Chapter 228 Hanging by a Thread

Chapter 228: Chapter 123: Hanging by a Thread

In a panic, Aunt Liu dropped her chopsticks and ran toward the child.

Chen Yuan and the two sisters were also startled. They saw Zhao Wen Cheng lying on the playmat, his face turning red from lack of air.

"My son!" Fang Youqing cried out.

Zhao Wen Cheng couldn’t speak. He clutched his throat, coughing relentlessly.

Panicked, Fang Youqing rushed over and helped Zhao Wen Cheng up.

"What’s happening? Quick, call an ambulance."

Fang Youning’s tears started streaming down immediately. Of everyone present, she had the lowest tolerance for stress and nearly fainted.

"He’s choking on something. By the time an ambulance gets here, it’ll be too late."

Chen Yuan immediately picked up Zhao Wen Cheng and began performing the Heimlich maneuver, applying rhythmic thrusts to his abdomen.

"COUGH COUGH COUGH..."

The coughing didn’t stop. After dozens of thrusts, Chen Yuan began to apply more force, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

’The things Tongzi rewards are always useful, but that doesn’t guarantee you can actually save someone.’

’Skill is one thing, but luck is another.’

After more than ten thrusts with no result, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t starting to panic.

"Quick, check if he’s still conscious!"

"He is! He is!"

Chen Yuan tried to calm himself. If the boy lost consciousness, he couldn’t use the Heimlich maneuver anymore.

But as long as he was conscious, there was still a chance.

DRIP!

DRIP!

Cold sweat trickled down Chen Yuan’s forehead. He wanted to use more force, but the boy was so small. Applying pressure blindly could easily break his ribs. All he could do was try to find the right amount of force...

"COUGH COUGH COUGH..."

"COUGH COUGH COUGH..."

Zhao Wen Cheng coughed violently, and an oval-shaped almond shot out of his mouth.

Seeing the almond, the weight on Chen Yuan’s chest lifted. He loosened his grip, holding the boy gently.

After spitting out the almond, the color instantly returned to Zhao Wen Cheng’s face.

"You scared me to death!"

Fang Youqing hugged her son, tears streaming down her face.

"COUGH COUGH COUGH..."

Zhao Wen Cheng had just started to recover when he coughed a few more times. He looked a bit dazed, clearly terrified by the experience.

"Spit it out, don’t swallow."

Aunt Liu, standing nearby, immediately pulled out a few tissues and handed them over.

"PTUI! PTUI..."

There was nothing in his mouth; he was just spitting out saliva. His airway had just cleared, and he needed a moment to adjust.

"Why is there blood?" Fang Youqing panicked again. Everyone looked at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan glanced at the almond on the floor and said calmly, "His throat is very delicate. It might have been scratched. I suggest we take him to the hospital, just to be safe and put everyone’s minds at ease."

’He’s basically fine now, but he’s not my kid, so I can’t just say that. It’s better to suggest they go to the hospital.’

"Let’s go now."

Fang Youqing was decisive. She went back to her room, grabbed her windbreaker, and threw it on.

"Sis, let me go with you..."

Fang Youning was still sitting in her chair, the color not yet returned to her face.

A moment ago, seeing that the boy wasn’t getting better, she’d felt all the strength drain from her body. She couldn’t even stand properly and still hadn’t recovered.

"I should go. You rest for a bit. Besides, you can’t go out in those clothes," Chen Yuan said, standing up.

"Aunt Liu, you two stay home," Fang Youqing said. "Chen Yuan and I will go. It’s nothing serious now, so you don’t need to worry."

"Alright, you two go. I’m getting old; I can’t handle this kind of stress anymore," Aunt Liu said, clutching her chest, still shaken.

Chen Yuan went to the door, put on his shoes, and then picked up Zhao Wen Cheng.

Fang Youqing grabbed a random pair of shoes, not caring at all if they matched her outfit.

"Sis, call me after you see the doctor."

"Okay, wait for me at home."

The two left with the child, went to the underground garage, and drove straight to the hospital.

"Son, does anywhere still hurt?"

"My throat..."

"That’s normal. There was probably a little bleeding. We’ll ask the doctor about it. At least your life isn’t in danger anymore."

Chen Yuan couldn’t bring himself to say things like ’don’t worry’.

No mother could possibly not worry in a situation like this.

Fang Youqing was actually handling it pretty well; her tolerance was stronger. If it had been Jiang Wanyi, she would have likely fainted on the spot.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Youqing stopped the car at a red light, a wave of relief washing over her.

"Thank you so much. If you hadn’t been here, I can’t even imagine what would have happened."

Chen Yuan didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to imagine it either.

A blocked airway for more than five minutes can cause irreversible brain damage.

In such a short time, calling an ambulance or driving to the hospital themselves would have been too late.

But thankfully, everything had worked out.

’Still, it’s like I always say: a reward like this, used just once, is more useful than all the others combined.’

"Usually, things like jelly, sticky rice cakes, and things like that are what cause this kind of problem. This time it was a nut, which was probably a bit too big. You’ll have to be more careful next time."

"From now on, I’ll try not to give him those things. We can wait until he’s older," Fang Youqing said, the fear still lingering.

"You don’t have to go that far. Just be more mindful."

"But in any case, it’s all thanks to you today." Fang Youqing let out another breath and said,

"You’re more of an expert on this stuff than Aunt Liu or me. From now on, if there’s anything I’m not sure about, I’ll ask you. I’m Xiaoning’s sister, so for her sake, please bear with me."

"If you put it like that, I’ll be too embarrassed to ask for a second bowl of rice next time I’m over," Chen Yuan said with a smile.

Fang Youqing chuckled, and the tension finally began to ease.

Soon, Fang Youqing pulled up to the hospital.

"Give me the kid’s insurance card. I’ll go register while you find a parking spot."

"I forgot it in my rush. I’ll send you a picture of it; you can still register with that."

"Okay."

Chen Yuan opened the door and got out, while Fang Youqing went to find a place to park.

Out of the corner of her eye, she kept watching Chen Yuan as he ran toward the emergency room.

’A moment ago, my mind was a complete blank. All I knew was I had to get to the hospital. I had no idea what to do after that.’

’But Chen Yuan seems to have thought of everything.’

’He thought to go register first, so that after I park, we can see the doctor seamlessly. It saves so much time.’

’It’s like I don’t have to do anything. He’s arranged it all.’

’He’s not that old, but he seems like someone you can rely on...’

’Huh?’

’Why am I thinking about this?’

’I should focus on what’s important!’

Soon, Fang Youqing found a parking spot. As she got out with her son in her arms, she saw Chen Yuan jogging toward her.

"Hurry, there’s only one person ahead of us. It’ll be our turn soon."

Chen Yuan took the boy from Fang Youqing’s arms and jogged toward the ER entrance.

"I’ll take him over first. Your shoes aren’t great for running. Take your time, don’t fall."

A warmth spread through Fang Youqing’s heart, but she still replied coolly, "Got it. I’m fine."

"Let’s go!"

Chen Yuan walked ahead with Zhao Wen Cheng, while Fang Youqing pulled her jacket tighter and followed behind.

When they reached the emergency building, the patient before them hadn’t come out yet, so the two of them stood by the door and waited.

"Cover him up a bit. There are too many germs here; we don’t want him catching anything."

Chen Yuan pulled the boy’s collar up to cover Zhao Wen Cheng’s mouth.

Fang Youqing stood beside them, realizing once again that there seemed to be nothing left for her to do.

"The kid’s fine. You should get a grip. Your legs are starting to shake."

"It’s not because I’m worried about him. I’m just scared of places like this."

"Scared?"

"When I gave birth, I was all alone in the delivery room. I think it traumatized me. On top of that, we had to come to the hospital once when he was about a year old. Ever since then, I get scared coming here."

"Well..."

Chen Yuan wanted to say something, but this was a psychological issue. He didn’t have any good advice; he wasn’t a doctor, after all.

CREAK—

The door to the examination room swung open, and the previous patient came out.

Chen Yuan stood up with Zhao Wen Cheng in his arms.

"Let’s go, time to see the doctor..."

Chen Yuan carried the boy, with Fang Youqing following behind, as they entered the examination room together.

"Oh, look at you two, with matching haircuts."

The doctor was a young woman with glasses. Her face broke into a kind smile when she saw Zhao Wen Cheng.

Being mistaken again, Fang Youqing had no energy to explain their relationship. Getting down to business was more important.

"So, little man, what’s wrong?"

’Doctors, Chen Yuan noticed, tend to have a pretty neutral attitude toward adults—not bad, but not overly friendly either. But when they’re with kids, they almost always put on that high-pitched, gentle voice.’

Zhao Wen Cheng sat in Chen Yuan’s lap, a little shy around the stranger. He looked at Chen Yuan, not daring to speak.

"He was eating nuts at home earlier and one got stuck in his throat. I used the Heimlich maneuver to get it out, but afterward, I noticed traces of blood in his saliva. I’m worried his throat might be scratched, so we wanted to get it checked."

"Wow, you’re a great dad! You even learned how to do that. I can tell you’re a good husband."

The doctor praised Chen Yuan, then took a tongue depressor from her drawer, turned on her phone’s flashlight, and said,

"It’s possible the lining of his throat was scratched. A tiny amount of bleeding is normal. Okay, sweetie, open wide for Auntie. Say ’ahhh’—"

"Come on, open up, ’ahhh’—"

Chen Yuan coaxed the boy to open his mouth.

"Ahhh—"

Zhao Wen Cheng complied.

The doctor held down his tongue with the depressor, shone the light inside, and asked,

"How big was the nut?"

Chen Yuan thought for a moment. "About the size of my pinky fingernail."

She turned off the flashlight and threw the tongue depressor in the trash.

The doctor placed her hand on the boy’s neck and gently palpated a few spots.

"Honey, does this hurt?"

Zhao Wen Cheng shook his head. "Doesn’t hurt..."

She moved to another spot and pressed again. "Does this hurt?"

"Doesn’t hurt..."

The doctor sat up straight and looked at Chen Yuan.

"It’s nothing serious. It looks like the lining of his throat just got scraped. For the next week, give him bland, easy-to-digest foods. Avoid anything irritating, and it’ll heal up just fine. He’s okay."

This was the result Chen Yuan had expected. Hearing the doctor confirm it, he was completely relieved.

"Doctor, should we get an X-ray, just to get a more detailed look?" Fang Youqing asked.

"I don’t think it’s necessary. You can go home and observe him for now. But if you really want one, I can write you an order."

"Then..."

Fang Youqing hesitated, looking over at Chen Yuan, but he didn’t offer an opinion.

"Let’s get one, then."

"Alright."

The doctor skillfully typed on her computer.

"Insurance or self-pay?"

"Insurance."

"One moment."

The doctor quickly printed the order and handed it to Fang Youqing.

"You can pay by scanning the code or using the hospital’s app."

"Okay, thank you, Doctor."

Chen Yuan stood up with Zhao Wen Cheng. "Say bye-bye to the auntie."

"Bye-bye, Auntie."

"Bye-bye, sweetie..."

The two left the examination room with the child.

"So..." Fang Youqing didn’t rush to pay. She looked at Chen Yuan, hesitating.

"Do you think we need to get an X-ray?"

"I can’t make that decision. It’s up to you."

’He’s not my son. If something happens, I can help run errands, but anything else is a decision for his mother to make.’

Fang Youqing understood Chen Yuan’s reasoning and where he was coming from.

"You don’t have to be so cautious. If he were your son, would you think an X-ray is necessary?"

"If he were my son, I wouldn’t. I’d take him home and observe him first."