Volume One: River City Sonata Chapter 8: Sudden Calamity Strikes

The burly man behind was about to strike with full force when a sharp command froze him in place. Turning his head, he saw two men swiftly approaching. The lead figure was tall and broad-shouldered, with a thick beard. Feeling guilty and wary, he dared not delay any longer. With a leap, he vaulted over the fallen man, then, in a few strides, cleared the garden wall and vanished without a trace.

Gu Yuezi and his companion hurried over, but seeing they could not catch the fleeing assailant, they first checked on the injured. Gu Yuezi immediately recognized that the struggling scholar on the ground was not Li Ling. He quickly stepped forward to help him up and asked, “Sir, are you a friend of Li Ling? How is he now?”

“Li… Brother Li is inside, already wounded by that scoundrel…” The scholar only then realized the gravity of the situation and spoke anxiously. Hearing this, Gu Yuezi grew alarmed and quickly handed the injured man to his assistant, then hurried inside. Upon entering the courtyard, he saw Li Ling lying face down in front of the hall door directly opposite the gate, surrounded by a large pool of blood. Deeper inside, a small figure was collapsed in a corner.

“Master Li!” Gu Yuezi exclaimed in shock, rushing over to lift Li Ling from the blood. His face was pale and covered in blood, but thankfully he was unconscious rather than dead, still breathing faintly. Confirming this, Gu Yuezi pressed hard on Li Ling’s philtrum, calling out repeatedly, “Master Li, Li Ling…”

After several calls, Li Ling’s tightly shut eyes slowly opened. At first, he looked dazed, then nervously struggled, attempting to resist, muttering indistinctly. Gu Yuezi held him firmly and shouted, “Master Li, don’t panic, it’s me, Gu Yuezi! That villain has been driven away!”

After repeating this twice more, Li Ling finally composed himself. His steady gaze recognized Gu Yuezi, and his body relaxed. “This… what is this?” he murmured, vaguely recalling that there had been a burglary. When he opened the door, he was attacked, and he had heard Yue’er's scream!

Yes, Yue’er—Li Ling shuddered violently, forcing himself to look inside the house. His eyes immediately found his sister lying in the corner, which made him panic again. He struggled to rise, calling, “Yue’er…”

Feeling the immense force from Li Ling, Gu Yuezi knew his concern for his sister far outweighed his own. Supporting him, Gu Yuezi said, “I’ll help you over there!”

Fortunately, Li Ling had not completely lost his senses. Hearing this, he managed to control himself and allowed Gu Yuezi to help him to Yue’er’s side. Though only a few steps, the journey was agonizing for Li Ling. When they reached his sister, he did not dare bend down to check her, fearing the worst.

As his consciousness returned somewhat, Li Ling recalled everything that had just happened. They had been eating behind the hall door when strange noises came from outside. It was puzzling because Aunt Jin’s family next door was out of town, and the other neighbors were away too. So, no one should have been there. He cautiously opened the door to investigate.

He collided with a gray-clad, masked thief right at the doorway. The man wielded a stick and did not wait for Li Ling to react, swinging the stick directly at him. Li Ling managed to block the first two blows but was struck on the forehead by the third, causing a sharp blow that muddled his mind and blackened his vision before he lost much consciousness. He only heard Yue’er’s scream.

He was badly injured himself—how much worse could Yue’er be? The fear made his hands tremble as he tried to turn Yue’er over. “Yue’er… you must be alright.” But weakened by his wounds, he couldn’t flip her.

Seeing this, Gu Yuezi stepped in to help, turning the girl over. Both gasped softly. Yue’er’s condition was worse than expected: her eyes were tightly shut, her face as pale as paper, and she seemed to have stopped breathing. Seeing Li Ling stunned into silence, Gu Yuezi felt powerless and instinctively reached out to check her nose for breath. His face darkened further. “She… she’s not breathing… I’m afraid that—” He couldn’t bring himself to finish. Turning back, he called to the assistant, who was still dazed, “Quick, fetch the doctor to treat Master Li’s wounds.”

The assistant nodded quickly and dashed out. Li Ling, however, suddenly shouted out in disbelief, “Impossible!” Summoning a burst of strength, he broke free from Gu Yuezi’s support and stumbled to Yue’er’s side, cradling her in his arms.

Gu Yuezi’s heart sank. “The truth is, Master Li, please accept my condolences; your sister has already—” He stopped abruptly, unable to continue. His wide eyes resembled brass bells, yet he still could not believe what he saw.

Li Ling, as if driven mad by grief, knelt before Yue’er. After taking a deep breath, he pinched her nose with one hand, pried open her mouth with the other, and suddenly bent down to kiss her.

Crazy! Gu Yuezi thought. Li Ling had truly lost his mind! They were siblings—how could he commit such a grave breach of propriety? If anyone found out… Gu Yuezi shuddered and turned away, unable to watch.

From behind came two startled cries. Turning around, Gu Yuezi saw the scholar supported by the assistant had also arrived at the door, both staring horrified as Li Ling continued to “kiss” his apparently “dead” sister.

But Li Ling’s “kissing” was strange: after a moment, he would suddenly lift his head to take a deep breath, then proceed to do something even more shocking—pressing his hands repeatedly against his sister’s chest. It was outright molestation, and toward his own sister, no less…

The scholar could no longer bear it and shouted loudly, “Brother Li, stop this madness!” He tried to step forward but was held back by Gu Yuezi, who had finally grasped the situation. “Wait, he may be trying to save his sister. I tested just now—she had stopped breathing…”

“How can that be? Once dead, no one revives. What use would this be?” the scholar insisted, still skeptical.

But before he could finish, a miracle occurred. Yue’er, who had ceased breathing, suddenly coughed and moved slightly.

Li Ling, performing CPR, sighed with relief and stopped artificial respiration. Gently, he helped her sit up and turned to the stunned onlookers. “Help me move Yue’er to the side room to lie down.”

“Alright… alright!” The group, still in a daze, slowly snapped back. Together, Gu Yuezi and Li Ling lifted the still unconscious Yue’er and laid her on a bed in the adjacent chamber. Only then did Li Ling truly calm down and say to the three men before him, “Thank you all for your help. Without you, my sister and I might not have survived…”

“We were a bit late,” Gu Yuezi said modestly, “The real savior was this gentleman here.” He gestured toward the still somewhat dazed scholar, “And he was wounded by that thief as well.”

Hearing this and seeing the scholar’s scrapes and bruises, Li Ling bowed deeply in gratitude again. “Thank you, Brother Xu, for saving me. Such kindness, I will never forget in this lifetime.”

This scholar was Xu Cang, Li Ling’s first bookstore customer. Over time, Xu Cang had become a frequent visitor, borrowing books and paying rent, gradually forging a friendship with Li Ling.

Earlier that day, Xu Cang had borrowed another book from the store. Upon returning home, he found a note left by a previous borrower inside the book. Worried the person might come looking for Li Ling, even though dusk was near, he rushed over to deliver it.

Arriving at Li’s courtyard, he found the gate open and heard a scream, rushing inside to investigate. There he met the thief face-to-face and was beaten back with punches and kicks all the way out of the courtyard. Had Gu Yuezi and his companion not arrived just then, Xu Cang might have suffered grievous harm.

Still, Xu Cang remained the greatest lifesaver for Li Ling and his sister—without him, the consequences could have been dire. Li Ling felt even more grateful to both men, bowing solemnly once more. “You two are the saviors of my family. I will remember this forever.”

“Master Li, no need for such thanks,” Gu Yuezi chuckled, stroking his beard. After a pause, he hesitated, “By the way, Master Li, your method of resuscitation was rather unorthodox and nearly caused misunderstanding.”

“Yes, your actions just now were quite improper,” Xu Cang agreed earnestly.

“Um…” Li Ling understood their concern. In this era, etiquette was paramount, especially between men and women. His earlier methods of artificial respiration and chest compressions, seen now, could be easily misinterpreted. After a moment’s thought, he explained, “I learned this life-saving technique from an ancient book. Yue’er had only stopped breathing due to shock and attack, so I used it to save her. When a life hangs in the balance, other considerations must be set aside. Surely you don’t think I’m that sort of person?”

“Of course not,” they both quickly denied. Seeing Yue’er revived, they believed him.

Before long, the assistant returned with the county doctor. The doctor was alarmed by the scene but quickly attended to Li Ling’s wounds, then examined him, his sister, and Xu Cang, prescribing some remedies for injuries and shock before slowly departing.

Not long after, the still-dazed Yue’er finally awoke with a start. Only after Li Ling wrapped her in a comforting embrace did she regain composure and notice the others in the room, causing her some shy panic. Then she recalled, “Brother, that villain forced me to tell him where our family’s money was hidden. I refused, so he beat me and shoved me against the wall. After that, I don’t remember anything. Our money…”

Li Ling’s heart jolted. In the chaos of rescue, he hadn’t checked for losses at home. He hurried out to his room, where he kept his earnings in a cabinet.

Only then did he discover his door was wide open. The room was thoroughly ransacked, drawers overturned and scattered. The cabinet storing the silver was no exception, and the money was gone…