Chapter Eight: Doing Good is Accumulating Virtue (Part Two)

“This young man is absolutely right. Xiao Wang, haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘No investigation, no right to speak’? Let me examine the mother and daughter first—then we’ll know whether this young man is truly skilled or not.”

Li Zhengtang had returned to his family’s pharmacy on business today, and happened to witness this scene as he passed by. Initially, he too intended to help treat the mother and daughter. But when he saw Liu Fan’s exquisite and masterful acupuncture technique, he felt inferior even to himself. When he then saw Wang Wenkui’s relentless, aggressive behavior, he decided to step in and stop him. Of course, he was also curious to test Liu Fan’s medical skills.

“Yes, yes, Elder Li, you’re right, I was being rash.” Facing Li Zhengtang—a titan of traditional Chinese medicine with immense esteem in China’s medical circles—Wang Wenkui could only bow his head and force a smile.

Li Zhengtang stepped forward to take the pulses of the mother and daughter and perform an examination.

“Huh? Ah, this, this—this is nothing short of a miracle!” From calm composure to complete astonishment in a matter of seconds, Li Zhengtang endured a shock that words could not express, and then cried out in elation. In truth, it was no wonder he was so taken aback. He had carefully examined the two patients: just as Liu Fan had said, the young woman’s ribs were fractured, puncturing her lung, and the little girl had suffered intracranial bleeding from a blow to the head.

What shocked him was that, with such severe injuries, if they hadn’t received immediate treatment, their lives would have been at risk. Yet after Liu Fan’s intervention, both mother and daughter showed no sign of internal trauma—their pulses steady, their breathing calm. Admittedly, he himself could have treated the woman’s injuries, though not without the risk of lingering complications; but as for the girl’s head wound, even he was powerless, unless western medicine was used to perform a craniotomy, which would have its own dangers. The brain, as the most vital and complex organ, is not easily treated. No wonder Li Zhengtang had such a reaction.

“These two are out of danger now. With a little rest, they’ll be just fine.” Having composed himself, Li Zhengtang announced the news to the crowd with a smile.

A wave of applause broke out. No one knew who started it, but soon everyone present was clapping heartily. Their admiration for Liu Fan’s medical skills was genuine and unanimous.

“Hey, where’s the young miracle doctor? He’s gone.”

“I don’t know, he was just here a moment ago.”

“What a good man…”

People’s hearts were full of thoughts as Liu Fan quietly slipped away, but one thing was certain—they would not forget his face. He was now known among them as the “young miracle doctor.” Yet something happened that would trouble Liu Fan greatly in days to come: many among the crowd had recorded the entire rescue with their mobile phones and posted it online. Fortunately, mobile phone cameras weren’t very clear yet, so only blurry images were captured. That, however, is a story for another time.

“The waves of the Yangtze push the old before them, each new generation outshining the last. I am not walking this path alone!” Li Zhengtang had witnessed everything Liu Fan did, and saw him leave without so much as leaving his name. His heart was full of admiration—and a little helplessness at the passage of time.

“Xiao Wang, get the patients to the hospital at once—don’t delay their recovery.” With Liu Fan gone, Li Zhengtang’s interest faded. He gave his instructions to Wang Wenkui, then turned and left.

“Yes, yes, I’ll arrange it immediately. You there—get the patients onto the ambulance, send them to the hospital right away!” As Li Zhengtang walked off, Wang Wenkui reverted to his usual overbearing self and barked orders at the other doctors.

Soon the hospital ambulance left the scene, siren wailing.

“Captain Chen, what should we do with this guy?” After the ambulance drove off, a traffic officer quietly asked Chen Guoxiong.

“Drunk driving, arrogant attitude, insulting law enforcement, causing serious injuries—handle it by the book, and handle it strictly.” Chen Guoxiong’s face was dark as he gave his orders sternly.

“But… he’s the son of the deputy mayor and Party committee member…” the officer said, hesitating, his face full of worry.

“No buts. Do as I said. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. Also, make a copy of the accident from the nearby surveillance cameras and bring it to me. Have the team tow away the wrecked cars.” Chen Guoxiong knew his subordinate was looking out for him, but he despised the behavior of these “second-generation officials.” Having been sidelined by his superiors over the years, he was even less likely to compromise, his voice unwavering.

“Understood.” Those standing by him knew Chen Guoxiong’s character and didn’t try to dissuade him further, nodding their assent.

“What are you doing? Let go of me! Chen Guoxiong, are you looking for trouble? Do you know who I am? You’re just a lowly traffic division chief—believe it or not, I can have you fired tomorrow!” By now, Tian Bin was nearly sober. Seeing the officers preparing to take him away, he threatened them arrogantly.

“Take him away!” Chen Guoxiong, even angrier at Tian Bin’s threats, shouted and turned to get into his patrol car.

After the police cars left, the crowd gradually dispersed, the jam cleared, and the accident was at last settled. But no one could know that a storm was about to break.

In the provincial capital, inside the Party Committee Office Building—

“Hello, Director Qian? What wind blew you to call me today?”

“What…? You say Secretary Zhao’s daughter-in-law and granddaughter were in a car accident at South City Square, and have been sent to the Municipal People’s Hospital? All right, I’ll report to Secretary Zhao immediately—just take good care of them.” The man answering the phone was Deng Fangcheng, secretary to the Provincial Party Secretary and head of the Secretariat. He had just finished a meeting when he received the call from the city hospital. Realizing the gravity of the matter, he rushed off to the secretary’s office as soon as he hung up.

In the office, Secretary Zhao Changshan was reading documents when the door burst open with a bang. Seeing that it was his secretary, Zhao frowned. “Xiao Deng, as a government official, you must always be strict with yourself. Be steady in your work—especially as a secretary. Look at you now, rushing in like this—how will you ever get things done?”

“S-sorry, Secretary Zhao, it won’t happen again. The Municipal People’s Hospital just called—Miss Ningxiang and Little Ni were in a car accident at South City Square. They’ve just been admitted for emergency treatment.” Deng Fangcheng, breathless from running, explained as soon as he was inside.

“What did you say? Ningxiang and her daughter were in a car accident? How are they—are their injuries serious?” Even with his composure as a provincial-level official, Zhao Changshan’s heart leapt at the news. He stood up at once, anxiously asking for details.

“Contact the hospital leadership immediately—no matter what, ensure the safety of both mother and child. Get a car ready, we’re going to the hospital at once.” After a brief moment of panic, Zhao Changshan regained his composure and gave his orders crisply.

“Secretary Zhao, I’ve already spoken to Vice Director Qian. The car is waiting downstairs—we can leave at any time.” Deng Fangcheng reported his preparations.

“Good! Let’s go.” Satisfied with his secretary’s arrangements, Zhao strode out of the office.

Before long, they arrived at the Municipal People’s Hospital, where a doctor in a white coat came out to greet them. This was Vice Director Qian Sen, who had just called Deng Fangcheng. Qian Sen was a renowned specialist in both Chinese and Western medicine, and now, with the position of hospital director up for grabs, he was ambitious. Having once treated Zhao’s family at home, he recognized the significance of today’s patients and immediately called Deng, then waited at the hospital entrance.

“Secretary Zhao, the patients are in the intensive care unit. Though injured, they are no longer in danger. Please rest assured,” Qian Sen announced as he hurried to greet the party leader.

A sigh of relief escaped Zhao Changshan. He smiled at Qian Sen. “Vice Director Qian, you’ve done well. We’ll go see them now, please join us—I have questions for you.”

Qian Sen was overjoyed. “This time, I made the right call! If I get in with the Secretary, the post of director is as good as mine.” He kept his composure, however, and led the way with a smile.

Inside the intensive care unit, Zhao saw that, aside from minor surface injuries, his daughter-in-law and granddaughter were unharmed, and his heart finally settled. His expression immediately darkened as he turned to Qian Sen. “What exactly happened here? How could there be such an accident? And how are the traffic police handling it?”

“Secretary Zhao, according to the doctors who brought them back, the driver was drunk and ran a red light at the intersection by South City Square, colliding with Miss Ningxiang’s car and flipping it more than ten meters. The mother and daughter were severely injured and at risk of death. At that moment, a young man—just eighteen or nineteen, looked like a student—appeared and performed acupuncture with astonishing skill. In less than twenty minutes, he pulled both of them back from the brink. I heard that Elder Li Zhengtang was also present. Even he admitted he was outshone by the young man’s abilities. In the end, the young man left without a word—no one knows who he was. As for the traffic police… it seems Director Chen Guoxiong of the City Traffic Division detained the driver.”

Here, Qian Sen hesitated, but then, gritting his teeth, pressed on: “Secretary Zhao, it’s said the driver was Tian Bin, son of Deputy Mayor and Party Committee member Tian Jianhao. After the accident, he was extremely arrogant—even threatened to strip the uniform off the traffic officers.”

“Hmph! Utter lawlessness! Who gave him the right to act with such impunity? Xiao Deng, summon the City Public Security Director, and have Chen Guoxiong come as well. I want a full report on how this was handled!” Zhao Changshan banged the table in fury at Qian Sen’s account.