Falling Into the Water

The carriage trudged slowly and arduously through the wind and snow. Lily Evans and Lucky sat inside, when suddenly there was a clunk—the carriage came to a halt.

"Madam, Sir, it seems the carriage wheel is broken," the coachman said.

"Wife, I'll go check the wheel. Maybe I can help out," Lucky said.

"Go ahead," Lily Evans nodded.

Lucky jumped off the carriage. The coachman, seeing Lucky approach, pointed to the wheel with a distressed face. "Sir, look, the wheel has come off the axle. The axle wasn't fastened properly. This is bad—we'll have to lift the carriage and fix the axle before we can move again."

"I'm strong. I'll lift the carriage, you fix the wheel," Lucky said, rolling up his sleeves.

The coachman glanced at Lucky. He was certainly sturdy, but the carriage weighed several hundred pounds—could Lucky really lift it by himself?

Lily Evans heard the conversation outside, lifted the curtain, and jumped out of the carriage. The coachman didn't know how strong Lucky was, but she certainly did. With that much weight, Lucky could lift the carriage by himself.

Lucky hurriedly said, "Wife, why did you get out? The wind and snow are so strong—you'll catch cold!"

Lily Evans smiled, "If you're lifting the carriage, how could I just sit inside? I'd only make it harder for you."

Lucky scratched his head and grinned. He squatted under the carriage, braced the wooden boards with his shoulder, gave a hearty shout, and used his legs and waist to push up—he actually lifted the carriage! The coachman was left dumbfounded.

"Coachman, hurry up and fix it!" Lily Evans couldn't bear to see Lucky holding up the carriage for so long and reminded him. The coachman quickly got to work, muttering, "Sir, you're so strong! Stronger than an ox! With that waist and those legs, if I had your build, my wife would be over the moon."

The coachman grumbled as he fixed the wheel. Lily Evans, bored, wandered nearby and noticed they had stopped by a riverside—the carriage had broken down just as they were about to cross the bridge.

Lily Evans stood on the bridge, squinting at the snowy landscape. All around was a vast expanse of white, quiet and beautiful. Large, feathery snowflakes fell, covering the world in a white coat.

While Lily was lost in thought admiring the snow, a group of beggars suddenly appeared out of nowhere and crowded onto the bridge.

The bridge was wide, but for some reason the beggars squeezed right up to Lily Evans, surrounding her in the middle.

Suddenly, Lily heard a voice from the group of beggars: "This woman has money! She's carrying lots of silver!"

The voice was hoarse, as if deliberately roughened, sharp and nasty. It was uncomfortable to hear.

Then the beggars went wild, lunging at Lily Evans. Countless hands reached out, grabbing for her silver.

Lily Evans was shocked, but quickly reacted—she spun around and dodged, avoiding the hands reaching for her.

But the beggars were relentless. Lily Evans had just escaped one, only to be blocked by another. She was completely surrounded.

Lily Evans gritted her teeth. She pulled out a dagger from her sleeve, pressed it to her chest, and glared at the beggars, her eyes filled with cold determination.