Gao Zhijun didn’t know much about the Bai family’s ancestors, only that the Bai family used to be quite wealthy.
He shook his head. "I don’t know."
"When my grandfather was still alive, people often came to the house for medical consultations. But later... well, you know what happened. That was when he passed away, and these books were hidden. I only brought some basic medical texts with me to the capital this time. Don’t worry, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having these books." Bai Jiu spoke softly but quickly, a trace of fear and worry flickering across her face.
Seeing her like this, Gao Zhijun didn’t even think before stepping forward to pull her into his arms.
"Don’t overthink it. I didn’t mean anything by it; I was just surprised. Studying medicine is good. From now on, if anyone in the family has a headache or a fever, we won’t even need to go to the hospital," Gao Zhijun said, hugging her tightly and gently patting her back. Having lived through that era, they naturally knew how terrifying and nerve-wracking those days had been.
"It’s all in the past now. It’s all in the past."
Bai Jiu was actually just putting on an act. She had smuggled these books out of her spatial dimension, so she naturally needed a plausible excuse to bring them out in the open.
"Originally, I just wanted to keep them as a memento," Bai Jiu said, leaning against his chest and softly expressing her thoughts. "I studied medicine with my grandfather when I was little. I have the theoretical knowledge, but I’ve never put it into practice. Grandfather said I was too timid and wouldn’t let me try. Even so, he taught me with all his heart. But I was useless. I let him down."
Slowly, Bai Jiu recounted parts of the original owner’s past. Everything she said could be verified. She needed to make it clear that she knew medicine; otherwise, suddenly possessing such medical skills would make people suspicious.
"It’s okay, it’s okay. You can pick it up again. I’m sure you’ll become a famous doctor in the future." Gao Zhijun didn’t know much about medicine, but he knew it was definitely harder than his own field of study. Otherwise, doctors wouldn’t be so rare. Furthermore, traditional Chinese medicine was a different beast altogether. Nowadays, Western medicine was widely promoted. It would be difficult to establish a foothold in traditional Chinese medicine. However, he wouldn’t say anything to discourage her, as long as it was what she wanted to do.
For a moment, Gao Zhijun felt that the distance between them had shortened. Since she was willing to tell him about her past, didn’t that prove she cared for him as a person, rather than just viewing him as the father of her children? Without realizing it, Gao Zhijun found himself becoming increasingly lost in their relationship, cherishing the goodwill she was showing him more and more.
"Don’t take these books out when others are around. The time isn’t right yet," he reminded her. Some things still required caution. He was afraid that someone might use it against them and cause trouble.
"I know. Don’t worry. I’ll only read them inside the house; I won’t take them outside." She wasn’t stupid. If she were, she wouldn’t have chosen to only bring out basic medical texts. There were still many rare, solitary copies inside her spatial dimension. Even as an outsider to traditional Chinese medicine, she knew how precious those books were. She definitely wouldn’t bring out such treasures.
Of course, if society fully opened up in the future, she would definitely release the essence of their ancestors’ wisdom into the world, allowing their countrymen to truly appreciate the brilliance of their heritage.
In truth, she had heard plenty of discussions about traditional Chinese medicine versus Western medicine in the past. It was often said that Chinese medicine lets you live in a muddle, while Western medicine lets you die with perfect clarity. There was truth to those words. Some even called traditional Chinese medicine a form of mysticism, and she didn’t deny it. Thoroughly mastering the entirety of traditional Chinese medicine was a thousand times harder than mastering Western medicine. After all, the very roots of traditional Chinese medicine had been lost.
"Let me help you tidy up. There are probably more books back at our old home, right? I’ll build you a bigger bookcase later," Gao Zhijun said, soothing her affectionately. Naturally, he genuinely meant it.
"Yeah. There are quite a few back home, but those books can’t be brought out," Bai Jiu said.
"If they can’t be brought out, then they can’t. We’re in no rush." He obviously had no objections to her wanting to take up her grandfather’s mantle. It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to ask his teacher for advice on this matter.
Bai Jiu was unaware of Gao Zhijun’s calculations. Now that her books were officially accounted for, she could begin her own path of study. It had to be known that in her previous life (if one could call it a previous life), she had held a doctorate in medicine. Despite that, she wasn’t completely confident about tackling the college entrance examination.
"What about you? What are your plans going forward?" Bai Jiu asked gently. She had shared her dreams with him; it was only fair that he laid his cards on the table too. She had heard some of the talk at the dinner table last night and didn’t believe for a second that he didn’t care at all. He hadn’t had the chance to study before, but now, he couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.
"My teacher wants me to study. My foundation in math isn’t great. While my physics is a bit stronger, it still falls short compared to the professionals. So, I plan to pursue further studies. Not abroad, though, but somewhere right here in Blue Country."
The country needed a large number of talents every year, and these talents didn’t just appear out of thin air; they were carefully cultivated by the nation, bit by bit. If he wanted to advance further, he had to go to that place. But if he went there, they would have to be separated. So he wanted to wait a bit longer, conveniently using his current project to delay the inevitable.
Hearing this, Bai Jiu furrowed her brow. "So you’re going to leave?"
Why would she immediately jump to that conclusion? Only because she had encountered similar situations before. Although science knew no borders, scientists had a motherland. In her previous life, she had almost entered such a place herself, though she ultimately fell just a little short. Every country likely had a facility dedicated to cultivating top-tier talent, but none of them would ever be made public. She only knew about it thanks to her past life’s experiences.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t bear to part with him, but rather that if he left, life for the children would become much harder. When the time came for her to attend school, there would be no one to pick up and drop off the kids.
"Yes, but there’s no rush," he said.
"Roughly when?" She didn’t press for extra details, but she wanted to know the timeline so she could make arrangements.
Gao Zhijun shook his head. "I can’t say." First, he literally wasn’t allowed to, and second, explaining the situation would involve classified secrets. Therefore, he had to remain tight-lipped.
"Alright, if you can’t say it, then don’t," Bai Jiu said, shrugging her shoulders. "Since you’re going to pursue further studies, I’ll need to start preparing early. Once you leave, it probably won’t be convenient to live here anymore. After all, it’s a bit too far from the city center." She had a clear goal: for university, she was determined to attend the best—Beijing Medical University. That was the ultimate destination for anyone studying medicine.
"You want to move out?" Gao Zhijun panicked. "Even if I go away for studies, this is still our home. You don’t need to move." He was filled with sudden dread.
"That’s not what I meant. Don’t panic, hear me out," Bai Jiu gently coaxed, seeing his anxious state. "Think about it. When the time comes, you’ll be at school, and I’ll be at school too. What will happen to the two kids? So I figured it would be better to just live off-campus. It would be much more convenient, both for me and for picking up the children." She planned to be a day student. Besides, living outside would give her more freedom to move around and manage her own affairs.
Hearing this, he let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you didn’t want me anymore," Gao Zhijun said, his face etched with grievance and lingering fear.
"What nonsense are you thinking?" Bai Jiu was speechless.
After packing things away, she led him out of the room.
"I just want to make things a little easier so I don’t have to run back and forth constantly. But on the weekends, the kids and I will still come back here."
This was only her preliminary plan. There was still more than a year until then; who knew what would happen in the future?
Perhaps because they had cleared the air, Gao Zhijun became even more clingy toward Bai Jiu after their conversation.