Chapter 110: Shattering Her Mental Defenses

After Tang Xin arrived, she examined the child's condition and discussed it with the barefoot doctor and Li Sheng. It turned out the situation wasn’t as dire as they had feared.

Fortunately, she had some emergency fever-reducing medicine on hand. Although it wasn’t specifically for children, there was no time to be picky now. She also had anti-inflammatory medication, which was crucial because inflammation inside the body was almost certain in such cases. If left untreated, even if the fever subsided, it could easily develop into pneumonia, which would be far more troublesome.

With the hopeful eyes of the team leader’s family upon her, Tang Xin produced two kinds of medicine. One was a fever reducer, and the other, from her personal stash, was amoxicillin—still commonly called penicillin in the country. Such medicine was rarely found as a ready-made drug locally, and when the barefoot doctor saw it, his eyes lit up with excitement.

Tang Xin had planned ahead; before coming, she had removed the packaging of the medicine. She wrapped both pills neatly in a clean tissue, which, while not perfectly sanitary, was necessary to avoid suspicion. Since the child was very young and might not tolerate a full dose, the adults who could make decisions agreed to give half a pill of each medicine.

Regardless of the effects, the barefoot doctor honestly informed the team leader’s family about the preciousness of penicillin. Even the county hospital might not have it; they might have to go all the way to the provincial capital.

Upon hearing this, the team leader’s daughter-in-law, Hong Juhua, immediately knelt down before Tang Xin without a word. Regardless of the outcome, her gratitude was genuine. Tang Xin quickly helped her up. The poor woman looked exhausted, far from the usually spirited village women’s director she was known to be. A parent’s heart is always vulnerable, and the severity of the child’s illness had likely shattered all her emotional defenses.

Since the team leader and his son were not comfortable interacting with women, they clasped Li Sheng’s hand repeatedly, expressing their heartfelt thanks. Fortune seemed to favor the kind-hearted; after the child took the medicine, no adverse reactions occurred. Half an hour later, the fever gradually subsided.

At that moment, the barefoot doctor instructed Hong Juhua to feed the child a few spoonfuls of the prepared herbal soup. Seeing that they understood the need to space out Western and Chinese medicine, Tang Xin felt reassured and exchanged a meaningful glance with Li Sheng. They both silently celebrated the miracle—they had arrived just in time, with the right medicine to save the child.

Children are angels; no matter what they grow up to be, they start as innocent little lives.

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Tang Xin used to despise palace intrigue stories where women in the inner court harmed children. Now, being able to save a life herself filled her with joy.

Afterward, there was nothing more for Li Sheng and Tang Xin to do. When they left, the team leader’s family was still anxious, guarding the child closely until he fully woke up.

The next day, the team leader and his wife came to the Li household, carrying two large woven bags—one filled with dried sweet potatoes, the other with fine white flour. They explained it was for Tang Zhiqing, knowing that a girl from the city might find the local coarse grains hard to adjust to.

The child had awakened the night before, vomiting quite a bit but regaining strength. By morning, he even ate a bowl of plain porridge. After examining him, the barefoot doctor declared the child was basically out of danger and just needed careful convalescence for a few days.

Relieved, the whole family naturally remembered to thank the Li household’s Tang Zhiqing. Even the team leader’s wife said it was because her husband had done good deeds earlier that they had been rewarded. Without his help supporting Li Sheng, he might never have married Tang Zhiqing; she might have returned to the city by now.

To be fair, the team leader was indeed a commendable rural official. In recent years, their prosperous brigade hadn’t seen anyone starve to death. In these times, simply having enough to eat was a remarkable achievement.

To show their gratitude, they had brought these gifts to the Li family. Privately, the team leader slipped Tang Xin some money. Judging by the thickness and color, Tang Xin guessed it was cash. The team leader, concerned she might face difficulties in her marital home, wanted to help discreetly.

He didn’t do it publicly, but once back in her room, Tang Xin took out the money to inspect it: a ten-yuan note, a five, several one-yuan bills, and five grain and oil ration coupons worth two liang each.

Tang Xin knew it must have been difficult for the team leader to part with this money. She almost wanted to return it. Li Sheng, however, urged her to accept it, fully aware of the value of those medicines—after all, it was his wife’s selfless sacrifice that saved the child.

Having saved a life, Tang Xin felt truly happy and more certain than ever of her purpose in this world.

Although it was still early spring, the fields were alive with signs of renewal—the wheat seedlings had turned green again. The once-frozen ponds had thawed, and here and there along the roadside, crisp, tender wild greens sprouted.

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These sights brought joy to the heart. Spring, full of vibrant life, was Tang Xin’s favorite season.

Gazing upon this world filled with birdsong and blossoms, the fields rolling in every direction, Tang Xin deeply realized once more:

She had arrived in a living world, inhabited by vibrant individuals, not just empty, pale words on a page.

With this understanding, she could craft a story uniquely her own.

Humming a tune, she playfully tugged at Li Sheng’s sleeve as they walked along the country path, eventually looping her arm through his. Li Sheng chuckled—this was partly why he didn’t want children too soon; his wife was still like a child herself.

He wanted to pamper her for a few more years but now felt a twinge of regret. After all, Tang Xin had come to the countryside two years earlier. Why hadn’t they become close enough then to talk about marriage?

Of course, if Tang Xin knew what Li Sheng was thinking at that moment, he would tell her:

If they had started dating two years earlier, perhaps she would now be jealous and upset.

After all, back then, the original owner hadn’t yet come to this world.

The young couple strolled about affectionately, or as Tang Xin called it, “taking a walk.”

But Li Sheng, restless by nature, couldn’t help but peer into the nearby river ditch as they walked. Calling a few brothers, they managed to catch quite a few small fish in a hidden spot—about half a bucket of wild mixed fish, mostly one or two inches long.

At home, Li Sheng cleaned the fish thoroughly, and Mrs. Fang cooked them up, simmering a milky-white fish soup with garlic cloves, red chili peppers, cilantro, and scallions. It was deliciously fragrant and rich.

Tang Xin savored a large bowl of the savory fish soup and picked at the tender fish meat with her chopsticks, utterly content.