Chapter 23 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Part 1)
Aside from Wang Erlang's unreliability, Kogoro's full moon celebration was quite successful.
Brother Li and Sister-in-law Li also received many gifts for Xiao Wulang, including a longevity lock from Sister-in-law Li and a pair of life-saving silver bracelets from Sister-in-law Li.
During the two days at home, in order to prevent Lu Zhu'er from having too deep an impression of Wang Ziheng's domineering and forceful behavior that day, Li San Niang took Lu Zhu'er with her everywhere she went and spent two whole days with her.
Li San Niang finally felt relieved when she saw that Lu Zhu'er was no longer so anxious and worried when she couldn't see Li San Niang.
Because of the previous divorce, in order to gain custody of Luzhu'er, Li San Niang signed many contracts at the government office. One of them stipulated that she must return to her father's family to participate in the reunion during the Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and Lantern Festival every year. Otherwise, it would be a breach of contract and could potentially deprive Li San Niang of her right to raise Luzhu'er.
But judging from Wang Ziheng's ugly appearance just two days ago, how could Li San Niang feel at ease letting Lu Zhu'er return to the Wang family for the festival? Not to mention that the Wang family also has Wang Pozi who hates Lu Zhu'er's existence.
Moreover, it is unknown whether Wang Erlang and his widowed cousin left the Wang family after the incident, or whether they continued to associate with Wang Erlang in the Wang family.
Fortunately, there's still over a month until the Mid-Autumn Festival, so we can always find a way.
Li San Niang wanted to take Lu Zhu'er out to change her mood, so as not to leave the child with psychological trauma. Going out for a walk and seeing different scenery might make her feel better.
So, Li San Niang discussed with the four little ones, wanting to take Lu Zhu'er out of the city to visit Li Er Sao's village on the day of the Beginning of Autumn, which happened to be the day when the four little ones were on holiday at their academy.
Li San Niang would cover the expenses, and she would bring the four little ones. Firstly, it wouldn't be convenient or safe for Li San Niang to travel out of the city alone with Lu Zhu'er, who was not yet three years old. Secondly, Li Da Lang would be fifteen after the New Year and still possessed martial arts skills. The other three little ones were not to be underestimated either. Having them accompany her would provide someone to drive the carriage and someone to play with, which would be perfect.
Secondly, having been in the Tang Dynasty for so long, Li Sanniang had only wandered around Chang'an City, and the farthest she had gone was Xuandu Temple. She really wanted to go out and see the world.
Thirdly, Li San Niang felt that Lu Zhu'er really needed to go outdoors to broaden her mind and try to reduce the dark impression Wang Erlang had left on her. Although Li San Niang's sole care for Lu Zhu'er meant that Lu Zhu'er lacked the male figure of "father" in her life, Li San Niang felt that Lu Zhu'er was better off without her father, given Wang Erlang's wretched appearance. Besides, Lu Zhu'er didn't lack the love of her paternal elders, such as Li's father, eldest brother, and second brother—weren't they all precious and the only daughter in their families?
Finally, after consulting with Li's parents, the four little ones and their parents, Li San Niang happily took Lu Zhu'er in a donkey cart driven by Li Da Lang and headed towards the city gate early in the morning of the Beginning of Autumn.
Brother Li even tied a wooden pole to the rented donkey cart and put up an umbrella, because his father said that there would still be an 'autumn tiger' after the start of autumn, and that it would be good to cover up the sun so that the delicate skin of the dewdrops wouldn't get sunburned.
There were also soft pancakes that Sister Li had baked early in the morning, covered with a cloth, and two large bamboo tubes next to it contained dried mung bean soup.
This bamboo tube is quite rare. It was given to Li's mother by the family who delivered her baby in the countryside. They said it was brought from their hometown by a relative who came to visit from the south. Such things are seldom seen in Chang'an.
Although it is made of bamboo, it is polished smooth without any burrs, and the cylinder is even engraved with a pattern of an iron-eating beast, which is quite interesting.
After queuing up and exiting Anhua Gate, there are three distinct roads: the middle one is a flat and well-maintained official road, and the two sides are dirt roads worn by the people who frequently come and go.
Li San Niang instructed Li Da Lang to be careful and walk close to the edge of the official road so that he could avoid any officials, other people, or those riding horses or driving carts passing by.
On the way out of her house, Dewdrop was very happy, pointing excitedly at the signs and objects on the roadside and asking what this was and what that was for. The four little ones next to her answered before Li Sanniang could explain.
Before leaving the city gate, the group passed by a small food street. Behind one stall, a woman wearing a floral headscarf caught their attention. She was making big, round, and plump steamed buns from white flour, which looked delicious and fragrant.
Little Dewdrop saw it, tugged at Li Sanniang's sleeve, pointed to the steamer basket selling buns, and whispered, "Mother, Dewdrop wants to eat."
"What did Dewdrop say? Mother didn't hear you clearly."
Encouraged by Li San Niang's look, Lu Zhu'er stood up, pointed her little hand at the large steamer on the bun stall, and said loudly, "Mother, Zhu'er wants to eat that big, fat white bun!"
Dewdrop is probably the only one who would use "big fat" to describe Baozi. Li San Niang could figure out why Dewdrop called the white steamed bun that. It must be because a dozen or so sisters-in-law, aunts and old women praised Xiao Wulang as a fair-skinned and chubby boy at the full moon banquet a couple of days ago, and Dewdrop remembered it.
Seeing such tempting white steamed buns, this adjective immediately came to mind for Dewdrop.
Haha, Dewdrop made quite a commotion. The onlookers around smiled knowingly when they heard her soft, childlike voice, and even the burly man burst out laughing.
The woman selling steamed buns at the stall, wearing a headscarf and a cloth skirt, laughed before even speaking: "Haha, my steamed buns are plump and white, so delicious! How many would you like, young lady? There are meat and vegetarian options, served hot."
"Xingniang, your steamed buns are the best, they smell so good! That's why this young lady came in! Haha, give me five meat buns and five vegetable buns, to go, and also some of your side dishes. Here, take your money."
"Alright, here comes five meat dishes, five vegetable dishes, and a bowl of pickles!"
Hearing the laughter of those around her, even though Dewdrop was small, she knew they were teasing her. She became extremely embarrassed, her face turned red, and she quickly burrowed into Li San Niang's arms.
Looking at Lu Zhu'er's shy, blushing face, Li San Niang found her incredibly cute and wished she could take a big sip of her kiss.
Finally, after much coaxing, Lu Zhu'er peeked out and was carried off the carriage by Li Erlang. He led her by the hand to the steamed bun stall and, like the big man, bought ten large steamed buns (five meat and five vegetable) plus a bowl of complimentary pickles. All of these were wrapped in leaves of some unknown plant and tied with thin hemp rope.
Outside the city, we reached the official road. It was already broad daylight, which meant we were out of the loop with the people who had been queuing at the city gates before dawn to enter. So there were hardly any people on the road at that time.
Li San Niang gave Lu Zhu'er a meat bun, tore off a corner of the leaf, and told her to carefully hold it and eat it slowly while it was hot. She also told the four little ones to hold it and eat it themselves, but they had to use the leaf as a pad and couldn't just grab it with their hands. After all, when they went out, they were driving a donkey cart and touching this and that, so their hands would definitely not be clean.
The four little ones didn't refuse their aunt. Of the ten big buns, each of them took two, Lu Zhu'er ate one, and Li San Niang ate one, which was just right.
"Auntie, what should we do with the cakes that Auntie gave us?"
"It's alright, we can eat the pancakes on our way back this afternoon. We won't let you down!"
Hearing this, the four little ones ate their buns even more diligently. Sure enough, food sold outside is the best!
After driving the donkey cart for more than half an hour, Li San Niang asked Li Er Lang to replace Li Da Lang. She couldn't keep one person doing all the work. Li Da Lang didn't think anything of it, but Li Er Lang quickly grabbed the reins. In the eyes of the four little ones, driving a donkey was not a high-class thing, but they didn't often have such an opportunity!
The donkey can be considered a large livestock that people needed after cattle and horses.
The two brothers had only been switching places for a short while when they heard the sound of whips cracking and horses galloping from behind. Li San Niang quickly told Li Er Lang to move to the side of the road and wait for the group to pass before continuing on their way.
Thanks to Sister-in-law Li's experience, she prepared a face towel for everyone before we left. The dust kicked up by the dozen or so horses galloping by was choking us. After putting on the towel, Li San Niang quickly covered Lu Zhu'er's eyes with one hand and her mouth and nose with the other hand through the towel. She only put it down after the group of people had ridden past and stopped flying dust all over the place.
Li Dalang was so thoughtful. He quickly soaked a small jar of water that Li Dasao had insisted on putting on the donkey cart before leaving, and handed it to Li Sanniang first. After Li Sanniang helped Luzhu wipe her hands and face, she also used a corner of her hand to wipe her face. Only then did the four little ones take turns wiping the dust off their faces.
Only then did Li San Niang understand why Li Dasao had insisted that Li Dalang carry such a jar of water before they left. There were rivers outside Chang'an City, but they were quite a distance away. She didn't want to be without water in the sections without rivers, so she had to prepare her own.
"Auntie, it seems that the noble ladies of the city are riding their horses to the horse field at Princess Cheng'an's residence to play polo."
Those who know martial arts are different. Just now, when the dust was flying, Li San Niang didn't even dare to open her eyes, but Li Da Lang was still able to tell who was going to do what. He's really amazing!
They looked at the scenery along the road and each drank a few sips of the mung bean soup cooked by Sister-in-law Li. After another half hour, Li San Niang told Li Er Lang to stop. The children got off one by one, removed the collar from the donkey, and led it to the river by the roadside to drink. After the donkey had drunk its fill of water, they simply stuck the rope into the ground with a stick and let it graze on its own.
With Li Dalang acting as lookout, Li Sanniang led Luzhu'er to a spot on the other side of the wasteland, where there was no river, to find a place with lush wild grass to relieve herself.
Of course, Li Dalang had already checked with a stick beforehand and found no worms.
It has to be said that it's more convenient for boys.
After playing with the four little ones and Dewdrop along the tributary of the Jue River for a while, I nipped Li Silang's idea of going down into the river to catch fish in the bud. I washed my hands and face with the cool river water and felt clean and refreshed. About 15 minutes had passed.
This time, Li Sanlang took over driving the donkey cart. After traveling for a short while, they came across a teahouse. It was a fairly large place with about ten tables inside and out. The flag hanging there read "Tea," but it not only served tea but also soup noodles.
Half a morning has passed. I asked Li Dalang and he said that it was still quite a distance from Shilipo. I guess he played by the river and had already digested the big steamed buns he ate in the morning. Even Li Sanniang felt hungry, let alone the four little boys who are growing and can eat a lot.
Everyone ordered a bowl of soup noodles, and asked for an extra bowl. Lu Zhu'er and Li San Niang shared one bowl. Li Erlang was thoughtful and remembered the pickled vegetables that the lady at the steamed bun stall had given him that morning, so he took them out and put them on the table. They were quite delicious.
Seeing that Lu Zhu'er didn't like the taste of the soup noodles, Li San Niang told the waiter to bring a boiled egg, peel it separately, and give it to Lu Zhu'er to eat with the pickles.
After chatting for a few more minutes, the aunt and niece paid the money and continued on their way.
The further you go, the wider the Yu River becomes, and you can feel the dampness of the water as you walk along the roadside.
Dewdrop was very curious when she heard the wild ducks quacking. So Li Sanniang asked Li Sanlang to stop the carriage and took Dewdrop to see what the wild ducks in the river looked like.
As the group was wondering if they could find some wild duck eggs or bird eggs by the river, they heard arguing coming from upstream. It sounded like several women were arguing, with occasional crying mixed in.
Since it wasn't far, Li San Niang and the four little ones took Lu Zhu'er and walked upstream. They left the donkey cart on the riverbank, thinking that no one would steal it.
Upon closer inspection, they realized that these were the noble ladies who had ridden past earlier, leaving Li San Niang and her companions covered in dust.
One of the women, a plump and lovely girl adorned with jewels, was being pointed at by another slender woman wearing a gold hairpin. The woman seemed to be saying that it was all the fault of the plump woman who deliberately pushed someone into the river, causing the so-called Sixth Sister to fall into the water. She added that if anything happened to Sixth Sister, no one would get away with it.
Just as the plump woman was about to retort, two women swam over from the riverbank and dragged a woman dressed in crimson Hu clothing ashore.
The two women who rescued the person are probably female guards of some noble lady. The woman in Hu clothing who was rescued and is now lying on the gravel by the river is probably the sixth lady mentioned in the argument between the two noble ladies.
One of the female guards laid the woman in the Hu clothing flat on the ground and patted her shoulder hard. The woman did not react. They then checked her breath and found that she was no longer breathing. They immediately reported this to the woman with the gold hairpin.
Upon hearing this news, the whispers among the noble ladies present ceased; they were all stunned by the news.
Li San Niang still had some questions at this point. It was simply that the two women had some disagreement and couldn't determine whether the plump woman had really pushed the woman in Hu Fu into the river. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that it was time for Li San Niang to step in and save the woman!
Li San Niang quickly put the dewdrop into Li Da Lang's arms, and stepped over the three or five women also dressed in Hu clothing scattered around. Just as she was about to get close to the women in Hu clothing, she was stopped by the female guards.
"Greetings, ladies. I am the third daughter of Li Hualin, the resident physician of the Herbal Medicine Hall in Changshoufang, Chang'an City. I have been learning medicine from my father since I was a child. I was taking my nephews and my youngest daughter for a stroll downstream when I heard this commotion and came to investigate. I found this woman who had fallen into the water. I cannot bear to see her like this. I beg you, ladies who can help, to allow me to take a look. Perhaps she can be saved."
The woman with the golden hairpin was terrified. She had brought her cousin out for a trip, but an accident had resulted in her cousin's death. She feared that she herself might also lose her life. The Lady of Liang really would have someone kill her!
"Please make a decision quickly, young lady. Time is of the essence; saving lives is the priority."
"But Sixth Sister has already stopped breathing!"
"Time is of the essence, please forgive my rudeness, Third Sister."
Li San Niang was about to step forward to check when the female guard saw that the woman with the golden hairpin had nodded, so she let her pass. By this time, about two minutes had passed.
Previously, Li San Niang had seen the female guard forcefully pat the woman's shoulder, but the woman did not react, so she judged that she was unconscious.
Li San Niang knelt directly on the stone and first checked her breathing with her finger, but couldn't feel any breath.
I checked the left carotid artery again, but there was no pulse.
The woman was diagnosed with sudden cardiac arrest!
Li San Niang estimated that it had been almost three minutes since the woman's heart stopped beating, and there was not much time left before the golden four minutes.
Without hesitation, Li Sanniang ignored everyone else and focused solely on the woman. As she untied the belt from the woman's Hu-style clothing, she said rapidly, "Brother, turn your backs with Luzhu'er. Don't look!"
Realizing the urgency of the situation, and seeing that Li San Niang had a way to save the woman, Li Da Lang immediately turned his back while holding Lu Zhu'er. The three children followed suit, and even the most lively Li Si Lang realized the seriousness of the situation and dared not turn his head back.
As soon as the four little ones and Dewdrop turned around, Li Sanniang had already untied the girl's belt, opened her Hu clothes, and revealed the girl's undergarments.
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