Chapter 8: 8. Chapter 8: Seventy-three, Eighty-four

Chapter 8: Seventy-Three, Eighty-Four

The elderly man suffering from the episode was taken away by an ambulance.

Everything had happened so suddenly. Fortunately, the hospital ambulance arrived quickly, and the patient's family arrived at the hospital immediately, preventing any scenes at the shop.

The owner, Sister Gui, had been in business for many years and had encountered all sorts of people. Fearing that the family might settle scores later, she reported the incident to the police immediately and explained the situation to the responding officers.

Regardless, the shop had surveillance cameras, so there was nothing to fear from an investigation.

"You're saying that at the time, the customer showed no signs of abnormality and behaved quite normally?" an officer asked while taking notes.

The owner nodded. "I was just talking to the old man, asking him what he wanted to eat, when that girl suddenly made the call. I was puzzled too; he seemed perfectly fine at the time, so why did she call?"

The three of them turned their gaze toward Qin Yike simultaneously.

The officer then asked Qin Yike, "Since the customer appeared normal, why did you call 120?"

"In your eyes, everything was normal. In mine, the patient showed signs of abnormality the moment he entered the shop. A flushed complexion, heavy breathing, and a staggering gait. When he sat down, he was drenched in sweat. It is already October; it isn't that hot. Those were clearly the precursors to a stroke." Of course, she had seen much more than that, but this was all she could say.

Qin Yike took her graduation certificate, degree, and assistant physician's certificate out of her bag, placed them on the table, and said, "I graduated from Beijing Medical University and am currently looking for a job. I didn't expect to run into this. As students of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we practice observation, listening, inquiry, and palpation. Sometimes, just by looking at a person's complexion and state, we can tell if they are healthy."

The two officers and Sister Gui were skeptical, but the certificates were right there in front of them—they couldn't be fakes.

She was just a bit young; they hadn't expected her medical skills to be so sharp.

As Qin Yike packed her certificates back into her bag, she said, "Boss lady, you've had pain in your lower right abdomen for a while now, haven't you? Don't delay it; go to the hospital and have your appendix removed!"

Sister Gui's mouth fell open. She asked in astonishment, "How did you know?" To know she had appendicitis just by looking—that was practically miraculous!

"Didn't I say? I'm a doctor!" She then looked at the two officers. "Can I leave now?"

The two officers finally snapped out of it. "Thank you for your cooperation. Don't let this weigh on your mind, young lady; you've done a good deed! The patient's family should be thanking you! Don't worry, we will clear your name."

Qin Yike smiled. "Then thank you. I'll be going." She gave a slight nod and left the fast-food restaurant, having left her contact information behind just in case.

Qin Yike wandered around the county town all afternoon. The town was too small; after walking for a long time, she found nowhere to go and encountered no further emergencies, so she headed home.

Meanwhile, in a doctor's office at the county hospital, a middle-aged man was urgently questioning a doctor about his father's condition.

"Doctor, can my father be transferred to another hospital now?"

"The patient has just undergone surgery. I do not recommend moving him!"

The middle-aged man looked anxious. "Can't I just charter an ambulance? I can pay to hire your medical staff to accompany him. Is that not an option either?"

Standing beside him was a wealthy-looking woman dressed very elegantly. "Doctor, we have money; we don't care about the cost. We just want to get my father to a better hospital."

The doctor, wearing glasses, gave a small smile. "I know who you are—Mr. Hong Qi, the famous entrepreneur of our county! Your financial resources are beyond doubt. However, the patient suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, and he was already in a critical state when he arrived. After several hours of surgery, he has only just stabilized. He needs close observation. Moving him now is truly not a good idea. I suggest you consult a specialist to see if there are any issues with our county hospital's treatment plan. Mr. Hong, please don't think that just because our county is small, our hospital's standards are low. Please trust me; as the attending physician, I naturally want him to recover as soon as possible. Once the conditions are right to move him, I will notify you immediately."

The doctor had laid it out so clearly that if they continued to demand a transfer, they would be seen as ungrateful and unreasonable. Hong Qi was a businessman, highly skilled at reading people and assessing situations; in the current circumstances, continuing to argue would be inappropriate.

"Doctor, we didn't mean anything else. In that case, we won't disturb you further! I'll leave my father in your hands! Don't worry about the cost of medication—use the best available!"

The doctor nodded. "You should actually thank the person who called the ambulance. The patient's bleeding was significant, and he wasn't moved. If the notification hadn't been timely, the situation might have been very different."

"Understood." Hong Qi stood up and shook the doctor's hand with great sincerity. "Please carry on with your work. I will come back later."

Once they left the doctor's office, Bai Yanhua couldn't hold back. "Old Hong, what do we do now? Are we really going to let Dad stay in the county hospital like this?"

Hong Qi sighed. "Didn't you hear the doctor? Dad can't be moved right now. Here's what we'll do: find a caregiver to look after him and keep an eye on things at the hospital. Hong Ying can come over later to relieve you. I'll go look for some connections and ask around. Additionally, I need to investigate the restaurant where Dad had his episode to see if it was triggered by stress or if it was unrelated to the restaurant."

"Okay, I understand!" Bai Yanhua wanted to ask more, but the timing wasn't right, so she held back.

Hong Qi nodded and called his driver to come pick him up.

Hong Qi's network in the county was extensive. He quickly traced the matter back to Sister Gui's Fast Food and Qin Yike, and even obtained the restaurant's surveillance footage.

"So, my father's sudden episode had nothing to do with anyone else?"

A high-ranking official from the investigation bureau nodded. "Old Hong, we've known each other for years. I've brought the transcripts over for you; do you still doubt it?"

Hong Qi flipped through the transcripts prepared by the officers, lost in thought.

"The girl who made the call is a medical graduate. If it weren't for her, this would have been a much harder case to handle!"

Hong Qi nodded. "I must thank her properly. Old Liu, I thank you as well."

"Don't mention it! I'll go visit the old man in a few days."

"You're a busy man; I can't trouble you like that!"

Liu Changshui chuckled. "Treating me like a stranger, are we? Fine, just get going. I expect there's plenty waiting for you at the old man's side!"

"Alright, I'm off! I'll treat you to a proper drink another day."

After a few more words, the two parted ways.

Hong Qi took his driver's car back to the hospital. He took several calls on the way, clearly preoccupied.

The old man was still in the intensive care unit. No one could get close to him for the time being, so they could only entrust the nurses to be extra diligent. A caregiver had been found but could not start duty yet. At this time, the old man's younger son and daughter had also rushed back from out of town.

"Big Brother, how is it? Did you find anything?" Hong Tu had already learned the sequence of events from Bai Yanhua.

Hong Qi shook his head. "Dad's sudden episode had nothing to do with anyone else."

Hong Ying only said, "Seventy-three, eighty-four... Dad has hit a major hurdle."