Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Saving a Life

Gu Qinghuan plopped herself down on the big rock from earlier, her heart still pounding wildly.

Thank goodness Jiang Xue hadn’t actually died—otherwise, Gu Qinghuan thought she’d be haunted by nightmares for a long time. That scene just now had been terrifying.

Just imagine: a remote mountain village, an old forest, a crooked tree, and a woman hanging lifelessly from it, swaying in the wind…

Jiang Xue took a long time to catch her breath.

She struggled to sit up, her voice hoarse and raspy like a broken gong. “Thank you. How did you know to come looking for me?”

“I saw you heading into the mountains alone when I was on my way home. It was getting dark, and it didn’t seem right, so I followed to check on you,” Gu Qinghuan explained, still shaken.

“Thank goodness you did. Thank you!” This time, Jiang Xue’s gratitude was utterly sincere. If it hadn’t been for Gu Qinghuan today, she really would have died, becoming a lonely wandering ghost with no one to mourn her.

All the grudges between them seemed to vanish in that moment, leaving only calm and relief.

“What were you thinking, doing something like that? You scared me half to death—I thought you…” Gu Qinghuan patted her chest.

“You thought I was dead?” Jiang Xue let out a harsh, self-mocking laugh from her throat.

“Gu Qinghuan, do you know? I really envy you.

I used to envy how easily you won Chen Jianghe’s affection, without even trying.

I envied how, even after you fell into the mud, you still lived like an unstained lotus, so proud.

I always wanted to break that pride of yours.

But now I envy you even more. I envy your courage to face everything head-on, how you always manage to turn things around, to escape danger and come out on top. Why can’t I do that?

Now I’m just like you! My parents were labeled as ‘class enemies’ and sent to the northwest. Now I’m all alone.

I wish I could wake up and find out this was all just a bad dream, that none of it ever happened!” A hot tear slid down her cheek.

Gu Qinghuan suddenly understood. No wonder Jiang Xue had been in such a bad state lately—her family had suffered such a huge blow. No wonder she couldn’t handle it and tried to end her life.

“You… you’re not going to try again, are you?” Gu Qinghuan was worried Jiang Xue would lose hope again once she left.

Jiang Xue knew what she meant.

“No, I won’t! Don’t worry. When I was hanging up there, about to suffocate, I figured it out—better a miserable life than a good death.

If you can manage to live with dignity, why can’t I?”

Gu Qinghuan finally relaxed. With a mouth like Jiang Xue’s, as stubborn as a cockroach, she probably wouldn’t die that easily.

“Alright then, if you’re fine, get up and head back to the educated youth camp. Don’t tell me I have to help you walk?” Gu Qinghuan deliberately tried to provoke her.

Jiang Xue slowly got up from the ground, taking the rope she’d used to hang herself with her.

By the light of Gu Qinghuan’s flashlight, the two of them stumbled down the mountain together.

Neither of them spoke along the way.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t want to talk to her, afraid she’d get angry.

Jiang Xue was embarrassed and awkward. She hadn’t exactly treated Gu Qinghuan well before—always mocking and picking on her.

But if it hadn’t been for Gu Qinghuan today, she’d be dead. The person she’d wronged the most was the one who saved her, holding no grudges. Jiang Xue could only imagine how complicated her feelings were.

Gu Qinghuan walked her all the way to the edge of the educated youth camp.

“We’re almost there, so I won’t go any further. Go on, and don’t do anything stupid again. Life has its ups and downs—who can say what’ll happen?” Gu Qinghuan, for once, offered a word of comfort.

“Thank you, Gu Qinghuan. I owe you my life. If there’s ever anything I can help you with, just say the word,” Jiang Xue said, her face flushing red—though it was hard to see in the dark.

“Don’t. Let’s just call it even. Just don’t cause me any more trouble, and I’ll be grateful,” Gu Qinghuan replied, waving her off and getting ready to leave.

“Um…” Jiang Xue hesitated.

“What is it?”

“Could you… not tell anyone about what happened just now?” Jiang Xue asked awkwardly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got enough on my plate. I don’t have time for gossip.” The implication was clear—she’d keep Jiang Xue’s secret.

Not just about the suicide attempt, but also about her family’s troubles.

Your enemies often know you best. Jiang Xue knew Gu Qinghuan well enough to trust her word.

Gu Qinghuan was proud to her bones—maybe even a bit aloof.

Jiang Xue finally felt at ease and limped back to the camp. Gu Qinghuan didn’t leave until she saw Jiang Xue go through the gate.

After all that, Gu Qinghuan was drenched in cold sweat. She needed a hot bath to recover.

Once she’d settled the two children for the night, Gu Qinghuan finally had time to enter her space.

First, she fed the animals at the ranch, then triggered an artificial rainfall for the plants in the growing area.

By the time she was soaking in the bathtub with a face mask on, it was already 10:30 p.m.

She wondered how Xu Huai’an was doing. Ever since his letter letting her know he was safe, there’d been no more news.

As for Gu Lanting, Ming Ruxue, and Zhong Luoning, she’d received a second letter from them after their initial note saying they were safe.

Gu Lanting and Ming Ruxue were attending school as usual, writing about their daily lives—Gu Qinghuan read their letters with great interest.

With Xiao Zhuo’s help, Zhong Luoning had found a relatively easy and flexible job as a piano tutor for two children from wealthy families.

It was basically one-on-one tutoring, paid by the lesson—five yuan per session, two sessions per week for each child, four sessions total.

That was twenty yuan a week, eighty yuan a month—a very decent income.

After all, for such light work, only sixteen hours a month, she was earning as much as a senior technician.

Zhong Luoning’s tone in her letter was clearly much lighter. It seemed that, no matter the era, a woman’s greatest strength was being able to support herself.

With that, Gu Qinghuan could finally relax."