Zhang Guifang’s words instantly attracted everyone’s attention.
Yang Erxiu had been fine just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, he began clutching at his own throat, scratching desperately while his eyes rolled back, struggling for breath.
"He’s choking! He’s choking!" the elderly woman at the door pointed at Yang Erxiu and exclaimed, "The child was just picking up grapes from the ground to eat!"
"My son! My life’s treasure!" Feng Chunhua cried, rushing over and forcefully patting the child’s back after picking him up from the ground.
Zhang Guifang and Mei Ying also came over to help.
"Everybody step back, let me do it!" An Hao, who had studied medicine and lived through two lifetimes, knew very well how to treat someone whose airway was blocked by something.
"Get out of the way! You don’t need to help!" Feng Chunhua pushed An Hao away as she tried to help, "Would you even care that much? You probably wish my son were dead."
"Move aside! I know how to save him! I studied medicine."
"I’m his mother! I also know how to save him!" Feng Chunhua continued to slap, slap, slap, watching as Yang Erxiu’s rolling white eyes became more severe.
Yang Dahe went to pull her away: "Let An Hao do it!"
Feng Chunhua didn’t trust An Hao one bit.
An Hao became frantic, slapped them both, and kicked Feng Chunhua away.
"Doing it will only make the blockage worse," An Hao said as she lifted the limp Yang Erxiu off the ground, held him from behind around the abdomen, encircling his waist with her arms, made a fist with one hand, and pressed inward between the navel and the ribs.
With her other hand formed like a cover over the fist, she quickly and forcefully squeezed both hands inward and upward.
Once, twice... after several repetitions...
Until a sweating An Hao, who was using up all her strength, heard a ’pop’. A plump, round, purple grape shot out from Yang Erxiu’s mouth and rolled onto the ground.
Soon after, with a loud cry, Yang Erxiu began to sob.
Fresh air flooded in, and the purplish hue of his swollen cheeks rapidly faded.
"Son! My son!" Feng Chunhua held Yang Erxiu and sobbed uncontrollably, eliciting tears from the onlookers.
Mei Ying hadn’t forgotten what An Hao had done, so she stepped forward, patted Feng Chunhua on the shoulder, and said, "Chunhua, it was An Hao who saved your son! Shouldn’t you thank her? I think there’s been a misunderstanding!"
Feng Chunhua was too busy crying to speak.
Zhang Guifang, trying to scare Yang Erxiu, said, "You must have been telling lies! That’s why the heavens are punishing you! If you’ve told lies, you better apologize to Auntie An Hao quickly! Then the heavens won’t punish you anymore!"
Yang Erxiu was, after all, still just a child.
Scared by Zhang Guifang’s words, he became very frightened.
He definitely didn’t want to go through that near-death experience again; it was terrifying.
So, wiping his tears, he told the truth, "I was telling lies just now. I don’t want to be fatherless. My mom often says An Hao is a fox spirit, that a fox spirit can bewitch men and take my father away. My mom hates her, and I hate her too! I just wanted to help my mom!"
Having spoken, Yang Erxiu burst into loud sobbing.
"So that’s what this was all about!" Zhang Guifang sighed with relief and then scolded Feng Chunhua, "I truly need to have a good talk with you. Instead of living well, why do you always cause trouble at An Hao’s home? Look what you’ve turned the child into?"
"I... I know Dahe doesn’t think highly of me. I’m just jealous and not at peace," Feng Chunhua finally cried out her true feelings, "As women, why is my life so miserable while hers is so good? I’m worried! Worried that Yang Dahe will leave me!"