Chapter 6 The Drowned Child_2

Ran Yan, having heard a commotion from the crowd, then saw a group of people frantically rushing out from a small patch of woods; the one at the front was a farmer carrying a child, donned in grey narrow-necked short clothing that was sopping wet and clung to his body, revealing his sturdy frame. Beside him was another strong-looking young man, equally drenched.

Following close behind were several women dressed in coarse linen long skirts, one of whom was the same woman who had bumped into Ran Yan earlier.

The group of people, from afar, spotted Ran Yan and Wan Lu standing at the head of the bridge and they all shouted, "Wife! Hurry, help us get Divine Doctor Wu to save a life!"

Wan Lu urgently whispered to Ran Yan, "Divine Doctor Wu went to West Mountain to gather herbs early this morning, he definitely won't be able to make it back now! What are we going to do!"

"No matter what, let's go back first to take a look; what if the child's life isn't meant to end!" Ran Yan urged.

Wan Lu, considering Ran Yan's words made sense, stamped her foot anxiously, lifted her skirt hem, and turned to run towards the residence.

Afterward, the group of people rushed past Ran Yan, who hastily grabbed a young man, his momentum causing her to stagger.

"Wife, please don't hold me back, saving a life is crucial!" The young man was flustered but restrained by etiquette, unable to pull away from Ran Yan.

"What can you do if you go? What if Divine Doctor Wu isn't there! You better hurry and look for a horse, and go find a Doctor nearby! It's better to be safe than sorry," Ran Yan said coldly.

The young man was startled for a moment, then quickly bowed his hands, "Thank you for the guidance, Wife!"

Ran Yan didn't bother with pleasantries, and immediately followed after speaking; distant waters won't quench nearby thirst, and if there was a glimmer of life left in that child, she couldn't stand idly by as the chance to save him slipped away.

Having practiced forensic medicine for so long, Ran Yan had a habit of wanting to get close to a body at the sight of one. When encountering someone with a faint chance of survival, she was compelled to try everything to rescue them. After all, in criminal investigations, the living could provide much more information than the dead.

Thus, Ran Yan's intent to save the child wasn't so much out of compassion, but mostly stemmed from an instinct of "keeping someone alive" for information.

The crowd stopped outside the Ran residence, looking inside anxiously; the women just held the child and wept.

Time seemed to drag on indefinitely. It was only a short while, but the waiting crowd grew restless. The Han who brought the child forth said, "Life and death are at stake, we might as well go inside to look for Divine Doctor Wu! If the master blames us later on, I'll take full responsibility!"

If they were to forcefully enter the residence, the mere two doormen wouldn't be able to stop them. Everyone agreed and were about to step forward when they saw Wan Lu running out, gasping for breath, "Divine Doctor Wu went to West Mountain to gather herbs early today, I've searched the entire courtyard, and he hasn't returned!"

This news was like a bolt of lightning. Wan Lu had barely finished speaking when the woman burst into loud sobs, "The Zhou Family has only this one child, and I couldn't protect him! My husband oh! I have let you down!"

The villagers fell silent, and a few village women came forward to console Madam Liu.

Ran Yan parted the crowd silently and walked up to Madam Liu, instructing, "Put the child on the ground."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was so solemn and calm it seemed devoid of emotion, startling Madam Liu into silence.

"If you truly want to save him, listen to me," Ran Yan said impatiently, crouching down and taking the child from the stunned Madam Liu.

Through the thin black gauze of the veil, it was clear to see the child's face was swollen and purple, his belly slightly distended, and his entire body swollen from being in water, his hands clenched into a tiny fist, holding things like algae and stones. Ran Yan felt a chill in her heart and gently pressed the distended belly, confirming with Madam Liu, "Is it that you haven't seen your child all night?"

Madam Liu, upon seeing Ran Yan's serious expression, clung to her like a drowning person to a straw, desperately saying, "After dinner last night, Sanlang said he was going to play at the head of the village for a while. When he came back in the evening, he seemed displeased, saying he was grown up and wanted to live alone in a room. I thought he had heard some gossip and agreed, and it was only this morning when I called him for breakfast that I found he was not in the room… sob sob…"

As she spoke, she was already weeping uncontrollably.

Once Madam Liu spoke these words, the others also lost hope. Having drowned last night and soaked all night, the child already looked like this, there was no reason to hope for his survival, even Divine Doctor Wu would probably find it difficult to bring him back. Everyone sighed and encouraged Madam Liu to mourn with restraint.

Tears streaked Madam Liu's face, but she fixed her gaze on Ran Yan, not speaking, yet her eyes were filled with desperate hope.

Ran Yan lifted the black gauze of the veil and pressed the child's eyeballs with her fingers, observing the pupil's reaction.

This was a method for distinguishing between true death and suspended death; if the pupil deformed when pressed and returned to normal when released, it indicated that the person was still not dead.

In forensic medicine, there is a condition called "suspended death," also known as a faint death. It describes a highly suppressed state of circulatory, respiratory, and brain functions, with life functions extremely weakened. Clinical examination methods can no longer detect vital signs, and externally it appears as if one is dead, while actually, they are still alive. Through active treatment, they can be temporarily or permanently revived.

Suspended death is common in various mechanical injuries, such as hanging, strangling, drowning, various poisonings, etc. Ran Yan had encountered several such cases in her work.

Seeing that the child's pupils could still recover, Ran Yan feared he might still be alive. To confirm her judgment, Ran Yan tied the child's fingertips using a handkerchief.

"Go find dry soil! The drier, the better. Bring it here, it could save his life," Ran Yan instructed, looking up and conveying her meaning with the most concise language.

The crowd looked at each other perplexed, the households of Suzhou all lie by rivers, where could they find dry soil?