Chapter 451 - 449: Detoxification and Rescue

Chapter 451: Chapter 449: Detoxification and Rescue

After checking the pulse, Lin Wanwan said to Hong Yan, "Light a few more lamps."

"Sure!"

While Hong Yan went to fetch the lamps, Lin Wanwan took a modern set of needles from her medical kit, sat on a stone bench, took the child from her fourth aunt’s arms, placed him on her knees, and began acupuncture to induce vomiting.

If it were modern times, gastric lavage would be the first choice for poisoning, but the Great Tang doesn’t have that option.

After the acupuncture, the fourth aunt’s little grandson vomited even more, scaring the former so much that she clutched Lin Wanwan’s arm, her nails digging into her flesh, repeatedly asking, "Wan Niang, Wan Niang, will Da Lang be okay? It’s my fault, it’s my fault, those ducks were cursed, why did I greedily pick them up for Da Lang to eat!"

Lin Wanwan knew she was anxious and calmly reassured, "It’s okay, fourth aunt, don’t worry, let me save him first, Da Lang will be fine, the poison isn’t that serious."

"Really? Will he really be okay? Wan Niang, I beg you, you must save Xiao Bao, he’s our only grandchild. If he’s gone, I couldn’t live anymore." The fourth aunt cried as she knelt on the ground.

"Fourth aunt, what are you doing, get up quickly, the ground outside is cold." This gazebo isn’t like a room, everyone sits kneeling.

Lin Wanwan was sitting on a stone bench at the moment, with the elderly woman kneeling beside her, which only added pressure on her.

Just then, Hong Yan came over carrying two glazed lamps, hurriedly put them on the stone table, and went to help the fourth aunt, who then released Lin Wanwan’s arm and sat on another stone bench with Hong Yan’s help.

"Aunt, sit down, relax and wait. Clutching my lady only adds chaos, it’s better to sit and rest. I’ve heard that during acupuncture, one shouldn’t be disturbed, if a needle goes wrong and breaks in the flesh, it could be dangerous, don’t you agree, aunt?"

Hong Yan was quite resentful towards the fourth aunt; she keenly noticed the latter gripping her lady carelessly, making her lady frown in discomfort.

"Yes, yes, I won’t disturb, I won’t move, won’t move."

After a bout of vomiting, the child couldn’t vomit much more and started expelling bile. Lin Wanwan lifted him, gently stroked his back to help soothe him.

The child stopped vomiting by then, his complexion was recovering, only then did he cry out, waving his limbs and crying out, "Mama, Mama!"

"Mama" in Mao County also means mother, it’s quite an old expression. For such a small child, his mother is everything to him, even if he has lost his mother.

Hearing his grandson call out "Mama," the fourth aunt cried, "My poor grandson, he lost his father while still nursing, and before he could finish his milk, his mother abandoned him, why do you keep calling ’Mama’?"

Holding the child, Lin Wanwan comforted, "There, there, don’t cry, your mama is watching over you."

She then quickly instructed Hong Yan, "Get a little ginger juice, bring it here."

"Sure!"

Just as Hong Yan was about to leave, Hua Nong, who was awakened by the commotion, hurriedly turned to run to the kitchen, "I’ll get the ginger juice, lady."

A moment later, Hua Nong brought the ginger juice, Lin Wanwan took out a bottle of Detoxification Pills from her barefoot doctor’s medical kit, poured out one, crushed it with a spoon, and administered it with ginger juice.

This Detoxification Pill’s formula was taught to Lin Wanwan by Old Sun, and she later saw it in the "Three Causes and One Disease Syndrome and Formula" of the Southern Song in traditional Chinese medicine texts.

This special detoxification pill for plant poisons was naturally a staple in her medical kit—especially in a household with a rebellious young girl fond of experimenting with toxic plants and mushrooms.

After administering the medicine, Lin Wanwan picked up the child and said to the fourth aunt, "Fourth aunt, you all stay in my guest room tonight, Xiao Bao is out of danger now, if there are any recurrences during the night, call for me."

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you, Wan Niang, it’s all thanks to you, you’re so kind, you’re like a great Bodhisattva sent by our ancestors, truly!" The fourth aunt, weakened by her grandson’s frightening state, was supported by Hong Yan as they went into the guest room.

"Fourth aunt, you overpraise me, I just know a bit of medical skills, not as great as you say." Lin Wanwan humbly replied, feeling a bit of pity for the bony child in her arms. Fortunately, the fish poison isn’t severely harmful to mammals, especially since it wasn’t direct poisoning from plants, having been passed through the ducks first.

Given the fourth aunt’s age, she clearly wasn’t capable of properly caring for the child. From what was visible in the child’s vomit earlier, apart from duck meat, there were some wild vegetables and sweet potatoes, not a trace of rice.

But Lin Wanwan knew this wasn’t because the fourth aunt wouldn’t feed the child; surely she didn’t even have enough for herself. Rice, as a staple, was quite a luxury for most common folk."

Farmers would convert most of their harvested rice to millet, a cheaper grain, with little left to consume directly as white rice.

But at this point, it should have been the most prosperous time for the clan.

With the late rice just harvested, no matter how difficult their circumstances, families would have a little rice at the table these days, unless the fourth aunt hadn’t planted hybrid rice?

Lin Wanwan speculated but didn’t voice her thoughts.

The clan consisted of 42 families and over 400 people, she couldn’t keep track of every household, and distribution of rice varieties was arranged by the clan leader Lin Zhentian.

As it turned out, the fourth aunt hadn’t planted hybrid rice simply because she had no paddy fields, only two acres of dry soil on a hillside, planted with high-yield sweet potatoes and potatoes.

The Lin Family Manor didn’t have much good paddy land, as the land allocation system didn’t favor them back then. Living by the sea meant their territory was mainly saline-alkali and mountainous land.

The fields allocated to Lin Wanwan last year weren’t even in Lin Family Manor; they were further inland.

Normally, Lin Wanwan had Lin Zhentian, from the clan, managing her fields, and even set up quarters by the field for the manor guests and Lin Zhentian.

After settling the fourth aunt and her grandson, Lin Wanwan quietly instructed Hong Yan, "Find out about the fourth aunt’s situation in the clan tomorrow."

"Sure," Hong Yan responded, "Your clothes are dirty, let me prepare your bath."

"No need, you go to sleep, I’ll just rinse off in the bathroom myself."

"But, lady, it’s already autumn, the chill from cold water might be bad for you, let me bring hot water."

"No, no, my dear Hong Yan, you and Hua Nong go to sleep, I’ll manage myself."