Chapter 51

Xiao Yuanhang stuck his head out of the dining car window and looked towards the front of the train. Ahead was a small curve, and with the large trees on both sides of the track blocking the view, he couldn't see what was happening up ahead. Soon, he saw the train conductor running up from behind, holding a rolled-up signal flag.

Xiao Yuanhang asked, "Master, what happened up ahead?"

The train conductor, still running, replied, "I don't know either. It might be a collision. I'm going to check it out."

Watching the train conductor run off, Xiao Yuanhang couldn't help but sigh at the inconvenience of the lack of advanced communication. Even in the mid-1990s, wireless train dispatching was already in use. If anything happened, the driver and the train conductor could just contact each other via radio, without all this trouble.

After about ten minutes, the train conductor ran back from the front. Xiao Yuanhang leaned out and asked, "Master, what's going on?"

The train conductor said, "Someone was crossing the tracks, and the driver couldn't brake in time. The person was hit but not seriously injured. Her family is nearby, and they've already come. The station police are here too. She's been taken to the hospital. Everything's fine, and we're about to depart!"

The train's air brakes were released, and after two brief brake tests, the locomotive let out a long whistle, and the train slowly started moving. Xiao Yuanhang habitually checked his watch; the delay had already caused the train to be 18 minutes late.

Xiao Yuanhang thought this was just a minor incident and nothing to worry about. However, just three minutes after the train started moving, the conductor of Car 8, Bian Xiaoyan, rushed into the dining car. Seeing Xiao Yuanhang sitting at the front, she hurried over and anxiously said, "Conductor, Car 5 just sent a message. When the train made an emergency stop, a pregnant woman in Car 5 was standing up to go to the toilet and was thrown to the ground. At first, she seemed fine, but after the train started moving, she began to feel severe abdominal pain. Now she's in unbearable pain and crying loudly in the carriage. It looks like she might be going into premature labor. You should go and check it out!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yuanhang grabbed his cap and put it on, then said to the police chief Wang Keqin, who was sitting nearby, "Brother Wang, come with me to the carriage." He then walked briskly towards the hard-seat carriages.

At this time, the method of information transmission on the train was very primitive. Any news had to be passed from one carriage to another by word of mouth. After being relayed by a dozen people, the message often became distorted, sometimes even completely different, leading to many misunderstandings. Xiao Yuanhang felt that no matter how the message was passed, the situation with the pregnant woman wouldn't be misrepresented. If she really was going into premature labor, it would be a serious problem on a train far from any town.

"Move aside, move aside!" The train was overcrowded, and the aisle was filled with passengers. Xiao Yuanhang shouted as he walked quickly forward. At this time, the railway was the dominant force, and passengers were intimidated. Seeing the conductor and the police chief, they all made way, and Xiao Yuanhang and Wang Keqin faced no obstacles.

As soon as he entered Car 5, Xiao Yuanhang saw a crowd of passengers gathered around a seat in the middle. A young woman was crying hoarsely. This carriage was being managed by his master, Li Guiying, who was comforting the pregnant woman and maintaining order.

Xiao Yuanhang pushed through the crowd and asked loudly, "What's going on here?"

Seeing the conductor and the police chief, the passengers made way, and Xiao Yuanhang saw a young pregnant woman lying on a seat, clutching her stomach and rolling in pain. A young man, drenched in sweat, was holding her arm, at a loss for what to do. It was clear that this young man was her husband.

The man, seeing Xiao Yuanhang, fell to his knees as if he had found a lifeline. He bowed his head and pleaded desperately, "Conductor, please, save my wife. She's in trouble and about to give birth!"

Xiao Yuanhang, with his years of experience as a conductor, remained calm in emergencies. A new conductor would have panicked and not known what to do.

Xiao Yuanhang helped the man up and said loudly, "Don't panic. Tell me what happened. Don't be afraid; I'm here, and everything will be fine!"

In handling such emergencies, Xiao Yuanhang was experienced. Telling the man that everything would be fine gave him confidence and calmed him down, making it easier to handle the situation.

"Everyone, don't crowd here. Move to the sides!" Police Chief Wang Keqin, impressed by Xiao Yuanhang's composure and expertise, maintained order.

The man, hearing Xiao Yuanhang's words, calmed down. He said, while protecting his wife, "My wife's due date is still a week away. I was taking her back to our hometown to give birth. When the train suddenly braked, she was thrown to the ground. At first, she seemed fine, but then she started having severe abdominal pain. It looks like she's going into labor. We're in the middle of nowhere on this train. What should we do?"

Xiao Yuanhang, who had dealt with childbirth on a train before, immediately had a plan. He said loudly to the man, "Don't be afraid. Follow my instructions!"

The man, feeling reassured, nodded repeatedly, "I'll follow you. I'll do whatever you say!"

Xiao Yuanhang pointed at the man and said, "Quickly pack your luggage and help your wife to the sleeping car!"

The man agreed and started gathering his luggage from the overhead compartment and under the seat. The pregnant woman, hearing the conversation, felt more secure and stopped crying as loudly, even helping her husband with the luggage.

Xiao Yuanhang turned to his master and said, "Li Guiying, send a message to the broadcast car to announce that there's a pregnant woman in labor and to find a doctor!"

In work and emergencies, Xiao Yuanhang could only call his master by her full name. Li Guiying agreed and ran off to pass the message.

Seeing that the couple had a lot of luggage, Xiao Yuanhang looked around and shouted, "Which passenger can help carry the luggage?"

"I, I, I..." The people at that time were simple and kind-hearted. Hearing Xiao Yuanhang's call, five or six passengers immediately stepped forward to help.

"Great! I'll thank you on behalf of the couple!" He then said to the man, "See if your wife can walk. If she can, help her. If not, carry her!"

Xiao Yuanhang, influenced by the man, also used the term "wife."

The man asked his wife, who, gritting her teeth, tried to stand but couldn't. The man then decisively picked her up.

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Come, carry her and follow me. Those helping with the luggage, follow behind." He led the way.

Police Chief Wang Keqin, seeing Xiao Yuanhang command like a seasoned general, felt that he didn't seem like an 18-year-old but rather an experienced veteran, calm and steady. He naturally stepped back, waiting for the passengers helping with the luggage to catch up before walking at the back, not out of distrust but out of professional habit.

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PS: Thank you all for your strong support, which has taken my book to a new level. I wish everyone a happy weekend!

Thank you to the readers "Jiuhou Buluanxing" and "Shudazi NO Xuanyuan" for your generous donations!

{Piaotian Literature}