As time passed by, the heavy rain did not decrease at all, but became heavier and heavier, as if it was going to rain for three days and three nights.
An Lan and I could only watch helplessly, praying that the rain would stop soon.
Amid the murmur of "Sisi", An Lan suddenly asked me: "Chen Feng, are you afraid of death?"
I was stunned for a moment and replied: "I wasn't afraid before, but I am quite afraid now."
"Why?"
"What did you say?" I don't know whether it was because the rain was too loud or An Lan's voice was too soft, so I didn't hear what she said clearly.
"Sit over here a little bit."
I heard these words, so I got up and moved to her side, and sat down on a dry place next to her.
Then she said: "Why are you scared now?"
"I don't know, maybe the older I get, the more I fear death!"
As I said that, I smiled miserably and continued: "You know? I used to like exploring. I went to many dangerous places and even planned to climb Mount Everest. At that time, I was really not afraid of death. But now, I am not afraid of death either.
I don’t know why I’m afraid of death, I’m very afraid, I’m very afraid.”
"It's normal, who isn't afraid of death! I'm afraid too"
She was silent for a while, then whispered: "Today's experience reminds me of that night in Sanya. It seems to be the same, but it seems to be different."
I was stunned for a moment, because Sanya will always be a difficult obstacle in my heart.
After a long silence, I finally asked her: "Why are they the same but different?"
"It's because of the same situation, just a different place. It's both dark night and the same violent storm. But that time I fell into the sea, but this time I was trapped in the mountains."
Speaking of this, she paused for a moment, then turned to look at me, and said with a faint smile: "The difference is that that time I was facing it alone, but this time I am not alone."
I let out a long breath and said comfortingly: "Don't worry! This time it won't be like last time. When the rain stops, I will go out to find the way."
An Lan didn't speak any more, and I turned to look at her.
I saw her hugging her knees and looking a little dazed. She seemed to have remembered something.
I was suddenly startled and suddenly remembered why she suddenly asked me about the topic of "death".
Because she has experienced it, she can understand these two words better than ordinary people.
It was also at this time that I saw her weak side. She was really, really fragile.
Perhaps everyone who knows her, including Chen Min who has a good relationship with her, thinks she is a perfectionist, a strong woman who acts resolutely and speaks her truth.
But only I know that she really has a fragile side, right now.
She also needs protection, just like most women, she is also made of water, flexible and soft.
Just like she loves beauty, she will put on makeup with great care when meeting me.
Even when she was pregnant, she knew she couldn't wear makeup, but every time I saw her, she showed her delicate side to me.
Her strength seems to be given to her by others.
She lived her life as others thought she should be.
Or perhaps, her strength comes from childhood, and the environment in which she lived since childhood made her who she is now.
Don't talk about her, even if it were me, if I had faced such a complicated environment since I was a child, I might be more sensitive than her.
After a moment of silence, I seemed to feel her trembling.
It's quite cold at night in this mountain, and with the heavy rain, the temperature dropped by at least twenty degrees.
And we were all only wearing a T-shirt and a jacket outside, so it was strange that it wasn't cold.
Fortunately, I have a lighter with me and can light a bonfire. This way, I not only have light, but also warmth.
I finally said to An Lan: "I'll go find some firewood and let's make a fire."
"It's raining so heavily outside, why are you going out? Don't go!"
"Instead of going outside, I'll just look around in the cave. When I just came in, I saw some dead branches."
"Then be careful!"
After An Lan warned me, I put on my headlamp and started searching in the cave.
After searching around, I only found some small branches and some weeds, and some of the weeds were soaked by the rain, so they probably wouldn't burn.
So I thought of a way to use those dry branches to make a fire. This was a technical job.
You need to use a knife to cut the branches into wood chips, and then use sparks to ignite them.
I have a lot of experience in this area, so it didn't take long to succeed, and then I put the dry firewood on it.
But this little firewood can't sustain it for long. The only way is to go outside to find a thicker tree trunk, which can be used even if it is soaked by the rain.
The rain is unlikely to stop for a while, and even if it stops, it will be difficult for us to move forward.
First, the satellite phone fell off. If you continue to move forward, the person who saves people will become the one who is saved.
Second, it had just rained heavily, so the mountain road might be muddy, and there would be risks of rockfalls and mudslides.
So, even if the rain stops, we still need to wait for someone to pick us up.
The most important thing now is to save ourselves, and the first thing is to ensure warmth.
After making this decision, I said to An Lan: "I'll go outside to collect some firewood. You just stay here and don't move."
"Don't go, how can you go when it's raining so heavily?"
"It's okay, I'll be back in a while."
"You are disobedient, aren't you!"
"It's really okay, don't worry." I said and walked out of the cave.
An Lan stopped me again and said, "Chen Feng, if you want to go out, I will never pay attention to you again."
"Don't be like this. I told you it'll be fine. I'll be very careful. It's around here."
"No, come back here. No need to light a fire."
I didn't listen to her and insisted on leaving the cave, braving the heavy rain and heading in the direction we came from.
I collected all the vines and branches that we had cut down before, and even had a machete to chop some branches for later use.
After much effort, I brought the branches and vines back to the cave. Although the firewood was soaked by the rain, it was better than nothing.
After seeing me coming back, An Lan complained to me: "You are really desperate! How dare you go out in such a heavy rain."
"Why don't you come back calmly? As you said, I have experience."
"You really don't make people worry at all."
Amid An Lan's complaints, I placed the moist firewood next to the fire to roast it.
An Lan said to me again: "Are your clothes wet? Take them off quickly and let them dry to avoid catching a cold."
This was indeed true. I immediately took off my jacket and propped myself up next to the fire with two branches.
An Lan said to me again: "The one underneath is also included! Don't wear it."
"It's so cold with all my clothes off!"
Hearing what I said, An Lan took off her jacket without saying a word, threw it to me and said, "Wear mine."
"Oh, it doesn't matter, I'll just wear it like this. This one underneath is fine."
"You're disobedient, aren't you?"
Seeing the way An Lan looked at me, I gave up and had no choice but to take off the T-shirt underneath and put on her jacket.
And she was only wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt underneath. After all, it was summer.
I know she is very stubborn, which is very similar to me. Once she lets me put it on, she will never let me take it off again.
I had no choice but to say to her: "You can move closer to the fire to get warmer."
"Fortunately, don't worry about me. How are you? Your hair is wet too."
"I'm fine, I'm just a little hungry."
"Then I have to endure it. I don't have anything to eat."
I sighed softly and said, "I wonder how Wang Yi is doing now?"
An Lan echoed: "She is a smart woman, and she must have found a place to hide from the rain now."
I know An Lan is comforting me, but any comfort is useless to me now.
I just want to know why she came to Daguan Mountain alone in the middle of the night?