TSWPF -Chapter 216 Accident

After finishing her meal, Li Qingling asked Liu Zhimou if he wanted to accompany her for a walk around the market to buy some electrical items.

Of course, Liu Zhimou was more than willing. They hadn’t had any time alone together on the journey so far, and now that they could spend some time just the two of them, he wouldn’t let the chance slip away.

But the moment he nodded, a few of the children from their household insisted on coming along.

Seeing these little tagalongs, Liu Zhimou’s expression darkened.

“You’ve been traveling all day. Aren’t you tired? You’d better rest at the inn. We’ll come back as soon as we finish shopping.”

Li Qingning quickly tugged at Li Qingling. “Sister, I want to go shopping too! Please take me with you, okay?” She had been waiting for her sister to go out for a stroll—how could she miss it?

Li Qingling looked down at the pitiful gaze of Li Qingning, then glanced at Li Qingfeng and the others. Seeing the anticipation on their faces, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

After traveling nonstop all this way, they must have really wanted a little outing.

“All right, then. Let’s go together!”

Hearing his wife say this, Liu Zhimou sighed helplessly in his heart and shot a few dark glances at the little ones.

Their chance to be alone together had just been ruined.

He’d think of how to punish them when they reached the capital.

Li Qingfeng and the others were so excited at the prospect of going shopping that they didn’t realize that their big brother and brother-in-law were secretly planning some sort of punishment.

“Uncle Zeng, do you want to come along?” Li Qingling asked Zeng Tietou with a smile.

Zeng Tietou shook his head repeatedly, saying they were tired and didn’t want to go shopping.

Seeing that they truly had no interest, Li Qingling didn’t insist. She nodded and, holding the children’s hands, left the inn with Liu Zhimou.

Once they stepped out, the innkeeper quickly gave instructions to a waiter and then rushed back to his room in the rear courtyard.

He swiftly wrote a letter, tied it to a messenger pigeon’s leg, and watched it fly away before collapsing into a chair.

Rubbing his face and taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he finally stood up and left again.

None of this was known to Liu Zhimou at the time. At that moment, he was being tugged on by Li Qingning, who wanted him to buy her candied hawthorn sticks!

“All right, all right. If you want some, I’ll buy them. Stop pulling on my sleeve—at this rate, you’ll tear it,” Liu Zhimou said helplessly, nodding repeatedly. He bought five sticks of candied hawthorn: one for himself and one for each of the others.

Li Qingling looked at the candied hawthorn in her hand, her mouth watering. Seeing the children enjoy theirs so much, she couldn’t help but take a bite herself. The sweet-and-sour taste made her eyes narrow in delight.

Seeing her expression, Liu Zhimou smiled affectionately and asked if it was tasty.

She didn’t answer directly but held a piece up to his mouth for him to try.

Liu Zhimou glanced at her, then bit into the candied hawthorn. The overly sweet taste made him frown slightly.

He wasn’t fond of sweet things, but since his wife was offering it to him, there was no way he could refuse.

“Tasty?” Li Qingling laughed at his scrunched-up expression. “I think it’s pretty good.”

Liu Zhimou chewed roughly a few times before swallowing. He shot her a helpless look—so mischievous.

He reached out, pinched her palm, and intertwined his fingers with hers as they continued walking.

Li Qingling had grown used to such public displays of affection and let him lead her along.

“Hold hands, all of you, and don’t get lost, okay?” she reminded the children walking ahead. In a strange city like this, getting lost could be dangerous.

The children replied in unison that they understood, holding hands tightly as they looked around eagerly.

The capital was far livelier than their town. There were so many new things they had never seen before, and it captivated their attention.

“Hey, is the performance starting?”

“I heard it’s about to start. We should hurry to get a good spot.”

Hearing this, Li Qingling frowned slightly as she saw the crowd rushing toward a particular direction.

“What’s happening up ahead? Why is everyone heading that way?”

Seeing the crowd moving with enthusiasm, Liu Zhimou feared they might scatter the children. He released Li Qingling’s hand, letting her hold two of the children, while he held the other two.

“Uncle, what’s happening up ahead? Why is everyone going that way?” Liu Zhimou asked a vendor.

The vendor smiled. “There’s a circus performance ahead. People say it’s wonderful. You can go take a look.”

At the mention of a circus, the children’s eyes lit up, and they babbled about wanting to see it.

Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou had no choice but to go along, holding the children’s hands as they followed the flow of the crowd.

But as they moved forward, the crowd grew thicker.

Seeing the bustling masses, Li Qingling’s heart skipped a beat. With so many people, if something went wrong, a stampede could happen.

“Zhimou, we can’t go in. It’s too dangerous.”

Liu Zhimou nodded. “Okay, let’s head back.” Then, worried the children might resist, he explained, “Look at all those people up ahead. Even if we get there, we won’t see anything. It’s better to go back and shop. What do you think?”

The children, not being stubborn, nodded. At their age, they wouldn’t see much anyway, so buying something was better.

Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou exchanged a relieved glance, glad the children weren’t insisting on going further.

They moved back slowly, making sure not to bump into anyone in the crowd.

But before they could go far, an accident occurred ahead, and the crowd panicked and surged forward.

“Xiaoling, come over!” Liu Zhimou felt a bad premonition. He turned to see Li Qingling a few steps behind and shouted.

If things continued, a stampede could occur. Li Qingling gripped Li Qingning and Liu Zhirou tightly and struggled to move through the crowd.

The noise was so loud she didn’t hear Liu Zhimou calling.

“Sister…” Li Qingning, frightened, called out to Li Qingling for the first time in such a situation.

“Don’t be afraid. Hold tightly to sister’s hand. Don’t let go.” Li Qingling’s face was grim. She looked up to see only strangers, not Liu Zhimou or the others.

She didn’t dare stop to search; she had to follow the crowd outward.

“Ah…” Liu Zhirou was jostled and nearly fell, letting out a frightened cry.

“Rou Rou, are you okay?”

Liu Zhirou, pale-faced, quickly replied, “Sister-in-law, I’m fine,” worried Li Qingling would be concerned.

That was a relief—if she had fallen now, it could have been disastrous.

Li Qingling drew a deep breath and gripped Liu Zhirou’s and Li Qingning’s hands even tighter. Even if it hurt them, she dared not loosen her hold.

They were so small—if separated, the consequences…

She remembered a stampede that occurred in a modern city on New Year’s Eve, where many had died. She was terrified that a similar tragedy could happen now.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and bit her lip, forcing her way through, determined to protect the two children.

It was terrifying—they weren’t even walking; the crowd carried them along. Liu Zhirou’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she was scared out of her wits.

At that moment, the crowd pressed her against the people in front, pinning her in place.

“Sister-in-law…” Liu Zhirou cried in fear.

Her sweaty palms slipped slightly in Li Qingling’s grip, and hearing Liu Zhirou’s cry, Li Qingling’s heart jolted.

She quickly turned to see Li Qingling herself caught between two adults.

“Don’t be afraid. Hold on to sister’s hand, quick…”

Her grip started slipping. Li Qingling’s heart raced.

Hearing Li Qingling, Liu Zhirou raised her other hand and clutched Li Qingling’s wrist tightly. Li Qingling gritted her teeth and pulled her with all her strength.

Following the force, Liu Zhirou stumbled forward into Li Qingling, clinging tightly and trembling from fear.

“Rou Rou, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Li Qingning said, quickly comforting her.

Li Qingling no longer held Liu Zhirou’s hand directly, instead gripping her wrist. “This isn’t the time to cry. We need to get out first.” She forced the two little ones onward through the pressing crowd.

She still worried about Liu Zhimou and the others—were they safe? Had they reached a secure spot?

Meanwhile, Liu Zhimou finally managed to pull Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan out of the crowd. They hurried to a secluded corner and stopped.

Standing on tiptoe to look into the crowd, Liu Zhimou couldn’t see Li Qingling and the children.

His heart tightened—he didn’t know if they were safe.

“Brother-in-law, have you seen sister and the others?” Li Qingfeng asked anxiously, holding Liu Zhimou’s hand.

They had made it out safely, but he didn’t know about their sister.

“No, the crowd’s too dense. I can’t see them.”

“Then… what should we do? Should we go look for them?”

Liu Zhimou said in a low voice, “Wait a little longer…” If they still didn’t appear, he would go search for them.

The three of them waited in the corner for nearly forty-five minutes without seeing Li Qingling and the children. Liu Zhimou grew increasingly anxious. He instructed Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan not to wander, then started moving against the crowd to find them.