LOVE SONG! [YiZhan FF]✔️

-11- The Community Center Part 2

-11- The Community Center Part 2

After I somehow managed to suppress the desire to kiss Zhan, I fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, the bed next to me was empty. I immediately jumped out of bed and ran into the living room, the fireplace was freshly lit, but there was no sign of Zhan. He came back about twenty minutes later with fresh rolls, sausage and cheese and coffee.

We ate breakfast together, got dressed and then went outside. We walked along a narrow path behind the house to the edge of the forest and then into the forest. There we walked over small branches, damp moss, leaves and small bumps, until we reached a small house built between two trees.

Zhan ran the last few meters there and I followed him slowly. Zhan opened the lock on the door and proudly explained to me that his grandfather had built this little house for him and his siblings.

When I entered the house, I was surprised. There were children's pictures all over the place, comics were lying there, and a box of old toys was also there. And a picture of Zhan and his two siblings when they were kids. Zhan's little brother looked a lot like him. Probably if his little brother were still alive, that would still be the case.

"Here my siblings and I played from dawn till dusk. We never got bored. Unfortunately the house is very small, so we never could spend the night here. But that was not important. You know, my father grew up here in the country. He and his brother were once supposed to inherit their parents' house and do farming and cattle breeding together. They had nothing but that. As children they often had to help out in the fields before and after school or look after the animals. They hated it. And while my father moved to the big city to become a doctor, my uncle traveled around the world with a backpack and wrote books about his travels. Both were successful and only came here when they delivered us children here. They hardly ever spoke to their parents and preferred to send them money rather than be seen. My father always said he was glad to have managed to get away from there. He never wanted to live in the country. I, on the other hand, would like to someday. Not here, but somewhere in a nice quiet place in the country, I'd like to have a house one day and live there."

Since I was born and grew up in the city, and my parents never went to the country with my brother and me, I never thought about living somewhere remote and in the green. But I imagine that somehow it would be nice too.

I was glad that Zhan told me more about himself and his family, because it helps me get to know him and the others better. And in the last two days, I didn't find Zhan immature, as his mother claimed. Quite the opposite.

Zhan also told me that they scattered his brother's ashes here in the woods and that his parents kept and cared for his grandparents' property because of this. Sometimes they come here and go to the forest to feel a little closer to their deceased son. That's how I also learned that Zhan's little brother had leukaemia cancer. However, this was so aggressive that even stem cell donation did not help and he died. Shortly afterwards, they found out that his sister always had sweaty hands and blue lips. This was due to a serious heart defect that she had probably had all her life. After three serious and difficult surgeries she is now better again. But she will need medication for the rest of her life and is not allowed to overexert herself.

After we returned, we immediately got into the car and drove to the village to the restaurant where we had lunch. From there we went on to a doctor who, despite being 71 years old, is still working. Zhan introduced him to me and said he was the reason why Zhan wanted to become a neurosurgeon.

"At that time, a man had been fished out of the nearby lake. The rescue workers examined his vital signs and found nothing. But the doctor noticed something. The man's finger twitched uncontrollably. So he had him taken to the hospital and examined him there thoroughly. I was doing an internship at that time, so I was there. And then the doctor found the reason for the man's deathlike rigidity. He had a brain tumor. The doctor didn't hesitate to operate, even though he wasn't a neurosurgeon. And I watched him do it. I was so fascinated by the way he worked on this sensitive organ that I wanted to do that too. And, the doctor managed to remove the tumor completely. A few days later the man woke up and slowly recovered. I wanted to do something like that. Save lives!"

The doctor told me in detail what had happened back then. Since this hospital was tiny and only two surgeons worked there, and because they had to save the lives of other people in the operating room, the doctor himself started to work. Because the man's life was at stake. He said that he as assistant doctor had been involved in such operations and fortunately he remembered very well, although it was so long ago.

I found this doctor very fascinating. Especially because he was still on duty only because of the villagers. He could have retired long ago. But since he has no successor and since he cares about his patients, he just carries on. We then accompanied him on two house calls. With one patient he had already been present at his birth.

After that we went back to the community center where Zhan handed over a check. Apparently he donates money to the community center once a year so that it can be maintained. He told me that these elderly people and young people in this village have nothing else where they can meet and spend time together. I think maybe he did it a little because of his memories.

In the evening we had dinner in a restaurant, then we went back to the grandparents' house. We sat in front of the fireplace for a while and talked about the events of the day, Zhan talked I wrote, before we went very tired into the bedroom.

Outside it had started raining and somewhere in the distance there was a low rumble of thunder. The rain pattered softly against the windows and we snuggled under our blankets. The only warm room in this house was the living room. I wonder how they did that back in winter. Because there were no heaters or stoves here. Just this one fireplace in the living room.

Unlike the night before, Zhan and I were close together. So close that I could feel his warmth. I looked into his eyes and once again my heart was pounding in my chest. Zhan smiled and wished me good night. Then he bent over and kissed my forehead again.

But this time, I couldn't stop myself and I didn't care if Zhan got angry. I touched his cheek, bent forward and gave him a peck on his lips. Zhan said nothing, he looked at me neither shocked nor angry, while my heart was racing and I was still stroking his cheek with my thumb. I slid my head so close that the tips of our noses touched, then I kissed him again and this time, it was a long kiss. I pulled Zhan close to me, held him in my arms and kissed him. And he, he returned the kiss.

Finally, after a quarter of an hour, I hugged Zhan and put his head on my chest. And so we fell asleep. I was at that moment, relieved and just totally happy.