Chapter 21: Prevent the Tragedy

For several days Su Ruo kept her door shut and didn't go out; even the infrequent Li Shiru and Chen Wei didn't come to cause trouble again.

After a few days the downpour finally stopped, people could finally leave their homes, sunlight bathed the earth, and the village was filled with children's laughter and dogs' barking.

Su Ruo put on her clothes and rubber shoes, ready to go out; as soon as she reached the courtyard she saw Li Shiru and Chen Wei.

After not seeing her for a few days, Li Shiru's complexion was sallow, with deep dark circles under her eyes, her clothes were wrinkled, she had lost her former radiance, and it was clear she hadn't been doing well these past days.

Li Shiru hasn't been doing poorly these days; it's been downright bad.

She had thought the rain would stop after one night, but who knew it would continue for several days straight.

The eight girls were crammed into a tiny room, unable to eat or sleep properly—it was utterly miserable.

So, upon seeing the refreshed Su Ruo, Li Shiru's jealousy flared to madness.

She felt that the person living in that house and enjoying all this should have been her!

Upon seeing Su Ruo, Chen Wei immediately spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Some people are just selfish, only caring about their own pleasure, completely disregarding others' lives."

Su Ruo didn't even glance at her, and walked straight out of the courtyard.

Chen Wei found it boring, continued airing her quilt, but the next second she let out a shrill scream from her.

"Ah! My quilt has actually gone moldy!"

Hearing that, Li Shiru rushed to check her own quilt, and indeed it was moldy too; she exclaimed in shock, "How could this happen?"

Their quilts got soaked and then were kept covered for so many days—of course they'd mold.

Hearing the two women's panicked voices, Su Ruo felt great; she walked toward the old branch secretary's house according to her memories from her previous life.

In this Li Family Village where Su Ruo was sent to the countryside, the two major surnames are Li and Wang; the Li family's Li Youfu is the brigade commander.

The Wang family's Wang Xingguo is the village's branch secretary; the two major families have also achieved a delicate balance of power.

Su Ruo knew she wanted revenge and to establish herself in the village; relying solely on herself wouldn't work, she needed to find her own support.

And the place she was heading to today was the village branch secretary Wang Xingguo's home.

In her previous life, the village branch secretary's only son, while repairing the leaky roof during this rainstorm, unfortunately fell and broke his leg.

Later, due to severe infection and lack of timely treatment, he not only lost his leg but also suffered brain damage from fever, leaving him completely mentally impaired.

The old branch secretary was an extremely upright person; under his management the village was well ordered, but after his son's accident the blow was too great and he lost all interest in village affairs.

Later he gave the position to his nephew, Wang Quanan.

But Wang Quanan is unlike the old branch secretary; he is purely profit-driven.

In her previous life, after Su Ruo got into trouble, she went to Wang Quanan for help, but she never expected that Wang Quanan wouldn't even support her, and instead spoke sarcastically: "Since even Wang the Butcher doesn't despise her ruined reputation, and you two have already slept together, you might as well get married!"

Even after a lifetime, whenever Su Ruo thinks of these things, she still can't help trembling with anger.

In her previous life, when Wang the Butcher beat Su Ruo half to death, the old branch secretary was the only one who helped him, but by then the old branch secretary had already withdrawn from affairs, and Wang the Butcher had little respect for him, paying no heed to his words.

Yet despite that, Su Ruo still felt grateful toward the old branch secretary.

So in this life, whether to prevent someone like Wang Quanan from becoming branch secretary again, or to repay the old branch secretary's kindness, she must definitely save his son.

Thinking this, Su Ruo's steps quickened involuntarily.

As Su Ruo just reached the courtyard gate, she heard a muffled sob.

"Dad, what should we do? Think of a solution!"

The old village head kept smoking; a few days ago his son went to patch the roof, fell and broke his leg, but at the time the rain was too heavy to get him to a hospital.

He had planned to wait until the rain stopped before acting, but who knew it would last this long.

Last night his son developed a fever; seeing him delirious, any further delay would likely turn him into a fool even if rescued.

The old branch secretary had only this one son, whom he cherished as dearly as his own eyes from childhood.

Now his son is ill, he also wants to take him to the hospital, but the village's sole bridge to the outside is submerged, making exit impossible, and he can't do anything.

At that moment, Wang Zhijun on the bed suddenly began convulsing all over.

This frightened the branch secretary's wife badly; she cried out in panic: "Son! What's wrong with you? Don't scare your mother! Old man, quickly look at your son."

Upon hearing this, Su Ruo could no longer attend to anything else; she immediately pushed the door open and went inside.

As soon as she entered, she saw Wang Zhijun on the bed, deathly pale and convulsing all over.

Su Ruo tried to open Wang Zhijun's eyes to examine him, but was stopped; the branch secretary's wife loudly demanded, "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm a doctor; if you don't want your son to end up brain‑damaged from fever, release him now and cooperate with my treatment."

The branch secretary's wife, her mind now in turmoil, upon hearing Su Ruo claim to be a doctor, instantly clung to her like a lifeline, pleading: "Miss, please, save my son."

The old branch secretary eyed Su Ruo skeptically, thinking she was perhaps too young, but with the situation urgent and no other option, he could only try the desperate remedy.

After Su Ruo said to hold him down, the old branch secretary without hesitation stepped forward and pressed down on the son's constantly flailing legs.

The branch secretary's wife also held down his arms, pressing hard while calling out, "Son!" as tears streamed down her face.

Seeing the person restrained, Su Ruo immediately took out the silver needle.

Seeing the long needle, the branch secretary's wife's body jerked, almost losing her grip.

Su Ruo said solemnly, "I'm going to give him acupuncture; you hold him steady and don't let him move."

The branch secretary's wife then came to her senses, firmly gripping the son, though her body trembled violently.

Su Ruo located the acupuncture points; after a few needles, Wang Zhijun finally stopped trembling.

Seeing her son calm down, the branch secretary's wife released her strength and collapsed limp onto the bed.

Su Ruo herself wasn't much better off; although only a brief moment, her forehead was drenched in sweat and her hands shook violently.

Although Su Ruo had practiced many times in her sea of consciousness, this was her first time needling a real person; the emergency had left no room for fear, and only now did she feel the after‑shock, glad she had succeeded.

The branch secretary's wife came to her senses, took Su Ruo's hand, wiped her tears, and said, "Miss, thank you so much—you saved my son's life!"

"Auntie, you don't need to be polite; let me check on the older brother's condition."

The branch secretary's wife hastily let go of Su Ruo, who then stepped forward to examine Wang Zhijun's condition.

She knew Wang Zhijun's fever stemmed from the inflammation in his leg; acupuncture had eased his convulsions, but to cure it fully he needed medication to eliminate the inflammation completely.

Moreover, Wang Zhijun's leg also can't wait any longer.

(End of chapter)