Chapter 52

Xiao Yuanhang shouted "Excuse me, excuse me" all the way, pushing through the crowd in the carriage aisle, and led the people behind him into the dining car. When the dining car conductor Yang Dali and others saw them, they all gathered around to ask what was going on. Xiao Yuanhang, upon seeing Yang Dali, suddenly remembered that if the pregnant woman really gave birth on the train, they would need to prepare some food. There was none on the train, so he said to Yang Dali, "Director Yang, could you please boil some eggs? We might need them soon!"

"Sure thing!" Yang Dali replied, hurriedly arranging for the kitchen to boil the eggs.

Xiao Yuanhang did not stop there. He led the couple through the dining car to the soft sleeper compartment. At this point, the train's berths were fully occupied. He decisively opened the door to Soft Sleeper Compartment 9, allowing the man to carry his wife inside and lay her on the lower berth. He asked the helping passengers to stow the luggage under the berth, thanked them, and politely asked them to leave. The compartment was small and could not accommodate several people, and besides, it was inconvenient to have several men there.

The pregnant woman, lying on the berth, soon began to experience intense abdominal pain again. Her husband was anxious but helpless. Xiao Yuanhang tried to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. I've already asked for a doctor over the intercom. Once the doctor arrives, everything will be better!"

As soon as Xiao Yuanhang finished speaking, the train's intercom announced, "Attention all passengers, this is an urgent call for a doctor. Attention all passengers, this is an urgent call for a doctor. A pregnant woman on the train is about to give birth. Medical personnel on this train, please proceed to the soft sleeper compartment to assist! This announcement will be repeated..."

Upon hearing the call for a doctor, the pregnant woman seemed to receive some psychological reassurance. The pain in her abdomen seemed to lessen, and she tightly held her husband's hand, trying hard not to cry out.

Taking this opportunity, Xiao Yuanhang took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a note. Since it would take another hour to reach the next stop, Lintai Station, whether the pregnant woman gave birth on the train or not, she would need to be taken to the hospital for treatment. With the limited communication technology at the time, it was impossible to contact Lintai Station, so he had to resort to the most primitive method. When the train passed through a small station, he would have the train conductor "fly" a note to the assistant station master, asking them to contact Lintai Station via the dispatch phone and have an ambulance ready at the platform. Once the train arrived, the pregnant woman could be immediately taken to the ambulance, and if any unexpected situation occurred, it would buy time for medical treatment.

After writing the note, Xiao Yuanhang folded it and comforted the pregnant woman, who was anxiously waiting for the doctor. He then left the compartment to find the soft sleeper conductor, Dan Xiaoling, to pass the note to the train conductor at the rear of the train. However, he saw the water attendant, Lin Zhigang, walking over from the sleeper compartment.

"Lin Zhigang, come here!" Xiao Yuanhang called Lin Zhigang over and handed him the note, saying, "You personally deliver this note to the train conductor. When the train passes through the small station, have him 'fly' the note to the assistant station master, telling them that there is a pregnant woman on the train who is about to give birth and needs assistance from Lintai Station."

Although Lin Zhigang was very reluctant, Xiao Yuanhang was the duty train conductor, so he had no choice but to take the note and walk to the rear. In fact, he had come to gather information for the regular train conductor, Zhang Yaping, after hearing the call for a doctor. He had already obtained the information he needed from Xiao Yuanhang's instructions. The sleeping car was right next to the baggage car where the train conductor was stationed, so he could report back and pass the note to the train conductor on his way.

Xiao Yuanhang dared to entrust such an important task to Lin Zhigang for two reasons: first, he was afraid that if the train conductor received the message through the train attendant, it might be distorted and delay the process, and having Lin Zhigang deliver it was the most convenient and quick way. Second, he was confident that Lin Zhigang would not dare to "embezzle" such an important task.

After the call for a doctor was broadcast, five to six minutes passed without a single doctor appearing. Normally, when a critically ill patient appeared on the train, a call for a doctor would bring three or four doctors in no time. What was wrong today? Could there be no doctors on the train?

Glancing at the pregnant woman, whose contractions were becoming more intense, Xiao Yuanhang left the compartment and called the soft sleeper conductor, saying, "Dan Xiaoling, go to the broadcast car and ask Zhao Lili to broadcast the call for a doctor two more times."

Dan Xiaoling agreed and headed to the hard sleeper compartment, where the broadcast room was located. It was not far away. The broadcast operator, Zhao Lili, was part of the crew.

Before Xiao Yuanhang could enter the compartment, he saw the train conductor walking over with a lunch box. He quickly greeted him, saying, "Master, did you receive the note I had the water attendant deliver?"

"What note? I didn't receive any!" the train conductor replied, looking puzzled.

Xiao Yuanhang's heart sank. At that moment, he did not have time to be angry with Lin Zhigang. He explained, "There is a pregnant woman on the train who is about to give birth. It will take nearly an hour to reach Lintai Station, and she must be taken to the hospital for treatment. I was afraid of any unexpected situations, so I wrote a note asking you to 'fly' it at the next small station to contact Lintai Station and have an ambulance ready. I had the water attendant deliver it to you just now."

The train conductor said, "No, no one delivered a note to me. I didn't see him on my way here either!"

Xiao Yuanhang did not have time to hold Lin Zhigang accountable. He said to the train conductor, "Master, I'll write another note for you to 'fly' it."

"Sure, sure!" the train conductor looked at his watch and said, "We have 11 minutes until the next small station. There's still time. You write it, and I'll go get some food and be right back."

Xiao Yuanhang quickly entered the compartment, took out paper and pen, and wrote another note. The train conductor returned with his food in less than two minutes and hurriedly walked to the rear of the train with the note...

After the second urgent call for a doctor, no doctor appeared. Xiao Yuanhang, anxious, stood at the door of the compartment, constantly looking around. The intervals between the pregnant woman's contractions were getting shorter, and if no doctor appeared soon, it would be a problem.

At this moment, a well-dressed, elegant, and beautiful woman, about 30 years old, walked over from the sleeper compartment. Seeing Xiao Yuanhang with the train conductor badge, she approached and asked, "Conductor, are you looking for a doctor?"

Xiao Yuanhang's heart lifted, and he quickly replied, "Yes, a pregnant woman is about to give birth, and the situation is very urgent. Are you a doctor?"

The woman said, "I'm not a doctor, but I was a barefoot doctor in the countryside. Although I haven't delivered a baby before, I do have some knowledge in this area!"

A barefoot doctor would do! The situation was urgent, and Xiao Yuanhang had no other choice. He thanked her repeatedly and invited her into the compartment to examine the pregnant woman.

The woman did not hesitate. She entered the compartment, asked the pregnant woman about her symptoms and feelings, and then examined her. At this point, Xiao Yuanhang and Wang Keqin stepped outside the compartment, leaving only the pregnant woman's husband inside.

A short while later, the compartment door opened, and the woman poked her head out, saying, "Conductor, the pregnant woman is about to give birth. She must be taken to the hospital. How long until the next station?"

Xiao Yuanhang looked at his watch and said, "The train is 15 minutes late. It will take about 45 to 50 minutes to reach the next stop, Lintai Station."

The woman shook her head and said, "It might be too late. We need to prepare for the delivery on the train."

Xiao Yuanhang said, "This compartment can serve as a temporary delivery room. What else do you need? I'll get it for you right away!"

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PS: It's the weekend, but Old Qu needs to work overtime. Before I leave, I'd like to ask for your favorites and recommendations. Thank you!

{Piaotian Literature}