White Olive Tree

Chapter 47

Chapter 47
"Leaving." Song Ran raised his head and answered hastily.
The moment his eyes met his, he moved away and climbed up the stairs.
Song Ran looked back at the cigarette butt that was extinguished on the candlestick, clutched the lighter in her hand, and followed him up and out of the underground.

Passing through the dark hall on the first floor, the bright white sunlight burst in, irritating her to squint her eyes.  She raised her hand to block the light and saw that Li Zan had walked down the steps, straddled a military motorcycle on the side of the road, put on his helmet, raised his chin slightly, and tied the helmet straps.
The profile of the profile is a bit indifferent.
Song Ran got into her car, which was burned by the scorching sun like a sauna. She felt a chill in her heart. She lowered the window, quickly started the car, and drove away from the scene.
When she started, she glanced at the rearview mirror. Li Zan was lowering his head and putting on black combat gloves on his hands.
Not long after the car drove out, she heard the sound of a heavy motorcycle behind her.  Glancing at the rearview mirror again, Li Zan drove over, seemingly going in the same direction as her.
Song Ran took a deep breath and pursed her lips.  When we reached the crossroads ahead, we happened upon a group of soldiers and civilians digging trenches to cross the road.  Song Ran stopped the car in advance to avoid it.  The sound of the motorcycle's motor came from far away and came to a stop just outside her car window.
Li Zan leaned on one foot on the ground and leaned on the motorcycle with his back slightly arched, waiting for the group of people to pass by.  His fingers fiddled with the handlebars unconsciously.
Song Ran stared at the stationary wipers outside the windshield without squinting.
When the Dongguo soldiers and civilians passing by saw Song Ran, an Asian girl, they looked at her curiously and started talking with kind smiles.
When Li Zan saw it, he turned his head and glanced at Song Ran. She had a quiet profile, her cheeks were slightly red due to the crowd watching, her ears were also dyed pink, and there was sweat on her lips.
Several local people saw Li Zan's military uniform and greeted him warmly, saluting him with a non-standard military salute.
Cook soldiers are very respected and popular in the Eastern Kingdom.
Li Zan also smiled lightly at them.
Song Ran raised her eyes and looked out the window, and happened to see the smile on his side face. The curve of the corners of his lips was not big, but it was sincere.
He noticed something, and when his eyes were about to move over, she quickly looked away and looked ahead.  My heart was pounding, I was afraid of being caught.  There was no one in front of the car, so she hurriedly stepped on the accelerator and drove through the intersection.
Four or five seconds later, the motorcycle behind also started and accelerated towards me.
A car and a motorcycle were speeding along the empty street.
As they took detours and walked through streets and alleys, the sound of gunfire from the distant war zone became the background sound; the only sounds in the streets were the roar of motorcycles and the sound of car tires rolling on the concrete floor.
But a car is a car after all, and it is inevitable that it will be unstable at high speeds.  Song Ran turned around a bumpy road and did not speed up.  She thought Li Zan would speed past, but he didn't. He just drove side by side with her, all the way to the entrance of the field hospital.
Song Ran's car stopped on the side of the road, and Li Zan's motorcycle stopped in front of her.
He took off the key, took off his helmet and got off the motorcycle. He looked back at her and asked, "Are you sick?"
"No." She shook her head, "Come for the interview."
   "Um."
   "And you?"
   "visit friend."
   "oh."
He pursed his lips slightly unnaturally, nodded to her as a greeting, turned around and walked towards the hospital.
Song Ran took her things from the back seat and locked the car.
At the entrance of the hospital, wounded people were constantly being brought from the battlefield.  Song Ran was used to such scenes.  She is here to interview Pei Xiaonan today.  Although she had met many Doctors Without Borders in Dongguo, this was the first time she met a Chinese one.  Coupled with yesterday's experience, Pei Xiaonan's story is worth writing.
She inquired about Pei Xiaonan's ward, and there were relatives on the way there, fearing that she would see Li Zan in her ward.  But he quickly gave up the idea. This idea was too ridiculous.
The field hospital was transformed from a former middle school. The classrooms were turned into wards, and there were ten or twenty hospital beds in each room.
When Song Ran passed by the intensive care ward, he saw the wounded inside with broken arms and legs. They were beyond recognition, and the sounds of painful wailing, moaning and groaning could not be heard.
She walked quickly and went to the minor ward.
It's a little more relaxed here.
The trees outside the window are dense and the breeze is gentle.  The indoor ceiling fan whirrs, cooling and ventilating.
Some patients are chatting, while others are resting.
Pei Xiaonan had gauze wrapped around her feet and was sitting on the bed eating olive slices.
She was bored when she saw Song Ranlai. He generously showed her his injured foot and said, "It's okay, feel free to take pictures."
Song Ran naturally did not refuse, and asked again: "Is your foot injured seriously?"
"How should I put it?" Pei Xiaonan clicked her tongue. "The little toe is missing. But it's lucky. Fortunately, the man didn't aim, otherwise he would have a hole in his foot, so he could hang a bell."
She was open-minded and calm, and Song Ran couldn't help laughing.
Pei Xiaonan knew that Song Ran was here for an interview, so he told her his story without reservation.
It is said that what we usually face at work are wounded soldiers on the battlefield, patients infected with the plague due to reduced resistance to hunger, and a large number of civilians injured in terrorist attacks.
"Alara has a large population, and terrorists often carry out attacks. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the six months since I came here, not to mention injured. Some time ago, when the government forces were weak, terrorists established a military base in the northwest suburbs of Alara.  Stronghold. I don’t know if this defense battle can clear them out, otherwise they will be a disaster.”
Pei Xiaonan also said that she did not have any great ideals of safeguarding world peace and saving the common people. It was just because her boyfriend cheated on a junior girl in her department that she suddenly wanted to change her environment, so she came to Dongguo, and ended up staying there for more than half a year.
Later, in the field hospital, she found that everything was pure, with no backstage, no red envelope interests, no intrigues, no medical blackmail, and no shady secrets of the hospital system. Everything returned to the most primitive and pure way of treating illnesses and saving lives.
Pei Xiaonan touched the cigarette, remembered that she was in the ward, put it back, and sighed: "It's here that I feel like a doctor, just a doctor. Do you understand what I mean?"
Song Ran nodded: "I understand."
Then asked, "But will you feel lonely if you stay here for so long?"
Pei Xiaonan was lost for a while, then suddenly smiled lightly and said, "How can a person like me be lonely?"
She talked about one or two of her ambiguous experiences and said without hesitation: "They were both cute. Looking back now, it was quite romantic. And it also made me realize that my previous boyfriend was a scumbag. I mean fighting ability."  .”
Song Ran naturally knew what this "combat power" meant, and asked: "Is there anything that really makes you excited?"
The answer was to shake his head.
"Cultures are different, it's difficult to touch the depths of the heart." Pei Xiaonan felt a little regretful, and a trace of loneliness flashed in her eyes, "But..." She suddenly bent her lower lip very lightly.
"What?" Song Ran asked.
She waggled her finger lightly but did not answer.
Song Ran was about to ask something more, but she saw Pei Xiaonan's eyes condensed. She brushed the broken hair around her ears, sat up straight unconsciously, broadened her shoulders, raised her chest, and adjusted her most beautiful and confident posture.  Behind her.
Song Ran followed her gaze and looked back, and saw Li Zan walking into the ward.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Li Zan didn't look this way originally, maybe because he felt something, his eyes glanced over.  The corners of his lips curved into what could only be described as a polite smile, he nodded as a greeting, and then walked directly to a white man sitting between the two beds between them.  The Caucasian man had blond hair and blue eyes, and his arm was bandaged.  Probably his teammates.
Pei Xiaonan lowered her voice and said, "He is a mercenary in the Cook anti-terrorist force. Only former special forces can be selected. He is very powerful. If you want to know more about this, you can interview him."
Song Ran said "Oh" in a low voice.
She tilted her head and didn't look at Li Zan, but she forgot the next question for the interview.  My ears couldn't help but listen to him chatting with his comrades, as if discussing another comrade's injury.
Pei Xiaonan asked: "Where are you going this afternoon? If there is anyone in the hospital who you want to interview, I will help you contact them."
"Thank you." Song Ran said, "But I want to go to the western suburbs to interview about child brides."
"The western suburbs are a bit chaotic, so be careful." Pei Xiaonan raised her eyebrows, "Don't be kidnapped as a bride."
"I will pay attention to safety."
Just as he was talking, Li Zan patted his comrades over there and stood up to leave.  Pei Xiaonan noticed the movement and immediately called out: "Li Zan."
"Huh?" Li Zan turned around.
Pei Xiaonan pointed at Song Ran and said, "This is Song Ran, a well-known war reporter. If there is anything she wants to interview, please help her."
Li Zan's eyes fell on Song Ran's face, and he smiled slightly but did not express his position.
Song Ran smiled slightly and nodded at him.
Just as he was about to leave, Pei Xiaonan pulled the bag on the chair and said, "Wait a minute."
She dug something out and hid it in her hand, got off the bed, jumped over on one foot, and stuffed the thing into his palm: "Thank you for saving my life." After saying that, she jumped back on one foot.
Li Zan held a green apple in his hand and was stunned for a moment.
Song Ran looked away.
Li Zan came over and wanted to return it, saying: "You are a patient, keep it to yourself..."
"If you give it back to me, I will jump on my feet and chase you out." Pei Xiaonan raised her chin, "I don't owe you any favors, and I must thank you for saving your life."
"Okay." Li Zan weighed the apple and showed it to her, "This is considered as repayment."
Pei Xiaonan smiled happily when she saw him accepting the apple, but the next second, she felt there was something wrong with what he said.
Before he had time to think deeply, Li Zan turned around and left without staying any longer.