The moment the child finally let out a loud cry and his breathing gradually steadied, the tension in Lin Xiaxia’s heart finally eased. She handed the boy back to his mother.
“You need to be more careful when feeding him from now on, especially with foods like eggs, peanuts, or anything that can break into small pieces. Make sure they’re crushed into smaller bits before giving them to him. Choking isn’t something to take lightly. The town is so far from the village that, in an emergency like this, there may not be enough time to reach a doctor.”
The woman took her son into her arms. Although Xiaohuzi was still crying, he could breathe normally again, and color was gradually returning to his little face.
Overwhelmed with relief, tears streamed down her cheeks.
Still holding her son, she suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud and repeatedly bowed her head to Lin Xiaxia.
“Thank you! Thank you for saving my son! You’re our family’s lifesaver!”
“Ma’am, what are you doing?” Lin Xiaxia hurriedly reached down to help her up. “Please get up. There’s no need to kneel like this.”
The village chief also rushed forward to pull her to her feet.
“Xiaohuzi’s mother, get up! We’re living in a new society now. We don’t follow those old customs of kneeling and kowtowing to show gratitude anymore. Just give Comrade Lin a bow if you want to thank her.”
With their help, Xiaohuzi’s mother finally stood up. She continued wiping away her tears as she spoke.
“I really don’t know how I can ever thank you… If anything had happened to Xiaohuzi, I wouldn’t have wanted to live anymore…”
The village chief turned toward Lin Xiaxia, his eyes filled with surprise and delight.
“Comrade Lin, you even know how to treat illnesses and save lives? That’s incredible!”
Not wanting to attract too much attention, Lin Xiaxia answered modestly, “I wouldn’t say I know how to treat illnesses. I just learned some emergency techniques from an old doctor before. I can handle ordinary headaches, fevers, and minor injuries, but I wouldn’t be able to do much if someone were seriously ill.”
“That’s already amazing! Just look at what happened to Xiaohuzi. His face had already turned purple! Anyone else would’ve panicked, but you saved him in no time. That’s not something an ordinary person could do! Our village has found a treasure!”
Feeling slightly embarrassed by his praise, Lin Xiaxia quickly explained, “What I used just now was the Heimlich maneuver. It’s specifically meant for situations where something gets lodged in a person’s throat. It’s not that difficult once you know how to do it.”
“If a small child is choking, you can first position them with their head lower and firmly pat their back. If that doesn’t work, you can do what I just did—hold them securely and apply quick upward thrusts to the abdomen to force the obstruction out using air pressure. The most important thing is to act quickly. Sometimes, those few minutes can mean the difference between life and death.”
She paused before looking seriously at the village chief.
“Village Chief, if it’s convenient, please teach this method to the other villagers, especially families with young children. That way, if something like this happens again, they’ll know what to do in an emergency.”
“You’re really willing to teach everyone a lifesaving technique like this?”
Most people guarded their special skills carefully and wouldn’t easily teach them to outsiders.
Lin Xiaxia smiled.
“The whole point of knowing how to save someone is to actually save lives. If teaching this method means more people can be saved, why should I keep it to myself? Please feel free to spread the word.”
“Good, good! This is exactly the kind of educated youth our countryside needs!” the village chief replied happily.
“I’ll gather everyone later and have you explain the technique to them again. Would that be all right?”
“Of course.”
The surrounding villagers had also been listening attentively.
Someone couldn’t help praising her, “This young educated woman isn’t just kindhearted—she’s capable too. What a good girl!”
Lin Xiaxia merely smiled and said nothing more.
The village chief then led Lin Xiaxia toward the production brigade office.
Calling it an office was generous. It was really just an earthen house slightly larger than the ordinary village homes. Inside stood a chipped wooden table and several long benches. Farming tools and account books were piled in one corner.
Everything was extremely simple.
“According to the rules, every newly arrived educated youth receives an additional ten jin of coarse grain from the brigade,” the village chief explained.
He scooped grain from a storage bin in the corner, weighed it, then handed Lin Xiaxia two cloth sacks.
“Here’s ten jin of cornmeal and another ten jin of white flour. You just arrived, so this should keep you fed for a while.”
Lin Xiaxia accepted the bags and weighed them in her hands, looking somewhat surprised.
“Village Chief, isn’t this too much? I heard the subsidy was only supposed to be coarse grain…”
“It’s not too much, not too much.”
The village chief waved his hand, an awkward smile appearing on his face.
“Actually, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, Comrade Lin.”
“Go ahead.”
Lin Xiaxia grew curious.
The village chief rubbed his hands together before speaking earnestly.
“Here’s the thing. I can tell that you’re genuinely capable. You performed that… what was it called? That emergency technique so skillfully. It would be a real waste to have you carrying manure and digging irrigation ditches like everyone else.”
“Our village doesn’t have a proper doctor. Normally, if someone gets a headache or fever, they just endure it. If someone becomes seriously ill, our only choice is to somehow get them to town.”
He looked at her expectantly.
“So I was wondering… would you be willing to open a small clinic here in the village and treat everyone?”
“Me?”
Lin Xiaxia froze for a moment.
She hadn’t expected things to develop in this direction.
“Yes, yes, you!” The village chief nodded eagerly, his eyes filled with hope.
“You could serve as our village doctor and treat the villagers. Our village doesn’t have much money, so we probably wouldn’t be able to pay you a salary. But we’ll definitely give you the maximum work points—ten work points every day, the same as a strong adult laborer. What do you think?”
Ten work points was no small amount in the village.
It was enough to exchange for a family’s daily food ration.
Lin Xiaxia considered the offer.
It would certainly be much easier than working in the fields, and treating the villagers would also allow her to build goodwill and connections.
However…
“Village Chief, to tell you the truth, I can handle ordinary illnesses and emergencies, but treating patients requires medicine.”
She frowned slightly.
“I could probably find a way to obtain some common medicines from the city, but the cost… Can the village afford to pay for them?”
That was indeed a difficult problem.
The village chief’s cheerful expression immediately collapsed. He squatted on the ground and sighed heavily.
“I got so excited about finally having a doctor that I completely forgot about that. Our village barely saves any money throughout the entire year. Where would we find extra money to buy medicine…?”
Seeing his troubled expression, Lin Xiaxia thought for a moment before making a suggestion.
“How about this? I’ll pay for the medicine upfront and get it from the city. When villagers come for treatment, those who can afford it can pay a little toward the cost of the medicine. If someone genuinely doesn’t have money, they can pay with eggs or grain instead.”
“The amount doesn’t have to be fixed. As long as we can recover enough to keep buying medicine, it’ll work.”
She still had plenty of money and ration coupons stored in her space, so covering the initial costs wouldn’t be a problem.
Besides, accepting grain and eggs as payment would replenish her own supplies.
It was beneficial for both sides.
The village chief’s eyes immediately lit up.
“That’s a great idea! Comrade Lin, you’re truly a wonderful person! I’ll go tell everyone in the village right away. They should all remember the kindness you’ve shown them!”
“Please don’t say that. I’m only doing what I can to help.” Lin Xiaxia smiled.
“There’s no need to build a separate clinic either. We can just clear out a corner of the room I’m staying in. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”
“All right! Good, good!” The village chief grinned from ear to ear.
“I’ll find you a signboard right away and write ‘Educated Youth Clinic’ on it. I’ll have someone hang it up for you tomorrow!”
Lin Xiaxia couldn’t help laughing when she heard that.
“Isn’t that a little too much? There’s really no need. Just let everyone know where to find me.”
“You’re such a sincere girl. Much more sensible and dependable than some of those educated youths who came before you. Come on, let’s head back. Your room still needs some tidying up, and we need to get the kang heated quickly, or it’ll be cold tonight.”
With that, the village chief picked up the two cloth sacks himself and accompanied Lin Xiaxia back to her room.
He didn’t even charge her rent.
With a generous wave of his hand, the village chief declared that the village would cover the cost.
All Lin Xiaxia needed to do was settle in and make herself at home.