Chapter 43: Loved Listening to Gossip Since Childhood!

Tian Daming received a phone call from Tang Ye and immediately rushed to the scene of the accident.

Upon recognizing the man's face, he was greatly startled and hurriedly called Sister Wu.

"Sister Wu, little Han has been hit by a car and is seriously injured."

On the other end, Tang Ye dialed Tang Yu's number. "Dad, are you on duty today?"

Tang Yu frowned, puzzled. "Not on duty? I was just getting ready to take a shower and rest. What is it?"

Tang Ye gave a wry smile. "You need to head to the hospital right away. A friend of mine has been in a car accident, and it requires you to perform the surgery yourself."

Tang Yu said irritably, "What kind of friends do you make? Why are you always running to the hospital!"

Other people's sons made friends with fair-weather buddies who only knew how to eat and drink.

Goodness gracious!

His own son made "life-and-death" friends whose lives were fraught with misfortune.

Complaints were complaints, however!

When his son asked him to do something, he still had to handle it with care.

There was no helping it; he only had this one precious son.

Tang Ye had just pocketed his phone when Sister Wu arrived, panting heavily.

Seeing her son breathing only in and out, his entire body stained with blood, she felt the world spin before her. She collapsed onto her knees on the ground and began to weep.

"Son, you must hold on. You cannot leave your mother behind. If you are gone too, how am I supposed to go on living?"

Tang Ye recalled the "House of Honor" plaque he had seen during the day, thinking to himself that heaven showed no mercy to the wretched. With the husband having died as a martyr, if the son also met with tragedy, the woman would most likely not survive.

Tang Ye sprang into action. First, he needed to find a vehicle, so he dialed Gu Wenqin's number.

Upon learning the situation, Gu Wenqin immediately called the factory's van driver.

Ten minutes later, a van arrived at the scene through the night.

Tang Ye had Tian Daming find a door panel, and together they lifted Han Zhao onto it, securing him with a quilt and ropes. They carefully carried the patient into the vehicle, taking utmost care to avoid causing secondary injuries.

The van stopped near a gas station in the outskirts to rendezvous with an ambulance, and the patient was transferred inside.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Tang Ye guided Sister Wu through registering, paying fees, and handling the various procedures.

It was Sister Wu's first time at the Municipal People's Hospital, and she was unfamiliar with the place. She felt immensely grateful to the helpful Tang Ye; had he not taken the initiative to assist, she surely would have been running around like a headless fly.

At that moment, Tang Yu also rushed into the emergency room.

"Director Tang, you've been performing surgeries all day. Why aren't you resting this late?"

"A friend of my son's was in a car accident and was just brought into the emergency room. I will perform this surgery myself."

"Is it the patient sent from Pinghu Town? The injuries are very severe, and we were all at our wits' end. With you operating, we finally have confidence."

After examining the patient, Tang Yu exchanged a brief glance with Tang Ye and briefly informed Sister Wu of Han Zhao's condition.

Han Zhao's prognosis was not optimistic. Tang Yu organized a multi-departmental joint consultation and quickly formulated a rescue plan.

The lights in the operating room lit up.

Gu Wenqin accompanied Sister Wu and comforted her, "Don't worry, good people are protected by heaven, and Han Zhao will definitely be fine."

With red eyes, Sister Wu choked out, "Thank you, and thank Mayor Tang as well. If not for your help, I truly wouldn't know what to do."

Seeing the tear-streaked face of Sister Wu, Gu Wenqin felt a stinging sensation in her own nose. She encouraged her, "You must pull yourself together. Once the surgery is over, you will be the one caring for him; you absolutely cannot collapse."

Sister Wu wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and her eyes filled with resilience. "I will not fall!"

Time ticked away, minute by minute.

Tang Ye and Tian Daming went outside the hospital, smoking cigarettes while chatting casually.

"Little Han's surgery fees will cost at least two hundred thousand. Sister Wu's family is not well-off; she has always raised her child alone. Such a massive medical bill is nothing short of adding frost to snow. I'll make phone calls door-to-door tomorrow morning to see if I can scrape some money together—every little bit helps!"

"Sister Wu is usually very polite to people. When other families encounter trouble, she is always enthusiastic to help. As for the land transfer issue, she was probably considering protecting her family's ancestral property, which is why she wouldn't cooperate with the government's policy. Sigh, she is a pitiful yet respectable woman."

Tang Ye remained silent for a few seconds. "If we can find the hit-and-run vehicle, the medical expenses will be easily resolved."

Tian Daming shook his head with a bitter smile. "Difficult! We encounter this kind of hit-and-run every year, and not once has the culprit ever been found. Actually, we know who is committing these evils, but we are powerless against them."

A grave look appeared in Tang Ye's eyes. "Who?"

Tian Daming, not being a particularly guarded person, replied, "There is a sand and gravel plant in the neighboring village. Every day, a large number of sand transport trucks pass through our village. The behind-the-scenes boss of that gravel plant is extraordinary. We've reported it many times, but the relevant personnel turn a blind eye..."

Tang Ye smiled faintly. "Tell me more about this behind-the-scenes boss. I've loved listening to gossip since I was a child."

Tian Daming then recounted the underworld legends of "General Bi" to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye listened with utmost concentration.

The mastermind lurking behind the scenes turned out to be an evil force that appeared respectable on the surface while committing all sorts of heinous crimes.

The Municipal Party Committee had just held a meeting recently, at which Zhou Chengwu emphasized the need to rectify the social atmosphere of Hanzhou and purge these potential undesirable elements.

On one hand, they recognized the network of interests existing behind these evil forces;

On the other hand, they found them to be stumbling blocks hindering Hanzhou's economic development.

Tang Ye had not expected such evil forces to have infiltrated Pinghu.

To him, the stories Tian Daming told were a succession of unpardonable crimes.

Returning to the surgical waiting area, Tang Ye spotted Gu Wenqin in the hallway.

She wore a beige overcoat and high heels with black bases and purple straps. Her smooth, delicate, and bony shoulders trembled slightly, making her quite a pitiful sight.

Tang Ye mused that Gu Wenqin must be reminded of her husband, who had died in a car accident and whose killer remained at large to this day.

Hearing movement and realizing it was Tang Ye, Gu Wenqin quickly wiped her tears with her hand. "You've seen me at my ugliest."

Tang Ye waved his hand and said softly, "Even a lion, the king of the prairie, will lick its wounds in the dark when injured. Crying is nothing to be ashamed of."

Gu Wenqin's eyes reddened. "Hong Lei wasn't so lucky. After being hit by the car, he was rescued for two days without success, and the driver remains at large."

Tang Ye produced a tissue and handed it over. "Let's not lose heart. The killer will be brought to justice sooner or later!"

The surgery lasted four hours.

Tang Yu walked out of the lead doors wearing surgical scrubs, his face etched with exhaustion. "He has been saved and sent to the intensive care unit for forty-eight hours of observation. If everything is normal, he can be transferred to a regular ward. Although he survived, he will need rehabilitation and recuperation later, which will still require a hefty sum for medical treatment."

With reddened eyes, Sister Wu asked anxiously, "How much more is needed?"

"At least another one hundred and fifty thousand," Tang Yu said after a brief contemplation. "Considering your family's situation, the hospital will provide the most reasonable and effective treatment plan."

Sister Wu understood the subtext of Tang Yu's words—using fewer imported drugs and more domestic ones. She shook her head. "The child is very young. Please ensure you use the best medicine; do not leave him with any sequelae. As for the money, I will find a way."

Though he frequently witnessed the warmth and coldness of human relationships at the hospital, Tang Yu was moved by Sister Wu at this moment. He earnestly explained, "We will do our utmost to treat him."

Upon learning that Han Zhao had been saved, Tang Ye let out a breath of relief, then found a quiet corner to dial Wan Ming's number.

"Do you know General Bi?"

"Of course I do!" Wan Ming paused, then sneered. "That fellow has done too many bad things. Remember when I told you why I was transferred to Pinghu? It was because I offended him!"

"Damn, so he's your enemy!" Tang Ye reacted swiftly. "Then let's use this opportunity to wash away our humiliation, shall we?"

Wan Ming was taken aback and sighed helplessly. "It's not that I don't want revenge. Bi Dainian has operated in Hanzhou for many years and has sky-high influence. He isn't someone the two of us can handle."

Wan Ming might have seemed boisterous, but he was actually meticulous and steady in his actions.

"Are you afraid of him? I'm certainly not!" Tang Ye deliberately tried to provoke Wan Ming.

"Would I be afraid of him? Don't use reverse psychology on me. Since I've been exiled to Pinghu, I have no hope of promotion in this lifetime—bare feet aren't afraid of people wearing shoes. But you are still young with a vast future ahead of you; don't wade into these muddy waters."

Tang Ye hadn't expected Wan Ming to be looking out for him, and he thought to himself that this man was indeed worth deep friendship.

"Brothers are in each other's hearts. The two of us pushing together will definitely be stronger than just one person."

Wan Ming cracked his knuckles until they popped. "Screw it all, I'm going to make arrests right now! Hmph, Bi Dainian's sand plant is a gambling den where people gather to gamble every night with hefty stakes. I've wanted to wipe out that place for a long time. Besides, the hit-and-run driver is most likely one of these people. I'm going to pull a tooth from the tiger's mouth right now and see what Bi Dainian can possibly do to me!"

Wan Ming was clearly well-prepared; otherwise, he wouldn't have found a breakthrough so quickly.

Tang Ye praised, "Startling the snake by hitting the grass! Luring the tiger out of the mountains! Chief Wan is both brave and resourceful, even employing military strategy! This time, success is guaranteed."