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In late August, the knife wound on her back had gradually healed. Apart from the occasional itching, she could walk and eat with ease.

The medical clinic where she was placed was located in a relatively quiet corner of western Chengdu, which the Chinese Army called a "Sanitation Center." According to Auntie Gu, it might be "adjusted" away in the future. Perhaps because of its location, not many wounded or sick people came here every day. When she could move around, Qu Longjun secretly took a few glances.

The small courtyard where she lived housed female patients. Patients occasionally came to the two rooms next door to rest and take medicine, but none had injuries as severe as hers. Some local residents were also not accustomed to placing their women in such unfamiliar places to recuperate, so they often just took the medicine and went home.

Qu Longjun, on the other hand, no longer had such concerns.

During her month-long stay here, Qu Longjun was initially confused and fearful, but later her heart gradually calmed down. Although she didn't know how the Chinese Army would ultimately deal with her, she had been able to feel that the people in the Sanitation Center had no malice towards her.

Most of the time, she only interacted with two people here.

Auntie Gu, the manager of the Sanitation Center, was plump and looked amiable, but from her words, Qu Longjun could discern her composure and sophistication. From some subtle clues in her speech, Qu Longjun could even hear that she had once been a female warrior who had taken up arms on the battlefield. She had only heard of such figures in operas in the past.

Besides Auntie Gu, who took more care of her because they were both women, there was also the young Doctor Long Aotian, whose face always looked cold. Although this highly skilled young doctor was a ruthless killer and usually didn't smile much, after getting along for a long time and putting down her initial fear, she could feel the kindness he possessed. At least, she soon realized that it was this young doctor who had saved her after the slaughter on the morning of July 21st, and it seemed that he had also taken on some responsibility. Therefore, he came to bring her food every day and cared about whether her physical condition had improved.

The book "Women Hold Up Half the Sky" seemed to have been sent by him as well, and later there were several books teaching people how to weave, do handicrafts, and run small businesses to make money.

She had been trained as a "slim horse" since she was a child, and she had privately made some anxious speculations, such as that the two were of similar age, and this little killing god might have taken a fancy to her—although he was cold and scary, he was actually quite handsome, just wondering if she would get beaten...

As for another possibility, it was that the Chinese Army was prepared to let her recover from her injuries and then force her to go to other places as a spy. If so, it would explain why the young doctor would come to inquire about her injuries every day.

These two thoughts were pressed in her heart, and she couldn't be sure for a while, but she felt uneasy whenever she thought of them.

On August 24th, she had her last consultation, and in their final conversation, they talked about his brother getting married.

After leaving the room, the young doctor walking in the courtyard looked back at the doorway several times. At his age, it was still difficult to make a concrete analysis of certain vague emotions. The girl in the room, of course, did not notice this scene. For her, it was just a simple afternoon.

On August 25th, the young doctor did not come.

On the 26th, Auntie Gu brought a small package to the room.

"These are some things to be handed over to you."

Auntie Gu said, then took out some silver notes and land deeds from the package. Qu Longjun recognized some of them. These were Wen Shoubin's things. Her indenture was sandwiched among these documents. Auntie Gu took it out and tore it up.

"Your adopted father, Wen Shoubin, entered Chengdu city wanting to plot something, which is wrong to say. However, an investigation was conducted here, and he ultimately did not commit any great evil... He wanted to do it but didn't succeed, and then he died. Some of the things he brought to Chengdu were originally to be confiscated, but Little Long made an appeal for you. Although he is dead, you are still his daughter in name. These properties should be inherited by you... The appeal took a lot of time. Little Long has been running around these days. Here, they are all brought to you."

Although Wen Shoubin was not a big tycoon or rich man to the outside world, he had accumulated considerable wealth over the years by dealing with wealthy households and selling women. Not to mention the land deeds in the package, just the gold and silver notes worth hundreds of taels were enough wealth for ordinary people to live on for half their lives. Qu Longjun's mind buzzed, and she reached out her hand, but she really couldn't understand this matter.

"This is..." Qu Longjun reached out, "Doctor Long gave it to me?"

"It's your adopted father's inheritance," Auntie Gu said.

"But..."

Her mind was a mess, and she didn't understand why. She had originally prepared for many people to be greedy for her. The best outcome was that the Long family's young doctor had taken a fancy to her. The worse outcome was naturally to let her be a spy. There were also various worse outcomes that she hadn't thought about carefully. However, giving her all these things, why was that?

She thought in confusion for a moment, then looked up and said, "...Little Doctor Long, why doesn't he come to give it to me? I... want to thank him..."

"Little Long ah." Auntie Gu revealed a sighing expression, "He already left yesterday. Didn't he say goodbye to you the day before yesterday?"

"...He said his brother was getting married."

"Yes, it's about the marriage. He rushed back yesterday. After the marriage, he has to go to school, after all, he's not very old, and his family doesn't allow him to run around. So, he asked me to pass this on to you. He shouldn't be coming to Chengdu for a while."

"Studying..." Qu Longjun repeated, after a moment, "But... why?"

"What why?"

"You... Chinese Army... what exactly do you want to do with me? After all, I... came with Wen Shoubin to cause trouble, this... this is..."

Her words were chaotic, and tears fell unconsciously. These words had been suppressed in her heart for the past month, and now she could finally say them. Auntie Gu sat down beside her and patted her hand.

"You didn't do anything bad. At such a young age, who can control themselves? Now it's also a good thing. You will be free in the future, don't cry."

"Then if I want to leave in the future..."

"Leave... wherever you want to go, you can arrange it yourself." Auntie Gu smiled, "But your injuries haven't fully healed yet. You can think carefully about the future, and then whether you stay in Chengdu or go to other places, it's up to you to decide. No one will restrain you like Wen Shoubin did..."

Qu Longjun sat there, and tears kept falling. Auntie Gu comforted her for a while, and then left the room.

Like a strange sea surging and enveloping from all directions.

Regarding Auntie Gu's "freedom," she only felt strange, light and a little unable to grasp its weight. Although she was only sixteen years old, she had been living under the control of others since she could remember. At first, she had her father and mother, and after her parents died, it was Wen Shoubin. In the past trajectory, if one day she was sold, the person who would control her life would be the good man who bought her, and in the more distant future, she might even depend on her children to live—everyone lived like this, and it wasn't actually a bad thing.

When Wen Shoubin died, she initially felt scared, but then, she had simply fallen into the hands of the Black Flag Army. When she understood that there wasn't much room for resistance in life, even fear would fade. Whether the people of the Chinese Army took a fancy to her, wanted to do something to her, or wanted to use her to do something, she could clearly understand it. In fact, it was mostly difficult to resist.

However... free?

She thought of the young Doctor Long, whose face was cold, on the morning of July 21st, he saved her, healed her injuries... They hadn't even said a few words in a month, and he was now... gone...

...Why?

There were several books on the cabinet in the ward, as well as that package of documents and silver money. Some invisible things added to her had left at some unknown time. She felt a little unable to understand this world.

She thought of her dead father and mother.

Sometimes she also thought of some memories of July 21st, thinking of the sentence that Doctor Long seemed to have said.

"...Little cheap dog, you look like a dead fish..."

Have we met before?

Why am I a little cheap dog?

We haven't met, right?

Why are you scolding me...

These doubts were hidden in her heart, accumulating layer by layer. And more unfamiliar emotions also surged into her heart. She touched the bed, touched the table, and sometimes when she walked out of the room and touched the door frame, she felt unfamiliar and sensitive to everything, and she felt particularly unfamiliar when she thought of the past and the future...

She didn't know how many times she cried in the room that night, and gradually fell asleep at dawn. Two more days passed like this. Auntie Gu only called her when it was time to eat. The young doctor never came. She thought of what Auntie Gu said, and probably wouldn't see him again.

On August 29th, perhaps seeing that she had been bored in the courtyard for too long, Auntie Gu took her out to go shopping, and Qu Longjun agreed.

Since arriving in Chengdu, Qu Longjun had been confined to that small courtyard, and the number of times she went out could be counted on her fingers. Only now, as she toured carefully, could she feel the vitality of the streets of the southwest. This place had not experienced too much war, and the Chinese Army had once again defeated the menacing Jurchen invaders. In July, a large number of outsiders entered, saying they wanted to give the Chinese Army a slap in the face, but in the end, they were dealt with calmly and submissively by the Chinese Army. All of this happened in front of everyone.

In August, the trial and execution of the Jurchen prisoners at the military parade made countless onlookers' blood boil. Afterwards, the Chinese Army held its first representative conference, announcing the establishment of the Chinese People's Government. The martial arts competition in the city also began to enter its climax. Afterwards, the opening of conscription attracted countless passionate men to join. It is said that many businesses with the outside world were also finalized... By the end of August, this vibrant atmosphere was still continuing, which was a scene that Qu Longjun had never seen in the outside world.

However, at this moment, she didn't have much mood to feel everything in front of her.

"Auntie Gu." As she walked past a certain street, Qu Longjun asked her, "Young Doctor Long... is actually a descendant of some prominent family in the Chinese Army, right?"

Auntie Gu looked at him with a smile: "What's wrong? Have you fallen in love with Little Long?"

Qu Longjun smiled shyly: "No, it's just that after thinking about it carefully these past two days, he can do so many things. In the Chinese Army, he must be more than just a small military doctor."

In the past, she had thought about resigning herself to fate, so she had not delved into many details. Now that her thinking had become more active, when she looked back, she could find all kinds of unusual things. No matter what, she was a bad person who had followed Wen Shoubin to cause trouble. How could a small military doctor say that he wouldn't pursue the matter? Moreover, the land deeds and silver notes seemed simple, but they added up to a huge fortune. Even if the Chinese Army reasoned, they wouldn't be so quick to let her, this "adopted daughter," inherit the inheritance.

Auntie Gu only smiled: "His family, indeed, needs to be kept secret."

"Then I won't ask." Qu Longjun smiled and nodded.

Time passed through August and entered September.

Qu Longjun began to learn to help out in the Sanitation Center.

After the initial confusion in her heart passed, more specific things came into her sight.

She occasionally thought of her dead father.

Her father had died at the hands of the Chinese Army.

Although in the past, she had always been arranged by Wen Shoubin to move forward, and after falling into the hands of the Chinese Army, she was just a weak girl, and she didn't have to think too much about her father's affairs, but at this moment, her father's death had to be faced by her.

Auntie Gu in the Sanitation Center was very kind to her, and she would teach her many things she didn't understand, and she had also roughly accepted the concept that the Chinese Army was not a bad person. She even wanted to stay in this peaceful place of Chengdu for a long time. But whenever she seriously thought about this matter, her father's death would appear more clearly in front of her.

She was confused about this for a long time.

She also occasionally read books, read the story in the book "Women Can Hold Up Half the Sky," and looked at the livelihood skills mentioned in the other books. All of this was difficult to master in the short term. When she read these books, she would think of the young doctor with the cold face. Why did he leave these books behind? What did he want to say? Why were there land deeds from Jiangnan in the things that Wen Shoubin had retrieved?

She also thought of the young doctor's family background. He was a descendant of a wealthy family in the Chinese Army, right?

...Perhaps they would never meet again.

In this way, the time in September gradually passed, and when October arrived, Qu Longjun mustered up the courage to say goodbye to Auntie Gu, and then she also confessed her thoughts - if she was still the slim horse she was, controlled by others, then she would live wherever she was thrown, but now that she was no longer controlled by others, she could not shamelessly stay here any longer, after all, her father had died in Xiaocang River that year. Although he was unbearable and driven by the Jurchens, he was, in any case, her father.

After listening to these things, Auntie Gu persuaded her several times, and after finding that she could not be persuaded, she finally only suggested that Qu Longjun stay for a longer period of time. Although the Jurchens had retreated now, and there would be no wars in various places for a while, it was definitely not peaceful outside Jianmen Pass. She, a woman, should learn more things before leaving.

Qu Longjun stayed in Chengdu for another half a month, and on October 16th, she had a big cry with Auntie Gu and prepared to leave with the arranged caravan. Auntie Gu finally cursed at her with a sad face: "You stupid woman, in the future, when our Chinese Army fights to the outside world, are you going to run away again, wanting to be a stupid egg who doesn't eat Zhou millet?"

Qu Longjun took out the book "Women Can Hold Up Half the Sky" from her arms: "If I stay now, I will be receiving your charity from beginning to end. If one day I can survive on my own outside, and I can really hold up half the sky, then it will all be by my own ability. My father may be able to forgive me."

Auntie Gu then scolded her a few times, and then made an agreement with her to come back and see her in the future.

At this moment, the wind outside Chengdu city was stirring up the dust of departure. The plump Auntie Gu didn't know why, but this seemingly weak girl, who was used to resigning herself to fate, had shown such stubbornness as soon as she was freed from slavery. But when she thought about it carefully, this stubbornness was somewhat similar to the little boy who had once pretended to be "Long Aotian".

Relying on her past skills, she dressed herself in a simple and somewhat ugly manner, and then set off with the departing caravan. She could write and calculate, and she had already agreed with the caravan shopkeeper to help them with small tasks within her ability along the way. There might be some greetings from Auntie Gu behind the scenes, but in any case, when she left the scope of the Chinese Army, she would be able to have a little skill.

The carriage rumbled and drove towards the distant mountains in the morning sun. Qu Longjun stood on the carriage full of goods and waved backwards. Gradually, Auntie Gu, who was standing outside the city gate, could no longer be seen. She sat down on the chariot.

The convoy moved forward all the way.

Little cheap dog ah...

I don't know when, but it seemed that a rude voice was ringing in her ears. She turned her head, and in the distance, Chengdu city had already become a black line in the field of vision. Her tears suddenly fell again, and after a long time, she turned around again. The road ahead in the field of vision was unknown, and the world outside was barbaric and cruel. She was very scared, very scared.

She rubbed her eyes.

"You're the little cheap dog..."

A slightly choked voice was scattered in the wind.

……

At the end of October, Auntie Gu went to Zhang Village and told Ning Ji, who was still in school, about Qu Longjun's matter. Ning Ji was first stunned, and then jumped up from his seat: "Why didn't you stop her! Why didn't you stop her! She's going to die outside! She's going to die outside--"

This world was a world of chaos. How could such a delicate girl live if she went out? Even Ning Ji could clearly think of this.

……

At the same time, in the snowy northern land, in the cold Shangjing City, a power game began to show results.