Playing hard to get
The red light above the hospital's emergency room was blindingly bright.
A large patch of scarlet blood stained her white shirt, but Kiyosumi didn't care at all. She just stared blankly at her blood-stained hands, where a young life had once been held.
The boy was enveloped in a strong smell of blood. His frail body trembled uncontrollably in his arms. His small brows were furrowed as if he was enduring great pain. Qingcheng could clearly feel the once warm blood flowing through his fingertips and gradually turning cold.
At an age when he should be playing and having fun, he could be innocently chasing dragonflies and blowing dandelions in the fields, using a childlike smile to act spoiled with his parents, and using a passionate childlike heart to feel the warmth of the world. But now he can only lie on the operating table and fight against death.
One minute passed, two minutes passed... ten minutes passed. How agonizing those short ten minutes must have been for such a young child!
The chubby police officer paced anxiously in front of the emergency room, his forehead beaded with sweat. He glanced at Qingcheng every now and then, probably frustrated by his awkwardness in speaking.
At that moment, Qingcheng's thoughts were interrupted by a voice asking, "Excuse me, which of you is a family member of the child?" The doctor, wearing surgical scrubs, took off his mask and walked out of the emergency room door, which was now dark.
"How is the baby?" Qingcheng rushed up to ask, but the doctor closed his eyes, shook his head, and looked full of regret. In an instant, Qingcheng felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, and everyone understood what that meant.
"The family hasn't been found yet. The child was a victim of a traffic accident." The fat policeman lied, his eyes darting around, but was too scared to say anything more after being glared at by Qingcheng.
To everyone's surprise, when the doctor heard that it was a traffic accident, he snorted at the fat policeman with great disdain and said to him in an annoyed tone, "Fine, then you sign here, and after you sign, go to the morgue to complete the formalities."
Seeing the doctor's indifferent attitude, the fat policeman bowed and chuckled as he went to the nurses' station to sign the papers. The body, covered with a white sheet, was then wheeled out of the operating room.
As soon as the fat constable left, Qingcheng reached out and stopped the doctor without regard for the situation. The doctor assumed she was also from the police station and naturally gave her a cold look.
Unexpectedly, Qingcheng bowed deeply to the doctor to thank him for his efforts in treating her. This made the doctor a little embarrassed, and he said with emotion, "This child is not related to you. You have done your best. There's nothing we can do about this world."
"Please tell me the real cause of this child's death?" Kiyosumi asked, bowing respectfully as she spoke, enunciating each word clearly.
"Fat Feet just said it was a traffic accident, don't bother investigating, it's useless," the doctor waved his hand, offering a meaningful piece of advice.
"Sir, you must have children of your own. You should extend that love to the children of others as you would to your own. Children are innocent, and anyone with a conscience would feel indignant." Qingcheng straightened up and spoke slowly, her voice sharp and resonant, striking the doctor's soul like jade striking water.
The doctor seemed moved by Qingcheng's persistence. After a long silence, he sighed and said, "When the patient was brought in, he had multiple fractures and soft tissue contusions. He was in shock due to excessive blood loss, and the child had been malnourished for a long time and was very weak."
The external injuries were visible to the naked eye, which didn't surprise Qingcheng. It seemed to be due to the forced dragging by the carriage. The doctor's face suddenly twisted, his eyes filled with grief and indignation. He said in as calm a tone as possible, "If it were just a superficial wound or a fracture, it could still be saved, but do you know what those beasts did to him? His genitals... his anus was severely torn."
In the corridor, the heavy words left Qingcheng's mind reeling. Could it be what she thought? The doctor, however, was panting heavily, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. If the murderer were at the scene, he probably would have pounced on him and bitten him.
The doctor, his neck flushed, composed himself slightly and continued, "In all my years of medical practice, this is the first time I've seen such a small child with such a shattered abdominal cavity, intestines broken into several pieces, and I even found a five-centimeter-long twig in the broken intestines."
The pain of a broken intestine is unbearable even for adults, let alone a five or six-year-old child. Lifting the tree branch, the doctor gritted his teeth and cursed, "You beast! I suspect that the tree branch was left inside the body and was repeatedly struck... causing intestinal perforation and rupture, and spleen rupture."
"Oh dear, such a young child, what a tragedy! Even if we sent him to a big hospital in Shanghai, let alone a small place like ours, we wouldn't be able to save him." The doctor suddenly choked up and stopped speaking.
Under the clear sky, how could there be such a beast in human skin! Qingcheng trembled all over, feeling as if something was pressing down on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. For the first time in her life, she had the urge to "beat the dog".
Outside the emergency room, Qingcheng sat listlessly in front of the room, motionless like a puppet. The bloodstains on her body and hands had oxidized to a dark red. Gao Junxiao, who had rushed over, gently sat down next to Qingcheng and took her hand.
Finally, Qingcheng felt the warmth in her hands and regained her senses, asking Gao Junxiao if the murderer had been caught. With his affirmative nod, Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief and was about to get up to wash her hands.
But she noticed that Gao Junxiao's hands were also a mess. The blood on her hands had dried and wasn't from her. She guessed that Gao Junxiao had fought with the thugs. Her nose stung with tears. How could such a beast be worthy of her? My Xiao's hands are used to command thousands of troops. She felt sorry for him and wanted to take him to a doctor for treatment.
“It’s not my blood,” Gao Junxiao said calmly, but a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
Back at the police station, the two men, even after being caught, continued to laugh and arrogantly spat at the officers, showing no respect for law enforcement. The young officer, feeling indignant, slapped the criminals on the head, trying to make them behave.
Unexpectedly, one of the men who had been beaten blurted out "Baka yarou!" The young policeman was so frightened that he hid behind Gao Junxiao and whispered to him, "Sir, we're doomed. These are two Japanese devils. We can't do anything about them."
The Japanese man, clutching the iron fence and slurring his words, shouted that they had only caught a small dog and were dragging it around for fun; catching a dog wasn't illegal. Another man laughed and pointed out that it didn't seem to be a dog, but rather a child. Well, that was about right; it was his honor to be chosen by our esteemed subjects of the Great Japanese Empire.
"Lock them up first." Gao Junxiao didn't say much and pushed the two Japanese men into the cell, his hands clenching silently without stopping.
"Sir, what are those two little devils saying in their gibberish? All I heard was 'eat something,'" the young constable asked cautiously, hanging up the cell key.
"I don't know. Go find a Japanese translator tomorrow," Gao Junxiao said coldly. He didn't want to cause any more trouble, but the veins on his forehead kept twitching.
The two Japanese men were still cursing in their tongues when, before they had gone far, Gao Junxiao suddenly took off his military uniform and tossed it to a young constable. The young constable swiped at his waist and realized that the prison key had also been taken by the officer.
The cell door was flung open with a bang. Hearing the noise, the young policeman, carrying his clothes, hurried after him. However, the sound of heavy blows and piercing screams coming from inside the cell made him hesitate, trembling as he dared not approach to investigate.
It felt like an eternity. Gao Junxiao stepped out of the corridor, his forehead covered in sweat. His eyes still blazed with an uncontrollable rage. His white shirt was stained with fresh blood, and his whole body exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.
His face was ashen, and his cold eyes swept over the young police officer as he asked, "What did you just see?"
The young police officer got goosebumps from his gaze and hurriedly shook his head to indicate that he hadn't seen anything. Of course, he really didn't dare to look.
"Remember, the prisoner was drunk and tripped, and you were the one who arrested him." Gao Junxiao said this before leaving the police station with his clothes.
Blood trickled from her fingertips into the pristine white porcelain basin. Qingcheng turned off the tap, a cloud of doubt rising in her mind. Ah Xiao wasn't an impulsive person; what had the Japanese man said that made him lose control of his emotions?
In response to Qingcheng's question, Gao Junxiao, who was standing next to her, turned off the tap and explained, "You'd better not know. I'm afraid you'll be so angry that you won't be able to sleep. My teacher, your godfather, once said that you can't reason with Japanese people. How can you talk to beasts about Confucianism and Mencius? They only recognize fists."
Thinking of the beastly things those two had done, Qingcheng even felt that he had done a good job hitting him, but reason reminded her that Gao Junxiao's special status meant he shouldn't have acted impulsively and hit someone. He had just arrived in Xuzhou and his foundation was not yet stable. What would happen if he caused trouble?
Seemingly sensing Qingcheng's worry, Gao Junxiao comforted him, "The Japanese devils dared to insult our national dignity. Not to mention that I am a revolutionary soldier, no Chinese person could tolerate it."
To comfort him, Qingcheng told Gao Junxiao, with a heavy heart, the doctor's diagnosis: the child had suffered inhuman abuse before his death, and those two deserved it. She just didn't understand why they couldn't do anything about it; this was intentional homicide, a capital offense anywhere.
“From the moment the Qing government became corrupt, everything was already inevitable. There’s nothing we can do about it.” Gao Junxiao said dejectedly, pulling out a handkerchief to dry Qingcheng’s hands.
Qingcheng obediently let Gao Junxiao wipe her hands, but she made a decision in her heart. Why should her own child be bullied and abused by outsiders, and the adults can't even do anything about it? She was not convinced!
After returning to Longquan Pavilion, Qingcheng helped Gao Junxiao get a room and went upstairs first. When Gao Junxiao took out the key to open the door, he felt someone staring at him from behind. He turned around but didn't see anything. He cautiously looked around and then quickly closed the door.
As Gao Junxiao collapsed onto the comfortable bed, he felt all the accumulated fatigue released, and he didn't even want to move his fingers. Just then, there was a soft knock at the door. His nerves, which had just relaxed for a moment, quickly tensed up again. With strong willpower, he forced his eyes open and opened the door.
Qingcheng, who should have been resting in her room, changed into clean clothes and appeared at his door with her hands on her hips. Knocking so late at night, this situation left Gao Junxiao's mind a little blank. Uh… he wasn't in the mood right now. Could they do it another day?
As He Qingcheng pressed closer, Gao Junxiao retreated somewhat helplessly until his calves touched the edge of the bed, at which point he was forced to stop. He felt that there was something wrong with the way He Qingcheng was looking at him, as if she wanted to devour him alive.
Before he could dwell on his thoughts for long, Qingcheng patted him on the shoulder like a brother and said bluntly, "I'm so angry I can't sleep. To commend you for your bravery in capturing the thief today, I wanted to help you wash your blood-stained clothes as a token of my appreciation as an ordinary citizen."
It turned out that her chivalrous spirit had awakened again. Gao Junxiao touched his nose, feeling a mix of emotions. He pushed Qingcheng towards the door, saying, "No need, no need. Why wash clothes so late at night? Go back and lie down and count, you'll fall asleep naturally. Be good!"
"What kind of relationship do we have? Don't be so polite with me. If all officials had the backbone of you, we wouldn't be bullied by outsiders." Qingcheng ripped off his coat without saying a word, revealing a blood-stained white shirt.
Something's definitely fishy going on. She's being deliberately scary now; could it be that Shan Hai is in disguise, just teasing him? No, no, Shan Hai never wears perfume. But why do you, Miss He, need me to take medicine for insomnia? What kind of delusional behavior is this in the middle of the night?
Seeing that her hand was about to touch the buttons on her collar again, Gao Junxiao quickly pulled away from her and mustered up his courage to say, "I'm not being polite, it's really not necessary. I, I can wash it myself."
"Look, my clothes are dirty too. Washing one is the same as washing two. Come on, I promise I'll wash them clean so you can wear them tomorrow," Qingcheng said, grabbing Gao Junxiao's arm.
"You, are you possessed?! Staying up so late... Ugh... Don't sleep, don't... What's wrong with you? Don't touch that... weird quirk, but it's quite useful." Gao Junxiao pushed Qingcheng away, but was afraid of hurting her and dared not exert any force.
"I want to do laundry because I'm in a bad mood, is that okay?" Qingcheng suddenly yelled at Gao Junxiao, a few golden tears falling from her reddened eyes.
The anger that had been building up for days finally broke Qingcheng's emotions. She stomped her feet, forced back her tears, and asked in a sobbing voice, "Why? Why do they have the right to run rampant on our land?"
A hint of helplessness flashed across Gao Junxiao's eyes. He gently wiped away her tears and comforted her in his arms like a child. He knew that He was angry about the injustice in society, the cowardice of the government, and his own powerlessness. It was just that her way of seeking comfort was a bit peculiar, and he hadn't realized it at first.
Holding the sobbing Qingcheng, Gao Junxiao comforted her, "We can't punish ourselves for other people's injustices. As long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough. Do you know what 'consular jurisdiction' is?"
Kiyosumi nodded, sobbing, to indicate that she understood.
To put it simply, that thing was the privilege of foreign powers in China. Foreigners who broke the law in China didn't have to face trial under Chinese law. Instead, the right to try them was given to the consulates and diplomats of the offending country, and usually, serious cases were minimized or even ignored.
With each unequal treaty signed—the Treaty of Nanjing, the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and the Boxer Protocol—more foreign powers, under the protection of consular jurisdiction, were able to arbitrarily humiliate our compatriots and trample on our judicial sovereignty.
The Nationalist government was merely putting on a facade; in reality, it was fragmented and rife with corruption. They were tough on their own country but weak on foreign powers. Were only young boys being ravaged? No, there were also 400 million unarmed compatriots, the land beneath their feet being devoured by foreign powers, and our motherland suffering in dire straits.
It's no wonder that Qingcheng leans to the left; Gao Junxiao also feels that this Nationalist government is utterly rotten. However, Rome wasn't built in a day, and poverty and weakness don't happen overnight. Similarly, abolishing unequal treaties and regaining sovereignty will be a long and tortuous process.
The blood-stained white shirt on Gao Junxiao's body gave him a feeling of traveling back to that time. The professor, who was full of passion, stood on the wooden cart and shouted hoarsely: "Whoever dares to exterminate my race and destroy my country, we will fight them to the death!"
The students around him, dressed in white and blue school uniforms, held up banners written in blood. They all linked arms, shouting "Give me back Qingdao, protect my sovereignty!" while using their bodies to block the gun barrels of the police station. People around them fell after being shot, and those behind them continued to take their place.
He once intended to fight to the bitter end, even at the cost of his life, but reality gave every idealist a harsh slap in the face.
Suddenly, a strange, tingling sensation spread from his lower body upwards, pulling him back to reality. Gao Junxiao looked down and saw that his shirt had been pulled out of his pants. Qingcheng was biting her lower lip, intently unbuttoning her shirt.
This was truly agonizing; Gao Junxiao's breathing became erratic, and his ears gradually turned pink. It felt as if tens of thousands of ants were biting his heart, and he couldn't calm down at all.
Unable to refuse, oh my god, he couldn't even save his shirt. He had never imagined that he would be forced into this situation. Gao Junxiao stood there, feeling complicated. Strangely, he didn't dislike the feeling; in fact, he was even a little happy about it.
"I just want to do laundry." Qingcheng said in a tearful voice, continuing to pull at his last remaining vest. Her slender fingers traced his waist, and he immediately felt a jolt. He sensed a subtle change happening somewhere in his body. He couldn't let her cause any more trouble. He grabbed He's messy hand and, without saying a word, opened the door and pushed her out.
As soon as the door opened, a person fell to the ground. Startled, Gao and He quickly separated.
The eavesdropper was none other than Xu Xun, the staff officer who had come to find Gao Junxiao. If it weren't for the urgency of the matter and the fact that the person in charge was unconscious, Xu Xun wouldn't have come to find Gao Junxiao. He wasn't eavesdropping on him intentionally; he just wanted to know if Gao Junxiao was done yet, and it wasn't out of curiosity.
It seems like she's just getting started. Xu Xun awkwardly got up, thinking to himself that appearances can be deceiving. Who would have thought that the seemingly gentle Miss He would be so fierce?
Under Gao Junxiao's abyss-like gaze, Xu Xun didn't know whether to cry or laugh. He decided to get straight to the point: "Supervisor Gao, something has happened in the team. Please go back and resolve it."
However, he underestimated Gao Junxiao's thick skin. Gao Junxiao changed his expression like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, quickly putting on a friendly smile and saying to him, "Oh, it's Staff Officer Xu. Then let's go back quickly."
Xu Xun cleared his throat, glanced towards the door, and gestured invitingly: "The car is downstairs. Inspector Gao, please."
Gao Junxiao gently took the coat from Qingcheng's hand, using it as a cover to shield himself, said goodbye, and dragged Staff Officer Xu downstairs as if fleeing. Qingcheng didn't try to stop him, and went back to wash her boyfriend's white shirt.
On the way, Xu Xun briefly explained the current problem to Gao Junxiao. When Shan Hai and the others were visiting their relatives, one of the surrendered soldiers, Gou Xiaomao, injured a villager. He was tied up by the village head and brought to the camp, where the bandit-suppression team leader demanded an explanation.
Soldiers attacking villagers without cause is a serious violation of military discipline. Gao Junxiao was curious about what Xiao Mao himself would say. It was simply unbelievable that such a spineless person would dare to lay a hand on a villager and injure him.
Xu Xun added that the kitten's mouth was stuffed with cloth, and the village head said they would wait for the person in charge to come before releasing him. Xu Xun was forced to come to the Garden Hotel to look for someone. Everyone else was drunk and unconscious, except for Gao Junxiao, who was nowhere to be found. Xu Xun guessed that Gao Junxiao had gone to find his woman.
But now... looking at the clothes Gao Junxiao had covered his thighs with, Xu Xun felt extremely pleased. Hahaha, Gao Junxiao, you've finally met your match. You said you refused, but your body was actually very honest.
However, seeing Gao Junxiao's ashen face, Xu Xun silently buried his sarcasm in his heart and turned to look out the window. He lit a candle for himself, knowing that he had ruined Gao Junxiao's plans and that Gao Junxiao would definitely make him suffer when they got back.
Outside the encampment, the lights were on. Dozens of villagers holding torches confronted the soldiers. When they saw the car returning, they surrounded it and shouted for the person in charge to get out.
Inside the car, Gao Junxiao rubbed his temples, closing his eyes and pondering how to clean up his subordinates' mess, when a bold villager suddenly pulled open the car door...
Since someone helped open the door, Gao Junxiao calmly got out of the car, coldly scanning the entire scene with an air of authority. The noisy entrance was suddenly silenced by the chirping of insects by the roadside.
"Is this the officer in charge here? I am their village head, surnamed Gou. May I ask your surname?" An elderly villager dressed in a blue short jacket stepped forward and greeted him with clasped hands.
"My surname is Gao, and I am the one in charge. May I ask why you have trespassed into my military restricted area?" Gao Junxiao asked condescendingly, his hands behind his back.
“Naturally, it’s because someone in your army hurt my villagers that I’ve come to file this complaint.” Chief Gou’s attitude was tough. With a wave of his hand, two strong villagers dragged a young man who was tied up to his side.
“If it is true, I will punish him severely. Release him first and let him talk for himself.” Gao Junxiao had already heard the gist of the story from Xu Xun, but he was afraid there was more to the story.
Chief Gou was quite accommodating and personally untied the kitten. As soon as it was free, the kitten took out the rag from its mouth and cursed at the chief: "Pah! I did nothing wrong! That old bastard sold his wife, children and even his daughter for gambling. I'm being lenient by chopping off one of his hands."
The kid actually admitted it. Gao Junxiao took a few deep breaths and shouted, "I let you go to visit your family. Who told you to go and do evil on behalf of Heaven?"
Hearing that the officer was angry, the kitten lowered its head sheepishly, like a child who had made a mistake.
"He's not acting on behalf of Heaven, he's committing heinous crimes! Do you know whose hand this brat chopped off? His own father's hand!" Gou Baozhang roared excitedly, his goatee trembling.
“This is a typical family matter! Besides, he wasn’t wearing a military uniform and wasn’t on duty. How can a family conflict be attributed to our army?” Xu Xun frowned and joined in the defense.
"How do you intend to handle this?" Gao Junxiao glanced at the village head, his temples throbbing. This man had truly presented him with a major dilemma. The essence of power lay in how many people obeyed him. If he threw the kitten out, his prestige within the army would decline. If he didn't throw it out, the villagers would accuse him of lax discipline, giving rise to gossip and damaging public trust.
"Hmph! I'd like to settle this privately. According to the ancestral laws, he should be beaten to death in front of the ancestral hall. But this brat keeps saying he's a common soldier. Since he's a government official, I can only bring him to the government office to deal with him. General Gao, please give me a straight answer."
"Now he calls him my father, but when he owed money, he acted like a grandson? In the casino, he kept calling everyone 'Grandpa.' I don't have a father like that." Feeling that someone was backing him up, the little cat started to act arrogantly again.
"Shut up! Did I ask you to speak?" Gao Junxiao suppressed his anger and forced a slightly amiable smile as he said to Gou Baozhang, "Since you have brought the people here, I will certainly give you an explanation. Bring me the riding whip."
The last sentence was addressed to Xu Xun, who immediately went to fetch a riding whip and handed it to Gao Junxiao, roughly guessing what Gao intended to do. Gao Junxiao waved his hand, and two guards immediately restrained the kitten and tied it to a long bench.
Crack, crack, crack—the sharp cracks of the whip echoed through the dim night sky. As the whip fell, the kitten gradually stopped begging for mercy, as if it had fainted. Xu Xun counted from the side, only 23 lashes, not even the prescribed 30 lashes yet. This kitten is too weak.
"Are you satisfied now?" Gao Junxiao put away his riding whip and turned to glance at Gou Baozhang, his eyes as cold as ice.
"Lord Gao, is a few lashes enough? You're bending the law for personal gain. Filial piety is the most important virtue, but this little brat has committed a capital offense of treason." But Chief Gou was relentless and insisted on killing the kitten.
"According to your theory, if a child is not properly raised, it is the father's fault, and his father deserves it. This child's behavior is so extreme, has his father given him any positive guidance? No, on the contrary, he sold his children for his own selfish desires." Gao Junxiao retorted sarcastically.
“Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Even if his father sold all his children, it would be justified. It’s just that his children were unlucky and should be reborn into a better family in their next life. But for a son to kill his father is an outrage against heaven and earth,” Gou Baozhang said matter-of-factly.
“You’re too old for me to argue with, but remember, the Qing Dynasty is over. Now it’s the Republic of China, a nation of the people. Everyone is an independent citizen, and children are not the private property of their parents,” Gao Junxiao retorted with a forced smile, though his pupils twitched uncontrollably.
"What do you mean by the Republic of China? You're disregarding all propriety and law. Since ancient times, there have been the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, the proper order of ruler and subject, father and son." Gou Baozhang was exceptionally stubborn, shouting that he would take the person away.
"Once they're on the roster of our army, they're no longer someone's son, but a soldier of the nation. What are they training so hard for every day? It's to resist foreign enemies and protect our country, even if some of them don't even know what 'country' means." Gao Junxiao declared loudly in a tone that everyone could hear.
For a moment, there was complete silence. The village head seemed to be so angry that he was panting heavily, clutching his chest and collapsing onto the villagers behind him. The other villagers immediately rushed over to help him catch his breath. Xu Xun was also sweating bullets. If the old man died at the door, he would be unable to explain himself no matter how hard he tried.
"Hurry up and send your village chief back to find a doctor. He's getting old, you need to be careful," Xu Xun quickly said to the other villagers, trying to play the good cop.
Seeing that even the village head had collapsed, the other villagers seemed to have lost their leader and hurriedly carried him away. Gao Junxiao shook his head and let out a long sigh. He told the guards to take the kitten away for treatment, thinking to himself, "Tonight has been quite a spectacle. Can't you guys give me a break?"
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