Chapter 213: Confidential
Once the buildings were out of sight, Gu Jiaojiao finally had the mind to observe the people in the helicopter.
She recognized Xi Guodong. He was Old Sir Xi’s eldest grandson and the eldest son of a high-ranking official in Qing City. The driver from before hadn’t come with them.
The other two were middle-aged men who looked to be of high rank in the military, and they wore expressions of complete bewilderment.
They kept glancing at her, clearly finding it hard to believe that she was the Divine Doctor Su Gu who had appeared out of nowhere.
Gu Jiaojiao pretended not to notice and asked in a gentle voice, "Mr. Xi, how much longer until we arrive?"
"About four hours. I’ll find a clearing to land, and then you’ll have to proceed on foot," the pilot answered before anyone else could.
He didn’t know that this angelically beautiful girl was a Divine Doctor; he just thought she was incredibly good-looking and enjoyed looking at her.
He calmly piloted the aircraft. He could fly this route with his eyes closed.
He often flew people to the southwest for secret missions, but he knew nothing about the specific situation in the south.
"Divine Doctor Su Gu... would you like some water?" Xi Guodong asked excitedly, thrilled that Divine Doctor Su Gu had spoken to him.
"You guys go ahead. I brought my own water and snacks," Gu Jiaojiao said as she pulled out various food items from her backpack (which was actually her dimensional space).
Soy-braised pig’s trotters, beef jerky, spicy-and-numbing chicken feet, lemon chicken feet, five-spice dried tofu, as well as bread and milk.
It was about dinnertime, so Gu Jiaojiao had prepared these for her evening meal. When she took them out, she made sure to pull out several portions.
She elegantly tore open a package, and a fragrant aroma instantly filled the air. She didn’t offer any to the others.
She took a bite of a chicken foot, then glanced outside. The sunset painting the sky was truly beautiful.
"Divine Doctor Su Gu... can you finish all that?" Xi Guodong asked cautiously.
He didn’t want to ask, but the food just smelled too good. He was dying for a taste.
"This food won’t spoil no matter how long it’s kept. If I can’t finish it, I can save it for later. If you’d like some, I can share."
"Then thank you so much, Divine Doctor Su Gu! Not only are your medical skills superb, but even your food is so extraordinary."
"Mr. Xi, please take some and share it with the other comrades. My family prepared it especially for me since they knew I was going on a long trip."
Gu Jiaojiao held the lemon chicken feet she was eating in one hand while using the other to portion out food for them.
One pig’s trotter, a bag of spicy chicken feet, and several small packets of five-spice dried tofu for each person...
"Thank you, Miss Su. I won’t be polite, then." Xi Guodong took a portion with both hands and offered it to one of the middle-aged high-ranking officials.
Then he took another portion for the other man, in order, and placed one next to the pilot.
His own was last. He eagerly tore at the packaging, revealing just how intently he had been watching Gu Jiaojiao’s every move earlier.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t get it open even after tearing at it several times. He looked up at his two superiors, but they hadn’t even touched theirs.
"Here, look closely," Gu Jiaojiao said. "There’s a small notch on the side of the bag. Just pinch these two spots and pull gently."
Gu Jiaojiao picked up the packaging for the soy-braised pig’s trotter to demonstrate for Xi Guodong. Just as she’d said, it opened with a gentle tear.
"Whoa! You really don’t need to use force. I was just using brute strength and couldn’t get it open at all!"
Once Xi Guodong got it open, he took a huge bite. "So delicious," he mumbled with his mouth full.
The space inside the helicopter was limited, and the fragrant, lingering aroma was simply intoxicating.
The two middle-aged superiors also found the notches and tore open their pig’s trotter packages. Once they started eating, they couldn’t stop.
They finished all the food Gu Jiaojiao had given them and were mostly full, having lost all appetite for the steamed buns they had brought themselves.
In this era, good food wasn’t something you could have whenever you wanted. So even though they were decades old, they had never tasted anything so delicious.
The slightly more amiable of the two middle-aged men looked at Gu Jiaojiao and said, "Divine Doctor Girl, this shouldn’t be your first time on a plane, is it?"
"Mm," Gu Jiaojiao replied, still nibbling on her dried tofu.
"Captain Geng, how did you know it’s not Miss Su’s first time flying?" the pilot asked excitedly.
"First-time flyers are both excited and nervous, but Miss Su shows none of that.
"Also, the moment the plane leaves the ground and takes to the sky, a first-timer’s heart will be pounding."
"I went to the Imperial City once as a child and flew on a plane then. Besides, my master often travels abroad," Gu Jiaojiao said after swallowing her food.
She was about to display her superb medical skills, so she could no longer afford to hold back.
Gu Jiaojiao really wanted to say that she had been to many countries—after all, she was Divine Doctor Su Gu right now.
But that wouldn’t be realistic. She would have to show her real face eventually, and anyone could easily find out about her family background and upbringing with a simple investigation.
The high-ranking official who had been sitting stiffly couldn’t help but ask, his voice changing pitch, "Your master has been to many countries? How old is he?"
He was so surprised he even used a respectful form of address. No matter how he looked at her, this Divine Doctor Su Gu didn’t seem to be even twenty years old.
For people of their generation, traveling abroad was an extremely difficult affair. Even he, a scion of a century-old family, had only been to one other country.
His grandfather, however, had been to countless countries and was a great scholar renowned in the Imperial City for decades.
But this young woman was saying her master traveled abroad often! ’What kind of person could he be?!’
"My master is a reclusive expert. He’s ninety-eight this year," Gu Jiaojiao casually fabricated.
"That explains it. Someone in their nineties would have been able to travel and study abroad freely in their youth."
The serious-looking man—it was unclear whether he was won over by Gu Jiaojiao’s food or stunned by her story about her master—began to chat intermittently with her. The more they talked, the more shocked he became. This young woman’s knowledge was even more impressive than that of his own great scholar of a grandfather.
He ended up talking with Gu Jiaojiao nonstop for the rest of the flight, while Xi Guodong and the other man listened with rapt attention.
Gu Jiaojiao not only knew eight languages but was also familiar with the cultures and interesting facts of many countries, speaking about them with great flair.
Gu Jiaojiao had her own agenda for the conversation. In the process, she learned that the serious-looking man’s name was Han Chenyu.
His ancestors had served as prime ministers, making his a true century-old family, and his grandfather was a great scholar who would become famous in later generations.
His father was an old hero decorated for his outstanding military achievements, and he himself was known as the Zhan Lang of the army.
Listening to his stories got everyone on the helicopter fired up, and they were still left wanting more even after they disembarked.
After getting off the helicopter, they didn’t have to walk as the pilot had said. A military jeep was already waiting for them.
It wasn’t just that Divine Doctor Su Gu was desperately needed; Han Chenyu was also a very important person.
The jeep drove along a mountain road, its bumpy ride making everyone uncomfortable. Who would have thought that it would stall halfway there?
The driver had to stop the vehicle, and Han Chenyu and the others could only get out and wait. He was worried Gu Jiaojiao might be scared.
So he kept talking to her, explaining that he had gone to Qing City to select talent despite his busy schedule, but had to take a helicopter to the front lines because a fierce battle had broken out up ahead.
A high-ranking commander had been critically wounded and was on the verge of death, so he had come to take command.
’This was all classified information, things he hadn’t mentioned on the plane. Was he telling me now because he trusted me so completely?’
’Definitely not!’