CHAPTER 1181: CHAPTER 1181: GATHERING (4)

An Yiqing stepped forward and felt the pulse of the old woman. She nodded slightly and said, "As long as the old woman’s condition doesn’t worsen in the next twenty-four hours, it should be fine. No infections, no further injuries—just make it through these twenty-four hours."

Ah Mi started crying again in excitement. Feeling the slight struggle of the person in her arms, she sniffled and anxiously asked, "Grandma, are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere? Do you want to say something?"

The old woman struggled to open her eyes and painfully uttered a few words.

"Home... under the bed... escape...!"

After speaking, the old woman once again fell unconscious.

After checking her body and confirming she was merely unconscious, An Yiqing breathed a sigh of relief.

"What does Grandma mean? Under the bed? Escape? Where does she want us to escape to?" Ah Mi wiped her tears, her swollen eyes filled with confusion as she muttered to herself.

An Yiqing remained silent. After a long time, she raised her weary eyes to look in Ah Mi’s direction.

"Ah Mi, didn’t you once tell me that Grandma never let you lie on her bed?"

Ah Mi froze for a moment. "Yeah! Grandma doesn’t like me going into her room. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had my own room to stay in. Is there something wrong with that...?"

"What Grandma just said might mean there’s something under her bed that could help us escape. I suggest we go back home to check and see if we can find anything."

An Yiqing recalled the snippets of conversation they overheard in Li Changqing’s courtyard when they arrived—some strangers were clearly searching for something.

Ah Mi nodded, hurriedly grabbing some herbs as instructed by An Yiqing. Then, placing the old woman on Dashan’s back, she supported An Yiqing as they staggered off into the night.

By this time, it had been over half an hour since they entered the village. When they arrived at Ah Mi and Grandma’s house, they happened to encounter those empty-handed strangers on their way out.

"Quick! Now’s our chance!"

An Yiqing, with her sharp ears, heard the sound of the strangers’ footsteps fade into the distance. It seemed like they wouldn’t return anytime soon. She instructed Ah Mi to support her, with Dashan carrying Grandma behind them. They slipped into the courtyard under the cover of darkness, rushed into Grandma’s bedroom, and firmly locked the door behind them.

"Ah Mi, check Grandma’s bed. See if there’s anything unusual."

Following An Yiqing’s instructions, Ah Mi quickly flipped Grandma’s bed upside down. Perhaps because Grandma was old and preferred hard beds, her wooden bed only had two thin blankets on top. There was really nothing to flip—everything was in plain view.

"Xiao Yu, there’s nothing! There’s absolutely nothing on Grandma’s bed!"

Frowning slightly, An Yiqing, with Ah Mi’s help, felt her way to the side of the bed. Just as she was about to take another step, her foot hit a hardwood board.

"Isn’t the space under Grandma’s bed empty?"

Ah Mi froze, then shook her head. "Grandma’s bed is really old-fashioned—square and compact, like a block of tofu. I once suggested she switch to a bed with space underneath to store things, but she said she wasn’t used to that."

An Yiqing didn’t reply. She bent down and lightly tapped on the wooden board at the side of the bed.

Hmm? Solid?

Frowning, she moved to another spot and knocked again—still solid!

Could she have guessed wrong?!

According to her theory, there should be a hidden passage beneath Grandma’s bed that led outside the island. Could it be that she was mistaken?

Unwilling to give up, An Yiqing knocked on every part of the compact, square bed, only to be disappointed to find it all completely solid.

"Xiao Yu, did you find anything? Could there really be a hidden tunnel under Grandma’s bed? I’m totally impressed with her. When exactly did she secretly dig something like that out? No wonder the little lamp by her bed is so rusted—turns out it’s because she was sneaking underneath to dig for fun!"