Although his mother instructed him to attend classes at school and not to delay his studies, Chang Le still hailed a taxi to the First People's Hospital in Linzhou City.
Arriving at the hospital, upon entering the gate, he was met with the emergency department.
In front of the emergency department, many black PASSATs, eighth-generation ACCORDs, and bulky TENNAs were parked.
In the lobby of the emergency department, middle-aged men in shirts or polo shirts and dark trousers gathered in groups, shaking their legs from time to time.
In the corner of the emergency department corridor, there were continuous sounds of sorrowful crying, which made people feel heartbroken, bitter, and anxious.
In a corner of the courtyard outside the emergency department, several department heads naturally gathered and chatted with each other:
"I wasn't there, but I heard from the traffic police. At that time, Chen Xiang was on the minibus heading uphill, and a fully loaded truck suddenly appeared at the corner and crashed straight into the minibus. Xiao Chen is considered an experienced driver, but it was too sudden, and it was really hard to react..."
"Did the car overturn?"
"No! Although it had just started going uphill, it was more than ten meters high..."
"Xiao Chen and Chen Xiang's secretary were killed on the spot."
"The driver of the truck driving on the mountain road is really reckless. With so many bends, he definitely couldn't brake in time."
"You can't say that. Don't speak without considering the circumstances. If it weren't for saving money, who would take this road?"
"But, speaking of which, Chang Xueqin is really lucky."
"Yeah. Before leaving, Chang Xueqin was about to get on the car with Chen Xiang and suddenly turned pale, falling backward. It was really scary at the time, and we thought it was some urgent illness. But after being sent to the hospital for examination, the doctor said it was anemia. It's really a blessing in disguise!"
"It's really mysterious!"
"Isn't it? Fate, this thing, you really can't not believe it. Some people don't do anything, and there's nothing going on in their jurisdiction; while some people work hard every day, accidents happen one after another. Who can they reason with?"
"Yeah, that's true, it's very mysterious."
"Oh, the secretary is here."
With that one sentence, all the department heads stopped talking and stood at attention.
Several off-road vehicles drove straight over and stopped in front of the emergency department, with the lead car displaying a number plate.
The door of the number one car opened, and a middle-aged man with a fairly straight figure stepped out.
The man's temples were tinged with white, and his eyes looked weary.
As he was about to ask a question, a doctor in a white coat rushed out of the emergency department and ran up to him.
"Secretary, how is the situation with the rescue now?" the middle-aged man asked with a furrowed brow.
"Report, Secretary, Deputy Mayor Xiang has suffered very serious injuries. During the rollover of the vehicle, his brain suffered severe impact, causing him to fall into a coma. There is a lot of congestion, and he has multiple fractures all over his body..." the hospital director replied.
"What about the other comrades?" the middle-aged man asked urgently.
"The other leaders, two of them passed away on the way here, and the other three leaders are still being rescued..." the director replied truthfully.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's brow furrowed even more, and his expression became more solemn, with the lines on his cheeks becoming more pronounced.
Seeing this, the hospital director quickly continued, "Report, Secretary, under the coordination of the health department, we have mobilized all the medical forces and resources in the city and are making every effort to rescue them."
"Also, we have requested assistance from experts at the Provincial People's Hospital, and the helicopter dispatched by the Fire Department is on its way back, expected to arrive in half an hour."
After listening to the hospital director's words, the furrowed brow of the middle-aged man loosened slightly, and he said in a calm but firm tone:
"Director, I know this kind of thing is too sudden, and it's not your fault. But when it comes to racing against death, you are the experts, and the only ones we can rely on. Please make sure to bring them back at all costs, try every possible method! Please, we can't afford to lose anyone else, we can't afford it!"
"Yes, Secretary, this is our duty, and we will spare no effort in the rescue operation," the hospital director affirmed.
The middle-aged man nodded, "Let's go, let's go see Comrade Xiang and the families of the other comrades. Is anyone from the General Affairs Bureau here?"
"Here, Secretary," someone raised their hand and approached the middle-aged man.
"How are the families doing now?"
"The mood isn't too good. The families of the unfortunate comrades are on the verge of collapse, while the families of the comrades being rescued are trying hard to restrain themselves. We have dispatched psychologists to accompany and comfort them one-on-one."
"Sigh, that's all we can do! Let's go see them." The middle-aged man shook his head slightly.
At his level, the most feared thing was sudden and unpredictable accidents or disasters.
But since things had come to this, they could only grit their teeth and face it, trying to resolve it.
"Let's go see Comrade Xiang's family first."
......
Chang Le was familiar with the hospital. The emergency department and the inpatient department were connected by a corridor, and the route through the emergency department was the shortest.
But he didn't want to relive those distressing scenes, so he deliberately took a detour, avoiding the emergency department and heading into the inpatient department.
Just as he entered the lobby of the inpatient department, Chang Le encountered a young female doctor who was a colleague of his mother.
"Chang Le, you've come to see your father." The female doctor greeted him proactively.
"Uh... Sister, yes. Which floor and room is my dad in?" Chang Le asked.
"I just came out from there. Teacher Tan is also there. You should go quickly." The young female doctor told Chang Le the floor and room number.
"Thank you. How is my dad's condition now?" Chang Le continued to ask.
"Don't worry, there's nothing serious, just a bit of anemia." The female doctor replied.
"Okay, thanks, sister."
"It's nothing, go ahead."
......
Inside the hospital room.
Chang Xueqin was lying on the hospital bed, staring at the IV drip above, lost in thought.
On one side of the hospital bed, Tan Xiaoya was sitting on a stool, peeling an apple with a fruit knife.
"Xueqin, did you remember what the doctor said just now? Your anemia issue is caused by your usual negligence. You need to stay up less, drink less, and especially eat out less." Tan Xiaoya said.
"Yeah, I got it. How about the situation over there?" Chang Xueqin nodded.
"I heard it's not looking good. The driver and Deputy Mayor Xiang's secretary passed away on the spot, and two more on the way to the hospital. Currently, including Deputy Mayor Xiang, four people are still being rescued." Tan Xiaoya sighed.
"Sigh... I was just in a meeting with them yesterday, and all the plans were approved by me. The most unfortunate thing is Secretary Xiang's secretary, Xiao Zeng. He just graduated from college a year ago, was going to get married during the National Day, and even invited me to his wedding." Chang Xueqin looked distressed.
"Yeah. Xiao Zeng, I've met him a few times, he's a very hardworking and diligent young man." Tan Xiaoya put down the fruit knife and handed the apple to Chang Xueqin, then said:
"Xueqin, thinking back now, I'm still scared. What if you hadn't suddenly collapsed and been sent to the hospital, wouldn't you have been in the car too?"
"It's over, stop thinking about it. I'm fine, aren't I?" Chang Xueqin interrupted Tan Xiaoya.
"I just can't control myself. Your body has always been fine, and I've been paying attention. I have you go for check-ups every year, and the results have always been fine, you've never had anemia. How did it suddenly happen this morning..." Tan Xiaoya continued.
"Stop, Xiaoya, it's thanks to you being a medical student. The doctor just said it's an issue accumulated from not paying attention to life, and this outbreak was just a coincidence." Chang Xueqin didn't quite believe in those things.
"I feel it's mysterious precisely because I'm a medical student. When you're discharged, we must go visit Mom and Dad, they must be watching over you." Tan Xiaoya said.
"You're really a pragmatist." Chang Xueqin said.
"I'm doing this for your own good, for our family's sake, aren't I? If... then what would I do? What about Lezi? What about our family?" Tan Xiaoya said impatiently.
Chang Xueqin didn't reply, in fact, he himself was still feeling fearful: "..."
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