A Good Country Wife
Chapter 216 - 215: A Misunderstanding

Chapter 216: Chapter 215: A Misunderstanding

"Ah!" Lin Yue was near a pile of rocks next to a hole about half a meter wide, hidden amongst the grass, which made it quite concealed. When Lin Yue was moving rocks to hit the wolf, she accidentally slipped through the hole without noticing, slid down along with the sand and stones for a bit, and then tumbled into a pitch-dark pit, where everything was so dark she couldn’t see anything clearly, only the sound of the howling wind.

"My God, where am I?" Lin Yue wrapped her arms around herself and sat on the ground, feeling a chill as the cold breeze passed by. Despite it being a hot summer day, the temperature here was oddly low. She felt goosebumps all over her body and was shivering with cold, wondering what kind of godforsaken place she had fallen into! Shouting for help was now in vain; deep in these woods, there wasn’t a soul around. It would be ironic if, after escaping from being bitten by wild wolves, she ended up starving to death trapped in this cave.

Lin Yue sat in place for a while before she adjusted to the environment inside the hole. The light was dim, but not completely devoid of brightness; she could still faintly make out the contours of the cave. The entrance to this dark hole looked quite small, but its interior space was actually very large, and it wasn’t enclosed—if it were, wind wouldn’t be seeping in from all sides. However, due to the poor lighting, Lin Yue couldn’t see clearly. Where exactly was the wind coming in from?

Lin Yue thought about it—a sitting duck dies easily, and since there was wind, there had to be another exit. She had to search for it; otherwise, her only hope of rescue would be Zhao Erhu’s notice of her absence and his search for her.

Actually, Lin Yue felt there was a good chance Zhao Erhu would come looking for her. She had marked the path earlier, but then she ran for her life from the wolves, with no regard for where she was heading. If she was clueless about her location, how could Erhu find her? Whether he could locate this place at all was questionable.

Therefore, the best course of action was self-rescue. She needed to find a way out of this cavern. Without further ado, Lin Yue picked up a thick branch from the ground, grasping it in one hand while holding a rock in the other, and walked into the cave. Large wild animals were unlikely to inhabit such a dark and damp environment, but it could be home to snakes and insects, and if she encountered them, she could use her makeshift weapons for self-defense.

If just moments before Lin Yue had only guessed the enormity of the cave by its outline, now, having walked a while, she truly sensed the vastness of its inner space. However, as she went deeper, the terrain became more rugged. A careless step could lead to tripping over the scattered rocks, so she proceeded even more carefully. After a while, Lin Yue turned a corner and thought she heard the sound of running water. Excited, she almost dropped the stone in her hand.

It was the Secret River, the exact one she wanted to find, which she discovered purely by accident. It seemed that fate was indeed playing its part.

This river originally led in the direction of their village. If she could find the exit along this waterway, she might end up very close to her village, or perhaps pass by it. But the distance was long and the conditions inside unpredictable. She could encounter anything, and without any preparation, Lin Yue didn’t dare to take the risk. At the very least, she decided to wait for Zhao Erhu to arrive.

If Zhao Erhu still hadn’t found this place by the afternoon, she would then attempt to feel her way along the Secret River. With her plan in mind, Lin Yue retraced her steps to where she had initially fallen into the cave and sat there waiting for that old man of hers.

"Zhao Erhu, I’m giving you one chance. If you find me, I’ll go back with you and forgive you this one time. But if you don’t, then I’ll have to risk it myself, and even if I make it out, don’t expect me to pay you any mind again. You’re so dull!" At such a time, past grievances and disputes seemed unimportant.

Lin Yue muttered to herself, both to pass the time and for a bit of self-comfort. Otherwise, in such a dark environment, the feeling was truly unbearable.

Lin Yue had been moving slowly in search of the river, stopping frequently, and she had spent quite a bit of time at the river. Zhao Erhu, with his swift pace, quickly reached the riverside and indeed saw signs that someone had stayed there—wet shoe prints on the riverbank and leaves torn into pieces. He was almost certain that the person who had halted there was Lin Yue.

His wife had a little quirk—when she was bored, if she picked any wild grass or leaves, she liked to tear them into sections or strips. The same went for wildflowers; unless they were particularly beautiful and rare, she liked to ruthlessly destroy them. Zhao Erhu had even teased Lin Yue about this habit before.

Zhao Erhu continued along the river and, where the Flowing River disappeared, he found the same situation, indicating that his wife had stayed there for a while. He followed the trail and quickly located the woods Lin Yue had passed through on her way back. He also found wolf tracks at the place where Lin Yue had fled.

Zhao Erhu’s heart clenched, his eyes reddened. No wonder he had suddenly felt a moment of palpitation—it turned out his wife had indeed encountered trouble. He slapped his own head hard, blaming himself for angering his wife. Knowing she was stubborn, he still failed to watch her properly, which resulted in her running into danger in the mountains.

If something happened to his wife? Zhao Erhu squatted on the ground, unable to bear the thought of what he might become, feeling numb with heartache. Fortunately, Lin Yue hadn’t been found yet, so he couldn’t conclude the worst. Still clinging to a sliver of hope, although he knew his wife’s odds against a wild wolf were slim, her cleverness might have conjured up a way to escape. Zhao Erhu comforted himself non-stop, maintaining that last bit of cool. He had to find his wife quickly—perhaps she was waiting somewhere for his rescue.

Meanwhile, Lin Yue was murmuring, "Zhao Erhu, Zhao Erhu, why haven’t you come yet? Your wife is about to starve to death. You hard-hearted old man, you heartless block of wood, I won’t forgive you if I starve to death." Her words trailed off into disarray.

Zhao Erhu followed the trail of destruction, the evidence of trampled grass and plants, scattered rocks and sticks on the ground, clearly used by his wife to stall the pursuing wolf. Finally, he found the place where Lin Yue had fallen, with a delicate little pouch she had dropped in her panic still on the ground.

Zhao Erhu picked up the dirt-stained pouch, held back his inner turmoil, and hurriedly called out towards the entrance of the cave, waiting for his wife to respond. His heart was filled with immense tension and fear.

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