White Olive Tree

Chapter 50

Chapter 50
Driving back to the city center, Song Ran didn't hear any more gunfire all the way.
They arrived at the field hospital at six or seven in the afternoon, and the front was very busy.  A large group of Dongguo soldiers and civilians crowded into a civilian alley, with many foreign volunteers and Doctors Without Borders mixed in.
Li Zan parked his car at the entrance of the hospital and asked the doctor passing by: "What's going on?"
   "Attending a wedding."
"Wedding?"
"There is a soldier who is a native of Aare and is getting married. I heard that it was the girl who proposed. He said that the wedding was held before going to the battlefield."
Song Ran looked at the crowd and asked, "Anyone can participate?"
"Of course, when did this happen? That girl is getting married now to encourage her sweetheart. She also encourages everyone in the city."
Li Zan and Song Ran didn't speak, each had their own thoughts.
Li Zan parked the car and looked back at Song Ran, as if inviting: "Want to go see it?"
Song Ran nodded.
Not to mention that this wedding was extraordinary, and she couldn't miss it.  Besides, she wanted to stay with him for a little longer, even just for a little while.
The two of them followed the crowd into the alley and soon entered a ruins in the alley.
This was originally a temple, with a towering pavilion in the middle, which was a place for prayer and wedding ceremonies.  But the pavilion was blown up, leaving only the dome and sharp corners of the temple on top of the ruins.  Candles were erected on the broken railings all around, and wild flowers of various colors picked from the countryside covered the broken steps. If it was not enough, olive leaves were used to make up for it.
Outside the pavilion ruins is a circle of open space.  A large piece of military green felt was spread on the floor, serving as a blanket for guests to sit on.
There used to be a circle of corridors on the outer surface of the open space, but the corridors, walls, and nearby houses were all razed to the ground, and this place became an infinitely open place.
The people coming from behind could still see the wedding from a distance even if they were standing on the ruins a few houses away.
No wedding candy, no tobacco or alcohol.  Many soldiers and foreigners generously contributed scraps of food, such as biscuits, peanuts and bread, for the busy children to share.
Song Ran and Li Zan came early and found a place to sit on the felt on the inner floor.
Li Zan asked people around him why he didn't go to another temple to hold the wedding.  Locals say this is the place where the couple was baptized when they were born, and the commemoration is of great significance.
Song Ran: "No wonder."
Li Zan glanced at the felt on the ground and said, "If it weren't for a war, there should be a beautiful Persian blanket underneath."
Song Ran added: "There should be wedding candies at the door."
While talking, both of them thought of the wedding they attended in the Liangcheng military camp last year.
Song Ran sighed a little: "But a wedding like this is quite good. Strangers come to bless them. Everyone waits and watches, so it won't be awkward."
"Yes." Li Zan said, "You don't like to be embarrassed."
He didn't know that he had said this once when he was drunk that night.  But Song Ran remembered it clearly. He said that when they get married in the future, all the idle people will go away so as not to embarrass her.
How wonderful it would be if there were no wars in the world...
Song Ran took a slight breath, blinked, and looked up at the horizon. The sun was about to set. The afterglow shrouded the ruins of the temple, shining brightly on the colored glass windows on the dome.
"So beautiful." She murmured.
Li Zan looked over and stared at the gorgeous sunset in the stained glass.
Night is coming.
How great it would be to wake up three months later.
She asked: "What did you do when you were fighting terrorists? Is there a division of labor?"
"Most of the time it's a blasting mission."
She thought for a moment: "Is it the kind in the movie? Bringing heavy explosives to lurk in the enemy's line of fire?"
   "almost."
Song Ran's heart hurt, and she stared at the stained glass and asked, "Have you ever encountered a very dangerous time?"
Li Zan said: "It's okay."
"Have you ever been injured?"
Li Zan remained silent for a while. No one had ever asked him this question.  But she asked twice today.
Song Ran turned to look at him.
He smiled lightly: "Didn't I tell you before? It hurt, but it's better."
"Is it serious?"