Li Xiangdong, carrying the pork and holding his younger sister, hurriedly walked out, afraid that the angry crowd would snatch his pork. He didn't notice that a pair of eyes were staring intently at him.
Li Xiangdong breathed a sigh of relief as he emerged from the crowd, put the meat in a wicker basket, and pulled the cart toward the supply and marketing cooperative.
He still had a few pounds of sugar coupons, which he planned to use to buy some white sugar for his third sister's husband's mother and some fruit and milk candies for Daxia.
Sugar was a precious commodity under a rationing system. When someone held a banquet, giving a bag of white sugar weighing one pound was considered a very respectable gift.
There was no one at the candy counter, just two middle-aged women chatting idly.
"Sister, I want to buy a pound of granulated sugar, a pound of yellow rock sugar, a pound of honey candy, and a pound of fruit candy."
The two middle-aged women were usually addressed as "comrade," but today a tall, thin, handsome young man sweetly called them "sister," making them overjoyed. "Young man, you have a sweet tongue. I'm old enough to be your mother, and you still call me 'sister'!"
"Sister, you have such great skin and a slim figure, are you even 25 this year?"
"Still twenty-five? I'm forty this year."
The eldest sister's smile widened, and she deftly weighed out candies for Li Xiangdong, even handing a piece of milk candy to his little sister in his arms.
"Quickly thank the pretty lady."
Li Xiangdong taught the little girl in his arms to say polite words, thinking to himself, "Girls of all ages like to hear others praise their beauty!"
Placing the candied fruit and sweets next to the pork, and then feeling the thick stack of ten-yuan notes in his pocket, Li Xiangdong felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. What could be more fulfilling than bringing happiness to his family?
"Little sister, little swallow, we're going home!"
Li Xiangdong lifted his little sister high and put her back in the car, making her giggle and laugh nonstop.
Li Xiangdong laughed, but as he laughed, the voice that had first confronted him when he was buying meat suddenly echoed in his mind. The voice was familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was for a moment.
If it weren't for Old Huang, the pork seller, speaking up for me, I definitely wouldn't have been able to buy these few pounds of meat.
Who is it?
If it were someone you know, they wouldn't be hiding behind you and working against you; if it were a stranger, the voice wouldn't sound so familiar.
Most importantly, if someone I know sees me buying so much meat and spreads the word, I don't know how much trouble it could cause.
Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard someone exclaim, "Someone has fainted!"
Li Xiangdong didn't have time to think about who the voice belonged to anymore. He looked up and saw a person lying in the middle of the road, with four or five people standing around watching.
Li Xiangdong, adopting a "better safe than sorry" attitude, pulled the cart and left.
But after taking only two steps, he turned back and ran towards the people in the middle of the road.
Having lived two lifetimes, he still can't bring himself to be indifferent to things that don't concern him!
The woman lying on the road looked to be in her forties or fifties. She was wearing a navy blue cardigan and black pants. She was very thin, pale, and her hands and feet twitched occasionally.
The crowd gathered around her, pointing and whispering, but no one went to help her.
Li Xiangdong squeezed in, first checking the woman's breathing with his hand. Her breathing was relatively steady. Then he felt her pulse, and her heartbeat was very fast. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with the woman, so he called over a young man who was watching the commotion to help him. He then gently laid the woman on the trolley.
"Brother, I think this woman needs to be taken to the hospital quickly. Why don't you help push the cart to the hospital?"
Having witnessed too many "to help or not to help" cases in later generations, Li Xiangdong subconsciously wanted to find a witness to avoid being extorted after doing a good deed.
Fortunately, people in this era are still quite honest and kind. The young man who helped carry the woman earlier agreed to accompany him to the hospital. Seeing the woman's face covered in more and more cold sweat and her convulsions becoming more and more frequent, the two of them took off pushing the cart and ran towards the hospital.
"Doctor, doctor, someone has fainted! Come quick!"
As soon as he entered the county hospital, Li Xiangdong shouted for the doctor.
Two doctors who came out after hearing the noise worked together to carry the unconscious woman into the ward. After some examination, the doctors gave the woman an IV drip of glucose and then scolded Li Xiangdong, who was covered in sweat, and the helpful young man.
"The patient has low blood sugar. Why didn't the family members know to give her some sugar water? They don't even have this basic common sense! This situation is too dangerous. If she isn't taken to the hospital in time, she might die."
"I'm not a family member; I'm an example of someone who acted bravely and righteously!"
The helpful young man quickly waved his hand and explained his relationship with the patient.
"An act of bravery?" The doctor looked at the two of them with suspicion.
"Yes, this auntie fainted on the road, and we happened to run into her, so we took her to the hospital," Li Xiangdong explained.
"Oh! Then who will go pay the fee?" The doctor handed the payment slip to the two of them.
"I don't have any money! I'm leaving now!"
The kind-hearted young man left those words and ran off in a flash.
Li Xiangdong held his younger sister in one arm and took the payment slip with the other. "I'll go! What other medicine do I need? Please prescribe it for me too."
The glucose solution in the glass bottle decreased drop by drop, and the woman's face gradually regained a healthy red color. Her condition began to stabilize, and after more than an hour, she finally opened her eyes.
Where am I?
"Auntie, you fainted on the way here. I brought you to the hospital. You're on an IV drip of glucose right now."
Li Xiangdong briefly described the situation after she fainted.
"Thank you, young man. This is an old problem of mine. It'll be fine in a bit."
"Please lie down and rest. The doctor said your hypoglycemia is severe and you are also malnourished. You can only be discharged after this bottle of glucose is finished."
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