Chapter 1: Siblings

The clinic is not large, and can only make use of the limited space available.

You are not here, I dare not boil water, for fear of being discovered

Just know, regarding my uncle's matters...

"How is that possible? Those Eastern devils, with their bow legs and short stature, how could they be my opponents?" Meng Hao leaned in mysteriously and asked in a low voice, "Brother Anzi, do you know what those Easterners are doing in our French Concession?"

Meng Fanxing: Her real name is Meng Junmei, and Meng Fanxing is her current name

I will go boil some hot water. Lu Xiyan went to tend to the stove, and the temperature in the room rose significantly

"Anzi, please don't ask anymore, alright?" He lowered his head and took a sip of the soup

Is this a gift for me? It is filled with a sense of joy amidst the surprise

I just went out to dinner with your brother. After Lu Xiyan locked the door behind him, he walked over to explain.

Anzi, are you listening to me?

There was a sound of someone getting up in the room, and the light turned on

Old Yan's Mutton Restaurant

"Go ahead, I will wait for you to finish." The constable appeared to be quite young, though somewhat unkempt, with a scruffy beard and a bruise on his left cheek. He was a close friend of the owner of this clinic, Meng Hao.

"Speak a little softer, don't scare my little darling." A not very long corridor leads to a small room inside, with a sign that reads "Disposal Room" hanging above.

Clear broth wontons, with a couple of drops of sesame oil added, and garnished with a few sprigs of cilantro, are simply aromatic and incredibly enticing

"Drink wine, do not discuss state affairs." Lu Xiyan's gaze faltered as he raised his glass

What is there to fear? This is the French Concession, my territory

Thank you, Dr. Lu," the girl's mother expressed gratefully

Boss, please cut half a jin of lamb for me, and one jin of wine

Lu Xiyan took her coat and scarf, came downstairs, greeted the boss, opened the door, and walked out

The memories of childhood

With a loud bang, the door of the Anping Clinic was pushed open violently, and the cold wind swept in along with the snowflakes

Go ahead, it's just a few steps for me... There is still quite a bit of lamb in the pot, I can't bear to part with it

Goo goo goo

What happened to the injury on your face? Did you bump it while walking?

Upon hearing this, Meng Fanxing's eyes instantly turned red, revealing a deep sense of guilt.

Did someone give you a beating?

"Haozi, smoke less, it's not good for your health." Lu Xiyan walked out from inside, took off his mask, and reached out to pull the cigarette that Meng Hao had in his mouth away.

"You still don't know my drinking capacity, what does this amount to?" Meng Hao snorted dismissively as the attendant brought up a plate of lamb and a jug of wine.

It doesn't matter, you can stay here as long as you want, after all, I am alone as well. As usual tonight, you sleep in the bed, and I will sleep in the living room

"Hehe, they caught someone, and it's a woman. This woman stole some valuable items from the Japanese Navy Club. It is said that she disguised herself as a geisha and blended in, taking the items without anyone noticing. By the time the Easterners realized it, it was already too late. So many men couldn't catch a single woman; it's just too funny!" Meng Hao laughed heartily, somewhat gleefully.

She has not eaten anything all day and is extremely hungry. Under such a sudden stimulus, her stomach involuntarily growled.

"Go, can I dare to say no? If Uncle Xiangsheng gets angry, I certainly do not want to be nagged by him all day long." Lu Xiyan chuckled, took a puff from the cigarette he had snatched from Meng Hao's mouth.

You are invited

"Stop it, drink less, your facial injury has not yet healed"

Take out the key to open the door and turn on the light

"Pfft, I can't even support myself, let alone you. Isn't it almost the New Year? You're all alone now, and our old man asked me to come and check on you..." Meng Hao scoffed.

I haven't had this big wonton for a long time. When I was a child, during every festival, my mother would make wontons for our whole family. Anzi, you were there too. There was one time when we were mischievous and had a flour fight... Meng Fanxing ate the wontons, and tears could not stop rolling down her cheeks

Be good, little girl, be more careful next time. I have already stitched up this wound for you. Remember, do not come into contact with unboiled water for the next few days. I will prescribe some anti-inflammatory medication for you; take it on time. Come back in three days to change the dressing. " Lu Xiyan gently patted the little girl's head and earnestly reminded her.

Please lower your voice a little

Lu Xiyan remained silent, continuing to eat and drink.

Note 1: In the Shanghai region, there are distinctions between large and small wontons. Unless otherwise specified in this article, it refers to large wontons.

... ...

Are you here to have me keep vigil with the two of you?

After seeing off the mother and daughter, Lu Xiyan turned around

What are you doing

Anzi, have you heard? The Japanese have gone on a killing spree in Nanjing, their eyes bloodshot from the violence. The Yangtze River is filled with corpses, it is truly a tragedy. The corpse recovery teams are able to retrieve dozens of bodies drifting down from upstream every day

Brother Anzi, in a couple of days, once I finish dealing with my matters, I will leave

"What did he tell you?" Meng Fanxing gently reached out to smooth a strand of hair at her temple, a hint of concern showing on her slender face

Creak, creak

After three consecutive days of overcast rain, snowflakes suddenly began to drift down from the sky. The pedestrians on the street hurried along, with less than ten days remaining until the New Year.

Indeed, they were unable to capture the person, and they chased into the French Concession to demand the individual from us, and now they are fighting with the French authorities above.

Meng Hao is his childhood best friend and follower. Although they were separated for a period due to studying abroad, their relationship has always remained strong.

The master is not at home, the weather has suddenly turned cold, and there is not a bit of heating in the house. The woman can only wrap herself in a thick layer of blanket, sitting on the sofa in the small living room waiting.

What happened, haven't you always liked this filling?

It should be.

Ever since the Japanese invaded Shanghai, the lives of us Chinese have become quite difficult. The Japanese are constantly arresting anti-Japanese elements. There's no need to mention the International Settlement; just talking about what happened the day before yesterday afternoon... Meng Hao drank two cups and began to incessantly complain again

You, as a constable, never engage in bribery or corruption; it is difficult enough to make ends meet with that meager salary, so where would you find the money to treat others? Let me take care of it instead

"Anzi, it's not that I'm boasting, but with my skills, even five or six people together are no match for me!" Meng Hao bragged.

"Eat more slowly, is there any hot water?" Lu Xiyan asked, looking at Meng Fanxing's voracious eating.

How do you know that this Japanese person lost something

No. 46, Beidanglu, Hualien, in the French Concession, m.hetushu.com

"It’s not really a good situation for you to stay here; the New Year is almost upon us. Are you really not planning to go back?" Lu Xiyan sighed and asked as he sat down across from her

Meng Fanxing gazed at Lu Xiyan, who was leaving with a quilt and a pillow, hesitating to speak, ultimately letting out a sigh.

"That's the gist of it. Are you going or not?" Meng Hao asked, his eyes wide open.

Well

Forget it, it's all in the past, I have come to terms with it. In this chaotic world, simply being alive is not easy, so why have so many demands?

December 21, 1937

"Is there anyone who runs a clinic like you? Today this is free, tomorrow that is free, if this continues, how will you survive?" Meng Hao muttered.

As Meng Hao drank more wine, the conversation began to increase.

Pork filling with shepherd's purse

Lu Xiyan remained silent; he harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Japanese, how could he remain indifferent?

"I am inviting you, do you think I cannot afford to?"

Meng Hao is just in his early twenties this year, following in his father's footsteps, serving as a second-class constable in the police station of the French Concession's Beitang District, a minor character who is called upon by others at will

"Alright, I won't ask anymore. However, you are ultimately not a long-term solution for me; we must find a way to resolve this." Lu Xiyan fell silent for a moment and nodded.

The snow has already covered the ground with a layer of white, and I am stepping on it

A constable in a black uniform entered, slender and not very tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, exuding a sense of simplicity and honesty. After entering, he skillfully turned around and closed the door.

"You also started smoking, didn't you?"

"Hey, hey, leave me some..." Meng Hao suddenly realized something was amiss; the lamb in the pot was decreasing.

Anzi Ge, Anzi

Some addresses and characters in this book are fictional. Please do not take them literally. Thank you

Anping Clinic is a two-story small building, with the ground floor serving as the medical consultation area and the upper floor being Lu Xiyan's cozy abode. However, the upper and lower floors are not connected; one must take a detour and ascend via the ladder from the alley at the back.

"If you ask me, in matters like this, you should involve yourself less in the future and let Uncle Xiangsheng worry about you less," Lu Xiyan reminded. "I have eaten my fill, you take your time eating. I will settle the bill, and remember to head back early."

"It's nothing, after all, you are the one supporting me." Lu Xiyan took off his white coat, "So, you came over today, is there something you need?"

Lu Xiyan: Originally named Lu An, Lu Xiyan is the name he later changed to himself

Let's go, the two of us are going to have hot pot with lamb!

"The day before yesterday, several Japanese plainclothes officers broke into our French Concession and disrupted public order, and I happened to run into them and gave them a good beating..." Meng Hao spoke of the injuries on his face with great excitement

A very beautiful young woman, with an oval-shaped face, fair complexion with a rosy hue, large eyes that seem to speak, shoulder-length hair with slightly curled ends, exuding a fashionable charm

There are not many pedestrians on the street

You have returned, " she approached quietly on tiptoe

He didn't say much, and I didn't tell him; he still doesn't know that the day before yesterday I got into a fight with a Japanese person on the street and accidentally saved his sister. Lu Xiyan placed the freshly made wontons he had bought on the table

Aren't you really planning to go back? You have been away for three years. Uncle Xiangsheng retired two years ago and let Haozi take his position. His health has not been good these past two years; he suffers from asthma whenever it gets cold and can't even go out.