White Olive Tree

Chapter 48

Chapter 48
Song Ran paused and asked, "Are you free?"
Li Zan said: "The team is taking a rest these days."
She looked back at her car.  Li Zan thought she was hesitating, so he walked over and got on the motorcycle, looked back at her, and said, "Come here."
Song Ran was stunned for a moment, stretched out his finger and pointed lightly: "Aren't you going to take my car?"
Li Zan said: "Your car is too slow."
"I think it's pretty fast..." Song Ran was still muttering, but Li Zan had already handed her a helmet.
Song Ran walked over, took the helmet and put it on his head.  Later I thought about it, how did he know that she was going to the western suburbs?
Li Zan had already put it on, so he turned around to check on her. Seeing that she was absent-minded and had forgotten to tie the strap, he couldn't help but stretched out his hand. When he was about to touch it, he realized something. He bent his three fingers together, pointed at the strap, and said, "The strap."  "
   "Um?"
"It's not tied properly."
   "oh."
Song Ran tightened the helmet straps and stepped on the pedals.  The motorcycle tilted slightly, and he put one foot on the ground to support her.
She got on the motorcycle and sat down, grabbing the seat panel behind her with both hands, adjusting her position so that she was not too far away from him.
He asked: "Are you seated?"
"Sit down."
Li Zan started his motorcycle and drove her westward.
The road conditions in the city are not good and the wheels are bumpy.  Song Ran sat behind him, tossed back and forth, her buttocks kept moving forward and pressing against him.  She often moved back awkwardly, but then quickly moved forward.
Such collisions made her extremely restless behind him, and once she even threw herself on his back, which made her blush and quickly move back.
Li Zan finally stopped the motorcycle, turned his head slightly and said, "Sit closer to me so that it won't sway."
"...Oh. Okay."
Before she had time to adjust, there was another big bump in front of her. She was thrown towards him again, her soft chest bumped into his hard back, her heart almost knocked out of her throat, and her legs were spread wide.  stuck behind him.
But she didn't move back this time. She leaned forward slightly, leaning against him.  As he said, the two of them became a whole, rising and falling together, instead of shaking and colliding.  There was only a slight rubbing between the clothes.
She was still holding on to the seat with both hands, her face burning silently.
Neither of them spoke, and they were silent for a long time.  The only sound along the way was the sound of gunfire from the distant fighting zone.
After a while, Li Zan suddenly asked her like a chat: "Where is the reporter named Saxin?"
"Ah?" She was looking down at the rapidly retreating ground. Tingyan looked up at his shoulder and said, "I don't know. I can't contact him."
"What kind of contact can't be reached?"
"I only have his Twitter, and I used to leave messages to contact him. Now he doesn't even reply."
Li Zan was silent for a while and said, "He seems to be young."
"Yes. 20 years old. Almost 21 now."
After a long while, he said: "I hope it's okay."
"It should be fine..." Before Song Ran finished speaking, a house in the alley was shaken by artillery fire not far away. A piece of exterior wall peeled off and hit the two of them on their shoulders. The dust flew and Song Ran choked.
Li Zan looked back at her: "Lower your head."
Song Ran lowered his head and put the helmet on his back.
Li Zan had deliberately avoided the main road and stayed in the alleys, but as he approached the west side, the flames of war were raging, making it difficult to stay away from the battlefield.
Only then did Song Ran realize that Li Zan was right to drive a motorcycle. If he drove a car, it would be difficult to walk into some alleys.
Li Zan judged the direction and distance of the gunfire and walked around the residential alleys; Song Ran lowered her head against his back, and as he bumped forward, rocks and mud hit her helmet from time to time.  ring.  But she wasn't afraid at all, and felt calm and stable as never before.

In the chaotic war zone, he and she seemed to be sitting in a small boat on the undulating sea.
In this way, it was a windy but smooth journey to the Refugee Bride Village on the western outskirts of Alara City.
Song Ran had heard at the Hapo border that people from other countries would buy refugee girls as brides. Among these potential customers were poor people from neighboring countries who were old and had not yet married a wife, as well as wealthy people with millions of wives and concubines.  Most of the girls who were sold were fourteen or fifteen years old, and occasionally there were younger girls.
Song Ran and Li Zan walked into the Bride Village and saw dilapidated houses and dust everywhere.  They made a rough judgment and found that about a dozen families had gathered from surrounding villages in the past few days, preparing to sell their daughters or even their sons.
It’s past two o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun is shining brightly.
Several girls sat in front of their temporary homes, leaning against the wall and staring blankly at the deserted streets.  When he saw an outsider coming, his eyes were filled with vigilance.
Song Ran passed by the door of a residential house and happened to meet a decently dressed man (agent) bargaining with a poor couple.  The little girl sitting on the chair is probably only about twelve years old.
The couple who were selling their daughter wanted to pay an extra $500, but the agent refused. The gestures seemed to say that it would cost a lot of money to get her out of the country.
The wife was grieved and desperate, and suddenly she couldn't hold on any longer, so she fell into her husband's arms and cried bitterly;
The agent couldn't stand it, so he waved his hand and added another $300 to them.
The deal was concluded quickly.
The agent paid a small pile of US dollars and said hello. The girl on the chair stood up, saluted her parents, and silently followed the agent outside. 
The mother couldn't bear it, so she rushed forward, knelt down and hugged her thin daughter, crying loudly.
The girl shed tears silently, her face pressed against her mother's head, her little hands caressing her mother's hair to comfort her.
The agent couldn't stand the scene anymore and walked out to get some fresh air.  When he turned around and saw Song Ran, he saw that she was wearing a PRESS body armor. Knowing that she was a reporter, he immediately raised his hand and said in English: "I am not a bad person."
Song Ran knew that in such a world, no one could be judged by simple black and white, good or bad, and smiled slightly: "I know."
The agent was surprised. Seeing what she said, he opened up his conversation and said with gestures: "In fact, I am still a conscientious person. At least, I can guarantee that the children I introduce will get married. But there are  were sold as child prostitutes. The girl in this family today is quite lucky. The girl is a rich man in Saudi Arabia. At least she will have no worries about food and clothing in the future, and she will not die in the war. Moreover, I will not sell boys."
Song Ran asked: "Are they all children from poor families?"
"Who would sell a child unless they are desperate? They also want to send the child away. Otherwise, they will die in the flames of war and hunger."
After the two chatted for a while, the mother was still crying.  The agent urged, but also stood on the roadside waiting.
Several parents from next door came over to inquire, and the agency went over to see the girl again.  He told Song Ran that he only dealt with wealthy clients, and they wanted to be good-looking.  Those with ordinary looks can only be given to ordinary people or poor people. Naturally, the price is lower.
The agent went next door.
Song Ran looked inside the room. The mother and daughter were still hugging each other and kneeling on the ground crying. The father was sitting at the table, covering his eyes with one hand, tears rolling down his face.
While still watching, Li Zan suddenly called out unconsciously: "Ran Ran..."
Song Ran was stunned and turned around.
His face darkened slightly, he gently lifted his chin and pointed to the other side of the street.
Looking in his direction, he saw the doorway of an abandoned house at the corner. The door was ajar, and a government soldier with half of his leg was sitting by the door, looking at the scene on the other side.
The soldier was still young, in his mid-twenties.  He sat motionless, watching everything happening here quietly.
Li Zan said in a low voice: "There is nothing more tragic than being unable to protect the women and children of your own country."
The agent eventually fell in love with two other girls and took them away together.
There are constant cries in the street,
Song Ran turned off the camera. She didn't want to stay and shoot the last scene. She couldn't bear the parting scene.  She turned to look at Li Zan: "Let's go."
   "Um."
Song Ran lowered his head all the way, a little listless.  Halfway through, she finally couldn't stand it anymore, took a deep breath, suddenly walked down the steps and sat down on the roadside, lowered her head and supported her head with her hands.
Li Zan went over and sat down next to her. He didn't say anything and sat quietly with her for two or three minutes.