The road from Lanyuan Town to Qingxi Town has been repaired and is very smooth. Tractors can drive it smoothly with a sputtering sound.
Neither Xing Zhaozhao nor Gao Qingshan had ever been to Qingxi Town, but Da Han was very familiar with the area because he had been conscripted to transport sand and gravel when the road was being built there.
In early spring, March, the weather was still a bit cold. Sitting on the tractor without any shelter, the wind whistled against their faces and pierced their necks. Although Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Qingshan were dressed warmly, they still couldn't help but hunch their necks.
"Uncle Da Han, how much longer until we get there?" Xing Zhaozhao asked loudly.
As soon as she opened her mouth, the wind rushed in. After she finished speaking, she quickly closed her mouth again.
Da Han, sitting upwind, didn't hear clearly: "What?"
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." I don't want to open my mouth anymore.
"Aunt Xing asked, 'How much longer until we arrive?'" Gao Qingshan chimed in.
"Almost there," Da Han said, pointing to the river not far ahead. "See that river ahead? That's the Qingxi River. Once you see the Qingxi River, you're not far from Qingxi Town."
Xing Zhaozhao looked in the direction Da Han was pointing, and saw the clear, sparkling river water, which looked quite beautiful.
Suddenly, Xing Zhaozhao frowned and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Gao Qingshan noticed that Xing Zhaozhao's expression was off and asked curiously, "What's wrong, Aunt Xing?"
Xing Zhaozhao pointed to the Qingxi River not far ahead: "Look over there, green hills, isn't that a person?"
Following Xing Zhaozhao's finger, Gao Qingshan squinted and looked over. Sure enough, he saw a small black dot bobbing up and down in the middle of the river, and every now and then he could see two arms stretching out of the water, waving frantically.
Gao Qingshan's expression immediately changed. It really looked like a person.
"Uncle, quick! Someone has fallen into the river!" He pointed to the dark figure on the river and shouted to Da Han.
Da Han had already seen it. His expression hardened, and he immediately stepped on the gas, turned around, and drove straight towards the river.
As soon as the tractor stopped, Gao Qingshan was the first to jump off, quickly took off his shoes and coat, and plunged into the river, swimming vigorously towards the dark figure.
Da Han parked the tractor and then jumped into the river.
Xing Zhaozhao waited anxiously on the shore.
The child they rescued was about the same age as Hongfei, probably eight or nine years old. His stomach was swollen, indicating he had drunk a lot of water. His face was pale and bluish, and he seemed to have stopped breathing.
While accompanying Gao Mingcheng in the hospital, Xing Zhaozhao was bored and read the first aid manual that the hospital gave out for free. Although she hadn't actually practiced it, she couldn't care less now and just followed the instructions.
First perform chest compressions, then artificial respiration. If it doesn't work the first time, try again.
Xing Zhaozhao was a little nervous at first, after all, it was her first time. But once she got into it, she didn't care about anything else.
She had tried countless times, and fine beads of sweat were forming on Xing Zhaozhao's forehead, but the baby remained motionless, making her increasingly anxious: "Wake up! Why aren't you awake? If something happens to you, do you know how heartbroken your mom and dad will be?"
Gao Qingshan and Da Han were helpless and could only watch from the sidelines.
Seeing that the child probably wouldn't survive, Da Han couldn't help but advise Xing Zhaozhao, "Forget it, Mingcheng's wife..."
Before he could finish speaking, the child coughed up a mouthful of water and finally regained consciousness.
Gao Qingshan and Da Han both looked pleasantly surprised.
"Okay, Mingcheng's wife."
"Aunt Xing, you're amazing."
Xing Zhaozhao also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Although the child had woken up, he seemed a little disoriented. Looking at Xing Zhaozhao groggily, he called out pitifully, "Mom, I still feel unwell..."
Xing Zhaozhao's heart tightened. Although it wasn't her child, she still felt a bit of empathy.
She quickly picked up the child, drained the water from his belly, and then took off her coat to wrap him up completely.
Seeing this, Da Han handed over his coat: "Use mine, Mingcheng's wife. It's getting cold, you're wearing so little, be careful not to catch a cold."
"Use mine instead." Gao Qingshan handed over his own coat.
Xing Zhaozhao did not agree: "No need, what I'm wearing is enough. But you guys, you just went into the water, the water is so cold, you should put on your clothes quickly or you'll catch a cold."
As she spoke, Xing Zhaozhao picked up the child and climbed straight into the tractor's trailer, urging Gao Qingshan and Da Han, "Hurry up, this child is so small, he's very easy to catch a cold, we need to take him to the hospital right away."
Gao Qingshan and Da Han dared not delay any longer. They took off their wet clothes, quickly wrapped their coats around their waists, and got on the tractor.
The tractor chugged into Qingxi Town and stopped directly in front of the town hospital.
Xing Zhaozhao immediately grabbed the child, jumped off the tractor, and rushed to the hospital emergency room: "Doctor, we just pulled a child out of the Qingxi River. Please take a look and see how he is."
The doctor quickly took the child, conducted a thorough examination, and carefully inquired about Xing Zhaozhao's rescue efforts. He nodded approvingly and said, "Well done, thanks to you. This child has been saved. The initial examination shows no other problems, but there is a murmur in the lungs, which may indicate a lung infection. The child needs to be hospitalized for observation and treatment for a period of time."
Xing Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you're alright."
Xing Zhaozhao had done everything she could and could do. Now that she was sure the child was alright, she felt relieved and prepared to leave. The child, still half-conscious and lying on the hospital bed, suddenly grabbed her clothes and murmured, "Mommy..."
The doctors and nurses nearby immediately looked over warily.
"Didn't you say you didn't know this child? Why is he calling you 'Mom'?" the doctor asked.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She felt like she couldn't explain herself even if she had a mouth full of words.
“He’s not thinking clearly right now. He probably saw that I’m a woman and thought I was his mother,” Xing Zhaozhao tried to explain.
"Then why doesn't he call me Mom?" the nurse asked.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." How did she know?
"You stay here for now. Don't leave until things are cleared up." The doctor looked at Xing Zhaozhao with a serious expression, then turned to go find someone.
Gao Qingshan and Da Han waited outside for a while, but Xing Zhaozhao didn't come out, so they came in.
"Is the child alright, Aunt Xing?" Gao Qingshan asked.
"It's alright now," Xing Zhaozhao said.
"Then why aren't we leaving yet? We still need to find Xiaolan," Gao Qingshan said.
“They won’t let me leave,” Xing Zhaozhao said, pointing to the doctors and nurses beside her.
"Why won't you let us leave?" Gao Qingshan looked over, puzzled.
The doctor quickly looked Gao Qingshan and Da Han up and down suspiciously, then asked, "Are you together?"
Gao Qingshan nodded and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"Is the child really not hers?" the doctor asked.
“Of course not, we just came from Lanyuan Town,” Gao Qingshan said.
"Do you have a referral letter?" the doctor asked.
Xing Zhaozhao's heart sank. Oh no, this is troublesome. She originally planned to find Fu Lan and go back immediately, and had no intention of staying long. How could she have prepared a letter of introduction in advance?
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