Besieged on all sides
On the first day, Gao Junxiao brought a book that he claimed was meaningful so he could read it when he was bored. If it weren't for Xiao Li and her colleagues from the newspaper being there, she would have wanted to throw the book in his face when she saw the title. Screw his "Zizhi Tongjian" (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government), is this a book to read while recuperating? Why didn't he bring the "Twenty-Four Histories"?
He didn't come the next day. All that was missing was a copy of the *Records of the Grand Historian* delivered by Lieutenant Lu, along with the message, "If she can't finish reading the *Twenty-Forty Histories* during one hospital stay, I'll buy her the rest later." She was utterly speechless.
On the third day, he still didn't come. There were too many people the day before, and the breakup talk hadn't progressed. Maybe he was too scared to come. But at noon, he sent a guard with a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," which was barely readable.
On the fourth day, he still didn't come, and no one brought him a book; only the fruit shop owner brought a basket of apples. Humph! Come if you want, don't come if you don't.
For three days in a row, not a single person came. Tch, are they that busy with work? Well then, I wish him great success, a bright future, and continuous promotions.
Time passed day by day.
In the hospital ward, Qingcheng lay stiffly on the bed. Realizing she was in a "hibernation" state, she kicked off the blanket and sat up. This brief escape offered no respite. Everything she was facing was becoming increasingly bizarre: all the comrades in Xuzhou were in hibernation, and Lao Wang was undergoing an internal investigation.
She reviewed the events over several nights and gradually realized that there might be inconsistencies in her account during her detention, such as the photos taken by the Japanese officers upon her arrival. After all, people visiting prisoners are not allowed to bring equipment, so how the photos were taken is highly questionable.
She admitted that using the pocket camera was partly a gamble, but the question was what they knew and what they saw in the flaws. The days without news from the organization made Qingcheng increasingly depressed. The revolutionary struggle was a long and protracted war, but no one told her how long or how far it would take.
A huge tangle of problems felt like cotton wool stuck in her throat; she couldn't spit it out, nor could she swallow it down. She was always a restless person, and now she felt like she had all this energy but nowhere to use it. She needed to get discharged; if she stayed any longer, she'd just rot away.
Woo-wah—Woo-wah—
The ear-piercing alarm bell pulled Kiyosumi back to reality, followed by panicked screams and hurried footsteps outside the ward.
She covered her ears with one hand and opened the door with the other. Qingcheng found that the entire corridor was dyed red by the glaring lights, and with the panicked crowd fleeing, it looked as if the Eight-Nation Alliance had come again.
A gunshot suddenly rang out amidst the alarm, startling Qingcheng. Good heavens, what was happening in Xuzhou City? How could things be so chaotic in broad daylight? Before she could think any further, she was swept away by the crowd and rushed downstairs. She saw that the hospital gates were already guarded by soldiers with live ammunition, and no one was allowed to leave.
Are the bandits going to rob a hospital? But this isn't Shanghai. Xuzhou is dominated by the Red Flower Society, and Brother Kui is very capable in managing it. Besides, what's so great about robbing a hospital?
Before she could sort out her thoughts, she saw a body in the courtyard that had been shot dead. Kiyosumi didn't recognize it. A moment later, a lieutenant in a blue-gray military uniform directed his men to carry the body away. This must have been a local garrison officer.
Beside him were two men in black Zhongshan suits, their eyes cold and menacing. A short while later, the hospital director was also invited down to preside over the proceedings. The lieutenant was relatively polite to the director, and the two whispered to each other for a while, presumably reaching some kind of deal.
The hospital director then told the outpatients to rest in the lobby for a while, as the detectives were arresting the criminals. He also advised the patients in the wards who were able to move around not to return to their rooms, as the police needed to search the wards to prevent the criminals from hiding inside.
Aren't the detective squad just military spies? The corpses they just saw were most likely their own comrades. The thing Qingcheng had been worrying about for days had finally happened. She couldn't calm her unease; her hands and feet were piercingly cold, and her legs felt like lead, making it impossible for her to take a single step.
The nurse next to her saw that Qingcheng was clutching her chest and covered in cold sweat. She helped her sit down with concern and kindly asked which ward she was in and whether she wanted to go to the doctor's office to rest for a while.
Qingcheng's unusual behavior was noticed not only by the nurses but also by a black-clad agent. Ignoring the surrounding noise, the agent strode towards Qingcheng and said emotionlessly, "Miss, you seem very nervous!"
"Sir, the patient was already unwell and then frightened, how could he not be nervous?" Before Qingcheng could answer, the nurse stood in front of her and spoke up for her.
"I didn't ask you. Let her talk." The man in black's fierce tone terrified the nurse, who hugged Qingcheng and dared not say anything more. It was unclear whether she needed Qingcheng's comfort or was comforting Qingcheng.
On the contrary, Qingcheng was so frightened that all the confusion in her mind dissipated, and Lao Wang's words echoed in her mind: In a crisis, protect yourself first. Even if a comrade dies at your feet, you should sever ties and pretend that you don't care. Because he sacrificed himself, but you are still alive, you can continue the revolutionary path for him.
As her brain made its judgment, Qingcheng's expression changed. She stared at the man in black in terror, then tears welled up in her eyes. She leaned on the nurse's shoulder and sobbed, "Dead, dead, dead, I...I'm scared, sob..."
The man in black stared at Qingcheng, his dark pupils like boning knives, revealing a cold indifference to life. He looked like a butcher looking at a lamb to be slaughtered.
At this moment, the lieutenant in blue walked over from a distance, put his arm around the man in black's shoulder, and warned him in an unfriendly tone: "We agreed to only look for prisoners, not to disturb the patients, so don't cause any unnecessary trouble."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and the faint smell of gunpowder lingered. Finally, the man in black snorted coldly, glanced disdainfully at Qingcheng, and left. The lieutenant also went upstairs to search the ward; he was called Captain Bai by others, so he was probably in a position similar to Li Sheng's.
The alarm stopped sounding after the director appeared, but the alarm bells in Qingcheng's heart never stopped. Looking at the pool of bright red blood, her heart sank further. There were still people who hadn't been caught. What should she do? What should she do?
Under the scorching sun, cicadas chirped mournfully. A gust of hot wind blew in, making the already crowded hospital atrium even more stuffy. Some patients couldn't bear it and fainted from the heat.
This caused the medical staff to scramble to carry the patient away for treatment, but no one dared to utter a single unnecessary word; everyone looked distressed, as if they had all been diagnosed with an incurable disease. The soldiers who came were hostile, with fierce faces. As the old saying goes, "Don't speak of what is improper," lest you cause trouble.
The detective team's search progress was suffocatingly slow. Qingcheng didn't dare to breathe, perhaps because she had been holding her breath for too long, as a shattering pain was eroding her still-recovering body.
Each slam of the door opening sounded like a death knell to Qingcheng. She had never been so uneasy. She had almost been exposed, which was a huge mistake. Her lack of composure at this critical moment might lead to even bigger trouble.
So, should we rescue the comrades who are being hunted?
Kiyosumi lowered her head, staring intently at her knees, her heart in turmoil. She kept saying, "Since we're comrades, I should save them out of both compassion and reason."
On the other side, she said: She didn't know who the comrade was, and this spy was no ordinary spy. So many patients and their families were in a bad mood, but that person locked onto her without any effort. Perhaps in the eyes of the falcon, she was just a rabbit mixed in with the chicken coop.
Ultimately, the rational answer was: don't try to rescue her, she's in hibernation.
At this critical juncture, she actually started to back down. Qingcheng mocked herself for being so timid when acting alone, as if her spine had been pulled out one by one and she had turned into a lump of flesh.
She'd already made a huge mistake; once bitten, twice shy, she dared not act rashly again. Back in Shanghai, she dared to act so cunningly and ostentatiously only because she had Lao Wang's backing and the organization's support. But now, without Lao Wang and the organization, He Qingcheng was nothing, and could do nothing.
Even if refusing to help someone in distress goes against her principles, she has no choice but to accept it passively. Ignoring the commotion upstairs, Qingcheng wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, took a long breath to release the pressure, and forgot her true identity—she was just an ordinary patient.
Calming down, Qingcheng realized she didn't actually need to worry too much about the search. She was certain these people weren't after her; otherwise, the men in black wouldn't have done more than just interrogation. However, this search was likely related to the current state of hibernation in Xuzhou.
Seeing that Qingcheng looked unwell, the nurse beside her offered to take her to the inner garden for some fresh air. This suited Qingcheng perfectly; out of sight, out of mind, and she was also afraid she might lose control and take action. Fortunately, she was wearing a hospital gown and had a nurse with her, so the soldiers searching for her only glanced at them before going back to their work.
It was midday, and the sun seemed to be baking every inch of the land. No one wanted to stay under the blazing sun for even a minute longer. However, Qingcheng noticed that many patients were hiding in the shade of the trees, chatting quietly. Perhaps there weren't many soldiers left in the garden, and everyone wasn't as oppressed and anxious as they were inside.
Two people seemed to be discussing the search. She calmly sat down on a chair in front of the flower bed, listening intently to their conversation, afraid of missing any important information.
"What are those soldiers up to now?"
"What can they do? Arrest communists, of course. Didn't you see that the leader of the team is Captain Bai from the Detective Squad?"
“How would a schoolteacher like me know anyone in the military? What good would it do for their detective squad to look for those so-called 'reds' instead of bandits? A bandit costs five silver dollars.”
"You don't understand. Getting rich is secondary; the main thing is to get promoted. Once you're promoted, why worry about not having a chance to get rich?"
"No, no, a lowly soldier like me has no chance of being promoted. Only a lot of hard-earned cash can support a family."
"Hehe, they have no choice. Once they join the army, their lives are no longer their parents'. They are born to warlords and must obey orders."
"Tsk tsk! The warlords in the Central Plains are fighting fiercely, and the gangs and police stations in the city are robbing each other. They're all trying to expand their territory, but they're all heading in the same direction. Manager Wu, how's your business doing?"
"With that kind of attitude, it would be peaceful once we paid the protection money. It's all because of those stinky reporters. They sell their newspapers, pat their asses, and leave. We're the ones who suffer."
"Manager Wu, what are you saying? I read the entire report without missing a single word. We've been swallowing our anger for too long. It's time to vent our anger and uphold our national prestige. Besides, even if this hadn't happened, would the police and the gangs still collect protection money? Would they still collect it? The atmosphere in our Xuzhou city is bad."
"Oh, you're a teacher at a public middle school, so the government pays you a good salary. I'm just a small business owner. You don't know that we used to pay a fixed amount, but now they take 10%."
"One-tenth! This is outrageous! This is blatant robbery; how are they any different from bandits..."
Hearing these words, Qingcheng felt as if her throat was being choked. She secretly blamed herself for being too selfish, but she had no one to confide in about her feelings of shame and sadness.
"It's good that your business is doing well, Manager Wu. If things keep getting this messy, when will it ever end?"
"Who knows? Just do your job and mind your own business. Also, watch out for your eldest son getting conscripted. I heard a new anti-bandit squad has arrived in the city, and they might be arresting people again."
“What you said sends chills down my spine. My eldest son is already fifteen, but school is still on summer vacation. He goes out to play every day. Maybe we should send him to his maternal grandparents’ house in Zaozhuang for a few days.”
"Don't go! I heard that the garrison in Zaozhuang is involved too. The train station has been very busy these past few days, with trucks and boxes full of troops and weapons."
"Oh...is there even room for a quiet desk here?"
"Yes, you can't go north, you have to go south. Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou are both fine. I sent my sons to study in Yangzhou a long time ago, hoping they would make something of themselves. If even one of them can get into Fudan University or Jinling University, it will help the other brothers settle down. But we can't fight in Jiangnan."
"That makes sense, but the country is not yet unified. Everyone, regardless of rank, is vying for fame and fortune. When will China be able to revive? I still hope that the chaos in the Central Plains will end soon so that we can rebuild properly."
Qingcheng then realized that Gao Junxiao's moderate attitude was not without reason. Regardless of whether he expressed his stance or not, as long as there were benefits, the opposing and friendly forces around him would continue to develop.
He can move freely between various factions without taking sides, because everyone wants to win him over to their camp. Those who are on good terms with him will even treat him as one of their own, like Commander Xiong.
Once the truth comes out, he'll inevitably have to choose sides, which could damage the network of relationships he's painstakingly built and hinder his smooth sailing in the political arena. Ha! He's not just mired in a quagmire; he's the deepest, blackest pool of water.
You always tried to play hard to get, and now you've messed up! Chief of the General Staff Shi has categorized you as being in Chen Yao's camp.
Unconsciously, Gao Junxiao popped into her mind again. Qingcheng angrily pulled out a few weeds and threw them on the ground, fiercely warning herself not to think about them. She then stood up and stomped on them twice, crushing them to pieces. In her eyes, that was Gao Junxiao.
When Qingcheng came to her senses, everyone around her was staring at her strangely, as if she were a psychiatric patient being let out for a stroll. Qingcheng cleared her throat and turned her back, pretending to look at the leaves on the tree.
Time ticked by, until the setting sun cast a light red veil over the heavens and earth, bathing the mountains, trees, and vegetation in its bright light. The detective team, however, had found nothing and had to return empty-handed.
Before the attending physician finished his rounds, Qingcheng sat in the consultation room and asked to be discharged. However, the doctor said that he was staying in a special ward for military officer family members and that a military officer's family member needed to come and complete the discharge procedures before he could be discharged.
That's really thoughtful; they even set up an extra layer of protection when Gao Junxiao isn't around.
At that moment, Qingcheng noticed an old newspaper on the doctor's desk with a large headline: "The murderer in the Xuzhou child case has been extradited back to his home country."
The news struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Qingcheng's mind seemingly paralyzed, as if frozen in stone. She never imagined she would learn the outcome of the case from the newspaper.
Suddenly, Qingcheng burst into laughter, a hint of sorrow tinged with his voice. It turned out that after such a long struggle, justice still hadn't come.
In a turbulent world, from officials to commoners, we are all just pitiful moths drawn to the flame. The fire has been burning in our homes for so long, who can remain unscathed? In the end, our struggles, anger, resentment, and helplessness have become the norm.
After all, life had already become such a mess, with warlords and foreign dignitaries coming one after another, each one trying to drive people to their deaths!
Evil people only attack the weak, but never dare to lay a hand on the strong. Everyone wants fairness, but absolute fairness doesn't exist in this world. It seems the only purpose of the weak is to be oppressed, or to oppress the even weaker. Should such people be pitied or condemned?
Everyone can only live a numb existence, but what's more terrifying than numbness is not knowing that you're numb.
Qingcheng had once heard her Chinese teacher explain that the Chinese character "中" (zhong, meaning center) remains "中" regardless of whether it's flipped left or right or upside down, signifying resilience and unwavering integrity. She wanted to use this clear-cut murder case to awaken the dormant dignity of the Chinese people!
In the end, they found that they could not save anything. Instead of awakening the dignity of the Chinese people, they trampled on the authority of the country's laws, disheartened the law-abiding citizens, reduced the credibility of the country and the government, and made a big joke of themselves to the great powers.
Kiyosumi felt as if she were alone in the vast darkness of the night, surrounded by darkness where she could not see her own hand in front of her face. If she hesitated even slightly, she would lose her way. Now she no longer knew what was right and what was wrong.
The path under the lamp in front of the pavilion, once so shrouded in darkness, is now shrouded in a hazy mist, the dappled shadows of the trees swaying gently with the rustling sound. She wanders aimlessly through the stairwell, like a soulless puppet, until she reaches the back garden.
A summer night spent in the stone pavilion in the courtyard, accompanied by a few fireflies and a sky full of silver lights, should have been pleasant. But now, Qingcheng stared blankly at the dim streetlights, and several moths fluttered their wings and kept hitting the glass lampshade, just like herself.
Looking at the lights for too long caused a feeling of dizziness. Qingcheng covered her eyes with the back of her hand, and tears slid down her cheeks.
She was like a moth, unable to fly into the fire, yet unable to break free of the cocoon she had spun. In the darkness, only the pounding of her own heart echoed...
The chaotic day finally came to an end, but Gao Junxiao's continued disappearance caused Qingcheng's discharge plan to be postponed.
Kiyosumi stood on the balcony of the corridor and looked down. Under the streetlights, a few vendors stood, hardly moving. The detective team had left in the open, but they had still planted a few sentries at the hospital entrance. Those spies were still not giving up. But what did it have to do with her?
Watching the flowers bloom and fade in the courtyard, unmoved by honor or disgrace; gazing at the clouds drifting in the sky, indifferent to coming and going. Qingcheng, in a self-deprecating mood, thought that as long as she didn't see or hear anything, it wouldn't be so hard to be a useless person detached from everything.
As I was thinking, I pushed open the wooden door to the ward. Instantly, a chill ran through every pore. Through the moonlight, I could see that the room was furnished as usual, but the window was open, and the white curtains fluttered in the wind like ghosts.
Alarm bells rang in her mind. Qingcheng swallowed hard and silently backed away, just about to close the door and go to the nurses' station to find someone.
Suddenly, she was dragged into the house by a thick arm that covered her mouth. During the struggle, a black finger cot fell from the killer's hand, revealing a mutilated little finger. She tried to call for help, but the tightening arm made it increasingly difficult for her to breathe, let alone speak.
With the last bit of oxygen in her lungs, she unleashed unprecedented power, slamming both of their bodies against the wall.
Duang~~ The two of them bumped into the metal cabinet against the wall.
The loud crash was especially clear in the darkness. Taking advantage of the moment when the other person loosened their grip in pain, Qingcheng broke free and rushed out the door. She wanted to call for help, but the nurse on duty was not there. In the dimly lit corridor, all the ward doors were tightly closed, probably to avoid being affected.
Qingcheng didn't know if she was so frightened that she lost her voice, or if her throat was constricted again. All she could make now were helpless "ah...ah..." sounds. She rushed downstairs with her face flushed, remembering that there was a fire alarm on the stairs.
Just as his hand was about to touch the alarm, the man suddenly dragged Qingcheng into the corridor, using his size advantage to pin her down and render her unable to move. The murderer then pulled out a rope he had prepared beforehand, neatly looped it around the girl's neck, and tightened it forcefully.
The suffocating feeling from lack of oxygen left Qingcheng's mind blank, as if boiling blood was seeping from the wound on her forehead, taking away her last bit of rationality. But the stinging pain in her neck pulled her back to reality. She could die, but she couldn't die without knowing why.
Who exactly wants to kill me? A spy, a bandit, or a Japanese?
Kiyosumi struggled desperately, but the difference in strength between men and women made all her struggles futile. Her unwilling hands gripped the ropes tightly, and she vaguely heard a cry of surprise.
A blurry scene flashed before her eyes: her mother, her aunt, Zhenzhen, Lao Wang, Ruirui, and the dark eyes she could see as soon as she turned around. Her hands were warmed by the north wind, but her heart was warmed before hers. The owner of those eyes was the silly man who was breathing on her through his leather gloves to warm her hands.
Gao Junxiao's affection was impossible to hide. He would smile when he heard her name, and his eyes would light up when he looked at her. He couldn't wait to introduce her to the whole world.
She knew, she always knew. It was just that she cared too much about Gao Junxiao's attitude; the slightest disturbance could cause her confidence to completely collapse.
She tried her best not to expose her true self to the man's scrutiny. She had to be sensible, generous, calm, considerate, and capable of solving problems independently. She couldn't trouble others, especially that man.
If she had another chance, she would just want to tell that man honestly that she is petty, selfish, domineering, and clingy, but he is not allowed to like anyone else in this life. He can only pamper, love, and cherish her. She wants all his favoritism and he is not allowed to refuse her.
Tears of regret streamed down her cheeks, falling heavily to the ground and shattering into pieces. Her clear mind grew increasingly heavy, the wind whistling in her ears, and raindrops wetting her face. The phantom figure that accompanied her in her dreams, carrying a gentle aura, embraced the little girl deep within her soul.
Dad, is that you coming to pick me up? Your daughter is so tired!
Since you like calling me "Dad" so much, why don't you just take my surname?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
