“When I was in a boot camp, I often got injured during field combat.”
“…” The younger boy felt a stab of pain in his heart.
His heart ached for his brother.
“Well, don’t imagine things. I’m used to it.” Mu Yichen laughed lightly and reached to rub his fringe in comfort.
Youyou grabbed his hand unhappily. “Promise me.”
“Mm?”
“Don’t get hurt again.” He stared into his eyes as he enunciated.
His words left Mu Yichen a little surprised.
He could see the undisguised pain in the other’s eyes.
His heart felt warm.
“All right, I promise!”
“Mm!”
Youyou leaned against the rough stone wall again. His back felt very uncomfortable against the uneven stones. Only after he had taken the effort to adjust the angle did he feel a little better.
Feeling a little tired, he decided to make use of this time to rest for a while.
When he closed his eyes, he heard someone standing up.
His eyes opened in surprise, only to see a large jacket blocking his vision from above.
He waved his hand to pull it off him but was stopped by a forceful hand.
“It’s cold here; don’t get frozen,” said his older twin.
“Aren’t you cold as well?”
“Nope.” A seemingly mocking smile flashed across his brother’s face. “This is nothing.”
“Really?” He could not help feeling skeptical.
Mu Yichen pouted. “It’s really not cold. I can even swim a few laps in the lake during winter.”
In truth?
He was feeling cold, too.
It was bitterly cold and wet in this hole. His scalp was so numb that he felt it was frozen when he frowned.
Shortly after, Lisa returned with a rattan and she dropped one end of it down the hole.
“Climb up!” she shouted from above.
The older boy stood up. The other end of the rattan was firmly tied to a tree by the girl.
“You go first.” He told his brother.
The younger one shook his head tiredly. “You go up first then pull me.”
“Okay. Wait for me, then.”
With his hands grabbing the rattan and his toes perching on the stone wall, he climbed out of the hole in no time.
He turned around and shouted into the hole. “Come up now!”
He seemed to have forgotten that his younger twin had hurt his hand.
Even if the boy was not injured, given his pathetic bit of strength in his arms, there was no way he could climb up.
Bearing the pain from the abrasion between the rattan and his palms, he attempted a few times but fell back to the ground each time.
“I don’t think I have any energy left.” His voice echoed weakly. “You guys go meet the troops first, and then find a way to rescue me!”
The girl frowned, but before she could reply, his older brother anxiously protested, “No! I can’t leave you here alone!”
“This place is very safe. I’ll wait for you all here.”
After a pause, Youyou said helplessly, “I really don’t have any strength left; I’m really tired. There’s no way I can climb up as high as this hole’s mouth.”
“I’ll go down and carry you.”
“Are you crazy?!”
If he had to carry him on his back, then he would have to bear twice the weight.
If this were prior to this, he believed that his brother could do it.
Now, the latter was exhausted, too. It was impossible for him to do it.
“Brother, don’t worry; it’s very safe here. I’ll stay here and wait for you guys to rescue me,” he insisted.
His older twin could not bear to do so, though.
He continued. “From my estimation, this place isn’t far from the rendezvous point; one hour is enough for a to-and-fro trip.”