On December 1st, the Imperial City was shrouded in heavy smog, with the PM2.5 index exceeding 500.
Song Ran took Ran Yuwei to the hospital for a follow-up checkup and returned home. As soon as he entered the door, he turned on all four air purifiers.
"Why don't we just go back to the south and stay in the countryside for a while. In the winter, the imperial city is covered in smog every day. Even if you are not sick, you will get cancer."
"I can't leave. Besides, it's cold and wet there in the winter. I'm afraid I'll get rheumatism right after recovering from my lung disease."
Song Ran knew that she could not persuade her, so she ignored her. She poured purified water into the humidifier and plugged it in.
Two months ago, Ran Yuwei was discharged from the hospital after her condition stabilized. After that, she received treatment according to the steps and her health improved a lot. She returned to work a long time ago. However, Song Ran kept a close eye on her and would drag her out of the office on the day of the follow-up examination.
She sat on the sofa, drank some water, and habitually turned on the TV to watch international news.
Country A and Country B are arguing over mad cow disease and beef import quarantine;
Country C and Country D criticized each other for potential safety risks in automobile manufacturing;
Countries E and F accuse each other of raising agricultural tariffs;
And the East Country,
“… After a year and four months of war, the government army finally recaptured 60% of the historical and cultural city of Ale, and plans to complete the overall recovery of the city in the near future. With Ale as the dividing line, if the defense battle is successful, the government army will recover more than half of the territory of the East Country, that is, all the rich areas in the south. The rebels will be forced to go north to the desert to compete with extremist organizations for territory.
Last week, the extremist group publicly executed 58 government soldiers and civilians and released the video on…”
A blurred video was playing on the TV screen.
Ran Yuwei looked at Song Ran.
She watered the green plants at home, then went to the balcony to collect clothes, gathered a large pile and folded them on the sofa.
Ran Yuwei asked: "You haven't contacted each other?"
Song Ran: "Yeah."
"I planned to go to the East Country this time, but I didn't tell him."
"Um."
Ran Yuwei sighed, "I don't think there's anything to argue about. If he were a junior clerk and you were a war correspondent, and he thought Dongguo was dangerous and didn't allow you to go, would you quit? You stepped on a bomb and encountered an explosion, isn't it dangerous? I'm your mother, how many times have I told you not to go, did you listen? He's a soldier, and if he has to discuss the mission with you, such a man is useless.
Men can love women, but they can’t listen to women in everything. The same goes for women. No one should depend on anyone else, and they should listen to their own hearts. If your hearts are in sync, you are the best couple; if not, break up as soon as possible and don’t harm each other.
Song Ran folded clothes and frowned: "I know. You don't need to tell me."
"I know everything, what are you guys making a fuss about?"
Song Ran said nothing.
She sent Li Zan to the airport two or three months ago.
At that time, her emotions were too unstable. Various emergencies happened one after another. She was nervous and panicked, and her actions inevitably carried the urge to vent.
She couldn't sleep that night, thinking about how he would look when he saw the text message more than ten hours later, she cried again out of heartache. She waited until the plane landed, waiting for him to reply.
I thought that according to his personality, even if he didn't coax her, he would at least say a few words. She was so soft-hearted, so she must...
But he really didn't contact her again.
Didn't even reply to that text message.
What else could she do, since she had said it first
But after she calmed down, she figured out some things - there was no way Li Zan could hide things from the instructor.
She had watched Ran Yuwei handle affairs since she was a child, and she also understood many international operations. When she calmed down and thought about it, she knew what was going on.
It is nothing more than an exchange of interests between countries - country A secretly provides military assistance to country B, and in return, after the regime of country B stabilizes, it will give country A huge international benefits, such as oil, natural gas, minerals, international votes, etc.
Even if the old regime falls and the new one rises, country A claps and applauds, and there is no sign of it on the surface. They shake hands and remain good friends. It's just hard for those soldiers who carry out secret missions for the country.
Merits are not counted, sacrifices are not mentioned.
Song Ran took a breath silently, his heart aching.
"Mother."
"how?"
“I hate myself sometimes.”
Ran Yuwei was stunned: "Why?"
"Maybe you are right. If I were stronger, I might not get sick." Song Ran looked up and smiled at her.
"…" Ran Yuwei was shocked. Although she had always been strict with her daughter, she regretted what she said and wanted to say something. Song Ran went into the room with the folded clothes. When he came out, he took a piece of paper and said, "I printed out the review schedule and the expert's phone number for you. I sent the electronic version to your secretary."
Ran Yuwei said: "Your mother is still sick, so she ran to the East Country."
"… I didn't see you say you were sick while you were at work?"
"… "
"I have decided to write the Floating World Chronicle properly. Ale's position is too important. I must be there on the day of recovery. Didn't you tell me to go and pursue what I really want?"
Ran Yu sighed: "Go, go. You are not here..."
"You have to take good care of yourself even when I'm not around. I'll call my secretary to check on you."
"okay."
…
East Country, Su Rui City, East Suburb.
As December came, the climate became cooler than in summer. But at noon, it was still 28.9 degrees Celsius, and the surface temperature was over 30 degrees.
This street on the south side of the eastern suburbs was empty and quiet. At the end of the road, several soldiers were patrolling at the entrance of the terrorist organization's small base.
It was a three-story imitation European-style building, and Li Zan had been inside for five minutes.
Benjamin and the machine gunners and cover men in the team were hiding in the windows of the houses on both sides of the road, aiming their guns and waiting.
After a few minutes of silence, a figure quickly descended from the second floor of the European-style building, landed behind a patrolman, quickly grabbed his head and twisted it, and the guy instantly collapsed to the ground.
The accomplice turned and raised his gun.
With a few "chi" and "chi" sounds, Benjamin and his men's bullets pierced the enemy's heads from a hundred meters away.
Li Zan glanced at the fallen man, sprinted to the roadside without stopping, jumped onto the window sill of a house, and climbed up to the second and third floors by stepping on the broken wall. He jumped back and forth on the scattered roofs, and suddenly stopped halfway through his run.
He stood on the third-floor roof of a house and looked back at the surrounding streets.
Benjamin pulled the small microphone over: "Lee! What are you doing?!"
The laughter of George, the British cover man, came from the headset: "He is enjoying the scenery."
"Why don't you come up and take a look?" Li Zan's voice came in a scattered voice. He jumped off the broken wall, passed through several houses in a few seconds, jumped in through the window, landed beside Benjamin, and patted the dirt on his body.
Benjamin looked up from the scope: "Okay?"
"Okay." Li Zan glanced at the stopwatch, put the earplugs in his ears, lay on the ground, put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and counted down, "5-4-3-2-1."
There were three loud "booms" in succession, and the small outpost at the end of the road was instantly destroyed in the flames rising from the explosion.
In less than ten seconds, the tall building was flattened and flames flew. The terrorists didn't even have a chance to escape.
In the headset, the black machine gunner Morgan shouted: "I love you, Li!"
Benjamin said, "He. is. mine!"
Laughter came from several directions in the headphones.
Assaulter Kevin laughed and said, "Ben, so you are a lady. Let me see if there is a pussy in your pants!"
"Get out!" Benjamin ordered into the microphone on his collar, "I'll keep watch here. J, M, K, you three go to the back and rescue the prisoners and hostages."
"yes."
The three men jumped from their respective hiding spots and rushed to the other side of the street, where more than 200 government prisoners and civilians were held and were to be publicly executed tomorrow.
The headphones went silent. At the explosion point, the flames were crackling.
Benjamin turned his head to look at Li Zan, who seemed to be sleeping.
"Why did you stop upstairs just now?" Benjamin said, "This is very dangerous. You should know that."
"This street looks familiar, as if I've been here before."
"What did you come for?"
He slowly opened his eyes and said, "I saved a girl."
Before Benjamin could ask more, Kevin's report came through his earphones: "B.O., there's a bomb in the prison."
Benjamin: “Where is Ann?”
“On the wall.”
"Evacuate the crowd and let it explode."
"OK."
There was no objection over there.
In the past three months, their team's mission was mainly to eliminate the scattered bases of terrorist organizations and rescue hostages and prisoners. They had never encountered a bomb attack. Instead, Li Zan made a lot of bombs and blasting devices for combat use.
At the beginning, their team had a French bomb disposal soldier, but less than two days after they were assembled, he ran in the wrong direction due to a lack of coordination during a combat mission in the capital Gamma, was hit in the head by a bullet and died on the spot.
His girlfriend came the next day and cried while holding the body.
Benjamin and the others went up to comfort him, but Li Zan did not, and turned around and left without saying a word.
Benjamin guessed something, but he didn't ask and never mentioned song again.
…
In mid-December, Song Ran boarded a plane to Gamma.
The plane chased the sunset all the way to the west, and the afterglow shone through the windows and filled the cabin. The stewardess came over and closed the windows one by one, helping the passengers fall asleep.
Song Ran covered himself with a thin blanket, tilted his head, but couldn't fall asleep.
After more than a year away, she wondered if Dongguo would be different from what she remembered. She was anxious and uneasy about all the unknowns that were about to happen, but she was also looking forward to it.
As expected, I still have a special feeling for this land.
Whether it is to wash away the past, to atone for sins, or just for her dreams, the journey ahead will surely be unforgettable for her.
At this moment, she finally faced up to her inner desires.
As if driven by some invisible force, she couldn't help wanting to come to the East. Just like Li Zan, he must have had a strong desire.
His reasons were a secret, just as her reasons were a secret to him.
They are all looking for comfort, peace of mind, happiness, and the best medicine to heal their wounds. To some extent, they have found a lot; to some extent, they have also covered up some of it.
In the end, you have to rely on yourself to heal the last scar.
In this way, the plane arrived in Gama amidst melancholy, reflection, anxiety and deep thought.
At six o'clock in the afternoon local time, the sunset enveloped this ancient city with thousands of years of history.
The first time he saw him again through the porthole, Song Ran's heart skipped a beat.
The war destroyed most of the city. The once magnificent ancient buildings, temples and stone arches were now scarred and in ruins.
She held the camera and leaned against the window to take pictures. A stinging pain came over her heart, as if she saw an old friend who had not been seen for many days and was suffering.
After leaving the airport, the familiar heat wave hit me in the face, like a warm and old-fashioned hug from an old friend.
Outside the airport, there were motorcycles soliciting passengers. Unlike a year ago, there were fewer adult men driving them. Most of them were children aged 16 or 17, as well as girls and women.
A boy saw her and came up to help her carry her luggage: "Madam, where do you want to go? Can I help you?"
Song Ran told him the location and asked about the price. The other party asked for a low price, and they happily reached an agreement.
She had many heavy suitcases, but the boy was very skillful and used ropes to tie the suitcases tightly. His thin arms pushed the huge motorcycle up. Song Ran felt distressed and hesitated when getting on the motorcycle.
The child thought she was scared and comforted her: "Don't worry, ma'am, I'm a great driver."
Song Ran stepped on the pedal to get into the car and felt the car body tilt. The child quickly used his feet to support the ground.
She sat down carefully, and the boy handed her the helmet. After she put it on, he started the car and set off.
The motorcycle was driving very fast, passing through the streets and alleys.
The familiar ancient buildings suffered varying degrees of damage in the war.
Song Ran faced the wind and asked loudly: "When did this happen?"
"Half a year ago." The driver's voice came from the wind, "The battle to defend the capital lasted for 30 days! The shells destroyed the Alexandria Palace which was built two thousand years ago. At that time, I thought our country was doomed. But she survived. My God, this must be a miracle!"
There was excitement and pride in the boy's voice.
Song Ran smiled and squinted his eyes in the hot wind blowing towards him.
At present, the territorial power of both sides has barely returned to the eve of the war last year, but the people in purgatory have rekindled their hope.
"Which country are you from, China or Japan?"
"China."
The young driver looked back in surprise and said excitedly: "I love Chinese people!"
Song Ran thought it was just a polite remark.
"I have seen several Chinese Kuk soldiers. They are so handsome! Especially one of the demolition soldiers. He can fight against an entire team! He blew up the terrorists' base and saved many people in our village, including my mother and sister!"
The wind was too loud and Song Ran couldn't hear clearly.
The child rambled on:
"I also like Chinese journalists. Do you know a journalist named Song?" he shouted back, "She filmed Candy and won the Pulitzer Prize."
Song Ran said nothing.
"Because of that photo, many countries sent troops to help us." The young driver said, "I wonder if she will come to the East Country again. I really hope to meet her. I guess she is a very beautiful girl."
Song Ran didn't answer, but raised his head to enjoy the breeze.
The sun has set, and the western sky is filled with a gorgeous sunset.
Great, she's here again.
The hotel is next to Gamma University of Technology. When getting off the motorcycle, Song Ran saw students coming in and out of the university and was a little puzzled.
The young driver noticed and smiled, "They are always in class. They are the future of our country. When the war is over, the reconstruction of the country depends on them."
Song Ran said: "I have a friend who is a student at this university."
She told Sahin before coming, but Sahin never responded to the message.
She couldn't help but worry, but she comforted herself that he might have gone to a remote place.
After the sun sets, it gets dark quickly and the temperature drops rapidly.
Song Ran settled down and went to visit the university. Half of the school library was destroyed in the bombardment, and there was no time to repair it. Some students were sitting in the semi-open library reading by lamplight at night.
In the laboratory building, the gray-haired professor led the young students in doing experiments and explaining topics, racing against time to teach and impart knowledge.
For students in this country, every minute and every second is precious.
Song Ran took a round of photos and returned to the hotel at ten o'clock in the evening.
She stayed in Gama for one night and set out for Ale early the next morning.
Driving north, the cities and towns we passed by were all in ruins. The war had severely devastated the once prosperous country. Buildings in the city were damaged, roads were rough, and people were scavenging in the ruins; farmland in the countryside was looted on a large scale, and crops were burned black. Old men and women in tattered clothes took their children to the fields to look for the remaining wheat and barley to fill their stomachs.
Even the olive groves along the way were covered in dust and looked listless.
Not long after they started walking, they encountered another government checkpoint. Song Ran took off his mask and hat, rolled down the car window, and the hot midday wind blew in, carrying with it flying dust.
The officer checking the documents was strong and had a stern face. He looked at the document and then at her, gazing back and forth.
He frowned and tried to spell her name: "Song Ran?"
According to the English pronunciation, it sounds like "soft".
Song Ran nodded: "yes."
The officer narrowed his eyes and asked, "Candy?"
Song Ran was wondering why he wanted candy? The next second, he realized it, his face went numb, and he nodded slightly.
The officer handed the paperwork back to her and said quietly, "!" (Great photo!)
Song Ran was shocked.
The officer said something in Eastern dialect to her companions around her. The serious soldiers smiled kindly and some gave her a thumbs up.
Song Ran felt guilty and lucky, smiled at them and got into the car. He put on his hat and mask and prepared to start the car.
The big officer leaned over to her car window and handed her a piece of local candy from the East: "Candy."
Song Ran took the piece of fruit candy with body temperature, raised his face and smiled: "Thank you!"
She galloped all the way across the thorny wasteland. The hot wind in the desert seemed to warm her whole body and heart.
Very warm.
She followed the safe route provided by the government forces and wound her way to the city of Ale.
After more than a year, the city of Ale is no longer the same as when she left.
On the wide and grand streets, the cement has been blasted into uneven patches; the rows and rows of magnificent ancient buildings are now in ruins; the bustling bazaars are run-down and dilapidated; the streets are sparsely populated, no longer as prosperous as they once were.
Song Ran settled in the student dormitory of Ale University.
Located in a war zone, the university has been closed for a long time and some of its dormitories have been rented out to foreign journalists and international organizations.
After checking in, Song Ran contacted Jose, a reporter from the East. This time, she received support from the East Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provided assistance in many aspects, from accommodation to interviews. Jose is a professional reporter from the East Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he provided assistance with specific details.
But Jose went to Surui City for a temporary mission and will not be back until tomorrow.
Jose apologized over the phone.
Song Ran hurriedly said that it was okay and she just needed to rest.
After hanging up the phone, Song Ran was stunned for a moment, remembering that Su Ruicheng was the place where she and Li Zan first met.
That city is probably in ruins now.