Chapter 130: Why Tell Her These Things?

When the group carrying Fang Qingsheng returned, they were shocked to see Qiu Yinuo and He Ziqing carrying an elderly man out of the village. What was going on in their village? Two elderly people getting into accidents in a single day?

“What happened? Who fainted this time?”

Qiu Yinuo called out to the villagers, “Quick, help me take him to the hospital. He has a high fever.”

“A fever’s nothing serious. Just take him to the clinic in the neighboring village…”

“No, he’s already been there, but they refused to treat him. We need to take him to the hospital in the town, we can’t take any chances.”

“Why didn’t they treat him?”

“Because he’s from the cow shed.”

Upon hearing this, the villagers stopped questioning her. Some things were better left unsaid, or they’d risk being labeled with accusations they didn’t want.

However, they trusted Qiu Yinuo’s judgment and decided to take the elderly man to the hospital in Qingtong Town.

Ever since Qiu Yinuo built the Jinxiu Canning Factory, the majority of the villagers had come to trust her.

“Qingqing, go home and help my mom with the kids. I’ll go with them to see what’s going on.”

He Ziqing, seeing that so many men from the village were around, felt more at ease. “If anything happens, send a message home.”

The cart that had been used for Fang Qingsheng came in handy again. They practically jogged all the way to the hospital, and within half an hour, they arrived.

Meanwhile, the village head hadn’t even begun to relax when he saw more villagers bringing in another person, his face paling as he asked, “Who else has gotten into trouble?”

The commotion had drawn the attention of the doctors, and several people rushed to get the elderly man into the emergency room.

The village head was drained. Two people from his village had ended up in the hospital in one day.

“What happened to Du Baichuan?”

“He has a high fever, likely quite severe. He went to the clinic in the neighboring village, but they refused to treat him due to his status.”

The village head took a deep breath. “This is madness! If something happens, no one will be able to bear the responsibility.”

But then he paused, thinking about the arrangement where multiple villages shared a single clinic. The neighboring village wasn’t part of Ping’an, and no matter how dissatisfied he was, he couldn’t blame them.

“Once this settles down, I’ll have a serious talk with Village Head Lin. They may have a stance issue, but they can’t disregard people’s lives.”

The villagers looked at the village head in surprise. They had never seen him speak with such authority before.

In the past, when he and Village Head Lin interacted, they were always cautious. But now, his words had a firmness to them.

Indeed, as the village grew stronger, the village head and the villagers themselves stood taller.

After some time, a doctor called out, “Is there a family member of Du Baichuan here? He’s developed pneumonia from the fever. He needs to stay in the hospital for observation.”

“Family members, please come forward to pay.”

The village head was momentarily stunned. He called out to the accountant, Xu, “Didn’t I tell you to go get the money? Hurry up and pay the hospitalization fees.”

Xu’s face changed color. “I saw them carrying the person out as I was approaching the village. I was so anxious I completely forgot to bring the money.”

“What are you waiting for? Go back and get the money. Fang Qingsheng’s side will likely need money too.”

“Village Head, are the medical fees for both of them covered by the village?”

“What else can we do? Can we really let them suffer without help? If necessary, we’ll have them pay back with work credits.”

Meanwhile, Qiu Yinuo had gone to speak with the nurse. “We rushed over here and didn’t bring enough money. Is it possible to pay later?”

“Just pay whatever you have for now. I’ll go ask the doctor if that’s okay,” the nurse replied.

The village chief and a few others immediately started digging through their pockets. Qiu Yinuo originally planned to take out fifty yuan, but recalling how anxious her mother had looked, she quickly added another fifty. “I only have a hundred yuan on me. I don’t have more than that.”

In fact, she did have more, but it was in her space.

Taking out too much money without a reason might make people envious, so she decided to do what she could.

Even after pooling together all the money the others had, it still wasn’t as much as what Qiu Yinuo had taken out on her own. The few grown men fell silent, clearly embarrassed.

“Xiao Qiu, write down how much everyone contributed. When Accountant Xu arrives later, he’ll make sure everyone gets reimbursed,” the village head suggested.

Once the money was noted down, the village head turned to the issue of caregiving.

The Jinxiu Canning Factory was thriving, and there was a shortage of hands for farm work. The people in the hospital were all good workers, so the best candidates for caregiving should be found in the village.

As he looked around at everyone’s faces, the village head’s gaze finally landed on Qiu Yinuo.

Qiu Yinuo took a small step back. “Village head, don’t look at me like that. Men and women are different, I’m not comfortable with it.”

“It’s just for a while. I’ll send someone to replace you in the evening. Look, right now, you’re the only one in the whole village with time to go gather wild herbs. Everyone else is busy with farm work. How about this: I’ll give you work credits for it?”

So, she was the most free in the whole village and was picked out.

The village head glanced at the time. “I can’t wait for Fang Qingsheng any longer. If we delay, we’ll lose another afternoon of work.”

The reasoning was unarguable.

“I’ll find someone to replace you soon, and we won’t cause you any trouble. The person’s still in surgery, so you won’t waste much time just waiting here.”

Qiu Yinuo pursed her lips and, in the end, had no choice but to agree.

The village head solved a big problem and left with a few people, their steps unusually light.

After Du Baichuan got an IV, his fever subsided. Upon learning that his friend was still in the operating room, he immediately pushed through his own weakness and waited with Qiu Yinuo outside the doors.

“Thank you so much for today,” he said, looking grateful.

“Anyone who saw would help. You’ve just temporarily lowered your fever, so you should still rest in bed,” she replied.

“It’s fine. If I rest now, I won’t be able to sleep well. I’ll wait here until he comes out, and then I’ll go back,” Du Baichuan said. He glanced at Qiu Yinuo, opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated.

“Uncle Du, is there something you want to say to me?”

Du Baichuan thought for a moment before nodding. “My friend, because of some things in the past, his ex-wife cut ties with him and divorced him. His son died of an illness on his way to the countryside, and his youngest daughter is missing. He’s had a rough life.”

Qiu Yinuo blinked, feeling confused. “So? Why are you telling me this?”

Seeing her puzzled expression, Du Baichuan pursed his lips, sighed, and finally spoke, “We’re truly grateful for your help today. I know it’s presumptuous, but if you ever need help in the future, don’t hesitate to ask. I know Chinese medicine, and the old man used to be the head of a shipbuilding factory. If it’s anything related to our field, you’re welcome to come to us anytime.”

Qiu Yinuo blinked again, still not quite understanding. “…Okay.”

What followed was an extended period of awkward silence, as neither of them said anything further, both feeling uncomfortable.

Just then, a figure appeared, running towards them. Qiu Qianjin, breathless, arrived in front of Qiu Yinuo. “Sister, Uncle Du, how is Uncle Fang?”