A quack doctor goes to the battlefield; the first sharpshooter doctor in the Republic of China

The two didn't speak and went straight up to the second floor. Li Ranmo opened the door to his dormitory, and Shen Qiushui followed him in.

The door closed.

Li Ranmo took the copper coin out of his pocket and placed it on the table. The coin gleamed dimly under the kerosene lamp.

"It was given to me by Han Xiuyun," he said.

Shen Qiushui picked it up and examined it. "A token?"

"Hmm." Li Ran sat down silently. "Show this at the dock, and her people will recognize it. If there's an emergency, take it to Xinglong Teahouse and say, 'Master Han's tea bill is due,' and someone will lead the way."

Shen Qiushui put the copper coins back on the table.

"Tomorrow night at midnight, at the old warehouse at Pier No. 3," she said in a low voice. "Han Xiuyun's people said there are fifty boxes of sulfathiazole in total, with twenty bottles in each box. Wang Qingnian has already sent people to stake out there."

How many people?

"At least six," Shen Qiushui said. "They were all unfamiliar faces, but their waists were bulging, meaning they were carrying weapons."

Li Ranmo pushed up his glasses.

"What about us?"

"Han Xiuyun will send eight people," Shen Qiushui said. "She said that three hours before the goods arrive, a red cloth should be tied to the third utility pole on the west side of the dock. When our people see the red cloth, they will go to the back door of the old warehouse and knock three times long and two times short. The people inside will ask, 'Is it windy tonight?' We will answer, 'The moon is quite round.'"

"Did you remember the code?"

"I've got it." Shen Qiushui looked at him. "But Dr. Li, this is too risky. Wang Qingnian's men aren't stupid; they're definitely keeping an eye on Han Xiuyun's movements too."

"So we have to distract them," Li Ranmo said.

"How do we divide it?"

Li Ranmo didn't answer immediately. He walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked outside.

The courtyard downstairs was empty, with only one street lamp on.

But in the shadows of the corner where the streetlights couldn't reach, it seemed like a figure flickered.

"When we came back, someone followed us." Li Ranmo lowered the curtains.

Shen Qiushui's expression tightened. "Wang Qingnian's men?"

"Not necessarily." Li Ranmo walked back to the table. "It could also be one of Vice Dean Chen's people."

"Vice Dean Chen?" Shen Qiushui frowned. "He suspects you?"

"He's always been suspicious of me," Li Ranmo said. "He started to suspect me from the first day I came to the hospital. Today I went to see Han Xiuyun, and he approved it, but that doesn't mean he believes it."

Shen Qiushui thought for a moment. "So what do we do now?"

"Two steps," Li Ranmo said. "First, make a copy of the medicine list that Han Xiuyun gave you, age it, and 'accidentally' drop it in a place where Old Zhang at the pharmacy can see it tomorrow."

Shen Qiushui's eyes lit up. "You mean, give Wang Qingnian a false message?"

"Yes." Li Ranmo nodded. "Reduce the quantity of sulfathiazole by half on the list, list the delivery location as the new warehouse at Pier 5, and postpone the delivery time by one day. Let their people make a wasted trip."

"And what about second place?"

"Secondly, I'll go to the archives," Li Ranmo said. "I need to fill in some information in the blank space on my study abroad file."

"Now?"

"Now."

Shen Qiushui glanced at her pocket watch. "It's almost ten o'clock; the archives room is already locked."

"I have a key." Li Ranmo took out a small metal piece from the drawer. "I had it duplicated last time."

Shen Qiushui didn't ask any more questions. She picked up the copper coin and handed it to Li Ranmo.

"Keep this safe."

Li Ranmo took it and stuffed it into his inner pocket.

"Go back first," he said. "Take care of the fake list first thing tomorrow morning. Be careful not to give anything away."

"Know."

Shen Qiushui walked to the door, then turned back.

"Dr. Li."

"Um?"

"What if Vice Dean Chen really investigates and it comes back to you?"

Li Ran smiled silently.

"Then let him investigate."

Shen Qiushui is gone.

Li Ran sat in the room for a while, and only after the footsteps in the corridor had completely disappeared did he stand up and blow out the kerosene lamp.

The room was pitch black.

He walked to the door in the dark and gently opened it a crack.

There was no one in the corridor.

He slipped out, closed the door behind him, and walked very quietly toward the archives at the end of the corridor.

The archives are on the far east side of the second floor, and few people come here usually. The door is an old-fashioned wooden door with a brass lock.

Li Ranmo took out a piece of metal, inserted it into the keyhole, and twisted it left and right.

With a click, the lock opened.

He pushed the door open, went in, and closed it behind him.

The archives were filled with shelves piled high with medical records and documents. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, casting square patterns on the floor.

Li Ranmo walked to the innermost shelf and found the one labeled "Employee Files". His hand groped in the dark and quickly pulled out a brown paper bag.

His name was written on it: Li Ranmo.

He opened the paper bag and took out the documents inside. By the moonlight, he could see that the section on his study abroad experience, from 1932 to 1934, was blank.

He took out a pen from his pocket and unscrewed the cap.

The pen tip hovered on the paper, then stopped.

There were footsteps outside the door.

It's very light, but it definitely has a light weight.

Li Ranmo immediately stuffed the document back into the paper bag, then put the paper bag back on the shelf, and darted behind the shelf.

The door to the archives was pushed open.

A figure stood at the doorway, but didn't come in; he just stood there for a while.

Li Ranmo held her breath.

The figure paused at the door for about half a minute, then turned and left.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Li Ran waited for a while, making sure the person was far away, before coming out from behind the shelf.

He walked to the door and pressed his ear against it to listen.

It's very quiet outside.

He gently opened the door and looked outside.

The corridor was deserted.

But who was that person just now?

Li Ranmo closed the door, returned to the shelf, and took out the brown paper bag again. This time he moved quickly, adding a line of small print in the blank space with a pen: "1933-1934, studied surgery at St. Mary's Hospital, London."

After he finished writing, he put the document back and returned the paper bag to its original place.

Just as I finished putting it down, I heard footsteps outside the door again.

This time the footsteps were hurried, heading straight for the archives.

Li Ranmo immediately slipped into the shadows behind the door.

The door was pushed open.

A man rushed in, holding a flashlight, the beam of light sweeping randomly through the archives room.

It's Chen Qitai.

Chen Qitai's face was grim, and he shone his flashlight back and forth on the shelf. He walked to the "Employee Files" section and reached in to feel around.

After fiddling with it for a while, he pulled out Li Ranmo's brown paper bag.

He opened the paper bag, took out the documents, and looked at them with a flashlight.

I watched it for about a minute.

Then he put the documents back, returned the paper bag to its original place, and turned to leave.

He suddenly stopped when he reached the door.

The flashlight beam shone behind the door.

Li Ranmo pressed against the wall, motionless.

The beam of light swept past his feet but did not reach him.

Chen Qitai stood at the door for a few seconds, then turned off his flashlight, walked out of the archives, and closed the door behind him.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Li Ranmo stood behind the door for a while before slowly walking out.

He walked to the shelf, took out the brown paper bag again, and opened it.

The line he had just added was still on the document.

Did Chen Qitai see it?

I'm sure I saw it.

But he didn't say anything.

Li Ranmo packed the documents, put the paper bag back, and left the archives. He locked the door and returned to his dormitory.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Shen Qiushui standing inside.

"How did you get in?" Li Ran asked silently.

"The window." Shen Qiushui pointed to the open window. "Dr. Li, something's happened."

"What is it?"

"Wang Qingnian has made a move." Shen Qiushui's voice was urgent. "I just received news that the Department of Health will send people to the hospital for a 'routine inspection' tomorrow morning, focusing on the drug warehouse."

Li Ranmo's eyes turned cold.

"When was the news received?"

"Ten minutes ago," Shen Qiushui said, "we got the information from our inside source at the Department of Health. It said that Wang Qingnian personally signed the inspection order, the reason being 'to check the wartime drug reserves.'"

"The inspection is a pretense; they're really searching." Li Ranmo walked to the table, opened a drawer, and took out the copper coin and the original medicine list Han Xiuyun had given him. "What are they looking for?"

"Find evidence of our dealings with Han Xiuyun," Shen Qiushui said. "Or, find anything they can use against you."

Li Ranmo stuffed the copper coins and the list into his pocket.

"I've been to the archives," he said. "Vice Dean Chen went there too."

Shen Qiushui was taken aback. "He saw you?"

"I didn't see him, but he went through my file," Li Ranmo said. "I filled in the blank spaces with my training records, he looked at them, and left without saying a word."

"He suspects you, but he has no proof." Shen Qiushui thought for a moment, "Now that Wang Qingnian is coming to investigate, he might use this opportunity..."

"Let's take this opportunity to see what I'm hiding," Li Ranmo continued her words.

The two exchanged a glance.

"Things need to be moved," Shen Qiushui said. "The copper coins, the inventory, and anything else you brought back from Han Xiuyun's place can't be left in the hospital."

"Shall we leave now?"

"Now." Shen Qiushui walked to the window, looked down, and said, "There's no one at the back door. I'll go out from there and hide the things in the usual place."

"careful."

Shen Qiushui nodded, climbed out the window, and her figure quickly disappeared into the night.

Li Ranmo stood by the window, looking at the dark courtyard outside.

The shadow in the corner seemed to move again.

He closed the window and drew the curtains.

The kerosene lamp was relit.

The halo of light flickered on the wall.

Li Ranmo sat at the table, took out a medical record from the drawer, and began writing today's ward round notes.

The pen nib scratched across the paper, making a soft, hissing sound.

He wrote half a page and then stopped writing.

There were very light footsteps outside the door, stopping at the entrance.

Then the footsteps disappeared.

Li Ranmo continued writing.

After finishing the last stroke, he closed the medical record and blew out the light.

The room darkened again.

He lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow night at midnight, Pier 3.

The Department of Health will conduct an inspection tomorrow morning.

Chen Qitai watched from the shadows.

Wang Qingnian conducted the search openly.

Li Ranmo turned over and placed his hand on his chest.

The copper coin in his pocket was hard and digging into his chest.

He closed his eyes.

I can't fall asleep.

Then let's wait and see.

Wait until dawn.

Waiting for the inspectors to arrive.

Wait until this undercurrent surges into the open.