Chapter 43: Food Poisoning

The people across from them had also noticed this side. Liu Yan, Liu Chun, and Xie Aiguo greeted them.

Jing Xi didn’t say anything—she was busy chewing and swallowing the last bite of her candied hawthorn.

After sitting for a while, the three of them left and wandered along the river, taking a long stroll. By the time they got home, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Jing Xi felt a bit tired. She took off her outer clothes, locked the door, and climbed onto the heated brick bed, falling asleep until 7:30 in the evening.

A few days ago, she had fried and braised a lot of food, and she had also roasted a big plate of sunflower seeds, so she wasn’t lacking anything to eat. But tonight, she had a particularly strong craving for fried peanuts.

She wanted them so badly that the thought of not having any made her feel restless and agitated.

However, she didn’t have any raw peanuts at home. Even though she knew that most places were closed for the New Year, she decided to go out and try her luck at the small shop to see if anyone was there.

The shop wasn’t far from the village office and was close to Xie Aiguo and Wu Jun’s houses, though it was a bit of a walk from hers. She grabbed a flashlight and headed out.

Every household had red lanterns lit, and some children were outside setting off firecrackers. The night was brighter and noisier than usual, full of life and festivity.

She walked quickly and reached the shop in no time, only to find it dark and closed. A sign hanging on the door read: “Closed until the 15th of the first lunar month.”

She pouted—living in modern society had really spoiled her. She had assumed that even in this era, she’d still be able to buy things during the New Year.

But in reality, not only were businesses closed, but they stayed shut until after the 15th.

The difference between people was truly frustrating.

Thinking about holidays reminded her of when she worked as an online troll, barely having a day off all year round. Compared to now, where she spent her days leisurely, it was almost laughable.

What was that saying?

The things you lose always come back in another form.

On her way back, she took a different alley, cutting through the one near Xie Aiguo’s house—it was a shorter route home.

She hummed a tune while walking with her flashlight. Just before she reached the Xie family’s door, she heard a commotion inside—children crying and adults speaking anxiously.

Curious, she stopped at the door to listen.

It turned out that the little boy she had seen that afternoon had fallen ill—vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. The family was scrambling to figure out what to do.

One moment, someone said he had eaten something bad; the next, another suggested he had caught a chill. Everyone was arguing heatedly.

Jing Xi listened carefully—weren’t those symptoms of food poisoning?

Back when she worked as an online troll, she was always busy and frequently ordered takeout. One time, she accidentally ordered from a vendor with poor hygiene and spoiled ingredients, which led to severe food poisoning. She had suffered from vomiting, diarrhea, excruciating stomach cramps, and an intensely dry mouth, even experiencing mild dehydration. She had felt like she was about to die.

In the end, she had to call an ambulance, get an IV at the hospital, and stay for two days before recovering.

She still remembered filing a complaint against that takeout vendor. The vendor refused to admit fault and even tried to confront her. But unfortunately for them, they had messed with the wrong person—she was a professional at online trolling. She single-handedly bombarded their takeout page, pushing it to the top of the city’s trending list overnight.

By morning, the vendor had publicly apologized and restructured their business. Later, they were fined heavily by the Market Supervision Bureau for food safety violations and ended up shutting down.

Her thoughts drifted until a deep male voice pulled her back to reality.

“Dad, Mom, Wife—I’m taking the kid to the clinic now!”

Yu Juan said anxiously, “Son-in-law, the clinic is closed at this hour. Even if you go to town, the chances of finding an open one are slim.”

A young woman’s voice followed. “Mom, then what do we do? He’s been vomiting so much, and he feels…”

Xie Aiguo said, “You all stay here. I’ll go to Old Liu’s house—his wife knows how to do acupuncture. Maybe she can help!”

And just like that, they decided to try acupuncture first.

Jing Xi had been about to leave, but she hesitated.

If the child really had food poisoning, acupuncture wouldn’t help.

After thinking it over, she finally knocked on the Xie family’s door.

A flustered Xie Aiguo quickly opened it. When he saw Jing Xi, he assumed she was here to cause trouble.

His expression darkened. “Xiao Jing, we have an emergency at home. Whatever you need, can’t it wait until another day?”

Jing Xi realized he had misunderstood and quickly explained, “Village Chief, you’ve got it wrong. I was just passing by and heard the commotion. Is a child sick?”

Xie Aiguo nodded, looking worried. “Yes, I was just about to head to Liu Jianchang’s place.”

Jing Xi hesitated for a moment before saying, “Village Chief, the child might have food poisoning. Acupuncture won’t help.”

“Food poisoning?” Xie Aiguo frowned.

“Yes. What did he eat today?”

Xie Aiguo replied, “Just our regular home-cooked meals. Then in the afternoon, he had a candied hawthorn and an ice pop. He didn’t eat anything at night.”

Jing Xi immediately felt like she had figured it out.

“Is anyone else in the family feeling unwell?”

“No, just my grandson.”

It was most likely the candied hawthorn or the ice pop.

But since she, Liu Yan, and Liu Chun had also eaten the candied hawthorn and felt fine, then the problem was probably the ice pop.

Nowadays, many people made and sold homemade ice pops, and there was a high chance that they weren’t hygienic.

“If you trust me, let me take a look? I’ve had food poisoning before, so I have some experience and know how to handle it.”

As soon as Jingxi finished speaking, Xie Aiguo’s daughter, Xie Zheng, quickly ushered her inside. “Xiao Jing? Please, come take a look!”

In her desperation, Xie Zheng was willing to try anything. She pulled Jingxi inside, where the child was vomiting in his father’s arms. His face was pale, he clutched his stomach, and he looked to be in terrible pain.

The lively little boy from the afternoon had now turned into a pitiful mess.

Jingxi examined his eyes—they did seem slightly sunken.

“How many times has he had diarrhea?”

“Four times. The last few were basically just water.”

“Did he eat the ice cream and the candied hawthorn skewers by himself?”

Xie Zheng nodded, growing angry at the thought. This was exactly why men couldn’t be trusted to take care of children. Just one afternoon, and the kid ended up like this.

Her husband, Zhou Junfeng, scratched his head, his face full of regret. He had only bought the treats because he rarely spent time with their child and wanted to bond with him. He hadn’t expected this…

Jingxi examined the child again. His symptoms weren’t as severe as hers had been when she had food poisoning—it was a mild case. But children were always more vulnerable than adults.

“It’s most likely food poisoning from eating something unclean. In this situation, he needs to expel the toxins from his body. The best option would be gastric lavage, but that’s not possible right now, so we’ll have to induce vomiting.”

Xie Zheng was a bit confused. “How do we do that?”

Jingxi explained, “Find a clean spoon, or have an adult wash their hands thoroughly and use their finger to press down on the base of his tongue. Just like when we brush our tongues while brushing our teeth—it’ll trigger a gag reflex.”

Zhou Junfeng immediately rushed to wash his hands. “I’ll do it!”

Soldiers acted fast—he quickly cleaned his hands, held the child facedown on his lap, and reached into his mouth to trigger the gag reflex.

The little boy was in so much pain that he couldn’t even resist and just let Zhou Junfeng handle him.

Xie Zheng stood beside them, whispering comforting words, her face full of distress.

Jingxi called out to Yu Juan, “Auntie, can you bring a cup of warm water with a little bit of salt?”

“For what?”

Jingxi wasn’t sure how to explain it scientifically. “Just trust me, Auntie. When I had food poisoning, the doctor treated me this way. It helps cleanse the intestines and prevents dehydration.”

Yu Juan immediately went to prepare it.

Just as she poured the warm water, the child inside the room suddenly let out a loud retch and vomited all over, chunks of undigested hawthorn still visible in the mess.

Jingxi quickly stepped inside. “Liu Yan, Liu Chun, and I also ate the candied hawthorn, so it’s probably not the problem. It must have been the ice cream.”

Zhou Junfeng was overwhelmed with guilt. “It’s all my fault! I never should have bought him that ice cream!”

Although Xie Zheng was upset, she knew her husband had only done it out of love for their child. “What’s the point of saying that now? Just remember this for next time.”

Zhou Junfeng nodded firmly.

After vomiting, the little boy had diarrhea two more times. Yu Juan gave him some light saltwater to drink, and soon, he seemed to recover. He went half an hour without another episode and eventually fell asleep on the kang bed, his forehead covered in a layer of cold sweat.

Seeing him like that made everyone’s heart ache.

Jingxi wasn’t particularly fond of children, but she couldn’t stand seeing them suffer.

She glanced at the time—it was getting late. “Alright, looks like the method worked. Xie Zheng, just keep an eye on him tonight. As long as he doesn’t develop a fever or have more diarrhea, he should be fine. Tomorrow morning, give him something light to eat—not too much, or his stomach might not handle it well. If you have antibiotics, give him half a tablet later. It’s late, so I should be heading back.”

As soon as Jingxi got up to leave, the others followed suit. Xie Zheng grabbed her hand. “Xiao Jing, thank you so much! We wouldn’t have known what to do without you!”

Jingxi smiled. “I just happened to be here at the right time. As long as the child is okay—otherwise, the whole family would be stressed.”

Xie Zheng nodded. “It’s really late now. Let my husband take you home.”

Jingxi waved it off. “No need. I have a flashlight with me. You guys should just stay and watch over the child—I can manage on my own.”

Zhou Junfeng wasn’t familiar with the village since he was from another place. What if he got lost on the way back?

But Xie Zheng still felt uneasy. After all, Jingxi had helped them so much, and it was dark outside—it wasn’t safe for her to walk alone.

Xie Aiguo stepped forward. “I’ll take Xiao Jing home. You all stay and watch the kid.”

Jingxi was about to refuse, but Xie Aiguo had already put on his coat and was heading out. She figured it was fine—if he wanted to escort her, she wouldn’t argue.

As she left, she happened to catch sight of a large bowl of deep-fried peanuts sitting by the stove.

Her mouth instantly watered.

She stared at those peanuts for a long moment but was too embarrassed to ask for any.