A Peach Wood Comb

“We must follow procedures when handling things, and saving lives comes first. So, don’t be too anxious; the rescue team has experience, and they will definitely help you find him!” Lai Hui only listened to a few words before she chose to ignore him. She took the miner’s lamp from his hand, hugged it to her chest, and scanned the surroundings with its beams. Several bright lights flashed across the wilderness. Suddenly, she turned her head and asked, “Are there any farmhouses nearby?” The policeman, being somewhat clever, understood her intent, and pointed to the end of the road on the right, saying, “There’s a small village over there!” “Find a farmer to lead the way for me!” she said as she stood up, already facing the right direction, the light from the miner’s lamp making her eyes shine brightly, as if she could find Zhou Yuqian any moment. Hope was reignited in the darkness. However, the policeman seemed troubled. “Well… people are resting at this hour; this would be disturbing them!” Lai Hui, impatient with his explanations, dragged him into the car without regard for etiquette. “Money can move mountains. Tell them, whoever leads the way gets a hundred thousand, and whoever finds the person gets two hundred thousand!” The rookie policeman’s eyes widened as he glanced at the black JAGUAR parked nearby and the BMW they were currently in. He belatedly realized that the unfortunate soul lying at the bottom of the cliff must be someone important. But what kind of important person would climb a mountain road alone at this hour? He glanced cautiously at Lai Hui, now not daring to meet her gaze directly, recalling his earlier barbaric act of almost throwing her off the cliff, which made him sweat. After driving on the muddy road for over ten minutes, they reached the village entrance. The scattered brick and tile houses were dark and quiet. The policeman knocked on a door for a while with no response, so Lai Hui stepped forward, pushed him aside, and pounded on the door with her fist. “Bang, bang, bang!” It sounded like the wooden door would be knocked off its hinges. The policeman was sweating profusely; this woman was too bold. Farmers were not easily intimidated, and waking them up like this would certainly not end well. As he was thinking, a coarse male voice from inside cursed, “Who’s knocking like they’re trying to wake the dead? Who’s this ghost at this hour?” Then, light seeped through the crack of the door as it creaked open. Just as he was about to explain to the man, someone pushed him forward, whispering a warning, “Don’t talk too much, just explain it clearly.” Warned like this, he didn’t dare to say more, using the local dialect to say, “Sorry, someone fell off the mountain cliff. This lady says whoever leads the way gets a hundred thousand, and whoever finds the person gets two hundred thousand. Can you find some help?” The man pondered for a moment, suspicious it might be a scam, and didn’t reply. Lai Hui then pointed to the cars parked at the village entrance. Understanding, the policeman added, “Don’t worry, it’s not a scam. Just look at those cars; they can afford any amount. Just call for help!” The man looked at the cars, then at Lai Hui, and nodded. “I’ll find some people. Whether they get paid or not, we’ll help!” After another ten minutes, the once quiet village came alive. Lights turned on in every house, and men, women, and children with flashlights gathered at the village entrance to see the commotion. About ten were willing to help find the person. Lai Hui chose a sturdy man to lead the way, stuffed some others into her car, and the rest followed in two three-wheeled vehicles. The path down the cliff wasn’t at the edge but along a forked gravel road, through a large forest, leading to where Yuqian had fallen. The forest became lively with many people. The dim beams of flashlights crisscrossed, and men with machetes cleared the path, occasionally startling crows perched in the trees, their wings flapping as they settled on tombstones, their cries eerie. Lai Hui silently thanked her impulsive decision; alone in this desolate place, she would have been scared to death before finding Yuqian. Deep in the forest, after climbing countless slopes, they finally reached a flat area. A local man in dialect said, “This is halfway up the cliff. Let’s leave some people here to search, and send others up.” The policeman quickly translated for Lai Hui, who nodded. The rookie policeman then organized the group, and after assigning tasks, led three robust men and Lai Hui to climb further. It was at this moment that Lai Hui truly understood the policeman’s kindness and helplessness; in such a vast forest, finding one person, even with this many people, was difficult. Over the years, she had lived a sheltered life, but now her boots were caked with thick mud, her high heels flattened, her hands covered in wood chips, her face smeared with dirt, her hair a tangled mess, looking ghastly under the flashlight, occasionally shouting, “Yuqian! Yuqian! Yuqian!” The rookie policeman, not very kindly, compared her elegant appearance before the descent with her current state, concluding — beauty indeed wasn’t natural. Over an hour had passed, and Lai Hui was severely exhausted, almost crawling, when someone handed her a stick, pointing at her feet, “Scrape off some mud; your shoes are getting heavier!” She gratefully took it, sat on a stone, lifted her heavy leg, and dejectedly scraped off the thick mud. Suddenly, a shout came from the forest. She looked up abruptly; several beams of light flickered not far away, yes, they were waving. Her heart was in her throat as she stood there, hearing another shout, “Hey! Hey! Hey! We’ve found him! We’ve found him!” “Did you hear? They said they’ve found him!” The policeman couldn’t contain his excitement, jumping up. Turning around, the figure on the stone was gone. He searched around and saw that slender silhouette already stumbling toward the light. She wiped away tears blurring her vision, not caring about the pits and stones underfoot, running and falling through the undergrowth, the distance still seeming endless. The closer she got, the more unreachable it seemed. It felt like she had exhausted a lifetime of energy to reach those lights, and there, leaning against a man, was the person she had been searching for — barely alive, his head drooping low. Suddenly, she lacked the courage to move forward, frozen in place as if all her strength had been drained in an instant, only her fingers trembling uncontrollably. “He’s not in serious danger!” The elusive policeman, who knew when, was already squatting beside Zhou Yuqian, examining him as if checking a corpse.