Chapter 15 Embracing Life
Sister-in-law Li, beaming with excitement, described the great deeds that Li San Niang had accomplished that day to everyone. After taking a sip of water, she continued to recount the great good deeds that Li San Niang had done that day.
Sister-in-law Li even imitated Li San Niang's actions in rescuing the young man, using the third youngest, eight-year-old Li Si Lang, as an actor to recreate the scene.
The story ends with the premise that Lady Qian might come to the house to express her gratitude.
Such a vivid description of the scene made everyone lose their appetite. They quickly swallowed the sweet potatoes in their mouths, cleaned up the dishes, and the four little ones poured a cup of tea for each of them.
Brother Li then lit mugwort around the group to repel mosquitoes, and everyone began to bombard Sister Li with questions.
"Auntie, how much force did you use to press on that young man's abdomen? If he were an adult, could he have done the same?"
This question was asked by Li Dalang. It's not uncommon for young men to be literate and skilled in martial arts, especially those from noble families. But for ordinary people, having such a young man in their family would make them proud, and they would definitely want to show off their descendants to their acquaintances to save face.
Li Dalang was the descendant that the Li family would boast about to outsiders.
"Aunt, how did you manage to save that young man? Is there some trick to it?"
This question comes from Li Erlang, who is exceptionally clever and thinks more deeply than others.
Li San Niang turned her gaze to Li San Lang, but he didn't say anything.
"Does Sanlang have any questions?"
“Aunt, I have no doubts. I just know that it was a great deed for you to save that young man.”
The thoughts of this kind and simple person are so ordinary, yet they warm one's heart.
"Where is Si Lang?"
"Auntie, when are we going to eat those pastries? I just looked at them, and there are several kinds that I've never tried before."
Hearing Li Silang's gluttonous remark, everyone burst into loud laughter.
Li Silang found it a bit strange, wondering why everyone was laughing when he hadn't said anything funny.
Li Silang was somewhat bewildered by everyone's laughter, and as usual, he looked at Li Dalang, hoping that Li Dalang would explain for him.
Li Dalang withdrew his smile, raised his hand to pat the little tuft of hair on Li Silang's head, shook his head and said, "It's nothing, they just don't understand you. We can eat the pastries tomorrow. You ate quite a lot for dinner tonight, you'll get indigestion if you eat too much."
Li Silang nodded obediently, no longer dwelling on why everyone was laughing.
Children who worry less tend to be happier.
Little Dewdrop looked at Li San Niang and then at Li Si Lang, her little eyes darting around. Although she didn't understand why they were laughing at Li Si Lang, she could tell they were making fun of a child, so she didn't say anything. She just sat on her special little bamboo stool and stroked the fur of Little Yellow lying on her lap.
Even though Little Yellow is a short-haired dog, Dewdrop still dutifully strokes his fur, sometimes even patting his chin and chubby little belly.
Looking at the clever little dewdrop, who was so young yet already knew how to read adults' expressions, Li San Niang felt it was incredibly cute and instantly missed modern cell phones. She thought it would be perfect to take a picture to commemorate the moment.
"The eldest brother asked a very crucial question. I wasn't just pressing on the young man's abdomen, but rather on the upper abdomen between his navel and sternum."
The amount of force required varies depending on the age and size of the person being rescued. Children require only slight effort, while adults and strong men like myself need to use greater force, but not excessively, to avoid fracturing their sternum.
As Li San Niang spoke, she beckoned Li Da Lang to come closer and gestured with her hand to the spot on his upper abdomen.
"This method can also be used for self-rescue. Those with strong strength can clench their fists and press and strike this position, while those with weak strength can find a hard object and press it with their upper abdomen, such as the corner of this bamboo chair. After repeated impacts, the obstruction can be pushed out of the airway."
"As for the reason why Erlang asked, it is very simple. Erlang, go inside and get one of your father's water bags. I will show you. It is easy to understand."
When Li Erlang brought the sheepskin water bag that Li Daxiong carried with him every day when he went to work, Li Sanniang poured all the water onto the roots of the jujube tree in the yard, blew air into the water bag to inflate it, and quickly stuffed it with a wooden stopper but did not tighten it.
Li San Niang then asked Li Er Lang to retrieve a slice of Angelica dahurica from the medicine storeroom. She broke the slice into pieces slightly larger than the mouth of the water bag. Li San Niang quickly opened the bottle stopper and placed the slice at the mouth of the water bag. Then, she squeezed the water bag from the bottom with both hands, and the slice of Angelica dahurica stuck in the mouth of the water bag flew out instantly.
The Li family was stunned. The quickest to react was Li's father, who stroked his carefully maintained beard and suddenly realized, "This water sac is a person's lung. Just like what is written in the booklet issued by the Imperial Medical Bureau, a person's lungs contain air and can inhale and exhale. If you punch the upper abdomen, the air in the lungs can rush to the airway, thereby coughing out the blockage."
“Aye’s summary is very accurate; that’s exactly what I mean.”
After hearing what Li's father said, those who understood nodded, and even Li Silang, Luzhu'er, and Xiao Huang nodded in agreement.
"Sanlang said this is a good thing, and I think it is true. Now that the world is at peace, what family doesn't love their children? Both young men and young women are afraid of losing them."
After looking around, Li San Niang saw a gentle smile on her father and mother's faces before saying, "I always remember memorizing those medicinal herbs and prescriptions with my father when I was young, watching my father treat patients and prescribe medicine, and watching my mother deliver babies. I felt that relieving or eliminating pain for people and bringing them new life was a good deed."
Father used to tell his second brother and son that poor people who come to see a doctor must be desperate and can't take it anymore. Since that's the case, it's a good thing to help them.
I often see my father waiving consultation fees and even paying for medicine at a loss. I think that if I become successful in my studies in the future, I will do the same, so as not to let my father's teachings go to waste.
So, forget about the claim of great merit; I just happened to encounter it by chance.
Li San Niang's emotional analysis brought tears to the eyes of Li's father and mother. Li's father recalled that when Li San Niang was a little girl with a small topknot, she followed him to the clinic. All these years have passed, and the little girl has her own little girl, but she still remembers her father's words and deeds.
Li's mother, however, recalled how bold Li San Niang was when she was young. Before she even reached marriageable age, she insisted on going with her to other people's homes to see what childbirth was like.
But all these years later, that girl with the bright smile not only has her own precious child, but also remembers what she said: "Help whenever you can, and every little thing you do is a good deed." Truly, she is my dearest and most thoughtful child.
Father Li gestured to Li Dalang, telling him to hurry back to his room and practice calligraphy after hearing what had happened, and not to forget the ten pieces of calligraphy each person was supposed to write by the end of the month.
After chasing the four little ones back to the house, it was already late, and Little Dewdrop was getting sleepy. She squinted her eyes and still insisted on petting Little Yellow. Little Yellow obediently lay still and let her do as she pleased.
Li San Niang picked up Lu Zhu'er and hugged her tightly, patting her back gently until Lu Zhu'er was soothed to sleep.
Alright, the kids are all temporarily offline now, it's time for the adults to talk.
"The Lady Qian that Third Sister mentioned should be the youngest daughter-in-law of the family of Qian Shaoqing, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the young man should be Lady Qian's only child."
Rumors circulated that last year, the young master of the Qian family accompanied Qian Shaoqing to Jiangnan to investigate a case. They encountered river bandits and narrowly escaped death, at one point being so weak he couldn't get out of bed.
"You can't believe everything you hear, but the young man that Third Sister saved is indeed their only child now, which is quite significant."
Brother Li didn't think that Li San Niang saving the descendants of a high-ranking official was something to gain; on the contrary, he felt that getting involved with such a family would cause a lot of trouble.
Firstly, the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is not an easy one to hold. This Vice Minister Qian was promoted to Vice Minister last year after taking his son to Jiangnan to investigate a major case. The original Vice Minister was removed from office because he accepted bribes from aristocratic families and concealed the facts of the case. The evidence found by the corrupt officials led to the arrest of a series of corrupt officials. Emperor Wu never pardoned such corrupt officials.
It rained heavily at the time; otherwise, the stench of blood in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture gate wouldn't have dissipated so quickly.
"Brother, there's no need to be so nervous. Such a family won't make a fuss. They'll probably send out invitations and come discreetly."
If we act uprightly and honestly, we will have a solution if trouble comes our way.
On the other hand, having some interaction in this way adds another layer of connections to our family's network.
Since Li Erxiong wasn't in officialdom, he didn't pay much attention to Li Daxiong's worries. After offering a few words of comfort, he asked Li Sanniang with great curiosity, "Where did you see this method, Sanniang? Or was someone teaching you it? It's truly amazing."
Li's father didn't speak, which was also strange. All of Li San Niang's learning had been taught by him since childhood. Although Li San Niang had some talent in modifying prescriptions, this emergency treatment method was a novel one.
Li's father also wondered if it was written in a book recently printed by the Imperial Medical Academy.
"Erlang, have any new books been delivered to the Alliance recently?"
"Father, there aren't any lately. If there are any new books, I'll show them to you first."
After Emperor Wu ascended the throne, he vigorously promoted alliances in all walks of life, explored skills, and promoted development and progress.
The Imperial Medical Bureau convened a meeting of renowned physicians, registered doctors, and major pharmaceutical merchants in Chang'an to announce the establishment of its own publishing house. The publishing house would print medical classics, and any rare books submitted by individuals could also be printed. The aim was to implement Emperor Wu's call for a hundred schools of thought to contend and promote the development and progress of medicine.
Therefore, almost every household at the gathering paid a deposit to buy medical books printed by the Imperial Medical Bureau Publishing House. In addition to the existing books, the Imperial Medical Bureau later published many pamphlets. Many doctors confirmed that the methods written in them were effective. As a result, even village doctors outside Chang'an who knew a few prescriptions and some folk remedies asked peddlers to bring these pamphlets. Those who couldn't read would ask the scholar to read them to them.
In fact, when Li San Niang and Li Da Sao were riding home in their donkey cart in the evening, they were thinking about how to make their method of first aid seem plausible.
Li San Niang also thought of it and could shamelessly claim that it was her own idea, but she couldn't actually do it. After all, Li San Niang was merely a practitioner standing on the shoulders of giants, and plagiarism was shameful.
You could say you stumbled upon it while reading a book, but that raises a question: when and where did you read the book? And where is the book itself? Are there any other emergency measures?
One lie requires countless lies to cover it up, and it will definitely be exposed eventually.
Therefore, Li San Niang decided to tell a colossal lie that would disappear without a trace!
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