You are unlucky and I am tough

Chapter 146 I hope you don’t feel you’re at a disadvantage

At night, the number of people on guard doubled. Compared to the leisurely day before, the attack by the baboons made everyone more afraid of the jungle, and they kept their weapons in their hands while on guard.

As the night deepened, snoring sounds could be heard from some tents, but County Magistrate Zheng had not slept yet. He was looking through relevant books with two mining engineers.

Meanwhile, Cheng Shuang, who had already fallen asleep, was now in a nightmare due to the shock she had received during the day. She tossed and turned restlessly, beads of sweat oozing from her forehead, and whispered, "Go away, go away."

Wei Qinglang was awakened by the noise and quickly stood up. Seeing this situation, he wanted to wake her up but was afraid that forcing her would scare her.

He gently placed his hand on the back of Cheng Shuang's hand that was tightly clutching the quilt, and called softly, "Cheng Shuang, Cheng Shuang, wake up..."

After calling a few times, Cheng Shuang finally calmed down and slowly opened her eyes.

Those clear and bright eyes were now filled with panic and helplessness in the dim light.

Wei Qinglang didn't have time to think about anything at this moment. He leaned over and hugged her in his arms, gently stroking her hair and saying softly, "Don't be afraid, it's just a dream. It's okay, don't be afraid."

Cheng Shuang's body stiffened and she felt her heart pounding, but it was not because of Wei Qinglang's behavior, but because she was scared by the nightmare just now.

She had always acted in a carefree manner, taking things as they came, but the fright she had received during the day was quite severe. After waking up from the nightmare, the uneasiness and fear of being in another world came like a surging tide and swallowed her up.

She chose to follow the most genuine reaction at the moment, reaching out and hugging Wei Qinglang tightly to seek a sense of security.

"This is the last time." Wei Qinglang's voice was close to her ear. "We won't be responsible for the rest of the matter after we get out this time. Leave it to the officials to handle. We won't go into the mountains anymore."

Cheng Shuang lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and she tightened her arms and nodded.

She was in a trance and didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, there was no one around her.

Cheng Shuang stood up, silently folded the quilt and put it away, then crawled out of the tent.

It was already daybreak, and less than half of the people were left in the camp. They had all followed the miner to survey the nearby area.

Wei Qinglang was not there either, and Cheng Shuang breathed a sigh of relief.

County Magistrate Zheng was so excited that he read relevant books and did not sleep all night. His eyes were red but he was still in high spirits. When he saw Cheng Shuang, he greeted her with a smile.

Not long after, He Zhou came back with his men and said that the blasting site had been set up. County Magistrate Zheng hurried over to see it, and Cheng Shuang also went to join in the fun. He saw Wei Qinglang and Wei Nanxing also watching people blasting the mountain.

A group of people hid behind the rocks in a safe area. Following He Zhou's order, the officer who lit the fire took a deep breath and slowly stretched out his hand to hold the fuse.

The moment the flame touched the fuse, a "hissing" sound was heard, and sparks spread along the fuse at an astonishing speed. Cheng Shuang stretched his neck to look forward, and suddenly felt someone covering his ears. He turned around and saw Wei Qinglang's enlarged face.

Before anyone could say anything, a deafening roar echoed through the valley, flames shot up into the sky, the mountain trembled violently with billowing smoke, and broken stones, soil and gravel were thrown into the air by the powerful impact force. A gap was blown in the mountain, and broken rocks rolled down.

It took a long time for the thick smoke to dissipate and the dust to settle. The originally intact mountain became devastated. Two miners ran in front and led a team of officials to rush towards the explosion area.

For the rest of the day, the two mining engineers and County Magistrate Zheng were studying and surveying the destroyed mountain. Cheng Shuang had nothing better to do, so he wandered around nearby and climbed up large rocks to look at the scenery, knowing full well that the scenery before him would soon be gone.

Not only here, but also several mountains along the way, including Zifeng Mountain, may not be able to be preserved. In order to facilitate future mining and transportation, the court will definitely open up the mountains and cut off the water and build a road.

Fortunately, the mountains here stretch for hundreds of miles. After the trees are cut down, the animals in the mountains can migrate deeper into the mountains and will not be left without a place to live.

At night, County Magistrate Zheng ordered the troops to return to the mountain by the same route early the next morning.

Cheng Shuang avoided Wei Qinglang for a whole day and hardly said a word. Even Wei Nanxing noticed it and secretly asked Wei Qinglang if they had had a fight.

Others found out but pretended not to know. After all, young couples fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed.

When it was time to rest, Cheng Shuang wanted to go to bed quickly to avoid the embarrassment of being alone. Just as she took out the quilt and spread it out, a tall figure lifted the curtain and came in.

Cheng Shuang unconsciously shrank into the corner. Seeing her stunned, Wei Qinglang flashed a wry smile in his eyes and then said, "Is it shameful to be scared of a nightmare? Is it necessary for you to hide from me for a whole day?"

Cheng Shuang grabbed the corner of the quilt, blinked, and stubbornly retorted, "I didn't."

Wei Qinglang had no choice but to tie the curtain and turned back to hold out his hand to her, "Do you want to go in and wash up? You didn't take a shower last night."

After hearing what he said, Cheng Shuang quickly pulled the clothes and sniffed, "Does it smell like me?"

"No." Wei Qinglang smiled and shook his head, adding, "Anyway, I didn't smell it."

Cheng Shuang immediately thought of last night, her expression slightly stiff and awkward. She coughed lightly and said, "Wei Qinglang...you know, people are more vulnerable when they are scared. Thank you for what you did last night.

I remember you hugged me first, but never mind, I was also scared and wanted to seek some security, so I took the initiative to hug you."

"So?" Wei Qinglang looked at her.

Cheng Shuang curled the corners of her lips, "So... we're even now."

Haha...you are quite good at calculating.

Wei Qinglang couldn't sense her resistance at all, and could only smile bitterly, "Okay, as long as you don't feel you're at a disadvantage."

"I just hugged you for a while, not that serious, not that serious." Cheng Shuang waved her hands quickly, feeling a lot more relaxed.

Wei Qinglang looked at her and sighed inwardly, forget it... let's see how long she can play dumb. It's quite interesting to tease her like this from time to time.

After thinking about it, he stretched out his hand to Cheng Shuang again, "Would you like to come in? Don't your feet hurt after walking for a few days? Why don't you go in and soak your feet?"

Cheng Shuang looked at the hand, finally showing her first knowing smile of the day, and put her hand on it.

The team was slow to get out of the mountain because they had to mark the route along the way. It took them two days to finally see the familiar village.

The harvest was huge this time. County Magistrate Zheng was in a hurry to go to the provincial capital and had no intention of staying in the village any longer. After resting for two quarters of an hour, he ordered his men to return to the county government office overnight.

The carriage and horses were kept at the headman's house. He Zhou took people to harness the carriage and lead the horses, and took one or two taels of silver as the cost of taking care of the horses for the next few days.

Cheng Lizheng refused to accept it, and when both sides were arguing, Cheng Shuang, who had gone home, ran back.

She stuffed the silver directly into Cheng Lizheng's hand and looked at He Zhou and said, "He County Lieutenant, I have a favor to ask you. Can you please talk to me for a moment?"