MGASC -Chapter 89 How Terrified She Was, How Anxious

Soon, Zhang Qiao heard the chaotic pounding on the door.

“Waaah—Auntie Qiao, the door won’t open! It’s so smoky—so smoky…”

It was Lin Jin’s voice. He was already crying.

“Stop crying! The three of us will ram the door together! Cough cough cough!”

Lin Ran was coughing violently, yet Lin Xun still had the presence of mind to worry about her.
“Auntie Qiao, how are you?”

Their shouts made Zhang Qiao’s heart clench into a tight knot. Separated by the door, she directed them urgently: “Go—get clothes, pour water on them, and cover your mouths and noses with wet cloths! Do exactly as I say. Lin Xun, open the window, then look around the room for anything like a saw blade or pliers—try to cut through the steel bars!”

Lin Xun remained relatively calm. “Okay… Auntie Qiao, how are you?”

Zhang Qiao said, “I’m… still okay…”

Okay my ass!

She was on the verge of collapse, feeling like a little lamb trapped in an oven—about to be roasted through any second.

She refused to accept her fate.

Damn it, dying like a lump of charcoal was way too miserable!

She’d worked so hard after transmigrating into this book to get this stunning face—if she had to die, she should at least die beautifully. Burning to a crisp like this was just disgusting!

No. She didn’t want to be cannon fodder. Other people transmigrated to defy fate—was she here just to become roast lamb?

But… after turning the room upside down, Zhang Qiao still couldn’t find a single usable tool to pry open the door or window.

And she was pregnant. She couldn’t use much strength. If she rashly tried to ram the door and failed—what if something happened to the baby?

Today, her baby had already started moving in her belly.

That was a tiny life. No matter what, she had to protect her.

In the other room, the three kids obediently searched for water.

But they had clothes—where were they supposed to find water?

Lin Jin sobbed, “Waaah… there’s no water. What do we do? Big brother, are we going to be burned to death?”

Lin Ran said, “Then let’s just make do and rush out—saving Auntie Qiao is more important!”

Lin Xun was also frantic. There were three of them, but Auntie Qiao was all alone.

How scared must she be? How anxious?

Lin Xun glanced at the youngest, Lin Jin. “Um… should we… use pee?”

Lin Ran: “Holy shit!”

He’d rather choke to death—cough cough cough cough—his lungs were about to explode.

Lin Jin was terrified of dying. He yanked down his pants and strained for ages. “Waaah… big brother, I can’t pee…”

In the end, the eldest took on everything alone.

The three of them frowned deeply, tied the “wet cloth” over their mouths and noses like masks, and grabbed a long bench from the room.

“One, two, three—hit!”

The heavy crashing against the door was like an earthquake. Every impact made Zhang Qiao’s heart tremble.

She thought grimly—when it comes to brute strength, sons really show their worth.

After who knew how many hits, with a loud crack, the three kids—faces covered, bench in their arms—charged straight out.

Outside, the fire was even bigger. The smoke was even more suffocating.

“Auntie Qiao—cough cough cough cough cough…”

“I’m here to save you—holy shit!”

Lin Ran reached for the door handle, only to yelp as the scorching heat burned his hand, followed by another bout of violent coughing.

Zhang Qiao knew they’d made it out. Her frantic heart eased just a little—until she heard Lin Ran cry out in pain. She rushed to the door again.

“Lin Ran! Are you okay?!”

“Cough cough cough… I’m fine! We’ll keep going!”

In truth, the fire outside had already become terrifying. Flames raged wildly—especially the wooden beams and old-fashioned furniture, all of which had caught fire.

But the three kids scrambled up from the ground, hugged the bench again, and prepared to ram this door too.

Smoke was no joke. Very quickly, Lin Jin was choked until he couldn’t breathe properly, bent over and unable to straighten up.

Behind the door, Zhang Qiao dug her nails deep into her palms. When it was just her, she could still force herself to stay optimistic. But seeing three children risk their lives for her felt like her heart was being viciously strangled by steel wire.

“Stop hitting the door! Listen to me—get out, now!”

“No… cough cough… Auntie Qiao… cough…”

“Listen to me—go out! Go find the neighbors for help!”

“No—waaah… Auntie Qiao…”

Hearing their cries only made Zhang Qiao more resolute in her decision.

The kids were already running out of strength. If they kept this up, they’d all end up as roast lamb together. Better for them to leave first and get help.

She might… maybe… still be able to hold on a little longer.

Outside the door, Lin Xun kicked open the room door that was almost completely burned through, shoved Lin Jin out first, and shouted, “Go get help!”

But he turned back, asking the violently coughing Lin Ran again, “You… still okay?”

Lin Ran nodded while coughing.

So the two of them picked up the bench once more, determined to try again.

Suddenly—bang!—a burning roof beam collapsed, scattering sparks everywhere, landing right at Lin Ran’s feet. He dodged frantically, shouting in alarm.

“Lin Ran! Lin Ran! Are you okay?!”

Zhang Qiao’s voice trembled with urgency.

Even though the beam hadn’t hit Lin Ran or Lin Xun, just hearing their voices was enough to push her to the brink.

Ignoring the flames already licking through the door cracks, she shouted loudly to them:

“Lin Ran, go out right now! Look around the yard for tools! Lin Xun, go get people again! Lin Jin is too small—he can’t do this alone!”

“Go—if you still want me to live! If you still think of me as family, then do exactly what I say!”

Her voice was broken, yet unyielding.

Outside, the fire grew fiercer and fiercer. Especially near the doorway—Lin Ran and Lin Xun couldn’t even get close anymore. Even the bench had caught fire.

Lin Xun threw the bench away and grabbed Lin Ran. “Do what she said!”

But Lin Ran’s eyes were bloodshot, fixed stubbornly on the door separating him from Zhang Qiao. He didn’t move an inch.

“Listen! There’s no time left!”

Lin Xun had never realized that the most mischievous, most scheming one—Lin Ran—would be the hardest to persuade, the most stubborn at a critical moment.

Seeing that he still wouldn’t budge, Lin Xun had no choice but to use brute force, dragging him out by sheer strength.

The fire in the yard was no smaller. Lin Xun didn’t dare stop, still hauling Lin Ran along.

At the main gate, Lin Ran suddenly shook off his hand. “If you want to go, then go! I’m not as heartless as you!”

He turned to rush back inside—when chaotic footsteps sounded behind them.

The neighbors had arrived, carrying pots, bowls, and all kinds of containers to fight the fire. Running at the very back, with the shortest legs, was Lin Jin.

Everyone thought it was just a small fire. But when they reached the gate, the yard was already a raging inferno, flames surging like a vast sea of fire.

“My god—how are we supposed to save anyone in this?!”

“Is everyone out? Lin Xun, Lin Ran, Lin Jin are all here—huh? Where’s Zhang Qiao?”

“She’s still inside!”

“Oh my heavens…”

The neighbors forcibly pulled Lin Ran and Lin Xun back. Hearing that Zhang Qiao was still inside, everyone sucked in cold breaths, anxious yet terrified as they stared at the flames.

In this situation, anyone who went in would be risking their life—one wrong move, and they could die.

Lin Xun begged, “Uncle, auntie, elders—please, please save Auntie Qiao…”

He was so desperate he was almost kneeling.

Lin Ran shouted, “Auntie Qiao is inside! Just break the window!”

But when lives were on the line, and fire and water showed no mercy—who dared to take such a risk? With the fire this fierce, the person inside might already be…