“What’s going on? Did the elderly woman suddenly fall ill?”
“It wasn’t sudden – she was angered by that shop assistant,” someone who had witnessed the entire incident explained from the sidelines.
“Will the elderly woman be alright?”
“Hard to say. If something happens to her, that shop assistant will be in trouble.”
The shop assistant naturally overheard the discussions and snapped angrily, “What nonsense are you all talking? She clearly had pre-existing conditions and fainted from her illness. What does that have to do with me?”
Xia Yuhuan paid no attention to the surrounding chatter, focusing all her attention on the elderly woman.
After taking the woman’s pulse and confirming her condition, Xia Yuhuan took out her needle kit from her bosom and began to administer acupuncture to the elderly woman.
The onlookers gasped at the sight.
“This young girl knows medicine?”
“She’s so young. Even if she knows some medicine, she can’t be that skilled.”
“Skill aside, I hope she doesn’t make things worse.”
Just then, someone shouted, “Who are you? What are you doing to my mother?”
The angry voice exploded near Xia Yuhuan’s ear, but she was administering a critical needle and ignored the person.
Seeing this, the person became furious and immediately reached out to pull Xia Yuhuan away.
Xia Yuhuan avoided the grasping hand while simultaneously placing the final needle.
“Who are you? Is this elderly woman your family member?” Xia Yuhuan frowned as she looked at the person.
“Yes, she’s my family. Who are you? What were you just doing to my mother?” the newcomer demanded angrily.
While speaking, she reached out to pull the elderly woman up.
Xia Yuhuan grabbed her wrist firmly.
“The elderly woman had an episode and fainted. I just administered acupuncture treatment. She shouldn’t be moved yet and needs to rest. If you move her recklessly and cause complications, I won’t be responsible,” Xia Yuhuan scolded.
The woman was startled by Xia Yuhuan’s words and indeed didn’t dare to move recklessly.
She looked at Xia Yuhuan nervously, “You… you really know medicine? Are you really capable?”
It wasn’t that she looked down on Xia Yuhuan, but Xia Yuhuan appeared too young and seemed… unreliable.
In her previous life, Xia Yuhuan had initially treated patients in hospitals. But being a genius, too young, and following the master-apprentice tradition rather than formal education, even when listed as a specialist, no one believed in her medical skills.
Although these people would eventually be proven wrong, she grew tired of such doubts and eventually shifted to pharmaceutical research.
“Whether I’m capable or not, the elderly woman will give you the answer. Look, she’s waking up,” Xia Yuhuan said as she removed the needles from the elderly woman.
The elderly woman’s gaze fell on Xia Yuhuan, “Young comrade, thank you for saving me.”
Although she had the episode, she hadn’t lost consciousness and could hear what was happening around her.
Xia Yuhuan smiled slightly, “No need to thank me. Since we met, it must be fate. I just did what I should.”
As she spoke, she helped the elderly woman sit up, “How are you feeling now?”
“Earlier my chest felt tight and uncomfortable, but now I feel much better,” the elderly woman replied.
Xia Yuhuan nodded slightly, “That’s good. Your health isn’t well – you must avoid getting angry as it stimulates your heart and can easily trigger episodes.”
“Alright, thank you, young comrade. Xiufang, give all the money you have to this young comrade.”
Wang Xiufang hurriedly took out all the money she had and stuffed it into Xia Yuhuan’s hands. “Young comrade, thank you for saving my mother-in-law. This is all I have with me – please accept it as a token of our gratitude.”
“By the way, where do you live? Could you leave me your address? We’d like to visit you personally to express our thanks for your life-saving help.”
“It’s just a small matter, no need for such formality. I’m studying medicine – this is my duty. I’m just glad you’re feeling better now,” Xia Yuhuan said with a smile.
“This is no small matter! You saved my mother-in-law’s life – that’s the most important thing for our family. Young lady, you must tell me where you live. If you don’t, I won’t let you leave today!” Wang Xiufang grabbed Xia Yuhuan’s hand, pretending to threaten her.
Xia Yuhuan had no choice but to reply: “My name is Xia Yuhuan, and I live in the Military Compound. If you want to find me, just come to the Military Compound.”
“Actually, your body needs some recuperation. If you trust me, I can prescribe some herbal medicine for you when you visit.”
“Ah, wonderful, definitely,” the elderly woman quickly responded.
Xia Yuhuan said, “If there’s nothing else, you should go home and rest now. I’ll be leaving first.”
The old woman agreed but showed no intention of leaving immediately. Xia Yuhuan understood she probably still needed to settle things with the shop assistant and didn’t press further.
Not interested in watching the commotion, Xia Yuhuan turned and left directly.
After leaving the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Xia Yuhuan had nowhere else to go, so she headed straight back to the Xia residence.
As soon as Xia Yuhuan entered, she heard Xia Zhuyu’s crying.
Curious about what had happened, she immediately asked: “What’s going on? Why are you crying?”
Hearing Xia Yuhuan’s voice, Xia Zhuyu sprang up excitedly and rushed toward her.
“Was it you? Did you do this to me?” Xia Zhuyu shrieked, raising her hand to slap Xia Yuhuan.
Xia Yuhuan easily caught Xia Zhuyu’s wrist, frowning as she said: “I don’t even know what happened to you. How could I have harmed you?”
“Truly Xia Jianyong’s daughter – just like him, making accusations without understanding the situation.”
With that, Xia Yuhuan flung Xia Zhuyu’s hand away while pushing her backward with her other hand.
Xia Zhuyu lost her balance, stumbling backward unsteadily.
“Ah…” Xia Zhuyu screamed, thinking she was about to fall.
Li Rouyue stepped forward just in time to catch Xia Zhuyu.
She glared angrily at Xia Yuhuan: “Xia Yuhuan, you’re the one who brought the Youth Office people here, aren’t you? They just came to notify Zhuzhu that she’s being sent down to the countryside!”
“Old Xia had already pulled strings – normally the Youth Office wouldn’t have come knocking. Everything was fine until you showed up, and now the Youth Office is here. How dare you deny this was your doing?”
Li Rouyue’s gaze toward Xia Yuhuan was full of venom.
Xia Yuhuan hadn’t expected Zhang Xianya to act so quickly.
She had just spoken with Zhang Xianya yesterday about sending Xia Zhuyu to the countryside, and today the Youth Office had already come.
It seemed her future mother-in-law was the type of strong woman who acted decisively.
Though inwardly pleased, Xia Yuhuan maintained a look of confusion: “What Youth Office? What going to the countryside? Are you saying Xia Zhuyu was supposed to go to the countryside but used connections to stay in the city?”
“The policy of sending educated youth to the countryside was proposed by the top leadership. Yet you actually abused your power to pull strings just to avoid going!”
“Now that you’ve been caught and are about to be sent down, you’re trying to shift the blame onto me. It seems your ideological awareness is lacking, and so is your character!”
“If people find out about this, Xia Zhuyu will probably be sent to the most difficult area for re-education, won’t she?”
As soon as Xia Yuhuan said this, both Li Rouyue and Xia Zhuyu turned pale.