“Great, trouble’s knocking on my door…”
Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Ze’s heart skipped a beat. He let out a helpless chuckle, shook his head, and had no choice but to stop his bike. He turned to look at the person and called out, “Uncle Wu, what do you need me for?”
“Ah Ze, come over here and take a look. See if this child can still be saved. If not, we shouldn’t waste any more time here!” Uncle Wu forced a smile, then turned to the old man beside him who was wiping away his tears. “Old Wang, this is Xu Ze, Dr. Xu’s son from our town. He’s currently studying at the provincial medical college. You’ve probably heard of him. He’s quite skilled in treating patients. Let him take a look. If there’s no hope, then let Jin Hua take the child back home.”
Old Wang, who was both grief-stricken and helpless, suddenly perked up at these words. He knew of Dr. Xu, and he had also heard of Xu Ze. Last year, his family had gone to Dr. Xu for treatment, and it was this young Xu Ze who had administered the IV for him.
Feeling as though he had encountered a lifeline, Old Wang clung to a sliver of hope and rushed forward, grabbing Xu Ze’s hand.
“Young Dr. Xu! Please, take a look at my grandson! See if he can be saved! There’s no time to get to town now!” His voice trembled with desperation.
“Hmm…” Xu Ze felt a headache coming on as he looked at the hopeful old man. How could he possibly bring someone back from the dead? Besides, this was a critical emergency, and he didn’t have any medical equipment on hand. How could he save the child?
Seeing Xu Ze’s reluctant expression, as if he wanted to refuse, Uncle Wu quickly interjected, “Ah Ze, just go and take a look. See if there’s any hope. If not, then at least let them take him home instead of waiting here. This kid… it’s pitiful.”
Hearing Uncle Wu’s words, Xu Ze understood the implication. He nodded helplessly.
Fine, he would go take a look. From the looks of it, the child was probably beyond saving, At the very least, he could offer some comforting words.
Seeing Xu Ze nod, Old Wang eagerly pulled him toward the tricycle, calling out, “Jin Hua, move aside! Let the young Dr. Xu take a look!”
The woman, hearing that a doctor had arrived, quickly wiped her tears and set her child down. She looked at Xu Ze with desperate hope in her eyes.
Seeing the woman’s expression, Xu Ze sighed inwardly. “I’ll do what I can,” he thought to himself.
He quickly turned to Old Wang and asked, “What exactly happened to the child? How did this start?”
Old Wang hurriedly replied, “Xiao Jun choked on a meatball. We tried to help him, but we couldn’t get it out. After a short while, he became like this. Just a moment ago, when I was carrying him, he still had some breath… Please, take a look and see if he can still be saved. Oh…” As he spoke, he wiped away the muddy tears from the corners of his eyes.
“Choked?” Xu Ze rushed to the tricycle and looked at the child inside. His face immediately darkened. The child’s face had turned completely purple, his eyes were rolled back, and he had already lost consciousness. It seemed the meatball had been stuck in his throat for quite some time, causing him to suffocate.
Xu Ze quickly reached out and felt the child’s carotid artery. His heart sank—there was no pulse. It seemed the child’s heart had already stopped.
Based on his experience, it would be extremely difficult to save the child at this point. Even if they rushed to the town hospital now, it would be too late.
Over the years, Xu Ze had seen many patients while working alongside his father. He had also encountered emergency cases while working part-time at the Huimin Clinic near his school. All of this experience told him that the child had likely been suffocating for a while, and his heart had probably stopped for some time.
Although Xu Ze hadn’t seen many cases like this, and none as severe, he still had some knowledge of how to handle such situations. Recalling the methods he had learned from Dr. Zhang at the clinic, Xu Ze felt a slight glimmer of hope.
Even though the child’s heart had stopped, the textbooks were clear: if CPR was performed promptly after cardiac arrest, there was still a chance to revive the patient and save their life.
Xu Ze was very familiar with CPR. Not only had he learned it in class, but he had also assisted Dr. Zhang at the clinic in performing it successfully on a patient who had suffered a cardiac arrest due to coronary heart disease.
However, given the current situation, the child’s heart had likely stopped for some time, and the chances of saving him were slim. Moreover, this matter had nothing to do with Xu Ze. But the thought of standing by and doing nothing while a child died in front of him didn’t sit well with his conscience.
Xu Ze inwardly sighed. There was no one else here who could help. By the time they reached the town hospital, it would be too late. He had no choice but to try. He would do his best and leave the rest to fate.