By this point, the three people outside seemed to have reached a conclusion. The child’s grandmother hurried into the duty room and said sincerely,
“Miss, they had a bad attitude. I’ve already scolded them. Please, I’m asking you to help treat the child.”
Song Ning replied, “It’s fine. Just loosen the child’s clothing and keep wiping his forehead, armpits, palms, and soles with warm water. Do it several times.”
With that, she left the duty room.
In the lobby, the two women were still holding each other and wiping away tears. It was hard to tell whether they were crying from worry over the child or because they had been scolded by the grandmother.
Song Ning only glanced at them before turning and heading upstairs.
Seeing that Song Ning had really gone upstairs and seemed determined not to intervene further, Sister Ying began crying even harder.
The grandmother was disappointed as well when she saw Song Ning leave.
Frowning, she shouted toward the doorway,
“Stop crying and come help wipe Dou Dou down!”
While cleaning the child, Sister Ying choked back tears and said,
“Mom! Dou Dou’s fever is so high. Will wiping him down really help? That young lady… is she really not going to treat him anymore? And Juanzi didn’t even say anything!”
The grandmother wrung out a towel and, after a long pause, finally said,
“She’s a complete stranger. This was obviously a troublesome situation, yet she was willing to lend a hand. Instead of being grateful, the two of you questioned her. Of course she’d be upset.”
Sister Ying grew anxious.
“But… but she really isn’t helping anymore! What if something happens to Dou Dou? If the fever keeps rising, there’ll be trouble!”
Seeing that Sister Ying was about to cry again, the nearby attendant who had been helping suddenly spoke up.
“Um… maybe… maybe you should feel the child’s forehead first? What if… he’s already getting better?”
The grandmother paused, then reached out and touched the child’s forehead.
She seemed uncertain.
“Yingzi! Feel it yourself. Doesn’t Dou Dou seem less hot than before?”
Sister Ying hurriedly touched the child’s forehead and then compared it with her own.
Her face immediately lit up.
“The fever’s coming down! It really is! This wiping works! Let’s do it a few more times!”
Overjoyed, she continued wiping the child down.
The grandmother, however, turned toward the attendant.
“Excuse me, was that young lady just now…?”
The attendant had already realized that the bloodletting treatment Song Ning performed had not been for show.
Only then did she answer,
“That young lady had probably already treated the child.”
Meanwhile, Song Ning had returned to her room.
She genuinely did not care about the argument downstairs.
The Dazhui, Shaoshang, Shangyang, and Erjian points were all major acupoints used to reduce fever.
A child’s high fever was hardly a difficult condition.
For her, it was something that could be cured almost effortlessly.
If she had not felt sorry for such a young child suffering, she would never have gotten involved in the first place.
After years of being a doctor, she had encountered every kind of patient imaginable.
If she got angry over arguments every day, she would never have survived in the profession.
To be honest, treating patients also depended on compatibility.
It required willingness from both sides.
Back in her own world, that was exactly how Madam Mei ran things.
She only released three hundred appointment slots a year, and the registration fees had been bid up to astronomical prices.
Even patients who managed to secure an appointment still had to depend on Madam Mei’s mood.
Whether she accepted the case was entirely up to her.
Of course, Song Ning’s own director’s appointments weren’t cheap either.
Mostly because she was lazy and didn’t even want to release three hundred slots.
As a result, scarcity drove demand, and the prices only grew higher.
Thinking about it made her sigh.
She missed Madam Mei a little.
She wondered whether Madam Mei and Old Man Song had argued in the last couple of days.
She herself was probably already dead in that world.
Who knew whether the two elderly people could bear it…
Lost in thought, Song Ning eventually drifted into a gloomy sleep.
She was awakened only when the attendant knocked on her door.
The attendant had come specifically to deliver something.
Handing over a wooden box, she said,
“The child’s grandmother left this for you this morning.”
Song Ning was surprised.
The wooden box was exquisitely crafted.
When she opened it, she found a complete set of silver acupuncture needles inside, and they were of excellent quality.
“This is…?”
“The grandmother said it was originally meant as a gift for an elder. Since she no longer needed it, she wanted to thank you for saving her grandson. She hopes it’ll be useful to you.”
Song Ning quickly asked,
“What room are they staying in? Can you take me there?”
The attendant shook her head.
“They left just now. The county arranged several extra southbound buses to evacuate stranded travelers. They were originally heading north to visit relatives but had been stuck here for several days. As soon as they heard transportation was available, they left.”
After the attendant departed, Song Ning stared at the acupuncture needles and could not help feeling emotional.
Saving the child had been an unintentional act.
She had never expected such a reward.
To her, silver needles were no different from a soldier receiving a rifle or a helmsman receiving an oar.
And now, she finally had some confidence.
Before leaving, the attendant had reminded her that the cafeteria would soon be closing after lunch hours.
When Song Ning went downstairs, she realized it was already nearly two in the afternoon.
The lobby was noticeably emptier.
The county had added buses heading east and south, evacuating many stranded travelers.
Outside, however, the rain continued to fall intermittently without stopping.
Who knew how much longer she would have to stay here?
Just as she was thinking this, someone called out from behind.
“Comrade Xiao Song! Comrade Xiao Song! Perfect timing! There’s something I’d like to discuss with you!”
Turning around, she saw Director Hao jogging over from the back courtyard, slightly out of breath.
“It’s like this,” he began. “The disaster situation has worsened. Large-scale landslides have occurred in the mountain regions ahead, and several villages have been affected. Last night, doctors from Bijie and neighboring counties were assembled into a medical team and sent into the mountains.”
He continued,
“We just received notice that there still aren’t enough medical personnel or supplies. So a second medical rescue team is being formed, and it’ll depart tomorrow morning.”
“You mean… you want me to join the rescue team?” Song Ning asked.
“Hehe.”
Director Hao smiled.
“The main problem is that there aren’t enough doctors. Hospitals still need staff too. Many people on this second team are barefoot doctors from nearby villages and towns. Everyone’s simply doing what they can. I only thought of asking because I’ve seen that you know medicine. Of course, disaster relief carries risks, so the decision is entirely yours.”
“I agree.”
Song Ning answered immediately.
“Director Hao, sign me up. If we can help, then we should help.”
She had not given it much thought.
Going out with a medical team and doing some good was certainly better than sitting around the guesthouse.
“Well said!”
Director Hao gave her a thumbs-up.
“I knew you were the kind of young woman with a spirit of dedication!”
As he spoke, he happily pulled a document from his inner pocket.
“Here! Since you’ve agreed, let me give you this first.”
Song Ning glanced at it and found that it was actually a letter of introduction issued by the Bijie County Government for the Southwestern Military Region.
“Director Hao, what’s this?”
“Haha… I can’t exactly ask you to contribute for free, can I?”
His tone carried a hint of pride.
“After receiving news of the disaster last night, the Southwestern Military Region already dispatched troops to assist. If I remember correctly, Section Chief Fang said your family member is serving in the Southwestern Military Region, right?”
Lowering his voice, he continued,
“If you join the medical team, you can meet up directly with personnel from the Southwestern Military Region. Then you can travel back with them and see your family sooner. Pretty perfect planning on my part, don’t you think?”
Director Hao grinned so widely that his eyes nearly disappeared, his entire expression screaming, Praise me!
Shaking the letter in her hand, Song Ning teased,
“Director Hao, what if I hadn’t agreed to join the medical team? Wouldn’t this have been prepared for nothing?”
“How could that happen?”
He waved his hand.
“I saw everything this morning. Even after the family questioned you, you still treated their child. As the saying goes, skilled doctors are bold. You have both medical ability and medical ethics. How could a girl like you refuse to join a rescue team?”
“So you had everything calculated from the start, huh?”
Song Ning laughed.
“If I didn’t know you managed the guesthouse, I’d think organizing the medical team was part of your job too. You’ve really gone to a lot of trouble.”
Director Hao chuckled awkwardly.
“With how clever you are, you guessed it. The truth is, organizing the medical team really was assigned to me. It’s been giving me a headache. Right now I’m running around everywhere trying to recruit people!”
Song Ning clicked her tongue.
“I knew it. Your abacus beads are practically flying off the frame and hitting me in the face.”