White Olive Tree

Chapter 38

Chapter 38
Li Zan had a nightmare at night.
After being with Song Ran, he stopped having nightmares for a long time.
It might have been during the day, because CANDY won the Pulitzer Prize. When he took Song Ran out for dinner and shopping, a foreign child bumped into his lap and fell to the ground, crying. The foreign child had a pair of dark eyes, which made him  Suddenly something occurred to me.
I had a dream that night.
In the dream, a Dongguo man hugged his wife, and two little boys and a little girl held the corners of their parents' clothes. They stood side by side in the blank space, looking at him quietly.  Their eyes were dark and empty.
When Li Zan woke up, the back of his neck was covered with sweat, and he could hear his breathing being extremely rapid in the quiet night.  But he quickly restrained himself, fearing to wake up Song Ran beside him.
It was around three o'clock in the morning, and there was a faint skylight outside the curtains.  The world is so quiet that you can hear the sounds of insects outside.
It is already the end of April, but the nights are still slightly cool.
Li Zan carefully turned sideways and gently hugged Song Ran's waist, intending to fall asleep again, but her hands stretched out to hug his waist.
After a moment of silence, Li Zan whispered: "Ran Ran?"
"Huh?" She opened her eyes, her clear eyes shining brightly in the dark night.
"Did I wake you up?"
"No, I woke up halfway." She spoke with a nasal voice, sounding a little soft and charming, "...are you having a nightmare?"
   "Um."
"What did you dream about?"
He rubbed his eyes: "It's all about Dongguo. I dreamed about bombs, killing people."
Song Ran said: "I usually have nightmares like these."
"Why are you awake? Are you dreaming?"
"Well, maybe because I won the award, I thought about those things again." She frowned, "There are still a lot of people coming to interview me again, which is a bit annoying."
"Then turn off your phone and ignore them."
   "I think so."
Li Zan brushed his hand on her face, stroked her temples with his fingers, and asked, "How did you have nightmares before?"
She said: "Lie down and look at the ceiling. Then slowly, the sky will light up."
   as same as him.
You can't close your eyes and try to sleep at that time.  I won’t be able to sleep, and then the picture will replay, making it even more painful.
Song Ran stretched out his hand from the quilt, stretched, then put it down and hugged his neck: "But you are here now."
Li Zan said: "Would you like to heat some milk? It might feel better to drink some."
"I also want to eat steamed buns."
"Okay." Li Zan stood up, put on his nightgown and said, "Don't come down."
But Song Ran still wrapped herself in her nightgown and put on her slippers and chased after him.
The nightgown and slippers are couple's ones they bought in the supermarket last week, blue and pink.
Song Ran used to think that all kinds of couple items were silly, but after she fell in love, she happily bought a bunch of them, including a pair of toothbrushes and cups.
Li Zan took out the milk from the refrigerator and poured it into the milk pot, put it on the stove to heat over low heat, then added water to the steamer, the steamer basket and the steamed buns.
The milk gradually warmed up, and the fragrance of milk overflowed.
Song Ranhu said: "This costs 50 US dollars a cup in Dongguo."

"Yeah." Li Zan said, "I saw the news last night that Gama was caught in a war."
Gama is the capital of the Eastern Kingdom, an ancient city with a history of thousands of years.
Song Ran said: "Even Gamma University of Technology was bombarded."
"If Gama falls, Dongguo will also..." Li Zan did not continue, poured the milk into the cup, put the steamed buns on the plate, and the two sat down at the dining table.
Song Ran squatted on a chair and ate steamed buns.
Li Zan suddenly asked: "Do you want to go back to Dongguo again?"
Song Ran sipped the milk, thought for a moment, and said, "I want to, but I don't dare."
Li Zan said nothing.
Song Ran asked: "What about you?"
Li Zan said: "I want to, but I'm not really able."
Looking at each other, they suddenly smiled at each other.
He reached out and touched her head, then leaned over and put his forehead against hers and rubbed it hard.
She whispered: "It hurts!"
After the two drank the milk, they went to bed again and had a good night's sleep. 
In early May, Li Zan once again asked Chen Feng to return to the team.  Chen Feng really couldn't defeat him this time, so he said he would think of a way to see if he could join the team first and follow the training.  Chen Feng said he was trying to find a way, but Li Zan knew that the matter would probably be settled as soon as he let go.
That day was Thursday. He went home in the evening and told Song Ran the news. He didn't expect that Song Ran would also have news for him.
She received a reply from the National Military Channel.
The "Our Flag" column team selected Song Ran from hundreds of proposals and expressed the hope that she could come to Imperial City to participate in the production of the "Our Flag" column.  The column team will provide her with a generous salary, a high-level production platform and production team, as well as the most sincere and authoritative letters of recommendation when needed in the future.
When Song Ran told him the news, he was so happy that his whole face seemed to be shining.
Li Zan hasn't seen her so excited about her career for a long time, and winning an award some time ago didn't make her so happy.
He also smiled with crooked eyebrows and said, "I knew it would be you. It seems I was right."
"It's all because of what you said that it worked so well." She rushed forward and hugged his neck.
Li Zan laughed out loud: "I'm not a god."
But just after she was happy, she felt a little sad again, rubbing her head on his shoulder: "But... they asked me to go to the Imperial City."
He touched her hair and felt reluctant to give up. He smiled and said, "This is what you want to do, so feel free to go for it. The high-speed rail is also convenient. I can visit you every weekend."
"Really?" Song Ran's eyes lit up, and then he frowned, "But if you return to the team, you will be under military management and you won't be able to get out."
"..." Li Zan was stunned.  I've been so used to hanging out recently that I forgot about this level for a while.
Just as she was frowning, Song Ran smiled: "Then I'll come back to see you. Family members are visiting relatives."
Li Zan suddenly smiled: "Okay."
Song Ran replied to the email to the column team that night.
Unexpectedly, she received the notice the next day. The director hoped that she could go to the Imperial City as soon as possible.  The column team will hold a preliminary planning meeting over the weekend.  If she can make it there, she's welcome to attend.
Song Ran knew very well that the workload and service timeliness of the national television station were not comparable to that of Liangcheng Satellite TV.  She agreed immediately.
Li Zan saw this and helped her buy the high-speed train to the Imperial City that night.  It was too late for the evening flight.  The total check-in time is about the same as that of the high-speed rail.
Song Ran took the box and started packing her luggage.
Seeing her stuffing her nightgown, slippers and towels into the box, Li Zan said amusedly, "Why are you bringing these things? Are they available in the hotel or at your mother's house?"
"That's different." Song Ran said, "I am a pair with you."
Li Zan let her go and said, "I just checked the weather. There is a big temperature difference between day and night in the Imperial City. Bring a sweater or coat."
   "Um."
As Song Ran folded her coat, she saw Li Zan counting all her bank cards, ID cards, press cards, camera battery cables.  I took photos of various documents and cards with my mobile phone and kept the information: "If you accidentally lose it, ask me for pictures." He put them away and put them in a special bag and stuffed them into the box.