After seeing Aunt Li and Zhu Zi off, Lin Wanqiu returned to the house and found that Nian'an was already awake, rubbing his eyes and looking at her. She went over, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and patted his head: "Niannian, did the crying just now wake you up?"
Shen Nian'an shook her head, her little hand clutching Lin Wanqiu's clothes: "Mommy, what's wrong with little Zhuzi? Is he in a lot of pain?"
"Little Zhuzi accidentally cut himself on a rock, but Mom has already treated it and it doesn't hurt anymore." Lin Wanqiu hugged Nian'an tightly. "Niannian, you have to be careful when you go out to play in the future. You can't go to dangerous places like the river, okay?"
Shen Nian'an nodded vigorously, resting her little head in Lin Wanqiu's arms: "Mom, you're so amazing, you can cure people's illnesses."
Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. Remembering what Nian'an had said yesterday, "Mom is amazing," she couldn't help but smile: "Mom just learned this too. If Nian'an gets hurt by accident in the future, Mom can help you treat your wounds."
Shen Nian'an looked up, her eyes sparkling: "Then can Mommy help other children get treatment in the future?"
"Of course you can," Lin Wanqiu said, gently pinching his nose. "But Mom doesn't have much medicine, so it can only help with minor wounds. If you have a serious illness, you'll still have to go to the clinic."
Shen Nian'an nodded as if he understood, then yawned. Lin Wanqiu laid him down and tucked him in: "Go to sleep, Mom will make your favorite steamed egg custard tomorrow."
After Nian'an fell asleep, Lin Wanqiu went back into her spatial dimension. Looking at the medicine in the first-aid kit, she felt uneasy—when she was treating Zhu Zi's wounds earlier, Aunt Li must have noticed that her medicine and gauze were very new, and that she also had fruit candies. These things were rare these days; how would she explain if someone questioned her about it?
"It seems I'll have to be more careful when using things from this space in the future." Lin Wanqiu sighed and flipped through the medical manual again. She needed to learn these basic medical skills as soon as possible so that she could handle the situation more calmly if someone got injured in the future.
Just then, a knock came from outside the room, accompanied by a man's voice: "Is Lin Wanqiu home? I'm the militia captain of the brigade. I have something to tell you."
Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat—what did the militia captain want with her? Could it be about Zhu Zi? She quickly exited the space, straightened her clothes, and walked to the door to open it.
Standing at the door was Zhang Qiang, the militia captain of the brigade. He was holding a flashlight and his face was somewhat serious: "Wanqiu, Aunt Li just said that you helped Zhuzi treat his wound?"
Lin Wanqiu nodded, feeling a little nervous: "Yes, Zhuzi's wound is quite deep. It's inconvenient to go to the commune clinic in the middle of the night, so I treated it for him first."
Zhang Qiang frowned: "What did you use to treat it? I heard that the medicine and gauze you used were very new, and you even had fruit candy? Wanqiu, you know that these things are very rare these days. You have to tell me the truth, where did you get these things?"
Lin Wanqiu had anticipated this question. She composed herself and said, "Captain Zhang, these things were all sent to me by my family. My family lives in the county town, where they are better off than here. They know it's not easy for me to raise a child alone, so they occasionally send me things. Last time Nian'an had a fever, I used the herbs my family sent to boil water for him to drink."
Zhang Qiang stared at her for a while, and seeing that she looked calm and didn't seem to be lying, he breathed a sigh of relief: "So that's how it is. I was just asking, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that the commune has been cracking down hard lately, and they're afraid that someone might be hiding contraband. It's a blessing that your family can send you these things."
"Thank you for your understanding, Captain Zhang." Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief. "I know the current policies, and I definitely won't be hiding any contraband. If there's anything, Captain Zhang, please feel free to ask me."
Zhang Qiang nodded: "Alright, I won't disturb your rest any longer. If there's any problem with Zhu Zi's wound, have Aunt Li contact me again, and I'll take them to the commune clinic."
After seeing Zhang Qiang off, Lin Wanqiu leaned against the door and let out a soft sigh of relief. She had been on tenterhooks just now; thankfully, she had prepared an explanation beforehand, otherwise it would have been difficult to explain. It seemed she would have to be more careful using things from her spatial storage in the future, and it would be best to find a reasonable excuse, such as that they were sent from her family or exchanged for with food coupons.
Back inside, Lin Wanqiu looked at Nian'an sleeping soundly on the kang (heated brick bed), a gentle smile appearing on her face. Although life was tough these days, and her awful in-laws kept causing trouble, as long as Nian'an was there, and with the space as her strong support, she was confident she could make the most of it.
She recalled the grateful look in Aunt Li's eyes when she treated Zhu Zi's wounds, and a thought suddenly occurred to her—if anyone in the village got injured in the future, she could secretly use the medicine from her space to help treat them. This would not only help her build connections but also earn her more trust from the villagers. However, the premise was that she couldn't reveal the secret of her space.
"I'll have to be more careful from now on," Lin Wanqiu muttered to herself. She went back into her spatial dimension, carefully put away the medical kit, and then picked up the "Basic Medical Handbook" to continue studying. She knew that only by mastering more skills could she better survive in this era and protect herself and Nian'an.
Before she knew it, dawn was breaking. Lin Wanqiu closed the handbook, exited the space, and began preparing breakfast. Today, she planned to use the flour from the space to make steamed buns and boil a few eggs to give Nian'an some extra nutrition. Thinking of how happy Nian'an would be eating the steamed buns, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
Just as I put the steamed buns into the pot, I heard Aunt Li's voice from outside the courtyard gate: "Wanqiu, are you up? I've brought you some eggs!"
Lin Wanqiu quickly went to open the door and saw Aunt Li holding a cloth bag containing five eggs: "Wanqiu, thank you so much for yesterday. These eggs were laid by my chickens. Please take them to Nian'an to help her recover. Don't be shy, I'll feel bad if you don't accept them."
Looking into Aunt Li's sincere eyes, Lin Wanqiu knew that she genuinely wanted to thank her, so she took the cloth bag and said, "Then I thank you, Aunt Li. If you need any help in the future, please just let me know."
Aunt Li smiled happily when she saw that she had accepted the eggs: "Okay, okay. I won't bother you while you cook. Zhu Zi is still waiting for me at home."
After seeing Aunt Li off, Lin Wanqiu looked at the eggs in her hand, feeling a warmth in her heart. She knew that as long as she treated people sincerely, they would treat her sincerely in return. From now on, she would no longer be alone in this village; she would have more and more friends, and her life would get better and better.
She put the eggs in the pot and cooked them with the steamed buns. Soon, the aroma of steamed buns and eggs filled the air. Nian'an woke up, rubbed her eyes, and went to the kitchen doorway, whispering, "Mommy, it smells so good."
Lin Wanqiu walked over, picked up Nian'an, and kissed him on the cheek: "Yes, the steamed buns and eggs will be ready soon, and Nian'an will be able to eat them soon."
Shen Nian'an hugged Lin Wanqiu's neck and smiled happily: "That's great, I love Mom's steamed buns and eggs the most."
Looking at her child's happy smile, Lin Wanqiu felt a surge of happiness. She knew this was just the beginning of her journey to success. From now on, she would lead Nian'an, relying on the space and their own efforts, to live a wonderful life together in the 1960s.
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