The 60s Island: The Daily Life of a Capitalist Young Lady with the Army - Chapter 62: Only One Thought—Save Him!

Chapter 62: Only One Thought—Save Him!

Xu Xiangsi rolled her eyes. “Playing mysterious now, are we?”

Despite her words, she gritted her teeth and continued working diligently with renewed determination.

Her momentum only grew stronger as she dug, soon unearthing a second, then a third…

Many others were also gathering seafood along the shore—elderly men and women, young couples with children—all scattered across different spots, busy with their tasks. The setting sun cast elongated shadows that stretched into the golden shimmer of the waves, creating a scene as gentle and tranquil as a painting.

Time passed unnoticed until both their metal buckets were filled to the brim with fresh, plump razor clams, mixed with a few crabs and clams that made their mouths water.

But then came the problem—

“Little ancestor, why is your bucket still full of these broken shells?” Long Peiye frowned, lifting the bucket and giving it a shake. “Add two more crabs and it’ll overflow!”

“No way, these are all my treasures!” Xu Xiangsi protectively hugged her small bucket as if guarding a fortune. “Every single one has a story!”

“Keeping so many takes up space. How about discarding a few?” Long Peiye sighed helplessly, forced to compromise. “Alright, I’ll go find a bag to help you carry them. We can’t let hunger wait, right?”

No sooner had he spoken than he turned toward the shore, calling back over his shoulder:

“Don’t wander off. Stay right here and wait for me, understand?”

“Got it!” Xu Xiangsi waved, plopping back down on the sand to count her spoils.

Just then, a faint, intermittent cry for help drifted from the depths of the sea:

“Help… help…”

The voice was thin but piercing, especially jarring in the quiet dusk!

Without a second thought, Xu Xiangsi instinctively looked toward the distance and spotted a dark figure struggling desperately about a hundred meters from the shore, bobbing up and down in the water!

Oh no, someone was drowning!

Before anyone around could react, she had already flung her small shovel, hat, and bucket aside and dashed into the waves!

The cold, salty seawater instantly surged past her knees. She paid no mind to her soaked shoes and socks, nor to her pants clinging heavily to her legs, focusing solely on swimming vigorously toward that direction!

Closer, just a bit closer—

She finally saw clearly: it was a boy of about eight or nine, now floating limply on the water’s surface, his face pale and lips purple. Clearly, he had swallowed a lot of water and was at his weakest!

Xu Xiangsi’s mind went blank, leaving only one thought—save him!

She cut through the waves, striving toward the small figure battling the line between life and death.

Years of swimming experience kept her utterly calm. She avoided approaching the terrified child head-on.

Drowning victims, in their panic, could unleash astonishing strength, clutching desperately at anything within reach—a survival instinct that could also drag rescuers into the abyss.

Holding her breath, she dove underwater, silently maneuvering behind the boy.

Then, with a splash, she surfaced, grabbing the boy’s thin shoulders and lifting him upward with all her strength!

“Cough… cough! Cough!”

The boy’s face finally broke the surface, and he gasped greedily for air, coughing violently from the water he’d inhaled.

The instinct to survive instantly restored a bit of his strength. Like grabbing a lifeline, he turned and tried to cling to Xu Xiangsi.

His arms flailed wildly, his legs kicked about, and he wrapped around her like an octopus.

This created a huge problem for Xu Xiangsi’s rescue efforts. Tangled up like this, she nearly lost her balance and sank deeper into the water.

“Stop moving!”

She shouted sharply, but the terrified child wouldn’t listen.

Gritting her teeth, Xu Xiangsi didn’t hesitate. She freed one hand and gave his wet forehead a firm but not too hard slap.

“Smack!”

The sound was crisp and clear.

“If you dare move again, I’ll push you back into the water and let you drown!”

Her voice was cold and hard, carrying an undeniable fierceness.

The little boy was stunned by the slap, his flailing movements stopping instantly.

He stared blankly at this pretty older sister, whose beautiful eyes were now filled with such ferocity that it scared him. With a loud “wah,” he opened his mouth and started crying.

“Crying?”

Xu Xiangsi raised an eyebrow, her tone turning even colder.

“Cry one more time, and I’ll drown you just the same.”

The boy’s crying stopped abruptly, like a chicken whose neck had been wrung.

His eyes were red and swollen from the water, tears still streaming down, but he kept his mouth tightly shut. Even his sobs were reduced to quiet, suppressed hiccups in his throat.

Only then was Xu Xiangsi satisfied.

Holding the boy’s arm with one hand, she adjusted her position and began swimming strenuously toward the shore, dragging this “little burden” along.

Meanwhile.

Long Peiye was walking back briskly, carrying the woven plastic bag he’d just borrowed from a military family member he knew.

He was still calculating in his mind whether to stir-fry the full bucket of razor clams with chili or prepare them with scallion oil when he got back.

But when he returned to the spot, the smile on his face instantly froze.

The beach was empty.

Xu Xiangsi’s large straw hat had been blown aside by the wind, the small metal bucket was overturned, and the shells and crabs inside were scattered all over the sand.

Her treasured little shovel stood alone, stuck in a pile of sand.

Long Peiye’s heart sank violently.

He instinctively looked up, his eyes frantically scanning the sea surface.

Then, he saw it.

About a hundred meters from the shore, a familiar figure was bobbing up and down in the water.

It was Xu Xiangsi!

In that instant, a “buzz” filled Long Peiye’s head, as if a bomb had exploded.

She’s drowning!

The thought struck him like a thunderbolt, scattering his soul and turning his limbs ice-cold in an instant.

He didn’t even have time to wonder why Xu Xiangsi, who had been treasure hunting on the beach, had gone into the sea, or why she, who could swim, was drowning.

Like a madman, he tore off his military shirt and flung it onto the sand, revealing his sturdy, well-built upper body.

“Xiangsi!”

A roar burst from his throat, carrying a fear and tremor he hadn’t even realized he possessed.

Like a frenzied leopard, he plunged into the cold seawater, using all his strength to cut through the waves and charge in that direction.

The water rose past his chest, waves splashing against his face, salty and bitter.

But he couldn’t care about any of that.

His eyes were fixed intently on that figure, his mind holding only one thought.

Don’t let anything happen.

You absolutely, absolutely must not be in danger!