Chapter 732

Jane couldn't stop her wildly racing thoughts no matter how hard she tried. She had squeezed her eyes shut for what felt like ages, yet the terrifying crash she'd imagined still hadn't come. When she finally dared to peek, she saw everyone in the elevator slumped weakly against the walls, many quietly sobbing. Even the round-faced uncle holding her had gone limp, leaning heavily against the elevator wall. Noticing her open eyes, he reached out to ruffle her hair, his voice gentle but shaky. "It's alright now. The elevator stopped again. We're going to be okay." No sooner had he spoken than a tiny black ant crawled onto Jane's hand. A faint glow appeared, and her face instantly lit up with unrestrained joy. "Brother Frederick is here! We're saved!" Mina grabbed her sister's hand excitedly. "The fox spirit came? Oh thank goodness! We're saved! Thank you, fox spirit! Thank your whole family! Thank your ancestors eight generations back—" Jane's lips twitched at her sister's bizarrely earnest gratitude. She couldn't help wondering what Brother Frederick would think if he heard Mina's... unique way of showing appreciation. Just then, rescue noises echoed from outside the elevator, followed by voices calling to check on them. The two uncles carefully set the girls down, and the sisters immediately clasped hands, their wide eyes shining with the exhilaration of survivors. Soon, the malfunction was fixed, and the doors slid open. Jane spotted Frederick immediately tall and poised amid the chaos outside. She threw her tiny arms wide and sprinted toward him, her little feet pattering wildly. "Brother Frederick!" In one smooth motion, he scooped her up and crushed her against his chest. God knows how terrified he had been when he saw that elevator plummeting down just moments ago. It felt like an invisible hand had clenched around his heart, squeezing the life out of him. For a fleeting moment, he had even thought of rushing forward to catch the falling elevator himself. The moment Jane was safely in Frederick’s arms, all the emotions she had been holding back came flooding out. Tears streamed down her cheeks like broken beads, uncontrollable and unstoppable. Between shaky sobs, she stammered, "Brother Frederick… I… I thought I’d never see you or my brothers again… Waaah…" Frederick gently patted her back, his voice soothing. "It’s okay now, it’s okay. I’m here." When John hurried back, he saw Frederick holding Jane while Mina stood silently beside them, head bowed, lost in thought. John shot Frederick a glare sharp enough to cut ice before striding over and scooping Mina into his arms. Startled, Mina looked up and quickly wiped the tears brimming in her eyes. "Big Brother, you’re here… I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I was too busy playing and didn’t take Jane home in time." John cradled her securely with one arm while gently stroking her head with the other. "It’s not your fault. As long as you and Jane are safe, that’s all that matters to me." Hearing her big brother’s voice, Jane stretched out her tiny arms, her lips trembling with lingering distress as she lunged toward him. John effortlessly balanced both girls in his arms one on each side and gazed tenderly at Jane, his voice soft. "There, there, Jane. Don’t cry anymore, or you won’t be the prettiest girl anymore." "Let’s go home," he said, shifting to carry them both. "Wait!" Jane hastily wiped her tears, her big, glistening eyes scanning the crowd. Her voice, still hoarse from crying, came out in an adorable, muffled tone. "Big Brother, there were two uncles in the elevator who lifted me and Sister up to the vent. I want to thank them." But after searching the crowd, she realized the two men had already slipped away. Mina reminded her, "Jane, those two uncles got on the elevator with us from the 14th floor. Their wives might be hospitalized there after giving birth. Let's go check the 14th floor later." Jane nodded eagerly. "Okay!" John set them down and took each by the hand. "Come on, big brother will go with you." To their surprise, not only were both uncles' wives recovering from childbirth on the maternity ward, but they were even sharing the same hospital room. As John led Mina and Jane inside, with Frederick following behind, they were met with a heartwarming sight—the two men cradling their wives and newborns, tears of joy streaming down their faces. Hand in hand, the two adorable little girls stepped forward, then bowed deeply in unison. Their sweet voices chimed together, "Thank you, uncles! We’ll never forget your kindness in saving us!" The round-faced uncle and the tall, lean uncle blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter at the girls' earnest cuteness. Beside the round-faced uncle, his wife, a woman with short hair and a pale complexion from recent childbirth—gazed at Jane, her eyes suddenly lighting up. Clutching her husband’s arm excitedly, she asked, "Are you Jane? The Wallace family’s Jane?" With a sweet smile and a soft, milky voice, Jane replied, "Yes, Auntie! That’s me!" Overcome with excitement, the woman momentarily forgot her postpartum pain. She quickly lifted the swaddled newborn beside her. "Jane, could you come closer so my baby can see you?" Though puzzled by the odd request, Jane obediently toddled over. Peering at the tiny, delicate infant in the blanket, she felt a warm flutter of joy. The woman leaned down and whispered tenderly to her baby, "Look, sweetheart this is Sister Jane. She’s the most beautiful, most wonderful little girl in the whole world!" "Take a good look at Sister Jane and remember how she looks. Grow up to be just as pretty as her!" Jane: "..." Round-faced Uncle: "..." Everyone in the ward: "..." Though no one quite understood the auntie’s bizarre logic, they could all sense the earnest hope in her heart that her daughter would grow up beautiful. Even the tiny newborn in the swaddle seemed to feel it. Though only two days old, the little one cracked a toothless grin at Jane. Jane was utterly charmed. If not for fear of dropping the fragile baby, she would have scooped her up in a hug right then. When it was time to say goodbye to the two uncles and the auntie, Jane noticed the men thanking her older brother. She wasn’t sure exactly how her brother had conveyed their gratitude, but whatever he’d done, it clearly worked the uncles accepted it warmly. But what Jane didn’t expect was how lucky she and her sister would be. The moment they stepped out of the uncles’ ward, they spotted Rory walking down the hallway toward the central lobby. And just as Jane saw her Rory saw them too.