Just as Li Yue Shu was about to turn towards the direction where the force originated, Shen Wei, who was by her side, suddenly reached out and shoved her forcefully outwards. The profound inner strength propelled her flying.
Li Yue Shu, unable to control her body, choked on water twice. Just as she was about to curse, she suddenly realized that the force that had been pulling her had vanished.
Shen Wei, who had pushed her, was being spun uncontrollably in the opposite direction.
Using the moonlight reflecting on the water, Li Yue Shu finally saw that next to their previous position, a vortex with two fist-sized black holes in the center was frantically devouring everything around it, including Shen Wei.
Li Yue Shu gasped, "Shen Wei!"
She had no time to think and lunged forward.
A great suction force reappeared, constantly pulling her body towards the center of the vortex.
Seeing her swim over without hesitation, Shen Wei was full of surprise, almost forgetting his current predicament.
But he instantly came to his senses, stretched out his arm, and pulled Li Yue Shu to his side, holding her tightly in his embrace.
"Fool!"
His doting yet suppressed voice was almost swallowed by the surrounding water, but Li Yue Shu still heard it, and her lips twitched.
She must have been so dazed by the water that she charged forward desperately, even after escaping danger!
Just as Li Yue Shu was about to say something, the vortex had already dragged them both in, sucking them into the black hole in the center.
Everything happened too quickly. Li Yue Shu only felt a dizzying sensation and her body plummeted as if weightless.
But Shen Wei held her tightly, using one hand to shield the back of her head, as if even her breath was protected within his arms.
The rushing water struck their bodies like sharp knives, tearing their clothes.
Shen Wei felt as if a pair of hands were tearing at the wound on his back, and thousands of swords seemed to be slashing across his skin.
He tightened his arms further, trying to envelop Li Yue Shu as much as possible. He even circulated his inner strength to shield her from the force of the water.
Li Yue Shu's face was buried in Shen Wei's chest. Apart from the occasional squeeze from the water, she felt as if she wasn't in a life-threatening vortex at all.
But no matter how well Shen Wei protected her, he was still mortal.
Just as Li Yue Shu felt like she was going to vomit from being spun around, her left temple suddenly hit a protruding rock.
The next moment, darkness engulfed her.
Before she fainted, Li Yue Shu had only one thought: wouldn't it be true that Shen Wei's crow's mouth prediction would come true, and she'd be knocked silly?
...
With the loud thud of her head hitting something, the person who was in a deep sleep seemed to suddenly sense something.
"Mother!"
Shen Zhi Yu suddenly cried out, his hands flailing in the air as if grabbing for something, and his legs kicking incessantly.
Mother Mo beside him was instantly startled awake and quickly turned over to check.
Shen Zhi Yu's eyes were tightly shut, and he was still shouting, "Mother! Save my mother quickly!"
Mother Mo quickly shook Shen Zhi Yu's shoulders, "Wake up, you're just having a nightmare. Don't cry, don't cry..."
The commotion caused by Shen Zhi Yu alerted others in the rooms.
"Bang!"
Shen Ting Yi was the first to push open the door and rush in, only to see her fourth brother's pale face and his deep entanglement in a nightmare.
She quickly ran to light a candle and then to the bedside to check the situation.
She saw Shen Zhi Yu with his eyes tightly closed, his hands seemingly grasping for something, and his face filled with panic.
Shen Ting Yi called out a few times, but Shen Zhi Yu remained unresponsive.
Her heart hardened, and she reached out and firmly pinched Shen Zhi Yu's philtrum.
After a moment, Shen Zhi Yu, in pain, suddenly opened his eyes, finally waking from his dream.
Seeing Shen Ting Yi, tears instantly flowed from his eyes, "Third Sister, I dreamed... I dreamed that Mother... she fell into the river, and Yu wanted to save her... Yu was so scared,呜呜呜..."
Shen Zhi Yu was clearly terrified and spoke incoherently, but everyone understood what he meant.
Shen Ting Yi quickly hugged him, mimicking how Li Yue Shu comforted people, gently patting Shen Zhi Yu's back.
"Fourth Brother, don't be afraid. It was just a dream, and dreams are the opposite. Mother is definitely fine right now!"
Shen Zhi Yu clutched her sleeve tightly, his small face still pale, "Third Sister, I miss Mother."
His innocent voice was full of fragility and sadness, and listening to him, Shen Ting Yi's nose even felt sore.
With her fourth brother saying that, she actually missed her mother too.
Shen Ting Yi quickly averted her gaze, hiding her reddened eyes, "Fourth Brother, be good. Mother went to save someone; she was accumulating good deeds. Didn't you forget what we said? We said we would support Mother in doing her own thing and not be a burden to her!"
Shen Zhi Yu pouted aggrievedly, more tears welling up in his eyes.
Of course, he remembered, but he just missed his mother, and he was scared...
Shen Ting Yi usually spent the most time taking care of Shen Zhi Yu, so she naturally understood his inner grievances. She immediately decided to stay with him for the rest of the night.
Perhaps influenced by her fourth brother, Shen Ting Yi barely slept for the latter half of the night and felt a sense of unease.
As a result, when she woke up the next day, there were dark circles under her eyes.
Seeing her sleepy appearance, Mother Mo felt a pang of heartache, "Why don't you take the day off from the clinic?"
Shen Ting Yi refused without a second thought.
She was indeed very sleepy, but she had accumulated many questions she wanted to ask Doctor Chen, and she had promised her mother that she would pass the new assessment upon her return.
Seeing her stubbornness, Mother Mo could only compromise, "Then go back and catch up on sleep, you can go in the afternoon. If Madam saw you like this, she would definitely be worried."
Hearing the last sentence, what Shen Ting Yi was about to insist on stuck in her throat, and she finally relented.
Thus, after lunch, Shen Ting Yi took Old Man Liu's ox cart to Heng De Pharmacy.
The Liu family was now considered to have some assets and could afford a carriage long ago, but Old Man Liu had an attachment to his old ox and kept it.
However, he had replaced the cart board to provide a more comfortable experience for the children when they rode his ox cart.
Because of this, Shen Ting Yi managed to catch a nap on the ox cart on the way to the pharmacy.
After getting off the ox cart, Shen Ting Yi waved politely to Old Man Liu, "Thank you, Grandpa Liu."
As she moved, the bell on her chain ring emitted a clear sound, attracting considerable attention.
Under the dazzling sunlight, a little girl who looked like a porcelain doll stood there, her face beaming with a happy and pure smile, a sight that would bring joy to anyone who saw it.
Because Shen Ting Yi often appeared at the pharmacy and could help with minor ailments like headaches and fevers, many people recognized her.
Seeing her arrive, everyone greeted her proactively, and Shen Ting Yi would respond obediently.
And not far away at the street corner, someone was staring intently at her figure.
If Li Yue Shu were present, she would have recognized him at a glance as the old man who had kidnapped her before.
The old man was now wearing simple and plain clothes, but every edge and corner was neatly arranged. He still had a gourd hanging from his waist.