Lin Shu’s driving was much steadier than the driver’s—at least she didn’t alternate between flooring the gas pedal and slamming on the brakes, causing the people in the trailer to be thrown around.

She did her best to drive smoothly and minimize the bumps.

Luckily, they were on a paved road, which was far more comfortable than a dirt road, where on sunny days they would be covered in dust, and on rainy days, they would have to deal with mud.

While a horse-drawn carriage would have taken two days to reach the city, the tractor would get them there by morning.

On the way, they had to cross a small mountain within Huang County’s territory.

The tinsmith they had once encountered lived in the mountains to the north, but this road passed over the lowest part of the mountain.

The driver still wanted to tell Lin Shu that as a woman, she shouldn’t push herself and that he should take over for the climb.

But Lin Shu had no intention of handing over the reins.

By now, they were already halfway there—why would she need him?

Fortunately, Lin Shu had gone to bed early that night, lying down at nine o’clock.

By the time Lin Ju came to knock on the door, she had already slept for two hours.

Moreover, her original body was healthy, so she felt well enough to handle the drive.

Lin Shu was managing well despite the challenging situation.

She drove carefully along the road, watching out for oncoming vehicles and cars trying to overtake her.

Even though there weren’t many cars on the road in those days, this was the only national highway in the area, so some vehicles still passed by.

Two large Dongfeng trucks drove by, followed by a big tractor hauling coal.

Then, a Hongqi car overtook her.

Lin Shu even passed two horse-drawn carts and some people on bicycles.

As she was deep in thought, a bright light shone from behind, hitting the tractor.

Since the tractor didn’t have rearview mirrors, Lin Shu turned the steering wheel to move to the side and let the vehicle pass.

The national highway wasn’t very wide, but it was enough for two large Dongfeng trucks to pass each other, so overtaking shouldn’t be a problem.

The vehicle behind quickly caught up.

Lin Shu noticed something strange—the noise it made was unusually loud.

Was someone escaping or chasing a thief in the middle of the night?

Suddenly, a jeep sped past her tractor.

In the brief moment she saw it, Lin Shu thought she saw bloodstains reflecting on the car door.

As the jeep roared ahead, she heard even louder engine noises from behind, suggesting something was moving even faster.

Lin Shu wondered, “Is someone injured and rushing to the city hospital?”

In the back of the tractor, Fang Dihua was holding Lin’s mother to keep her from being jostled, while Bao’er, exhausted, slept soundly against them.

The driver, who had been dozing in the back, also noticed something was wrong and sat up to look behind them.

The jeep in front zoomed by, followed by another jeep that was moving even faster! Both had their high beams on, and while the driver couldn’t see who was inside, he felt a sense of danger, like a predator was watching them.

His legs began to cramp with anxiety!

The second jeep shot past even faster, like a fierce iron beast.

Although Lin Shu was a bit nervous, she remained calm and continued driving the tractor steadily.

What puzzled her was that the jeep in front suddenly turned north—wasn’t that the direction of the mountains?

Suddenly, there was the sound of gunshots.

The driver in the back exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, are they catching class enemies?”

Since both vehicles were jeeps, they couldn’t just be ordinary criminals.

Fang Dihua felt Lin’s mother twitch and quickly hugged her tighter, comforting her that everything was okay.

Lin’s mother soon calmed down.

As Lin Shu drove over the mountain, the driver finally gave in and said, “Hey, sister-in-law, you should convince your daughter-in-law to stop. If she keeps driving this tractor all night, her little arms won’t be able to handle it!”

The journey was still bumpy, despite their efforts to drive carefully.

Fang Dihua considered this and suggested that Lin Shu take a break and let the driver take over.

By this time, the driver, who had been grumpy about being woken up in the middle of the night, was more awake and less irritable.

Lin Shu didn’t insist on driving and agreed to switch places with him.

She thanked the driver, saying, “Thank you, sir. Please try to drive as smoothly as possible; my mother can’t handle too much jostling.”

The driver replied, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

Lin Shu checked on her mother, who seemed to be holding up well and didn’t need the emergency injection given by the barefoot doctor.

Meanwhile, in the mountains of Huang County, Lu Shaotang and Chen Yanming’s team finally caught up with the jeep they had been pursuing.

The two people inside were injured and were easily apprehended.

The radio operator immediately used the field radio to report the mission status to their superior.

Chen Yanming noticed Lu Shaotang standing by the dark roadside, gazing in another direction.

His sharp, handsome face was partially hidden in the shadows.

Chen walked over and patted him on the shoulder, “Brother Lu, what are you thinking about? Did we just pass by your hometown?”

Lu Shaotang replied, “Yes.”

Chen Yanming grinned, “Since we’ve caught them, why don’t we swing by for a meal before heading back?”

Lu Shaotang shot him a sidelong glance, reminding him to maintain discipline.

Chen Yanming rubbed his nose, “Discipline doesn’t say anything about not visiting your hometown. We’re not wasting any time, and we all need to eat, right?”

Lu Shaotang firmly replied, “No.”

He knew that until their mission was fully completed and the threat was entirely neutralized, he couldn’t afford any distractions.

But during the chase, when they had overtaken a tractor on the road, something had caught his eye.

Despite his focus on the mission, his exceptional eyesight and keen observational skills had allowed him to notice a person on the tractor that puzzled him.

There had been a large woman sitting in the back of the tractor, her hair blown up by the wind, resembling a sea urchin.

For a split second, she reminded him of his mother.

What was even stranger was that the tractor’s driver was a skinny woman with a scarf wrapped around her head, who was driving with impressive steadiness.

Although he had only caught a glimpse, he felt that this woman also looked somewhat familiar.

Was it just his homesickness playing tricks on him?

He brushed off the thought—after all, it wouldn’t be long before the mission was over, and then he could return home properly.

By around seven in the morning, Lin Shu and her companions arrived in the city.

They asked for directions and followed the signs to the Municipal People’s Hospital.

When they reached the hospital, Fang Dihua carefully carried Lin Shu’s mother down from the tractor.

Her condition was stable enough that they hadn’t needed to use the emergency injection.

Lin Shu then gave the driver two yuan and two jin (pounds) of grain coupons as a gesture of thanks.

After dealing with the urgent matters, Lin Shu thought they could grab a quick meal at a state-run restaurant and then let her family know they were safe.

The driver didn’t delay, took the money and ticket, and gave a thumbs-up, saying, “Girl, you’re something!”

Lin Shu smiled and quickly went after Fang Dihua to get Lin’s mother registered in the emergency room.

It was still before working hours, so Lin Shu could only get an emergency appointment for Lin’s mother and have her checked by a doctor to decide on the next steps.

The on-duty doctor happened to be a specialist in internal medicine who understood heart conditions. He prescribed medication and started an IV drip.

Once the IV was started, Lin’s mother’s complexion improved significantly.

When the working hours began, Lin Shu first got Lin’s mother’s registration and, as advised by the emergency doctor, arranged for an ECG and other tests.

After the tests, she would consult the doctor for diagnosis and arrange hospitalization.

Once Lin’s mother and Bao’er were settled in the hospital room, Lin Shu took some money and tickets to the hospital cafeteria to buy food.

When they arrived, Granny Lin had packed things well.

Although she hadn’t brought a thermos out of fear it might break, she had packed bowls, chopsticks, and spoons.

Lin Shu bought a few steamed buns and a small bowl of noodles with pickles.

Since there were patients, she was allowed to buy an egg.

In the hospital room, there was a communal thermos with free hot water.

Bao’er woke up and was nervously watching Lin’s mother, not understanding what death was but fearing her grandmother might stay motionless.

Lin’s mother reassured him that she was fine and would get better with the IV.

Lin Shu picked up Bao’er, fed him noodles, and encouraged Lin’s mother to eat the egg to get some nutrition.

Lin’s mother was reluctant and wanted to give the egg to Bao’er.

Fang Dihua said, “Sister, you need to take care of yourself first. If you’re well, everything will be fine. Think about how the family will manage if something happens to you.”

So Lin’s mother reluctantly ate the egg herself.

It was the first time she had kept something good for herself and not given it to the children or men.

After eating, Lin’s mother said to Lin Shu, “Why don’t you go look for your second sister, your father, and your brother?”

Lin Shu replied, “Just wait. It doesn’t seem too troublesome to get admitted. We’ve already moved in, right?”

As long as they had the necessary documents, money, and tickets, there wasn’t much to worry about.

Country folks often avoided big hospitals out of fear, but that was usually because of the cost.

An ordinary hospital bed cost only 0.15 yuan a day, but some families couldn’t afford even that and were reluctant to spend money.

Since they arrived early and the hospital had available beds, there wasn’t much trouble.

The large shared ward smelled strongly of disinfectant, and the bedding was…

The hospital room had a damp, musty smell.

Lin Shu decided to spend an extra twenty cents to secure an A-class room, which only had two patient beds and two small accompanying beds—perfect for their needs.

Having money really made a difference; this was not something to be frugal about.

The room had mosquitoes, and since they had been traveling at night, the bites were even worse.

Fang Dihua and Lin Shu’s mother were fine, but Lin Shu and Bao’er were bitten quite a bit.

Luckily, Lin Shu had some purple herb balm with her, which she quickly applied to herself and the baby.

A doctor in his fifties, accompanied by two assistants, came into the room.

He sniffed the air and commented, “That purple herb balm is the real deal. Did you get it from Qing County Hospital?”

Lin Shu smiled and replied, “My father-in-law makes it himself. He helps the county hospital by making ointments.”

This was the perfect time to highlight her connections.

If she could build a good rapport with the doctor, he might take extra care of her mother.

It wasn’t that doctors didn’t do their best for all patients, but familiarity often led to a bit more personalized care.

A doctor who chatted with a patient about everyday things could make them feel more at ease, and they might offer more thoughtful advice, possibly even suggesting ways to save money.

Sure enough, the doctor smiled, “Ah, I see. Dr. Yan has mentioned him to me before. He said your father-in-law may only be a barefoot doctor, but he’s quite skilled and very eager to learn. He’s been really diving into medical studies lately.”

Lin Shu’s father-in-law wasn’t just borrowing medical books to show off; he was genuinely improving his skills.

Nowadays, he could even hold his own in discussions with Dr. Yan.