Chapter 53
Song Ran rushed back to the Comprehensive University. People were coming and going in the school, and stretchers were coming in and out. The teaching building was converted into a temporary operating room and ward. The students acted as nurses and took care of the injured.
Song Ran had no time to think about it, so she went back to the dormitory building and took a towel, a few bottles of water, a few bags of bread and biscuits, plus an apple she bought the day before yesterday, stuffed them into a clean plastic bag, and quickly went downstairs.
She drove quickly toward the northwest suburbs of the city. At this time, I don't know if Li Zan is awake or not.
The sun has risen, and a thin layer of warm red gold spreads compassionately over this ancient city that has gone through suffering. Along the street are soldiers lying on the ground and resting, people who were separated in the war and struggling to find themselves, and the wounded dragging bloodstains...
But the face of the sleeping person is peaceful, and there is still hope in the eyes of the searching person.
The battle of Aara is over, but the war in this country is far from over.
In the rearview mirror, the eastern sky was filled with brilliant morning glow.
When I was studying, my history teacher said that some cities are alive. Even after a disaster, the scars will eventually be healed and we will rebuild.
She looked away from the mirror and looked firmly ahead.
......
The northwest suburb of Aare City, 1.5 kilometers outside Aare Fort.
The captured terrorists have been handed over to government forces for their disposal. The Cook Division is still counting its troops and equipment. There were more than a dozen units gathered for this battle, and the follow-up work was relatively cumbersome.
Pei Xiaonan and an Italian Doctors Without Borders were notified and came to treat the wounded. Two seriously injured soldiers have been sent to the hospital, while the remaining injuries are not serious and can be treated on the spot.
Even Pei Xiaonan, who has witnessed many war scenes, can't help but marvel at the strength of Cook's soldiers. If it had been an ordinary army, it would have suffered heavy casualties by now.
After she finished treating the injured soldiers, it was dawn before she knew it.
The sun has risen.
She looked around but didn't see Li Zan.
She specifically inquired, looking for an Asian. Most of Cook's soldiers were white and black, with very few Asian faces. Someone immediately knew that she was talking about Li Zan and pointed in the direction.
Pei Xiaonan walked around to the back of the headquarters and saw ruins. Li Zan fell to the ground and fell asleep.
The thin morning light shone on his face, but he didn't wake up. The sleeping face is quiet and soft, inexplicably soft, and not as silent and distant as when awake.
Pei Xiaonan took out a piece of gauze, unscrewed half a bottle of water and moistened the gauze. She walked softly to him and squatted down, trying to wipe off the blood and plaster on his face.
Just before she reached out to touch him, Li Zan suddenly opened his eyes, woke up, stood up, and drew his gun. In an instant, the gun was loaded and pointed at her head.
Pei Xiaonan raised her hands, her face turned pale, and her voice softened with fear: "Li Zan, it's me..."
Li Zan was also stunned for a moment, and his serious eyes faded away in an instant.
Pei Xiaonan knew that it was his reaction to being on the battlefield and laughed again: "He is indeed a soldier."
Li Zan frowned slightly and didn't answer. He retracted the gun, pushed the safety catch, and stuffed it into the holster. He unconsciously sat down to the side, widening the distance between him and her.
Pei Xiaonan noticed it, but didn't think about it deeply.
Li Zan was not fully awake yet, so he rested his elbows on his knees and held his forehead with the back of his hands for a while.
Pei Xiaonan handed him the gauze: "Wipe your face?"
He shook his head: "No, we'll do it when we get back to the camp."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"I see there are some scratches on your hands and face. How about I help you take care of them?"
He raised his head and smiled politely: "The team has medical soldiers and basic medicines. It will be convenient for me to go back and clean them before applying medicine."
"...Oh." Pei Xiaonan hid her disappointment. As he stood up, he stretched his wrist. She saw something and pointed to his sleeve: "What's stuck here?" Before she touched it, Li Zan took his hand back and stretched it slightly, revealing the red string.
Pei Xiaonan realized this time and forced a smile: "Is it a gift from a relative?"
"Yeah." Li Zan said, "It was a gift from my girlfriend."
......
The sun was higher than when it came here, shining on the windshield and dazzling people's eyes.
Song Ran pulled down the visor to block the light. The morning glow in the eastern sky dispersed, leaving a few faint reds.
When she rushed to the northwest suburbs, everyone was gone, and not a single Cook soldier was seen.
Tried to call Li Zan, but the phone was turned off.
She searched aimlessly around the street, but couldn't find anyone.
The car parked casually on the side of the road. Song Ran leaned on the back of the seat and panted slightly. She was very tired and hadn't slept well for three days. Presumably, Li Zan also returned to the camp to rest.
She decided to catch up on her sleep.
She returned to the dormitory, cleaned herself up, closed the curtains, and climbed into bed. She was so exhausted that she even forgot to take sleeping pills and buried herself in the bed.
Song Ran slept from early morning to dusk. She was woken up by the sound of a loudspeaker outside the window. On the radio, a Dongguo news spokesperson had a loud voice, a correct tone, and spoke clearly.
Song Ran didn't understand it very well, but he could vaguely distinguish between "Ararat", "North" and "anti-government forces".
When she saw that it was getting late, she quickly packed herself up, went downstairs and got into the car with her camera on her back. She was a little worried, fearing that Li Zan and the others had withdrawn their troops and gone to the north.
As the car drives away, the sound gets louder. When I arrived at the school gate, I encountered a government broadcasting vehicle announcing loudly. There were many pedestrians on the street, running behind the vehicles and cheering loudly.
Song Ran pulled a student over and asked what was on the radio.
The student enthusiastically translated to her: "At 3:00 pm on December 25, 201 Le City and the 13th district on the outskirts of the city have been fully recovered!"
Song Ran put a big smile on her face, thanked the students, and drove into the city. Broadcasting trucks could be seen everywhere conveying the good news of victory. The streets and alleys were bustling with excitement. The streets, which had been lifeless in the morning, were now filled with people celebrating.
Adults and children, men and women; cars honked, pedestrians sang, and they threw clothes, hats and everything in their hands into the sky, shouting as they threw:
"we won!"
Song Ran can understand this Dongguo dialect.
Following the direction of the crowd, she drove the car outside the Historical Monument Square and got out of the car holding the camera.
The setting sun shrouded the towering historical monuments, and the surrounding ancient buildings were magnificent and vicissitudes of life. The square was full of people, and they were covered in dust, but they finally relaxed their shoulders.
There was a band on the high platform of the monument, ringing bells, playing piano and drums, and singing the most famous folk songs of the Eastern Kingdom. At the end of the song, the crowd cheered and shouted a word together.
Song Ran guessed that it should be the "national anthem."
A few seconds later, the band's music changed and the prelude to the national anthem was played. The lead singer sang into the microphone, and in an instant, people in the square, men, women, old and young, sang in unison.
A little boy sat on his father's neck, vigorously vibrating his little arms;
A couple sat by the flower stand, holding each other's faces and kissing deeply;
A woman leaned in her husband's arms and sang softly with tears in her eyes, but her husband had already shed two lines of tears;
An old man's lips slowly moved, and on his bark-like old face, his bright eyes shone with moist and brilliant light;
A few soldiers stood in the corner, looking at everything around them with a faint smile; while the people passing by them saluted them with various non-standard military salutes.
Song Ran was walking through the crowd holding the camera, a smile on her lips, until suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in the camera.
Li Zan shuttled among the crowd, looking around, looking for something.
He changed into a clean military uniform, washed his head and face, applied medicine to the wound on his neck and put on a small bandage. From time to time, people would salute him and ask him to shake hands. He smiled politely and continued to search with his eyes.
He came to find her.
Song Ran immediately looked up and saw overlapping figures, covering his figure.
"A-Zan!"
The cheering people and the singing songs drowned out her voice.
"A-Zan!"
She jumped up, pushed aside the crowd, and ran in his direction. A group of tall Dongguo men came towards her. She lost sight of him and was so anxious that she jumped and squeezed.
His eyes flickered, and he was walking towards the outside of the square.
Crowds continued to gather towards the square. Song Ran was like a fish swimming upstream, diving into any cracks and eyes fixed on the camouflage color in front of him. He was another fish in the same direction as her in the rapids.
She finally pushed through the crowd and saw that Li Zan had reached the roadside, got on the motorcycle and started off quickly.
Song Ran flew into the car and started driving instantly.
The streets were crowded with people celebrating happily, playing drums, ringing bells, and blowing plastic trumpets. They waved the national flag, sang the national anthem, and scattered colorful papers all over the sky.
Song Ran's car horn didn't work, and she was struggling in the reverse flow of people. The boys and girls from Dongguo threw themselves on the hood of her car, laughing and waving flags at her: "Get out of the car and play with us!"
She smiled so hard that her eyebrows knitted together, and she moved the car wherever possible.
Ahead, Li Zan's motorcycle is getting further and further away.
She squeezed the space and finally walked through a street, and the crowd density finally dropped. She increased her speed, honking her horn and flying. It doesn't matter. All the cars on the street were honking in celebration and their horns were blaring loudly. The drivers thought she was celebrating too, and happily shouted at her: "Come on!"
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and sweat broke out on her forehead.
Li Zan's motorcycle went further and further away, turning a corner and disappearing.
Song Ran was stunned and suddenly realized that it was the direction of the comprehensive university. She stepped on the accelerator to the maximum, ignoring the floating car body, and sped all the way into the university campus.
The car stopped in front of the dormitory building, and Li Zan's motorcycle parked in the open space.
Song Ran's heart beat fast and broke through her chest. She slammed the car door and ran into the building. She rushed up the stairs in two or three steps and ran into the corridor--
The light was dim, Li Zan lowered his head slightly, put his pocket in his pocket and leaned against her door. When he heard the footsteps, he raised his eyes and looked towards her.
He was quiet at first, but he smiled when he saw her. Just as he was about to say something, Song Ran stretched out his hand and ran towards him! He was stunned and reflexively opened his arms to pick her up. She threw herself into his arms, and they hugged each other tightly.
She hugged his neck as if she had exhausted all her strength. She was trembling and trembling, but she was not afraid; she was full of joy, she was lost and found, and she was unbearably excited. She buried her cheek in his neck, inhaling deeply the familiar male breath of him. Her body was trembling uncontrollably, and her heart felt numb. At this moment, only a hug that is as tight as a shackle can reach the deepest and deepest intimacy and attachment in the heart.
She loves him, how much she loves him.
He also held her waist tightly, his arms so tight that it seemed like he could break her. The almost painful embrace is the testimony of love. The girl in my arms is soft and warm. Her black hair, her cheek, he lowered his head deeply and pressed it against her neck, feeling the thumping sound of her heartbeat, warm and fresh; he seemed to finally hear his own beating heartbeat, wild and chaotic. The body doesn't lie, and his longing pours out like a flood that has been suppressed for months.
She fumbled to open the door, and he hugged her into the room, slammed the door shut, and pressed her against the wall.
He pressed against her waist, and Song Ran felt a fire ignited from her lower abdomen. It swelled up and her whole body was on fire.
Li Zan lowered his head and naturally found her lips. Their lips caressed and entangled, and he said hoarsely: "I have been looking for you in the city for a long time."
"I, too, have been looking for you." Song Ran responded to his kiss and suddenly felt that the temperature in the room had risen, making her breathless.
The wind rushed in through the open windows, unable to dissipate the stuffy air. A thin stream of sweat broke out from her heart.
Her breathing gradually became messy, and her eyes became misty, but she saw his dark gaze approaching her. In his eyes was the clearest and most primitive love and desire.
His feelings for her have never changed.
Even more intense.
He once listened to her words and never contacted her again, just because he saw his teammates die tragically on the battlefield.
But now, he is very sure and certain that she has come to him. If he would die tomorrow, he would be with her today.
Song Ran's cheeks were red and she was breathing hard in his arms.
Everything suddenly didn't matter anymore. She Zeng Min [gǎn] was confused about what had changed in the past three months. But it wasn't until this moment that I realized that nothing had changed. Or maybe it's deeper. The dependence and love that go deep into the bone marrow fills the chest and is about to overflow. Only endless hugs, kisses and skin entanglement can relieve it.
Nothing needs to be said. Apologies, accusations, worries, and love are all unnecessary. Even the condition doesn't matter anymore. The relationship between them is such that it cannot even tolerate a person suffering from depression.
She was so confused by his kiss that she heard the sound of the metal buckle hitting the ground, the fabric scratching, and her ankles felt cold.
He bent his knees slightly, then stood up suddenly and pushed forward.
"Well -" She stood on tiptoes and raised her head, trembling in the gap between him and the wall.
He took her lips in his mouth, biting, entangled, and nudged her lips,
She was tightly blocked up and down by him, turning into water.
"Ah Zan..."
Thin fingers tightly grasped his military uniform, tearing and twisting it.
Her heart was filled again, tight, hard, hot, and familiar. A sense of security and intimacy that only he can give.
She still likes him so much, even more than before. Otherwise, the joy overflowing in her heart at this moment would not be deeper than before, and it would almost make her faint from being unable to bear it.
She hugged his neck, kissed him passionately, and smelled his breath, almost greedily.
Until the sunset, he pressed her onto the bed and kissed her misty, wet eyes. His lips brushed thinly across the bridge of her nose, her cheeks, and her ears, sniffing deeply, like a small animal judging and savoring the scent of her body, which was the most primitive attachment and enclosure.
"Ran Ran."
"Um?"
"That time, was it you?"
"yes."
"I knew it was not a dream."
At that time, when I was exhausted and sleeping in my dream, I felt your fingers touching me. Forgive me for being too tired, struggling hard, but unable to wake up. I can only nuzzle you gently and respond to you in my dream.