Surgery Godfather

Everyone hurried to bring the outdoor items into the house.

Inside the house, under the eaves, even the room where Mago held the health station, were crowded with villagers seeking shelter from the rain.

Some seized the opportunity to consult with the doctor, even if they just asked a couple of questions, they’d feel reassured. Yang Ping patiently answered them all.

The free consultation continued in this manner.

Mago brought out disposable cups, poured tea from the pot for everyone, and served melon seeds and peanuts in the hall on a tray.

People were standing, sitting, or squatting.

“This rain is too heavy.” Someone lit a cigarette.

“Didn’t the weather forecast say it would be clear? How did it suddenly start raining, and so heavily?” Someone was looking on a cell phone.

The liaison was wiping his camera. It had gotten wet in the rain. He felt bad about it, and gingerly wiped it, breathing heavily.

The rain was getting heavier—it wasn’t rain, it was a flood – everything outside was blurred.

After wiping the camera, the liaison started making calls, reporting the situation here.

Several people wearing raincoats and straw hats came in from the rain, their feet covered with mud.

“How’s the dock?”

Village Chief Fang removed his hat and started gathering the information everyone had gathered.

“It’s broken.”

The dock was made of wood and used for selling fish.

The village planned to build a stone and concrete dock, but it had not yet been started.

“What about the fishing site?”

“Just checked, it’s okay. The water’s too high, the drainage ditch at the construction site is too small, we need to dig a bigger one next time.”

They stuck out their feet and let the rain wash away the mud.

Village Chief Fang wasn’t worried about other places; he was only concerned about these two spots.

It rained heavily for a full two hours before it gradually stopped.

Yang Ping had seen a dozen patients in the hall during that period. For those who needed medication, Mago had provided it.

The liaison made another call and said after hanging up, “The sudden weather change may cause heavy rain in the afternoon. The office asks us to return earlier.”

Then they called the driver to wait at the entrance of the village. The driver hadn’t left and had been sleeping in the car, just thinking about coming over for a meal.

This weather was strange, the rain had stopped, the clouds had cleared, and the sun was out again.

“Doctor Yang, because of the sudden weather change, the office has asked us to leave earlier and eat lunch when we get back. Sorry to inconvenience you both.”

“No problem! Let’s go back while it’s not raining.” Yang Ping and Xiao Su started packing their things.

The liaison told Mago, “I’ll come back to collect the items in a few days. The office has requested we send everyone back first.”

Mago said, “You’re so far from home, treating everyone’s ailments. Eat a meal before you go back, I’ll make it right now, it won’t take long. I caught some fish from the reservoir this morning.”

“No, Mago. I’m really sorry, the weather is changing, the office is probably worried about safety issues.” The liaison was in a dilemma.

Given the government’s request, there was no need to put these guys in a difficult position.

Mago brought out a few bags of local specialties: “Take these back for the doctors.”

“You shouldn’t be so polite.” Xiao Su declined.

Mago was annoyed, “These are all dry goods, take them back to the city. Don’t dismiss them, I’ll help you carry them and put them in the car later.”

The old lady sat under the eaves, smiling all the time, not knowing what she was saying.

Mago explained to everyone, “Grandma is telling me not to dawdle, and let you all go back early. There might be more rain later.”

Everyone hurried to pack their things. In fact, there weren’t many items – just two backpacks.

“Where’s the Village Chief?” Mago asked.

“He went to check the reservoir dock. They all went.” One of the women who hadn’t left yet said.

The dock was a few hundred meters away.

“We don’t have much luggage, we’ll walk. We’ll just head back the way we came.” The liaison said.

Mago insisted on escorting them, asking the woman to inform the village chief, and picking up the local specialties herself, “I’ll walk you out.”

They all headed back the way they had come.

The two hours of heavy rain had significantly raised the water level in the reservoir.

The sound of the drainage ditches on the slope was roaring, guiding the water from the mountain into the reservoir. Many fish were swimming in the reservoir, surfacing to breathe.

The liaison walked in front, holding his camera and occasionally taking pictures.

Yang Ping walked in the middle, and Mago held Xiao Su’s hand and walked behind, chatting as they walked.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the construction site for the fishing station.

The water in the drainage ditch was rushing, all yellow mud water, creating a large yellow stain in the reservoir which kept expanding.

Because the drainage ditch was too small, it had overflowed, and yellow mud water flowed down from all over the hillside. The road was also covered with it.

There was some mud accumulated on the road, probably slid down from above.

Yang Ping was considering whether to carry Xiao Su when Mago offered, “I’ll carry you over, there’s too much mud.”

“No need, I’m fine.” Xiao Su modestly declined.

Mago seeming to sense something was wrong, walked back for about ten meters to look up at the mountain. Xiao Su stopped to wait for her.

In front of them blocked by a pile of mud. The liaison attempted to find a clean gap to cross, but there was no gap to step through. He stopped and took photos with his camera.

A sound of mud loosening was heard followed by a landslide.

Danger! Yang Ping had a keen sense of this, he urged the liaison in front to move quickly, but the liaison hesitated.

Suddenly, there was a strong vibration, a loud noise, rumbling! Continuing sounds of landslide!

Yang Ping’s heart pounded with fear. Looking up, he saw the entire slope collapsing. There was no time to react as he was toppled over by a vast, violent force.

In that instant, there wasn’t even time to comprehend what was happening.

Yang Ping was down on the ground, covered by earth. Struggling, he freed himself from the comparatively small amount of dirt that had piled on him.

After a brief moment of mental blankness, it dawned on him – a landslide.

The liaison officer who had been standing in front of him was gone, replaced by a mound of earth that was at least a person’s height.

Xiao Su, Yang Ping thought, forcing himself to turn around.

She was lying on the ground, half of her body buried in the soil near the guardrail of the reservoir. She tried to crawl out but couldn’t move. The thick layers of the soil entrapped her legs.

Mago was nowhere to be found, which terrified Xiao Su to tears.

Without any hesitation, Yang Ping rushed towards Xiao Su and grabbed her shoulders, attempting to pull her out.

It was impossible. The piled-up soil had to be cleared away first. There was just too much of it and it was too thick.

“Help!” he cried out.

Simultaneously, he started to scoop away the soil with his hands. Xiao Su was shaking all over, not knowing how to react, and she kept crying. She was staring upwards with a look of utter terror in her eyes.

While frantically digging, Yang Ping followed her gaze up.

A shiver ran down his spine, every pore on his body contracted.

A huge boulder was looming just over them, less than thirty meters away, looking dangerously likely to crash down any second.

The flat surface of the hillside had completely collapsed. The enormous piece of rock sat precariously on the newly formed slope, ready to tumble down and crush them at any moment.

This wasn’t just a rock weighing several tons. It must have been dozens of tons.

“Don’t be afraid! I’m here!”

Yang Ping tried to reassure her, keeping his voice as calm as he could.

Xiao Su nodded, biting her lip. Her sobs grew quieter, but her body continued to tremble.

The landslide was still in progress, even the areas that had already collapsed were unstable.

There was a rumbling sound as more soil and rocks cascaded down the hillside. A stone of considerable size, weighing at least a hundred pounds, rolled past Yang Ping.

Yang Ping swallowed, forcing himself to stay calm.

He had no time to think. He just needed to get Xiao Su out and fast!

His hands didn’t cease in their frantic digging, as though they were not flesh and blood, but tools for survival.

More rocks came tumbling down. The soil supporting the boulder loosened and the boulder moved a bit further forward, looking dangerously close to rolling downhill.

“Get out of here, go now!”

Noticing the change in the boulder’s position, Xiao Su realized the imminent danger. She cried out and pushed Yang Ping forcefully. Better to have one life spared than both perishing, she reasoned.

The boulder was right above them, and there was nothing to stop or divert it once it rolled down. If it did, neither of them would escape alive, they would be crushed to death.

“Don’t worry, we have time,” Yang Ping tried to sound confident and calm.

He had to remain composed and confident.

“Speak softly, don’t provoke it,” Yang Ping said jokingly, masking his fear with humor.

At first, he was digging and shouting simultaneously. Now, he dared not shout anymore for fear that the sound waves would cause vibrations, upsetting the fragile balance and making the rock roll down.

The soil was hard to clear. Each time he cleared a portion, more would collapse around it.

Yang Ping’s hands were coated in blood. In that moment, he had forgotten all about the pain, forgotten that those were his hands. All he knew was that they were his only tools for survival.

He managed to clear most of the soil above Xiao Su’s thighs.

Yang Ping tried pulling her out again, and Xiao Su tried to crawl out too. But she still couldn’t move.

There was a cracking sound. The boulder tipped a little more, teetering on the edge of rolling downhill.

“Don’t worry, it will wait for us,” Yang Ping reassured Xiao Su while feeling his heart rise to his throat.

Her knee was now visible. Finally, part of her lower body was exposed. He tried to pull her out once more, but it was still impossible.

Although an atheist, Yang Ping found himself praying for divine intervention, pleading for more time, even just a bit more.

With no other options, he continued scooping the soil perseveringly with his hands.

He thought about going up to the boulder and trying to wedge something under it to stop it from rolling, but quickly abandoned the idea. The slightest misstep could cause it to lose balance, making the situation worse.

At this point, any wrong decision could prove lethal. He absolutely couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Xiao Su watched Yang Ping while tearfully sobbing, allowing him to continue his frantic excavation.

Her lower legs were finally exposed. Yang Ping attempted to pull her out again, but it was still impossible.

Yang Ping looked up at the boulder. With his vision blurred by sweat, he continued to dig.

At last, he managed to fully unearth her. Yang Ping quickly pulled Xiao Su out, dragging her as far away as possible from the unstable slope.

There was a crack and the final point of support gave way. Unable to hold on any longer, the boulder began to barrel down the slope with a force that could flatten mountains.

Damn! He had barely pulled Xiao Su out, when in the blink of an eye, Yang Ping threw himself over her to shield her from the impending disaster.

The rock rolled down, crashing into the water, sending up a spray of water in all directions.

“Yang Ping!”

Xiao Su screamed.

There was no answer.

“Yang Ping—”

Xiao Su’s cry echoed in the silence, followed by the sound of her sobbing hysterically.

She carefully held Yang Ping, turning him over gently, laying him down, crying as she inspected his injuries.

“I’m alive…”

He mustered a weak voice.