Section Chief Fang pointed at the man beside him and introduced him.
“Come, come! Let me introduce you. This is Director Hao, who manages our guesthouse.”
Director Hao had a prosperous appearance and a permanently smiling face. After exchanging greetings, he invited Song Ning to sit down.
Then Section Chief Fang continued,
“Here’s the situation, Comrade Song Ning. It’s been raining heavily here for over a week. Several mountain roads ahead have suffered landslides, and traffic won’t be restored anytime soon. After reporting to the leadership in Anping, our unit received new assignments. Early tomorrow morning, we’ll be taking a different route eastward.”
He paused before adding apologetically,
“So we won’t be able to escort you to Yucheng.”
“But don’t worry!” he quickly continued. “I’ve already explained your situation to Director Hao. He’ll help arrange the rest of your journey and make sure you can find your family smoothly.”
As soon as Section Chief Fang finished speaking, Director Hao smiled and said,
“Comrade Xiao Song, just stay here at the guesthouse without worry. As soon as the roads reopen, I’ll immediately help arrange your trip to Rongcheng. Our place may not be large, but anyone traveling toward either Yucheng or Rongcheng has to pass through Bijie County. When the time comes, I’ll make sure everything is arranged properly for you.”
Song Ning didn’t doubt his words at all.
This was a government guesthouse, still operated directly under government administration.
Although Director Hao managed the guesthouse, he was also a government official.
Helping her find transportation or arrange a ride was merely a matter of saying a few words.
Section Chief Fang asked again,
“Comrade Song Ning, what do you think of this arrangement?”
Song Ning quickly stood up and bowed slightly.
“Thank you very much! I have no objections. I’ve caused both of you trouble.”
“Haha! Good! Good! As long as you’re satisfied!”
Section Chief Fang visibly relaxed and shook hands with Director Hao.
“Old Hao, we’re leaving early tomorrow morning. Comrade Song Ning is in your hands now.”
“Don’t worry! Leave it to me!”
To be honest, Song Ning felt a little touched.
People of this era truly possessed a strong sense of responsibility and genuine kindness.
Before leaving, Director Hao specifically reminded her to eat all three meals at the cafeteria behind the building and simply register her attendance.
The next morning, Song Ning went downstairs for breakfast.
The two rows of benches along the lobby walls were packed with people. Many others sat on the hallway floor beside their luggage, most of them catching up on sleep with their eyes closed.
The rain outside had not stopped.
The guesthouse had limited rooms, and providing stranded travelers with a place to shelter from the rain was already one of the best public services the government could offer under the circumstances.
When Song Ning passed through the lobby after breakfast, she noticed that the people who had been resting earlier had gathered into a crowd.
A woman’s scream came from the center.
“My son! My son! Wake up! What’s wrong with you?”
“Take him to the hospital! We need to get him to a hospital right away! The child isn’t responding!”
“Call someone! Can’t this guesthouse make an emergency call?”
“I heard the first floor of the hospital flooded yesterday. A lot of patients had to be relocated!”
…
Song Ning peered through a gap in the crowd.
She could vaguely make out a young woman with delicate features sitting on the floor, holding a child in her arms.
She couldn’t see much more than that.
Listening to the cries around her, she rubbed her ear and pushed through the crowd.
The child looked four or five years old.
His face was flushed bright red.
His body was stiff.
His eyes had rolled upward.
He was convulsing violently.
The young woman holding him was completely panicked. While crying, she desperately pressed down on the child’s twitching arms, trying to stop the convulsions.
“A febrile seizure caused by a high fever! Don’t hold down his arms! You’ll injure him if you keep doing that!”
At the force she was using, she might even break the child’s bones.
Unable to watch any longer, Song Ning stepped forward, pulled the woman’s hands away, and pinched the child’s philtrum.
As expected, his skin was burning hot.
It was obvious he had been running a fever for quite some time.
A well-dressed middle-aged woman nearby, likely the child’s grandmother, saw someone who appeared knowledgeable and hurriedly pleaded,
“Comrade! Please save my grandson! Please!”
“Everyone move back! Don’t block the airflow!”
Song Ning ordered calmly while laying the child flat on the floor.
She turned his head to one side and quickly loosened his collar.
Seeing someone take charge, the guesthouse staff immediately began dispersing the surrounding crowd.
The convulsions lasted another minute or two before stopping.
The child’s body suddenly relaxed and went limp.
He lost consciousness completely.
The moment she saw that, the boy’s mother collapsed to the floor.
Her voice changed from terror.
At that moment, Director Hao, having received word of the situation, rushed over.
The sight before him made him stomp his feet anxiously.
“What do we do now? At five this morning, the county hospital actually called us asking for help! The first floor is flooded, and they can’t even find places to relocate all the patients! The county government compound is full of patients now! Forget ambulances—there aren’t even enough doctors!”
Song Ning looked up.
“Do you have a first-aid kit?”
Director Hao looked troubled.
“We do, but there aren’t many medicines in it.”
As he spoke, a staff member carried out a small wooden box from beneath the counter.
Inside were only a few pieces of gauze, some alcohol, and little else.
At that time, common medications such as cold medicine and fever reducers were usually dispensed as loose white tablets with short shelf lives and had to be prescribed directly by hospitals.
Song Ning nodded in understanding.
Remaining completely calm, she said,
“Please bring me a basin of warm water. And can you find a bed?”
“Yes, yes! Let’s take the child into the duty room first!”
Director Hao answered immediately before turning to a nearby employee.
“Go get the water! Hurry!”
Although the situation was caused by the weather, he certainly didn’t want anyone dying inside his guesthouse.
Several people helped the grandmother carry the child.
Others assisted the exhausted mother to her feet.
Everyone had been cooperating until someone voiced a doubt.
“Doudou has obviously fainted from the fever! Even in a hospital, this would be considered an emergency! Shouldn’t we be taking him somewhere instead of wasting time here?”
Song Ning initially ignored the comment and followed the grandmother toward the duty room.
But the woman speaking clearly knew the child’s mother.
She stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
“Sister Ying, we need to be careful about this. There’s no medicine or equipment here. A basin of warm water isn’t going to cure him! We have to think of another solution!”
Sister Ying had already been too frightened to think straight.
Hearing those words only made her more anxious.
She looked at Song Ning, nearly in tears.
Song Ning paused and looked at the two women.
“Why don’t you discuss it first? I’m not in a hurry. There’s not even a single pill available here. I’m worried about that too.”
Seeing Song Ning’s reaction, the woman raised her voice.
“You… show us your credentials! Are you really a doctor? Do you even know how to treat patients? What if you make the child’s condition worse? Can you take responsibility for that?”
Song Ning dug a finger into her ear and rolled her eyes.
Then she turned to Sister Ying.
“I really can’t show you any credentials. You’re the child’s mother. Whether he gets treatment is entirely your decision.”
She shrugged.
“I don’t mind either way.”
As she spoke, the staff member returned carrying a steaming aluminum bucket of warm water.
Song Ning casually took a sewing needle from the public sewing kit on the counter and disinfected it with alcohol.
Without even looking up, she said to the two women,
“Hurry up and decide. I’m busy.”
Meanwhile, the grandmother and several helpful bystanders had already settled the child in the duty room.
When she came back out and saw the argument, she said angrily,
“What are you two doing? Someone is willing to help save Doudou, and you’re making trouble!”
“Mom! Have you forgotten what happened to Dad? That’s exactly why we can’t be careless when it comes to Doudou!”
“Mom… what Juanzi said… does make some sense. Maybe…”
…
By then, Song Ning had already entered the duty room.
Without hesitation, she used the needle to prick the child’s earlobes and fingertips one by one, drawing several drops of blood from each spot.
The child remained unconscious and showed no reaction.
The staff member who had brought the water stood nearby, feeling uneasy.
Outside, weren’t they still debating whether she should treat the boy?
Why had she already started bloodletting?
Song Ning then unbuttoned the child’s clothing and turned him onto his side.
One hand wasn’t enough, so she glanced at the staff member.
“Come help.”
“Oh! Right away!”
The employee hurried over and helped support the child.
He watched as Song Ning made another small puncture at the back of the child’s neck and squeezed out several more drops of blood.
After finishing, Song Ning casually handed the needle back to him.
“Done. Here’s your needle. I’m going upstairs.”
“Ah—what—”
The staff member stood there completely dumbfounded.