Chapter 38 The Old Lady is in Danger
Song Yilin had walked through the streets and alleys of Jianghai City many times with Xu Qingmin during their student days, but this time her mood was completely different. She had no interest in enjoying the scenery. As dawn approached, there was still no trace of the old lady.
The old lady hasn't eaten a single bite of food since noon. She's in poor health and doesn't get hungry easily.
Xu Qingmin handed Song Yilin a cup of hot water: "Drink it, we'll find it eventually."
Song Yilin instinctively accepted the gift with both hands: "Thank you, President Xu."
Xu Qingmin seemed to have gotten used to Song Yilin's way of speaking, where she couldn't stop thanking him.
Holding the water in her hand, Song Yilin recalled how, in the past, she would suffer terribly from menstrual cramps every time she had her period. When Xu Qingmin found out, he always gave her hot water and restricted her from drinking ice water.
However, Xu Qingmin didn't know that after she gave birth, she no longer had menstrual cramps. Her menstrual cramps were passed on to her child, Bai Guanqun, who was in excruciating pain on the second day of her first period recently.
If she had stayed with Xu Qingmin and consistently drunk hot water until giving birth, her daughter's period pain might not have been so severe.
As dawn breaks, sanitation workers on the streets begin to return to work one after another.
Pedestrians on the street were wearing thick down jackets in twos and threes.
The city streets were much quieter in the early morning, but the brighter the sky got, the more anxious Song Yilin became.
Watching the anxious people coming and going, I felt my fingers almost digging into my flesh without even realizing it. In such cold weather, every minute that passed brought an increase in danger.
She stared blankly around, silently praying that the old lady was alright. If anything happened to the old lady, she would never be able to forgive herself.
Xu Qingchen's phone rang. It was Li Muzi calling. Xu Qingmin walked a dozen meters away from Song Yilin to answer the phone, glancing at her as he spoke.
Xu Qingmin nodded into the phone, then returned to Song Yilin and said, "The surveillance footage shows the old lady heading up the mountain. We and the search and rescue team are already inside. Let's go."
Upon hearing the news about the old lady, Song Yilin's dull pupils lit up: "Really? Let's go!"
Song Yilin grabbed Xu Qingmin's hand and started to walk towards the electric scooter, but when Xu Qingmin looked at Song Yilin's hand, Song Yilin immediately let go.
Xu Qingmin: "The mountain is a bit far from here, so we drive faster."
A short while later, Li Muzi arrived in Xu Qingmin's Maybach.
Along the way, Li Muzi glanced at Song Yilin several times in the rearview mirror.
Song Yilin knew what Li Muzi was curious about, but Song Yilin was not in the mood to satisfy anyone's curiosity right now.
During this time, Song Yilin called her mother and mother-in-law to tell them that she had news of her grandmother and that they should not worry, as she would bring her grandmother back.
As they approached the foot of the mountain, it was already fully light. Song Yilin called Wang Qianqian and said, "Qianqian, I have something to take care of here. Keep an eye on things at the company. Could you organize today's all-staff meeting?"
Normally, it's fine if she, as the general manager, misses a day or two, but every Monday the boss requires the general manager to hold a general meeting to report on the current progress and encourage the employees.
After Song Yilin hung up the phone, Xu Qingmin looked at Song Yilin's series of arrangements and said with emotion, "You have really changed a lot over the years. You have the composure and calmness of a leader."
Li Muzi, while driving, couldn't resist adding, "Miss Song is now the general manager of Xin'ao Auto 4S store."
Song Yilin was unmoved by Li Muzi's flattery, saying with little interest, "A tiny company and a tiny official."
Xu Qingmin looked into Song Yilin's eyes and said seriously, "There's no need to be so biased. You're quite excellent."
Song Yilin was surprised that Xu Qingmin would affirm her abilities. Except when he was dating someone else, Xu Qingmin had always been a rather aloof person. Even when they were dating, Xu Qingmin rarely said such things.
Song Yilin paused slightly before saying, "Thank you for your praise, Mr. Xu."
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they found a large number of well-trained search and rescue teammates gathered there.
The verdant mountains and fields are filled with orange-red figures.
Vehicles from the Xu Group are still continuously sending rescue personnel, and countless drones and helicopters are hovering over the mountain.
A layer of fog covered the mountainside. The mountain is over 1,000 meters above sea level. Although a road has been built for meteorological staff to go up the mountain, many parts of the mountain are undeveloped. Once you enter an undeveloped area, there are snakes, insects, rodents, and steep cliffs. With my grandmother's advanced age, an accident could happen at any time.
If Grandma were to fall, given her age, she might not be able to hold on until the search and rescue team finds her.
Song Yilin had never hated anyone so much. If murder were not illegal, she would really like to rip out Ke Qu's mother's tongue.
Song Yilin immediately grabbed the search and rescue personnel to ask about the situation.
A search and rescue team member, holding a tablet-like device, pointed to one side of the mountain and said, "Currently, thermal imaging shows that the trapped person should be in this location, about three kilometers away from the nearest pedestrian trail. There are no signs of the trapped person moving, so finding them should be relatively easy."
Before the search and rescue teammate could finish speaking, Song Yilin guessed that it was very possible that the person inside was already in danger because there hadn't been any movement.
Song Yilin wanted to rush in the direction the rescuers indicated, but was stopped by her teammates: "Madam, I understand how you feel, but you are not a professional. Going in will only increase our workload."
Xu Qingmin held Song Yilin's hand: "Don't worry, leave it to them. The old lady will be fine."
Song Yilin quickly and rationally returned to her room and approached to observe the situation of the entire mountain.
He then inquired about the current progress with his search and rescue teammates.
Xu Qingmin sent someone to deliver breakfast at some point, and Li Muzi distributed it to his search and rescue teammates and staff.
Xu Qingmin handed a separate portion to Song Yilin: "Have some. The search and rescue team members went in on foot, so it will take them some time to come out."
Song Yilin took the food from Xu Qingmin's hand, squatted down by the roadside and opened the packaging box. Xu Qingmin also took a meal and squatted down next to her.
Song Yilin watched in surprise as Xu Qingmin ate like this.
"Even Mr. Xu can be so down-to-earth."
"What does it mean to be down-to-earth? I'm a human being too; I'll die if I don't eat."
Xu Qingmin isn't a god; how could he not eat?
Song Yilin meant that Xu Qingmin would squat with her by the roadside when they were down-to-earth.
You should know that in the past, Xu Qingmin didn't even want to eat at roadside stalls, and he didn't drink milk tea. He was very particular about what he ate and drank.
Xu Qingmin used to be unable to ride an electric bike, unable to eat boxed lunches, and he was picky about everything.
Fourteen years have passed, and not only she has changed, but also Xu Qingmin.
As the sun rose higher, there was still no news from the mountains. Song Yilin handled company matters while observing the situation on site.
At 11 a.m., a message came through the walkie-talkie that the old lady had been found, but she was unconscious, injured, and holding a bottle of pesticide. The good news was that she was still breathing, but the bad news was that they didn't know if she had drunk the pesticide. Even a capful of that pesticide could be fatal.
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