Chapter 104

Secretary Meng’s family arrived first. They were only relieved when they heard he was out of danger.

Master Li’s and Secretary Huang’s families arrived shortly after.

Secretary Huang’s family consisted of his father and wife. His mother was probably left at home to take care of their three children.

Master Li’s family was extremely anxious, as if they had committed a grave mistake.

Yan Lei arrived later, accompanied by Yan Xiang and Secretary Gao from Xiahekou.

Secretary Gao greeted her and expressed concern, then hurried to see the hospital director and inquire about Secretary Meng’s condition.

Yan Lei looked Qiao Wei up and down. “Are you okay?”

Qiao Wei replied, “I’m fine.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Yan Lei, she felt a sense of relief.

“Why did you bring Xiang Xiang?” she complained.

Yan Xiang was already asleep in Yan Lei’s arms.

“If I didn’t bring him, he would be scared,” Yan Lei explained.

Qiao Wei felt sorry and wanted to take him, but Yan Lei didn’t let her. “Don’t change hands. He’ll wake up later.”

The two found an empty ward, and Yan Lei asked what had happened.

Qiao Wei recounted the events. “It seemed like a horse or a donkey, something with four legs, suddenly jumped onto the road. Master Li must have sharply turned the steering wheel, causing the car to flip. Sigh, the worst thing about driving is this.”

In fact, if the object wasn’t too solid, for the driver’s safety, it would have been better to collide directly.

That’s why many truck drivers in the future don’t brake in such situations.

Direct collision means death, and the compensation for a dead person is cheaper.

If you brake, the car is more likely to flip. The cost of towing, repair, and loss of business due to the damaged goods can sometimes be higher than the compensation for a dead person.

“The seatbelt was only on me, and I only hit my head,” Qiao Wei summarized the events and told Yan Lei. “Secretary Meng had internal bleeding, but he received a blood transfusion and is out of danger. Master Li has a head injury, possibly a concussion. Secretary Huang had his leg injured.”

As long as she was okay, Yan Lei didn’t pay much attention to others.

His focus was on another matter: “You drove?”

He repeated, “You drove the car to the hospital?”

He stared at her. “Can you drive?”

“I can’t,” Qiao Wei knew she absolutely couldn’t act guilty about this. She firmly stated, “I only knew that stepping on the brake stops the car and stepping on the accelerator makes it go. But there’s another thing called a clutch. I asked Secretary Huang, but even he didn’t know how to handle the clutch. I tried a few times, but the car stalled as soon as it started moving.”

“After finally getting it moving, Secretary Huang said I needed to change gears. So, I tried to shift gears, but it made a grinding sound, and the car jerked. I was so afraid it would stall again.”

“Secretary Huang lost a lot of blood, and he looked like he was about to pass out. I was crying and calling out to him…”

These were all true feelings at the time.

No matter the era, people faced car accidents in the same way. Being a time traveler didn’t offer any advantages in such situations.

As Qiao Wei spoke, the tension and fear from that time welled up again, along with a sense of unfairness at having encountered such a mess. Tears filled her eyes.

Yan Lei softened and hugged her, “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s all over now.”

After enduring for so long, Qiao Wei cried into his chest, releasing all the pressure and tension brought on by the accident.

After crying, she felt much better and said, “There’s a bed here. Let’s put Xiang Xiang down.”

The two gently laid Yan Xiang on a hospital bed and then sat down to talk.

Qiao Wei had to talk about another matter; she would feel too uncomfortable if she didn’t share it with someone.

It was about Secretary Huang giving Secretary Meng a blood transfusion.

She said, “The hospital director actually agreed to it.”

There was still a sense of indignation in her heart. After all, she had only worked in a professional environment and hadn’t experienced office politics. If she couldn’t make it in the professional world, she could resign and leave, without risking her life.

She was angry that Secretary Huang didn’t value his own life and that the hospital director only cared about Secretary Meng’s life, not Secretary Huang’s.

But Yan Lei didn’t need to think much. He pierced through the situation with one sentence, “Couldn’t other doctors or nurses give Secretary Meng a blood transfusion?”

Qiao Wei suddenly froze.

When people were in the midst of a situation, they could easily develop blind spots.

Yan Lei continued, “I remember there are only a few blood types, like A, B, AB, and O, right?”

“Right,” Qiao Wei confirmed.

“Right, just those few types. Can’t believe there wasn’t anyone else among so many people who matched? It had to be him?” Yan Lei raised an eyebrow.

Qiao Wei froze again.

Instinctively, she wanted to come up with an explanation, “There were three injured patients, and there were few medical staff on duty. Maybe they couldn’t afford to lose manpower…”

But Yan Lei interrupted, “Then go to the family quarters and wake everyone up. If that doesn’t work, mobilize people from nearby streets. The top leader of the county donating blood, I don’t believe they couldn’t find someone.”

Qiao Wei couldn’t say anything more.

She had a modern mindset. No blood in the blood bank meant no blood transfusion. Isn’t that how it worked in the future?

She had seen it all in the hospital ward.

Family members holding their blood test results queued up to get blood. Every day, when new blood arrived, nurses called out by blood type, and people with the lowest values were given priority. Those with higher values often missed out.

Families were desperate, but there was nothing they could do.

In the future, it wouldn’t be possible for doctors, nurses, or even medical staff’s family members to come and donate blood for you.

Yan Lei continued, “As the esteemed director of the county hospital, wouldn’t he know Secretary Meng and Secretary Huang?”

Qiao Wei remained silent for a while, then sighed, “Maybe I’m not cut out for the political scene?”

Yan Lei glanced at the ward door and corrected her, “There’s no such thing as the ‘political scene,’ don’t talk nonsense.”

Qiao Wei immediately lightly slapped her mouth, indicating that she knew she had said the wrong thing.

“You’ve just experienced it, so you couldn’t have known,” he comforted her. “Once you’ve seen more, you’ll understand that people are capable of anything.”

Qiao Wei’s feelings towards Secretary Huang were now truly complex.

“He’s really something,” she said. “Whatever you can think of, Secretary Meng wouldn’t be unaware of it. He’s not like me.”

“So what?” Yan Lei countered. “What Secretary Meng sees is Secretary Huang’s unwavering loyalty to him.”

Qiao Wei sighed.

She grabbed Yan Lei’s arm and said, “Don’t be like this. No matter what happens, take care of yourself. No one else is as important as you are.”

Her expression was very serious, and her gaze was focused.

Yan Lei felt a surge of tenderness in his heart, wishing he could kiss her eyes.

Unfortunately, the door was open, and people were constantly passing by in the corridor.

He had to hold back and promised her, “Okay.”

Qiao Wei also slept on an empty bed in the ward for a while. When she woke up, it was already bright outside.

Yan Xiang was still asleep, and Yan Lei was not there.

She rubbed her eyes and checked on Yan Xiang first. Thankfully, he was dressed warmly and covered with a blanket.

Yan Lei came in, “Awake?”

He told her, “Everyone who needs to know has been informed. The hospital will be bustling today. Commander Pan will also come representing the military region.”

Quite a stir indeed. After all, he was the top leader of the county.

“Secretary Meng woke up and asked for you,” he said. “Go wash your face and see Secretary Meng.”

Qiao Wei found a faucet.

There was tap water in the hospital, but it was icy cold. She used her handkerchief to stop the bleeding for Secretary Huang and wiped her face with Yan Lei’s handkerchief.

After rinsing her mouth, she went to see Secretary Meng.

High Secretary was also in the room, as well as Secretary Meng’s wife and son. His three daughters were all married to families in Lin City, from respectable backgrounds and matched in status. 

“Qiao Wei, come here, come!” Secretary Meng was very happy to see her. “Are you okay? Xiao Li is okay too, and Zeng Yue is fine. I wanted to see you guys, but they wouldn’t let me move.”

Not only did they not let him move, but they also had to elevate his legs.

Qiao Wei explained the situation to Secretary Meng, “…It should be a neighbor’s livestock that wasn’t tied up properly and ran out. I couldn’t tell if it was a donkey or a horse.”

Secretary Meng’s focus was the same as Yan Lei’s, “They said you drove the car over?”

Qiao Wei explained, “At the time, I was the only one with any mobility left. Both you and Master Li were unconscious, and Secretary Huang was bleeding. If I had stumbled around in the dark to find a village and got lost again, the situation would have worsened. I had to take a risk.”

Secretary Meng was very interested, “You can drive?”

Yan Lei interjected from behind Qiao Wei, “She’s just a half-baked driver, she’s been in the car with me a lot, that’s all she knows. Qiao Wei, quickly apologize to Secretary Meng.”

Qiao Wei immediately apologized, “I was too reckless.”

Secretary Meng didn’t mind, “Young comrades need to be eager to learn and take risks. In some situations, sticking to the rules won’t work. If you hadn’t taken this risk, my life would have been even more precarious. By the way, call Xiao Li’s family in, I want to talk to them.”

Master Li’s family had been anxious all night.

If Master Li had caused the top leader of the county to lose his hair, the guilt would be immense.

Secretary Meng seemed to have thought of this and called Master Li’s family in, reassuring them, “It was an unexpected situation, it would have been the same with anyone else. Don’t think too much about it.”

Master Li’s family burst into tears.

Secretary Meng also met with Secretary Huang’s father and wife, assuring them, “He’ll be fine.”

His attitude towards Secretary Huang’s family was very amiable.

Qiao Wei watched from the side and couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Secretary Huang’s wife.

She was a woman of similar age to him, with a scholarly air between her eyebrows. It reminded Qiao Wei of the compliments Secretary Huang had given her.

But compared to her delicate features, in an era where overweight people were rare, her figure was slightly bulky. The damage done to women by consecutive childbirths was truly immense.

After experiencing life and death with Secretary Huang, Qiao Wei felt that their relationship was different from before. She thought about finding a suitable opportunity to advise him. With three children already, it was time to stop.

She couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

Secretary Meng instructed Qiao Wei to rest for two days.

When Qiao Wei left, various well-informed individuals began to flock to the hospital.

She followed Yan Lei and Secretary Gao, taking Yan Xiang with them, and rode back in a jeep.

“Qiao Wei was also frightened,” Secretary Gao said. “Take good care and get some rest.”

Yan Lei let Secretary Gao sit in the passenger seat while he and Qiao Wei squeezed into the back with Yan Xiang.

Secretary Gao turned his head and said, “You’re really amazing. You don’t even know how to drive, yet you managed to drive the car.”

“When a person is under extreme stress, the adrenal glands will secrete a hormone. Under the stimulation of this hormone, various abilities of the body, such as the speed of brain operation, as well as strength and running speed, will suddenly increase as if injected with chicken blood.”

“There’s a saying called ‘strength at the scene of a fire’. When there’s a fire, for the sake of saving your belongings, a person can move a wardrobe by hand. But normally, or after the fire is over, you find that you can’t move the wardrobe at all. This sudden strength is caused by the stimulation of adrenaline in the body.”

“Well,” Qiao Wei said, “If you asked me to touch a car now, I’d be blank. I only remember putting out the fire over and over again at that moment, and then the car really started moving. I still remember Secretary Huang yelling ‘change gears’ in my ear, but I don’t remember anything else. Once the fire was over, I couldn’t move the wardrobe anymore.”

Secretary Gao sighed, “That’s amazing.”

“It’s because she reads a lot and knows a lot,” Yan Lei added.