Chapter 639: 639. Send for emergency assistance_1 Chapter 639: 639. Send for emergency assistance_1 As soon as Song Tan posed the question, everyone sensed that something was off.
If Old Lee truly cared for his grandson, he should have come out when Little Chubby was wailing earlier, but why was there now no sign of him?
Thinking back to the noises they had heard before…
“Oh no!” Wu Lan, as if realizing something, hurriedly dashed toward the front, with the crowd following closely behind. They quickly reached the bamboo grove by the entrance to the house.
On closer inspection, they saw Old Lee sprawled out on a bed of bamboo leaves next to the ditch, motionless.
Dahuang stood on the lower terrace of the field, looking at the marks on the edge of the slope. It seemed he had slipped down in a hurry and was unharmed, only he was stopped by Sanbao and Sibao from crossing through the vegetable garden and ended up standing there.
“What happened here?”
Song Sancheng also became anxious, rushing over to Old Lee’s side, hesitant to move him at all, only extending a finger to his nostril.
Perhaps from being too tense, it took a while before he said amidst everyone’s anxious faces:
“He’s still breathing.”
Secretary Xiaozu had already dialed the emergency number, but even starting from their village to the town’s hospital would take at least twenty minutes, and the township hospital had no emergency treatment facilities!
Once the call was made, the ambulance would have to come from the city!
Secretary Xiaozu was frantic, and there was nothing that could be done on the other end:
“Is there someone with a car to take him? By the time we dispatch a vehicle to your village, it would be at least an hour and a half.”
“Moreover, once in the village, finding your place would take more time, it’s too long to wait…”
An hour and a half… Although the sun had set, the temperature was still not low. If they waited any longer, even the daylilies would be cold!
Song Tan and Secretary Xiaozu exchanged glances, and without another word, she turned to start her own car, calling out, “Mom, get the mattresses and padding from our house and lay them in the back of the truck quickly.”
Given Old Lee’s condition, the back seat was certainly no good.
“Dad, check if Grandpa Lee has his mobile with him… Ah, he doesn’t like bringing his phone! Ask Little Chubby for his parents’ phone number!”
Secretary Xiaozu, meanwhile, looked at Qiaoqiao:
“Qiaoqiao, ride your bike and take me back to get my documents; I’ll accompany the car to the city.”
“Song Tan, call Doctor Guo as well–just in case we can make it, right?”
“Yan Ran, go get a bedsheet from Auntie, help carry Old Mister onto it, so we can get him on the truck later.”
In a rush, everyone sprung into action.
It took a collective effort to get Old Lee onto the vehicle, and Song Sancheng hopped on his motorbike:
“I can’t get through on this number Little Chubby had memorized, he says the phone is home charging. I’ll go get the phone from home; you all go ahead. I’ll have them contact you!”
Song Tan responded and started the car, but then she opened the door again:
“Little Chubby, come here!”
Old Mister Lee had fainted right at his own doorstep… this was not a good sign. It was best to take Little Chubby with them, just in case.
Little Chubby instinctively covered his backside, but the next moment, he joyfully jumped into the car:
“Going home! I want to go home and play on the computer!”
Song Tan smiled, not quite genuine: “Playing on the computer is fine, but when your parents ask you questions, it’s best not to lie.”
Little Chubby immediately shook his head like crazy: “Won’t lie, won’t lie!”
The vehicle started and soon circled around a low hill to stop at the entrance of Guo Dong’s clinic.
Recently obsessed with pharmaceuticals to make money, she still carried the strong scent of medicine with her. As soon as she climbed into the car, she sighed:
“If you want me to give injections, infusions, or stitch up some skin, I can manage, but making a diagnosis is really beyond me, I can only offer a helping hand.”
Though she said this, she brought along a small stool and plopped down next to Old Man Li, staring at him unwaveringly while also adjusting the cushion for him.
Song Tan echoed, “No problem, many hands make light work.”
When they reached the intersection ahead to pick up Secretary Xiaozu, they saw Qiaoqiao riding Daduo, looking at her carefully:
“Sister, when Gramps Li wakes up, tell him I’ll take Dahuang back tonight, so he doesn’t have to worry.”
Song Tan laughed, “Okay, Gramps Li is always worried about his Dahuang. You take good care of Dahuang, and once he’s in the hospital, he’ll definitely be fine.”
The car shook on the bumpy mountain road, Guo Dong and Secretary Xiaozu each held onto a handrail with one hand, while their feet were planted firmly against the edge of the cushion.
Luckily, Song Tan was also an experienced driver, carefully avoiding the worn-out potholes. When the vehicle finally got onto the asphalt road, Secretary Xiaozu let out a long sigh, a fierce look in his eyes–
“Whatever it takes, I have to make more trips to the city in the second half of the year, we have to fix this road!”
But Guo Dong sighed, “We can talk about fixing the road later, you should first consider what kind of family temperament this household has.”
Although she previously sold more traditional medicines, she’d seen her fair share of strange and rare cases. Now, hearing that Old Man Li had fainted at the door of Song Tan’s house and that his grandson had gone in to cause some trouble, her eyebrows knitted tightly.
Secretary Xiaozu replied calmly, “No worries, I’ve been at Song Tan’s place the whole time, Old Man Li really didn’t come into contact with us.”
“It’s not about whether he came into contact or not.”
Guo Dong spoke from experience, “I’ve also encountered medical disputes before–a cancer patient, suffering unbearably from chemotherapy at the hospital, was told by the doctors there was no hope left, so he came to me for traditional Chinese medicine.”
“Normally, we don’t take on such patients, but the old lady was so pitiable, almost kneeling to beg me. I figured a placebo might at least offer some comfort, so I made it very clear to his family.”
“At that time, the family seemed very understanding, saying everything was fine. But two months after the old lady passed away, the family came to make trouble, claiming my medicine killed her…”
Some things, some people, they don’t operate by reason.
“Like today’s incident–Old Man Li didn’t come into contact with you, but didn’t he faint at the bamboo forest near Song Tan’s front gate? Afterwards, they could claim the ditch was poorly constructed and caused his fall… If they’re determined enough, there’s a lot that could be argued.”
She prided herself on her growing experience in handling village affairs but never anticipated facing something .
“That couldn’t be the case.”
Even as she said it couldn’t be, she was already pondering ways to deal with the situation.
Then she looked over at Old Man Li in the car, “Actually, as long as the old gentleman wakes up, with his character, we wouldn’t need to worry about these things.”
Guo Dong thought for a moment, “That’s true.”
But then, Secretary Xiaozu’s phone rang.
“Hello… oh, Old Man Li’s family, is it? We’re on our way to the city hospital now… Where to send him? The First People’s Hospital… To the Fifth People’s Hospital? Are you sure about the Fifth Hospital…”
After hanging up, Secretary Xiaozu’s expression was complicated, then she called Song Tan, “We’re heading to the Fifth People’s Hospital.”
The Fifth People’s Hospital… The Fifth People’s Hospital…
“Isn’t the Fifth Hospital the small one on the edge of the old city district, the one with just two two-story buildings?”