Then Meng Tao had to set off immediately and rush back to Mengzhou to pick up the goods.

Shen Yu went to a neighboring province on business and will not be back until tomorrow. It is no problem for Meng Tao to go back to Mengzhou by herself, but the key is that there are not many means of transportation in this era. Even in the provincial capital, there are no trains or buses to Mengzhou at night.

We can wait until tomorrow to leave. It will be fine if Ma Fengnian's batch of mountain products is unloaded directly into the shed in the station freight yard, but the weather is hot and the tigers and wild boars that have been killed will rot.

This is not the most important thing. Lin Erhu is in critical condition in Xingyang County Hospital.

So they had to find a way to find a car and go back quickly. Meng Tao had learned how to drive a car anyway, and this skill was very advanced, so she could drive herself without any problem.

Meng Tao was frowning when the phone rang again. She picked up the phone and it was Director Shen calling her back, telling her that some comrades from outside units were coming to visit the factory today for guidance. According to factory regulations, the factory had to hold a reception dinner and as a leader, she had to accompany them. So he would not be going home for dinner and asked Meng Tao to cook for herself.

Meng Tao took the opportunity to say to Director Shen: "Dad, I have an urgent matter and need to go back to Mengzhou overnight. Can you help me borrow a car? I have learned how to drive and can drive back by myself."

Director Shen asked, "What's the emergency? Do you have to go back overnight? Is there something wrong with Jinniu?"

"No, Brother Taurus is very good. It's something else."

"Shen Yu will be back tomorrow. I'll go with you after he gets home."

"I can't wait any longer. Dad, please help me and find a car!"

Director Shen saw that his daughter-in-law refused to explain what the matter was, so he did not want to ask any more questions. He said, "You have just learned how to drive a car, how can you go long distances? Let's put it this way. You cook dinner first. I will ask Xiao Guo to drive over later. I will also ask Xiao Zhang from the labor union and Xiao Fan from the security department to accompany you back to Mengzhou."

Meng Tao was speechless. She was just going back to her hometown, why did she need so many people following her?

"Dad, just ask Xiao Guo to drive over here. There's no need to mobilize a large group of people and trouble others."

"What if something unexpected happens when walking at night? Safety comes first."

"I can guarantee that it is absolutely safe."

"no."

"But with so many people following me, it's hard for me to arrange them. I'll be distracted and won't be able to get anything done."

Director Shen paused, thinking of his son's words: his daughter-in-law had an accident and nearly lost her life. After she came back to life, she developed a "special ability" that allows her to identify and find rare ingredients. This is a secret, and the fewer people who know about it, the better. If too many people follow her closely and discover her secret, it will bring her greater danger.

I had no choice but to say, "Then let Xiao Guo follow alone. Xiao Guo is very good at boxing and kicking. He will protect you. No matter how strong you are, you are just a little girl. If you encounter any problems, don't take the lead. Leave everything to Xiao Guo. Just take care of yourself."

"I see."

Meng Tao saw Xiao Guo get out of the car and walk into the yard without taking out the car keys. She changed her mind instantly. She was going back to the countryside today and didn't know how long it would take for her to come back to the provincial capital. It was already very good to be able to borrow a car. She really didn't want to take Director Shen's driver with her. Xiao Guo could probably do some other work with Director Shen, but if he followed her, he would have nothing to do and would definitely be bored.

Meng Tao took a handful of cherries from the space and gave them to Xiao Guo, asking him to wash them before eating. While Xiao Guo went into the house to wash the cherries, Meng Tao got in the jeep and started it. Xiao Guo heard the noise and ran out. Meng Tao had already turned the car around and said to Xiao Guo: "I will call my dad to explain and will come back to return the car in a few days!"

Xiao Guo: “…”

I chased the car and wanted to shout "Wait for me", but my mouth was full of sweet cherries and I couldn't shout. I watched the car drive away, so I had to close the iron gate and quickly go to find Director Shen to report the situation.

Meng Tao was driving, and her driving skills were quite good. In her previous life, she was rear-ended by someone else, which caused a car accident because there were too many cars on the road.

In this era, the country is still in a poor stage and has not yet developed in all aspects. Not to mention private cars, there are very few public vehicles. Whether in cities or in rural areas, there are basically no vehicles on the road after nightfall.

So Meng Tao is not afraid of traveling long distances overnight.

There is no asphalt road after leaving the provincial capital, and the gravel road is bumpy. I was mentally prepared for this. Fortunately, the road was empty, and I was the only one in the car, so I could go any way I wanted.

She stepped on the accelerator to speed up, and stopped when she felt tired halfway. She and her car went into the space to rest for an hour or two, and then came out to continue on her way.

At five o'clock the next morning, Meng Tao arrived safely in Mengzhou City. She did not go to the courtyard in Zuo Xingzi Lane, but drove directly back to Xingyang County.

At around seven o'clock, Meng Tao walked into Xingyang County People's Hospital carrying a white rattan basket and went straight to the second floor. Brother Jinniu had lived here before, and she was very familiar with those wards. She didn't even have to run to ask the nurse and quickly found the person she was looking for.

Lin Erhu was staying in a four-person ward. He looked seriously injured. He lay motionless on the bed with his eyes closed, a bandage wrapped around his head, and his face was swollen and deformed. If Meng Tao hadn't seen Ge Xiangqin standing by his side, she would not have recognized him.

Ge Xiangqin sat on the bedside, looking down at Lin Erhu. Meng Tao walked over and called her "sister-in-law" twice. Ge Xiangqin slowly raised her head, her eyes were red and swollen, tears were in her eyes, and she looked dazed. She stared at Meng Tao with a dull look, and it took her a long time to react. She stood up and said:

"Sister Taohua? Didn't you marry and move to the provincial capital? Why are you here?"

Meng Tao saw that Ge Xiangqin's abdomen was bulging, and estimated that the fetus in her belly was five or six months old. She put the rattan basket on the bedside table of the hospital bed and helped Ge Xiangqin sit down: "Sister-in-law, I lived in the provincial capital for a while, and I missed home, so I took a bus back. I called Cuiling before I came, and Cuiling also told me about the situation in the village. I just found out that Brother Erhu was injured by a wild boar. Now that the car is passing the county town, I came to see it on the way."

After hearing this, Ge Xiangqin's tears suddenly rolled down. She covered her mouth with one hand and sobbed, "Sister, your brother Erhu, he was pierced by the wild boar's tusks and there were several holes on his body. A large piece of his scalp was scratched off and the blood was almost dried up. He hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said, the doctor said... wuwuwu! What should I do? The three kids can't live without a dad. Erhu is still so young. If anything happens to him, I won't be able to live either!"

Meng Tao supported Ge Xiangqin's shoulders and patted her back to comfort her: "Sister-in-law, please take care of yourself. The baby in your belly can't stand your crying like this. Fortunately, Brother Erhu was sent to the hospital in time. With the doctor here, he will definitely get better!"

"But the doctors said the situation is not optimistic and asked us to be mentally prepared..."

(End of this chapter)