Chapter 240
- "Stop the civil war and unite to fight the war!"
- "Down with Japanese imperialism!"
- "I'd rather die in battle than be a slave of a conquered nation!"
- "Support the front line, defend Shanghai!"
- "Unite and face this national crisis together!"
On the streets of Shanghai, which is surrounded by an isolated island, there are not only idealists roaring with passion, but also secret battles hidden in the darkness.
Li Zhaodi is a traditional female name, so traditional that she has three older sisters and one younger brother. Fortunately, she found a job as a nanny for people living in a small Western-style building. She could not read and did not understand that those students from well-off families wandered around the streets every day shouting and might be arrested if they did not live a good life.
She knew that there was a war and people were dying. Anyway, people died every day, some died of starvation, some died of disease, some died of freezing, and it made no difference whether they died in the war. Alas, life just became more difficult.
She had been hiding a secret recently, and she couldn't understand how the owner could be so bold as to pick up an injured person on the street.
Those who were searched by the Japanese were all good people, but unfortunately the medicines they bought seemed to be ineffective, and the gentleman kept having a fever.
She carried a bamboo basket, frowning anxiously as she waited for the protesting students to pass by. She was also wondering where to find a doctor. Her employer had told her it would be great if there were some foreign medicine. As a live-in nanny, she was worried sick.
Many people were standing on both sides of the street waiting for the students to pass.
"Mrs. Lin, why did you bring your little son with you to church this time?"
Not far in front of Li Zhaodi stood two ladies in cheongsams. He was in a position where he could hear what they were saying. He wasn't trying to listen intentionally, but because he was speaking among the crowd shouting slogans, his voice would definitely be louder.
She understood what the two ladies were talking about. It was the religion that Westerners believed in. It was a Western thing and people who believed in it had to have some status.
"Isn't that Father Rong, the new priest in the church? He's such a skilled doctor. I went to all the hospitals run by that foreigner and couldn't get better. But Father Rong took my pulse and gave me acupuncture, and my health improved." Mrs. Lin touched her face while letting another lady take a look. Then she touched the head of the little boy next to her. "My child always complains of leg pain. I've seen Chinese and Western doctors. Why don't I take him to see the priest?"
"That's a good idea. I've also heard from others that the new priest is a very skilled doctor. Do priests in churches charge for treating patients?"
"Of course it's free, but we can't go empty-handed. I asked the servants to prepare five bags of food. It's at least a token of my appreciation." Another thing she didn't say was that Mrs. Lin felt that just looking at Father Rong's face was pleasing to the eyes.
"Hey, you know what? Those rumors out there are so scary. I can't rest easy unless I come to church and pray every day."
"You mean the hanged ghost, right? I've heard that many people have been hanged by the hanged ghost. This world is so chaotic that there are all kinds of monsters and demons?"
"That is to say, I not only bought the church cross, but also the Buddhist beads in my hand and the yellow talisman around my neck. They all cost a lot of money..."
As the parade passed by, the two ladies walked and chatted, their conversation drifting further and further away from the topic, and they didn't even notice there was a person following them.
Looking at the tall white building in front of her, Li Zhaodi tightly grasped the basket hanging on her arm and followed the two ladies in with some uneasiness.
There was no guard at the door to stop her, so it meant she could enter, right? Cautiously, she followed him in and suddenly felt a difference in the surroundings. It was like entering a temple or a Taoist temple, a quiet atmosphere. Just through a door, she could clearly feel the difference.
There were actually quite a few people sitting in the rows of chairs inside, many of them with their heads down whispering to each other, their voices very low and buzzing.
When Li Zhaodi saw the two ladies, they found a place to sit down. She also quickly looked around and found an empty seat in the corner. There was an old lady who was not dressed very well. Li Zhaodi did not dare to talk to the ladies in cheongsams and Western dresses, but she did not feel much pressure facing this old lady.
After preparing for a while, Li Zhaodi started talking to the old lady: "Auntie, do you often come here to worship the gods?"
"My dear, this is not called worship, this is called Mass."
"Huh?" Li Zhaodi didn't know what a Mass was, nor did she want to find out. "Auntie, I want to ask you something. I heard there's a very good doctor here."
"Are you here to see a doctor too?" The old lady was not surprised at all. It was obvious that she had encountered this situation many times.
"No, someone at home is sick. I've been to several pharmacies but nothing works. I heard there's a great doctor here, so I came to see him."
"You've come to the right place. There weren't so many people attending Mass before. Now, most of the people here are here to see a doctor," the chatty woman said, her voice chattering non-stop. "I see you're new here and don't know the rules. After Mass, go to that entrance over there and line up. Go early, you only have three hours of treatment. Once that time is up, the door will close."
Li Zhaodi looked over there. No wonder there were the most people sitting there. There was a small white arch in the middle of the church.
When she looked over, the small wooden door was opened from the inside. A tall figure in a black priest robe bent over and came in from outside, causing a small burst of exclamations and commotion, especially in the middle where there were the most people.
The lady next to her patted her shoulder and pointed over there: "That's Father Rong. He's so handsome. Why did you decide to become a priest?"
The old lady's tone was full of regret. What are you regretting? This old lady looks to be over 40 years old. How can she feel regret at staring at a priest in his 20s?
Take a closer look at the people in the church. Wow, 90% of those attending Mass are women, and the men account for less than 10%.
Are these people here to attend Mass or to see handsome men?
The reason why Li Zhaodi thought that was because she also liked to watch. She was embarrassed at first, but later she found that everyone was watching openly, so she squinted her eyes and looked more carefully. There were so many people watching, and she was not the only one.
Father Rong fits the aesthetic taste of most Oriental people very well. His every move can make wives, young and old, exclaim and laugh, and their eyes follow his movements towards the platform in front.
In a small western-style building somewhere, a young man looked out through the window from time to time, rubbing his hungry stomach. He was out for so long, why hadn't he come back yet?
It was not until a woman with a basket appeared in his sight that the young man finally waited for his mother Li to return.
The door was opened: "Master, let me tell you, I finally found..."
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