White Olive Tree

Chapter 66

Chapter 66
That morning, Li Zan slept until he woke up naturally.
He hadn't slept well for a long time. In the past few days after returning to China, he slept for a long time day and night.
When he woke up, it was about eight o'clock in the morning.
Song Ran opened the curtains, and the morning sunlight slanted in. The trees outside the window were lush and green, and the morning light shone on the green leaves.
She opened the window. The world was still quiet and the air was fresh.
"The weather is nice today." She smiled at him, returned to the bedside, and lay next to him, "A-Zan, I will take you to the military hospital for an examination today. Don't be afraid."
He smiled, with the tenderness of someone who had just woken up: "I'm not a child."
Song Ran's heart softened, she held his hand and whispered: "A-Zan, do you know what month it is now?"
He said nothing.
"It's August," she said, "it's been half a year. The war in Candi ended long ago, and the East Kingdom is now being rebuilt everywhere. Did you know?"
He said: "I don't know."
"It doesn't matter. You just need to know that you have returned to China. We are now in Liangcheng, at our own home." She whispered, "We have gone home. Do you understand?"
Li Zan's dark eyes fell on her face and said, "I know."
He looked directly at her without moving his eyes, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the trees outside being illuminated white by the sun.  The wind blows and the trees sway, as if they have changed their shapes.
He didn't want to look.
"Smell it." She pulled up the quilt and brought it to his face. "It smells like home."
He sniffed and his eyes softened.
She leaned over and hugged his neck, her figure blocking the green outside the window.
"A-Zan, the doctor said you thought this was an illusion and thought you were still in the East Kingdom. No, I brought you back. Do you remember?"
He nodded: "I remember."
"If you forget, I'll remind you again."
   "Good."
……
After the two had breakfast, they packed up and went out together.  Li Zan had injuries to his legs and feet, and he was using a metal cane, which made it difficult for him to walk.
Song Ran helped him go downstairs slowly.
At 8:30 in the morning, the temperature has already risen.
He struggled to move down the stairs, sweat breaking out on his forehead.  As he slowly walked around the corner, he couldn't help but curl his lips.
Song Ran tilted her head and shook the broken hair on her forehead. Seeing that he was smiling, she couldn't help but feel better and asked, "A-Zan, why are you laughing?"
His eyes were slightly curved: "It feels like we are old, like we are seventy or eighty years old."
Song Ran stared at his footsteps on the steps and smiled: "Isn't that good? When we grow old, we will be like this too."
"I'll help you when you get old," he said.
"Then you should get well soon, eat more, and then exercise slowly."
"Okay." He said, stroking a piece of hair for her and tucking it behind her ear.
Song Ran helped him get into the car.
It was still early, there were not many vehicles and pedestrians on the road, it was quite quiet, and the sun was shining brightly.
Song Ran avoided the section with lots of traffic intersections and deliberately went around the Ring Expressway. He glanced at Li Zan from time to time along the way. He leaned on the back of the seat, his expression calm and his eyes clear.
We arrived at the military hospital without any worries.
The team has checked that he is in a special situation and does not need to register.
Early in the morning, the hospital was crowded with people, and Song Ran inadvertently held his hand tightly.  Li Zan supported his cane and walked slowly through the hall. Ten meters away from the elevator, his hand trembled and he suddenly stopped and said, "Can you take the escalator?"
   "OK."
She realized that he had been imprisoned in a cell, a dark room, and a water cell.
She suppressed the pain in her heart and helped him up the escalator.
Someone was walking in a hurry on the escalator. Song Ran got out of the way and stood in front of Li Zan.
People passing by saw that it was inconvenient for them and kindly reminded them: "There is an escalator over there."
Song Ran smiled: "Thank you."
The Special Needs Department is on the 7th floor.
The attending doctor prescribed a bunch of checklists for Li Zan, and the nurse conducted dozens of tests including blood drawing, sampling, ultrasound, CT, etc.
When checking bone density, the doctor said that the value was a little low and that we should pay attention to calcium supplementation.  Song Ran remembered.
The height and weight were measured, and the instrument showed 55.6 kilograms. The doctor said that he was extremely thin and needed nutritional supplements.
Song Ran said sadly: "He has eaten a lot these days, but why hasn't he gained any weight?"
Li Zan pursed his lips and said, "Then I'll have an extra bowl of rice tonight."
It’s eleven o’clock in the morning when all items have been checked.  Most test results will take a few days to be reported.
Song Ran thanked the doctor and helped Li Zan back the way he came.
At this time, there were more people coming and going in the hospital, and the hall was crowded and a little crowded.
Song Ran watched him carefully, finally avoiding the crowd, walking through the hall to the door, the automatic screen door opened, and the two were about to walk out.  But at this moment, someone suddenly came up from behind and rushed out. He was too fast and couldn't get out of the way. He accidentally bumped into Li Zan and kicked his cane away.
The metal cane flew several meters away and hit the floor with a harsh metallic sound.
Li Zan's body swayed, and his expression suddenly changed.
Blades, whips, nails, chains... scenes suddenly flashed before his eyes.
The boy who hit him was a boy of eighteen or nineteen. In a hurry, he impatiently walked a few meters away to pick up his cane.
Song Ran hurriedly said: "Give it to me."
The young man didn't understand the rules and didn't bother to walk a few more steps to hand it to her. He directly raised the metal staff and handed it to her, asking her to connect the end, as if he was holding a long gun.