Chapter 4

Eleven years ago, when Liu Zecheng woke up from a deep sleep and realized he was not dead, he did not feel overjoyed but immediately fell into a state of panic.

This was because he was horrified to find that he had turned into a baby.

After a few days of confusion, Liu Zecheng gradually accepted the reality and soon discovered that he had not been reborn in the modern world but had returned to over a hundred years ago! The era he found himself in was the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, and his birthplace was none other than Beijing, the capital of the Qing Empire!

What made it even harder for Liu Zecheng to accept was that his mother in this life was a white woman!

In the Beijing of the Tongzhi period, he had reincarnated as the son of a white person, a setting that instantly made Liu Zecheng feel disoriented...

Although not a professional historian, thanks to his wide-ranging interests in his previous life and the enduring popularity of late Qing novels on the internet, Liu Zecheng had some understanding of this era. He knew how China treated "foreign devils" at the time and was well aware that no matter how fluent his Chinese was or how Beijing-like his mannerisms were, he would likely never escape the label of "foreign devil" from his fellow countrymen.

Moreover, in this life, he was an illegitimate child!

Liu Zecheng did not know who his father was in this life. He had never seen a man in his home since he was born, and in the following ten years, no matter how much he inquired, he never heard any mention of that man from his mother or anyone else! The only time he heard anything about his father was when he was six months old, and he overheard a conversation between the maids, which revealed his background. He immediately understood that his life would not be easy.

In any era or place, the reputation of an illegitimate child was never good, especially in China at that time.

This proved true for Liu Zecheng. From the moment he was born, people around him always looked at him with strange eyes. If it were not for the fact that he was the son of a "foreign woman," he would have faced more than just countless hostile gazes!

Liu Zecheng would never forget those looks.

Therefore, when his only loving mother died of illness, and Mr. Slack suddenly appeared before him, Liu Zecheng did not hesitate much and quickly chose to leave. Not just Beijing, but China altogether, following Slack to his mother's homeland, the city he had heard so much about in his previous life—New York. He understood that the place he considered his homeland would probably never truly accept him, at least not in the next few decades. Even after the Xinhai Revolution, ordinary Chinese people still harbored deep suspicions towards any foreigners, making it almost impossible to truly integrate!

"Unfortunately, I probably can't escape the shadow of being an illegitimate child here either!"

Thinking of Old Hunter's indifferent expression, Liu Zecheng, or rather, John Hunter, sighed softly, filled with regret. He rarely dwelled on the suffering he endured, but his mother Elizabeth's pain became the root of his desire to change things!

John knew very well that a significant part of Elizabeth's pain stemmed from Old Hunter!

In John Hunter's memory, when they were alone, the poor woman would always mention her deceased mother, her comfortable room, her adorable dog Fina, and of course, her loving father, Old Hunter. Every time she talked about Old Hunter, Elizabeth would inevitably fall into a silent reverie, her loneliness and pain evident to anyone...

John had no intention of pursuing the truth. In fact, he had no interest in who his father was, why his mother went to China, or why she had not been in contact with her father for over a decade. The only reason he did not resist Mr. Slack's arrangement and came to New York was for two very simple goals: one was to win back his grandfather's forgiveness on behalf of his mother, and the other was to find his future here.

Indeed, compared to Beijing in this era, New York was probably more suitable for Liu Zecheng in John Hunter's body!

During the long journey from Beijing to New York, John imagined various possibilities and planned several potential paths for his future, only to reject some of them. Even now, he had not yet made a final decision or found a clear direction.

However, one thing he ruled out first was becoming a physician again.

In his previous life, Liu Zecheng was a highly experienced general surgeon.

Logically, it would be natural for John Hunter to continue as a physician. With over a hundred years of advanced knowledge, as long as his luck was not too bad, he would undoubtedly leave a significant mark in medical history!

But after careful consideration, John temporarily abandoned this idea.

Firstly, he had more choices in this life. For example, he could become an entrepreneur, riding the wave of the Second Industrial Revolution in America to become an industrial tycoon; or he could become an investor, as companies like Kodak, Ford, and General Electric, which would later become giants, had not yet emerged. The famous Morgan and Rockefeller empires had not yet reached their peaks, and investing in their stocks could make John a wealthy man.

Often, what determines a person's development is not their ability but their keen insight and judgment, and John believed that no one could match him in this regard for the next few decades!

On the other hand, the medical conditions of this era were simply not suitable for a "future physician" like him!

A "future" physician, especially a surgeon, requires comprehensive support.

For example, a simple appendectomy requires diagnostic support before the operation, various surgical instruments, sterile items, and anesthetics during the operation, and antibiotics and scientific nursing after the operation to ensure the patient's safety. Although it seems like a simple appendectomy, it is actually a systematic process that cannot be accomplished by one person alone.

In this era, all of this was nothing more than a mirage.

John was very clear that without various diagnostic instruments, effective anesthetics, antibiotics, or even the "simple" surgical equipment of the future, his experience as a general surgeon in a "future" medical environment would not fit the current medical conditions. He did not even know what drugs or tools the physicians of this era used!

Moreover, any surgeon would know how dangerous surgery was in this era, over a hundred years ago!

Just thinking about how many people would die from infections or shock in the future wards or operating rooms, despite knowing the solutions but being powerless to help, made John instinctively reject this idea.

He could not accept such a version of himself!

His thoughts wandered, and his mind gradually became numb, like a machine running out of lubricant.

In a daze, he suddenly remembered the newspaper he had seen on the train that afternoon, and the famous name in human history. In a half-asleep, half-awake state, a thought suddenly occurred to him: "This is the first significant historical event I've encountered in this era. If possible, I should go to the scene in a few days..."

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