Lin Qianyi walked out of her room, and Meng Junchuan, sitting on the sofa, looked up and froze for a moment.
“I’m heading out,” Lin Qianyi said, picking up the handbag she had made herself from fabric.
Meng Junchuan snapped out of his daze. This little girl was stunning—every time he saw her, it was a new surprise; each time, she looked more beautiful than the last. The gray-black dress she wore was a color most girls wouldn’t usually choose, but on her, it gave an elegant and refined aura, highlighting her striking features. Sigh—he couldn’t help but worry about letting her walk the streets alone. He completely forgot that the first time he met Lin Qianyi, she had been kicking someone with her foot.
The two of them left the house and went downstairs. On a day off, the residential compound was quite busy, and as soon as they appeared, all eyes turned to them. They were dazzling together: the man tall, handsome, and in a sharp military uniform; the woman delicate and beautiful, with her long flowing dress.
Whether out of envy or admiration, everyone couldn’t help but think the couple was perfectly matched. Many people who had once harbored feelings now looked at them with envy, and the younger crowd felt pangs of jealousy. Lin Qianyi seemed to grow more beautiful by the day, like a blooming flower radiating brilliance. Those longing yet unrequited gazes at the couple were full of frustration.
Lin Qianyi, unaware of this, walked confidently, while Meng Junchuan, with eyes sharp as a hawk, noticed the glances and thought to himself: “Hah, what are all these sulky faces about? I better have my family speed things up—too many people have their eyes on my wife; I can’t be too relaxed.”
“Qianyi, your boyfriend’s here again?” someone called out to them.
“It’s a day off,” Lin Qianyi replied with a smile, and Meng Junchuan nodded at the person.
Many people immediately surrounded them to greet, and their car was parked not far off, so they couldn’t head straight there. They had to stop and respond for a while. Luckily, Meng Junchuan’s presence was commanding; people only dared to greet and not ask too many questions. Gradually, the two worked their way through the crowd and got to the car.
“Phew,” Lin Qianyi exhaled. “They’re never this enthusiastic when they see me. All because of you.”
“My fault,” Meng Junchuan said with a smile, starting the car, which slowly drove out of the factory.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“Let’s just drive around slowly. I don’t really know,” Lin Qianyi said.
Meng Junchuan slowed down, and they drove at a leisurely pace, chatting and enjoying the scenery. Pedestrians on the roadside walked faster than their car, often turning back to stare. No one else could pull this off like them.
Eventually, they reached the town center, which was a bit busier, and the streets weren’t very wide.
“Let’s get out and walk,” Lin Qianyi suggested. Driving further wouldn’t be appropriate—the road was too narrow, and they were taking up space.
Meng Junchuan agreed. He parked the car, and the two got out, immediately drawing a crowd of onlookers. But the couple, used to public attention, remained relaxed and comfortable.
“Minming, what’s wrong?” a woman called out anxiously from ahead.
“Did the kid get something stuck? I saw him eating just now,” someone nearby added.
“I saw it too.”
“The kid’s face is turning purple! Hurry, get him to the hospital!”
“The kid can’t even make a sound! This is serious!”
People murmured, and the woman shouted anxiously. Meng Junchuan and Lin Qianyi quickly rushed over.
“I have a car,” Meng Junchuan said, preparing to pick up the child and head to it.
Lin Qianyi stopped him. Seeing the child, about six or seven years old, his face turning purple, she feared there wasn’t enough time.
“Trust me,” she said, handing her handbag to Meng Junchuan. She quickly performed the Heimlich maneuver. Thanks to its widespread promotion in the future, it had become common knowledge. Lin Qianyi hugged the child from behind and applied the technique.
The woman tried to grab her, and others moved closer, whispering anxiously. Meng Junchuan, unsure what Lin Qianyi was doing, chose to trust her and blocked anyone from interfering.
Lin Qianyi placed her fists against the child’s abdomen and pushed hard a few times. Something came out of the child’s mouth.
“Wah!” The child cried out.
“He spit it out!” people exclaimed.
“The child can cry now—he’s okay!” Cheers erupted from the crowd.
“Take him to the hospital to be sure,” Lin Qianyi advised.
“I’m a doctor. Let me check,” an elderly man around sixty said. He had rushed over after hearing the commotion and saw Lin Qianyi performing first aid. After examining the child, he confirmed there was no serious issue.
“Thank you, thank you,” the woman said, visibly relieved, repeatedly thanking Meng Junchuan. She looked young, likely the child’s older sister, well-dressed, and clearly from a well-off family.
Lin Qianyi rolled her eyes at the girl who seemed to ignore her: “Hey, I saved him, not him—don’t just thank the handsome guy.”
“It wasn’t me; my boyfriend saved the child,” Meng Junchuan said calmly, walking over to Lin Qianyi.
“Miss, how did you do that?” the elderly doctor asked, excited and anxious.
“It’s called the Heimlich maneuver,” Lin Qianyi explained. She remembered it was invented in the 1970s, though she wasn’t sure of the exact year. What mattered was that it saved lives. She didn’t hold back, teaching the doctor the technique and precautions in detail.
The old doctor was thrilled and planned to promote it at the hospital. He hadn’t expected Lin Qianyi to share it openly.
The woman awkwardly approached to thank her as well and invited them to her home for a meal. Lin Qianyi politely declined, didn’t give her name to the doctor, and left with Meng Junchuan. They decided not to continue shopping and returned to the car.
Meng Junchuan wasn’t one to pry. In these times, mastering a skill was a means of self-reliance. Most people preferred to keep skills to themselves, but Lin Qianyi shared hers freely with the doctor for hospital promotion, which spoke volumes about her character. Meng Junchuan felt a surge of pride and didn’t ask further.
“Do you want to go somewhere else, or head home?” he asked.
“Let’s go home,” Lin Qianyi said, glancing at the time. They’d been out long enough, and it was time to make lunch.
“Let’s buy some vegetables first,” Meng Junchuan noted, seeing the kitchen had only a few vegetables.
“Okay,” Lin Qianyi said. She hadn’t taken any from her space in advance, but it was early enough to buy fresh produce outside.