An Hao stood anxiously in the courtyard after learning that Qin Jian had taken people up the mountain, unable to eat her meal or focus on her book.
She was terrified something might happen to him!
There was a knock at the door outside, and she hurried to open it only to see An Ping standing there.
"Sis, Brother Zhihua’s father was just carried down the mountain by the villagers. I went to ask him, and he said the fire was too big to control, and Big Brother Qin and his colleagues are trying to figure something out!"
The more she heard, the faster An Hao’s heart thumped.
It has been two days already, and reinforcements had been sent from the town, but in the face of such a situation, it felt like a drop in the bucket; the fire couldn’t be extinguished and could only be left to burn out all the trees on the mountain.
Even the town leaders were frantically trying to find a solution, having no choice but to seek help from higher authorities.
Soon, the military received the task and dispatched thousands of soldiers in a grand effort to rush to the scene.
At the foot of the mountain, Qin Jian and his colleagues hadn’t closed their eyes for three days and nights.
"The fire on the mountain is too intense, we can’t control it. We can only let it burn, but we must hold our ground at the foot of the mountain. Otherwise, if it catches, the hundreds of acres of wheat about to be harvested will be completely destroyed. It’s not just about losing crops, I’m afraid the whole village might be gone!" Qin Jian shouted loudly, "Let’s hold on just a bit longer!"
"Hold on! We must hold on!" the workers responded loudly.
In the face of collective interests, nobody was concerned about their personal safety, only thinking about putting out the wildfire quickly and preventing it from spreading at all costs.
Leading the fight against the fire, the villagers used hammers to break up rocks and dug earth and mud in the fields to build walls of dirt to stop the fire’s advance.
Colleagues who were injured by the heat waves were carried down one after another, as Qin Jian continued to wait for reinforcements on the fields.
Then, the sky opened up, and it rained once more. This time, the torrential downpour quickly extinguished the flames that had passed the burning phase.
In the rain, the villagers cheered, and the soldiers cheered too.
"Qin Jian, the fire is finally out." Jiang Ying said with a face blackened by soot and a smile, his head spinning dizzily before losing consciousness.
"Old Jiang..." Qin Jian hurried to support him, and then fell down himself.
With the fire extinguished, villagers streamed into the streets to welcome back the heroes who had fought the blaze.
An Hao ran out from home as well, just to see Qin Jian safe and sound. She waited by the roadside for about an hour before she saw the soldiers returning from the mountain; ragged, their faces smeared with grime, looking utterly exhausted.
Leading the procession were the soldiers. After scanning past them, she realized that following them were colleagues from the research institute. An Hao had not seen Qin Jian, only spotting Tian Niu, and a bad feeling surged within her.
Without caring for the onlookers, she rushed over and grabbed Tian Niu’s arm, asking in urgency, "Where is Qin Jian? Where is he?"
"Sis-in-law, don’t panic! Qin Jian fainted at the foot of the mountain and has been taken to the hospital in the city by ambulance," Tian Niu said.
"Hospital!!" An Hao was startled, "Is he injured? What happened? Is it serious?"
Seeing An Hao’s anxiousness, Tian Niu quickly reassured her, "Don’t worry sis-in-law. It’s probably just exhaustion from not sleeping for three days and nights."
"Really? You’re not lying to me, are you?" Despite what Tian Niu said, An Hao was still not reassured.
"I never lie. I guarantee you with my personal honor!"
An Hao nodded, "Big Brother Tian, if there’s any news about him in the next few days, could you let me know, please?"
Patting his chest, Tian Niu promised, "Don’t worry sis-in-law! What Qin Jian is worried about the most is you. The first person he’ll think of when he wakes up will definitely be you!"