Free Web NovelChapter 295: Chapter 234: On the Operating Table?
"Sister, step aside, and I’ll tell you, delaying rescue time is breaking the law! Even if he’s your husband, you don’t have the right to decide his fate!"
"I’m done for, I’m done for!"
Cao Yi’s words did not intimidate this rural woman in the slightest. She clung to him desperately despite being scared for half a day. Every time Cao Yi moved, the woman’s clothes got more disheveled. All the while, onlookers were taking photos, making everyone hesitant to step forward and help.
The surrounding laborers crowded around the white hats, shouting: "What you bosses do, we don’t care; we just want our pay!"
Seeing this, the white hat stepped onto a slope to gain higher ground and loudly declared:
"Your wages aren’t our concern. We have already paid the progress payments to your foreman according to the contract!
Today’s incident really has nothing to do with our company!
However, we will still offer some help! On behalf of the company, I’m offering a subsidy of two thousand yuan for medical costs!" free𝑤ebnovel.com
Upon hearing this, the woman became even more furious:
"Two thousand? Is Hu San’s life only worth two thousand? I’m telling you, if something happens to Hu San today, you won’t be able to cover it up!"
With that said, she held onto Cao Yi even tighter.
Seeing this situation, it seemed she was ready to sacrifice her man for wealth and honor.
A white-coated man nearby tried to scare her off: "What are you blocking for! The bleeding has stopped! If he’s taken to the hospital now, there’s a high chance he won’t die. But if he dies because of your delay, that’s murder!"
The people around immediately stepped back a good distance.
Taking his chance, Cao Yi forcefully shook himself free of the woman.
"Zeng Zhigao! Go in!"
Zeng Zhigao and Hu Hongzhi immediately took up a cutter and went inside, while Xiao Haishan, showing great bravery, stood alone at the entrance to the steel reinforcement platform construction corridor, blocking the way with an immovable stance.
The woman, thrown to the ground, began to beat the ground and wail:
"He’s hitting me! The man in the military uniform is hitting me! You’re all in it together with those on the construction site! Don’t let him leave, or Hu San’s jump will be in vain!"
The composition of the migrant workers was actually quite complex, and not all of them were good people. At the woman’s call, several workers came forward, shouting:
"Right! He can’t leave! Hu San is in this state; we need an explanation today! If we can’t get our pay today, we’ll never get it!"
Fang Huai looked around and saw that due to a man impaled with rebar, more and more onlookers gathered, and their blockade made it impossible to leave for a while.
Charging through wasn’t an option; a conflict between military personnel and local civilians would be a serious matter.
With no other choice, Fang Huai stepped forward and loudly said:
"Don’t make any moves yet; I’ll show you a way out, alright?"
Cao Yi heard this and quickly turned back, giving Fang Huai a fierce stare. freёwebnoѵel.com
But finally, someone offered a solution, and the crowd grew quiet.
"Fang Huai, this is a civil dispute, even the police can’t handle it; don’t talk nonsense! You really can’t solve this problem!" barked Cao Yi loudly.
Fang Huai smiled: "I indeed cannot solve it, but the State can, there are laws for this."
The surrounding laborers deflated upon hearing this.
"You young kid, you talk just like them, always telling us to rely on the law... What basis! Show us the contract; we’re all casual laborers, who has contracts?
We’ve asked around; they tell us to find a lawyer! We can barely afford food, how can we afford a lawyer?"
The workers’ words emboldened the man with the white hat a bit; he crossed his arms confidently.
They had no contract with the company and couldn’t afford to sue; if anyone was to be found, it had to be the foreman.
However, Fang Huai looked at the blue vests with the company logo printed on them and smiled: "You are employees of Baiyun Tiancheng Construction Company, how could you have no contract?"
With these words, the white hat immediately spoke up:
"Young man, don’t spout nonsense. Our company only has a contract with Chen Daqiang. Even the clothes are borrowed from us, others are employed by him, it’s none of our business!"
"See! That’s what they say! They say it’s not related to us and tell us to go to Chen Daqiang for our pay!"
"Right! Whenever there’s an inspection, they ask us to say we are regular employees of Tiancheng Company, wearing the company’s clothes and hats. But once something happens, they change their tune, not taking any responsibility!"
The laborers’ voices surged once more.
Fang Huai immediately raised his hand: "Today is April 26, right? In just five more days, you won’t need to sue! The State’s ’Labor Arbitration Law’ will officially come into effect from May 1st this year! Without a contract, you only need to go to the labor bureau, apply for labor arbitration, and it won’t cost you a penny!
They must sign a contract with you within a month! If they refuse to sign a contract, even better, they have to pay you double the monthly wages!
Just go after Baiyun Tiancheng Company, the money that belongs to the subcontractor, they must pay you first! If they refuse to pay, you can have their construction qualification revoked, preventing them from securing future projects, and even have their license canceled!
Keep your evidence well, vests with their company logo, safety helmets, IOU’s for wages; go to the labor bureau and sue them, and don’t accept mediation. Try to transfer the matter to the labor inspection brigade! They will soon face enforcement action!"
In fact, labor arbitration was quite a hassle for others, involving long queues, but for migrant workers, there was a priority for quick processing and expedited resolutions.
One could say that at the onset of this labor arbitration, the majority was meant to consider these migrant workers, who commonly lacked labor contracts.
At these words, the man with the white hat immediately started whispering to a bespectacled man beside him.
The man with glasses nodded slightly and whispered back a few words to the white hat.
The white hat’s face changed colors, and he pointed at Fang Huai, saying:
"Which Fire Brigade are you from? Don’t spread rumors; I will sue you! I’ll remember you!"
Cao Yi also furrowed his brow and came forward, whispering:
"Fang Huai, is there really such a law? If you’re not sure, don’t talk nonsense!"
Fang Huai chuckled, then loudly said, "Me, spreading rumors? Just on the 14th of this month, the CCTV evening news talked about this. It will officially go into effect on May 1st, Labor Day! Those who don’t believe it can pull out their phones now and call 12333 to inquire!
You should report to 110 now, have them make a record of it! It can serve as evidence, to prevent them from shirking responsibility!"
As soon as Cao Yi heard Fang Huai announcing the time as if he were precisely cuing a performance, he stopped talking and just stared at that insolent guy in the white hat, making him uneasy.
Everyone also noticed that this Fire Brigade and the guy in the white hat were really not getting along.
The red-hatted contractor showed a look of joy on his face.
After all, these days half the time spent on construction is working, and the other half is spent trying to collect payments. Prompting laborers to create trouble, to jump off buildings, and even taking laborers to petition against themselves to force the main contractor or the client to cough up the money—none of these were uncommon tactics.
With this new avenue, there was yet another method for collecting debts.
"We’ve already called 110! We called them first! These heartless bosses, they have caused a death! We want to report this and have them arrested!" a laborer shouted loudly.
Fang Huai frowned and asked, "Did you say there’s already someone severely injured on site?"
"That’s what I said—I said the construction site boss owed debts, drove people to their deaths! Told them to hurry up and arrest the person!"
Fang Huai listened and was left speechless.
No wonder the authorities haven’t arrived yet with the way you’ve reported this.
Which police officer wouldn’t be frustrated?
It’s very likely that the Command Center thought they were making a nuisance report, and didn’t send any police at all.
"Call again! Just say there’s a dispute, and someone has already suffered major injuries from jumping off a building! Clear the way!"
...
Cutting a piece of steel rebar wasn’t difficult. It was just a matter of being more careful when lifting it onto the stretcher. By the time the police arrived, the ambulance had already left.
The facts were just as Fang Huai had guessed. Their Command Center had simply instructed a nearby team handling another case to swing by whenever they could after finishing their current task—it hadn’t even mentioned someone had jumped from a building—until the second call was made, which got the team racing over promptly.
What followed was a lesson in how to behave.
"Do you think you’re all carrying the imperial edict, that we should arrest anyone just because you say so? Can’t you just report the facts when you call the police?!"
A group of laborers, faced with uniformed officers, were even more frightened than if they had seen someone in military garb; they didn’t dare to ramble on any further.
Fang Huai helped to negotiate with them, mentioning that these people needed help from the labor bureau. The leading officer arranged for someone to take notes and left a phone number with the laborers, saying they could send someone to accompany them later.
Cao Yi also explained the situation about the woman obstructing their rescue efforts, saying the contractor had incited the laborer named Hu San to jump off the building to demand his pay.
The police officers’ demeanor instantly changed, and the instructional tone they had earlier adopted disappeared as they ordered to take the two people away for questioning.
At that, the red-hatted contractor couldn’t smile anymore, and the woman, finally realizing the seriousness of her mistake, was crying and howling as she was taken onto the police car.
Just as everyone was about to leave,
Cao Yi’s phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, then answered on speakerphone.
"Comrade, this is from the district hospital! We need your help! The steel rebar protruding from his buttocks is too long, it’s inconvenient for us to conduct exams and surgery. Can you come to our hospital and help cut it?"
Everyone looked at each other, bewildered.
Cao Yi had never encountered such a situation before and hesitated slightly, "... How short do you need it?"
"Just cut as much as you can! The shorter the part left outside the body, the better!"
"Okay, we’ll be right there!"
...
When they stopped at the hospital entrance, Cao Yi faced a mountain of equipment and had a hard time deciding.
Fang Huai, just out of the car, promptly made a decision for him: "Leave the cutter, use the bolt cutters! Take the hydraulic set, the electric one is too weak!"
Cao Yi frowned, "Isn’t that too heavy? What if it twists... Are you confident?"
Even Hu Hongzhi, who was usually all smiles, became somber:
"Those steel rebars are pretty thick. It’s not going to be easy. The cutter took quite a while to get through them just now!"
Fang Huai spread his hands, "What’s to be done then? Are you planning to jump onto the operating table with a cutter? That spot is right next to his treasure, you dare to cut that close to flesh? Let alone cutting wrong, even the sparks flying about... tsk."
All present tensed, feeling a collective shiver down their spine.
Cao Yi too felt a chill in his teeth.
"So, who’s going to operate it later?"
Fang Huai shook his hands out.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Fang Huai chuckled, "Let Squad Leader Zeng operate it. Squad Leader Hu can help him with the equipment."
Hu Hongzhi immediately looked displeased: "Here I thought you were all excited to do it yourself!"
Fang Huai smirked, "Of course I’m going to do it! Is the most important job operating the tool? No, it’s holding the steel rebar!"
