dkrc Chapter 20 Hypothermia
Chapter 20 Hypothermia
"Section Chief Xiao, can't we change it?"
Seeing Xiao Kai frown, Chen Tuo spoke first before Sun Changkui, whose eyes were darting around.
"This... Section Chief Sun..."
Looking at Chen Tuo with some difficulty, Xiao Kai decided to pass the problem on to Sun Changkui.
Both the forest farm and the forestry bureau have sufficient reserves of winter clothing.
According to the rules, Chen Tuo should be given at least thirty sets of cold-region cotton-padded clothes, worth nearly ten thousand yuan.
Trading in cotton-padded jackets, cotton-padded trousers, leather overcoats, cold-weather boots, and dog-face hats would yield about ten complete sets, worth at least five or six thousand yuan on the market...
At such a low price, forestry workers could only afford one or two items.
Starting with fifty or sixty items, it's not good to take advantage of such a big deal; those who share or take it are likely to get into trouble.
If things escalate, getting shot isn't out of the question.
"Xiao Xiao, unload everything from the car first. If anything is missing, we'll go back and ask..."
Even if the young Xiao Kai wanted to shirk responsibility, Sun Changkui wouldn't dare to take it on so easily.
As I said before, if the pay is too high, the forestry workers will have complaints.
Those who work on the front lines braving wind and snow will also have their complaints.
"Alright!"
Changing it according to the rules would have too many loopholes, so Xiao Kai dared not agree.
However, the clothes, blankets, and cooking utensils on the tractor were provided by the Lushu Forest Farm, which provided basic support for people to survive the winter in the Xingan Mountains.
Seeing the two of them looking troubled.
Although he was unclear about the rules for adjustment and replacement, Chen Tuo still realized that there was something going on in that pile of tattered cotton-padded coats, and it was something quite serious.
"Brother-in-law Sun, Section Chief Xiao, could you give me a few sets of vests and underwear? I'm currently wearing nothing underneath!"
As Chen Tuo opened his mouth, he also pulled open the collar of his cotton-padded jacket.
Seeing that Chen Tuo was only wearing a cotton-padded jacket, Sun Changkui and Xiao Kai were filled with shock.
Wearing this in the winter in the Xingan Mountains is tantamount to suicide.
To put it bluntly, Chen Tuo is at risk of freezing to death at any moment.
The frigid temperatures of minus forty degrees Celsius can freeze pheasants, rabbits, and even wild boars and wolves foraging in the wild directly onto the snow.
For humans, without adequate clothing to keep warm, temperatures of minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius are already the limit.
Wearing a cotton-padded jacket alone, let alone washing or mending it, it's just an old cotton-padded jacket that looks like a shell.
Even sheepskin cotton-padded coats worn alone in cold regions will have significantly reduced warmth.
"You came into this snowy place dressed like that?"
Sun Changkui had briefly mentioned to Xiao Kai on the way here that Chen Tuo had almost frozen to death.
As the head of the Logistics and Supplies Section of Songling Forestry Bureau, he was very clear about the standards for keeping warm while working and living in the forest area.
Xiao Kai could tell at a glance that Chen Tuo's cotton-padded jacket was only as warm as two single layers of clothing, and even slightly less so.
If there's no wind, wearing this outfit will barely keep you from freezing to death.
Braving the wind and snow, with no food left in their stomachs.
Who knows how long this tattered cotton-padded coat will last...
Perhaps, while we're talking, Chen Tuo will freeze in place.
"Uncle Sun, hurry up and take his fur coat down and put it on him! Isn't this just utter nonsense?"
The most terrifying aspect of hypothermia is not the low temperature.
Rather, it is a hallucination that occurs when a person is on the verge of death.
Once a person with hypothermia starts to feel hot, they will find a secluded corner and take off their clothes.
It's similar to not wanting to be disturbed before going to sleep.
The construction of the Nenlin Railway resulted in the deaths of at least a hundred people.
Songling and the surrounding forest areas experience similar injuries and fatalities every year.
At this point, they'll bring up Chen Tuo's identity again.
If he died of illness, then there's no problem.
If someone were to freeze to death in Songling, the consequences could be serious or minor.
Nobody cares about small things.
If someone is in charge, from the forestry bureau to the forest farm, and then to the logistics department, someone must step forward and take responsibility!
Xiao Kai is not like Chu Maolin, that good-for-nothing but empty-headed embroiderer; he actually wants to improve himself!
If Chen Tuozhen gets into trouble, he is the primary person responsible. How terrifying is that?
Realizing this, before Sun Changkui could even take his fur coat off the tractor, Xiao Kai quickly tried to fix it:
"Uncle Sun, take Old Zhang's Mongolian border guard robe, it'll keep you warm! Also, take a set of shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, a fleece jacket, and fleece trousers. Don't take the rest yet, go back and change."
Sun Changkui had no suspicions.
First, they took off the Mongolian-style border guard robe from tractor driver Lao Zhang, then they gave Chen Tuo underwear and fleece pants, watched him change, and then walked back with Xiao Kai.
After leaving the Xiaoyangqi educated youth settlement, Xiao Kai sat in the cab of a tractor that had been used by three people.
"Uncle Sun, Chen Zhiqing didn't freeze to death; he got hypothermia. If he suddenly dies, I'll be in big trouble..."
From taking a fur coat to taking the Mongolian border guard robe of tractor driver Lao Zhang, Xiao Kai, who had just arrived at the educated youth settlement, had racked his brains.
Hypothermia is very easy to treat; a sip of strong liquor will usually cure it.
However, there are times when hypothermia is incurable.
According to Sun Changkui, Chen Tuo's symptoms had lasted all night and were classified as hypothermia, which Xiao Kai believed was incurable.
The person looks fine, but their internal organs are frozen. At this point, drinking strong liquor or gasoline won't help at all.
Chen Tuo died of hypothermia at the educated youth settlement. The farm headquarters still had his brand-new winter clothes, which was just self-inflicted eye drops.
Tractor driver Lao Zhang's Mongolian-style border guard robe was covered in oil stains and was filthy. If Chen Tuo froze to death while wearing it, then it was an accident.
"No way! He drank over a pound of liquor last night!"
Hypothermia is something that not only Xiao Kai is familiar with, but Sun Changkui is even more familiar with.
Not to mention the wolf meat from last night, a pound of Songling white wine with a temperature of 60-70 degrees Celsius is enough to cure hypothermia.
"Uncle Sun, didn't my Aunt Lingzi save him? Do you think he might have suffered internal injuries from the frostbite?"
After hearing Sun Changkui's explanation, Xiao Kai was even more certain that Chen Tuo's hypothermia was incurable.
Even if someone seems perfectly fine now, they might never get up again once they lie down.
"Lingzi didn't say anything when she got home, only that she was saved. What should we do?"
One problem after another befell Chen Tuo.
It is indeed a pity that young people have died in Songling.
If an investigation team is brought in, the outcome can only be described as terrible.
"Uncle Sun, how about this? The factory has a batch of Mongolian border guard robes, fur-lined cotton-padded coats, and tall boots. If he's free, could we get him some old ones, and also get some grains and potatoes from the bureau's canteen and send them to him?"
After Xiao Kai finished speaking, the worry on Sun Changkui's face was instantly replaced by anger; this was an attempt to confuse the issue.
"Xiao Xiao, sigh... let's just leave it at that for now..."
Just as he was about to yell at him, Sun Changkui, thinking of the consequences of attracting the investigation team, had no choice but to compromise once again.
If Chen Tuo were from the forest farm, then providing adequate compensation would be sufficient.
But he was still wearing the sign of being an educated youth; if he were to die, it would have to be reported up the chain of command.
In the past, this wouldn't have been a big deal.
But that's not possible now. Ninety-nine percent of the educated youth have returned to the city, and the people in the educated youth office are idle!
If any problems are discovered, it could implicate the recently reinstated former forestry managers, and the forestry production in Songling would be affected.
In the Xiaoyangqi educated youth settlement, Chen Tuo, who had just changed into his underwear and fleece pants, was watching the departing tractor with a wicked grin.
Wu Laowai didn't mention that he was taking ginseng, and Dr. Hu Yuling probably didn't explain it clearly either.
As a result, he only tugged at his collar, and Xiao Kai panicked. If this guy came again, he'd at least have to show some sincerity, right...?