After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

The last embers of the cigarette burned his fingertips, and Qin Lie threw the cigarette butt under his feet and crushed it out.

That's when the ground started moving.

A dull rumble came from deep within the earth's crust, followed by a violent jolt that made it hard to stand. In the distance, several newly erected makeshift sheds twisted and collapsed in half with a crash.

"Earthquake! Aftershocks are coming!"

Someone shouted something, and the camp instantly erupted in chaos.

Qin Lie reacted extremely quickly, his body acting before his mind. He rushed back to the tent and flung open the curtain. Li Dongye was sleeping like a log. Qin Lie rolled him up, blanket and all, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and ran towards the open space.

"Second brother! Fifth brother!" Qin Lie shouted, his voice piercing through the noisy crowd.

Xiao Yong was dozing off at the entrance of the medical tent when the stool beneath him tilted and he fell to the ground. He cursed and, instead of running, his first instinct was to turn and rush into the tent.

"My love!"

The wooden table in the tent had fallen over, glass bottles were shattered all over the floor, and the smell of medicine was pungent.

Lin Qingqing was jostled and rolled to the ground. Before she could get up, Xiao Yong rushed in and scooped her into his arms.

"Don't be afraid!" Xiao Yong pressed your head against his chest, protecting you as you crashed outwards.

Outside, chaos reigned, with cries, shouts, and calls for help mingling together, along with the commands of the rescue team as they quickly organized and rushed around.

The rescue teams have been working together very well over this period of time, but medical resources are limited, and the most troublesome thing at this time is the aftershocks.

Jiang He appeared out of nowhere, carrying an entrenching tool of unknown origin. He stood at the edge of the open space, making way for the rows of people running to the rescue. When he looked up and saw Xiao Yong carrying Lin Qingqing out, his gloomy eyes brightened slightly.

"This way," Jiang He pointed in a direction.

Just as the group had settled down on the open ground, before the tremors beneath their feet had even subsided, a piercing scream suddenly erupted from the medical tent.

"Ah—! Help! Help me!"

It was a woman's voice, so sharp it sounded like she was about to scream her throat out.

Lin Qingqing suddenly looked up.

That's the pregnant woman who was forcibly dragged back by her husband. Because there's nowhere else to stay, she's temporarily placed in the innermost compartment of the medical tent.

"Where's Gu Laosan?!" Qin Lie tossed the still bewildered Li Dongye to Jiang He and frowned as he looked around.

Gu Qiangying's figure flickered briefly near the collapsed half of the tent.

There were two people pressed down over there: an elderly man with mobility issues and Dr. Xu, who had been sent by the local health center.

Old Xu was hit on the calf by a falling beam while protecting the medicine box, and he is currently sweating profusely from the pain.

Gu Qiangying was moving the crossbeam; the log was incredibly heavy.

"Second brother, go help!" Qin Lie gave Xiao Yong a push.

"Go on, Second Brother, I'm fine." Lin Qingqing pushed Xiao Yong's hand away and stood up straight.

Xiao Yong turned around to help Gu Qiangying carry the wood. The screams from the other side grew more and more urgent, each one louder than the last, sending chills down one's spine.

Lin Qingqing heard it clearly; it was the sound of a woman giving birth. And the sound was strange, as if she had been frightened and was going into labor prematurely.

Gu Qiangying was overwhelmed with other matters; Dr. Xu had broken his leg and couldn't even take care of himself.

Of the entire camp, she was the only one who could hold the line.

Lin Qingqing took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the chill that rose from the soles of her feet, and turned to run into the rickety tent.

"Come back!" Qin Lie reached out to grab it, but grasped at empty air.

That petite woman, who was usually so careful not to step on an ant, was now running faster than a rabbit, plunging headfirst into the shadows that seemed poised to collapse again at any moment.

The tent was a mess.

The man was kneeling on the ground, clutching his wife's hand and wailing, "What the hell have we done! Doctor! Where is the doctor?!"

The woman lay on the cot, her lower body covered in water and blood, her face as pale as paper, barely breathing, her hands gripping the sheets so tightly that her fingernails were split.

"Stop talking, save your energy!"

A sharp shout startled the man.

Lin Qingqing rushed over and shoved the man who was in her way. Her hands were trembling violently, but she forced herself to steady herself the moment she touched the pregnant woman's belly.

"Go boil some water! Hurry up!" Lin Qingqing turned and glared at the man. "If you don't want your wife and children to die, go now!"

The man was stunned by her fierce gaze and scrambled out to find the pot.

Lin Qingqing reached out to feel the baby's position.

She had never delivered a baby, but she had seen how midwives did it in the village, and she had also memorized many acupuncture point diagrams from Gu Qiangying. Although Gu Qiangying was a sharp-tongued person, he was generous in sharing his knowledge. He had said that in such situations, pain relief and hemostasis were key.

The woman was in so much pain that her whole body was convulsing, and she started talking incoherently.

"It hurts... I don't want to give birth anymore... Let me die..."

"No, stop talking nonsense!" Lin Qingqing gritted her teeth and took out the needle set that Gu Qiangying had given her from her small bag.

Gu Qiangying had casually tossed it to her earlier, saying it was for her to play with and practice her handling skills.

I never expected it would come in handy like this.

Lin Qingqing's mind raced through the diagram of acupoints on the human body: Sanyinjiao, Hegu, Taichong.

She gripped the needle, her palms sweaty. What if she missed the mark...?

The aftershocks continued outside, and the canvas overhead rattled loudly. Lin Qingqing closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, the panic in her eyes was replaced by an almost resolute ruthlessness.

The first acupuncture point is Hegu (LI4).

With a flick of her wrist, the silver needle pierced steadily into the tiger's mouth.

The woman's cries paused for a moment, as if the pain had indeed lessened somewhat.

it works.

Lin Qingqing's confidence soared, and she proceeded to the Sanyinjiao acupoint. She knelt on the muddy ground, her knees aching from the stones, but she felt nothing. In her world now, only the few thin silver needles before her and the woman struggling on the brink of death remained.

The tent curtain was lifted.

Qin Lie stood at the door, not coming in. It was considered unlucky for a man to enter in such a setting; the villagers all considered it taboo. But he didn't leave either, waiting so that someone could respond immediately if needed.

"Push! I can see the head!" Lin Qingqing's voice trembled, yet remained unusually firm. "Inhale! Don't shout! Push down!"

"ah--!"

"Again! Don't stop!"

Xiao Yong went to help for a while, but he was still worried. He came over and clung to the door frame, sweating profusely with anxiety: "This is too scary... Can Qingqing handle it?"

After treating Lao Xu's injuries, Gu Qiangying limped over. He pushed up his crooked glasses and peeked inside through the gap in the curtain.

Lin Qingqing was kneeling at the foot of the bed, her hands covered in blood, and a few drops of crimson splattered on her face. Her hair was disheveled and clung wetly to her cheeks; she looked utterly wretched, yet also breathtakingly so.

Gu Qiangying watched Lin Qingqing's needlework. Although it was still immature and trembling, the needle placement was perfect.

"Third brother, aren't you going in?" Xiao Yong asked.

"I just came to take a look," Gu Qiangying said, glancing inside again. "Besides, that's her patient." With that, she strode away.

Time passed second by second.

Finally, a loud cry pierced the darkness of the early morning.

"Wow--"

The men outside the tent all breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's born...it's born!" The man rushed over with a basin of hot water, crying tears of joy.

Lin Qingqing slumped to the ground, looking at the crumpled, blood-covered little thing in her hand, and tears fell without warning.

She cut the umbilical cord with scissors, her hands so weak she almost dropped them.

After quickly cleaning the package, she placed the child in the man's arms.

Lin Qingqing's voice was very hoarse, "The lady is fine, she's just exhausted. Let her sleep for a while."

The man was extremely grateful and almost kowtowed to Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing waved her hand and tried to stand up by supporting herself on the edge of the bed, but her legs were already numb, and she almost fell to the ground.

"Big brother..."