Rebirth: My Dear Little Wife Is So Scheming

Chapter 1009: Chapter 1009: Rise and Fall

The doctor carried a lot of essential equipment on his back, and at this moment, Bai Xiao decided to be the last to cross, watching Xiaoyu already standing easily on solid ground, waving at them.

The doctor swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and moved forward.

At his age, undertaking such a difficult task was not easy, and maintaining balance seemed a challenge, especially with all the equipment and medicines on his back, making him suddenly feel dizzy.

Only then did Bai Xiao understand why Xiaoyu had insisted on wrapping all the equipment and medicines in rain tarps before they set off.

It turns out that her rich experience had long prepared her for what they might encounter.

"Doctor, move forward; I’ll be right behind you. I’ll do my best to help if necessary."

Bai Xiao could only comfort the doctor this way, helpless as even she didn’t have full confidence facing such a bridge.

A village is not the same as another village. Liupan Village’s only water source is that reservoir; even if there is a river, there’s a stone bridge to cross. Though the bluestone bridge is worn, at least it’s stable to walk on.

Now she was deeply anxious inside.

Praying fervently that nothing unexpected would happen.

The doctor wobbled onto the bridge, with Bai Xiao closely following him, as both of them carried these burdens.

Bai Xiao held tightly onto the doctor’s backpack, trying not to look down at the dizzying water flow, thinking it should be fine.

When they were nearly halfway across, Xiaoyu suddenly shouted a warning from the riverbank.

"Watch out! Doctor, under your feet!"

Then Bai Xiao noticed the wooden pillar beneath them suddenly moving violently, and she let go of the doctor, waving her arms in the air trying to maintain her balance.

Everything happened too fast, and before she could scream, the two of them plunged into the rushing, icy river.

The water was much colder than she had imagined and deeper than she had initially thought.

The current pressed her down forcefully, dragging her downstream, like a carelessly dropped rag doll tumbling in the water.

Instinctively, she began kicking, trying to go with the flow rather than against it, and as if being rewarded, the current abruptly pushed her to the surface.

She wasn’t worried about being pushed downstream, as it was only about ten meters wide, and it might be even narrower downstream; she was more worried about the doctor.

The equipment on the doctor’s back was too heavy, and she feared he couldn’t stay afloat.

She surfaced and took a deep breath of air.

Her hair draped over her face, blocking her view.

Yet, she strained to look around, as she knew how to swim and wasn’t afraid of drowning. But the doctor might not be so fortunate.

She seemed to hear shouting from afar, then the torrents submerged her again.

Without seeing clearly, she was once more tumbling, feebly paddling toward the distance, yet to no avail, struggling to emerge once again. This time, she rolled over, following the current, doing her utmost to paddle in the water, trying to float like a duck.

Turning her head, she saw the doctor behind her to the right, struggling to break through the surface, but the large backpack was making it difficult for him, causing him to flounder, restrained by water. noveldrama

Bai Xiao kicked harder, struggling to keep her head above water.

She wanted to get closer to the doctor, but her backpack wasn’t light either.

She felt the water pulling her beneath.

Clearly, the doctor wasn’t accustomed to the rapids here. Maybe he couldn’t swim at all, being almost dragged along by the water.

Xiaoyu had already jumped into the river, desperately swimming toward them.

The old man grabbed a gong and started banging on it vigorously.

The piercing sound of the gong quickly attracted a crowd.

Young people arrived and quickly undressed, jumping into the water to save them.

Unfortunately, the doctor and Bai Xiao in the water were unable to help themselves, their giant backpacks becoming unbearably heavy, fiercely dragging them deeper into the water.

The riverbanks were steep and high, and with the rapid current, even if they reached the shore, climbing up was impossible.

Bai Xiao had a death grip on the doctor’s backpack.

Yet, in the water, they kept bobbing, unable to find a chance to land.

Xiaoyu swam beside them, but alone, she couldn’t save both of them at once.

Rather, their combined weight was pulling Xiaoyu down with them, dragging all three downstream.

The river bent ahead, with a fallen tree on the riverbank, its branches almost dipping into the water.

The three of them saw it as their savior.

"The tree!" she heard Xiaoyu shouting behind her, then she understood.

This was their chance; she frantically swam toward the tree, striving to grasp one of the branches.

Just as she caught a breath, her head slipped under, choking her with a mouthful of water.

Struggling to surface again, her strength was almost depleted by the icy water. Her limbs felt weighted down like they were shackled with sandbags; each movement seemed to pull along hundreds of pounds, her lungs feeling like they might burst into flames.

If they could catch onto one branch, they might rest for a minute; perhaps they could climb out from there.

Not only was she exhausted with the idea of survival, but without Xiaoyu and Bai Xiao’s help, the doctor would have sunk by now; his backpack couldn’t be removed in this situation, constantly wondering if he would be buried with it in the river.

Finally, through her unwavering effort, the water current mercifully pushed Bai Xiao toward the tree, where the bank had been hollowed out by the rapids.

This was the best opportunity; Bai stretched out her hand desperately to grab a branch. But then, a sudden surge snapped the dry twig from her grasp, submerging her once again.

The river carried them unexpectedly far, with no concept of the distance they had drifted, but the current was so fierce they kept moving farther away from the small wooden house earlier.

Suddenly, the river widened, and the current softened.

The flow was still swift, swift enough that she couldn’t fight it effectively, but at least it had calmed down and stopped beating against them, forcing them onward.

The banks were no longer so steep but were covered with massive round stones.

She could more effortlessly float on the surface, allowing her sore muscles a brief respite, but a sudden wave pressed them back under, their limbs too stiff for swimming long ago.

Her strength rapidly waned, her kicking legs weakening, and her arm strokes turned from smooth to jerky.

After possibly being dragged under for the last time, a strong arm helped lift her backpack, and freed from its weight, she immediately floated to the surface.