Chapter 789: Finding His Way Home
ow while they're sleeping.""If that's the case, then it's definitely worth the risk. I'll personally contact them, but I hope to have something physical for them to see."Zeng Hongliang said very cauti...Looking at the place where she had lived for half a year, now devastated by the earthquake, only their Building Number 4 remained standing. She seemed to be able to guess where Jiayao was hiding.
Looking at the building still shedding its facade, she didn't have the courage to step in. In the end, she let the wind go first, to find Jiayao on the fifteenth floor.
"You go up first and see if Jiayao is on the 15th floor. If he is, tell him to come down. I'll be waiting for him downstairs."
"Meow" Master cat, why don't you go up yourself
“I'm too heavy and afraid of breaking the stairs. The building below has been waterlogged, frozen, and exposed to high temperatures for many years, so it must be very fragile. Plus, there have been earthquakes, so I estimate that the foundation is already compromised. That's why I don't dare to go up.”
You and Jia Yao don't need to worry, the two of you combined aren't even as heavy as me, so there shouldn't be any impact.
Ripple smiled sweetly and explained.
"Meow!" Okay! I'll go check it out. For dinner, I think I want some tuna.
The whirlwind immediately raised the stakes.
"Just a little thing, I've got you covered! Two cans!"
With a smile, Lianshi made a "V" shape with her hands.
The whirlwind swished its tail and darted into the building.
The ripples had been waiting for a whole hour. Just as she was about to go in herself, she saw a dirty little boy hugging the whirlwind tightly, appear at the entrance of the unit.
Jia Yao was in a sorry state, covered head to toe in dust and grime. His clothes were nothing but rags, and he only wore one shoe, the other foot bandaged with cloth strips. His face was blackened with soot, and his exposed arms and legs were crisscrossed with scarred cuts. His eyes were full of wary suspicion.
Only when the other party saw the ripples did their apprehension subside, followed by eyes brimming with tears. They ran and buried their head in Ripples' embrace.
"Sister Ripple"
Then, he hugged Ripple's neck and started to cry loudly.
The whirlwind struggled to wriggle out of the two people's arms, jumped onto the ground, and let out a cry, indicating that its mission was complete.
Ripple was holding a crying hiccuping Jiayao, patiently patting the other's back while soothingly saying:
"Homey, don't cry, it's okay! It's okay! You did great! We knew you would hide and wait for us to find you! You're the best!"
"Uncle by marriage"
Jia Yao cried and asked, apparently worried about her young nephew.
"Your uncle is fine, he's going to finish his mission first. This time when we went out, Uncle Sun and another Uncle Tang got hurt. As the captain, your little uncle has to deal with them first, so I and Stormwind came to find you first."
Ripples touched Jiayao's head and explained, "Don't treat him differently just because he's a child, he understands."
"House Bright Understand!"
When Jia Yao heard that his young uncle was safe, the tears finally stopped. Lian Yi took the opportunity to take out a handkerchief and wipe his face, then took out a 250 ml bottle of mineral water from her backpack. She unscrewed the cap and let Jia Yao drink first.
Jiayao hesitated for a moment, then took the bottle under Lianri's gesture. He gulped down half of it and then pushed the remaining half to Lianri, looking a little embarrassed.
"Keep this for yourself to drink later."
Then, looking at the deflated cartoon backpack on Jia Yao's back, he knew that the supplies Yuan Chongming had prepared for him should have been used up over these ten days.
"Gulu," he let out a sound, making Jia Yao even more embarrassed. He patted his own stomach with his small hand.
"Haven't eaten in days"
The ripples asked softly,
"I haven't eaten anything since yesterday."
Home shines with truthfulness.
"It's okay, it's great that you made it this far while we were looking for you."
After finishing, Lian Yi first stuffed a piece of candy into Jia's mouth to keep his tummy from rumbling. Then she held him and walked back, asking about what happened after they left, mainly during the earthquake.
Jaya is almost six years old this year, and he still speaks very fluently. He slowly explained what happened.
When the earthquake happened, Liu Zili and his wife were at home preparing dinner. Just after they finished their meal, they felt a shaking.
Both of them reacted very quickly, immediately called for Jia Yao, and ran outside.
Jia Yao only had time to put on one shoe, but he remembered his uncle's instructions and put on the small backpack by his bed. Then, Liu Zili held him and ran outside. Before they reached the first floor, their building was torn apart. At the last moment, Liu Zili pushed Jia Yao and his wife out with all his might, and he himself was crushed in the rubble.
Xu Fenfang was clutching Jiayao and stumbling across the open ground. But the tremors were too strong; Xu Fenfang hadn't taken two steps before a crack appeared on the ground beneath her feet. She didn't notice it in time, and one of her legs fell into the chasm. Her entire leg was trapped.
Xu Fenfang gritted her teeth and pushed Jia Yao out again, shouting at him to run. Five-year-old Jia Yao scrambled and crawled, tears streaming down his face as he ran away. Everyone around him was gone, and he could only protect himself.
After the earthquake subsided, Jia Yao knew that a little kid like him was in great danger outside. So while everyone was still shaken and disoriented, he slipped away to less populated areas, dodging and weaving until he reached his own home. After all, it was the place he knew best.
When he reached the fifteenth floor, there was no one in the house, just like when they had left. He slipped inside and has been holding on until now, surviving on the compressed biscuits and water from his backpack.
After finishing the last cookie yesterday, he got a stomach ache (actually it was heartburn, kids can't tell the difference, it just feels like a stomachache). He felt a bit confused today, and then he heard the cat meowing and scratching at his door.
Because the voice sounded so familiar, he hesitated for a long time before opening the door. Then he saw Cyclone. Cyclone circled him once and then used his head to push him outside.
Jiayao believed in Xuenfeng, that's why he stumbled and followed the little black cat down. When they reached the unit door, he became frightened and hugged Xuenfeng for encouragement. He then walked out. Seeing Lianyi, all his fear and hunger from the past few days finally erupted, and he burst into tears while hugging Lianyi.
Ripple took out a bag of milk from her backpack, letting Jiayao drink it first to fill his stomach. She didn't take out too much; they had all returned together, and their supplies were basically depleted. It would be hard to explain later.
When Deng Lian touched down at the camp with Jiayao, it was already dark. Thankfully, the heat made sleeping outside bearable. Survivors had set up tents everywhere, three or two to a site. They had accepted their fate and the atmosphere was bleak.
The ripples went to the medical tent first. Before she could even get close, a tall figure appeared. The other party seemed to have spotted her too and walked over in three big strides.
"Home glorious!"
"Little uncle!"
Seeing loved ones again brought tears to the family's eyes, but the fear has been released, and their faces now look much better.
Yuan Chongming held his nephew in his arms and gratefully said to Lianyi:
Thank you for helping me find my way home!
"No need to be polite, the whirlwind also put in effort. Don't forget to prepare something delicious for him."
"Meow!"
Cyclone immediately agreed.
"Good!"for a moment, then walked towards the cowboy man and politely opened his mouth:"Hello, we just joined the game and haven't had the good fortune of Miss Ripple yet, but we don't want to hold you back e...