Chapter 304 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the two families enjoyed a comfortable reunion dinner together.

The older sisters would prepare the food in the front yard and then take it to the Tao family after dark, mainly because it would be completely dark by the time their parents returned.

Xiao Jiu ran to the front to help carry over the baked flatbread, wrapped dumplings, and the ingredients for the prepared dishes.

Unexpectedly, Tang Cuihua announced a bombshell announcement on such an occasion.

"I've been jilted!"

The whole family was shocked by this sudden news and didn't react for a long time until she said it.

Huang Xin said that he was injured while saving someone, and that family came to him wanting to exchange marriages with them.

Once his mourning period is over, the woman will marry into the family, and then their younger sister, Huanghua, will marry into the family.

This way, neither side needs to pay betrothal gifts or dowries.

Zhao Lingli frowned: "Even if she were to marry, she shouldn't marry a disabled man, right?"

Isn't there also a healthy man named Huang Jin? What normal family's daughter would choose a disabled person?

Tang Cuihua smiled, "I think so too, but he didn't explain, so I didn't ask any more questions. I'll just accept the return!"

To put it bluntly, his pride still wouldn't allow him to become a live-in son-in-law; he simply couldn't get over that hurdle in his mind.

We can't force him too much, can we? Since he's unwilling, I've thought about it and decided to just let it go.

The Tao family looked at Tang Cuihua with heartache, but Cuihua herself was more clear-headed than they had imagined.

"Isn't this what it means to find a son-in-law to live with you? He was willing before probably because he had no other choice. Luckily, I didn't have much contact with him."

Ever since he told me it was over, I went to the village chief to clarify things.

When the production team held a meeting, I wasn't afraid of being laughed at and bluntly said that it was the Huang family who broke off the engagement.

He wanted to arrange a marriage exchange with his comrade's family, so he wouldn't have to be a live-in son-in-law anymore. He was so embarrassed then, it felt so good!

Tang Cuihua was never one to suffer losses: "Our family's situation is getting better and better now, and I have nothing to regret."

The second, third, fifth, and sixth sons will have a bright future.

Even though our fourth brother has hearing problems, Niu Feng is a reliable person; he even sent us holiday gifts before the new year.

If you can take time off for Chinese New Year this year, come and spend the holiday at our house. Look at how sincere they are!

Unlike the Huang family before, who lived in the same village, they had been engaged for several months and hadn't even spoken to me, let alone kept in touch.

This also shows that the other party was not satisfied with the marriage, and it's unclear why they agreed to it in the first place.

After the engagement was called off, there wasn't even any compensation. Although I don't owe them anything, I still feel resentful.

So he made Huang Xin apologize to me in front of the whole village. He actually did it so he could smoothly annul the engagement. Tsk tsk.

The last two sounds served as a summary of this short-lived marriage. There were no regrets, just a feeling of frustration.

She was actually jilted by a cripple?

"If it weren't for the fact that he's a disabled veteran, this matter wouldn't have been left like this."

Xiao Jiu looked at her eldest sister, lost in thought.

After everything was tidied up that evening, Xiao Jiu followed Tang Cuihua back to the front yard, where they sat by the fire and chatted.

"Big sister, why don't you go to the city? I'll ask Sister Zhen to see if she can help us find a temporary job."

If you can't find it, just deliver the goods to the designated locations for me. Don't worry, I've scouted these places myself, they're very safe.

We should give the Party Secretary some more gifts later and ask him to help us get more letters of introduction, otherwise we'll be sent back as vagrants.

"Look, we can rent a room. It's a waste for my second sister to live alone. If you come, there's somewhere for you to stay, isn't there?"

Cuihua frowned. "You actually went to the black market?"

Xiao Jiu shook his head frantically, "No, I didn't go to the black market. I'm just a resident of a residential compound, and I resell experience in that compound."

I found a few easy-going people to help, to deliver things to their homes like relatives. I'm not going to go to the black market; it's too dangerous.

“Your suggestion sounds good, but I’m worried about my family. Your fourth sister can’t hear well, and your seventh and eighth sisters are introverted and not good at communicating.”

It wouldn't be right if none of us in the family participated in chores.

The second and third children have jobs, and the fifth and sixth children are in school. They all have legitimate reasons, and no one will say anything about them. But what about me?

I have no job and no good reason, so what would I do there? I know you care about me and are worried about the gossip.

Don't worry, your sister is very strong-willed and won't be defeated by these rumors!

Rather than having me go with you directly, it would be better to let me try out for a suitable job in the future.

By then, with a legitimate reason, no one can say anything.

"Are we really just going to let the Huang family's matter go like this?"

Xiao Jiu was unwilling, but Tang Cuihua nodded.

"Forget it, he's a soldier, a man of honor. Being a live-in son-in-law would be a disgrace for him for life. We won't force him."

“I feel sorry for my older sister,” Cuihua said, turning her head to pat her head.

"Maybe this is also for my own good? Otherwise, why would I even think about going to the city?"

These words left Xiao Jiu speechless, because this was indeed a question she had only considered after she broke off the engagement.

Before, we were already engaged, so we didn't consider temporary jobs. Forget about permanent jobs; it's difficult to even change one rural household registration to an urban one, let alone two.

Besides, it's not always possible to be so lucky as to find a suitable job like Wang Qiang's or Cao Lianhua's.

If Wang Qiang weren't from the Public Security Bureau, he wouldn't be able to transfer his household registration.

But finding a temporary job shouldn't be too difficult, especially during these difficult times. She'll definitely ask when she gets back to the city.

Then, with a gossipy look, he glanced in Tang Cuihong's direction and secretly asked Cuihua.

"Big sister, is my fourth sister really dating Comrade Niu Feng?"

"Yes, that's for sure. They reliably send one letter a month."

On the contrary, your fourth sister only replies when she remembers, and ignores people when she doesn't.

Just a few days ago, he sent over a bunch of dried goods, saying he traded them with his comrades from Northeast China—all sorts of hazelnuts and mushrooms, really good stuff.”

Northeast? Xiao Jiu immediately chimed in: "The Northeast is truly a place of outstanding people and abundant resources, and the mountain products there are indeed excellent."

"You like Northeast China?" Xiao Jiu grinned. "What's the use of liking it? You can't go there, it's so far away."

"Your older brothers are all in Northeast China, how could you not be able to go? Don't worry, you'll definitely be able to go!"

Xiao Jiu sighed when she mentioned her brothers.

"I wonder if they'll be back before the New Year. It's already the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, why haven't we heard anything?"

"Yes, I reckon your godparents are too busy being happy to tell you they won't be back until the end of the year,"

"That's great. It's been another year since we last met. This is where I went to military academy. It's so hard to see each other now."

If she goes to military academy in the future, then...

After putting herself in his shoes, Xiao Jiu became increasingly doubtful about whether her decision was right or wrong.

The next day at dawn, I felt that it was quite lively outside. I got dressed and went to check, but my parents hadn't gone back to work.

"I've taken leave. The old lady of the Cao family in the west end passed away last night, and she's being buried today. Your father and I have to go help."

Xiao Jiu's eyes widened: "He died last night, and he's being buried today. Wasn't the plan to keep him in state for three days?"

The old woman sighed, "It's all because of poverty. This old lady starved to death. In principle, a funeral should include food and gifts."

But they declined the gifts and made it clear they had no food to offer everyone. Therefore, the only option was to bury the old man as soon as possible.

"The money for the coffin was raised by the villagers. Old Master Cao was an alcoholic who died of liver disease, which dragged the family into a lot of debt."

This old woman, in order to save some food for her grandchildren, deliberately ruined herself to death.

Her daughter-in-law couldn't stand it anymore and ran back to her parents' home. Now only her son and two grandsons are left at home.

Both daughters were sold to other places by that drunkard, one after the other.

She held a grudge against them and never came back after getting married.

Father and Mother sighed and left, but Grandpa kept muttering to himself.

"Eight now. Eight old guys have died of starvation this year."

It is heartbreaking and disheartening that some rural people still starve to death despite guarding their land.

As soon as the sun came out and the earth thawed, the grave was dug and the old man was quickly buried in a thin coffin.

My parents were so busy at noon that they didn't have time to eat. They had brought a few steamed buns with them in the morning, which they managed to eat.

I got back around 2 or 3 pm and finally got to eat some hot noodles. After eating, I rode my bike back to the city.

In any case, the fact that the distillery is still operating is a matter of luck for them.

However, it's hard to say after the New Year. Every year, we're busy until the 28th of the twelfth lunar month before returning to work in the spring.

If you take a break, it will last for two or three months, and you definitely won't get paid during those two or three months. If you don't work, you won't get paid.

Only skilled workers like my father are qualified to work in technical positions.

My brothers haven't come back yet, but the New Year's goods they bought have already been delivered to the post office in the village.

The young man rode his bicycle with a bottle of liquor to the post office, and there he saw a middle-aged woman lying on the ground.

"There's a slope here. Someone poured water here this morning. She stepped on it and fell backward, hitting the back of her head hard."

After struggling uncontrollably for a few moments, he became still, and blood began to flow from the back of his head.

The onlookers were at a loss. Although some people had already gone to the health center to find someone to help her, they didn't know if she could hold on.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Jiu quickly pushed through the crowd and ran over, saying, "Make way, make way, let me see."

"Don't cause trouble, you're just a young girl," someone said, trying to drive her away before she even got there.

Xiao Jiu shot her a sharp glare. "I think you're the one causing trouble. Get out of the way. How do you know I can't save people?"

She then looked up and glanced at Tao An. In just one glance, Tao An realized that his sister was not joking.

He immediately took on the role of protector, pushing the people around him away, saying, "Get out of the way, don't delay my sister from saving people."

After briefly checking her pulse and confirming that she had suffered cardiac arrest, Xiao Jiu immediately began CPR.

As we all know, chest compressions may seem simple, but they are actually very strenuous.

She was not very old, and if she hadn't taken good care of herself over the years, she probably wouldn't have been able to finish even one round of treatment. Soon, her forehead was covered with a thick layer of sweat.

The cold ground was painfully uncomfortable, even with thick cotton pants. She couldn't bear it any longer and called Tao An over.

"Brother, come here and see how I do it. Learn from me."

Don't just stand there, everyone! Quickly help us get the people from the health center over here; time is of the essence.

Her condition was critical; there were only three minutes left for resuscitation. If she couldn't regain spontaneous breathing within those three minutes, she would…

She replaced the rest of her words with heavy breathing.

When Tao An came over to help Xiao Jiu perform chest compressions on the patient, two middle-aged men nearby also followed along and learned.

"Young lady, will this really work?"

Xiao Jiu now feels like her arms and knees don't belong to her anymore; her arms are numb and her knees are red and swollen, and she needs to rest briefly while panting.

Now, when someone asks her, she immediately nods.

"Yes, this is called cardiopulmonary resuscitation. She lost consciousness and couldn't breathe on her own. At this time, if we can get her heart beating, there will be no way to supply blood to her organs. If her head is deprived of oxygen, it will cause irreversible damage."

Seeing that she didn't respond to chest compressions, Xiao Jiu could only perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, keeping pace with Tao An's rhythm, trying everything she could to save her life.

When Tao An was about to be taken over by Xiao Jiu, the middle-aged man next to him immediately pulled Tao An up.

"I'll do it, I'm strong, little girl, see if I did it right?"

As Xiao Jiu watched, she gave instructions, "Yes, at the midpoint of the line connecting the two nipples, which is the lower third of the sternum."

Place the heel of your left hand firmly against the patient's chest, overlap your hands, raise the five fingers of your left hand, and straighten your arms.

"Use your upper body strength to press down 30 times. Yes, sir, you're doing it perfectly. I'll help you with CPR."

When Xiao Jiu was explaining chest compressions, people around him watched and occasionally practiced by comparing their positions to the chest.

People in this era are simple and kind. Although they found the little girl's method unheard of, and even her mouth-to-mouth breathing, to be unusual.

But looking at that young girl's serious expression, and how she was constantly checking the patient's pulse, eyes, and breathing, she seemed so professional, not at all like a child playing house.

Just as the fourth round of chest compressions was being performed on another middle-aged man, the middle-aged woman lying on the ground finally regained her pulse and spontaneous breathing, and Xiao Jiu shouted happily.

"She's alive! She can breathe on her own! That's wonderful, that's wonderful!"

Soon, the doctors from the township health center arrived with a stretcher, as it wasn't far from the post office, but surprisingly...

"Oh my god, it's Director Chen! It's Director Chen! Quick, come over here right now!"

It turns out that the middle-aged woman lying on the ground was actually Director Chen of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the township health center.

Xiao Jiu eloquently recounted what had just happened to the doctor who came to treat her.

Upon hearing that it was this young girl who led several middle-aged men who knew nothing about the procedure to complete the initial rescue work, everyone was immediately alerted.

The doctors were all quite agitated, but they didn't have time to chat with her. They insisted on getting the names of the brother and sister, as well as two middle-aged men, before hurriedly carrying her away.

The brother and sister's rescue efforts were immediately met with applause and encouragement from the onlookers, with some elderly people even giving them a thumbs up.

"Well done, young lady, how do you know so much?"