Chapter 30: Su He Saves a Life
Cao Hongmei was quicker-witted than Su Yongshi. She frowned and said, “Xiao He, are you trying to say that someone else was behind instructing Director Meng?”
“No way, right? We don’t have any enmity with anyone. Who would do something like that?”
“Maybe Director Meng was just trying to curry favor with Deputy Director Zhao, which is why she kept dropping hints to me.”
Su He sighed. “Since it’s come to this, I won’t hide anything from you anymore. Do you know why I jumped into the river…”
She repeated everything she had told the rest of the Su family, then said, “Have you thought about what would have happened if Zhao Bin had succeeded that day? Do you really think you would’ve been made permanent workers?
Stop dreaming!
Shen Ruyi would never let anyone from the Su family live a good life!
And I can guarantee that Shen Ruyi won’t stop here—she’ll come after you two next.
Who knows, in a few days you might get fired just for stepping into the factory with your left foot first!”
Of course, Su He knew Shen Ruyi wouldn’t act against Su Yongshi and his wife just yet—she still needed them to deal with her. She said all this because she knew exactly what kind of people they were: selfish, and only quick to react when their own interests were threatened.
Sure enough, the two of them panicked!
“Xiao He, what… what should we do? You have to help us!”
“Yeah, Xiao He, we’re family! You can’t just stand by and do nothing!”
Su He let them stew for a while before saying, “Shen Ruyi won’t make any overt moves. So you don’t need to panic—just remember this: if anything at all happens, report to me immediately. I’ll protect you.
As for getting made permanent, it’s just a matter of time. Leave that to me.”
Su Yongshi and Cao Hongmei immediately went from worried to thrilled, suddenly attentive and fawning.
The next morning, after breakfast, Su He volunteered to walk Su Jinbao to school. Naturally, his parents were more than happy to let her.
Su Jinbao wasn’t thrilled but didn’t dare speak up.
On the way, Su He pulled out two pieces of chocolate from her little satchel and handed them to him.
Jinbao’s mood flipped instantly. He started calling her “sister” nonstop, sweet as honey.
Su He: …She finally understood. Everyone in the Su family was the same—whoever feeds you is your parent!
“Jinbao, I’ve got a mission for you. When I’m not around, keep an eye on your mom and dad for me, and report everything back to me. I’m just afraid bad people might try to hurt them. Got it?”
Jinbao blinked and said nothing.
“If you do a good job, I’ll reward you with more chocolate—and other tasty treats!”
Jinbao puffed out his little chest. “Don’t worry, Sis, tailing people is what I’m best at! Mom always tells me to keep an eye on Dad to see where he hides his money.”
Su He: “…Then I can relax.”
After dropping Jinbao off at school, Su He headed to the textile factory.
The security guard remembered her. When he heard she was looking for Engineer He, he said, “Bad timing, little girl. He’s in a meeting. Word is, it’s going to last all day!”
Su He thanked him and leisurely made her way home.
She wasn’t in a hurry—no point in rushing. Good things take time.
As she neared the courtyard housing, she noticed a crowd gathered ahead.
“Xiaobao! Xiaobao! Don’t scare Mama like this! What’s wrong?”
“He must’ve choked on something! Hurry, take him to the hospital!”
“I’m afraid it’s too late—look, the child’s face is turning purple!”
…
Su He’s heart jumped. She ran forward immediately.
A woman was clutching a three- or four-year-old child, panic and desperation on her face. The child’s face was bluish-purple, and his hands were clawing at his throat.
Without thinking, Su He grabbed the child, turned him over on her lap, held his head and neck steady with her left hand, and began striking the area between his shoulder blades firmly with her right hand—
Cough!
The child spat out a jujube pit and started crying loudly.
The woman hugged her child, sobbing in relief. She dropped to her knees to kowtow to Su He.
Su He jumped in surprise. “Big Sis, don’t do that! It was nothing, really. Just a small effort. You should hurry to the hospital and have his throat checked, make sure it wasn’t scratched.”
Only then did the woman thank her profusely and leave.
The surrounding crowd all praised Su He loudly. Fortunately, she had a thick skin—any normal young girl would’ve been embarrassed to death.
It took some effort for Su He to squeeze out of the crowd, a grin spreading across her face.
“Helping others is its own reward,” she thought. That saying really was true. After doing a good deed, her heart felt light and joyful.
She had learned the Heimlich maneuver from short videos online and hadn’t expected it to come in so handy.
A thought popped into her mind. She touched the red mole at the corner of her eye and opened the Eternal Marketplace.
“Check for me—what year was the Heimlich maneuver invented?”
A robotic voice responded: [Search function not yet unlocked. Host may pay 10,000 yuan for early access to a one-time search. Proceed with payment?]
Su He: …Crooks!
She angrily clicked “No.”
Trying to scam her? Not happening!
Her eyes rolled with mischief. She switched to the books section and searched for Heimlich maneuver. Instantly, dozens of books popped up.
Su He clicked on one, and sure enough, the cover said what she needed:
“Dr. Heimlich first used this technique in 1974 to save a—”
Immediately, the robotic voice gave off a burst of static.
Su He didn’t care if it was having a short circuit or a tantrum—she happily closed the marketplace.
“Hey, little—what’s-your-name, wait a second!”
Su He turned around to see Old Man Ge rushing toward her.
“How did you save that kid just now?”
Su He blinked. “Why don’t you get my name right first before asking me that?”
With that, she turned and walked into the courtyard.
Old Man Ge: “…”
What was that girl’s name again—Su Jiang, Su He, Su Hu, or Su Hai?
