'an checked the pulse of each person one by one, assessing their conditions, and finally shook his head dejectedly.
Ying Zhong rushed over with the medicine box. The sound of the rain was too loud, forcing them to shout as they spoke. "Master, can they be saved?"
Bai You'an wiped the water from his face and said solemnly, "Some have already died on the spot. Others have internal organ damage; even if saved, they won't survive without adequate rest. The remaining ones have their legs crushed. As long as the tree trunk is moved, they can still live."
Everyone turned their gaze towards the tree trunk.
The cries and thunder continued, and the heavy rain seemed to be commemorating the tragedy, falling harder and harder.
Song Qingchao kept wiping the water from her face. She held up the hem of her skirt and circled the tree trunk.
She hadn't expected Liu Zhe'er to be under the tree!
"Zhe'er!"
She quickly knelt down to touch Liu Zhe'er's face and shouted, "Zhe'er, does it hurt? Don't be afraid."
Worried that she wouldn't hear, Song Qingchao leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Don't cry, conserve your strength. Sister will save you, trust your sister!"
Liu Zhe'er weakly blinked her eyes. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
She was lying on her side, protecting Liu Fubao underneath her.
Liu Fubao was crying loudly, completely ignoring anyone's words. Song Qingchao couldn't do anything with him, so she could only pat his face to stop him from crying.
Based on the situation, Liu Zhe'er's condition was likely much worse than Liu Fubao's.
Just as she had settled the person, she was shoved to the ground by Madam Hu.
"What are you doing! Do you want to harm my Fubao!" Madam Hu shrieked hysterically, her eyes bulging like a cow's.
Song Qingchao understood the feelings of a mother seeing her child suffer,
but she didn't have time for further explanations. "I'm trying to save him!"
"I don't believe you!"
She pushed Song Qingchao again as she was just getting up.
The wound on Song Qingchao's left shoulder broke open again. Seeing the blood seeping out, Madam Hu laughed even more manically, repeatedly targeting Song Qingchao's wound.
"Die! How dare you harm my child! Get lost!"
Madam Hu was eventually pulled away by Song Qingmu, who, with a stern expression, still showed concern for Song Qingchao. "Sister, quickly return to the carriage!"
Song Qingchao's consciousness was a bit blurred. She used her hands to support herself on the cold ground and stood up unsteadily.
In her blurred vision, everyone was doing what they should be doing.
She wiped the water from her face again, stepped forward, and slapped Madam Hu hard. Then, she pointed her finger fiercely at her. "If you want the children to live, then make them shut up and conserve their strength. Otherwise, even the gods can't save them!"
After speaking, she turned away resolutely.
There was now only one way to save so many people.
She remembered reading in a book about an invention that could magnify a small force into a giant one.
Song Qingchao ran with all her might. Song Qingmu, having released the dejected Madam Hu, followed her back to the carriage.
Where is it! Where is it?
Song Qingchao frantically searched through the space for the book.
Upon finding it, worried that her damp hands would damage the pages, she carelessly wiped her hands with her new cloak and then, with urgency, knelt on the ground and began to flip through it.
"Eldest Sister, your injury!"
Song Qingchao didn't look up, raising her hand to signal Song Qingmu to be quiet. "Found it!"
Her eyes lit up. After carefully reading, she muttered a series of numbers and then swiftly ran off the carriage towards Shou Hou.
She needed manpower!
"Shou Hou!"
Song Qingchao grabbed Shou Hou, who was angrily kicking the tree trunk.
She panted heavily, "I have a way to lift the tree trunk, and I need your help!"