I’m a Cute Little Koi [5]

After several meat feasts, the villagers’ spirits visibly improved. They appeared energetic, with rosy cheeks, as if they had gained more strength even for their daily chores.

However, compared to the cheerful mood of the villagers, Yin Yue’s mood was exceptionally bad. The news of her dislike for fish somehow spread, and when some of the older women and young wives heard about it, they sighed, saying, “In this day and age, there are actually people who don’t like to eat meat, what a shame.” They reminisced about the fish on the table from the day before, saliva almost dripping, as if the tender and succulent taste of the fish was still lingering in their mouths.

One of the women who was sunning blankets nodded in agreement, “Yes, Yin family’s second granddaughter has a strange taste, doesn’t like to eat these big fish and meat, prefers other things. Tsk, it doesn’t seem like she’s destined for a life of indulgence; she won’t even eat meat when it’s available.”

In short, the gossip became increasingly exaggerated, and Yin Yue was infuriated beyond words.

Due to the recent fishing event at the Wenshui River, there were quite a few people squatting by the river every day, holding buckets and playing the waiting game. Most of them were idle layabouts or children who hadn’t reached the age for more serious work. This group included Yin Minglu. Wearing a straw hat, he brought a small stool and sat by the sparkling river every day, hoping to confirm if he was indeed the “fortunate one” as mentioned by the old lady.

Unfortunately, despite shouting “Fish, fish, fish” for several days, no fish appeared. It seemed like the river god had turned a blind eye to him.

After a few days without any good catches, the others dispersed in disappointment. Only Yin Minglu persisted, squatting by the river daily, waiting for the miracle to happen again. Of course, the miracle didn’t occur for the second time, and the villagers laughed at him, thinking he was silly.

The little one felt the same way. Coincidentally, when Yin Yue was reluctantly urged by her family to bring him home, Yin Minglu quickly finished licking his one-cent, ice-cold popsicle, smacked his lips, belched, put on sandals, and planned to take the stool back home.

He thought about the so-called “fortunate one,” realizing that it was just an illusion created by Grandma Luo to tease him. One shouldn’t harbor such fantasies of getting something for nothing.

Just as he picked up the small stool, he lifted his head and noticed someone lying by the riverbank in the distance.

What’s going on? Is that person asleep? It’s about to flood; should he wake them up? As these thoughts crossed his mind, his body acted faster than his thoughts. Yin Minglu tilted his little head, slapped on his small flip-flops, and ran over. Upon closer inspection, he was immediately startled.

There lay a young man in a shirt, completely soaked, sprawled on the rocks. His handsome face was covered in sand and marked with distressing scratches. His eyes were tightly shut, and his face was extremely pale, showing a bluish tint. His breathing was faint and almost stopping. From the way the river water washed his pant legs, it seemed like he was temporarily unconscious due to drowning and asphyxiation.

Feeling for a heartbeat and pulse, Yin Minglu knew he had to act quickly, or the person would die!

Without hesitation, Yin Minglu exerted all his strength, pressing on the other person’s abdomen to expel the water. Ignoring the sharp and broken rocks beneath his feet, he quickly knelt down, turning the person’s handsome face downwards and applying pressure on the back until water was expelled. Only when he noticed a gradual recovery of the heartbeat did he perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to supply oxygen.

Being small, he had limited oxygen to deliver, and he was soon out of breath after a few breaths.

But the person had come back to life, with a heartbeat and breathing. Yin Minglu got up, rushed back to the village, and shouted that someone had drowned. When Yin Yue heard his fragmented shouting, she frowned impatiently and said, “Shout all you want, are you calling spirits?”

Ignoring Yin Yue’s displeasure, Yin Minglu bypassed her and went to the village to find strong young adults. Otherwise, with only him and Yin Yue, they might not be able to move the young man to the clinic.

Yin Yue looked discontented. She had been summoned by Grandma Luo to call Yin Minglu home for dinner. Who would willingly expose themselves to this scorching weather to come to the river and get into trouble?

Seeing the little one running off, her vulgar words stayed on her tongue. The corners of her mouth lifted in a mocking curve: “Making such a fuss, lacking in manners. This kind of mountain boy is only considered a treasure by that biased Grandma Luo.”

She always credited the ability to catch fish to him, as if it were some great achievement. Even with that little one, she thought he was fortunate? She scoffed.

Having just scolded him in her mind, Yin Yue’s expression froze when she looked at the young man by the river. Seeing that familiar face from the future, known to people nationwide, her initially calm heart began to beat wildly.

She was shocked, thinking, perhaps Grandma Luo wasn’t wrong. Yin Minglu did seem to be a fortunate person. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that he rescued the young master of the Fu family, the future pioneer of mobile communication, Fu Peian, from the capital?

Oh my god! Oh my god! Yin Yue could hardly breathe, unable to restrain the urge to scream. She rushed to his side, stared closely at his pale and unconscious face, her eyes lingering on the dark and trembling eyelashes, the porcelain-like skin, and the exquisite features that were so captivating. In an instant, various thoughts and ideas flooded her mind.

She liked Qin Mao, but she also wanted to be Fu Peian’s lifesaver. She wanted this wealthy young man, who would one day control the nation’s communication and economic lifelines, to forever regard her as an honored guest! She aimed to be one of the women in his life that he would recall when writing his memoirs, someone who had a profound impact on his life! When that autobiography was turned into a movie, her name would be eternally remembered!

Actions speak louder than words. Her eyes fixed on the pale, lifeless lips, Yin Yue’s hand reached out without hesitation, ready to perform artificial respiration.

Unexpectedly, the young man woke up. His heavy eyes opened, filled with a hazy color. Instinctively, he spat out a mouthful of water at the person in front of him, then began coughing repeatedly.

Yin Yue, who had been sprayed with water, was bewildered. However, she quickly approached, showing concern. “Are you… are you okay?” Her voice trembled. Undoubtedly, the nervous excitement stemmed from the person’s identity and the thought of his future achievements.

“Did you… save me?” The young man stared at the girl’s face and asked after a moment of pause. Still weak from the coughing, he could only stay in place.

“Yes, yes!” Yin Yue immediately nodded, smiling. “I saw you faint there, unconscious, it was really scary. I got frightened, didn’t even think much, just hurried to give you first aid. Thank goodness, my efforts were not in vain; I finally brought you back. As long as you’re okay.”

Ignoring the peculiar situation of a rural girl rescuing someone from drowning, the young man instinctively furrowed his brow at the slightly flattering and overly excited expression on the girl’s face. He felt as if she resembled those subordinates in the capital who knew about his identity and were eager to claim credit for any minor task. A faint sense of not quite liking this person emerged in his heart.

Moreover, with keen observational skills, he noticed the girl’s freshly cleaned clothes and couldn’t shake the feeling that she was lying. He had just felt like he was about to die, and although his overall senses were closed off, some residual memories lingered in his body.

As his mouth and nose were about to be submerged, a soft hand grabbed him. He couldn’t quite describe how small the hands were, but they felt very tender, even carrying a cool breath. The scent was very familiar.

He remembered it now – the taste of cheap popsicles from a grocery store, very sweet and cool. It was the kind of snack kids liked.

He also heard the child’s small gasps, discerning from the weak breath that they was probably a child of not much age. That explained why, after giving him a few breaths mouth to mouth, they couldn’t help but take deep breaths themselves.

After recalling the age and appearance of his lifesaver, the young man had a pretty good idea. He thought the person was likely a child from a nearby village, and upon waking up to find no one around, they might have gone to find an adult. Seeking adults in times of uncertainty was typical behavior for a child.

With these speculations in mind, the young man remained polite throughout, nodding and speaking succinctly. Despite the girl excitedly babbling beside him, he didn’t easily make any promises of gratitude.

As he had anticipated, people quickly arrived at the riverside. When the young man looked up, he noticed a fleeting look of discomfort on the girl’s face upon hearing the footsteps. Soon after, she revealed an expression of annoyance, as if feeling inconvenienced.

Observing quietly, the young man listened to the newcomers.

“Xiao Bao, where is the person you were talking about?” 

“When you left, the person wasn’t dead, right?” 

Several tall and short-sleeved farmers, who had dropped their tools upon hearing about another drowning incident in the Wenshui River, approached while asking questions. Some of them were quick on their feet and went to inform the village chief. As Yin Minglu’s short legs made him run slowly, a burly man simply lifted him up and carried him, asking him to show the way.

Yin Minglu protested a couple of times before being carried on the man’s shoulders.

“It’s over by that big rock.” A youthful voice rang out, capturing the young man’s attention. He turned slightly, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, the child’s voice was tender, like a soft feather, scratching at his heart. Suddenly, he felt a strong desire to see the full appearance of this little lifesaver.

His wish was quickly granted. As the group approached, a lively and lovely face immediately entered his view – a child comparable to child stars on movie posters. Sitting on the man’s shoulders, the child swung their feet wearing a pair of flip-flops. Those dark eyes sparkled in the sunlight, blinking as if they could talk.

It didn’t exactly match his imagination, but there was an inexplicable sense of fittingness, leaving the young man somewhat surprised.

Especially as his gaze lowered, he noticed faint traces of blood on the child’s fair knees, even staining the sand and stones nearby, not far from where he had collapsed. The young man became more certain of his earlier speculations.

The person who had performed CPR on him, kneeling on the ground, was not the girl, but the child named “Xiao Bao” in front of him, who was neither too big nor too small.

“Saw it, saw it! He’s fine, awake and all, your sister is there too.” Seeing that no one died, the burly farmer, relieved, put down Yin Minglu, walked over, and helped the young man up from the ground. He kindly asked, “Comrade, are you okay? You don’t seem to be from around our village. How could you drown in such good condition?”

Observing the well-dressed young man with outstanding features, the farmers felt it wasn’t right to ask too much. They helped the young man up, preparing to take him to the clinic. The young man weakly smiled and sincerely said, “Thank you all from Wenshui Village for your help, and thank you, Xiao Bao. I really don’t know how to repay you.”

“No problem, just a small effort.” The child waved his hand generously, escorting the young man to the clinic as if he were a guardian of flowers. Along the way, he even lost a shoe, quickly picking it up and putting it on, pretending as if nothing had happened, and continued walking forward.

Lying on the villager’s back, the young man had a smile in his eyes.

The nearby young girl also closely followed the group, chasing after them. When she realized she wasn’t on the gratitude list, she became a little anxious. She reminded him in a small voice, “What about me? I saved you too. You need to thank me as well!”

Upon hearing this, the young man nodded and added, “Thank you, Miss Yue.” His demeanor revealed a noble upbringing, and his address to the young woman was exceptionally gentlemanly. However, if a bodyguard from the Fu family were present, they would undoubtedly detect a subtle indifference beneath the politeness.

Of course, after receiving the call, they are currently on their way to Wenshui Village in the neighboring province. As black cars arrived in the muddy mountainous area, the news of Xiao Bao saving the young master of the prestigious Fu family from the capital quickly spread throughout the village.

The crowd was extremely surprised. After the initial shock, they couldn’t help but envy the good fortune of the Yin family. Rescuing someone casually by the riverside, and that person turning out to be a young master from Beijing – what incredible luck! It was said that after Young Master Fu learned that Xiao Bao was his lifesaver, he promptly handed money to Grandma Luo and even offered to sponsor Xiao Bao’s education, proposing to take him to live in the big city.

Truly enviable! As Hongmei rightly put it, Xiao Bao was indeed a blessed child. Why hadn’t those who frequented the riverside every day encountered such good fortune? The sight of a row of impeccably dressed bodyguards taking turns to shake hands with Xiao Bao and expressing their gratitude was enough to make the villagers, who rarely ventured beyond the mountains, remember it for a lifetime.

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Author’s Note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrients!

 

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