novelhk Chapter 6 The Aftermath of the Dock
Chapter 6 The Aftermath of the Dock
Li Ranmo came out of Chen Qitai's office and gently closed the door.
There was no one else in the corridor.
He felt his pocket; the wooden plaque engraved with the character "义" (righteousness) was still there. Earlier at the dock, Han Xiuyun's men had given it to him, then disappeared among the porters. He followed them all the way to the hospital entrance before they dispersed.
This escort was discreet enough.
He walked downstairs to the pharmacy. He needed to find Shen Qiushui.
The pharmacy door was ajar, and the sound of papers being turned over could be heard from inside.
Li Ranmo pushed the door open and went in.
Shen Qiushui was standing in front of a pile of wooden crates, holding a notebook in her hand, her brows furrowed. Hearing the sound, she looked up.
"What did Vice Dean Chen say?" she asked.
"Approved." Li Ranmo walked to her side. "I'm going to Han Xiuyun's banquet; it's considered... external liaison."
"He believed it?"
"I was skeptical," Li Ranmo said, "but I didn't stop them."
Shen Qiushui closed the notebook and lowered her voice: "Before you came back, Old Zhang from the pharmacy came three times, saying he was checking the inventory. He usually doesn't come even once a month."
Li Ranmo glanced around. The shelves were sparsely stocked with medicine, and several compartments labeled "sulfathiazole" were completely empty.
"Wang Qingnian's men?" he asked.
"Most likely." Shen Qiushui handed him the notebook. "Look at this."
The notebook records recent medication consumption, but next to the columns for "sulfonamides" and "hemostatic gauze," there are several lightly ticked marks made with a pencil, so subtle that they are almost invisible if you don't pay attention.
"When Lao Zhang was looking through it, he deliberately stopped at these few items," Shen Qiushui said. "He was trying to figure out our situation, to see which drugs were most in short supply and how big the gap was."
"Now that you've figured it out, what's next?"
"Then the price of the corresponding medicine on the black market will rise again." Shen Qiushui's voice turned cold. "Or, when we urgently need it, he 'happens' to have it in stock, but we'll have to exchange it for something else."
Li Ranmo returned the notebook to her.
"Han Xiuyun mentioned something about the docks," he said. "Recently, a batch of sulfathiazole has been arriving by water and will pass through her hands."
Shen Qiushui's eyes lit up: "How much? When?"
"She didn't say exactly what, but it should be in the next few days. She invited me to a banquet; thanking her is just a formality, but discussing this business deal is the real purpose."
"We have to go," Shen Qiushui said immediately. "If we can intercept this batch of medicine directly, bypassing Wang Qingnian's channels, we can save many lives on the front lines."
She paused, then looked at Li Ranmo: "I'll go with you."
Li Ranmo pushed up his glasses: "What about Vice Dean Chen..."
"I'll go and talk to him," Shen Qiushui said steadily. "Just say that we need a nurse to help record medication information and assess the reliability of the supply chain. This is important business, and he can't refuse."
"OK."
As the two were talking, footsteps came from the pharmacy door.
Shen Qiushui immediately stuffed the notebook into the drawer and picked up a rag to wipe the table.
A young caregiver came in and peeked inside.
"Nurse Shen, Vice President Chen wants to see you."
"Okay, right away."
The caregiver left.
Shen Qiushui looked at Li Ranmo and silently mouthed two words: "Be careful."
Li Ranmo nodded.
After Shen Qiushui left, Li Ranmo stayed in the pharmacy for a while longer. He walked to the empty shelves and ran his fingers along the dusty wooden boards.
Sulfathiazole, sulfonamides, anesthetics... these are all things that can save lives on the battlefield and can be exchanged for gold bars on the black market.
Wang Qingnian's eyes were probably not only fixed on the pharmacy.
He turned and walked out of the pharmacy, returning to his duty room on the second floor. He had just sat down when someone knocked on the door.
Is Dr. Li here?
It was the voice of a strange man.
Li Ranmo opened the door. Standing outside was a man in his thirties, wearing a short jacket, with dark skin and calloused hands; he looked like someone who worked at the docks.
"Who are you?"
"Master Han sent me." The man spoke directly. "Master Han's brother, Tiger, is awake. Doctor, your skills are truly remarkable; the bullet has been removed, and the fever has subsided. Master Han said that you must do me the honor of having a simple meal at 'Yuebinlou' tomorrow night to thank me for saving his life."
After saying that, the man took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it over.
Li Ranmo took it; inside was a formal invitation, written in neat calligraphy.
"Yuebinlou Restaurant, 7 PM tomorrow night." The man repeated, "The boss said that if you bring friends, they are also welcome."
There's more to that than meets the eye.
"Understood," Li Ranmo said. "Please thank Boss Han for me."
The man clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned and left, his steps light and quick, disappearing into the stairwell in the blink of an eye.
Li Ranmo closed the door and looked at the invitation.
Yuebinlou is one of the most prestigious restaurants in Nanjing. Han Xiuyun's choice of that location shows great respect and the formality of the banquet.
This isn't a thank-you drink from a street thug; this is a social interaction that needs to be presented openly.
He put the invitation away and went to Chen Qitai's office. Shen Qiushui was already there, standing in front of Chen Qitai's desk talking to him.
Chen Qitai saw Li Ranmo and waved him in.
"Nurse Shen told me everything," Chen Qitai said, twirling a pen in his hand. "Han Xiuyun formally invited you to the banquet and even asked you to bring people?"
"Yes." Li Ranmo took out the invitation and placed it on the table.
Chen Qitai glanced at it but didn't take it.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"It's an opportunity," Li Ranmo said. "Han Xiuyun controls a portion of the waterways at the dock. If she can become one of the hospital's drug distribution channels, even informally, it could alleviate the current shortage."
"What about the risks?"
"She's a gang leader with a complicated background," Li Ranmo said. "Moreover, she seems to have dealings with Section Chief Wang from the Department of Health."
Chen Qitai frowned slightly when he heard the words "Section Chief Wang".
"Wang Qingnian..." he snorted, "His reach is getting longer and longer."
He looked at Shen Qiushui: "Are you really going?"
Shen Qiushui nodded: "Dr. Li needs professional assistance to determine the specifications and authenticity of medicines, and I can take notes. Besides, having another person means having another pair of eyes."
Chen Qitai pondered for a moment.
"Go ahead," he finally said, "but remember, you're from the Army Hospital, representing the hospital's image. When dealing with gangs, be careful what you say. Talk to what you should talk to, and don't even glance at what you shouldn't."
"Understood," they both replied simultaneously.
"Also," Chen Qitai said, his gaze falling on Li Ranmo with a probing look, "Dr. Li, someone like Han Xiuyun wouldn't make such a fuss just because you saved her brother. There's probably something else behind her interest in you."
Li Ranmo said calmly, "Besides my surgical skills, I don't have anything else that she values."
"I hope so." Chen Qitai waved his hand. "Go ahead, you're allowed to go out tomorrow night. But you must be back at the hospital by nine o'clock."
"Yes."
When I came out of the office, the hallway was already dark.
Shen Qiushui and Li Ranmo walked side by side.
"Vice Dean Chen still suspects you," Shen Qiushui said in a low voice.
"That's normal," Li Ranmo said. "If I were him, I would have doubts too."
"Then why..."
"Suspicion aside, as long as I can get the medicine and save the person, he won't touch me for the time being." Li Ranmo stopped and looked at Shen Qiushui. "Be careful tomorrow night. Han Xiuyun's food isn't good."
Shen Qiushui chuckled: "What, afraid she'll sell me off?"
"I'm afraid she'll try to trick you into revealing information," Li Ranmo said. "News travels faster than the wind at the docks. Wang Qingnian's men must know about this banquet too."
Shen Qiushui's expression turned serious: "Are you worried something might happen at the banquet?"
"Not necessarily," Li Ranmo said. "But Wang Qingnian won't be willing to watch us connect with Han Xiuyun. His spies will probably be active all night."
He patted his pocket; the wooden plaque with the character "义" (righteousness) inside felt hard.
"Let's go," he said. "Let's go back and prepare. Tomorrow night, we'll see if this 'Yuebinlou' is a dragon's den or a tiger's lair."