Rebirth on the Doors to the Civil Affairs Bureau - Chapter 29
Chapter 29 Express Courier of a Life
***
Ren Xinxin’s stomach had grown bigger and bigger by the day. Soon, while she still sometimes helped at the studio, Yu Dong and Xiang Xiaoyue had become reluctant to let her move around.
So Xiang Xiaoyue and Yu Dong stayed at the studio for more extended periods.
Recently, because of Director Liu’s historical drama, the studio had been working overtime to get the dubbing made. Yu Dong made cameos in almost all of the Palace Lady’s scenes, sometimes as an eunuch, sometimes as an attendant.
Noticing that it was almost 10:00 p.m. Ren Xinxin called her friends over for dinner.
While eating, Yu Dong turned to Xiang Xiaoyue and said, “You should send Xinxin home first; I’ll come back to the studio after work and finish the rest.”
“There’s no need for that, there’s a bed here too. I can sleep here.” Ren Xinxin saw that her friends were working very hard. She thought for a bit, then said: “Or I can continue dubbing, it’s not like it’s physical work.”
“Although it’s not physical work, it’s still taxing to the body.” Yu Dong refuted.
“I can do the rest of the supporting roles, I read the script, there aren’t any emotional scenes. I just need to change the timbre a little, and it’ll save you a trip back to the studio after work.” Ren Xinxin said.
“She’s right!” Xiang Xiaoyue who had been wolfing down her food came up for air and said, “You get off of work at 2:00 a.m. if you come back to the studio you won’t have time to sleep.”
“And besides, isn’t Xia Feng coming back from Kunshan today? Won’t he get worried if you go home late?” Ren Xinxin asserted.
“You’re really not tired?” Yu Dong was still a little worried as she looked at Ren Xinxin’s stomach.
“People in rural areas still go to work when they’re pregnant, you make it sound like I’m made of glass.”
“Rural women are physically strong, they kill chickens and sheep without batting an eye. Can you say the same about yourself?” Xiaoyue retorted.
“I’m a rural woman, and I’ve never killed a chicken or slaughtered a sheep!” Yu Dong glanced at Xiaoyue weirdly.
“Oh, I totally forgot that you came from the countryside too. Your elegant temperament is too deceptive.” Xiang Xiaoyue exaggerated.
“Get lost!” Yu Dong couldn’t help but laugh.
Xiang Xiaoyue and Ren Xinxin laughed along with her.
“When we finish this job, it’ll be New Year’s.” Xiang Xiaoyue mentioned, “I’ll have to give you guys red envelopes!”
“How much are you going to put in our red envelopes big boss?” Yu Dong arched an eyebrow.
Ren Xinxin also looked at Xiang Xiaoyue with a big smile.
“How can I dare maltreat you girls?” Xiaoyue lifted 2 fingers and said, “Each gets 20,000 yuan!”
“Are you Huang Shiren, earning so much yet just giving out 20,000 yuan!” Yu Dong pretended to get angry.
(T/N Huang Shiren is a penny-pinching character in a Chinese opera called The White Haired Girl)
“Red envelope, that’s just the red envelope.” Xiang Xiaoyue thought Yu Dong had misunderstood and anxiously explained: “I’ll pay you dividends after the year, 20% each.”
“Isn’t 20% too much?” Ren Xinxin felt as if she didn’t do anything, so she felt somewhat guilty when she heard this.
“Not really, getting the contract was basically because of my skills, most of the dubbing was done by you. Xiang Xiaoyue just registered the company.” Yu Dong said reasonably.
“Yep!” Xiang Xiaoyue didn’t deny her words.
Ren Xinxin naturally knew that Xiang Xiaoyue did a lot more than just register the company. It was just an excuse Yu Dong said so that she could accept the 20% dividend with a clear conscience.
Ren Xinxin was moved, her eye gradually reddening. She felt that meeting such great friends was the greatest fortune in her life.
After eating, everyone still had work to do, so Yu Dong left the studio first.
It was still a long drive to the radio station, and it had recently rained. She had to be extra cautious driving tonight, so Yu Dong left 20 minutes earlier than usual. Fortunately, there weren’t many cars out that night, so there wasn’t any traffic. She arrived at the radio station just in time, 10 minutes before broadcast.
Yu Dong quickly made preparations for the broadcast. Seeing that she had a few minutes before she had to go live, she called Xia Feng.
“Where are you?”
“I’ve just entered Shanghai.” Xia Feng answered the phone through a Bluetooth headset.
“What time will you get home?” Yu Dong asked.
“Probably in another hour.” Xia Feng estimated.
“The road’s slippery tonight, drive slowly.” Yu Dong worried.
“Alright!” Xia Feng responded. He then glanced at the time and said, “It’s almost time for your broadcast, go on and hang up. I’ll be listening to you.”
“Alright.” Yu Dong was about to hang up when she heard a loud bang coming from the other end of the phone.
Yu Dong was immediately frightened and anxiously called out: “Xia Feng, what’s that sound?”
Xia Feng stepped on the brakes abruptly and for a moment looked at the scene in front of him uncomprehendingly.
“Xia Feng, Xia Feng, are you OK? What’s going on?” Yu Dong didn’t hear a reply and shouted even more.
“I’m alright!” Xia Feng finally managed to speak, “A bus rolled in front of me, I have to go and check it out. I’ll be hanging up first.”
“What? Hello? A bus rolled over? Did anything happen to you?” Yu Dong was distraught as she squeezed her phone.
“What are you doing Yu Dong? It’s time.” When Senior Yu noticed that Yu Dong wasn’t broadcasting, he entered the recording room to remind her.
“Oh come on!”
Yu Dong figured that since Xia Feng could talk to her and hang up the phone deliberately, he should be fine.
On the highway connecting Kunshan to Shanghai, a large bus rolled sideways, and because of the slippery road, it slid along the surface for quite a while.
The glass windows broke, and many passengers were thrown out of the bus. The scene was utterly shocking.
Xia Feng first parked his car at an emergency parking lane.
As he ran towards the bus, he called for an ambulance, then the police.
Xia Feng first checked the people who were thrown out of the bus. Some were still conscious, some had fainted. Most had broken bones an couldn’t stand up at all.
Some of the passengers with minor injuries spontaneously got up to help the other passengers still on the bus.
While looking through the injured, Xia Feng was also looking out for passing cars. But since it was early in the morning, there weren’t many that passed by; Only 2 vehicles, both of which called for ambulances.
Xia Feng initially estimated that the bus could accommodate 54 people, including the bus driver. The question was how could they transport such a high number of people to the hospital.
“Help!”
“I can’t move it, my legs …”
“My child, save my child…”
Xia Feng heard the cry and immediately ran towards the mother holding her child. He comforted her and said, “Let’s put the kid flat on the ground first, let me see.”
The mother quickly put her child down.
Xia Feng checked over the child, finding that the child was unconscious, blood seeping from his forehead. It was apparent that he hit his head when the bus overturned, but he didn’t have the necessary equipment to accurately determine the child’s condition.
“Keep him flat on the ground, don’t move him and wait for the ambulance.” Xia Feng told the mother.
The mother nodded as she sobbed.
Xia Feng stood up and ran back to his car to grab his medical bag. When he turned back towards the bus Xia Feng was suddenly hit with the realization that with so many people injured, it was impossible for an ambulance to be able to transport everyone to the hospital immediately.
Xia Feng hesitated, but he eventually opened the car door, hearing a song play on the radio.
He took out his phone and called Yu Dong.
Yu Dong was still quite worried, so when she saw Xia Feng call, she immediately answered, despite the fact that she was still live: “Xia Feng.”
“Yu Dong, I’m in the XX highway section of XX.” Xia Feng looked up towards a nearby road sign and continued, “There’s a bus that rolled over, and there are more than 50 people injured. There are very few cars that had passed by, and I’m afraid there aren’t enough ambulances that can come in time, there are people very seriously injured.”
“Are you hurt.” Yu Dong asked the question at the forefront of her mind.
“I’m fine!”
“Then I’ll call for all the cars you need.” Yu Dong didn’t hang up the call but instead cut off the song playing, her voice serious as she began to talk: “Listener friends, please pay attention this is Fish Jelly with an emergency message.”
“In the XX high-speed XX section of Kunshan to Shanghai, a bus overturned due to snow with more than 50 people injured, some in need of immediate care. To rescue these people quickly, we need nearby vehicles to please lend your cooperation support.”
This was broadcasted 3 times in a row.
“Please, if there are drivers amongst the listener friends who can help these injured people, be an express courier for these lives tonight.
Yu Dong didn’t know how many people would hear her and help. She could only hope that her recently good listener rate would help.
Many taxi drivers nearby heard the news either from the radio or the taxi channel. They stopped carrying passengers and turned around to offer aid.
[ I’m on my way! ]
[ Getting close! ]
[ I see the bus, there are a lot of people already. ]
Yu Dong saw the messages constantly scrolling and felt touched.
“Yu Dong, I see a lot of cars approaching!” Xia Feng looked at the army of taxis. “Thanks!”
Xia Feng hung up after this, running around to organize the injured to be taken to a hospital. Some people with significant injuries were sent to Sanjia Hospital, while those with minor injuries were sent to the nearest hospital.
After a while, all the injured people were successfully carried away by the cars. At this time the police arrived.
[ The wounded have all been picked up, my empty car is following behind. All our taxi drivers are overwhelming, ah. ]
Seeing the messages, Yu Dong turned on her microphone: “I’ve just received the news that all the injured people have successfully been taken to the hospital by nearby taxi drivers. People who are currently rushing to the scene don’t need to anymore. I sincerely thank you all, and I will also ask that you pay attention and be careful when driving home.
Yu Dong continued to talk about the latest developments regarding the crash until she had to go off.
When she finished, she grabbed her bag and immediately ran out. Senior Yu who wanted to talk to her only had enough time to see her rapidly retreating figure.
“Xia Feng where are you?” Yu Dong called Xia Feng as she got in her car.
“XX Hospital.” She could hear murmurs through the phone as Xia Feng spoke. “I’m going to be helping around here, so I won’t be able to come home tonight.”
Yu Dong ended the call, opened the GPS and drive all the way to the hospital.
It was already 3:30 a.m. when Yu Dong arrived at XX Hospital.
It was noisy around the emergency ward, with nurses and doctors running all over the place.
Yu Dong mixed in with the group of patient families and finally saw Xia Feng administering first aid to someone. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him. While he looked tired, he didn’t look hurt.
After this Yu Dong found an unobtrusive corner to sit at and waited for the busy Xia Feng, the skies gradually brightening while she did so.
The emergency ward finally calmed down, and all the patients had been looked after.
Yu Dong took out her phone and sent Xia Feng a short text.
[ Are you finished helping? ]
Finding that Xia Feng hadn’t replied, Yu Dong thought for a moment, then got up and went outside to buy breakfast.
As she walked back to the hospital, her phone suddenly rang.
“Xia Feng?” Yu Dong answered the call.
“I was busy, I’m going home now.” Xia Feng said.
“Come out then, I’m at the entrance of the hospital.” Yu Dong replied.
Xia Feng was still holding his phone as he left through the emergency ward entrance, and he saw Yu Dong wearing a white down jacket, waving at him.
“What are you doing here? ” Xia Feng ran towards her and asked.
“I was worried about you.” Yu Dong explained.
“Didn’t I say that I was OK?”
“I needed to see with my own eyes before I could be completely assured, ah.” Yu Dong said, “You said you were OK but then immediately hung up, how could I not get worried.”
Xia Feng stared at Yu Dong. He suddenly couldn’t open his mouth as an inexplicable emotion surged and stuck his heart.
“I figured you’d be hungry after such a busy night so I bought soy milk and some steamed buns.” Yu Dong raised the plastic bag towards him as if offering a treasure.
Xia Feng couldn’t stand it anymore. He pulled Yu Dong towards his arms and tightly hugged her.
“The soy milk…”
Ever since he became a doctor, Xia Feng faced illness and death every day.
No one knew more about the fragility of life than he did. But even then, every time he encounters situations like this, he can’t help but feel helpless from the bottom of his heart.
But Yu Dong’s little smiles and genuine concern washed away all that, letting him feel the warmth and beauty of life again.
Making this new winter morning look bright and moving!
***
I really really like Yu Dong. Xia Feng does too. I mean, there’s only so many times they can stab you in the heart before you just fall to your knees and love them.
The title looks poorly worded but I really really don’t know how else to word it
