Republic of China, 1922: Rise from the Post-Zhili-Fengtian War

The group returned to Jinzhou in silence. Gu Cheng had Xiao He drive to a clothing store first, where the clerk picked out a dark blue robe for Inoue.

Seeing that the other person was stunned, Gu Cheng spoke in Japanese: "Dr. Inoue, you still need to change your clothes."

Before the other party could refuse, he continued, "The patient's family... is quite traditional and might be worried about causing you unnecessary trouble."

Upon hearing this, Inoue Chiwa immediately retorted angrily, "Since you are so wary of Japanese people, why did you go to the trouble of inviting me all the way to Lianshan Station? You might as well just send me back now; I won't bother with this trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tingshu, who was standing at the door, brandished his sidearm.

The shop assistants in the clothing store were so frightened that they froze, instantly falling silent, each shrinking into a corner, not daring to even breathe.

The nurse who followed her in paused, then tugged at Inoue Chiwa's sleeve: "Doctor, should we..."

Inoue Chiwa glanced at her, then looked at Gu Cheng, her face darkening. "Mr. Gu, I've always thought of you as a polite and humble gentleman... Are you trying to coerce me?"

Gu Cheng seemed oblivious to the weapon Zhang Tingxu had brandished, and ignored the reactions around him. He simply smiled faintly at Inoue Chiwa: "Hehe, I wouldn't call myself a gentleman. Dr. Inoue, we are just roughnecks who only know how to brandish knives and guns, so our actions are inevitably straightforward. If we have offended you in any way, please forgive us."

After saying that, he slightly raised his hand, signaling Zhang Tingshu to put the weapon away.

Zhang Tingshu chuckled, and although he put the gun away, his nonchalant smile clearly carried a murderous intent.

Gu Cheng slowly stepped forward, turned to the stunned clothing store clerk beside him, and ordered, "What are you standing there for? Come here and help this gentleman change his clothes."

Inoue Chiwa's eyes were fierce, and her chest heaved, clearly feeling humiliated by the offense.

Before he could give a firm refusal, the nurse next to him tugged at his sleeve again.

"Let's switch."

She said in broken Chinese, "But please be polite to Dr. Inoue."

…………

After the makeover, Inoue Chiwa, who originally had a cool and aloof Japanese demeanor, transformed into a disheveled traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. With his gold-rimmed glasses on, there was no trace of anything unusual about him.

"I apologize for offending the doctor. I will pay you double the consultation and medication fees."

Inoue Chiwa snorted coldly, turned her head away, unwilling to speak, picked up her medical kit, and silently walked out of the clothing store with the female nurse.

The group re-entered the car and quickly circled around to the back gate of the Jinzhou official residence.

Once the car came to a stop, Gu Cheng got out first, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then led Inoue Chiwa and the nurse into the courtyard.

Upon reaching the courtyard outside the bedroom, Gu Cheng stopped and whispered to the two, "Go in and focus on treating the patients. Don't say anything more, and don't reveal your identities."

After speaking, he turned to Zhang Tingshu beside him and gestured for the two of them to retreat to the open courtyard and sit side by side on the bluestone bench.

Zhang Tingshu took out a cigarette from his pocket, handed one to Gu Cheng, and lit one for himself. As the smoke curled up, he muttered, "I wonder if this Japanese doctor is reliable. I hope he doesn't mess things up."

Gu Cheng gazed calmly at the distant eaves, exhaling a wisp of smoke: "These bastards may be bastards, but their medical skills are undeniable... Right now, they are the best doctors we can find."

Zhang Tingshu nodded thoughtfully, then added, "But Jingchuan, we were too rude to that bastard. What if they…?"

Gu Cheng chimed in, "Revenge? It's not impossible, which is why forcing him to change clothes was partly to scare him. He needs to be properly treated!"

Zhang Tingshu scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. Knowing you as I do, you've probably figured something out again, haven't you?"

Gu Cheng was taken aback, then shook his head and smiled: "You've never been to Japan, so you don't know that these things always admire the strong. The fiercer you are, the more polite they become; on the contrary, if you are polite to them, these beasts will think you are afraid of them."

At this point, he changed the subject, "However, the doctor was fine, but I thought that woman was a bit strange."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tingshu turned around abruptly: "What?"

Gu Cheng thought for a moment and then said, "I always felt that something was off about her. Whether it was her temperament, her gait, or anything else, she didn't seem like a nurse. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Someone who came to the Northeast with the Kwantung Army should have received some military training."

Zhang Tingshu understood his implication: "You mean, this woman doesn't look like a nurse, but more like a female soldier?"

Gu Cheng took a couple of puffs of his cigarette, pondered for a moment, and then said, "So, we need to be careful... let's not forget about that matter."

Being as clever as he was, he immediately understood: "I understand! I'll make the arrangements later."

After saying that, he stubbed out his cigarette on the ground, got up and beckoned Yang Song to move aside, giving him instructions in a low voice. Upon receiving the instructions, Yang Song saluted and quickly ran out of the official residence gate.

At this moment, the surroundings returned to calm. The setting sun gradually shifted westward, making the temperature less stagnant. The occasional cool breeze from the south caused the bamboo leaves to rustle softly, and then no other sounds could be heard.

Gu Cheng slowly closed his eyes to rest. More than an hour later, the carved wooden door of the bedroom was finally gently pushed open, and Wang Yuyou walked out quickly. Although there were still some tear stains on her face, one could see that she was relieved and grateful.

She rushed forward, almost kneeling before Gu Cheng: "Commander Gu! I... I don't know how to thank you enough! This doctor didn't say a word, but his medical skills are superb. After administering the medicine to my father, his coughing up blood has stopped, and his breathing is gradually stabilizing... He's finally out of danger. I... I..."

Gu Cheng quickly stood up to help her: "Miss Wang, what are you doing? Even if Min Gong and I were just casual acquaintances, I have no reason to stand idly by!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyou choked up again, unsure of what to say. At this moment, Zhang Tingshu turned back and, seeing the situation, quickly stepped forward to tease her, "Hey, sister, this is your fault! Gu Jingchuan wasn't the only one who went to find a doctor, so why is it all his credit when things are going well?"

Amused by him, Wang Yuyou turned around and thanked him again, saying, "I don't know how to repay such kindness... I will remember your kindness to my Wang family for the rest of my life."

Gu Cheng waved his hand: "Miss, there's no need to worry. The important thing is to take good care of your father's illness. Jinzhou and even the entire Northeast can't do without him. I'm doing everything I can to protect him, which is to safeguard the future of the Northeast."

Zhang Tingshu, standing to the side, then said, "If you want to thank us, that's easy. Just acknowledge us as your elder brothers from now on!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyou immediately bowed and called him "brother." Gu Cheng laughed and said, "See, since you've already acknowledged him as your brother, there's no need for further thanks—"

After saying that, he added, "Since everything is alright, I'll have Ting Shu take the doctor back! There's still a long way to go on the return journey, so it won't be too late."