Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 101
by Little PandaVolume 3: Transition
Birthday
Train Accident
Qin Xuan left, without leaving her a single word.
Until she knocked on her door again, and the neighbor complained: “Why are you knocking? Stop it, she moved away long ago.”
Only then did she clearly realize this fact.
Xiang Nanke sat at her doorstep, finished a pack of cigarettes, then stood up.
“Think it through clearly. You solved such a major case, and the first-class merit award has already been approved. After two more years, the battalion commander position would be yours,” Chief Li tapped on her transfer order that was placed on the table.
“In Shanghai, there won’t be a Criminal Investigation Team Leader position for you. You’ll have to start as a beat cop (patrol officer who works a specific neighborhood area).”
Xiang Nanke stood straight in her police uniform: “Report, Chief, I have thought it through clearly. No matter what position I’m in, my original intention as a people’s police serving the people will never change!”
When she came out with the signed transfer order, Xiang Nanke let out a sigh of relief. Just as she closed the door, she heard the sound of an ashtray shattering against the door from inside.
“Damn fool!”
She could only smile bitterly.
But at least this matter was finally settled.
“Here, cut along this line,” Lu Qingshi demonstrated once with the laparoscope before handing it over to others.
After no longer being in emergency rescue, there was more time for teaching and research. The students were all learning very seriously, and among them were some particularly excellent ones, such as Yu Gui and Liu Qingyun, who could almost independently complete surgeries. The others had at least reached the level of second or third assistant (medical terms referring to surgical assistant hierarchy). This young and inexperienced team was gradually maturing.
“Good, keep your hand steady, don’t be afraid of bleeding. Quickly ligate when you find the bleeding point. If ligation is not possible, block the superior artery, but the blockage time cannot be too long, or it will cause organ failure, understand?”
“Understood.”
After a tense morning of simulated surgery, during lunch time, real surgery videos would play on the big screen in the conference room for young doctors to study and reference – this was the best “side dish” for meals (meaning it accompanied their actual lunch, a play on words showing their dedication to learning).
Yu Gui was eating with great enjoyment. After quickly finishing her meal in just a few bites, she put on her mask and ran to the simulation surgery room, but someone was already there.
“Teacher Lu, aren’t you going to eat?”
Lu Qingshi stood at the simulation operating table without raising her head, looking at the surgical navigation: “Not hungry.”
“This is…” She leaned over to look, but Lu Qingshi turned off the surgical navigation.
“Since you’re here, you practice. I’ll go rest.”
“Okay.” Yu Gui cleaned up the messy operating table, and when she reopened the surgical navigation, it was still on the previous screen.
It was Lu Qingshi’s medical records and imaging data.
The young person looked in the direction where she left, bit her lip, quickly took out her phone to take a photo, and stuffed it into her pocket like a thief.
“Where’s Qingshi?” Gu Yanzhi walked into the office carrying lunch boxes and food bought for other colleagues.
Hao Renjie’s eyes lit up immediately upon smelling the fried chicken: “She hasn’t returned from outpatient clinic yet. Oh, bringing lunch for our Sister Lu again? What delicious food did you make?”
Gu Yanzhi covered the lunch box: “Go away, nothing for you. The family bucket (KFC family meal) is yours.”
Everyone cheered and pounced on it. Yu Gui sat in the corner without getting up. She walked over with a cup of cola and a hamburger.
“Here’s yours. What are you looking at so seriously?” She glanced at the screen, which showed a brain CT scan. Yu Gui had made markings and was writing and drawing on paper.
The young person nervously closed the laptop: “No… nothing… the hamburger is really good…”
Gu Yanzhi patted her shoulder: “By the way, I’ve booked hot pot tonight to celebrate Qingshi’s birthday. Everyone who’s not on duty should come!”
“Definitely, definitely!” Hao Renjie was the first to respond at the mention of food: “Forget being on duty, I’d even skip work to go!”
Chen Yi nudged her arm: “Hey, it’s not just celebrating Sister Lu’s birthday, right? There must be something else.”
Gu Yanzhi smiled ambiguously, her eyes curving into crescents: “You guess.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, I smell dog food” Chen Yi sat further away with her cola: “When will my person ever get a clue?”
Liu Qingyun looked up blankly from his computer while gnawing on a chicken wing: “What? What did you say?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Xu Qiankun walked in holding a folder and hung his white coat at his workstation: “I won’t be going, sorry. There’s an academic conference tomorrow, I need to get to Hangzhou tonight.”
He hurriedly grabbed his car keys while heading out: “Hey, Xiaoliu, Yu Gui, keep an eye on the department while I’m gone. Consult Teacher Lu if you encounter any difficult cases. There are several patients in EICU needing special attention, I’ve written it all in the main medical records, pay extra attention.”
Liu Qingyun and Yu Gui stood up: “Okay, Director Xu, travel safely.”
Yu Gui never imagined this would be their final farewell, that the person she disliked most would depart in a way she most admired, teaching her through his life what it means that “no one is perfect” and what professional spirit truly is.
“Dear passengers, we regret to inform you that flight CA7503 to Hangzhou has been cancelled due to heavy snowfall. The makeup flight will depart tomorrow at 13:20. We sincerely apologize. Please contact the staff at service counter seven, and we will make proper arrangements…”
Xu Qiankun, wearing a wool coat, checked his wrist watch – forget it, too late now, better take the high-speed rail instead.
“Jinzhou has never had such heavy snow before, right?” His breath turned to white mist on the glass window.
The taxi driver chimed in: “You bet! Heard several regions were affected. This morning my car was buried in snow and wouldn’t budge. Spent the whole morning just shoveling snow, almost froze my engine!”
As the neon signs of the high-speed rail station became increasingly visible in the twilight, Xu Qiankun pulled money from his wallet and handed it over: “Thanks.”
“Going on a business trip in such cold weather?”
He swung his briefcase and closed the car door: “No choice, it’s work.”
While he was queuing to enter the station, trudging through uneven snow, the atmosphere at the hot pot restaurant was bustling with excitement.
Not knowing beforehand, she thought it was just a date between two people when she was brought here, until they pushed open the door. The lights dimmed, candles flickered, a birthday cake sat before her, and everyone clapped while singing the birthday song. Her gaze swept across these young faces – Chen Yi, Liu Qingyun, Yu Gui, Hao Renjie, the head nurse… even Spiky Head was there, singing the loudest.
Even someone as emotionally reserved as her had slightly reddened eyes.
The doctor bowed slightly: “Thank you.”
Thank you everyone, thank you Gu Yanzhi, this was the happiest birthday she’d ever had.
Gu Yanzhi smiled tenderly, dipped a finger in the cake and dabbed it on her nose: “Qingshi, happy birthday.”
Hao Renjie led the teasing: “Kiss! Kiss!”
Lu Qingshi’s face instantly turned red, somewhat like a “paper tiger” (Chinese idiom meaning someone who appears fierce but is actually timid): “Stop the nonsense, have you finished the nursing logs?”
Hao Renjie fell into Yu Gui’s arms: “Oh, I’m so scared! The boss is still so fierce even after getting married. Captain Gu, save me~”
Gu Yanzhi burst out laughing, pulling her to sit down: “Let’s eat, didn’t you say earlier you wanted hot pot?”
So she had carefully remembered every word she’d said. Lu Qingshi gently squeezed her palm.
“Thank you.”
Glasses clinked together as the bright red hot pot base bubbled, everyone’s faces beaming with joy as they toasted, cheered, and laughed heartily.
Even Lu Qingshi made an exception and had a small beer. The private room’s heating was strong, so she took off her outer coat revealing a plain sweater underneath. Her face was flushed, and whenever her gaze wandered over, it was always filled with tender light, making the fire safety instructor sitting beside her restless with the constant urge to kiss her, squeezing her hand tighter and tighter.
After their last argument, Yu Gui hadn’t stayed at home for several days. Today, Fang Zhiyou had specially woken up early to buy fresh vegetables and spare ribs from the market, and in the evening cooked a table full of dishes, calling her to come home for dinner.
When the phone vibrated in her pocket, Yu Gui picked up a bottle of beer and stood up: “A toast to Teacher Lu’s careful guidance. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Just as she was about to stand, Gu Yanzhi was already up, gently clinking glasses: “I’ll drink for her.”
Lu Qingshi tugged at her clothes, whispering: “Drink less, they’re clearly trying to get you drunk.”
“It’s fine, we’re celebrating today,” she winked. As more people came with raised glasses, Gu Yanzhi readily downed them all.
“Not answering the phone,” Fang Zhiyou threw the phone on the bed, but after a while still picked it up to send her a message.
“Sorry, I wasn’t calm enough that day. I think we should sit down and talk properly. I made dinner and am waiting for you at home.”
The message sank like a stone, but the computer screen lit up. She went over and sat down – it was a team invitation from Shangshianruishui.
“Starting tomorrow, I won’t be logging in anymore. The guild matters, please…”
Fang Zhiyou typed: “What’s wrong, need an A (assistance)?”
“Mm…”
“When will you be back?”
Looking at these words on screen, An Ran smiled bitterly: “I won’t be coming back.”
“?” Being too shocked, she only sent a question mark, which was her usual typing habit.
An Ran cleared her throat and turned on the microphone: “We’ve known each other for so long but never met. I’m being hospitalized tomorrow and won’t have chances to play games anymore. How about it, want to meet in person?”
Hearing the young girl’s clear voice, Fang Zhiyou asked: “What illness? Is it serious?”
“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, pretty serious, terminal illness.”
Hearing her casual tone, Fang Zhiyou’s heart tightened slightly.
Captain Gu was truly impressive, taking down everyone at the table by herself. Yu Gui slipped out under the pretense of using the bathroom, placed her phone on the sink, scooped up cool water to clear her head, and as she was wiping her hands with tissue, her phone vibrated again.
“Hello?” As soon as the other side finished speaking, Yu Gui felt as if she’d been doused with cold water from head to toe, instantly sobering up.
She started running out.
The hot pot was still bubbling, freshly picked food items still steaming, beer only half drunk, when the doctors in the private room all put down their chopsticks and stood up. Lu Qingshi quickly put on her coat, Gu Yanzhi held her bag, and the two ran out of the restaurant one after another. By the time Yu Gui arrived, the place was empty.
Gu Yanzhi handed her the bag, then turned the motorcycle handle to start it in the snow.
Lu Qingshi opened the car door, glancing at her: “Be careful.”
“You too.” Gu Yanzhi gave her a deep look. Time waited for no one – there was no time for goodbyes. She revved the engine to maximum, carving an arc through the snow as she sped away.
“Fasten your seatbelt.” Lu Qingshi looked back as Yu Gui climbed into the car breathlessly. She stepped on the gas, wearing a Bluetooth earpiece, turned the steering wheel left, and merged into traffic.
“Report the casualties.”
Emergency preparatory work had already begun, and Lu Qingshi connected to the car’s speaker.
“Train derailment caused by heavy snow, entire carriage slid off the elevated bridge… casualties… number of casualties currently unknown…”
Static crackled through the speaker mixed with howling wind, making everyone in the car’s heart sink.
Lu Qingshi looked back: “With Director Xu away, I need to stay at the hospital to coordinate emergency care across departments. The scene depends on you all.”
“Understood!” Yu Gui bit her lip and jumped out before the car fully stopped. Ambulances were already lined up at the hospital entrance, ready to go.
Everyone grabbed emergency kits and jumped into the vehicles. Lu Qingshi ran into the hospital, a nurse handed her a white coat, she quickly took off her outer coat to put it on, her ID badge flipping out from the collar. She walked while stuffing a marker into her coat pocket, surrounded by young attending physicians.
“The first batch of casualties will arrive soon. Check emergency medicines and equipment, fill any gaps, notify the blood bank to prepare supplies. Postpone all non-emergency surgeries, we must ensure blood supply for emergency operations.”
“Have departments come down for triage, clear out observation room beds, call back all doctors on leave. And make sure to keep detailed medical records – for difficult cases, must consult senior doctors. Understood?!”
“Understood!”
Lu Qingshi turned to face them: “Good, get to work.”
The derailment site was in a mountainous, hilly area. The snow was too thick – the ambulance broke down halfway, with electronic maps showing still one kilometer to the scene. Yu Gui pulled open the door and jumped out. Snow particles whipped across her face, instantly frosting her eyelashes except where the mask covered.
The team trudged forward against the wind through knee-deep snow, carrying emergency kits and equipment.
The fire department vehicles arrived earlier. Gu Yanzhi slammed the car door shut and froze momentarily.
Under the dark sky, the blue and white train head was deeply wedged into the tunnel’s rocky wall, mangled beyond recognition. The steel dragon (poetic reference to the train) lay dying in the ice and snow. Looking up, she saw the dragon’s tail hanging off the elevated bridge, black smoke and several fires rising from the body. In the distance lay scattered blackened train parts and unidentifiable human organs. While snow-covered plum blossoms usually make for a beautiful scene, this sight made her shudder.
The rescue team split into two groups – one responsible for climbing the elevated bridge to search for survivors aboard, the other mainly handling the fallen carriages below.
Large rescue equipment like aerial ladders hadn’t arrived yet. Gu Yanzhi used the most primitive method, hurling special anchor ropes up several meters onto the elevated bridge, testing the steel cable before starting to climb by hand. Others followed suit, but carrying dozens of kilos of equipment made it truly physical labor. When someone let out an exhausted breath, Gu Yanzhi grabbed hold of them.
“Keep going!”
The young firefighter smiled, gritted his teeth, and grabbed her hand to climb up the elevated bridge.
“Thanks, Captain.”
“No problem. Teams Three and Five start from the train’s front, Teams One and Two come with me to search for survivors from the rear.”
“Yes!”
At the command, team members dispersed with their equipment.
Deathlike silence.
Only the sound of falling snow, and the teeth-grinding crunch of combat boots on the ground.
The air was filled with the smell of burnt plastic and the pungent odor of diesel fuel leaks.
Blood flowed from beneath the train, staining the pure white ground red. People were pressed against the train windows, eyes wide with terror, dying with eyes open. A pregnant woman had apparently been thrown from between train carriages during impact, half her arm severed and lost somewhere, her other hand firmly protecting her belly. Blood pooled beneath her, and Gu Yanzhi gently closed her eyes.
“Captain, the train door is crushed and deformed, completely stuck,” several strong young men took turns trying, panting heavily but unable to pry the door open.
Gu Yanzhi picked up a fire axe: “Move aside.”
She walked quickly over, but suddenly heard urgent window tapping, and a firefighter shouted.
“Here, there are survivors here!”
“Give me the window breaker!” Due to power loss, the carriage was pitch black, but they could vaguely see a man continuously tapping on the window.
“Move back, move back!” Gu Yanzhi gestured, and the man crouched down covering his head. She swung the window breaker, shattering the glass with one strike.
Bracing her palm against the glass shards, Gu Yanzhi leaped inside and helped up the fallen man.
“Are you alright?!”
The headlamp on her helmet illuminated his blood-stained face. Xu Qiankun grabbed her arm, unbuttoned his coat and handed over a bundle, breathing heavily, his chest heaving.
“I’m… I’m fine… Captain Gu… quickly take the child out…”
She noticed his inner shirt was covered in blood, yet the child was completely unharmed.
Gu Yanzhi took the bundle: “Where are the child’s parents?”
Xu Qiankun sat in the tilted carriage, leaning against the seat back and pointing to two people crushed under seats nearby, struggling to catch his breath.
“Over there.”
Several firefighters climbed in and walked over.
“Don’t bother, they’re dead. I only went because I heard the child crying. Hurry and get this child to the hospital. Any later, and it won’t make it either.”
“Doctor! Are there any doctors here?! Is there a doctor around?!” The firefighter shouted into the vast snow, straining his voice.
Yu Gui quickened her pace: “I… I…”
Before she could finish, she fell face-first into the snow (狗吃屎/dog eating shit is a colloquial Chinese expression for falling face-first). The firefighter ran over to help her up.
“Quick, check on this child!”
Inside the bundle was a small infant, face purple from cold. Yu Gui checked the carotid pulse, but her fingers were too cold to feel anything, though the child’s body was still warm.
She bit her lip, took off her white coat to cover the child thoroughly, then dug out glucose from the emergency kit. Fortunately, she had a habit of carrying a thermos – she mixed some warm water, drew it into a syringe, and carefully placed it at the child’s lips, pushing slowly to prevent choking.
Chen Yi caught up, panting heavily: “What’s the situation?”
“Hypothermia, needs immediate hospital transport.”
Chen Yi took off her stethoscope and listened for a moment: “Okay, red tag, give the baby to me, I’ll take them to the ambulance.”
The return journey was another long trek, ice shards in their shoes making their soles painfully numb.
Liu Qingyun caught up: “Give them to me, I’ll go.”
“No, you stay – you’re highest-ranking here, need to oversee operations.”
Chen Yi dodged him and disappeared into the blizzard carrying the child, not looking back.
The young man’s eyes reddened slightly.
“Doctor, doctor, more survivors here!” Another firefighter was waving.
He wiped his tears and ran over quickly.
Simple windbreak tents had been set up under the elevated bridge. Yu Gui crawled in where several casualties lay scattered. She crouched down to check a young woman’s pupils with a penlight. When lifting her wrist, she noticed writing on the back of the hand.
She brought the flashlight closer to see – a simple character “黃” (Huang/Yellow). Yu Gui muttered, “This handwriting looks familiar somehow.”
From the other side, Hao Renjie called out: “How strange, did someone do triage before us? Why do they all have characters written on their hands?”
Yu Gui ran over to look, and indeed it was true.
She thought for a moment: “Probably a doctor among the survivors. This triage method is quite professional though. Anyway, let’s evacuate the red and yellow-tagged patients first.” (In Chinese emergency medicine, red typically indicates immediate life-threatening conditions, while yellow indicates serious but not immediately life-threatening conditions)
“Okay, stretcher!”
“One, two, three, lift!”
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