PCJ – Chapter 173 A Strange Situation

Nine lives in one! It’s not just nine lives in one; it’s a hundred lives in one!

Everyone thought that these two people rushing into the fire wouldn’t even leave a complete corpse behind, let alone walk out of the fire. Who would have thought that someone could actually come out of the fire?

The fire and smoke completely enveloped the person coming out, making it impossible to see who it was.

The person who had been firmly holding onto Luo Changjun loosened his grip in surprise.

“Father!” Luo Changjun cried out in sorrow and rushed forward.

When Luo Changjun got closer, he was shocked to find that it was his father Luo Yongming! And not only him, but he also carried Old Xiao out. Luo Changjun was stunned on the spot!

“Old Luo is okay! Old Luo is okay!” The neighbors also exclaimed.

Old Luo was unscathed, at least on the surface. However, the greatest harm from entering a fire isn’t necessarily burns but inhaling toxic smoke and hot air, sometimes causing severe damage to the respiratory tract and lungs while the exterior appears unharmed.

Old Luo was wearing cotton clothes, and at that time, most people still wore cotton clothes. During the firefighting, his clothes had already been soaked with water, and since he was inside for a short time, his clothes hadn’t caught fire. Strangely, even his hair wasn’t singed.

“What are you standing around for? Hurry up and save the person!” Luo Yongming shouted at his son.

Luo Changjun then snapped out of it and noticed that there was still someone on Luo Yongming’s back.

Old Xiao’s condition was not good. Although his clothes hadn’t caught fire, his hair was already burnt, and his face was blackened. Old Xiao still clutched a metal box in his hand, presumably where he kept his money. Even at this moment, he wouldn’t let go of the money box—truly risking his life for his wealth!

“Hurry, hurry, hurry, get a door plank! We need some people to carry Old Xiao to the hospital.” Luo Changjun shouted.

Someone immediately fetched a door plank from a nearby house, and they placed Old Xiao on it.

“Take the money box out of his hand. Even now, Old Xiao is still clutching his money!”

“He’s something else, risking his life for his money and almost getting Old Luo killed. Old Luo is such a good person, almost lost because of him.”

“Forget it, he’s pitiful too. His life savings are in that box. Old Xiao doesn’t trust banks and keeps all his money in that metal box, almost losing it all to the fire.”

When Luo Changjun tried to take the metal box from Old Xiao’s hand, he found that although Old Xiao’s eyes were closed and his life was uncertain, he clutched the box tightly.

“Wow, he’s really holding on tight!” The young man helping to carry Old Xiao prepared to help Luo Changjun pry Old Xiao’s hand open.

Luo Changjun shook his head, “Let him keep it. Who knows how much money is in there, if it’ll be enough for his hospital bills.”

“It’d be ironic if the money Old Xiao risked his life for isn’t enough to cover his medical expenses.”

Luo Changjun quickly said, “Let’s not talk about that now, saving him is the priority. Let’s get him to the hospital. Old Xiao, I’ll count the money in the box at the hospital in front of everyone. Every penny will be returned to you. Your hospital expenses will come from it. I’ll give you a receipt for how much is spent, and everyone can bear witness.”

“Old Xiao, be reasonable. Changjun is a good man, raised by Old Luo. There’s no issue there. Without Old Luo, you’d be ashes in the fire now!” A neighbor helping to carry Old Xiao said disapprovingly.

With that, Old Xiao’s hand finally loosened. Luo Changjun took hold of the metal box.

“Everyone saw that the metal box was locked. I’ll keep it now. Damao, you supervise me. I need to check on my dad to see if he’s hurt. You take Old Xiao to the hospital first. I’ll bring my dad over soon.” Luo Changjun was still worried about Luo Yongming’s condition.

“I’m fine! You take Old Xiao to the hospital,” Luo Yongming walked over.

At that moment, the siren of a fire truck could be heard at the street corner.

“Hurry and take Old Xiao for treatment, I’ll direct the firefighters!” Luo Yongming acted as if nothing had happened. He had been in the fire for nearly a minute, with Old Xiao burned so badly. The whole situation seemed strange. But now was not the time to investigate.

Seeing that Luo Yongming seemed fine, Luo Changjun, albeit suspicious, led the neighbors to carry Old Xiao to the hospital.

The fire truck did arrive, but the street was too narrow for it to pass easily. Under Luo Yongming’s direction, they moved everything that could be moved from the street, finally leading the fire truck to the scene.

The firefighters immediately used high-pressure hoses to spray water on the fire. The raging flames that had been stubbornly burning were quickly brought under control by the powerful water jets. After exhausting the water, the fire was completely extinguished. They then started putting out the remaining embers.

“I’ve fought fires for many years and never seen anything like this.” The fire chief, Lin Ansheng, a veteran firefighter, was amazed at the scene. Fires in old wooden houses like these were the most dreaded because once ignited, they could set an entire area ablaze. One side of this burning house was a newly built concrete structure, which was understandable for not catching fire. But the other side, a wooden house with touching walls, didn’t catch fire—this was unusual. Although the neighbors’ efforts to control the fire contributed, the situation was still strange.

“Captain, the owner of this house is really lucky. This side burned to a crisp, but the other side didn’t catch fire.”

“Fortunately, it didn’t spread; otherwise, our fire truck’s water wouldn’t have been enough to handle it. Fires in old wooden neighborhoods usually burn down entire blocks.”

……

The fire was out, but the old street still filled with smoke. The street was in disarray, looking like a war-torn area. The neighbors stayed outside. The smoke had lightened, revealing the post-fire devastation.

“Strange! Old Luo’s house didn’t catch fire!”

Someone noticed the oddity.

“Good deeds are rewarded! Old Luo risked his life to save people; heaven protected him.”

“Where’s Old Luo?”

“He should be at the hospital. Old Xiao was severely injured. Both went into the fire; Old Luo came out unscathed while Old Xiao was critically burned. Isn’t that strange?”