Chapter 9

Seeing the situation, people rushed to help.

Jiang Xi quickly ran over.

She was quick and nimble. She grabbed the child from his mother, turned him around, and used the Heimlich maneuver ^[1]a first aid procedure to help someone who is choking. to dislodge the object from his throat. 

“What are you doing?!” The anxious mother was pushed aside but quickly realized what was happening and tried to take her son back.

Fortunately, the object was not too large. After two presses, the child coughed up the obstruction. Jiang Xi let go, and Shi Tou’s mother took him back and continued to pat his back, urging him to spit it out.

“Cough cough cough…Mom! It hurts!” Shi Tou coughed and complained, his voice hoarse.

Shi Tou’s mother, initially stunned, was relieved. People nearby said, “It’s out. He Jun’s wife got it out. Shi Tou is fine!”

“Oh, I was so scared. Shi Tou’s face was terrifying. I thought something terrible was going to happen!”

“He Jun’s wife is amazing. I didn’t even see how she did it, but Shi Tou suddenly coughed out the obstruction. It was like a big meatball!”

As people talked, Shi Tou’s mother looked at her son, who was recovering. Overcome with emotion, she hugged him tightly and said, “You scared me to death!”

Shi Tou remained silent, still frightened.

Shi Tou’s father thanked Jiang Xi with a trembling voice: “He Jun’s wife, thank you so much, thank you!”

“Yes, thanks to you!” Shi Tou’s mother was helped up and thanked Jiang Xi, saying, “I was too anxious earlier and didn’t mean to push you. Don’t be upset.”

Jiang Xi waved her hand: “It’s okay, as long as the child is fine.”

Mother Pei, still in shock, said, “It’s alright. Just be careful and remind the child not to eat too quickly. If it weren’t for my daughter-in-law’s skills, something really bad might have happened.”

Shi Tou’s mother was even more eager: “She knows medical skills too? I was wondering how she could help so quickly. Even when I tried hitting him, it didn’t work, but she fixed it with just one touch!”

Mother Pei was somewhat proud: “Yes, Xiaoxi helped Tieniu’s son with a dislocated arm yesterday. She only knows a little, but it’s quite useful.”

“You can also treat dislocations?” An Auntie from the Pei family was surprised and envious: “Your family is lucky. You don’t have to worry about any headaches or fevers in the future.”

“Isn’t it? Well, I won’t say much more. We still have to toast. Eat and drink well. Don’t be shy!” Mother Pei nodded but quickly moved on to continue toasting with other guests.

Others continued discussing: “It seems He Jun’s wife is really capable!”

“I heard she can treat dislocations. Maybe I won’t need to go to town for headaches or fevers anymore!”

“Speaking of which, Tiedan’s mother told me about this last night. I thought the Pei family was just boasting. Maybe she really learned from an old doctor and could become a barefoot doctor in the future.”

“Oh my goodness, the Pei family has finally found happiness after all their hardships. They married such a good daughter-in-law. No wonder her family didn’t want to let her go. Fortunately, she is kind.”

Xu Cui heard everyone praising Jiang Xi and envying the Pei family for having such a good daughter-in-law. She couldn’t help but complain, “What’s the point of being kind? She’s so cold to her own mother and uncle. Who knows why she married here?”

Because Xu Cui was unhappy with the situation, she treated herself as a guest today and sat at the table. She was frustrated that Zhang Hu, known for being lazy and reliant on his sisters, didn’t make a fuss today.

Xu Cui thought it would be good to take Jiang Xi away.

She became more and more dissatisfied with Jiang Xi, especially when others praised her. Xu Cui never received such praise from her mother-in-law when she first got married, nor was she treated this well.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, her deskmate responded: “She’s so capable, why would she care about a little bit of money? She graduated from high school, is pretty, and could even marry someone from the city and live a better life!”

Xu Cui was furious: “Who in the city would—”

An Auntie smiled and said, “Deming’s wife, I heard Deming said he wouldn’t provide for your parents-in-law in their old age? You’re truly filial!”

Xu Cui’s face turned red. She didn’t dare to mention Jiang Xi again and vaguely said, “No, nothing happened.”

Talking about such matters privately might be a threat, but if others knew, it would become shameful and she would be criticized.

_

The banquet was halfway through, and the toasting session finally ended.

Jiang Xi went into the room to replace Pei’s father, who was taking care of Pei Hejun, and had a meal herself.

Mother Pei had saved some meat dishes for her, and the portions were quite large. Jiang Xi had been hungry for a long time, so she ate with enthusiasm. However, she couldn’t help but laugh when she glanced at the bed.

Pei Hejun’s thin cheeks and mouth were smeared with red blush, making him look a bit funny, like a monkey’s bottom.

Jiang Xi laughed and said, “Do you know what your face looks like?”

Pei Hejun didn’t react, but Jiang Xi didn’t mind. She finished her meal, patted her stomach in satisfaction, and then gave him a massage and turned him over.

Just as her hand touched his skin, a translucent panel of the system appeared in front of her, showing: [Host’s wife! You have successfully teamed up with the host! And completed a task!]

Jiang Xi was delighted and continued working. She saw a list of failed tasks and one successful task at the bottom: [Task 9: Save a child who is about to suffocate, reward points: 20 (success)]

“Twenty?!” Jiang Xi was surprised, “Why so many?”

It was equivalent to the rewards for all the tasks Pei Hejun completed unconsciously!

System: [The reward is based on the difficulty of the task. The harder the task, the greater the reward. If the host’s wife had failed, the child would have died.]

A blocked trachea is serious. The object stuck in the child’s throat was large. Without proper help, he would have suffocated.

Jiang Xi was relieved that the incident happened at the wedding banquet and not due to her actions. She would have remembered it for the rest of her life.

She looked at the system task and saw it was different from the previous ones.

Earlier tasks were mostly minor, like dealing with children fighting.

But today’s task involved healing.

Jiang Xi asked the system, and it responded: [Because you, the host’s wife, have special skills! This system will match you with tasks that fit your skills, and your abilities are very suitable for earning merits!]

As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.

If she became a doctor, she could earn a lot of points by saving lives every day.

Jiang Xi didn’t expect this. She was happy and massaged Pei Hejun with more energy.

She had thought she might need to look for people who needed help, but now treating illnesses also counted. She just needed to wait for people to come to her.

While she was thinking, she suddenly felt something was wrong with her hand.

She looked down and saw the mattress under Pei Hejun was wet.

A person in a vegetative state cannot control urination and defecation. They need timely care to prevent skin erosion.

As a doctor, Jiang Xi had seen many such situations. She calmly got some water, changed the mattress, and cleaned him up.

While Jiang Xi was cleaning, the system said: [Hey! The host moved him manually! Is he about to wake up?]

The man on the bed seemed to sense something. His fingers moved slightly, as if he wanted to grab something, but due to physical limitations, the movement was very small and stopped.

Jiang Xi smiled and said, “The muscles of a vegetative patient occasionally move like this. He should be unconscious. No need to worry.”

System Lost: [Okay.]

Jiang Xi finished cleaning and changing his diaper and pants. Since there were guests outside, she left the dirty clothes and mattress in the room.

Feeling a bit bored, Jiang Xi took Pei Hejun’s hand and talked to the system.

System: [Host wife, the mall has diapers that are very absorbent. Do you want to buy them?]

Jiang Xi’s eyes lit up: “Really? Won’t it raise suspicion from others?”

The system replied: [No, they are like regular diapers, but they absorb water better and quickly, so you don’t have to clean up every time.]

Jiang Xi said decisively: “Buy them!”

The system happily opened the mall and showed diapers costing ten points each: [Are you sure you want to buy?]

Ten points!

Jiang Xi felt a bit of a sting, as it was equivalent to the cost of a pound of meat, but considering the convenience, she said, “Buy two.”

The system became more alert. Once she finished speaking, the interface changed. Twenty points were deducted, and the system asked: [Where should I place them?]

“Can I choose the placement myself?” Jiang Xi was surprised.

System: [Of course. You can place them anywhere you have been, but you cannot schedule the time of placement.]

Jiang Xi smiled brightly. She had been worried about exchanging some meat but couldn’t take it out of the house. If she could choose the placement, it would be much more convenient. She said, “Just put them here. There’s no one around now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, two diapers appeared in front of Jiang Xi. The diapers were double-layered and felt soft. The outside was like regular cloth, while the inside was filled with soft cotton.

To check their absorbency, she poured some water on her hands and touched the diaper. The water was instantly absorbed, leaving her hands dry!

Jiang Xi was completely satisfied. She pulled down Pei Hejun’s pants, took out the old diaper, and replaced it with the new one.

Now she didn’t have to worry about getting up in the middle of the night to clean up for Pei Hejun!

_

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the excitement outside had almost ended.

Father Pei sent the last guest away. The rest were all family members. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, when he heard the clock strike two, his face suddenly changed: “It’s over!”

Mother Pei slapped him on the arm: “It’s such a happy day. Why are you making it sound like it’s over?!”

Father Pei hurriedly said, “It’s been so long; the third child must have peed.”

Mother Pei’s face changed, but since her husband always handled this for their son, she didn’t go in. She just watched anxiously, worried that Jiang Xi might dislike her son and want to leave.

Father Pei had the same concern and rushed to clean his son’s body, but he found dirty clothes in a wooden bucket beside him. Jiang Xi was at the desk, writing something, and Pei Hejun was lying there with his pants dry.

Father Pei was stunned, somewhat shocked and embarrassed for his son: “Xiaoxi, you changed the third child’s diaper…”

Jiang Xi turned around and smiled, “Yes, Dad. Are the guests gone?”

“Yes.” Father Pei came back to his senses and nodded quickly. He wiped away his tears and said gently: “I’ll wash it. Xiaoxi, you don’t need to watch over me all the time. You can go and relax.”

“I know. Dad, go ahead. I’ll manage here,” Jiang Xi agreed but didn’t move. She continued writing at her desk.

She had a slim figure, one hand pressing on the paper, the other holding a pen, her back straight, and her profile graceful.

Father Pei thought his daughter-in-law must be well-educated and cultured.

He felt touched. Although his son and daughter-in-law were going to sleep together after the banquet, he and his wife had worried that Jiang Xi might not accept her husband’s condition. They had agreed from the start that he would handle these matters. Unexpectedly, Jiang Xi didn’t mind!

“I didn’t expect this! I didn’t expect it…hahaha…” Father Pei muttered to himself and laughed happily.

Mother Pei, waiting anxiously, asked: “Old man, why are you laughing? Why did you come out so quickly?”

Father Pei chuckled, holding the bucket slightly up: “Your son took care of the diaper. I just need to wash the clothes.”

Mother Pei was stunned, her emotions unstable. She rushed over to grab the wooden bucket: “I’ll do it. You go to work. It’s still early. You can still earn half of the work points. My son doesn’t need your help anymore.”

Father Pei was not upset. He walked out with a smile.

There was finally hope for this day!

***

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