Chapter 14 – The Female Military Doctor of the 1950s

Doctor Cao had finally taken on a disciple.

And the one he accepted was none other than that little girl Xu Hehua picked up from the cemetery—the one everyone used to call bad luck.

Though most of the villagers had already mentally prepared themselves for this outcome, when the news truly spread, it still caused quite a stir.

Fearing that someone clueless might go make a scene at Doctor Cao’s place, a few village elders took the lead in widely spreading how clever and gifted Xu Wanchun was.

In a poor and remote mountain village like this, it was rare to have someone so exceptional.

As a result, the Xu family home, which had always been quiet, was suddenly swarmed with wave after wave of curious onlookers.

After being poked, stared at, and treated like a monkey on display too many times, Xu Wanchun could no longer bear it. She went straight back into the house to practice calligraphy.

Xu Hehua wasn’t happy either about her daughter being disturbed like that—especially by those who were eyeing her to arrange a child marriage. From then on, whenever anyone came by asking, she simply said, “Taohua is over at her master’s house.”

Of course, there were exceptions.

Like Xu Wangshi, who came by carrying half a basket of eggs when she heard the news.

Even more unexpected to Xu Hehua was the appearance of her father, Xu Chunsheng—who hadn’t set foot in her home since that one visit during the winter—now standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Xu Hehua was in the middle of slaughtering and plucking a chicken. When she saw her parents arrive, she quickly stood up to greet them.
“Dad, Mom, what brings you here now?”

Xu Chunsheng didn’t answer right away. He looked around the yard, clearly searching for someone, then walked over to the stone stool and sat down.
“Where’s Taohua?”

Xu Wangshi looked at the chicken and frowned.
“Killing chickens at this hour? Not laying eggs anymore?”
After her moment of heartache over the chicken, she placed her basket onto the stone table, grabbed a small stool, and sat across from her daughter to help pluck feathers.
“We heard Doctor Cao took Taohua in as his disciple. Is it true?”

So it was about that.

Xu Hehua sat back down.
“It’s true. I’m killing the chicken to invite Doctor Cao and his wife over for dinner—celebrating together.”

Though they had already heard congratulations from others, the two elders were still visibly delighted to hear it confirmed directly from their daughter.

Xu Chunsheng pulled out his tobacco pipe tucked behind his waist and lit it. After a few puffs, he said,
“Of course you should host a meal. It’s a big occasion. Don’t be stingy with the good stuff—it’s for my good granddaughter, after all.”

Just moments ago she was simply “Taohua,” and now she was “my good granddaughter.”
If this weren’t her own father, Xu Hehua’s temper might have flared up.
“She’s inside practicing her characters,” she replied.

She was about to call out toward the west room when her daughter came out on her own.

While she could ignore other visitors, it wouldn’t be polite to avoid her grandparents. Xu Wanchun walked quickly toward them and gave a bright, sweet smile.
“Grandma, Grandpa.”

Xu Chunsheng reached out his rough, callused hand and patted her head with a grin that looked like a blooming chrysanthemum.
“Our little Taohua really has some skills—you’ve made Grandpa proud.”

In this world, there were plenty of people who couldn’t stand to see others doing better than them, even when it came to relatives.

Ever since his daughter’s divorce, Xu Chunsheng had endured a lot of ridicule. He couldn’t even raise his head in the village anymore and stopped going for strolls, burying himself in chores at home.

Who would’ve thought that this adopted granddaughter—picked up halfway through life—would turn things around and earn him so much face?

Just thinking about the praise and envy from his old friends made Xu Chunsheng straighten his back in pride. He now looked at his granddaughter with eyes full of affection.

Xu Wangshi chuckled as well.
“Who in the village isn’t envious of our Taohua? Oh, and Grandma brought you half a basket of eggs—keep them for yourself.”

Xu Hehua, who had been silently working the whole time…

Xu Wanchun glanced at her foster mother’s expression, which clearly screamed speechless, and she struggled to hold back a laugh as she leaned in close to her grandmother.

Taohua sweetly said, “Grandpa and Grandma should keep the eggs for yourselves. Once I start earning money, I’ll buy meat for you.”

Ever since she started earning a bit by selling medicinal herbs, she’d already brought meat to her grandparents several times—always under her adoptive mother’s name, and only two or three ounces each time.

Not because she was stingy, but because she didn’t want to attract too much attention.

Oh, right—once they went to the county town, she could also buy them some pastries.

Unaware of their granddaughter’s plans, Xu Chunsheng and Xu Wangshi were already grinning from ear to ear.

Xu Hehua, on the other hand, was long used to her daughter’s silver tongue. She carefully picked the loose feathers from the basin to dry in the sun, then refilled it with clean well water to finish dealing with the fine down feathers on the chicken. Only after that did she invite,
“Dad, Mom, stay for dinner.”

Xu Chunsheng had been happily coaxed by his granddaughter, but froze a bit at her words.
“With Doctor Cao and his wife?”

Xu Hehua nodded, “Yes.”

“Then forget it,” Xu Chunsheng waved his hand repeatedly.
“I’ve worked the fields all my life and barely ever left the village. Sitting at the same table with someone as dignified as Doctor Cao—I wouldn’t even know where to put my hands.”

Xu Wangshi also declined.
“We won’t stay. San-ni, you’re probably out of chickens at home, right? I’ll bring you one tomorrow.”

Xu Chunsheng chimed in, “Bring one that still lays eggs—we can’t shortchange our Taohua.”

“Oh, give it a rest. You really think the moment you bring a chicken, my good sister-in-law won’t show up?”
Since the old couple hadn’t officially divided their property with their sons, Xu Hehua didn’t want to be accused over a chicken.

Recalling her eldest daughter-in-law’s past behavior, Xu Wangshi mumbled,
“She won’t, she won’t. This basket of eggs was given willingly by your sister-in-law, wasn’t it, old man?”

Xu Chunsheng nodded.
“Yeah, it was your brother’s wife who brought them. Hehua, don’t overthink it.”

But Xu Hehua didn’t buy it one bit. Her face darkened as she asked directly,
“What’s she really up to?”

She hadn’t expected her daughter to catch on so fast. Xu Wangshi lowered her head and said nothing.

Xu Chunsheng took a puff from his pipe and tried to smooth things over.
“Your sister-in-law wants Taohua to get engaged to Tiezhu.”

“Pfft! That crazy woman’s dreaming again! What a load of crap!”
The irate mother threw the plucked chicken into the basin, her expression flipping in an instant. Not content with just yelling, she grabbed her daughter and protectively pulled her behind her.

Xu Wanchun: “…”

Xu Chunsheng’s face turned dark. He knocked his pipe against the stone table and barked,
“What are you panicking for? I haven’t even finished talking! You think your father’s that much of a fool? Like I’d ever agree to that!”

Xu Hehua was still skeptical.
“You really didn’t agree?”

Xu Chunsheng was fuming.
“Taohua’s a capable girl. She might even marry into a city family someday. Why on earth would I agree to that?”

Though she still disliked how her father always talked about “marrying into the city” as if it were the pinnacle of success, as long as he didn’t try to match her daughter with that side of the family, she was willing to let it go.
“Whether or not Taohua does well in the future, it’s got nothing to do with my sister-in-law. Tell her to stop dreaming.”

“I know.” He had just responded gruffly when the little girl poked her head out from behind her mother and smiled sweetly at him.

Xu Chunsheng instantly beamed again. He waved at her,
“I heard our little Taohua can recite books? Come on, recite some for Grandpa.”

Xu Wanchun had only meant to smile her way out of it…

Carrying their baskets on their backs, they set off on foot out of the village.

Unexpectedly, someone had arrived even earlier. By the large wagon at the village entrance, aside from the driver perched on the shaft rolling a cigarette, there were also two men standing nearby.

Xu Wanchun glanced at them a few times, confirming she hadn’t seen them before—most likely they were from nearby villages.

In this ten-mile radius, there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know Doctor Cao. Sure enough, not just the driver, even the two men squatting nearby came forward to greet him.

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, Cao Xiu asked the driver,
“Uncle Li, are we still waiting for anyone else?”

Li Gui tucked away his cigarette.
“No need. Six people is just right for one trip.”

With that, everyone handed over the fare—half a jin of grain—and climbed onto the flatbed wagon.

Because Xu Wanchun was small, and for safety reasons, Xu Hehua sat her on her lap.

Once everyone was settled, Li Gui cracked his whip in the air. The cart axle creaked as the wheels slowly began to turn.

The wagon swayed back and forth. The child’s small body couldn’t help but rock with it. At first, Xu Wanchun eagerly soaked in the scenery, eyes sparkling with curiosity—but soon enough, sleepiness overtook her.

The early morning temperature wasn’t warm. Seeing her daughter’s head bobbing up and down, Xu Hehua feared she might catch a chill. She pulled out her coat from the basket and draped it over her daughter before softly whispering,
“Sleep. Mama will wake you when we arrive.”

And so, Xu Wanchun… fell asleep in seconds.

When she woke again, an hour had already passed.

The large wagon only went as far as the town. After the four of them got off, they walked through a long, bustling street and headed straight to a breakfast stall.

To her surprise, the breakfast options were quite plentiful. Xu Wanchun chose youtiao and savory tofu pudding, and ate to her heart’s content. She was wiping her mouth when suddenly—the sound of gunshots rang out.

Having grown up in a peaceful environment, Xu Wanchun didn’t react immediately. In the next second, her mother had already pulled her tightly into her arms, shielding her. All around them, townspeople began to scream and panic.

Just as everyone was about to run in all directions, someone shouted,
“Don’t be afraid! They’re just shooting at sparrows!”

The moment those words landed, the crowd froze. Then curses erupted one after another:

“Which son of a bitch is shooting birds in the middle of the street?! I thought it was bandits!”

“I thought it was the Japanese!”

“Same here—damn, scared me to death!”

“What Japanese? We already won the war!”

…

The crowd kept chattering, their nerves still rattled. Off to the side, Cao Xiu let out a quiet sigh.
“I just hope we never have to go to war again.”
The reason he’d chosen to stay holed up in a remote mountain village was precisely because he was sick of war and bloodshed.

Su Nan gently patted her husband’s arm to comfort him, though she couldn’t think of any words to offer.

As for Xu Hehua, she held her daughter tightly, warily scanning their surroundings, the earlier ease completely gone from her demeanor.

This was truly still the chaotic year of 1950. The gunshots, and the way the people reacted like startled birds, made Xu Wanchun feel the weight of reality—she really couldn’t go back anymore.

“Enough of that,” Cao Xiu said, trying to lift everyone’s mood. “I’m done eating. I’ll go over there and ask about a ride.”

Seeing that everyone’s spirits had dropped and his little disciple looked especially gloomy, he composed himself and stood up with a smile before walking off.

Watching her master head toward a corner nearby, Xu Wanchun asked her master’s wife curiously,
“Where’s Shifu going?”

Su Nan was wrapping up leftover youtiao and pancakes in oil paper she’d bought from the stall. She didn’t brush the child off just because she was young. Instead, she patiently explained in a low voice,
“There’s no dedicated bus to the county. Your master’s going to ask if there’s a truck passing by that we can hitch a ride with.”

Xu Wanchun blinked…

“What—are we even allowed to do that?”

Such a clever little thing. Su Nan chuckled and tapped the girl’s forehead.
“The driver’s doing this on the side. If there’s an inspection, we’ll have to hide.”

So, in other words, not officially permitted. Xu Wanchun immediately understood.
“What if there’s no passing truck?”

Su Nan replied,
“Then we’ll rent horses from the transport station and ride to the county.”

Xu Wanchun instinctively looked toward her mother.
“Mom, do you know how to ride a horse?”

Xu Hehua looked puzzled.
“Who in our village doesn’t know how to ride a horse?”

I don’t, Xu Wanchun thought, instantly feeling glum again.

Su Nan was observant and caught on quickly. She smiled and coaxed her,
“On the way back, let your mom teach you.”

Riding a horse?! Xu Wanchun immediately perked up.

Luckily—

There was a passing truck that day.

Unluckily—

The truck was already loaded with cargo, so the four of them had to squeeze in awkwardly.

Fortunately, the truck moved fast, and the 30 kilometers were done in just over an hour.

Carrying cash on their person didn’t feel safe, so as soon as they got off the truck, the group headed straight to the bank.

Xu Hehua didn’t have many silver coins on her. After exchanging them for paper currency, she added over three hundred yuan from selling medicinal herbs and rounded it up to four hundred yuan, which she deposited into the bank.

It was Xu Hehua’s first time inside a bank—and also the first time she learned what a passbook was.

Holding that thin booklet in her hand, she suddenly felt uneasy.

Four hundred yuan, and it all turned into just a few flimsy slips of paper? How could that be reliable?

Sensing her mother’s anxiety, Xu Wanchun reassured her,
“Mom, Master’s wife already said—money’s safest in the bank. No one can steal it. You can relax.”

Xu Hehua came back to her senses. Quietly, while no one was looking, she stuffed the passbook into her inner shirt pocket, then let out a long breath.
“I know… Your Master’s wife is only thinking of what’s best for us.”
Still not quite at ease, she gave the inside of her shirt a pat for reassurance.

Seeing that, Xu Wanchun took her mother’s arm and teased to cheer her up,
“Let’s come back every month or two to save more. Who knows, next time we might hit a thousand yuan!”

Now that was sweet talk.

Xu Hehua instantly felt that life had never looked more promising. Her whole demeanor lifted, all the tension from earlier swept away.

After they left the bank, it was still early, so the group headed to the cooperative store.

The county’s cooperative had many items you couldn’t find in town. Even the fabric patterns were much more refined.

Xu Hehua was holding her daughter’s hand, happily chatting with Su Nan about what to buy, when suddenly—her steps halted. Her gaze locked onto something ahead.

Xu Wanchun followed her mother’s line of sight and exclaimed in surprise,
“Mom… do you want to take a photo?”

Xu Hehua had never had her picture taken before. Hearing her daughter say it out loud, she felt a little embarrassed. But she still nodded firmly.
“Peach Blossom, what do you say we take a photo together?”

Of course! Xu Wanchun agreed at once.

Su Nan grew interested too.
“Then let’s go take the photo first. Peach Blossom, take one with us too later—we’ll send it to your senior brother.”