Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

The two finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down beside the fire, still shaken.

Wang, the educated youth, looked full of guilt: "We...we didn't mean to leave you here. Comrade Zhou told us to jump first, and we had no other choice..."

Su Wanqing patted her hand: "I know, jumping out of the car was the only way at that time. I'm just glad you survived."

Aunt Zhang looked a little awkward, but she muttered, "Well... it's good that you're all alright. Old Wu twisted his leg when he jumped down, so he sent us to check on you first. Old Liu's wife and Li Laowu's wife are walking slower, they're behind us."

Su Wanqing explained the plan and the hail: "We'll just stay here for the night and head back tomorrow when the snow gets lighter."

Aunt Zhang nodded: "Yes, walking at night in this heavy snow is suicidal. Let's wait a bit."

goo goo-

Wang Zhiqing's stomach suddenly growled. She awkwardly covered her stomach, her face turning red: "I haven't eaten all day... I'll go find my luggage; there's still some dry food in there."

When she found the bundle, it was covered in mud and had some flattened things on it. Wang Zhiqing didn't suspect anything and just assumed that she had bumped into it.

Just as Su Wanqing was about to get up, Aunt Zhang pressed her down, saying, "Sit still! Tell me what you need, and I'll get it for you!"

Aunt Zhang, who is usually feisty and loves to take advantage of others, was unusually proactive in taking on work this time, and there was a hint of guilt in her eyes.

Su Wanqing didn't stand on ceremony and pointed to the metal lunchbox next to her: "Then could you please get me some clean snow and boil some water? When everyone arrives, we can make a pot of hot soup."

"Leave this small matter to me!" Aunt Zhang picked up several large iron lunch boxes and crawled out of the mud wall.

These metal lunchboxes were originally filled with snacks, but Su Wanqing emptied the snacks into a cloth bag, freeing up the empty boxes. When Aunt Zhang returned with the snow, she built a makeshift frame out of tree branches and placed the lunchboxes over the fire to dry.

As the snowmelt slowly melted, Su Wanqing secretly replaced it with spiritual spring water from her spatial storage when no one was looking, and also threw in a few pieces of pork bones she had bought that day, a few chunks of meat, and a handful of dried red dates.

She made a simple version of braised pork belly, which is very famous in Xinjiang. It's delicious, easy to make, and most importantly, has a wonderful flavor.

After simmering for a while, the aroma of meat mixed with the fragrance of dates wafted through the air.

She added some salt and Sichuan peppercorns, and the meat broth simmered and bubbled, filling the air with its aroma. Thinking about Zhou Yanshen's appetite, she added some of the local specialties Director Li had brought that day—dried vegetables, dried mushrooms, and dried green beans—and cooked a large pot full. Soon, the entire sheltered corner was filled with the rich aroma of meat, making everyone's mouths water.

After waiting for more than half an hour, Zhou Yanshen had already built a 1.5-meter-high earthen wall, leaving only a narrow passage for one person in the ravine. Only then did Li Laowu's wife and Lao Liu's family help Wu Laohan, who trudged over, one step at a time.

Old Wu cried out anxiously, "Go check on them! Don't worry about me! What if something happens to them? It's pitch black and snowing heavily, there's no one to help! We have to hurry back and ask for help!"

But when the group stumbled in, the horrific scene they had imagined didn't happen at all—instead, they smelled a wonderful aroma of meat and heard Aunt Zhang laughing and boasting inside.

Li Laowu's wife and Lao Liu's family rushed in and saw this bustling scene: Zhou Yanshen was still reinforcing the earthen wall, Wang Zhiqing was gathering up all the scattered luggage, and even the meat that Lao Liu's family had bought was dug out of the snow and hung up; Aunt Zhang was drying the leafy branches, preparing to weave a windproof curtain.

Aunt Zhang looked up and saw them, her voice booming, "Why are you taking so long? We arrived a long time ago! Come on in and warm up! Is Old Man Wu alright?"

Li Laowu's wife and Lao Liu's family were dumbfounded; the scene was completely different from the tragic picture they had imagined. Without time to think further, they quickly helped Old Man Wu inside.

The already small space became even more cramped, but it was still warm even though we were squeezed in.

Old Wu plopped down, wincing in pain. He had been frantic, his mind filled with the horrific image of Dr. Su and Comrade Zhou being crushed in the tractor crash, and he had endured the excruciating pain to rush over. Now, seeing that the two were unharmed, and that although the tractor had overturned, they were both alright, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, but the pain in his leg immediately surged back.

Su Wanqing leaned closer to take a look, then took out some silver needles and pricked the leg a few times: "Your leg is broken, but it's not a big problem. You're old, and jumping off a car like that, even with the snow cushioning it, makes your bones brittle. You'll be fine after three months of rest. You can't walk anymore now. I didn't bring any medicine with me, but this set of silver needles can help relieve the pain. We'll get proper treatment when we get back tomorrow."

Old Wu looked ashamed: "Oh, we old folks are no help at all. We left you young people on the bus and jumped off, and now we're the ones who have to trouble you... Dr. Su, we're so sorry!"

Su Wanqing waved her hand, not caring. Given the situation, it was already considered kind of an ordinary person to even think of them; staying would only cause trouble. It was good enough that they remembered them at all.

"Lie down, dry your clothes, warm yourself by the fire, drink some soup and eat some meat to warm up," she called out, then turned and called, "Yan Shen, is everything ready over there? Come and rest for a while and have something to eat!"

Zhou Yanshen was sweating profusely from working, and his stomach was growling with hunger. He went out first to rub his hands clean with snow before crawling back in, breathing on his hands to warm them, and then took the metal lunchbox that Su Wanqing handed him.

"The wall isn't completely blocked off, and it's still cold at night. We'll have to weave a curtain out of branches to block the cold, and we'll also cover the tractor with that big tarpaulin. Otherwise, we won't be able to withstand it."

With the tractor blocking one side, plus the earthen walls and curtains, and a fire burning, the temperature inside could be maintained at three or four degrees Celsius. Sleeping was out of the question; there wasn't enough room to lie down. You just had to sit and endure the night.

"Come on, everyone, grab a box to warm yourselves up," Su Wanqing called out to everyone.

Li Laowu's wife held the lunchbox, her eyes welling up with tears: "Dr. Su, we didn't do anything, we just caused you trouble, and we even ate your food..." Inside the lunchbox were two large pieces of meat, along with dried vegetables and mushrooms, the aroma of which made one want to cry.

Su Wanqing smiled and said, "Please eat. I'm pregnant and it's inconvenient for me to eat. I'll have to trouble all the aunties and older sisters to take care of me in the future."

"Oh, Dr. Su, we still have to take care of them even if you didn't say so!"

"Exactly! If we didn't take care of you, would we even be human? We're not like some people who only think about saving their own lives when something happens!"

Old Liu's wife ate her meat in silence, head down, knowing he was targeting her. She felt genuinely guilty; in that life-or-death moment, she had only thought of jumping out to save herself, leaving the pregnant woman in the car…

"It smells so good!"

Su Wanqing's bone broth was made with spiritual spring water and various dried goods; one sip and it was so delicious it made everyone squint. Soon, everyone forgot everything else and focused on eating.