Zhao Hongtu kept thinking, but he didnât know how he could tell Yu Hean. He paused for so long that Yu Hean looked back at him suspiciously.
âWhatâs the matter, Little Zhao?â
âNothing.â
Zhao Hongtu couldnât think of anything to say. He was feeling incredibly conflicted right now. He didnât want Yu Hean to be kept in the dark any longer. He was also worried about whether telling Yu Hean about Yu Hehui would cause an accident. In the past, based on Zhao Hongtuâs character, he would have already revealed the truth to Yu Hean, but now he had grown up a lot and knew that some things couldnât be revealed, for the sake of the greater good.
âHow old is your brother?â
Zhao Hongtu casually found a topic to perfunctorily change the topic. They were getting closer and closer to the other shore. He could already see Leader Miao and Yu Hehui. Zhao Hongtu gradually tilted the scales in his heart and measured the benefits of revealing the information. Then, he tightly closed his mouth.
Anyway, Leader Miao was present. Heâd let her decide on whether Yu Hean should know or not.
âOh, Huihui? Huihui is 18 years old and is going to college.â
Yu Hean giggled and said, âHuihui had proposed things he wanted to do. My parents didnât want him to head outside a few years ago. But I donât know how Huihui did it, but he persuaded both of them.â
âHeâs eighteen?â
Zhao Hongtu turned to face Yu Hean. He stared at a middle-aged man who was far from youthful. For a middle-aged guy, his face looked like it had been through all of lifeâs hardships, through the winds and frost. His hands were used to hard farm work. He was currently in his thirties. Yu Hehui, on the other hand, appeared youthful. Surprisingly, he was 18 years old. But that may be his nominal age.
âThe age gap between you and Yu Hehui is rather big.â Zhao Hongtu said casually, but then he heard Yu Hean retort, âHuihui and I are just three years apart. It isnât as if our age gap is very big.â
Zhao Hongtu was stunned. At that moment, the ferry had reached the shore. Even if he wanted to say anything else, he couldnât say it.
âElder Brother!â
Yu Hehui rushed over and almost fell into the water.
âHuihui, donât worry, donât fall into the water!â
Yu Hean shouted. He stepped off the boat and took Yu Hehui into his arms. Behind him, Zhao Hongtu silently got off the boat with a bamboo basket wrapped in cowhide and gave Hou Feihu a look.
Hou Feihu shook his head slightly. When Zhao Hongtu saw the ghost fetus in Yu Hehuiâs arms, his heart was also heavy.
They couldnât sense anything strange from Yu Hehui from the beginning of the tour. Zhao Hongtu understood what Big Brother Hou meant. Yu Hehui had a ghost baby in his arms. It was estimated that he had to go to the other shore.
But there were no other solutions.
Zhao Hongtu stood on the spot, and in a rare occurrence, he gritted his teeth and remained silent. Yu Hean was all smiles as he exchanged greetings with his younger brother. After that, they worriedly tore off the cowhide wrapped around the bamboo basket.
âThere are piranhas in the river. The bamboo baskets must be wrapped with cowhide, otherwise, the fishes will bite the ferry faster than what was estimated.â
âI got it, I got it.â
Lin Xi was impatient and nervous. He took over the cowhide and kept looking back at III-9, hands trembling. He and Hou Feihu skillfully tied a climbing rope to the boat and made a tight knot.
âWhat else should we pay attention to? Say it quickly.â
âThe ghost babies are obedient. I donât think there was any problem when Leader Miao came over.â
Zhao Hongtu said, âThe two minutes is up. Itâs time for you to get on board.â
Lin Xi had to row the boat alone this time. Hou Feihu watched Lin Xi gnash his teeth and get on the boat in a panic. Standing on the boat, Lin Xiâs body shook unsteadily, so he went up and helped him. Zhao Hongtu had told him some key points of rowing the boat. They watched Lin Xi leave, shuddering, as he rowed the boat.
âBig Brother Hou, you, are you okay?â
âIâm fine. On the contrary, itâs your side who had it harder.â
Hou Feihu dabbed at Zhao Hongtuâs clothes, which were in front of him: âAre you hurt?â
âIt wonât get in the way.â
Zhao Hongtu shook his head and looked at Lin Xiâs figure which was getting further away. He was filled with mixed feelings. He had a lot to say, but it was as if a stone was stuck in his throat, and he couldnât speak it. Finally, he repeatedly said, âItâs fine if nothing happens, itâs fine if nothing happens.â
âHongtu.â
Hou Feihuâs hand fell on Zhao Hongtuâs shoulder and felt his slightly thin shoulder trembling. Zhao Hongtu was afraid. Hou Feihu understood what he was afraid of. He pressed Zhao Hongtuâs shoulders and promised firmly and softly.
âIâll come back and pick you up.â
âNo!â
Zhao Hongtu suddenly looked up and blurted, âNo, I donât want that!â
After Lin Xi went over, Wang Pengpai and Xu Chen would come over. Then, Hou Feihu and Yu Hehui would go to the other side, and the two sides would be successfully completely swapped.
The problem was that if Zhao Hongtu and the others wanted to return to the other shore and the ferry was on the other shore, someone had to row the boat back to pick them up.
But the person who boarded the ferry would have run out of ferry trips.
That person wouldnât be able to get on the ferry, and thus, wouldnât be able to return. Itâd be a dead-end for that person.
âWe canât tell that for sure now.â
The look in Hou Feihuâs eyes softened, and he raised his hands, which were wrapped around with the climbing ropes, towards Zhao Hongtu. Leader Miao and Shi Tao had given him the climbing rope before they had left. Hou Feihu strengthened the two climbing ropes by wrapping them together.
Currently, one end of the climbing rope was tied at the stern and the other end was held by Hou Feihu. The rope had been tightened and hung over the ship. Hou Feihu slowly released the rope bit by bit, as if he was flying a kite.
âI hope itâs long enough.â
If they could pull the ferry back here with ropes, no one would have to sacrifice themselves when sailing back.
âItâs Leader Miao and the others who had a innovative mindset.â
It had not been easy to meet his brother again. Yu Hean seemed to have endless words to say, but he wasnât good with his words. He just kept asking Yu Hehui whether he was afraid. Yu Hehui smiled and narrowed his eyes. Yu Hehui didnât find his brother irritating. He repeatedly said that he was fine and he wasnât afraid. On the contrary, after Yu Hean asked several times, he didnât know what else he should say and what he should do. He saw the climbing rope in Hou Feihuâs hand and his eyes lit up.
âBless me Buddha, if only this method works.â
âBrother, why donât you ask the immortal to bless you?â Yu Hehui joked. Since their family specializes in being mediums, they had never prayed to the Buddha. But when Yu Hean listened to his words, he jolted. His broad shoulders trembled, and he whispered, âIf the immortal could bless us, weus brothers would not come to this damned place, and wouldnât, wouldnâtâŠâ
âAlright, Elder Brother. Donât be so upset.â
Hearing that Yu Heanâs voice had choked, Yu Hehui quickly grabbed his hand and said optimistically, âYou see, weâre all fine, arenât we? Tours arenât that bad. Havenât we seen many sceneries weâd never seen before?â
âItâs not very different from how we had imagined the future would be like.â
Yu Hean held his brotherâs hand and refused to release it. He just felt that his brotherâs hands were particularly cold.
âHehui, HehuiâŠâ
He stuttered. The words almost came out of his mouth, but he couldnât utter them. He only turned his back and his eyes were red.
âI can protect myself, Big Brother.â
Yu Hehui shook Yu Heanâs hand to comfort him and changed the topic, âElder Brother, you really trust your teammates. I remember you wouldnât give your cowhide to others before.â
Yu Hean was honest, but honest people could also be cunning. If he was a fool, he wouldnât have lived till now.â
âItâs different. Itâs different this time.â
Yu Hean said, âThis time, everyone is working together.â
In their previous tours, everyone in the tour group only cared about securing their own lives and didnât pay attention to their teammates. It was already kind of someone to not hinder someone else when they faced dangers in tours. Why would people even lend their props to others?
But this tour was different. In Yu Heanâs heart, he had made a personal judgement of everyone. They had been through so many dangers together with Guide III, and their connection was no longer the same as it had been in the start.
He had trusted companions.
âWe have to help each other to get through the difficulties together.âYu Hean murmured and clenched Yu Hehuiâs hand, âLeader Miao, Brother Wang, they will help us. Huihui, donât be afraid. Donât be afraid when you get there later.â
As he spoke, he craned his neck like a goose and looked towards the direction of the ferry. Lin Xi had pushed the boat to the middle of the river. Hou Feihuâs climbing rope was so long that he could barely see it clearly. Yu Hean hurriedly contributed the climbing rope in his bag so that Hou Feihu could lengthen the rope again.
âMany thanks.â
Hou Feihu nodded and received the rope, but his expression was particularly grim. The climbing rope in his hand was so taut that it was dangerous, and he could feel gravity pulling the rope down. Lin Xi was in the middle of the river. If the downward force was strongââ
âThe rope, the rope is broken!â
Seeing that Hou Feihu couldnât spare the time to do it, Yu Hean took the initiative to tie his rope behind Hou Feihuâs. But as soon as Yu Hean walked near Hou Feihu, he was stunned to see that the taut rope in Hou Feihuâs hand suddenly sank down, like a dead snake.
Hou Feihu pursed his lips hard as he drew the rope back. The rope he was pulling back was short, and the water was rippling as if he were hauling a large fish back. Hou Feihu tensed his arms and slapped the piranhas away with enormous power. The piranha ball was slapped onshore at the end of the rope. The piranhas scattered as a result of the tremendous impact on the ground.
âIt seems that this really couldnât work.â
Hou Feihu shook his head and smiled bitterly. Zhao Hongtu, who was waiting on the side, looked tense and used a climbing stick to kill the piranhas that were jumping around wildly. One of the fish even sprang to his feet and chewed the climbing stick, leaving deep tooth marks on it.
âThe stick snapped due to its bite.â
Hou Feihu examined the ropeâs broken end. It was just bitten apart by the fish, and was a frightening sight to behold. He had made a climbing rope out of polyester fiber. Despite being heavier, it had great wear resistance and did not lose tenacity when the rope was soaked in water.
Even so, it couldnât withstand the piranhasâ razor-sharp teeth. Hou Feihu had believed this strategy wasnât feasible after hearing Miao Fangfei mention there were piranhas gnawing at the bottom of the boat in Mourning Stream and now, as he had predicted, it didnât work.
Hou Feihu was not depressed, since he had no time to feel depressed. He put away the remaining climbing rope. Hou Feihu specifically and carefully asked Yu Hean what they had met while travelling on the ferry. Hearing that the baby had made trouble on the boat, he looked at Zhao Hongtuâs basket and was slightly stunned.
âThe babies arenât crying now.â
On the way from the center of the stream to the shore, the babies made the most trouble and almost overturned the bamboo baskets. But when they landed ashore, they were as quiet as chickens and had stopped moving. Since the ghost babies were also on the same shore, Zhao Hongtu had been cautious and did not dare to lift the cover to see the specific situation of the babies. But in short, they were quiet.
âAt Cordoned-off Village will be hosting the beating three dynasties banquet.â
The lively instrumental music became louder and louder behind them, and the sky gradually darkened. It was 6:55 pm, and it was about to be 7:00 pm.
An hour was left before the beating three dynasties banquet began at 8:00 pm.