1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 1 Rescue
1993, summer.

Summers in Jinan are dry and hot, with intense heat waves.

Street vendors selling pancakes ride their bicycles through the alleys, taking advantage of the cool morning air. The morning market along the moat is also filled with stalls, and the shouts of vendors bring a touch of liveliness to this ancient northern city.

Lin Xiyu, carrying her schoolbag, rode her bicycle past the morning market and bought a fried dough stick, which she ate with relish as her breakfast.

Someone has fallen into the water.

"Help! Someone, please save them!"

Suddenly, a screeching sound of brakes came from not far ahead. A mother and child riding bicycles were hit by a car and thrown into the river.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xiyu rushed forward, threw off her schoolbag, climbed over the railing, and jumped into the water.

In summer, the moat has a gentle current and is crystal clear, allowing for clear visibility even underwater.

She swam to the child who had fallen into the water, grabbed his clothes, and dragged him back to the riverbank.

By this time, a number of people had gathered on the riverbank. Some kind-hearted people climbed over the railing, stretched out their arms, and helped her pull the child up.

Seeing that the child was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief, pushed off the rock wall with both feet, and dived back into the water to swim towards the woman who had fallen in.

The woman couldn't swim, struggled, choked on some water, and sank to the bottom.

It took her considerable effort to lift the person out of the water.

The girl's skin was fair and her delicate face was damp with water. In the morning light, she looked like a lotus emerging from the water, radiating a captivating glow.

The crowd waiting eagerly on the shore erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Amidst the cheers of the enthusiastic crowd, Lin Xiyu took a deep breath and dragged the woman back to shore.

The woman had been underwater for a long time, and after being brought ashore, she was already unconscious.

Chaos erupted on the riverbank, with some people running to nearby public phone booths to call for an ambulance.

Someone pressed on the woman's chest to provide first aid. Many more people were berating the driver, showering him with insults and abuse.

Lin Xiyu was in a hurry to get to school for her exam, so she didn't pay attention to the noise at the scene. She climbed ashore, soaking wet, picked up her schoolbag, got on her bicycle, and rode away like a whirlwind.

At that moment, she was unaware that a reporter from the local television station happened to be nearby and had recorded the entire rescue.

-

Jinan No. 7 Middle School.

On the last day of the college entrance examination, candidates, filled with hope for the future, entered the examination hall in an orderly manner.

The proctors from No. 7 Middle School on duty at the school gate would occasionally raise their wrists to glance at their watches, waiting for the school gate to close as soon as it was eight o'clock.

As the clock ticked closer to eight o'clock, the teacher's gaze fell on his watch, his expression growing increasingly solemn and dignified.

At eight o'clock sharp, a piercing bell rang throughout the campus. At the invigilator's command, the school gate slowly closed from both sides towards the middle.

"Wait a minute, let me in!"

Lin Xiyu rode her bicycle over in a flurry of speed, and just as the school gate was about to close, her front wheel got stuck in the gap.

The large iron gate slammed shut with a loud bang and shook violently a few times.

Lin Xiyu's wrists were also shaken and went numb, and her mind went blank for a moment.

A cold, sharp glint shone from behind the proctor's thick glasses as he glared disapprovingly at the impulsive girl who dared to challenge his authority.

Lin Xiyu was completely soaked except for her schoolbag, with water seeping from her hair.

The white and blue summer school uniforms had been scraped by moss on the stone walls of the riverbank, and patches of dark green mud were particularly eye-catching in the places where the mud was half-dried by the wind.

(End of this chapter)