Chapter 10: A Life Hangs in the Balance

The children, who had been panicking and unsure of what to do, immediately looked up when they heard an adult’s voice.

What they saw was a stunningly beautiful young woman—so breathtaking that for a moment, all of them forgot how to react.

Was this a fairy descending from heaven to save them?

“I asked you—what happened?!” Su Miaomiao repeated, this time more forcefully since no one answered her the first time.

“Goudan… Goudan got hit in the eye by a marble…” finally, the oldest of the group spoke up.

Hit in the eye with a marble?

Su Miaomiao immediately crouched down and helped the little boy who was still rolling on the ground in pain.

“Take your hands away, let me see where you’re hurt.”

But the little boy seemed to be too overwhelmed by pain to respond. He just kept crying and wailing.

Su Miaomiao had no choice but to gently pry his hands away from his face. The moment she did, everyone around them gasped in horror.

The boy’s right eye had a hole in it, and blood was pouring out nonstop.

A few of the more timid kids were so terrified they started crying too.

Seeing how serious the injury was, Su Miaomiao knew she couldn’t waste a second. She immediately scooped the boy up in her arms.

“Where’s the nearest hospital?” she asked the children urgently.

“Hospital? There’s no hospital in the village,” the oldest boy shook his head.

“Is there at least a doctor?”

“There’s a barefoot doctor. Everyone in the village goes to him when they get sick.”

“Take me to him—quickly!”

“Okay!”

The boy ran ahead to lead the way, and Su Miaomiao followed, running as fast as she could with the injured child in her arms.

Just before she got too far, she turned and shouted to the rest of the children, “Someone go find this boy’s family and tell them!”

The other children finally snapped out of their daze and turned to run in all directions, looking for adults.

Meanwhile, in the fields—

The four Huo men were harvesting corn under the direction of the team leader.

Probably because they were new and still considered outsiders, the other workers didn’t speak to them.

The Huo men were naturally reserved and kept their heads down, quietly working.

They were a little awkward at first, but gradually became more proficient, moving faster and more efficiently.

After all, the more they harvested, the more food their family would get.

Just as everyone was deeply focused on their labor, a group of children came running toward the fields, crying loudly.

“Huzi? What’s wrong? Why are you crying like this? Did someone bully you?” A woman who was working nearby recognized her child and rushed over.

She anxiously examined the boy to make sure he wasn’t missing any limbs, and only then did she relax a little.

“It’s not me… it’s Goudan…” Huzi sobbed with tears and snot running down his face.

“Goudan? What happened to him?” the woman’s tone immediately sharpened.

Goudan was the team leader’s son, and the team leader was also the village chief’s son-in-law. If anything happened to him, it would be a huge problem.

“He was bleeding—so much blood…” Huzi wailed.

“Bleeding? What do you mean bleeding?!” the woman urgently pressed.

But Huzi couldn’t answer anymore. He just kept crying.

“You little brat!” The woman gave him a sharp smack and quickly turned to go find Goudan’s mother.

Back in the village—

Su Miaomiao had followed the boy to the barefoot doctor’s house.

“Grandpa Zhao! Grandpa Zhao, come quick—Goudan is bleeding to death!” the boy yelled at the top of his lungs as they entered the courtyard.

“What’s all this shouting for?” came a raspy elderly voice from inside the house not long after.

Then came the sound of footsteps—steady and unhurried.

The children in the village were notoriously mischievous. They often climbed trees to catch birds or waded into streams to catch fish. It wasn’t unusual for them to come home with scrapes or cuts every few days.

Old Zhao, the village’s barefoot doctor, was already used to it.

He assumed this was just another minor injury. But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw an extraordinarily beautiful young girl holding Goudan in her arms.

Goudan’s arms hung limp at his sides, and he appeared to have lost consciousness.

The moment Old Zhao saw this scene, his leisurely pace instantly quickened. He rushed over to Su Miaomiao.

“What happened to him?” Old Zhao asked urgently.

“I think they were playing with marbles, and one hit his eye. He’s already passed out from the pain,” Su Miaomiao explained while looking at the child in her arms.

Old Zhao immediately began examining Goudan’s eye. The severity of the injury made even his hands tremble.

“This is way too serious. I’m just a barefoot doctor—he needs to be taken to the county hospital,” Old Zhao said, his brow tightly furrowed.

“I’ve already asked someone to fetch his parents,” Su Miaomiao replied.

“They’re out picking corn in the hills. It’ll take at least half an hour for them to get back. But this injury can’t wait—if we delay, his life could be in danger,” Old Zhao said anxiously.

“But I don’t know the way to the county,” Su Miaomiao frowned.

“Follow me,” Old Zhao said without hesitation. A life was on the line—he couldn’t afford to worry about anything else. He turned back into the house and quickly grabbed a few things.

He found a clean cloth and did a basic wrap on Goudan’s wound. Then he led Su Miaomiao out the door.

Before leaving, he left one of the kids at the house with instructions: if Goudan’s parents showed up, they were to bring money and head straight to the county hospital.

Su Miaomiao had originally gone out just to explore the surroundings. She hadn’t expected to get caught up in something like this. But now that she was involved, she couldn’t back out halfway. She clutched the child tightly and followed Old Zhao.

As they reached the village entrance, Su Miaomiao spotted the same donkey cart that had brought them back the day before.

It was still tied beneath the centuries-old pagoda tree.

“Get on the cart with the child,” Old Zhao said while untying the reins.

The donkey cart belonged to the commune. Normally, anyone wanting to use it needed to get approval from the village. But in an emergency like this, there was no time for procedures.

As soon as Old Zhao untied the cart, Su Miaomiao climbed aboard with Goudan in her arms.

Old Zhao gave her a quick glance before snapping the reins and setting off.

The whip cracked through the air as the cart sped down the road.

Even though livestock was precious, how could it be more valuable than a human life?

Su Miaomiao was nearly blown apart by the wind, but she didn’t care about herself—her only concern was protecting the injured child in her arms.

Finally, they reached the county hospital.

As soon as Old Zhao pulled the cart to a stop, Su Miaomiao jumped down and turned to him.
“I’ll take him in first,” she said, since someone still needed to park the cart.

“Go!” Old Zhao replied.

Su Miaomiao rushed into the hospital with the child in her arms and shouted the moment she entered,
“Someone help! There’s a seriously injured child!”

Her voice was melodious, yet urgent.

The medical staff in the lobby instantly turned toward her and rushed over.

After quickly checking the boy’s condition, one of the nurses called out,
“Quick! We’ve got a critical case! Prep the OR now!”

A wheeled stretcher was brought over, and Su Miaomiao gently laid Goudan onto it.

The medical team immediately wheeled him toward the operating room, with Su Miaomiao following closely behind—step for step—until the doors closed behind him.