Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The New Year was quiet, warm, and fulfilling. As he rose early for his usual workout, the sound of a child's cries echoed from outside the courtyard. Frowning slightly, he tightened his clothes and opened the gate, only to find a pile of weeds and a somewhat clean blanket at the entrance.
Cautiously unfolding the blanket, he discovered a young woman shivering as she fed a baby in her arms. A little girl, about two or three years old, was nestled against her, her face unusually flushed and her nose clogged with green snot, gasping for breath with her mouth open.
As the cold wind blew through the opened blanket, the baby's cries grew louder. Xu Li gently nudged the woman, causing her to stiffen and fall over. If he hadn't caught her by her clothes, both mother and daughter would have tumbled to the ground.
He placed his finger beneath the woman's nose, feeling her warm breath against it. Wrapping her in the blanket, he carried her back home. "Anna! Wake up! Hurry!"
By the time he brought the stiff woman inside, Anna and Eva were putting on their robes. When Xu Li unveiled the blanket, both women were taken aback. Without waiting for them to speak, Xu Li pointed at the mother and children. "Quick! Help them out of their clothes and into bed to warm up. Eva, heat some milk and brew some ginger tea."
He stepped outside to the courtyard gate with his phone in hand, clearing away the dry grass while making a call. Underneath the dead grass, he discovered a large travel bag and an old women's purse. After confirming there was nothing else of interest, he returned inside just as his call was answered.
"Hello?"
"Bafra, check if you have any fever medicine left at your place. Also, bring your meal kit over to my house quickly; we might have a life-or-death situation here."
"Oh, I got it, Village Head."
A slightly plump woman in her thirties hurriedly got out of bed and dressed. She frantically packed some medications and rushed toward Xu Li's house. She was the only health worker in the village and Old Popov's daughter; Xu Li had recommended her to attend nursing school so that anyone in need could receive treatment without having to drive far.
"Village Head, I'm here!"
Bafra rushed into the house without even changing her shoes as Xu Li pulled her into the bedroom. Looking at the three people lying on the bed, Bafra wasted no time; she took out her stethoscope and began examining them. "It's definitely a fever; both adults and children show some symptoms of pneumonia. The baby seems fine but has a slight fever—looks like she's been well taken care of."
"Can you handle it?"
"I brought all the necessary medications."
She nodded and started preparing the medicine. Xu Li glanced at the thick syringe and raised an eyebrow. "Let's switch to a smaller needle; with such a thick one, I doubt she can handle it."
"Fine by me; it's on your tab anyway."
Bafra joked as she replaced it with a smaller needle and set up IV drips for both mother and daughter. The baby presented some challenges; after some thought, Bafra decided to give her an injection as well. Fortunately, her technique was good—at least the child didn't cry or fuss—and she managed to give both mother and daughter an injection too.
"Village Head, who are these three?" Bafra asked.
"How would I know? I just got up to exercise when I heard faint cries upon opening the door. I found them huddled under one blanket right at my doorstep. I couldn't just ignore them."
Xu Li led Bafra into the living room where he lit a cigarette and took slow drags while Eva brought freshly brewed milk tea for Bafra. Anna continued preparing breakfast as they all sat down to eat slowly. Bafra knew she wouldn't be leaving today; she needed to keep an eye on their health changes.
Today's training session was canceled, but what troubled him more was why this woman chose to squat right outside his home when there were so many other places available. Last night’s temperature had dropped below thirty degrees Celsius; she must have been tough or perhaps had frozen her brain—she didn’t even think to knock.
After New Year’s, most people had left for Bratsk or Irkutsk for fun or stayed indoors with their cats during this bitterly cold weather—there wasn’t much to do in such frigid conditions.
He visited Daria and Marina's yard where he exchanged greetings with several women before checking inside their house.
"Misha, are you here looking for men?" Daria asked with confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
Comment 0 Comment Count