Chapter 48: Holding Onto Belief
Although surrounded by danger, Elsa was no longer panicked or anxious.
She looked up at Bai, whose expression was calm and composed, then turned to An Yu, who was still chatting and laughing with her grandparents.
Sigh.
Elsa sighed inwardly.
She hugged Bella tightly. The silent Bella was actually quite cute, but her sudden silence at this dangerous moment was a bad sign.
Few people knew that Bella’s combat strength was no less than Elsa’s, and she was also more controllable, unlike Elsa, who was prone to friendly fire.
However, whenever Elsa used her ability, they had to clear the area for at least a kilometer.
Even Awakened Ones would experience a momentary trance upon hearing her voice, let alone ordinary people.
Those with weaker constitutions might even die from just a few words.
So, even when Bella had fought, no one had witnessed it.
The more serious problem was… although Bella was strong, she was also disobedient, only taking action when Elsa’s life was in danger.
Otherwise, even if Elsa ordered her to, she would only pretend to comply.
“Damn it, at such a crucial moment…”
Elsa clenched her small fists.
She had just told Bai she could protect her, but now they were in grave danger…
And Sister An Yu, poor Sister An Yu…
Elsa felt a familiar sense of helplessness, as if she had experienced something similar in her blocked-off past.
Just then, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Bai’s calm eyes gazing at her, her gentle voice echoing in her mind,
“Don’t worry, Elsa, just wait a little longer… They will come and save us.”
Although she didn’t know how Bai could speak directly into her mind, Elsa felt inexplicably reassured by her words.
Yes, although the members of the exchange group often bickered and argued, they had never backed down when a comrade was in danger.
Brother Liu, Sister Yang, and everyone else…
They were all good people.
Elsa had never doubted this.
Meanwhile, as An Yu’s emotions gradually calmed, the worry in her grandparents’ eyes dissipated, replaced by loving smiles.
Grandpa held his old pipe in his mouth, habitually filling it with tobacco, then hesitated, seeing the young girls inside.
Grandma gently stroked An Yu’s hair, her other hand resting on her knee, and said softly,
“Xiao Yu, if anything bothers you in the future, come and tell Grandma. Grandma will definitely stand up for you!”
“Mm-hmm.”
An Yu nodded vigorously, a smile appearing on her lips.
She glanced at Luo Ling and Elsa, seeing their usual calm expressions, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the situation in Baiyan Village wasn’t too bad after all.
They just had to wait for the senior members of the Patient Exchange Group to arrive. With them here, this problem would surely be resolved.
The Patient Exchange Group had faced dangerous situations before and had always pulled through.
This time would be no different.
As long as her grandparents were alive, there was still hope.
“Alright, alright, this old man won’t spoil the mood any longer. You girls chat with your grandma.” Grandpa picked up a box of matches, smiled at An Yu, and said, “My dear granddaughter, Grandpa will go tend to the specialty product and make you a pot of soup tonight!”
At the mention of the specialty product, An Yu’s face paled, and the nausea she had suppressed returned, her stomach churning.
Seeing this, Luo Ling quickly stepped forward and said,
“Grandpa, we don’t need the specialty product. Xiao Yu isn’t used to it.”
She glanced at An Yu and continued, “She had an upset stomach at lunch, so… let’s not.”
At the same time, Luo Ling’s voice echoed in An Yu’s mind,
“Ordinary people can’t see Grotesqueries, and neither can your grandparents.”
Yes, yes… that’s right…
…It must be so.
Since Xiao Bai had said so, it must be true.
An Yu nodded slightly, fighting back her nausea.
“Yes, Grandpa… no need for the specialty product. I had a bad stomachache at lunch…”
“Is that so?” Disappointment flickered across Grandpa’s face. “But it’s such a good thing, such a waste…”
“What nonsense are you talking about, old man? Our granddaughter is sick, and you’re still worried about your precious specialty product?”
Grandma glared at Grandpa, then turned to An Yu with concern. “Xiao Yu, is your stomach still bothering you? Should we go see the doctor? That nasty specialty product, making our Xiao Yu sick! We won’t eat it anymore! We’ll burn it all!”
“It’s okay, Grandma, there… won’t be any more in the future.”
A faint smile appeared on An Yu’s face. Yes, this was her grandma, not some monster. Only her grandma would care about her like this.
Grandma was so kind…
Luo Ling watched this scene in silence, her heart aching.
Images of warm memories flashed through her mind, but she quickly suppressed them.
No, this wasn’t the time to think about these things.
She had to stay focused, hold onto her belief.
Luo Ling pushed away the emotions welling up within her, her expression returning to its usual calm.
“Well… even if we don’t eat it, we can still sell it for a lot of money.”
Grandpa sighed, as if lamenting how his wife didn’t understand the value of money.
“Is money more important than our granddaughter?” Grandma glared at him.
“Our granddaughter, of course, our granddaughter!” Grandpa quickly replied. “Alright, this old man will go loosen the soil in the yard and get out of your sight.”
He picked up a hoe and shuffled towards the backyard.
Grandma lovingly stroked An Yu’s hair. “Don’t mind him, our Xiao Yu is the best…”
She then looked up at Luo Ling and Elsa and said warmly,
“Little girls, don’t be shy. Since you’re Xiao Yu’s friends, you’re family here. Don’t stand on ceremony.”
She pushed the fruit and candy on the table towards Luo Ling and Elsa. “Eat, eat. If you want anything else, Grandma will go buy it for you from Old Huang’s store at the village entrance.”
“Thank you, Grandma, this is enough, no need to trouble yourself,” Luo Ling said politely, taking a plate of fruit and casually biting into an apple.
At the same time, her perspective shifted to another location.
—Following Grandpa into the backyard.
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