The Little Deaf Man Decided to be Spoiled

47

Chapter 47
Family members?
Yes, family members.
For a brief moment, Gu XiuYi almost couldn't maintain his composure.
He never imagined hearing these words from Ji Ruan's mouth, especially in reference to himself.
It felt as if the essence of the universe had converged upon him. Gu XiuYi experienced an unprecedented sense of elation, as if his very soul had expanded.
Tilting his head, he forcefully suppressed the corners of his lips, finally releasing Ji Ruan and adjusting his collar, "Alright, I'll take you out for dinner when you return. Anything in particular you'd like?"
Ji Ruan's eyes brightened, and he pointed to his lips, "Isn't the bass fish the most famous dish here?"
Gu XiuYi chuckled softly, "Alright."
That afternoon, with eager anticipation of savoring the delicious bass fish, Ji Ruan and others like Cheng Zizhang began their ascent up Qingxi Mountain.
The mountain wasn't particularly tall. Completing the trail wouldn't take much time, and reaching the midway pavilion required even less effort.
As the teachers were still tied up with some matters, their younger disciples went ahead, taking with them tea and light snacks.
The wind at the mountainside was stronger than at ground level, occasionally causing Ji Ruan's hearing to become muffled.
While he and Cheng Zizhang had only brought a few packs of snacks, others came better equipped, with one even having a complete set of celadon tea ware, intending to boil water and brew tea in the pavilion.
"Ah, the teachers are almost here," Cheng Zizhang said after a while, glancing at his phone. "I'll go down and meet them."
Everyone chimed in agreement, "Alright."
"Stay safe."
"Hurry back."
With everyone else engaged in their own activities and Ji Ruan having brought few things, he felt it inappropriate to sit idle. So, he decided to join Cheng Zizhang on his errand.
As they descended, the wind grew stronger, constantly whipping Ji Ruan's clothes in every direction.
Cheng Zizhang spread his arms wide, taking a deep breath and commented contentedly, "The air in the mountains is so refreshing, isn't it, Xiao Ruan?"
"Ah? Yes, it is..." Ji Ruan agreed with a smile.
He looked around, listening to the rustling of the leaves, as if the tree trunks were clashing against each other.
Was the wind getting a bit too intense?
An odd unease settled over Ji Ruan. The weather and the sound of the leaves were eerily familiar. Where had he heard it before?
Ji Ruan halted.
--A downpour!
The realization flashed across his mind.
It was exactly like the sudden torrential rain that occurred the last time Gu XiuYi invited him out for a Western meal.
Ji Ruan's heart began to pound; facing a downpour on the mountain was no joke.
He quickly stepped forward, grabbing Cheng Zizhang, anxiety evident in his voice, "I fear it might rain."
Noting Ji Ruan's silence earlier, Cheng Zizhang had sensed something amiss but tried to remain optimistic, "It can't be. I checked the weather forecast today; there was no mention of rain..."
The last time there was a torrential downpour, the forecast didn't predict it either!
As if to prove this point, just as Cheng Zizhang finished her sentence, a raindrop, large as a bean, fell right onto her nose, a sight Ji Ruan observed clearly.
"Damn... seriously?" Cheng Zizhang touched her nose, looking dazed.
That single raindrop seemed like a harbinger from the heavens. Within seconds, a deluge swept down, drenching every inch of the mountain.
It came down hard and fast, stinging upon impact.
It was clearly a torrential downpour.
And an unpredictably massive one at that.
Their position was rather tricky; they weren't at the base of the mountain to retreat to the hotel, nor were they midway where they could seek shelter in the pavilion.

Ji Ruan and Cheng Zizhang exchanged glances and, without a word, started running downhill.
Thunder rumbled through the valley, echoing over the sound of the rain. Within a few steps, Ji Ruan was soaked through, feeling the chill in his limbs.
Initially, he tried to shield his hearing aid, but eventually took it off and clutched it tightly in his hand before stashing it in his pocket.
The rain made the ground muddy and slippery. Ji Ruan and Cheng Zizhang ran, supporting each other, doing their best to prevent either from falling, but they still skidded uncontrollably several times.
The rain was so heavy that their path ahead became barely discernible. Ji Ruan genuinely feared that lingering in the woods might get them struck by lightning.
Suddenly, his hand was gripped tightly, and he was yanked back forcefully. Ji Ruan stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance.
Cheng Zizhang's hair was long and straight, always neatly draped even during hospital stays.
But now, it was drenched, strands clinging to her face and shoulders. Rainwater streamed down from it. Ji Ruan had never seen her in such a disheveled state.
Her lips moved, seemingly shouting something, but Ji Ruan couldn't hear a word.
He paused for a moment before reaching into his pocket for the external device. With fingers numbed by the cold, Ji Ruan fumbled several times before finally securing it on.
But Ji Ruan was drenched through and through, and despite placing the device in his pants pocket, it inevitably got wet.
The small device seemed to malfunction, emitting loud static noises. At times, Ji Ruan could barely make out sounds, and at other moments, it felt as if he was watching a silent film.
Yet, in the end, he managed to understand Cheng Zizhang's words.
She was saying, "Stop running."
"Don't run; you won't make it."
Her expression was one of sheer terror.
Raindrops pelted Ji Ruan's face painfully. He gasped for air, yet he couldn't hear his own breath.
He turned his head, following Cheng Zizhang's gaze. The heavy rain splattered upon the ground and bounced up like smoke or fog.
Through the haze, he noticed several fallen trees and countless rocks of varying sizes on the muddy road, with murky yellow water rapidly streaming over the ground.
Their path was completely blocked.
A momentary dizziness clouded Ji Ruan's mind.
A landslide?
This soon?
His face was constantly wet from the rain; wiping it off only to have more rain fall on it, faster with each cycle. His hearing felt as if it were enclosed within a barrier, with only a muffled distant rumbling breaking through.
Cheng Zizhang beside him staggered, grabbing onto Ji Ruan's arm, only then did Ji Ruan belatedly sense the ground shaking.
Stiff as a board, he slowly raised his head, following Cheng Zizhang's gaze upward.
Under the torrential downpour, the once sturdy mountainside now seemed as soft as foam, occasionally shedding fragments.
And atop, a massive boulder teetered precariously in the storm, reminiscent of a trapped beast striving to break free, ready to plunge down any second.
A chill coursed through Ji Ruan's entire being.
In extreme conditions, survival is driven by pure instinct.
As his heart raced wildly, Ji Ruan seized Cheng Zizhang's hand, pulling them both desperately to the side.
Boom!
A massive boulder tumbled, crushing branches, stirring up thick mud, and hurtling down with a deafening crash. It bulldozed fences and snapped tree trunks along its path before plunging into the swift river below, causing a colossal splash.
A mixture of dust and mud enveloped the mountainside, the air resembling the smoky aftermath of a battlefield.
After the intense roar, what remained was a chilling silence.
·
"At 4:10 p.m. on the 5th, the ancient city of Qingxi in B city was hit by a torrential downpour, triggering a landslide. Dozens of students are trapped in the mountains, and rescue teams are on an urgent mission..."
A city TV reporter, clad in a raincoat, broadcasted live from the scene. Although the rain had lightened, the noisy surroundings meant he had to raise his voice considerably.
The skies were oppressively dark, contrasting sharply with the cheerful spring scenery from just a few hours prior.
Chaos reigned on-site - there were reporters, bystanders, medical personnel, and family members, forming a dense crowd.

Some relatives of the trapped students arrived quickly, crying inconsolably at the mountain's mouth, only managing to stand with the support of teachers.
Song Ling held a black umbrella over Gu Xiuyi, accompanying him in the rain.
Dressed in a long black coat, Gu Xiuyi seemed to blend with the gloomy skies. He stood tall, eyes fixed on the mouth of the mountain, observing the flowing muddy water.
His face showed no emotion. The flashing orange lights of the rescue team sporadically illuminated him, causing his eyes to brighten and darken in turn.
But those lights couldn't penetrate deep enough; Gu Xiuyi's pupils were as dark as stagnant water.
His calmness was almost unsettling.
Amidst the surrounding anxiety, anger, and heart-wrenching cries, Gu Xiuyi stood like an emotionless rock in the rain.
Yet, from him, Song Ling sensed profound fear.
Standing by Gu Xiuyi, Song Ling could feel every muscle in Gu Xiuyi's body tensed up, reminiscent of a chained beast, arching its back and roaring silently, straining against fragile chains.
Song Ling dared not contemplate that even with a one in a thousand chance, if something were to happen to the one in the mountains... The collapse of Gu Xiuyi's barely-held sanity would paint a horrifying tableau.
Shadows moved at the entrance, the cries growing louder-
"We've found them! We've found them!"
"All non-rescue personnel, step back!"
"All the students in the pavilion are out!"
Song Ling felt a brief daze before realizing that Gu Xiuyi had already taken several steps forward.
His coat, drenched by the rain, clung to his legs with every step, his back so rigid it seemed it might snap if bent.
At such a moment, an umbrella became more a hindrance than help. In the gusty wind, Song Ling folded his umbrella, quickening his pace to catch up with Gu Xiuyi, watching as the rescue team guided the students out of the mountain entrance one by one.
Gu Xiuyi intently watched each person coming out, his eyes moving in a gritty, strained manner.
Among the students, some were assisted, some walked under their own strength, while others lay on stretchers.
With each stretcher that appeared, Gu Xiuyi's dripping knuckles whitened. Confirming that the person on it wasn't Ji Ruan, he'd close his eyes momentarily, as if granted a brief reprieve.
One, two, three... ten...
Until the entrance was clear, and the last rescuer emerged, the person he yearned to see was still missing.
Song Ling felt as if he was hearing the earth shatter.
He sensed Gu Xiuyi's suppressed emotions reaching a breaking point. Stiffly, he turned his neck, meticulously scanning the crowd of muddy, wailing figures on the ground.
It was like he was making a final confirmation.
Then he saw Gu Xiuyi's eyes slowly fill with blood, turning crimson. He turned slowly towards Song Ling, uttering two intensely suppressed syllables:
"Where is he?"
He resembled a sane madman.
Song Ling almost dropped to the ground, hastily grabbing a rescue worker, "Brother... sir, we're one short, our child is still inside!"
"-Two! There are two!"
As he spoke, a beautiful woman rushed over, her once graceful demeanor now in disarray. Teacher Cheng, with her disheveled hair, collapsed beside Song Ling, her voice shaking:
"Our Zi Zhang hasn't come out either..."
For a brief moment, the air grew incredibly still.
After what felt like an eternity, but might've been mere seconds, a series of sobs pierced the night.
"Teacher... teacher..."
A female student, her forehead smeared with blood, shakily sat up from a stretcher: "Zi Zhang and the others might be... might be trapped on the other side..."
She appeared traumatized from the sudden landslide, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked as she continued, "They... they went down to meet... to fetch you all, taking the path behind. It's... it's the quickest way down the mountain..."
Gu Xiuyi suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring intently into the void.
In the darkness, the majestic mountain peaks resembled ghostly apparitions with shattered masks, their snow-white fangs exposed under flashes of lightning, tearing the rain veil into a turbulent abyss.