Meanwhile, Si Chongguang crouched beside the straw mat and pulled a stethoscope and other medical equipment from his backpack. He carefully examined Lin Tangtang, who was lying on the ground.
“Her breathing is weak, and she’s severely dehydrated. She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately, or her life could be in danger.”
As soon as the villagers heard his assessment, they began whispering among themselves again.
“Who are those people? They don’t look like they’re from our village.”
“No idea. They probably came back with the eldest Lin girl. Didn’t people say her mother’s family had a wealthy uncle? Maybe they’re relatives.”
“That man looks like a doctor. And that woman is obviously from the city. Just look at those high heels. Country folks like us are lucky if we have cloth shoes to wear.”
“Doctor, save me! Save me!”
Youngest Uncle Lin hurried over, clutching his severed finger.
Si Chongguang picked up the frail Lin Tangtang and glanced at the injured hand.
“Pick up the finger. If you run to the hospital fast enough, it can probably still be reattached.”
“By the time we get to the hospital, it’ll be too late!” Youngest Uncle Lin grimaced in pain, but his mind quickly latched onto the important issue.
“We’ll go to the clinic,” Lin Qimo said.
Several production teams shared one village clinic. Because their village was far from the county town, a clinic had been established nearby.
Most villagers went there for everyday illnesses and injuries, and many had been successfully treated there, giving them great respect for the doctors’ skills.
Of course, there were always a few odd people who trusted folk remedies more than science.
The county hospital was three hours away.
That was far too long.
By then, it might be too late for either patient.
“The doctors at the clinic are all physicians rotated from the county hospital,” Lin Qimo explained as she pushed through the crowd to clear a path for Si Chongguang.
At that moment, Granny Tan suddenly decided to make a scene.
She rushed over and blocked their way.
“You little wretch! Have you lost your mind? How dare you chop at your uncle with a knife!”
Lin Qimo glared at her, eyes bloodshot.
“The only reason I didn’t kill him is because Tangtang is still alive. If anything happens to her, I’ll make him pay with his life.”
“Stop yelling. I’m not deaf,” Granny Tan snapped, planting her hands on her hips and refusing to move.
“You went to the city once and suddenly got some courage. Now you’re talking back to me.”
“She only fainted. Let her rest and sleep it off. Why waste money on a doctor?”
Lin Qimo couldn’t be bothered arguing.
She raised her wood-chopping knife and pressed it against Granny Tan’s neck.
Then she spoke to Si Chongguang and Qin Wenying.
“The clinic is west of the village entrance. Please take my sister there first.”
As she watched the two city people carry Lin Tangtang away, Granny Tan exploded with anger.
“So you’ve got the nerve to raise a hand against me now! No wonder you’re acting so tough. You’ve brought your mother’s relatives back as backup!”
Having overheard the villagers’ speculation, Granny Tan had come to the same conclusion.
She also believed Qin Wenying and Si Chongguang were relatives from Lin Qimo’s maternal side.
“Everyone, look at this! I’ve spent years raising an ungrateful wolf, and now she’s brought outsiders here to bully me, an old woman! Is there no justice left?”
Not a single villager responded.
Instead, they heard Lin Qimo say coldly,
“This machete can chop through a tree trunk as thick as an arm. A human head wouldn’t be any harder.”
“Who are you trying to scare? Go ahead and try!”
“Maybe Grandma doesn’t know. I injured my head on the train during this trip. The doctor said my mental state isn’t very stable and that I shouldn’t be provoked. If you push me into an episode, maybe I’ll test it out on a head.”
She paused.
“Oh, and the doctor also said that when a mentally ill person kills someone during an episode, they aren’t legally responsible. Want to find out if that’s true?”
Granny Tan’s hands trembled with anger.
But seeing the blade at her throat, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
The villagers immediately backed away by more than a meter.
Nothing spread faster than village gossip.
The crowd quickly began discussing the possibility that Lin Qimo had lost her mind.
“Ever since her parents died, she barely talked. Now she comes back acting like a completely different person. She picked up a knife and started chopping people without even trembling. Do you think she’d really chop off her grandmother’s head?”
“That wouldn’t be worth it. I heard city people say mentally ill people don’t have to pay with their lives if they kill someone.”
Upon hearing that, Granny Tan instinctively shrank her neck and turned to look for her son.
“The ungrateful little beast. Just because she has relatives backing her up.”
“My precious son, I told you when you were little not to point at people during arguments. They’ll bite your finger off. Why won’t you ever listen?”
Youngest Uncle Lin had just come out of the house carrying money.
Listening to his mother’s endless nagging only made him more irritated.
He wasn’t counting on Lin Qimo to produce any money.
If she had borrowed some, he’d find a way to take it anyway.
What he feared most was that she hadn’t borrowed anything and that he’d lose his chance to save his finger.
That would be a terrible bargain.
“Can you stop talking for once?” he shouted at Granny Tan.
“Hurry up and wrap my finger. If we’re any later, my hand will really be beyond saving.”
As he passed Lin Qimo, he didn’t forget to throw out a threat.
“I’ll settle this score with you once my hand is fixed. You’re not going anywhere.”
Granny Tan realized he had a point.
Seeing her precious son already heading out, she hurried after him.
At the village clinic.
Granny Tan insisted that the doctor treat her son first.
“Treat my son first! That girl is tough. She won’t die.”
“Doctor, nothing can happen to my son’s hand! He hasn’t even gotten married yet!”
She grabbed the on-duty doctor and refused to let go.
“You can’t ruin my son’s chances of getting a wife.”
It was the first time the doctor had encountered someone as unreasonable as Granny Tan.
Even the most patient person had limits.
“His finger is severed, not his manhood. What does that have to do with getting married?”
“Why are you cursing my son?” Granny Tan’s pleading expression vanished instantly.
“You must fix his finger today! If you can’t, I’ll report you to the village secretary!”
Despite everything, the doctor remained professional.
“Your son’s finger is being preserved in a medical refrigerator. Our surgical facilities are limited. To reattach it, he’ll need to be transported with the refrigerator to the county hospital for surgery.”
“If you put it in a refrigerator, what if the finger freezes and gets ruined?”
Granny Tan still refused to let go of the doctor.