At night, the rain suddenly started to pour down.
That was how the weather was like over there. The rain poured down without a warning even though it was bright and sunny in the afternoon.
Although they were shielded by the wooden cabin, they were not protected from the mosquitos so Ning Ran set up a mosquito net around the bed so that her precious kids could sleep well inside it.
The mosquitos there were extraordinarily big and had weird marks grown on their wings. A person could be stung even if he/she had a jacket on, and the boils caused by those mosquitoes’’ bites were huge.
The next morning, quite a few of them were swollen all over their body and face and was itching and hurting at the same time.
Nan Chen and Dabao got together again to have a discussion.
Ning Ran was curious about what could the two ‘ice blocks’ be talking about so she tiptoed over again to eavesdrop on them.
“That plant can only treat snake poisons. Mosquito bites and snake poisons are different, and different remedies are used to treat different snakes’ poisons,” explained Nan Chen.
“But we can give it a try,” said Dabao.
“No, we can’t do that,” argued Nan Chen, “what if there are side effects?”
“I don’t think there’ll be any side effects. Those mosquitos may be carriers of diseases because the boils they cause were extraordinarily big. It may be dangerous if we don’t treat it quickly,” said Dabao as he frowned.
Nan Chen was also frowning.
The same expression, the same frown, the same amount of stubbornness lit up on both the kid’s and the adult’s face.
“It’s dangerous to use it too because the side effects may be fatal,” said Nan Chen.
“I don’t think so,” insisted Dabao.
“Any basis for that statement?” asked Nan Chen.
“I think I remember that it can cure contagious diseases, but I’m not certain.”
“If you’re not certain, then it’s best not to try.”
“Mommy?” Dabao realized that Ning Ran was eavesdropping on them.
Ning Ran cleared her throat awkwardly and asked, “What are you two talking about?”
“The Hedy Otis diffusa,” replied Dabao.
“Oh, the plant that could cure diseases?” said Ning Ran who was pretending to be knowledgeable.
“Mommy knows about it too?” said Dabao who was pleasantly surprised.
“Uhh,” said Ning Ran nervously, “A little.”
“Mommy, do you remember if this plant can cure contagious diseases as well as snake’s poison?” asked Dabao whose face was filled with anticipation.
“Uh…. I think so?” said Ning Ran who was even more nervous.
Nan Chen’s sharp eyes scanned Ning Ran’s face to figure her out.
Ning Ran pretended to be calm as she thought I shouldn’t have chimed in. Darn it, why did I act like a knowledgeable woman when I’m just in fact a no brainer?
“So you agree that we should use it to cure the mosquito bites?” asked Nan Chen.
“Uh… About that… I’m not really sure. I think the two of you should decide that,” said Ning Ran who then turned to flee.
Nan Chen was confused about why Ning Ran ran away.
“Mommy is shy around you, Third Uncle,” Dabao explained in his mommy’s place.
Nan Chen got even more confused. That woman is even more shameless than a tree that steals all the nutrients from the soil and leaves nothing for its brethren.
“Third Uncle, that’s two votes from mommy and me, and one vote from you so we won,” declared Dabao.
“Is it? But she never explicitly said anything,” said Nan Chen, “I think she was lying about knowing anything.”
Dabao thought I also think that she was lying.
At that moment, Qiao Zhan approached them and said, “Mr. Nan Chen, some of the guys are feeling unwell. It looks like they have contracted a tropical disease but we don’t have any medicine. What do we do?”
Nan Chen and Dabao turned to one another.
It was obvious that Dabao was right when he said that the mosquitos were the carriers of disease because the symptoms had started to show.
“Let’s go pick up some herbs,” said Nan Chen.
“Okay,” replied Dabao.
In the afternoon, they brewed the plant they collected and made soup for everyone to drink.
There were no negative side effects and those who were infected by the disease started to feel better.
After lunch, Ning Ran and Dabao rested inside the mosquito net.
“Dabao, why does it seem like you know everything?” asked Ning Ran in a soft voice, “Where did you learn all that from?”
“I learned it from books and the internet.”
“But you’re just a kid,” said the confused Ning Ran, “Why were you looking up on medicine?”
“When we were living abroad, I heard that Eastern medicine was special, but I never got the chance to see it for myself so I read some books about it and learned a little about herbal medicine.”
“I never realized that you read books about Eastern medicine.”
“Mommy was too busy. You had to earn money to raise us so you didn’t have time to notice what I was reading.”
Ning Ran felt a little bad as she realized that she knew very little about her own son.
……
At the border of the D. Nation
Looking at the endless prehistoric forest underneath, Zheng Lunlun couldn’t help but be terrified.
That was a natural death trap that was almost impossible to escape if a person fell into it.
Luo Fei was also scared so she kept her eyes closed and was shivering because before they even got on the plane, the rescue team had already informed them of how dangerous that place was.
“Are you nervous?” asked Zheng Lunlun all of a sudden.
“No, I am just excited because I am about to see Nan Chen,” lied Luo Fei.
“Is that so?” said Zheng Lunlun, “But there are acres of forests blocking our view, and we have no idea where they are so it’s difficult to find and rescue them.”
“I believe in you, and I believe that Mr. Nan Chen is a good person who will be protected by the gods.”
“Okay, come on, stop pretending. Tell me, Luo Fei, why do you want to hurt Ding Mi and the kids? And who are those people who are after the kids?” asked Zheng Lunlun.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never wanted to hurt Ding Mi, and the disappearance of the kids has nothing to do with me.” “I may have troubles with Ding Mi in the production set, but those were just work-banter. It’s not personal,” said Luo Fei who was pretending to be calm.
“Oh, really?” asked Zheng Lunlun in a cruel and cold voice, “Then why did you place poisonous needles on Ding Mi’s costume?”
“No, I didn’t,” shouted Luo Fei, “I didn’t do it! It had nothing to do with me. Quit accusing me!”
“I won’t talk about your past sin for the time being. Just tell me, who kidnapped the kids?”
“How would I know? As I said, it had nothing to do with me!”
“Luo Fei,” growled Zheng Lunlun, “you’re really going to act dumb until the last moment, aren’t you?”
“You’re accusing me! I’m going to tell Nan Chen! I had nothing to do with any of those incidents!”
“You’re such a despicable woman. How could you still pretend to be innocent at a time like this? Quan, open the door and throw this woman out,” ordered Zheng Lunlun.
“Yes, sir!”
Luo Fei was terrified upon hearing that because there was no chance of survival after being thrown off the plane.
“Zheng Lunlun, you can’t do that to me. I am Nan Chen’s girlfriend!”
“I’ll give you one last chance. If you refuse to be honest, I will throw you out of this plane. This forest is filled with wild animals and poisonous snakes. You won’t even last a day!”
Luo Fei could tell that Zheng Lunlun wasn’t kidding so she became even more scared.
“Zheng Lunlun, don’t do that to me. We’ll go rescue Nan Chen together and as his girlfriend, I could ask him to give you the role of the male lead for every movie and show he invests in.”
“Like I’d need your help to play a role in a movie invested by Nan Chen?” Zheng Lunlun sneered, “Quit bullshitting and tell me the truth!”
“How could I tell you something I don’t know?”
“Throw her overboard!” said Zheng Lunlun angrily.
