Entertainment: A song that brought his deceased wife back to life.

Xu Qing's fingers found a small, square box in the pocket of the tattered cotton-padded jacket.

Paper.

The edges were damp and felt soft to the touch.

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment.

He took the box out and pushed it with his stiff thumb.

A very faint rustling sound came from inside.

It's a match.

Those old-fashioned matches that cost just a few cents a box.

It was probably left behind by the original owner of this tattered cotton-padded coat, or perhaps it was an old object forgotten in a corner from some unknown era.

Xu Qing held the small box in her hand.

My body suddenly froze.

fire.

This word was taboo in his mind.

That was something more terrible than cold, hunger, or even death.

His stomach would start to cramp at the mere thought of that flickering red flame.

That's how the curtains caught fire that night.

It started as a tiny spark, then transformed into a colossal beast that devoured everything.

That burning sensation feels like it happened just yesterday.

Xu Qing's hands began to tremble violently.

That's not because of the cold.

It is a physiological rejection.

He wanted to throw the box of matches away.

Even if he were to freeze to death here, he would never want to see that thing.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The crashing sounds outside continued.

Accompanied by Jiang Yue's hoarse shouts.

"Xu Qing!"

"You bastard!"

"If you dare die in there, I'll dig you up and whip your corpse!"

"Give us some noise!"

Jiang Yue's voice was full of sobs.

That was a collapse born of utter despair.

Xu Qing heard it.

He could picture what Jiang Yue looked like now.

That usually loud and arrogant kid kingpin is probably lying on that rusty iron plate, using his bloodied hands to pry open the frozen cracks in the bricks.

She's working desperately.

For him, a mute who only knows how to hold others back.

Xu Qing looked down at the blurry box of matches in her hand.

In the darkness, he could see nothing.

But he could feel the roughness of the phosphorus surface.

He won't die.

At least I'm not dead yet.

But if he doesn't give some response, Jiang Yue outside might go crazy.

She will keep smashing until she breaks her hand or attracts Old Zhang's attention.

She'll be finished then too.

Xu Qing bit her lip.

I bit down hard, and the taste of blood spread in my mouth.

The sweet, fishy smell made him a little more awake.

He has to make a choice.

Should he give in to the nightmare that destroyed his family, or fight for that silly girl outside?

Xu Qing took a deep breath.

It smells musty.

He pulled a match out of the box.

The matchsticks are very thin, and the wood softens when damp.

His hands were shaking so badly that he almost dropped them several times.

"I can do it."

Xu Qing said to herself.

Just once.

Just a quick flash is enough.

He aimed the match head at the scale on the side of the box.

Use your wrist to apply force.

blah-

A soft sound.

The match head struck the phosphorus coating, leaving a trail of white smoke.

No luck.

The matches were too damp.

Xu Qing's hands trembled even more violently.

The frustration of failure, mixed with his fear of fire, even made him feel nauseous.

The crashing sounds outside stopped for a moment.

Jiang Yue was probably exhausted.

Or perhaps she was listening intently to what was happening inside.

This is an opportunity.

Xu Qing changed the match.

He focused all his attention on his fingertips.

Don't shake.

Don't shake.

He groped in the dark to find the spot he had just passed and replaced it with a drier piece of scale.

Hard.

Quick and accurate.

Oh!

This time the sound was very crisp.

A tiny flame, about the size of a soybean, burst forth from the tip of the thin wooden stick.

light.

In this absolutely dark and desolate warehouse, the light seemed so abrupt.

Xu Qing's pupils contracted instantly.

In that instant, he saw it again.

I saw the collapsed roof beams, the thick smoke filling the house, and my parents' faces blurred in the firelight.

"ah--"

Xu Qing opened her mouth wide and screamed silently.

His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by a giant hand.

He instinctively wanted to fling the match in his hand.

But he held back.

With an almost self-destructive willpower, he gripped the burning stick tightly.

A burning pain shot through my fingertips.

That's because the flame burned my finger.

He didn't let go.

He held up the faint light, trying to get as close as possible to the exhaust fan.

Approaching the exit that was blocked by iron plates and red bricks.

……

outside.

Jiang Yue was indeed out of strength.

She knelt in the snow, panting heavily.

My hands had long since lost all feeling and were covered in a bloody mess.

That damn iron plate didn't budge an inch.

The bricks looked like they had grown on it.

"It's over."

The hole in Jiang Yue's heart grew bigger and bigger.

A cold wind was blowing in.

She suddenly felt extremely cold.

It was even colder than washing the pot in ice water.

If this kid really dies...

Jiang Yue's tears mingled with the muddy water on her face and streamed down her cheeks.

Just then.

Suddenly, a light shone through the gap in the originally pitch-black iron plate.

Although very faint.

Although it was just a fleeting moment.

But in Jiang Yue's eyes, it was even brighter than the sun in the sky.

Light!

That's firelight!

There are people inside!

That kid is still alive!

And it can even move!

"Xu Qing!"

Jiang Yue shouted.

The light was like a shot of adrenaline, piercing straight into her heart.

The strength that had been completely depleted suddenly surged forth from the very marrow of his bones.

That's the will to survive that people unleash when faced with dire circumstances.

Although it wasn't for myself, it was for others.

Jiang Yue picked up the stone from the snow, which she had smashed and cracked.

She didn't care whether her hand hurt or not.

They didn't care whether the nail was broken or not.

She stood up.

Both feet were firmly planted on the ground.

Engage your core muscles.

That meant putting all of his weight on it.

"Open it!"

Jiang Yue let out a beast-like roar from deep in her throat.

boom!

The stone slammed down hard at the junction of the iron plate and the red brick.

The once impenetrable frozen soil finally developed a crack.

not enough.

not enough.

Jiang Yue didn't stop at all.

Like a madwoman, she mechanically repeated the motion of raising her hand and slamming it down.

boom!

boom!

boom!

Each sound was accompanied by the splashing of ice shards.

Each sound was filled with Jiang Yue's fury.

at last.

The largest red brick had become loose.

It was already frozen solid by Erlei and the others, and was held together by ice.

With Jiang Yue smashing it so relentlessly, the ice had long since shattered into pieces.

With a loud clang.

The red brick fell to the ground.

The rusty iron plate that had been blocking the exhaust fan was finally partially revealed.

Jiang Yue threw away the stone.

She put her hands into the gap.

The edges of the iron plate are very sharp.

It instantly cut two gashes on the back of her hand.

Jiang Yue didn't even frown.

She gritted her teeth.

Ten fingers gripped the edge of the iron plate tightly.

"rise!"

She suddenly snapped it open.

creak-

A piercing metallic creaking sound rang out.

She forcefully ripped a large hole in the iron plate.

The moonlight poured in through the opening.

Jiang Yue peeked inside.

By the moonlight.

She saw it.

It was less than two meters from the cave entrance.

The small, thin figure was curled up on the ground.

He was still clutching a long-extinguished matchstick in his hand.

My whole body was shaking.

The tattered cotton-padded coat wrapped around him looked so empty.

"Xu Qing!"

Jiang Yue reached her hand inside.

I can't reach it.

"come over!"

"Come here quickly!"

Jiang Yue shouted.

Xu Qing heard it.

He slowly raised his head.

I saw the hole.

And there was the face at the cave entrance, so dirty that its features were obscured, yet filled with anxiety.

He moved his legs.

My legs are so numb I can't feel them anymore.

But he still supported himself on the ground and crawled over there little by little.

Each step required tremendous effort.

at last.

His hand reached out to Jiang Yue's hand.

That instant.

Two equally cold and equally scarred hands were clasped tightly together.

The two of them fell together onto the snow outside.

Jiang Yue was panting heavily.

White mist rose above their heads.

She didn't have time to rest.

He pulled Xu Qing into his arms.

He rubbed his back and arms vigorously.

"You idiot!"

"Are you a pig?"

"You'll drill just because I tell you to?"

"Is there gold or silver inside?"

Jiang Yue cursed while tears streamed down her face.

Tears fell onto Xu Qing's face, hot and wet.

Xu Qing didn't move.

He let Jiang Yue curse him.

He buried his head in Jiang Yue's shoulder.

I smelled that familiar earthy and sweaty scent.

It's good to be alive.

"I've already thought it all out."

Jiang Yue sniffled, her voice choked with emotion.

"If you die..."

"I'll bury you under this tree."

"Then take the steel bar and break that bastard Er Lei's legs."

"I'm never going to care about those bullshit orphanage rules again."

Xu Qing's lips twitched.

want to laugh.

This girl is still so violent at a time like this.

Just then.

A series of hurried footsteps came from afar.

The snow crunched underfoot.

There were also sounds of dogs barking.

Wang!Wang!Wang!

The sound is very close.

Jiang Yue froze.

She stopped crying instantly.

Like a startled cat, it cautiously raised its head.

"Old Zhang is here."