We can't let Master be injured in the cliff fall tragedy...
Sitting in the car, Cheng Sizhou's temples suddenly throbbed with pain, and the narrow space made him short of breath and feel chest tightness.
"...After two days of thorough searches, the Longji Mountain Forest Joint Search and Rescue Team has located all occupants of the vehicle and transported them to a local hospital for emergency treatment. As of now, the Longji Mountain truck crash has resulted in one death and one injury. The sole survivor, a man in his fifties, has been transferred to Dengyuan City First People's Hospital for treatment due to serious injuries."
The female voice on the car radio read out today's news. Cheng Sizhou heard every word, but the information in his mind was fragmented and could not form a complete meaning.
Did a truck fall off a cliff at Longji Mountain? Isn't Master at home enjoying his retirement? What was he doing at Longji Mountain?
The journey was only five minutes, not enough for him to come up with a conclusion.
The First Hospital is the best hospital in Dengyuan, and the entrance is always crowded. He jumped out of the car and ran into the building.
Ever since he came out to his family, he would never come to the hospital if he could avoid it, because he was afraid of seeing Dr. Cheng, afraid of being scolded by him, and also afraid of losing face in front of his colleagues and acquaintances.
But today is different. No matter how scared he is, he has to rush over immediately.
"Excuse me, where is the injured person who just got transferred here after falling off a cliff in a car accident?" Cheng Sizhou asked the nurse anxiously in the hall.
"It's in the intensive care unit on the second floor... Oh, I haven't finished yet!" The nurse who guided him in told him because she knew him. "Non-family members are not allowed to visit the intensive care unit. Please don't interfere with the medical work—!"
Cheng Sizhou clenched his fists and ran upstairs, taking three steps at a time. Once a teacher, always a father. Why shouldn't he be considered a family member of the injured?
In the intensive care unit, the doctor is making rounds and family members are not allowed to enter at this time.
Still based on his face, a doctor handed him a tablet. Through the small screen, he saw his master, but he didn't believe it at all. It was his master.
He lay quietly on the hospital bed, his body full of tubes. His usually healthy body seemed to have decayed overnight, his gray hair was disheveled, like the weeds growing in the cracks of the bricks of a tile house over the winter.
"The initial diagnosis is that the brain damage is severe, but the situation is not very clear..." The doctor stopped talking, unable to bear to continue. "Go and see the patient's family. You must cheer up at this time."
Cheng Sizhou grew up in a hospital and must know the consequences of brain damage.
His master was smart and capable throughout his life. What could be more cruel than a smart person becoming a vegetable or mentally retarded in his later years?
After returning the tablet to the doctor, Cheng Sizhou looked lost and sad, but now he had no choice but to trust the doctor.
He put his hands in his pockets, curled himself up, and walked towards the family lounge.
Outside the lounge, Cheng Xuecheng was talking with several leaders of Dengbo, while Yu Ming was in the inner room, taking care of his master's wife.
Master's wife Lin Xin was also in a very bad condition. She hadn't slept all night, her face was haggard, her tears were still on her face, and she looked lifeless.
"You're here." Cheng Xuecheng was the first to notice him, and his eyes fell on him through the crowd.
"Dad, Master..." Cheng Sizhou lowered his head, worried to death, but did not dare to ask.
Cheng Xuecheng walked towards him step by step, his expression solemn, his eyes filled with coldness, "What did you do last night?"
Cheng Sizhou lowered his head even lower: "I... am at home."
“Bang!”
Cheng Xuecheng suddenly raised his hand and slapped him hard in the face, the sound so crisp and loud that it was frightening.
"Doctor Cheng, please talk nicely and don't hit the child!" Director Zhang quickly pulled him behind him.
Cheng Sizhou didn't say anything, just covered his face, like a flesh puppet, staying wherever he was taken.
"I don't have such an ignorant child!" Cheng Xuecheng's eyes were sharp as knives. In front of everyone, he unscrupulously tortured his own son's flesh and blood. "It's okay that he's unruly at ordinary times, but your master's wife called you and you didn't even answer?! She's in her fifties and came to the hospital alone, wiping away tears. How can you sleep well at home?!"
With such a big incident happening, the ward was already filled with a depressing atmosphere, and Dr. Cheng's slap made the atmosphere there plummet to freezing point.
Most of the leaders of Dengbo knew the relationship between Cheng Sizhou, Cheng Xuecheng and Jiang Yunli. After all, it was a family affair between their two families. Even if they felt it was inappropriate, it would be difficult for them to persuade them.
Besides, it is natural for a father to beat his son.
"Last night, your master couldn't hold on several times. When he regained consciousness, he forced himself to keep his eyes open and run around looking for someone." Cheng Xuecheng stared at him oppressively, tapping his nose with his hand. "If he could speak, he would definitely blame me for not calling you over."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Unable to suffer for his master, nor to change the current situation, Cheng Sizhou's tense heartstrings were almost broken. He could only cover himself with regret and apologize over and over again.
"You haven't let me down. You've let your master and mistress down, who have been so kind to you."
Cheng Sizhou stopped talking. Even though he lowered his head deeply, he could guess what kind of disappointed and angry expression his father would show.
"Doctor Cheng, Director Zhang, let me talk to him." After comforting Lin Xin, Yu Ming walked out and dragged Cheng Sizhou to the platform at the corner of the stairs.
Cheng Sizhou covered his face and did not move. Yu Ming pulled down his hand and saw several red marks swollen half a finger high. He could not help but frowned.
"If Master were awake, he wouldn't want to see you like this." Yu Ming took a deep breath. With such a big thing happening, even he, who was usually calm, found it difficult to remain completely calm. "Master was transferred to this hospital last night and underwent surgery. He was put in critical condition three times during the surgery and is still in critical condition."
"Why?! Why did he suddenly go to Longji Mountain?!" Cheng Sizhou racked his brains but couldn't figure out his master's purpose. "He told me that Longji Mountain has been designated a nature reserve and that cutting trees for rubber is no longer allowed! Besides, there are substitutes for rubber, so why would he have to go there?!"
"Calm down."
"Master is lying in the ICU, how can you expect me to stay calm?!"
"Cheng Sizhou, the one lying in the ICU is not only your master, but also my master. I am no less sad than you. But if you still regard me as your senior brother, calm down and listen to me."
Cheng Sizhou opened the window, stuck his head into the cold air of the snow, and breathed in deeply.
After more than ten seconds, he stood back up and said with a sob, "Go ahead, Senior Brother. I'm listening."
"You're also skeptical. Why is it Dragon Ridge Mountain?" Yu Ming's brows furrowed even deeper when the place name was mentioned. "Master has retired. There's no work that must be done by him. Even if he's busy and needs gum or other materials, just let us know and we'll definitely deliver it to him. He doesn't have to go all the way to the mountains."
"So it has nothing to do with the gum?"
"It must be irrelevant."
"Where is Master's Wife? What did Master's Wife say?"
"Master's wife said...I don't know."
Yu Ming stared at Cheng Sizhou with deep eyes, which made him regain some rationality.
Longji Mountain is located northwest of Dengyuan. The back half of the mountain is a mountain road, so the car cannot drive fast. It takes nearly four hours one way.
Although before retirement, the master would go to some remote places to collect materials or visit earthen craftsmen, and the master's wife might not always follow him, she would not be completely unaware of it.
"I called the search and rescue team last night. There was another person who died when Master fell off the cliff at the same time. Who was that person? Why was Master in his car? We have to figure this out before we can understand Master's true purpose."
"Where is the deceased now?" Cheng Sizhou asked.
"He's still in the local hospital," Yu Ming said after a moment's silence. "That's the weird thing. He was found yesterday morning with no vital signs. The search and rescue team immediately released the news, but until now, no one has claimed him."
“Is it possible that the family of the deceased hasn’t seen the news yet?”
"But tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Won't his family come looking for him?"
This kind of thing might be reasonable under normal circumstances. For example, if he tells his family that he is going on a long trip, and his family members don’t often use social media platforms, a day may not be enough for them to respond.
But New Year's Eve is a very special time. All walks of life start to have holidays, and people from all over the world rush to reunite with their families.
"Did the search and rescue team find anything that could prove his identity? If he can drive, he must have a driver's license, right? Master can't drive, so the car must have been driven by the deceased."
"I asked. When the master was found, he had his bag on his back and all his documents. The deceased had no driver's license, no ID card, not even a cell phone. We can't confirm whether they were lost when he fell off the cliff."
Cheng Sizhou suddenly thought of something: "The truck should have been found, right? The license plate number can identify the owner."
Yu Ming shook his head helplessly: "I called the Vehicle Administration Office, but I don't have the authority to obtain the owner's information."
After listening to him, Cheng Sizhou finally understood why his father was so angry.
His master fell off a cliff, was injured, received emergency treatment, and was transferred to another hospital. From yesterday afternoon to evening, everyone was worried about this. Although Yu Ming could not participate in the treatment, he called people everywhere to ask about the situation. After finding out the situation, he continued to take care of his master's wife without sleep.
In contrast, what was he doing yesterday? He was busy falling in love, busy being affectionate, busy digesting the reluctance to part.
"I'm sorry, senior brother, I'm late." There were tears in the corners of Cheng Sizhou's eyes. He really regretted it. If only he had received a call from his father last night.
"If you want to apologize, you shouldn't apologize to me," Yu Ming took out a tissue and wiped his tears. "Your parents both work in the hospital. You should trust the hospital's capabilities. Master will definitely be saved. But I think this matter is very strange. It doesn't seem like an accident. We can't let Master get hurt without knowing the reason."
Senior Brother Yu is right. Although the identity of the deceased is not clear for the time being, since he appeared in this accident with the master, there may be a connection between them.
Thinking of this, Cheng Sizhou felt inexplicably frightened.
Jiang Yunli worked diligently and made many friends throughout his life. Especially after An Yi passed away, the couple rarely left the house except going between work and home.
If this wasn't an accident, but a deliberate act, who would hold a grudge against a retired old man and exploit a car accident to kill him? His master had never offended anyone.
"Brother, I understand. If this is man-made, we must help Master hold him accountable."
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. If it's delayed until after the holiday, I'm afraid it will be left unfinished."
"How could it be left unresolved? After all, someone died, and the police are definitely going to get involved."
"It's hard to say. The police will investigate, but if they determine it was due to slippery snowy conditions or driver error, then the driver is already dead, and they won't waste manpower and time continuing the investigation."
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