Chapter 119 Zhang Chengxiu raised her hand to wipe away her melancholy…
Cheng Xiuying raised her hand to wipe away Yu Jiajia's tears, but her own eyes also reddened. She smiled and said, "Sibao, why are you crying? Mom is fine."
Her hands were trembling slightly, completely out of control.
Yu Jiajia looked at Cheng Xiuying's hands, and her tears fell even harder. She hugged Cheng Xiuying's neck tightly, buried her face in her shoulder, and sobbed, "Mom, you scared me to death..."
That's a time bomb! A bomb that's going to explode in just one minute!
How powerful is it? Will it blow a person to pieces? We have no idea.
She even clung to a sliver of hope that it was just a dud trying to bluff her way out of nowhere.
But what if it's true? Would the person who ran away survive?
The moment Cheng Xiuying picked up the bomb and rushed out without hesitation, she had already disregarded her own life.
Yu Jiajia felt her palms were sticky. She raised her hand and saw that it was covered in blood. Her hands were trembling. She quickly checked the wound on Cheng Xiuying's back.
Cheng Xiuying's back was bleeding; metal from the bomb had pierced her back, and her clothes were soaked with blood.
Cheng Xiuying calmly said, "The wound isn't deep, it's a minor issue. Sibao, don't worry."
It just hurts a little.
But she survived, so the pain was nothing.
Yu Jiajia cried even harder, “With so much blood, how could it not hurt?”
Everyone else rushed over to check on Cheng Xiuying's condition. Fortunately, she wasn't in mortal danger, but she had too many wounds and needed to go to the clinic as soon as possible.
Cheng Xiuying didn't go. She stood up straight from the ground and said, "The most important thing now is to find the person who planted the time bomb!" She also ordered the security department to seal off the steel rolling mill and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving.
Factory Director Qi had someone take Cheng Xiuying to the health center, and she would handle the rest.
Cheng Xiuying had always been obedient to Director Qi. She did not resist anymore, and the workers next to her dismantled the door panel, preparing to carry Cheng Xiuying to the health center.
Cheng Xiuying: "...I can walk by myself, it's no big deal." She then left Yu Jiajia, who was supposed to take her to the health center, at the factory, saying, "You stay with Director Qi and see if there's anything you can help with."
Yu Jiajia was worried about Cheng Xiuying, but there were too many unknowns about the steel rolling mill, so she nodded in agreement.
Factory Director Qi told the driver to take Cheng Xiuying to the health center.
Cheng Xiuying was moved: "I can walk, I don't need a car."
With tears in her eyes, Yu Jiajia said to Cheng Xiuying, "Mom, you've lost so much blood, you can't walk anymore, it will hurt your wound."
Cheng Xiuying had no choice but to agree.
A worker not far away desperately needed a door panel. He lay on the ground wailing, "Help me! Carry me to the clinic!"
This worker was unlucky. He happened to be on his way to the canteen when he saw Cheng Xiuying running with things. He thought something serious had happened, so he ran over to join in the fun. It wasn't until everyone tackled Cheng Xiuying that he realized something was wrong, which is why he was closer to the source of the explosion than Cheng Xiuying.
My legs and back were injured by shrapnel and pellets from the explosives, and my thighs were bleeding profusely.
The pain was excruciating.
He was filled with regret. If he had known it was a bomb, he would have run as far away as possible and never joined in on such an event again.
Nobody had noticed this unlucky guy before.
Hearing his cries, the crowd noticed him and, finding that although he was injured and bleeding, his life was not in danger, they placed him on the door panel.
About ten other workers also suffered minor injuries.
In addition, there was another worker in the canteen who was crying in pain and limping, unable to stand up. He probably had a broken coccyx. He was knocked down by Cheng Xiuying because he was blocking the way, and landed on his buttocks.
Two other workers fell during the scuffle; one twisted his back, and the other twisted his ankle.
These are all minor issues in the face of life and death.
Hearing the commotion, the other workers in the factory quickly dropped what they were doing and ran over. The Revolutionary Committee and the police also arrived.
When Yu Hongding saw the injured Cheng Xiuying, he quickly came over to help her up. Hearing that she had been injured by a time bomb, he was terrified and his handsome face turned deathly pale.
How could Xiuying dare?
Is she out of her mind?
The car arrived quickly, and Cheng Xiuying got in, followed by the others who were not seriously injured.
The worker who was too badly injured to sit was carried there on a door panel. The worker with a broken coccyx was also unable to ride in a car and was carried there on a door panel as well.
For other very minor cases, just try to walk to the health center.
It's not far.
Factory Director Qi organized everyone to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire factory, making sure there were no more time bombs. Secondly, and most importantly, they had to find out who had planted the time bomb in the canteen.
Director Cui of the canteen stated with certainty, "The canvas bag was placed there during lunchtime. After breakfast, the canteen cleans up, and any personal belongings left behind by workers are properly collected. Such a large bag couldn't have gone unnoticed. It was brought in after the canteen opened at noon!"
People who had been to the cafeteria started reminiscing.
The steel rolling mill is everyone's home, and no one is allowed to try to harm this home.
What's more, everyone who came to eat in the cafeteria almost got killed by a bomb!
We must find the person responsible.
In this era, there were no surveillance cameras; everything depended on human eyes and memory. The cafeteria was also crowded, with most young people carrying green backpacks, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty.
Despite the difficulty, clues were provided by people one after another.
Finally, the focus shifted to Jiang Tao in the second workshop.
"As soon as I got off work at lunchtime, I saw him run off with an old backpack on his back. The backpack was bulging, and I had no idea what was inside. When I came back for lunch, I ran into him. He was walking out with his head down, and the old backpack suddenly deflated. Maybe it contained a time bomb!"
“Jiang Tao was acting suspiciously when he went to work. He wouldn’t put down his backpack. I touched his backpack and he reacted like he’d swallowed a bomb.”
"Was he a tall and strong young man? I ran into him while I was eating. He looked unfamiliar, so I took a few more glances at him, but I haven't seen him since."
The workers in the second workshop quickly went to find Jiang Tao.
He was found in the workshop. When he was found, Jiang Tao was already unconscious, lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
This was clearly poisoning, so we quickly made him drink a lot of soapy water to induce vomiting and then took him to the clinic.
The person has been found, but they were silenced. Hopefully, Jiang Tao can be rescued.
As for who Jiang Tao is, even the director of the second workshop didn't know. Only the group leader knew, and she hated him to death: "This Jiang Tao has only been here for four days, and he's filling in for He Xiaoyun. He Xiaoyun hasn't shown up since she was assigned to our group. After Jiang Tao came, he seemed to work quite efficiently. Who would have thought that he would harbor such evil intentions and have such thoughts?"
A ticking time bomb!
His family was eating in the cafeteria at the time, and they almost all died.
Nobody knows Jiang Tao, but everyone knows He Xiaoyun.
Celebrities from a while ago.
Others asked, "What is Jiang Tao's relationship with He Xiaoyun? How can he take over He Xiaoyun's job?"
Group leader: "They said he's He Xiaoyun's younger brother."
Does He Xiaoyun have a younger brother?
He Yao's face was extremely grim. He couldn't understand how this bombing could be linked to He Xiaoyun. His mind went blank; he was incapable of thinking. He no longer cared why He Xiaoyun had contacted Jiang Tao.
All I know is that this matter must not involve the He family.
He was incredibly grateful to his grandmother at that moment. Thanks to her persistent efforts, He Xiaoyun moved out of the He family home! And her household registration was now with the factory.
He Xiaoyun is no longer a member of the He family.
This matter has nothing to do with the He family, but He Xiaoyun was raised by the He family after all. He stepped out from the crowd and said, "Jiang Tao is He Xiaoyun's half-brother. He Xiaoyun didn't know Jiang Tao before, and they had never met. It should be after He Xiaoyun moved away from our house that she got in touch with Jiang Tao. Jiang Tao is a member of Dahe Village in Xingwu Brigade."
Even though He Yao said that, the He family still has to cooperate with the police investigation.
In addition, the He family and the Jiang family must cooperate with the investigation, and the group leader who agreed to let Jiang Tao take over the shift must also cooperate with the investigation. They have all been placed under control and are not allowed to contact outsiders.
When Xue Mei was taken away by the police, she couldn't believe it. "Xiao Yun has been in contact with Jiang Tao's family? Jiang Tao has taken over her job? When did they become so close?"
He Jianshe was nearly driven mad with anger. He felt an inexplicable sense of absurdity. "Is that the point? Jiang Tao put a time bomb in the cafeteria! He almost killed countless people!"
What terrible thing did he do to deserve this?
Thank goodness, He Xiaoyun didn't live at the He family's house!
At a time like this, let's not talk about fatherly love.
He only wanted to protect his family and avoid being implicated by He Xiaoyun.
Xue Mei quickly explained, "That child, Xiao Yun..."
He Jianshe felt a chill run down his spine. How could his wife not understand? Getting involved with He Xiaoyun would only lead to her being implicated—she was a ticking time bomb! He raised his hand and slapped Xue Mei across the face. "He Xiaoyun deserves to die. No matter the reason, she's the one who sent Jiang Tao to the steel mill! You'd better think before you speak, or you'll implicate your whole family, including your own family."
Xue Mei was stunned by the slap. Since their marriage, He Jianshe had never laid a hand on her. This time, he actually slapped her. Her face hurt and she felt terrible, but her mind cleared up a bit.
She heard the explosion even from a distance.
I heard the damage wasn't significant, but it was something Deputy Factory Director Cheng risked his life for.
Moreover, where did the time bomb come from?
Enemy agents!
A chill ran through her, and she dared not say anything more.
Old Mrs. He sneered, "Guess what He Xiaoyun is doing right now?" Without waiting for Xue Mei to speak, she continued, "She's probably having dinner at a state-run restaurant with those two little bastards, Jiang Hai and Jiang Lu. Maybe Jiang Quan is there too. Although he's not her biological father, he's more like one. Thanks to the money you gave her before, she can support the Jiang family of four."
Xue Mei simply couldn't believe that He Xiaoyun would betray her.
Grandma He was particularly proactive in explaining to the police what He Xiaoyun did every day, saying that she followed her around and occasionally ran into Jiang Tao.
Xue Mei became more and more heartbroken as she listened. She had treated Xiao Yun so well, how could Xiao Yun do this?
Old Mrs. He sneered: "Like begets like, and a rat's son knows how to dig a hole. With a mother like Cao Meiling, how can a child be kind?"
When the police arrested He Xiaoyun, she was having shredded pork noodles at a state-run restaurant with Jiang Quan, Jiang Hai, and Jiang Lu, each with a bottle of iced soda. The three siblings were very close, even more so than those who grew up together.
Jiang Quan appears to be the biological father of the three.
It really did come true, just as Grandma He had said.
When He Xiaoyun found out that Jiang Tao had planted the bomb, she broke out in a cold sweat. She was doomed. Tears streamed down her face as she kept saying, "I don't know, I don't know anything, this has nothing to do with me."
Jiang Lu cried and said that this was impossible, that her older brother would never do such a thing, that he must have been deceived, and that she was the victim!
Jiang Tao's father, Jiang Quan, simply couldn't believe it; he didn't even care about Jiang Tao's life or death anymore.
Jiang Tao just went to work, how could he be involved in the bomb? It must be a misunderstanding! Someone must have planted it and found Jiang Tao as a scapegoat. Yes, that must be it.
At the health center, Jiang Tao was undergoing emergency surgery. He had ingested rat poison, but fortunately, he had only ingested a small amount and had been brought to the hospital after inducing vomiting, thus saving his life.
However, he is still unconscious and we have to wait for him to wake up.
One policeman stood guard outside the ward without leaving for a moment, while two other policemen were also keeping watch from the shadows, hoping to lure out the person behind it all.
Lu Chenzhou arrived at the steel rolling mill immediately and learned the details, including Yu Jiajia's right eyelid twitching.
Lu Chenzhou's gaze swept over Yu Jiajia, and only after confirming that she was unharmed except for being frightened did his heart settle down. "Fortunately, you're alright."
Yu Jiajia's eyes were still red: "I was very scared at the time."
Lu Chenzhou patted Yu Jiajia's head: "You are all very brave and great."
Factory Director Qi needed to take a deep breath to calm himself down. This matter was too mystical and completely beyond his comprehension.
If Yu Jiajia's right eyelid hadn't been twitching, the time bomb would have exploded at 1:20, killing most of the steel mill's workers, including her.
Yu Jiajia: "Sister Qi, don't look at me like that, it's making me a little scared."
Factory Director Qi felt more and more that Yu Jiajia was a treasure. If this skill were on the battlefield, it would be incredible. She sincerely said, "You are really lucky."
Yu Jiajia: "It's all thanks to my mom's strong abilities. Otherwise, even if I knew about the bomb, I wouldn't know where to drop it."
She wasn't strong enough to throw the bomb dozens of meters into the air.
Factory Director Qi: "Fortunately, the factory has you and the deputy factory director."
Yu Jiajia was conflicted: "Who did this behind the scenes? Jiang Tao must have been used."
Lu Chenzhou: "We'll have to wait a bit longer."
Yu Jiajia didn't want to wait any longer. She decided to leave the matter to someone else and go to the health center to see Cheng Xiuying.
Lu Chenzhou escorted Yu Jiajia over.
Director Qi couldn't leave; there were too many things to do next. Everyone who knew Yu Jiajia's eyelids were twitching needed to be interviewed. It was Cheng Xiuying who learned about the bomb and rushed into the canteen to look for it.
Hide Yu Jiajia's information; it has nothing to do with Yu Jiajia.
Liu Weidong: "As soon as Deputy Factory Director Cheng arrived at the canteen, he shouted that there was a bomb. Of course, he knew about it in advance!"
Zhou Liang said with lingering fear, "Deputy Factory Director Cheng is really amazing! Luckily, he received the news in advance."
Everyone else was very cooperative.
Say what should be said, and don't say what shouldn't be said. Understand.
Moreover, Yu Jiajia and Cheng Xiuying truly saved everyone's lives.
In the health center, Cheng Xiuying lay on the hospital bed. Her wounds had been treated. The doctor used tweezers to remove the metal fragments embedded in her flesh. Two of the wounds were too deep, so they were stitched up after acupuncture anesthesia.
Finally, they gave me an anti-inflammatory injection.
Cheng Xiuying felt it was nothing serious, just superficial injuries that would heal in a few days. She wanted to go back to the steel mill; she had a lot of things to take care of. However, the medical staff pressed her down onto the hospital bed.
"Comrade, you need to rest now!"
The doctor was somewhat helpless. This Factory Director Cheng truly possessed an iron will; she hadn't uttered a sound despite such a serious injury! Now, having just finished treating her wound, she was about to return to the factory. Just then, a worker next to her, whose injury was less severe, was having his wound treated and was currently crying out in pain, needing two adult men to hold him down, making Cheng Xiuying's situation all the more eerily quiet.
The doctor looked at her and said in a tone that left no room for discussion: "The anti-inflammatory injection must be completed. An infection is no laughing matter."
The entire health center knows about Cheng Xiuying's heroic act. They admired her before, and now they admire her even more. She is a hero!
Who would dare to run outside carrying a time bomb?
Cheng Xiuying is so brave; she has a strong sense of righteousness!
Yu Hongding also urged Cheng Xiuying, "Let's get the IV drip first! The factory manager is here!"
Cheng Xiuying was secretly thrilled. How could she not feel pain? It was flesh! She'd feel pain even from picking at a thorn in her skin normally. But she was a hero now! How could a hero cry and whine? Wouldn't that make her a laughingstock?
Look at the way everyone looks at her—it's reverence! It's worship! It's light!
And this is just the beginning.
Grandma Yu rushed in from outside, "Xiuying, how are you?" Looking at the bandages wrapped around Cheng Xiuying, tears streamed down her face. She didn't dare touch Cheng Xiuying: "That was a bomb! How could you be so bold? If something happened to you, what would we, the whole family, do?"
Cheng Xiuying was overjoyed; finally, someone had asked that question.
My mother-in-law really knows how to talk!
In the past, Si Bao would always pass messages to her, but this time Si Bao was really frightened, so no one passed messages to her anymore.
She had so much to say, but she kept it all bottled up until now.
Her eyes were red, and her voice was slightly hoarse from suppressing her emotions: "I knew what it was. It was a bomb that would destroy everything in one minute and thirteen seconds. How could I not be afraid? But behind me were the lives of thousands of my coworkers, the hard work that our steel mill had built brick by brick. At that moment, I had no way out, not even a single step." She looked at Old Mrs. Yu and said, choking back tears, "I'm so sorry, at that moment, I could only apologize to my family first. I beg you to understand me and support me."
Grandma Yu burst into tears: "You child, you're trying to tear my heart out! It's a pity I wasn't there to take the bomb. I'm not afraid of death, even though I'm an old man."
Cheng Xiuying: ...
There's no need to do that.
The ward was silent, save for suppressed sobs. Several young nurses turned away, quietly wiping their eyes with their sleeves.
Factory Director Cheng is so selfless, she is so great.
Someone in the crowd started clapping, and then thunderous applause swept through the entire ward, almost lifting the roof off.
Cheng Xiuying wiped her eyes somewhat embarrassedly, her voice still a little choked up: "Don't be like that. I believe anyone in that position would have made the same choice. Director Qi also tried to snatch the bomb from me, but luckily I ran fast enough and didn't let him succeed."
She paused, a hint of relief in her voice: "Luckily, I'm usually quite strong, enough to fling that thing into the air. If it had exploded in the crowd, I would have been utterly responsible."
The corridor was filled with workers who had come to visit Cheng Xiuying. Hearing this, they were even more moved. They felt extremely proud that the steel rolling mill had such a director.
That statement, "Anyone in this position would make the same choice," is just something to take with a grain of salt. Only a steel mill manager would say that!
Director Cheng is great; he is not afraid of death.
Factory Director Qi is also great; she really dared to steal the bomb and even knew how to defuse it, but she didn't run away with Factory Director Cheng!
If it were another factory manager, upon encountering a bomb, they would probably run as far away as possible; they wouldn't dare risk their life to gamble with it.
Leaving aside other factory managers, would I dare to do it myself?
Just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle and my back sweat.
Another round of enthusiastic applause erupted, spreading from inside the ward to the outside; everyone was clapping.
Workers from the steel rolling mill spontaneously came to visit Cheng Xiuying. The line snaked out from the ward and stretched all the way to the gate of the health center. The long corridor was packed with people, and the air was filled with the aroma of various foods and a cacophony of concerned voices.
No one came empty-handed. The workers carried canned pastries they had been saving for a long time, precious malted milk powder, perfectly marbled pork, carefully stacked eggs, and even lively, jumping fish. One veteran worker even brought a wriggling old hen!
Everyone brought their most precious possessions from home, as if they were bringing all their New Year's goods to the health center.
They came not only to visit the hero, but also to express their gratitude in the simplest way to the deputy factory director who had saved everyone's lives from the brink of death.
The medical staff at the health center were both moved and helpless at the sight of this gesture. Who could bear to dispel such sincere affection? Even they themselves thought that if they weren't on duty, they would definitely prepare a gift to properly thank Deputy Factory Director Cheng.
Looking at the familiar and concerned faces before her, Cheng Xiuying's vision blurred again and again. She fought back tears and raised her voice, "Thank you everyone, thank you so much! As long as you're all safe and sound, I'm happier than any tonic! I appreciate your kindness, comrades. But these things absolutely cannot be kept! My injuries are just superficial; I'll be back at the factory with everyone in a couple of days. If you all take these things back to nourish your elderly parents and children, that will be the best comfort for me!"
The nurse next to her choked up and said, "It's not just a superficial wound! Shrapnel is embedded in the flesh. His entire back is a bloody mess. The deepest wound required eight stitches. It will take at least a month for the wound to scab over."
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