Shen Yanming didn't go forward to comfort him, because he also wanted to cry.
Who would have thought that such a tree branch, thicker than an adult man's thigh, would fall down onto a perfectly good road?
And it was quite long, at least three meters. Its branches were covered in leaves, and every branch had vibrant green leaves—it was incredibly beautiful.
But this very thing almost cost the lives of five people in the car!
He walked over and examined the broken section, then looked up at the tall roadside trees beside him. He finally confirmed that it really was just an accident.
Because the broken edges are uneven, some parts are very fresh, while others show obvious signs of being soaked in rainwater.
It seems the branch was broken by the storm a couple of days ago. But at that time, it was still partially connected, so it didn't fall to the ground.
I don't know why today, maybe the joint couldn't withstand the weight of the falling branch, which is why such a big branch fell down.
But why didn't we see the half-drooping tree branches when we drove by in Heping?
Actually, it's not really his fault. The roadside trees in Haishi are all tall and large trees, and this branch was broken because it grew too well and was subjected to too much impact from the wind.
The reason it didn't fall immediately was not only because the forked part was still connected, but also because the branches below provided support.
Therefore, many of the fallen leaves on the ground are the lower leaves that were knocked off by that branch.
Of course, Shen Yanming had no time to dwell on these matters. Besides, it wasn't worth holding a tree responsible. Did he expect him to cut it down?
His current concern is whether there will be any more tree branches or twigs that are about to fall off on the way back to the guard post.
They were lucky this time; they escaped unscathed. If it happened again, it's hard to say whether they would even survive.
After finally managing to vent his lingering fear, Zhang Heping saw Old Shen squatting on the ground staring at the tree branch and asked, "Yanming, what are you thinking?"
Shen Yanming shook his head. "Let's move this branch to the side first, otherwise if a car comes by, there might be another accident." After saying that, he got up and bent down to pull the big branch.
Zhang Heping wanted to help Shen Yanming, but because Shen Yanming got up so suddenly, he saw countless little stars in front of his eyes and almost stumbled and fell.
Old Shen was quicker; he threw down the branch he was holding and caught him. He scolded, "What's the rush? I'm not blaming you. Just take your time. What if you fall and hurt yourself? Do you want me to feel guilty?"
His voice was a bit harsh, which frightened Zhang Heping so much that he didn't dare to speak.
Although Shen Yanming didn't believe Zhang Heping was responsible for the accident, he was still quite angry. He could have suppressed it, but with someone causing trouble, it inevitably exploded.
Zhang Heping looked aggrieved, but could only hide to the side and pretend to be a quail.
Although Lao Shen said it wasn't his fault, he knew he was responsible.
If he hadn't sped up, the branch might have broken by the time they got here. Then there wouldn't have been the sudden braking that left them all shaken.
He was just too cowardly to say these things aloud.
Actually, it wouldn't matter if I said it, because Lao Shen isn't the kind of person who thinks "what if".
If he really wanted to think about "what ifs," wouldn't he have listened to Zhang Heping's advice and stayed in the hospital for a few more days until the weather cleared up completely before coming back? Would these accidents have been avoided?
In that case, wouldn't it become my responsibility?
If this continues, it could even involve Qiao An, Qi Lin, and Qi Xili. Wouldn't that be a bit too outrageous?
Well, it can only be said that Shen Yanming isn't the type to blame others. Looking at the pouting Zhang Heping, his heart softened, and he said, "Come and help!"
As if he had masochistic tendencies, Zhang Heping was delighted by the shout and ran to the other side to pull the tree branch from the roadside with Shen Yanming.
After playing with the two babies for a while, Bi Qiaoan, who was sitting in the car, looked out through the glass.
Because she was sitting in the middle of the back seat with babies on both sides, her view wasn't very good.
She picked up the baby, who wasn't in the car seat, and then moved to the left side of the car to look out. She noticed something blocking the way in front of the car, but due to her angle, she couldn't see the whole thing.
She wanted to go down and take a look, but found that the rain seemed to have gotten a little heavier. Moreover, Shen Yanming had repeatedly told her not to go out in the rain before getting out of the car, and she didn't want to worry him, so it was better to stay put.
Before long, she saw her husband and Zhang Heping, each dragging a large tree branch on one side. They were almost as thick as small tree trunks.
She was shocked, and also deeply frightened. Luckily, they were all very fortunate; otherwise, their chances of survival would have been slim.
After throwing the tree branch between two roadside trees, Shen Yanming and Zhang Heping patted their wet hands and prepared to get into the car.
Shen Yanming was alright; his clothes were just damp from the drizzle. And not completely soaked, just damp, the kind where you couldn't wring water out of them.
But Zhang Heping was in a different situation. His shirt was okay, but his pants and shoes were completely soaked.
He stood there awkwardly, too embarrassed to get in the car and disturb Lao Shen's driver's seat.
But the area was sparsely populated, and they had been waiting for more than ten minutes without seeing a single person. Returning to the hospital wouldn't be an easy task either.
Shen Yanming glared at him, said, "Serves you right!", and got into the car.
Then, seeing someone standing alone in the same spot, staring intently out the car window, I felt a pang of sadness.
He cursed, "I really owe you something!", then pulled out a pair of his own pants from his backpack, got off the bus, and tossed them to someone, saying, "Change outside or on the bus, it's up to you!"
He didn't want to deal with that reckless person, but could he really leave him alone? He couldn't just knowingly leave Zhang Heping behind when there was potential danger outside!
Zhang Heping took the pants, feeling grateful but hesitant on the surface.
Changing in public is practically like being an exhibitionist, isn't it? Even if there aren't necessarily security cameras around, what if a car or something passes by and sees his embarrassing situation?
But if he goes back to the car, he'll still get the seats wet and dirty, which would go against his original intention. Besides, his brother's wife is in the car, and even if she closes her eyes and doesn't look, it's not appropriate for him to undress in front of her.
Upon seeing the person still fussing and hesitating, Shen Yanming said irritably, "You were happy to sit on the ground, but didn't you think about the awkward situation you were about to face?"
Zhang Heping said guiltily, "I... I had an emotional breakdown at that time. My mind went blank, and I just wanted to cry to let it all out. I was afraid... afraid of hurting you and Qiao An, and our two little ones."
Shen Yanming had noticed from the beginning that Zhang Heping only mentioned his family of four when he spoke, without considering his own safety at all.
He knew this was his subconscious.
Therefore, no matter how much anger there was, it all dissipated.
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