Chapter 96 - No heartbeat

"Nannan, your snacks are delicious. I've never seen this kind before!"

"This is what the Young Boss usually brings over. I can't finish it all by myself. There's so much left over. Come often and help me share a little. Otherwise, it would be a pity if they are left and expire after a long time."

"How can you let such delicious food go bad?! We'll drop by often to help you eat from now on!"

"That's a deal!"

"Uh-huh!"

There were also children eating and gradually their attention was drawn to the piled papers on the table. "Nannan, did you write these words? It's beautifully written!"

"It wasn't me who wrote it, it was Brother Axiu; and there's so much more he can do!"

"Wow! Awesome!"

"Uhm, Brother Axiu… can you teach us to write?"

"Shengsheng, teach." He replied rigidly.

Liu Yusheng puffed out a laugh, "Brother Axiu doesn't like to talk. I'm his apprentice. I'll teach you what you want to learn."

"Nannan and Brother Axiu can write. But what about you, Young Boss? Can you do it?"

Qian Wanjin grinned. "You bet. In addition to being literate, I can also calculate and account books. What do you think? Do you want to learn from me too?"

"Yes, yes!"

"No problem, I'll teach you sometime!"

Now that life was better in the Xinghua Village and there was silver money in their hands, families were sending their children of the right age to private schools. The only ones left were a bunch of four, five, six-year-old turnip heads, who spento0 the whole day catching chickens and ousting dogs.

In the main room, one of the elders was lying in bed with his eyes closed, while the other was sitting in the doorway to nab the soles of his shoes, listening to the excitement in the yard and sometimes smiling.

A place with children was always full of fun and joy.

"Nannan, we are going to catch loaches in the field tomorrow. Why don't you come with us? It's spring planting now, and those loaches are fattening up over the winter!"

"Fine, you guys come and call me tomorrow. I'll be there with Brother Axiu!"

"I'll go too. There's not much going on at the restaurant lately. I'll stay in the village for a few days before I leave."

The children cheered. It turned out that Nannan was very approachable. As for Brother Axiu, his face seemed less scary. Even the rich Young Boss was very friendly to them, not at all what the adults portrayed them to be.

Amidst the cheers, a muffled cry from outside the courtyard sounded, sharp and poignant, and getting closer.

Liu Yusheng frowned, stood up and ran out.

The children saw it and hailed to follow.

Without the clamor to hide it, the sound of crying became clear.

As soon as she reached the door, she saw a woman holding a small figure, running madly in front of her, with a group of people behind her in pursuit.

The figure's small hands were hanging down with the adult's running, swinging weakly, as if, lifeless.

Seeing Liu Yusheng and others standing in front of the courtyard, the woman's crimson eyes lit up. She sprinted and fell to her knees, and said frantically, "Young Boss, Young Boss, you have a carriage. Please take me to town to find a doctor; please save my Shuanzi, please!"

"Guihua! Shuanzi is dead!" The man who caught up with her looked ashen, his voice fraught with despair. "Come back with me. Let's bury Shuanzi properly. Don't bother the Young Boss…"

The woman shrugged the man's pull off and screamed sternly at him, "Not dead! Shuanzi is not dead! Let's just go to town to find a doctor, and the doctor can save him! He's not dead!"

Liu Yusheng recognized them.

She was Aunt Guihua and her husband. The little boy in her arms was their oldest son, born four years ago, and was nicknamed Shuanzi.

He was a very cute little boy.

Now, he was silent with his eyes closed and his chest motionless; he wasn't breathing.

In the yard, Grandma Liu Liu and the napping Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin, rushed out and were shocked at the scene before them.

""What's going on, Guihua? What's wrong with Shuanzi?" Grandma Liu Liu asked tremblingly.

One of the villagers, who chased after Guihua, related the whole story: "With the plowing of the field today, Guihua took the child with her. Everyone was busy and didn't pay attention to him. The child drowned in the ditch without anyone noticing. When he was finally discovered, he was almost out of breath, now…"

There was no need to continue. Halfway through running for help, the child was completely breathless.

Grandma Liu and the others went pale, unable to say anything.

They have experienced the same pain of losing a child. When Nannan disappeared, the family almost went crazy.

"Da Huang, turn the car around and take Aunt Guihua to the town's medical clinic." Qian Wanjin knitted his brows and commanded.

He knew that helping the child was hopeless. However, he couldn't open his mouth to refuse, to shatter a mother's last hope.

The carriage was parked at the entrance of the Liu courtyard. After Dahuang was instructed, he immediately pulled up the reins and prepared to turn around.

"Thank you Young Boss; there's no need to go." In the end, it was still Guihua's husband, who spoke. He slowly sat down and pressed his hand to the boy's chest. His facial muscles trembled violently, his voice almost astringent from the hard squeeze out of his throat. "Guihua, don't make trouble. Our Shuanzi… is gone."

There was no heartbeat under his palm.

The kneeling Aunt Guihua went limp. She suddenly turned quiet, no more heartbreak, no more sound.

It was so quiet it made others want to cry.

The crowd fell silent.

"Aunt, let Shuazi lie down." At this juncture, a little child's voice sounded. Unlike the voices of the people around her with heavy sentiments, it was calm and firm, somehow exuding a power that soothed the heart.

Only then did the crowd realize that, at some point, Liu Yusheng had approached Guihua. She pressed one hand against Shuanzi's neck, and fumbled with Shuanzi's clothes with the other. They didn't know what she was doing.

Aunt Guihua stared at Liu Yusheng in a daze, seemingly unable to react. As if suddenly stung, she quickly stretched her hands and lay the child square on the ground, and gave a deadly stare at Liu Yusheng. "Nannan…?"

She choked as if the words got stuck, and a sliver of light leaped from the depths of her eyes.

"Grandma, please bring me the little wooden box under the hall cupboard."

"Father, please fetch a basin of water."

Without more nonsense, Liu Yusheng ordered as she untied the dirty sludge coat from Shuanzi, her face was heavy and her small lips pursed.

Grandma Liu and Liu Dalin quickly went back to the house and fetched the things she wanted and put them next to her without asking a word.

There was no hesitation, no stopping, no questioning.

The space was quiet.

Everyone almost subconsciously held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound to disturb the little girl. Their eyes were only glued to her every move, their riotously hearts throbbing.

Shuanzi was no longer breathing, but when Liu Yusheng probed with her hand just now, his heart was still warm.

It meant that it wasn't long before his breath was truly cut off.

He wasn't dead yet – she'd take a chance!

From the small wooden box, she took out a set of silver needles and quickly stabbed into several key points on the little boy's body, sealing his heart pulse and preserving the shred of life that was about to dissipate.

The small wooden box was a simple medical kit she usually stored at home. It contained a lot of emergency medicines and medical tools. The silver needles were later molded and added into the box, in case of emergency.

It came in handy right now.