Sorry, My Beloved Is The Motherland - Chapter 8.2 - Falling In Love Is Not As Good As Saving Lives

The less-than-100-meter dash made Ning Fu’s heart feel like it was about to leap out of her chest.

Next time she had the chance to allocate attribute points from an achievement, Ning Fu vowed to herself, she would definitely put them into stamina!

Xu Cuicui was already half-submerged in the swamp.

The swamps on the grasslands, also known as “water bubbles,” were rare in winter but deadly when encountered. Being near a water source, the surface water here didn’t easily seep down, and beneath what appeared to be a normal surface was a pool of icy mud, like a treacherous maw ready to devour anyone at any moment.

Xu Cuicui had simply failed to notice the undisturbed water bubble, stepping on what seemed like an ordinary patch of grass, only to find herself sinking in.

The elders in the settlement had said, stepping into a water bubble is like stepping into the gates of hell. Falling into a water bubble is extremely dangerous, especially in winter.

The extreme panic and the icy cold of the water bubble turned Xu Cuicui’s face deathly pale. She yelled at Ning Fu, “Go get help, hurry—go get people!”

Ning Fu replied rapidly, “There’s no time!”

By the time she could get help, Xu Cuicui might be completely swallowed by the water bubble.

Ning Fu’s heart was pounding, pumping blood rapidly to her limbs.

She quickly looked around and found a relatively sturdy dead branch. She then swiftly took off her coat and wrapped it around the branch, ensuring it wouldn’t break midway and could reach Xu Cuicui’s hand.

“Relax, don’t struggle too much!”

Ning Fu extended the wrapped branch towards Xu Cuicui while testing the ground beneath her feet to ensure it was solid.

Xu Cuicui gritted her teeth, “Easy for you to say! How about we switch places, and you try relaxing in here?!”

Although Xu Cuicui spoke defiantly, she was already trying to follow Ning Fu’s instructions to relax her body and minimize futile struggles.

At this life-or-death moment, all previous biases and petty thoughts were cast aside. Ning Fu’s quick yet steady tone and her methodical actions inevitably and subconsciously led Xu Cuicui to trust her.

Indeed, the speed at which she was sinking seemed to slow down a bit.

Xu Cuicui stretched out her hand, trying to reach the branch Ning Fu was extending. She was just a little short.

Seeing Ning Fu about to step forward, she couldn’t help but shout, “Don’t move! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Don’t come any closer!”

Despite the fear written all over her face, Xu Cuicui’s voice trembled as she said, “I… I can’t reach it. I can’t drag you down… If you fall in too, we’ll both be dead…”

She said despairingly, “I’m going to die. When you go back, tell my parents that I died for the collective, that I sacrificed myself—”

Since childhood, Xu Cuicui’s parents had only cared about her younger brother.

She was rough and clumsy, an unappreciated girl who did all the dirty and tiring work at home. Wherever it was hardest, she went there. To earn work points, she joined the Livestock Station at the age of fifteen.

She wanted to prove herself to her parents!

A few years ago, they said women could hold up half the sky, and she wanted to be an iron girl!

Iron girls don’t dress up or wear floral clothes, but iron girls are stronger than men!

“At a time like this, what are you daydreaming about?!”

Xu Cuicui snapped back to reality at Ning Fu’s call, then saw her crawling forward inch by inch on the ground.

One of Ning Fu’s sleeves was already smeared with mud from the water bubble, and half of her body was nearing the edge of the water bubble. However, because her weight was distributed over a larger area, she showed no signs of sinking significantly.

She stretched out her arm with all her might, and Xu Cuicui finally grasped the other end of the branch.

Ning Fu scolded her so she wouldn’t lose focus or speak again, and both of them instinctively held their breath.

Ning Fu slowly moved back, finally retreating to a position where she could exert normal force.

After what felt like half an hour, or perhaps half a lifetime, the two girls finally escaped the dreadful water bubble. They were both exhausted, lying on the ground and gasping for air, not caring about the dry grass roots scratching their faces.

In that critical moment, Ning Fu had exerted all her strength, even biting her lips until they bled, now tasting the metallic flavor of blood. Xu Cuicui was covered in mud, and as the cold wind blew, it almost formed a shell around her entire body.

[Ding—Congratulations to the host for your bravery, earning the title: Grassland Heroine.

Title Description: Do not say that women are not heroic, for every night the dragon spring sword sings on the wall! Helping others and acting bravely, even a frail body can burst forth with immense strength!

Note: When equipped, Stamina +10]

T/N: The phrase “夜夜龙泉壁上鸣” (every night the dragon spring sword sings on the wall) is a poetic way to describe a heroic spirit or a warrior’s readiness, often used to signify bravery and valor.

Just what she needed, this title’s attribute was quite satisfactory, Ning Fu thought.

The original Ning Fu’s physical condition was far from good. Compared to rural young women like Xu Cuicui, who had been working hard for years, the city-bred Ning Fu indeed couldn’t carry heavy loads or lift anything substantial.

“Save your last words for later,” Ning Fu said, gasping for breath but with a hint of laughter in her voice.

As soon as Xu Cuicui was rescued, her mouth hardened again. “What? Are you disdaining my last words?!”

Ning Fu pretended to ponder, then nodded seriously and said, “Indeed, they lack a certain grandeur.” She continued, “If it were me, I would say… I wish to love my country, endure hardships, and be buried wherever the green hills are.”

Xu Cuicui didn’t fully understand, but she knew Ning Fu had said something impressive again.

This time, she retorted, “Alright, alright, where are the green hills in the dead of winter? Is this the time to show off your literary talent? You jinx, ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!”

After speaking, she struggled to get up. “No, we can’t lie here any longer. We’ll freeze to death if we stay like this.”

They expended too much energy, especially Xu Cuicui, who was completely soaked. If they stayed lying on the ground outdoors for too long, they could suffer from hypothermia, leading to frostbite or even death.

Ning Fu took a deep breath, her heart still pounding wildly in her chest. She licked the cracks on her lips and decisively chose to equip the [Grassland Heroine] title in her mind.

—The feeling of suddenly having more strength was like drinking a bowl of hot milk tea in the biting cold. This warmth spread through her bloodstream to every part of her body. Ning Fu swiftly got up and, with a quick motion, pulled the still “wriggling” Xu Cuicui up from the ground as well.

With the “Stamina +10” attribute boost, her stamina was now roughly equivalent to Xu Cuicui’s when she was full of energy. While it wasn’t a superhuman strength that could lift a cow, it was enough to support the weak-legged Xu Cuicui.

The two of them, supporting each other, hastily gathered the sheep and began their return journey.

When they got back to the Livestock Station, everyone was terrified.

A group of people hurriedly helped Xu Cuicui and Ning Fu change clothes, warm up, and check for frostbite. Once everything was taken care of, Ning Fu briefly explained the sequence of events.

Xu Cuicui, sitting on the kang covered with a thick quilt and drinking brick tea, straightforwardly told everyone, “If it weren’t for Ning Fu this time, I would have been a goner.”

She turned to Ning Fu, “I, Xu Cuicui, believe in clear distinctions between gratitude and grudges. You risked your life to save me… I, I treated you that way before, well,” she paused, a look of shame appearing on her face.

Everyone in the room, including the herdsmen from the Livestock Station and the educated youths, knew about the disputes between the two.

Xu Cuicui was trying to apologize to Ning Fu.

Ning Fu didn’t let Xu Cuicui continue to feel awkward. She held her hot tea cup and smiled.

“Comrade Lu Xun said, ‘After surviving the ordeal, brothers remain; a smile upon meeting erases all grudges’.” She extended her hand to Xu Cuicui.

Xu Cuicui blinked in confusion, but looking at Ning Fu’s extended hand, she roughly understood her meaning.

“What does Xiao Ning mean by that?” The head of the Livestock Station quietly nudged Cui Guofu, who was standing nearby. These rough men got headaches whenever they heard poetry, so they had to rely on the educated youths from the city to explain things in their own way.

Cui Guofu turned around, his eyes glistening with tears, which startled the head of the station.

“—Why, why are you crying?”

Cui Guofu sniffled and shushed him.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he wanted to write tens of thousands of poems to celebrate this great revolutionary friendship, even forgetting the impropriety of addressing his superior in such a manner.

Ning Fu gently said to Xu Cuicui, “But we don’t talk about debts of gratitude or form sworn brotherhoods. We are revolutionary comrades.”

Xu Cuicui took her hand.

After speaking, Ning Fu felt she might have gone a bit too far, as this was her usual approach in the world of the female supporting character, and it was inevitable that some would find it pretentious and sanctimonious.

But looking at everyone’s reactions…

—It seemed they were all moved?

This touching moment was quickly interrupted.

There was a commotion of footsteps, and a member of the Livestock Station ran in, flustered, bringing a gust of cold air with him as he lifted the door curtain.

“It’s a disaster! We’ve lost five sheep!”