Chapter 17 The Girl Favored by the Sea God
The little boy also saw Qin Suisui, and he cried out to her for help: "Sister, you're so amazing, can you save my mom? Waaaaah..."
Qin Suisui then noticed that the woman the little boy was holding was pale, with cracked lips, and had already fainted!
She rushed over, took the person in her arms, checked her over, and felt slightly relieved. She said to the little boy, "Don't be afraid, your mother just fainted from heatstroke. Quick, come and help, carry her to that cool and ventilated place over there."
The little boy quickly wiped away his tears and helped Qin Suisui lift the woman onto a cool stone slab.
Qin Suisui took out a handkerchief and beckoned to him: "Go over there, wet the handkerchief with spring water, and wipe your mother's face and body."
At this moment, Qin Suisui was the little boy's lifeline; he did whatever she said immediately.
After he left, Qin Suisui took out a cup from her spatial storage, filled it with some stream water, added some salt, and then gently fed it to the woman by prying open her mouth.
When suffering from heatstroke, the body dissipates heat through profuse sweating. Sweat contains not only water but also a large amount of salt. Simply drinking plain water cannot replenish salt; on the contrary, it may dilute the electrolyte concentration in the blood and worsen hyponatremia.
Feeding your baby salt water can help the intestines absorb water quickly, restore the fluid balance inside and outside the cells, and prevent dehydration from worsening.
After Qin Suisui finished feeding the woman a glass of water, the little boy quickly came over with a wet cloth. Qin Suisui took it and wiped the woman's face and neck. She then unbuttoned one button of her shirt and wiped her neck and chest. After thinking for a moment, she pulled the woman's hand over and wiped it as well.
Only then did Qin Suisui notice that the woman was tightly clutching a small, grayish-brown object in her right hand, still covered in damp soil. Qin Suisui recognized it as Panax notoginseng, which must have been freshly dug up. Panax notoginseng has the effects of removing blood stasis, stopping bleeding, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain. It is commonly used in folk medicine to treat injuries from falls and bruises, as well as swelling and pain from blood stasis. Recalling the injuries the little boy had sustained from those thugs, Qin Suisui understood that this woman must know something about traditional Chinese medicine.
Whether it was the effect of the salt water or the stream water, the woman quickly opened her eyes.
Upon seeing Qin Suisui, she instinctively took a step back, then quickly pulled the little boy into her arms.
The little boy peeked out from her arms and whispered reassuringly, "Mommy, don't be scared. You fainted from heatstroke just now, and this older sister saved you. She's the sister I told you about who saved me in the woods."
The woman, Xie Ting, relaxed a little. She pulled the little boy to her side and made him kneel down with her before Qin Suisui, kowtowing twice with a loud thud: "Thank you so much, comrade, for saving me and Hu Zi!"
If it weren't for this comrade, she would be dead today. It doesn't matter if she's dead or alive, she's just a worthless life anyway, she didn't want to live anymore, but her Tiger is only ten years old, he hasn't grown up yet, he has no other relatives, that person... doesn't count! Even if she has to live, she has to live on, she wants to watch Tiger grow up.
Xie Ting moved so fast that Qin Suisui hadn't even had time to react before she had pulled Hu Zi to finish kowtowing.
Qin Suisui quickly helped the man up: "Comrade, what are you doing! I think anyone would lend a hand in this situation. Besides, you just have heatstroke, it's not a serious illness! Just be more careful in the future."
Xie Ting shook her head. It was different; she knew her own body well. If it weren't for Qin Suisui, she might really be dead just now!
But she didn't respond to Qin Suisui's words. Instead, she hugged Huzi and moved a few steps away from Qin Suisui: "In short, thank you very much for saving my life, comrade. If you need anything in the future, I will definitely go through fire and water for you. However, we are people from the cowshed, so please keep your distance from us so as not to affect you."
After saying that, he grabbed Tiger and hurriedly headed towards the back of the mountain.
Qin Suisui was completely bewildered. Huh? No, she wanted to find out more! She'd finally run into someone; she couldn't let them get away!
Qin Suisui caught up with Xie Ting and tugged at her sleeve: "No, comrade, I have something I want to ask you right now. Are there any children with disabilities in our brigade? Do you know where they live? My child is ignorant and bullied someone with other kids before. I came here specifically to apologize!"
As she spoke, she pointed to a bag of pastries on her bicycle to prove that she wasn't lying.
Qin Suisui wasn't making things up. She remembered that there was indeed such a plot in the original book. After the child was pushed into the cesspool, he fell seriously ill. She didn't know if the benefactor had done something behind the scenes, but later the parents of the children who had bullied him came to apologize and beg for forgiveness.
Qin Suisui thought her lie was perfect, but when Xie Ting heard Qin Suisui's words, her face turned pale and her eyes were filled with defensiveness and fear again.
Tiger, unaware of his mother's feelings, blurted out when Qin Suisui asked, knowing the answer himself: "It's Brother Maida who lives under the big locust tree at the end of the village! I heard he became disabled because he was sick when he was young!"
Xie Ting quickly covered Hu Zi's mouth and nodded to Qin Suisui, "Sorry, I'm not from the village, so I don't know much about it." After saying that, she pulled Hu Zi away.
Qin Suisui blinked. When Xie Ting heard her words, her eyes changed instantly. Such a look didn't seem like she didn't know Mai Da. On the contrary, she might have some connection with the Mai family.
Furthermore, Xie Ting said that they were from the cowshed, which means they were sent down from elsewhere, while the Mai family were native to the Guangmingding Brigade. If Mai Da is the only descendant of the nobleman, then the nobleman might also be surnamed Mai. In any case, he is either the son or son-in-law of the Mai family.
Qin Suisui thought it was more likely to be a son, after all, divorce was rare in this era, let alone living with one's parents' home without being divorced, so that benefactor was most likely Mai's son.
Since Xie Ting is from out of town and lives in a cowshed, she must not have much contact with the villagers. Why did she look at Mai Jia with that kind of gaze? It was like hatred, yet it also carried some emotions that she couldn't understand... In short, it's hard to explain.
Qin Suisui shook her head, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts. Now that she knew which family it was, things were much easier; she decided to go and see for herself.
Tiger said that Mai's family lives under the big locust tree at the end of the village. She is at the end of the village now, but where is the big locust tree?
Qin Suisui wandered around in place for a while and soon saw a tall locust tree covered with small white flowers.
May is the season when locust trees bloom. Qin Suisui followed the fragrance of the flowers and soon arrived at the Mai family's door. The Mai family's house is a typical detached courtyard in the village. A large locust tree encloses the courtyard, and an elderly woman who looks to be about sixty or seventy years old is sitting in the shade under the locust tree, washing the locust blossoms.
Qin Suisui hesitated for a moment, glanced at the lush vegetable garden next to the yard, and politely knocked on the gate: "Hello, Grandma, I'm new to the family compound over there. We haven't planted any vegetables in our yard yet, so we don't have any to eat. I see that your vegetables are growing well, could we exchange some with you?" She handed over the cloud-shaped cake hanging on the handlebars of her bicycle.
Private buying and selling is not allowed now, but bartering is generally not interfered with. If she says she's there to exchange things, no one can find fault with it.
Moreover, Qin Suisui had no intention of hiding her identity. The family compound was not far from the village, and they would inevitably run into each other over time. Besides, when they went to the beach, they were always with the villagers, and everyone would eventually recognize her. It was better to reveal her identity from the beginning.
Grandma Mai was dozing off while washing the locust flowers when Qin Suisui's sudden voice startled her. She looked up and met Qin Suisui's smiling eyes. Grandma Mai frowned and said, "I've seen you before!"
Qin Suisui was taken aback. Just as she was searching her memory for Grandma Mai's face, Grandma Mai suddenly strode forward, grabbed her hand, and beamed, "I've seen you go beachcombing twice. You're a lucky girl blessed by the sea god!"
Qin Suisui: ...
Ah? A girl favored by the sea god? Me?
Qiongtan Island is surrounded by the sea, and its inhabitants rely on the sea for their livelihood, thus they deeply worship the sea god—a belief passed down through generations. Although we are currently in a special period, because Qiongtan Island is located in a remote area and the situation is not as severe as inland, many older people like Grandma Mai still cherish their faith in the sea god, just without making a big fuss about it.
People like Mrs. Mai's generation supported their families by the sea when they were young. They were all fishermen, so their faith in the sea god was particularly strong.
Girls like Qin Suisui, who are "blessed by the sea god," will naturally be treated more kindly by their followers.
Qin Suisui was surprised by the surprise. She thought she had hidden herself well while going to the beach, but she was still seen.
Before she could speak, Grandma Mai picked up the small bamboo basket from the ground, took Qin Suisui's hand, and led her into the vegetable garden: "Little comrade, you said there are no vegetables to eat, right? Come on, let's go to Grandma's vegetable garden and see what you like!" It's just a few vegetables; consider it her offering to the Sea Goddess!
Qin Suisui did not refuse. She was taken directly to the vegetable garden. Apart from cucumbers, tomatoes, and some small green vegetables, which she recognized, she had never seen many of the other vegetables before!
She picked a few cucumbers and tomatoes, and looked at the pile of unfamiliar vegetables, feeling a little worried.
"Grandma, what is this dish that looks like a tongue? Is it tasty?"
Grandma Mai picked a handful and put them into a small bamboo basket, explaining to her, "This is deer tongue vegetable, also called goat's tongue root. It can be cooked with mackerel, it's especially delicious. Take some back and try it!"
"And this is called winged bean. Just cut it up and stir-fry it directly. It's very crunchy!"
"This is sand ginger. We usually use it as a dipping sauce for poached chicken, and it can also be used as a dipping sauce when steaming seafood!"
"This white cauliflower is a kind of wild vegetable. Take it home and fry it with eggs, it's delicious!"
"And these bell peppers are a bit spicy. I don't know if you can handle it. We usually stir-fry them with soy sauce and then eat them with rice. I also made a few bottles of chili sauce at home. If you like, you can take one back with you later!"
...
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