Chapter 91

The foundation of the Yunmeng Building had already been excavated to a depth of over ten meters, and this area would be used to construct a garage and underground storage rooms in the future. The construction workers were already digging piles below. Manual pile digging, also known as "manually excavated piles," is a process in construction where workers dig the required space for the pile foundation below ground level using manual labor, as per the design, to create the space for pouring reinforced concrete.

Liu Changsheng had been doing this job for six or seven years at Jinhu Construction Company. Recently, his son was about to get engaged, but the dowry money had skyrocketed. The woman's family demanded a dowry of one in ten thousand. After much negotiation, they settled on eighty thousand. It wasn't that the rural area of Tanshan was selling daughters, but it was a local custom. If a daughter was married without a substantial dowry, people would say she wasn't valued. Therefore, whenever a daughter was married, the family had to squeeze every last bit of blood and sweat from the groom's family.

Liu Changsheng had two sons. According to the old custom of favoring boys over girls, this should have been a good thing. Twenty years ago, when he had two sons, Liu Changsheng was quite proud for a while.

However, at some point, the dowry money started to rise crazily. As his two sons grew up, Old Liu couldn't laugh anymore. After sending them to school, he had to build houses for the two brothers, and two houses at that. Building a decent house in the countryside would cost at least two hundred thousand yuan. Digging piles was the most arduous and dangerous job in construction. Several of Liu Changsheng's fellow villagers had either died or been severely injured due to the breaking of the cables used to lift soil. However, the pay was also very good. As long as they worked, they could earn over three hundred yuan a day. Over the years, he had managed to build two beautiful small villas for his sons.

After finally solving the housing problem, both sons found girlfriends. The eldest son was recently engaged to a girl from the Lao Chen family and planned to get married by the end of the year. Everything was in place, except for the money. The woman's family said that everything was getting more expensive these days, and the dowry money was now one in ten thousand. They said they didn't want a single cent of the money; they would give it all to their daughter as a dowry. Moreover, whatever the groom's family provided, the Lao Chen family would match it. The Lao Chen family was a demolition household, and after the demolition, they received nearly ten million yuan, several apartments, and a few shops.

Liu Changsheng had just paid off the debts from building the houses, and before he could catch his breath, the dowry money was pressing down on him again.

"Old Liu, I heard your son is getting engaged. Such a happy event, why do you look so worried?" Zhou Jinhai paused his work and smiled. Zhou Jinhai was from the same village as Liu Changsheng.

"Happy event? Happy my ass. They're asking for one in ten thousand." Liu Changsheng was at a loss.

"Wow, that's so high. Are they selling a daughter or what? It's like they gave birth to a golden nugget." Guo Cunlian, who was nearby, laughed.

"You guys, work harder. Don't slack off." Tan Xianghu was very intimidating to the workers. Despite looking like just another migrant worker, the old-timers at Jinhu Construction Company knew he was a smiling tiger, capable of turning on them at any moment. If he got angry, he could be deadly.

Liu Changsheng and the others quickly shut up. Although they were paid by the job, working more meant earning more. Even if they didn't work all day, they wouldn't get any extra from Tan Xianghu. But with the smiling tiger and the big boss around, they had to give him some face. If they didn't, they would be in trouble later.

Liu Changsheng and the others quickly got back to work.

Many of the piles on the construction site had already been reinforced with steel frames and were being poured with concrete. The whole area looked like a steel jungle. Working here was no joke; one wrong move could be fatal.

Zou Jiahao was very satisfied with the progress: "Tiger, I'm counting on you. This is very important to me. You must ensure the quality of the work here. This is crucial. I won't deny you the opportunity to make money, but this is the most important part of my plan. The Yunmeng Building will become a landmark in Tanshan City. If you do well, you'll have many more opportunities in the future. But if you mess up, you know the consequences."

Tan Xianghu's face changed slightly. He was used to threatening others, but today he was being threatened. However, he knew that Zou Jiahao was the son of Secretary Zou, and they were on different levels. So, even though he was threatened, Tan Xianghu quickly brushed it off.

Zou Jiahao ignored Tan Xianghu's expression. People like Tan Xianghu were not worth his attention, but he had just used Tan Xianghu to get many benefits from Gao Tingyuan. He couldn't burn his bridges, or no one would work for him in the future.

With the big boss and the foreman supervising, the migrant workers worked very hard. However, manual pile digging was extremely strenuous. After working non-stop for a while, everyone was panting. When the big boss and his group left, everyone immediately collapsed on the ground.

"Damn, this work will kill us." Liu Changsheng complained, standing up and walking towards the water pot. He had been sweating profusely, and his body was drenched. He felt dizzy and his steps were unsteady.

"Old Liu, are you okay?" Zhou Jinhai asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit weak. I'll be fine after drinking some water." Liu Changsheng shook his head.

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Changsheng's legs gave out, and his body leaned to the side. Next to him was a pile with steel reinforcement.

Liu Changsheng was too weak to control his body and fell directly onto the steel frame.

"Ah!"

Liu Changsheng let out a scream.

"Emergency call, at the Yunmeng Commercial Street construction site near the Hedong government, a worker has fallen and been impaled by a steel bar. We need to send a doctor to the scene immediately. Who will go?" Cheng Guanhua asked.

"I'll go." Qin Chuan said.

"Alright, Qin Chuan will go. We need one more person." Cheng Guanhua looked at the others.

He Xiaokang stepped forward: "I'll go."

"Alright, the two of you. Hurry up and go." Cheng Guanhua said.

Fortunately, the traffic was good, and the ambulance arrived at the construction site in less than ten minutes.

When they arrived, another ambulance was already on the scene, likely from the city hospital, which was closer. The city hospital was one of the two top-tier hospitals in Tanshan City, but its medical standards were slightly lower than those of the central hospital.

The doctors and nurses from the city hospital were already treating the injured worker. Qin Chuan and He Xiaokang approached.

"Brother, how's the situation?" He Xiaokang was naturally friendly.

"You guys from the central hospital are pretty quick." The emergency doctor from the city hospital, Li Yujia, looked up at Qin Chuan and He Xiaokang.

"Fortunately, the traffic wasn't bad. But you were still faster." He Xiaokang laughed.

"The situation isn't good. A steel bar has pierced through his neck. Fortunately, it didn't damage the trachea or any major arteries. Otherwise, even if we had arrived earlier, it wouldn't have helped. The problem now is how to get him out." Li Yujia said.

"Can we just pull him out directly?" He Xiaokang asked.

"I wouldn't dare. If you're willing, you can try. If you pull it out and rupture a major artery, he'll die instantly. There won't be enough time to get him to the hospital." Li Yujia shook his head.

Qin Chuan frowned. If the steel bar was pulled out, even if the fire department came and used any method to cut the steel, it could worsen the patient's condition. The patient was already severely injured, and the bleeding was getting worse. Any delay could be fatal.

"What do you plan to do?" Qin Chuan asked.

"Wait for the fire department. They can use a cutting machine to cut the steel bar or a hydraulic cutter to cut it." Li Yujia said.

"But any method could worsen the patient's condition. What if the cutting damages the trachea or a major artery? The injury site is very delicate, and the cutting will cause severe vibrations, which could be fatal." Qin Chuan said.

"Do you have a better idea? If you do, you can take over. I'm not saying this out of spite. We're all here to save lives. In a situation like this, whoever can help should step up." Li Yujia said.

Although Li Yujia's words had a hint of frustration, they were not wrong. In such a situation, saving the patient's life should be the top priority.

Qin Chuan carefully examined the situation and said, "If we keep the patient's body stable and remove the steel bar directly, it would be safer than using a machine. If handled properly, it shouldn't worsen the injury. We need to stop the bleeding immediately after removing it. We can't delay any longer."

Li Yujia immediately stepped aside: "Brother, you take over."

"Qin Chuan." He Xiaokang quickly tried to stop him. This patient was a tough case. The injury was severe, and any mistake could be fatal. If Qin Chuan took over from the city hospital doctor, he would be taking on a significant responsibility.

"Saving the patient is the priority." Qin Chuan walked up without hesitation.

"Brother, how are you feeling? The injury is very dangerous, and we can't use a cutting machine to cut the steel bar, as it would worsen your condition. You've already lost a lot of blood and need to get the steel bar out as soon as possible. Follow my instructions. Don't panic. I'll do my best to save you." Qin Chuan approached the patient, who was still conscious, and quickly explained.

The patient was Liu Changsheng. He couldn't speak but nodded to show he understood.

Everyone at the scene held their breath, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.