My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 163 Firefighting

"Weren't you going to Fuchun to stay with relatives?" Lin Ziping asked, puzzled, as the three were about to leave.

“Yes, we haven’t been here either, but the letter said it’s in this area. We’ll look for it again,” Zhang Lisheng replied.

Abao's village has no one else besides her. There don't seem to be any other villages around here. Could it be Xinping Village?

Lin Ziping thought for a moment and swallowed his words. The three of them were just strangers who had met by chance, and not digging into their backgrounds was the greatest respect. Even if the three were bad people, it would be pointless and even disadvantageous to bring it up now.

He did not try to stop them; after exchanging greetings, they went their separate ways.

Seeing the three figures disappear into the distance, Lin Ziping breathed a sigh of relief once again.

However, remembering the strange looks and hesitant expressions on the faces of the three as they left, Lin Ziping still checked the place thoroughly, not entirely reassured.

He then looked at the little girl beside him and asked, "Abao, is there something strange about me?"

Abao glanced at Lin Ziping and shook his head.

Seeing this, Lin Ziping didn't take it to heart.

But looking at Abao, for some reason, she seemed dazed from the moment she came down the mountain, completely lacking the cleverness she had when she came up.

Lin Ziping habitually rubbed his chin, felt something on his face, took out a handkerchief from his backpack to wipe his face, and found a dark red bloodstain on the handkerchief.

He suddenly realized that it was the bandit's blood that had sprayed on his face!

This is probably what Zhang Lishan and the other two wanted to remind themselves of.

His face was covered in dark red blood, and his original appearance was no longer visible. Going back like this would indeed be frightening and could easily cause panic.

Lin Ziping used several handkerchiefs to wipe his face clean.

Another day of missing toilet paper and wet wipes.

Looking at Abao, who seemed out of sorts, Lin Ziping squatted down and looked her in the eye: "Would you be willing to leave with me?"

Abao looked at Lin Ziping and said, "I should go home now, my mother is still waiting for me."

The two looked at each other, and Lin Ziping saw the stubbornness in A Bao's stubborn eyes.

"Alright." Lin Ziping finally gave in.

The two walked together for a while, then parted ways.

After watching A Bao leave, Lin Ziping also got on his Wuling Hongguan and rode away.

Looking back on today's events, it seems I acted somewhat impulsively, but the outcome was acceptable.

Thinking back to when I asked Abao if he wanted to come with me, I realized I had spoken too quickly and hadn't considered the consequences.

What to do with them after they're taken back is a big problem, just like how Hong Lao Er still doesn't have a proper place to go.

In this era, there was no comprehensive welfare system or systematic schools. When people left, they could only be sent to the county government for unified arrangements, just like children brought out of a tunnel who had no idea where they were now.

Lin Ziping reflected seriously and realized that goodwill that exceeds one's ability is nothing more than empty promises to people.

The Wuling Hongguang suddenly accelerated, aggravating the wounds on my body.

Lin Ziping came to his senses and looked at his wounds. His pain tolerance had indeed improved significantly compared to before.

In the past, I would wince in pain from scrapes and twisted ankles, but now I can remain calm even with such wounds.

In the past, I didn't even dare to kill chickens, but now I don't seem to feel anything when I kill people.

Lin Ziping felt a mixture of frustration and panic.

I'm becoming more and more like the people of this era.

Thinking of this, Lin Ziping tightened the reins and urged the Wuling Hongguang to go faster.

As we approached the bend, we suddenly saw thick black smoke rising in the distance.

Lin Ziping stopped abruptly, his first thought being that the fire in the house on the mountain had reignited.

But after a closer look, I realized the direction was wrong, and I felt a little relieved.

Despite the fact that it had rained for so many days and the trees were damp, making it uncertain whether they would catch fire, Lin Ziping still drove his Wuling Hongguang in that direction with unease.

The further I walked, the more alarmed I became. Wasn't this the direction to Abao Village?

Could it be that some bandits have escaped and are now seeking revenge?

Or are Zhang Lishan and Wang Xiang playing the villains who are chasing after us?

……

With a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, Lin Ziping suppressed his anxiety and lashed out with the whip, urging the Wuling Hongguang to speed up.

Most of Abao's village consisted of thatched huts, and the fire spread quite quickly. By the time Lin Ziping arrived, the raging flames made it difficult to approach.

"Ah Bao—Ah Bao—"

Lin Ziping could only shout anxiously through the fire, but his voice became hoarse and there was no response.

He tried to put out the fire with a branch, but the fire was too fierce and it was useless. Instead, he was coughing incessantly from the thick smoke and couldn't open his eyes.

"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm"

The heatwave hit, and the Wuling Hongguang was scalding hot.

They haven't been gone long, how come the fire spread so quickly?!

Unable to get close, Lin Ziping cleared away the surrounding flammable materials to prevent the fire from spreading.

"Young Master Lin, what are you doing here?"

Lin Ziping turned around and saw Zhang Xiaohu and He Shun.

"You've come just in time, come help...cough cough...cough cough...come help put out the fire, there are still people inside!" Lin Ziping said, wiping away his tears.

Although the two looked puzzled, they quickly came over to help when they heard that there were people inside.

The three men used branches to extinguish the fire and shoveled soil, but even as darkness fell, the fire showed no signs of abating.

There was no other way but to clear a firebreak and wait for the fire to slowly extinguish itself.

"Young Master Lin, have a drink of water." He Shun handed over a bamboo tube filled with water.

Lin Ziping didn't stand on ceremony and took the drink in large gulps.

"This fire won't go out anytime soon, Young Master Lin, come and rest here." Zhang Xiaohu cleared out a clean stone and invited Lin Ziping to sit down.

Lin Ziping handed the bamboo tube to He Shun, then walked over to Zhang Xiaohu and plopped down next to him.

As soon as I sat down, I felt weak all over and my whole body ached.

What a day! I had to leave early, and it looks like I won't be able to get home at night either. In between, I was catching bandits and putting out fires, and I can't even claim my injury as a work injury.

Even the "Dedication" Fu card is no longer worthy of me.

"Young Master Lin, what brings you here?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

Lin Ziping sighed: "I came out of Xinping Village with the intention of going back to the county town. Now that the road has been repaired, I've never been on it before, so I decided to give it a try. But I got lost along the way. I finally managed to find my way out and saw that there was a fire here, so I came to put it out."

Three parts truth and seven parts falsehood; after careful selection, Lin Ziping fabricated his experience of the day and recounted it.

“That’s not right, Young Master Lin. You only came to put out the fire after you saw it start, so how did you know there were people inside?” He Shun asked.

Uh……

This……

He Shun looks honest and unassuming, but it turns out he's a logical genius.

Lin Ziping asked in surprise, "Aren't people living in the village?"

Zhang Xiaohu said, "Of course people live in the village, but this village is different. No one has lived here for a long time."

Has no one been here for a long time?

Lin Ziping was startled. He was certain that A Bao was a living, breathing person, so how could there be no one there?!

Presumably, Zhang Xiaohu's words weren't unfounded or alarmist. Lin Ziping asked in surprise, "How come there's been no one for so long?"