Even though it's a hospital, specifically the emergency room.
There were many people groaning and rolling on the ground. Several elderly women were squatting on the ground, crying and shouting as they tended to the injured young people.
Xing Baohua's guards surrounded him in a defensive formation.
This guy never expected that someone of his status would encounter such a mess.
Many onlookers pointed and whispered, but no medical staff came forward to provide treatment.
A dozen minutes later, the two civilians who had just left returned with seven or eight members of the joint defense team.
They looked at the people on the ground and then at Xing Baohua. The police officer in charge shouted to the medical staff, "What are you all standing there for? Check their injuries first."
The women on the ground had finally found their leader, and they stood up and started chattering incoherently around Min J.
The scene became chaotic again, and in the end, everyone was taken to a nearby police station.
Before leaving, Xing Baohua left someone behind to pay the deposit when the company's cashier returned, and to discuss it further if needed.
The director knew Xing Baohua and invited him to a private office. The matter was actually quite simple. The director told Xing Baohua to let bygones be bygones, that it was understandable that the family was anxious, and that since they were the ones who were injured, he should just pay some of the medical expenses.
I learned briefly at the station that Qi Qingli, who was hit, is the director of a grain depot under the Zibo District Grain Bureau.
I happened to be in the city on some business and was about to cross the street to take the bus when I was hit by Xing's father's tricycle.
Perhaps it's because I'm getting old, or perhaps it's because I'm not very lucky.
He fell to the ground with a thud, fracturing his hip bone and causing a compression fracture of the spine.
Compression fracture of the spine does not mean that the spine is broken, but that it is shortened due to compression, just like the drain pipe of a washing machine, which grows longer when stretched and shortens when compressed.
If the spine is shortened, it can easily compress the spinal nerves. In severe cases, the lower body may lose sensation, and even slight cloudy or rainy weather can cause pain.
If you're willing to spend money, this disease can be treated surgically, which will have better results. If you don't want to spend money, conservative treatment and rest will also help you recover gradually.
Xing Baohua agreed to mediation, but he didn't want to meet with the other party or anything. To be honest, those relatives acted like they'd never seen money before, always asking for money, and his son was too arrogant.
Speaking of Qi Qingli's son, the police chief shook his head helplessly, saying that the boy was a notorious troublemaker in the area and had been disciplined several times.
During our casual conversation, we mentioned that there are too many unemployed people in the city now. They either gather to play cards and eat, or cause trouble at video arcades and billiard halls. Dealing with several disputes every day adds a lot of pressure to them.
Although it was just casual conversation, Xing Baohua could sense the increase in both locals and transient populations.
At least there are more people on the streets. Where would you find so many people during the day? Everyone has a job. Now there are more people wandering around, and they are mostly young people.
This is somewhat repeating history.
Back then, all those people who wandered around like that were chased to the countryside to attend agricultural universities.
After returning to school, those people weren't assigned jobs for a while, so they just wandered the streets. That year was 1983.
Then another problem arose: after the market economy was opened up, individual businesses and small workshops were allowed. This began the arduous journey of traveling all over the country to buy and sell goods.
Local businesses, no longer receiving government funding, can only rely on bank loans. Coupled with staff turnover and a lack of business acumen, they are unable to go bankrupt and can only suspend operations while awaiting relief.
This situation has created a large amount of triangular debt, which has greatly increased the difficulty of restructuring. Because there are no jobs to do and no wages to be paid, the factory workers with a bit of brains try to find ways to earn some money to make a living.
You can either set up a breakfast stall to sell breakfast, or get some tools to repair bicycles or patch tires. You can also shine shoes or fix zippers.
Younger people who are neither high-achieving nor low-achieving start to get together with three or five friends for casual get-togethers.
Although central Shandong is a heavy industrial city with few highly educated people, it still attracts many workers from other places, especially in infrastructure construction.
In addition, the high-tech zone in Xingbaohua's area also needs a large number of people, which has attracted many migrant workers from other places to Shandong.
Sometimes employment conflicts arise, such as locals ostracizing outsiders.
The director had a purpose in talking to Xing Baohua about these things. Xing Baohua was not only a business leader, but more importantly, he had an official position as a member of the provincial association.
He can be cautious in expressing some of the opinions of the people at the grassroots level.
Xing Baohua understood the gist of it, but he didn't offer any opinion. He was just making a big deal out of a fight and turning it into a social problem.
He's not a social expert; he's a businessman, and making money and boosting the economy are his primary goals. If he had witnessed all the suffering in the world, he should have become a philanthropist. And yes, he does engage in charity work, though to avoid taxes, he's donated a considerable amount of money.
Someone will handle the aftermath of this matter for him. He has many important things to do and doesn't need to fuss over such trivial matters.
The director politely saw Xing Baohua off as he left.
When I came back, I saw seven or eight young men squatting in the corner of the wall. Some had their arms in casts and others had bandages wrapped around their heads.
They were all injured and bruised.
Qi Qingli's son, Qi Ming, saw the director looking in his direction and stood up to say, "Director Yan, I'm Li Hongguo's nephew. My uncle called you, right?"
"I've already beaten you. You guys are really a handful! Do you know who you've messed with?" the station chief said.
"Who cares who he is? Look how badly he beat us up. This is seriously injured. And there's no way he can settle things now?" Qi Ming said arrogantly, assuming the other side must have already sent someone. Now it's a battle of connections.
It all comes down to who has the stronger connections.
Furthermore, he knew a set of legal procedures; he was a frequent fighter and understood them all. To avoid severe criminal penalties, they would have to settle the matter privately.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
