Chapter 705: [705] Got scolded Chapter 705: [705] Got scolded After a difficult fifty-minute drive, Xie Wanying and her companion arrived at the Capital Airport with the transplant box.
Qiu Ruiyun, holding the box, rushed into the airport lobby to find airport staff for assistance.
Xie Wanying paid the driver the fare.
The driver didn’t ask for a tip and said to her, “I’m sorry for the mishap on the road. Fortunately, the gold, silver, and jewels in your box are safe, otherwise, I couldn’t afford to compensate.”
“Thank you, driver. You’ve helped us escort something far more precious than gold or silver, a priceless treasure,” Xie Wanying thanked the driver and then turned and dashed into the airport to catch up with her senior colleague.
Watching her rapidly running figure, the driver scratched his head: What could be more valuable than gold and silver? And to be called a priceless treasure?
Inside the airport lobby, Qiu Ruiyun, who was communicating face-to-face with airport staff, turned pale and stammered, “Can’t you make an exception? This is a special circumstance!”
“No way, comrade, the boarding gate is closed. You’ve arrived too late. The plane should have taken off by now.”
Following this conclusive statement from the staff, it was as if the sound of the plane ascending into the blue sky and white clouds could be heard over the tarmac.
Qiu Ruiyun almost collapsed to the ground.
One crisis followed another.
“For rebooking, when is the next available flight?” Xie Wanying stood beside him, asking the staff. The urgent anxiety in her heart made her voice hoarse, like Qiu Ruiyun’s.
Upon receiving her request, the ground crew went to the counter to inquire about the timing for the nearest flight they could rebook.
In those days, most people in the country chose to travel by train or bus. Planes, being expensive, were beyond the means of the ordinary citizen, and hence the market was small, the planes few, and the flight numbers limited.
They could only hope that flights to the Capital would be slightly more frequent.
The phone rang, and Qiu Ruiyun took it out from the pocket of his shirt with his left hand, seeing that it was a call from his department. He clenched his teeth and pressed the answer button.
“How is it, have you boarded the plane and departed yet?” He Guangyou, noticing the time, and having not heard from them, urgently called to ask what the situation was.
If they had confirmed boarding, the patient waiting for the transplant at the hospital needed to be prepared for surgery.
Qiu Ruiyun frankly said, “No.”
“What happened!” He Guangyou abruptly raised his voice, his tone revealing a hint of reproach.
During the organ transplant the other day, Associate Director Xue had repeatedly emphasized the time constraint, reminding them that every second delayed on the road was a matter of life or death for the patient. Now missing the flight was a serious issue.
“There was a little incident in the operating room, and then we encountered a problem on the road,” Qiu Ruiyun said apologetically.
There was some noise on the other end. He Guangyou seemed to want to say something more but was stopped by someone.
“Why are you scolding them?”
“I didn’t, I was just reminding them–”
“Reminding them of what?”
“To be careful on the road!”
Tao Zhijie patted the head of the person below him, as if reprimanding a rashly acting child. He Guangyou moved aside, not daring to make another sound, and handed the phone to him at the same time.
Taking the phone, Tao Zhijie said to the two colleagues escorting the organ, “Don’t worry.”
“We’ll discuss everything when you get back. I trust you. Now you have over eight hours left, as long as you can catch a plane in time, it will be alright. I’ll send a colleague in an ambulance to the Capital Airport to wait for your safe return,” the voice of Tao Zhijie was gentle and calm, offering solace to the two of them.