"What are you still waiting for? Hurry up and get him on the vehicle," Wan Yunting shouted at Zheng Qiao and the others who were standing there stunned. Only then did they react, nodding repeatedly as they carefully lifted the conscious youth onto a stretcher and then onto the ambulance.
"Luotang, Jingshan, how are those two?"
Wan Yunting busied himself with tidying his silver needle bag and picking up his backpack. Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and Lu Xinju were examining a youth's injuries. "His injuries aren't serious; he just fainted. However, his left foot and left hand are broken. We're just stabilizing them for now."
"My injuries are serious, but I won't die," Huang Jingshan and Zhao Lusi, along with Chi Wenhui, were attending to another youth. Their injuries weren't severe.
"Then hurry and get them onto the ambulance," Wan Yunting urged. "That child has a branch stuck in his chest. He needs to be sent to the county hospital for surgery as soon as possible. We can't delay."
"Quickly, quickly..."
At this moment, the youth was already in the ambulance. Zheng Qiao had already placed an oxygen mask on him, urging Gu Luotang and Huang Jingshan to quickly get the other two youths onto the vehicle.
"Careful..."
Wan Yunting went up to help, placing the other two youths into the ambulance as well. He then instructed Zheng Qiao, "Hurry to the county hospital."
"Okay, thank you all."
Zheng Qiao thanked Wan Yunting, closed the rear door of the ambulance, and urged the driver to head towards the county town. They were just past Qujie Town, and the distance back to the county town was about twenty li. With the ambulance's speed, it should be enough time to save the youth.
Watching the ambulance depart, Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and the others breathed a sigh of relief, as did the onlookers.
"What a ride; it was like a trip to the gates of hell," Zhang Nong remarked, looking at the battered motorcycle hanging from the roadside tree. He couldn't help but marvel at the speed of those three daredevil youths, who seemed to be flying.
"It's fortunate they met you," Chen Minxue added with a sigh. When Wan Yunting had been using silver needles to save the youth, Chen Minxue, though unable to understand the acupuncture techniques, was profoundly shocked that he could pull the youth back from the brink of death in mere moments. Initially, Chen Minxue had thought Wan Yunting and his group of young people were just going through the motions, sent down by higher authorities to offer support. However, it seemed he had underestimated them.
"I hope they'll be alright," Wan Yunting sighed. Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao nodded beside him. They all reboarded the minibus to continue towards Qianshan Town.
About half an hour later, the minibus finally entered Qianshan Town. Qianshan Town wasn't large, with just one main street, about a kilometer long. On both sides of the main road were shops of various sizes, with the tallest building being eight stories high, housing the Agricultural Credit Cooperative on the ground floor. Further down the main street were all sorts of shops, a vegetable market, and a small supermarket. On normal days, the streets of the town were liveliest in the morning and afternoon when people came to buy groceries, and during market days. However, Wan Yunting and his group arrived at noon, and the sun was strong. They all disembarked at the front of the township government, where Mayor Li Xing and other cadres were already waiting. As soon as the minibus stopped, they hurried to greet Wan Yunting.
"Mayor Li, this is Wan Yunting, the Vice Chairman of the Lingnan Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine!" Chen Minxue quickly introduced Wan Yunting to Mayor Li.
"Ah, hello," Li Xing stepped forward, extending his hand and shaking Wan Yunting's, smiling. "On behalf of the people of Qianshan Town, I welcome you."
"Thank you, Mayor Li, you're too kind," Wan Yunting shook his hand and let go. Gu Luotang, Huang Jingshan, and the others beside him also politely nodded and smiled at Mayor Li.
"Come, let's all go in and sit down," Mayor Li gestured towards the township government building behind him, a simple and unpretentious three-story office building with other single-story structures. Wan Yunting nodded and, with Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Huang Jingshan, and the others, followed Mayor Li inside. He briefly introduced the township government to Wan Yunting before they were seated in a conference room.
"Vice Chairman Wan, thank you for coming," Li Xing said, seated in the main seat, turning to Wan Yunting and smiling. "I've already asked our town's only hotel to reserve rooms for you. You can arrange your accommodation there, and then I'll arrange lunch for you. After you rest, I'll take you to see the town hospital this afternoon."
"Okay, we'll follow Mayor Li's arrangements," Wan Yunting nodded with a smile.
Just then, Chen Minxue received a call. He answered it and hung up, sighing to Wan Yunting, "Vice Chairman Wan, one of those three children didn't make it!"
"Ah, it was that one?" Qi Miaomiao and Zhang Nong exclaimed in surprise. Mayor Li and the other township government cadres were still unaware of what had happened.
"Was it the one with the serious injuries?" Wan Yunting frowned, asking urgently.
"No," Chen Minxue shook his head. "The child you rescued is still in surgery, and Doctor Zheng said he's out of danger. It was another child. He had a cerebral hemorrhage. He was rushed to the hospital but died before any rescue could be performed."
"What, cerebral hemorrhage? That's impossible..." Huang Jingshan cried out. Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao exchanged glances. The other two youths they had attended to showed no signs of cerebral hemorrhage.
"Alas, there's no need for you to blame yourselves. It was just their bad luck," Chen Minxue said, shaking his head and sighing as he looked at the guilty expressions on Gu Luotang's face.
"Team Leader Chen, what exactly happened?" Mayor Li and several cadres from the township government were still unaware of the incident. Chen Minxue recounted the story of the three youths crashing their motorcycles on the road. Mayor Li and the other township cadres understood and sighed. "There's no need for you to blame yourselves. That's how these kids ride these days, as if they're flying airplanes on their motorcycles. We have accidents here frequently."
"But Mayor Li, didn't you put up warning signs to caution them about riding slowly?" Zhang Nong asked.
Li Xing waved his hand. "We did put up warning signs and even notified the schools to have teachers warn the middle school students. But they just don't listen. What can we say when they get into an accident? What's the use of talking about it then?"
"Ah, indeed..." Wan Yunting, Huang Jingshan, and the others nodded, not knowing what else to say.
"Alright, Vice Chairman Wan, I'll take you to the hotel to arrange your accommodation first," Li Xing said, standing up.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Mayor Li..." Everyone followed Li Xing out of the township government. Behind it stood a five-story building, the only hotel in Qianshan Town. The room conditions naturally couldn't compare to hotels in the county town, but as long as one wasn't picky, it was passable. Of course, some of the girls were bothered, but everyone knew that was the situation in a township, so they had to make do.
Regarding the three youths, with one not surviving, Gu Luotang and Huang Jingshan felt a sense of guilt. Wan Yunting comforted them a few words and then let them choose their rooms. After everyone had settled in, they all gathered downstairs. Mayor Li Xing had invited them to a restaurant for lunch and to discuss work matters. Although the mayor wasn't particularly busy, he couldn't accompany Wan Yunting every day. Therefore, he arranged for another cadre to accompany Wan Yunting and his group, acting as a guide.
After lunch, Li Xing waved and smiled. "Well, Vice Chairman Wan, at three o'clock this afternoon, I will take you to see the town hospital."