Chapter 99: Trouble Arises, Someone Gets Hurt

Luo Qiao took a turn and went to the state-owned hotel opposite the bus station, where she ordered a meat bun and a bowl of noodle soup. After finishing her meal, she bought a ticket and boarded the bus, glancing at Zhao Guibao, now known as Luo Bin.

Luo Qiao sat in her usual spot near the front, with her backpack resting on the luggage compartment cover.

It didn’t take long this time before the driver and ticket collector boarded the bus. The bus departed on time from the station, and along the way, Luo Qiao pondered on Luo Bin’s return to the village to ask the Zhao family for money.

She wondered what Gao Suhua’s reaction would be. If Gao Suhua wasn’t foolish, she wouldn’t give him money again. He was clearly ungrateful.

The road was rough, and the bus shook violently.

After getting off at the commune, Luo Qiao waited until Luo Bin walked far away before heading back. From a distance as she entered the village, she saw a crowd gathered in front of Zhao’s house.

Back home, Luo Qiao put away her backpack and prepared to steam some buns and dumplings in the storage warehouse in the afternoon. As the weather got hotter, she didn’t feel like cooking again after returning home from work at noon.

She made a simple soup and ate it with dry rations, a straightforward meal.

The noodles were prepared yesterday using a mixture of coarse and fine flour, ensuring a nutritious and healthy balance.

She went to the backyard vegetable patch to pick some chives, washed them thoroughly, and set them aside. She also fetched plenty of eggs from storage, knowing that with today’s rough road conditions and the matter involving Zhao’s adopted son returning to the village, no one would pay attention to her household.

So today she didn’t fry eggs in the space. Instead, she prepared the filling outside. After seasoning the filling, she filled a large pot with water and set it on the fire.

Next, she kneaded the dough on the kneading board, cut it into small pieces, and used one batch to make filled buns with the filling. The remaining dough was oiled and sprinkled with ground Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and chopped green onions to make buns.

After placing them in a pot, she went to the backyard to store the harvested vegetables in the storage warehouse and sprinkled seeds. She planned to finish the kitchen’s buns and steamed buns after completing these chores.

Once Luo Qiao stored away the buns and steamed buns and cleaned up the kitchen, she thought about taking her shoes down to the riverbank to wash them when she heard someone crying across the river.

Out of curiosity, Luo Qiao stood outside the gate and looked across the river. She saw a crowd gathered, but couldn’t clearly see what was happening amidst the noisy commotion. It was difficult to make out what they were saying.

Luo Qiao locked the gate and wanted to go down to see what had happened. She saw someone approaching to ask Lu Yichen to drive and take someone to the village clinic.

Arriving at the riverside, Luo Qiao finally saw clearly that it was Gao Shunyi and another villager from the village, Qiao Congshan. Today, they were helping the younger brother of the village committee secretary repair the roof since they weren’t working.

Perhaps due to the roof being neglected for years and the rain last night, it couldn’t withstand the weight of the two men, causing it to collapse.

Gao Shunyi and Qiao Congshan fell directly from the roof and now sat on the ground, covered in dust and waiting for a ride to the hospital. Qiao Congshan seemed to have broken bones, while Gao Shunyi had several severe abrasions.

When the captain arrived and saw Gao Shunyi’s condition, he asked, “Where is Dr. Gao?”

A member of the commune replied, “Dr. Gao isn’t home today. His niece is getting married, so he went to attend the wedding banquet and hasn’t returned yet.”

Luo Qiao stepped forward and said, “Captain, if we don’t stop the bleeding in time, there could be complications for Uncle Gao’s condition.”

Gao Jiefang turned his head to look at Luo Qiao and asked, “By the way, I remember you mentioned you have some medical knowledge, right?”

Luo Qiao replied, “A bit. I’m not very knowledgeable, but he’s losing too much blood right now. It’s best to stop the bleeding first before taking him to the hospital. Otherwise, by the time we get there, he might have lost too much blood.”

Just then, Lu Yichen arrived and said, “Captain, the tractor has a problem with the axle bearing. I just dismantled it this morning and haven’t fixed it yet.”