“Get ready. You’re coming with me.”
The door swung open, and a gust of cold air swept into the room. Gu Ci stood in the doorway, still holding his military cap. Beneath the brim, his dark eyes revealed nothing of what he was thinking.
Jiang Ning was sitting at the table, changing Black Panther’s bandages.
The wound on the dog’s leg had already scabbed over, but it still needed cleaning. She held a pair of tweezers, her movements as steady as someone embroidering a piece of cloth. She didn’t even look up.
“Where are we going? The police station?”
Her voice was indifferent, as though she were asking where to buy groceries.
“Looks like the Shen family has quite a reach. Even the political commissar can’t hold them off?”
“Division headquarters.”
Gu Ci strode into the room and placed his cap on the table.
“The division commander wants to see you.”
Jiang Ning’s hand paused.
The tip of the tweezers lightly touched Black Panther’s wound. The dog whimpered but didn’t dare move.
“The division commander?”
Jiang Ning set down the tweezers and wiped her hands with a piece of gauze.
“Looks like my reputation has spread beyond the residential compound and caught the attention of the higher-ups. Is that a blessing or a curse?”
“Whether it’s a blessing or a curse depends on whether you know how to talk.”
Gu Ci leaned against the edge of the table and lit a cigarette. Through the swirling smoke, his expression looked somewhat obscure.
“The division commander is Liu Tiejun. He’s an old revolutionary, and his temper is even worse than mine. He hates dishonesty and deception more than anything, but he’s also fiercely protective of his own people. If you manage to win him over, no one in this compound will dare lay a finger on you again. If you don’t…”
He flicked the ash from his cigarette, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Then I’ll have no choice but to send you back to Jiangjia Village to feed the pigs.”
Jiang Ning stood up and brushed the dog hair off her clothes.
She walked over to the battered mirror hanging on the wall and examined herself.
The woman reflected in the glass was still pale. Her hair was simply tied back in a ponytail, and she wore the newly made navy-blue Dacron shirt, which made her look even cooler and more aloof.
“Feeding pigs is out of the question.”
Jiang Ning straightened her collar.
“I only know how to slaughter them. Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep such an important leader waiting.”
…
The jeep pulled out of regimental headquarters and headed north.
The division headquarters was far grander than the regiment’s compound. There was a sentry every few paces, and guards stood watch at every turn.
Gu Ci’s vehicle passed through without obstruction and drove straight up to a row of red-brick buildings.
“We’re here.”
Gu Ci switched off the engine and turned toward the passenger seat.
He had assumed that a country girl like her would be intimidated by such an imposing place, or at least feel nervous.
Instead, the woman was leaning back with her eyes closed, resting. Only when she heard his voice did she lazily open her eyes. Her casual, unbothered attitude made it seem as though she had arrived at her own backyard rather than the heavily guarded division headquarters.
Decent nerves.
Or perhaps she’s simply clueless.
Gu Ci pushed open the car door and got out.
The two of them walked up to the second floor, one following the other. A duty soldier saluted and opened the heavy wooden door.
“Reporting in!”
Gu Ci stood at attention and saluted.
“Come in.”
A deep, powerful voice answered, resonating with a metallic edge.
A man in his fifties sat behind the desk. His hair was streaked with gray, and his back was perfectly straight. Even sitting down, he looked like a rifle standing at attention.
This was Division Commander Liu Tiejun.
He had been studying a map. Hearing the report, he raised his head. His gaze was sharp as a blade, passing over Gu Ci and fixing directly on Jiang Ning.
His eyes were far too piercing.
They carried the killing intent of someone who had spent years on the battlefield. An ordinary person would have gone weak in the knees under such scrutiny.
Jiang Ning didn’t.
She didn’t even salute, since she wasn’t a soldier. She merely nodded slightly and greeted him without the slightest trace of servility.
“Good morning, sir.”
“So you’re the girl who made several hundred people drink soapy water?”
Liu Tiejun put down the red-and-blue pencils in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and scrutinized her.
“You’ve got some nerve. You don’t have a medical license, yet you dared to perform emergency treatment using unorthodox methods in a military camp. If I wanted to make an issue of it, you’d already be sitting in prison.”
It was an attempt to intimidate her.
Jiang Ning smiled but didn’t take the bait.
“Sir, whether it’s a black cat or a white cat, the cat that catches mice is a good cat.”
She met Liu Tiejun’s eyes directly.
“If we’d waited for the proper procedures back then, the people lying on the ground wouldn’t have been alive patients anymore. They’d have been corpses. You’re a military commander, so you should understand better than I do. On a battlefield, there’s only victory or defeat. There are no rules.”
Liu Tiejun paused in surprise.
Then he suddenly slapped the desk.
Smack!
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
Liu Tiejun burst into hearty laughter, his voice so loud it seemed to make the ceiling vibrate.
“I like that answer! Those bookish military doctors are obsessed with regulations. They even dawdle when it comes to saving lives! Girl, with a personality like yours, you’re less like a doctor and more like a soldier!”
Standing to one side, Gu Ci’s eyelid twitched.
The old commander really did have a taste for this sort of thing. The more rebellious someone was, the more he liked them.
“However…” Liu Tiejun changed the subject, his gaze sharpening again. “Courage alone isn’t enough. You need real skills, too. I heard you can read people’s faces? That you took one look at… what was her name? Wang Juhua, and figured out she had hyperthyroidism?”
“That’s observation-based diagnosis,” Jiang Ning corrected him. “Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes inspection, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation. Sister-in-law Wang’s symptoms were so obvious that there was no need to take her pulse.”
“Then take a look at me.”
Liu Tiejun pointed at himself.
“Tell me what’s wrong with me.”
This was a test.
And a probe.
Gu Ci instinctively glanced at Jiang Ning. Commander Liu’s medical condition was a military secret. Although it was recorded in his medical file, there was absolutely no way this girl could have seen it.
Jiang Ning said nothing.
She took two steps forward and stopped in front of the desk. Her gaze swept over Liu Tiejun’s face before shifting to his right hand, which rested on the desk and unconsciously rubbed an enamel mug.
“Headaches.”
Jiang Ning spoke only two words.
Liu Tiejun’s expression remained unchanged.
“At my age, who doesn’t suffer from headaches now and then?”
“Yours are different.”
Jiang Ning shook her head.
“Your headaches occur at regular times. Every afternoon between three and five, your temples feel as though they’re being stabbed with needles, accompanied by ringing in your ears. And…”
She pointed at Liu Tiejun’s right leg.
“When the weather is damp and rainy, the bone around your right knee hurts as though someone is sawing through it. The pain is excruciating. You’re constantly rubbing that enamel mug because it’s warm. You’re trying to use the heat to relieve the numbness in your fingertips.”
Silence fell.
The office was so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Gu Ci abruptly turned to look at Jiang Ning.
Every single detail was correct.
Commander Liu’s leg injury was an old battlefield wound from the Korean War. His headaches were a lingering consequence of shrapnel grazing his head. Gu Ci knew about those problems, but even he hadn’t known about the numbness in Liu Tiejun’s fingertips.
The smile vanished from Liu Tiejun’s face.
He stared at Jiang Ning, his expression growing solemn, even faintly dangerous.
“Who told you?”
“No one.”
Jiang Ning pointed to her eyes.
“I observed it myself. Your right eyebrow sits lower than your left, suggesting pressure on the facial nerve on that side. When you’re sitting, you put almost all your weight on your left buttock, which tells me you’re avoiding putting weight on your right leg. As for your fingers…”
She shrugged.
“Your fingernails have a bluish tinge, indicating poor circulation in your extremities. That’s a typical symptom of nerve compression caused by a cervical spine problem. Commander, your body is like a machine that’s undergone major repairs. It still runs, but half the components are loose.”
Liu Tiejun remained silent for a long time.
Then he let out a long sigh, and the tension that had held his entire body rigid finally eased.
“The younger generation is truly formidable.”
He looked at Gu Ci, his tone complicated.
“Gu the Grim Reaper, I have to hand it to you. You’ve got some incredible luck to have stumbled upon a treasure like this. This isn’t just a wife you’ve found. She’s practically a living CT scanner!”
Gu Ci’s mouth twitched.
A living CT scanner? Now that’s a new one.
“Girl,” Liu Tiejun said, turning back to Jiang Ning. This time, his eyes held nothing but admiration. “Since you’ve identified my problems, can you treat them?”
“I can alleviate them, but I can’t eliminate them completely.”
Jiang Ning answered honestly.
“The wear and tear is too severe. The damaged components can’t be replaced. But I can reduce your suffering. Acupuncture combined with medicinal baths should produce noticeable results within a month.”
“Excellent!”
Liu Tiejun slapped the desk.
“Starting today, you’re an officially appointed specialist for division headquarters. Aside from treating that brat Gu Ci, you can come give me a few acupuncture sessions whenever you have time. As for that complaint from the Shen family…”
He snorted coldly.
“Tell them to come talk to me! A quack who can’t even treat a dog has the nerve to file a complaint? Tell them to get lost!”
The matter was settled.
Not only had she succeeded, but she had also gained the backing of someone far more powerful.
“Thank you, sir.”
Jiang Ning accepted the arrangement without false modesty.
“However, there’s the matter of my consultation fee…”
“Of course you’ll be paid!” Liu Tiejun waved his hand generously. “You’ll receive the treatment and compensation befitting an expert! Also, I heard you need a vehicle? That jeep is now assigned exclusively to you! Division headquarters will cover the fuel!”
Gu Ci: “…”
Wasn’t that jeep assigned to him?
Jiang Ning smiled.
And this time, her smile was considerably more genuine.
“The commander is truly wise.”
By the time they left the division headquarters building, the sky was already bright.
Jiang Ning was in an excellent mood, and even her steps seemed lighter.
Gu Ci followed behind her, watching her slender figure. Yet he couldn’t shake the unease in his heart.
The more extraordinary this woman proved to be, the more mysteries she seemed to carry.
How could a village girl who had supposedly never left the mountains know so much? Diagnostic observation? Psychology? Emergency medicine?
She was like a bottomless black hole.
“Gu Ci.”
Jiang Ning suddenly stopped and turned to look at him. Sunlight fell across her face, and for an instant, the light in her eyes seemed even more dazzling than the sun itself.
“What?” Gu Ci stopped.
“Don’t call me your wife anymore.”
She pointed to the specially supplied apple she’d just helped herself to from Commander Liu’s office and took a bite.
“Call me Consultant Jiang. Or…”
She chewed the apple and spoke indistinctly.
“Calling me Miracle Doctor Jiang works, too.”
Gu Ci looked at her smug expression and couldn’t help wanting to laugh.
“Lunatic.”
He muttered the insult under his breath and opened the car door.
“Get in, Miracle Doctor Jiang.”
Jiang Ning climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt.
“Where are we going?”
“Home.” Gu Ci started the engine. “To get my medicine. It’s time for my next dose.”
Jiang Ning glanced at his profile.
After the previous night’s treatment, his complexion had indeed improved considerably. But that aura of hostility was still there. It was ingrained in his bones, beyond the reach of any medicine.
“Gu Ci.”
“Speak.”
“Commander Liu said I’m a treasure.”
Jiang Ning suddenly leaned closer, staring straight into his eyes.
“What do you think?”
Gu Ci tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
He turned his head and met her boldly challenging gaze.
“I think,” he said in a low voice, a note of warning in it, “you’re trouble. A whole lot of trouble.”
“Likewise.”
Jiang Ning leaned back in her seat and gazed out at the passing scenery.
“A troublemaker paired with a lunatic. Sounds perfect to me.”