The June sun was so scorching it seemed to crack the soil. On the threshing ground of the Red Flag Production Brigade, dust swirled in the wind, seeping into one's nostrils. Lin Wanqiu had just finished gathering the last bundle of straw when sweat dripped from her forehead, hitting the scorching ground and disappearing instantly. She lifted her coarse cloth jacket to wipe the sweat, intending to catch her breath, when she heard a series of urgent shouts from the east, mixed with a woman's cries, lashing out like a whip, sending shivers down her spine.

"Oh no! Someone has fallen from the roof!"

"It's Old Wang's second son! Quickly, go find the barefoot doctor!"

The shouts grew closer, and Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat—Wang Tiedan, the second son of the Wang family, was only sixteen years old and was a well-known strong young man in the team. How could he have fallen off the roof? She didn't even have time to wipe her sweat. She grabbed the water bottle that was placed to the side and ran eastward. Just after turning two earthen walls, she saw a group of people gathered in the Wang family's yard. The sounds of discussion and crying were mixed together, as chaotic as a pot of porridge.

She squeezed in and her heart clenched instantly. Wang Tiedan lay on the muddy ground in the center of the courtyard, his face deathly pale, his right leg twisted at an eerie angle, his trouser leg soaked in blood, a glaring red. His mother sat slumped beside him, slapping her thigh and crying, "My son! If anything were to happen to you, how could I live!" Old Wang squatted to the side, his pipe clenched so tightly it turned white, his eyes red-rimmed, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"Where's the barefoot doctor? Why hasn't he arrived yet?" someone couldn't help but shout.

"He went to a meeting at the commune! He said he won't be back until the afternoon!"

"What should we do? Tie Dan's leg looks bad; if we wait any longer, something bad might happen!"

The murmurs were filled with anxiety. Lin Wanqiu stared at the bleeding wound on Wang Tiedan's leg, her fingers stealthily reaching for her waist—where her spatial jade pendant was hidden. Ever since she saved Nian'an with the spatial herbs, she had organized her commonly used medicines into the "medical kit" compartment of her space. It contained not only anti-inflammatory drugs and hemostatic powder, but also bandages and splints to stabilize bones. But with so many people surrounding them, how could she take out the medicine without being noticed?

Just as they were pondering this, the crowd suddenly stepped back, and a shrill voice broke through: "What's all the noise about? It's just a fall, why are you wailing like that? Isn't that bad luck!"

Lin Wanqiu looked up and saw Grandma Shen and her sister-in-law Zhang Lan, both carrying baskets, looking like they had just returned from the fields. Grandma Shen glanced at Wang Tiedan on the ground, her brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly: "I thought it was something serious. Young people are tough, they'll be fine in a couple of days. Why are you making such a fuss?"

Zhang Lan chimed in, "That's right. Besides, even if we want treatment, we'll need money for medicine. With the Wang family's circumstances, I'm afraid they can't afford it, right?" As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Wanqiu, her meaning all too clear—Lin Wanqiu, you have some "surplus funds" on hand, why don't you use them to treat other people's injuries?

Upon hearing this, Old Wang lowered his head even further, his face flushed red, and his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word. Wang Tiedan's mother stopped crying, but just stared blankly at Lin Wanqiu, her eyes filled with a hint of expectation and a touch of embarrassment.

Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly—this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, they never miss an opportunity to stir up trouble, no matter where they go. She didn't respond to Zhang Lan's words, but squatted down and pretended to examine Wang Tiedan's wound, her voice as calm as possible: "Auntie, Uncle, don't panic. It looks like Tiedan's leg is broken, but it's not a vital injury. Let's stop the bleeding first, and then we'll set the bone when the barefoot doctor comes back. It should be nothing serious."

"But...but there's no medicine!" Wang Tiedan's mother's voice trembled with anxiety.

Lin Wanqiu touched her pocket as if looking for something. In fact, her fingers had already touched the jade pendant. With a thought, a small bottle of hemostatic powder and a pack of gauze silently slid into her coarse cloth pocket. She had already divided the medicine into small portions in her space. The outer packaging was the kind of oil paper commonly used in this era, and it looked no different from ordinary herbal powder.

“I still have some hemostatic powder that I brought from my parents’ home. It’s a folk remedy from my grandmother. It’s quite effective for treating external injuries. Let’s use it on Tiedan first.” As she spoke, she took out an oil paper package, deliberately making the packaging look old so as not to arouse suspicion.

Grandma Shen's eyes lit up, and she quickly came over: "A folk remedy from your family? Such a precious thing, you're willing to take it out?" She reached out to snatch it, but Lin Wanqiu dodged to the side.

"Mother, what are you saying? We're all from the same brigade, we see each other all the time. If something really happens to Tiedan, we'll all be upset. Besides, this medicine is just sitting here anyway, it's better to use it in an emergency." Lin Wanqiu said, opening the oil paper package. A faint herbal scent wafted out—this was a herbal scent she had deliberately mixed in her space to avoid giving away the modern smell of the hemostatic powder.

She carefully sprinkled the hemostatic powder onto Wang Tiedan's wound, her movements gentle yet swift. Wang Tiedan, who had been gasping for breath in pain, soon relaxed his furrowed brow after the powder was applied, and his voice softened: "Mother...it doesn't hurt so much anymore..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiedan's mother burst into tears again, but this time it was out of emotion: "Wanqiu! Thank you so much! Your medicine is so effective! If you ever need any help with chores, just let me know!"

"Auntie, you're too kind. It's my pleasure." Lin Wanqiu smiled, then took out gauze and carefully bandaged Wang Tiedan's leg. "Uncle, Auntie, please don't move him yet. I'll go to the kitchen to boil some hot water and find a wooden board to fix his leg in place so the bones don't shift."

As she spoke, she headed towards Old Wang's kitchen. Just as she reached the door, Old Mrs. Shen stopped her: "Wait a minute! Did you bring this medicine from your parents' home? I didn't know your parents had such good stuff. Have you been hiding a lot of good things?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!