"Left." Song Ran looked up and answered hurriedly.
The moment her eyes met his, he looked away and walked up the stairs.
Song Ran looked back at the cigarette butt that was extinguished on the candlestick, clenched the lighter in his hand, followed him up and out of the basement.
Passing through the dark lobby on the first floor, the bright sunlight hit her head, stimulating her to squint. She raised her hand to block the light and saw Li Zan had walked down the stairs, straddling a military motorcycle on the side of the road, wearing a helmet, slightly raising his chin, and fastening the helmet strap.
The profile of the face is somewhat indifferent.
Song Ran got into her car, which was as hot as a sauna under the scorching sun. She felt a chill in her heart. She rolled down the window, started the car quickly, and drove away from the scene.
As she started, she glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Li Zan putting on black combat gloves with his head down.
Not long after the car drove out, she heard the sound of a heavy motorcycle behind her. She glanced at the rearview mirror again and saw Li Zan driving over, seemingly in the same direction as her.
Song Ran took a deep breath and pursed her lips. When she reached the intersection ahead, she ran into a group of soldiers and civilians who were digging trenches and were about to cross the road. Song Ran stopped the car in advance to avoid them. The sound of the motorcycle engine came from far away and just reached her window and stopped.
Li Zan leaned on one foot, leaning forward, his back slightly arched, and crouched on the motorcycle, waiting for the group to pass by. His fingers unconsciously fiddled with the handlebars.
Song Ran stared at the stationary wipers outside the windshield without looking away.
The soldiers and civilians from the Eastern Kingdom who passed by looked at Song Ran, an Asian girl, curiously and talked about her with kind smiles.
When Li Zan saw this, he tilted his head to look at Song Ran. Her profile was quiet, her cheeks slightly red because of the crowd watching her, her ears were also stained with a faint pink, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her lips.
Several local people saw Li Zan's military uniform and greeted him enthusiastically, giving him a non-standard military salute.
Cook soldiers are very respected and welcomed in the East Country.
Li Zan also smiled faintly at them.
Song Ran raised his eyes and looked out the window, just in time to see the smile on his face. The curve of the corners of his lips was not big, but it was sincere.
He noticed something and was about to look over, but she had already quickly looked away and forward. Her heart was pounding, afraid of being caught. There was no one in front of the car, so she hurriedly stepped on the accelerator and drove through the intersection.
Four or five seconds later, the motorcycle behind also started and sped towards them.
A car and a motorcycle were speeding on the empty street.
Turning corners and walking through streets and alleys, the gunfire from the distant war zone became background noise; the only sounds on the streets were the roar of motorcycles and the sound of car tires rolling on the concrete ground.
But a car is still a car, and it is inevitable that it will be unstable at high speed. Song Ran turned a bumpy road and did not speed up. She thought Li Zan would speed past, but he did not. He just drove side by side with her all the way to the entrance of the field hospital.
Song Ran's car stopped on the side of the road, and Li Zan's motorcycle braked to a stop one body length in front of her.
He pulled out the key, took off his helmet, got off the motorcycle, looked back at her and asked, "Are you sick?"
"No." She shook her head. "I came for an interview."
"Um."
"And you?"
"visit friend."
"oh."
He pursed his lips slightly unnaturally, nodded to her as a greeting, then turned and walked towards the hospital.
Song Ran took his things from the back seat and locked the car.
At the hospital entrance, wounded people were constantly being sent in from the battlefield. Song Ran was used to such scenes. She came here today to interview Pei Xiaonan. Although she had met many Doctors Without Borders in Dongguo, this was the first time she had met a Chinese doctor. Coupled with yesterday's experience, Pei Xiaonan's story was worth writing about.
She found out Pei Xiaonan's ward and felt uneasy as she walked over, fearing that she might see Li Zan in her ward. But she quickly gave up the idea, thinking it was too ridiculous.
The field hospital was converted from a former middle school. The classrooms became wards, with a dozen beds in one room.
When Song Ran passed by the intensive care unit, he saw the injured inside with broken arms and legs, their faces disfigured, and their painful wails and groans could be heard everywhere.
She walked quickly over to the mild illness ward.
It's a little more relaxed here.
Outside the window, there are dense trees and a gentle breeze. The ceiling fan in the room is whirring, providing coolness and ventilation.
Some patients were chatting, while others were resting.
Pei Xiaonan had gauze wrapped around her feet and was sitting on the bed eating olive slices.
She was bored, and when she saw Song Ran coming, she generously showed her injured foot and said, "It's okay, don't worry about taking pictures."
Song Ran naturally did not refuse, and asked again: "Is your foot seriously injured?"
"How should I put it," Pei Xiaonan clicked his tongue, "a piece of my little toe is missing. But it's a blessing in disguise. Luckily that person didn't aim, otherwise there would be a hole in my foot where I could hang a bell."
She was open-minded and calm, and Song Ran couldn't help laughing.
Pei Xiaonan knew that Song Ran came for an interview, so she told her her story without reservation.
He said that what he usually faces at work are wounded soldiers on the battlefield, patients infected with plague due to reduced resistance due to hunger, and a large number of civilians injured in terrorist attacks.
"Ale has a large population, and terrorists often carry out attacks. In the six months since I came here, tens of thousands of civilians have died, not to mention the injured. Some time ago, when the government forces were weak, terrorists built a base in the northwest suburbs of Ale. I don't know if we can clear them out in this defense battle, otherwise they will be a scourge."
Pei Xiaonan also said that she did not have any lofty ideals of maintaining world peace and saving people. It was just because her boyfriend cheated on her with a junior in the same department that she suddenly wanted to change her environment, so she came to Dongguo and ended up staying there for more than half a year.
Later, in the field hospital, she found that everything was pure. There was no background, no red envelopes, no intrigue, no medical disputes or extortion, and no shady dealings in the hospital system. Everything returned to the most original and purest purpose of curing illnesses and saving lives.
Pei Xiaonan touched the cigarette, then put it back when he remembered he was in the ward. He sighed and said, "It is only here that I feel like a doctor, just a doctor. Do you understand what I mean?"
Song Ran nodded: "I understand."
Then he asked, "But, do you feel lonely after being here for so long?"
Pei Xiaonan was absent-minded for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "How can someone like me be lonely?"
She talked about one or two of her ambiguous experiences, saying without hesitation: "They were all very cute, and now that I think about it, they were quite romantic. And it also made me realize that my former boyfriend was a scumbag. I mean in terms of fighting ability."
Song Ran naturally knew what this "combat power" meant, and asked: "Is there anything that really moved you?"
The answer was a shake of the head.
"Due to cultural differences, it is difficult to touch the depths of one's heart." Pei Xiaonan expressed a little regret, with a trace of loneliness flashing in her eyes, "But..." She suddenly curved her lips indifferently.
"What?" Song Ran asked.
She shook her finger slightly but did not answer.
Song Ran was about to ask something else, but saw Pei Xiaonan's eyes focused. She brushed the hair by her ears, sat up straight unconsciously, spread her shoulders out, straightened her chest, adjusted her most beautiful and confident posture, and looked behind her.
Song Ran followed her gaze and turned back to see Li Zan walking into the ward.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Li Zan hadn't looked over here at first, but perhaps he sensed something and glanced over. He curved his lips into a polite smile, nodded as a greeting, and then walked straight to the side of a white man who was two beds away from them. The white man had blond hair and blue eyes, and a bandage on his arm. He should be his teammate.
Pei Xiaonan lowered his voice and said, "He is a mercenary in the Cook Anti-Terrorism Forces. Only former special forces soldiers can be selected. He is very powerful. If you want to know more about this, you can interview him."
Song Ran uttered "Oh" softly.
She turned her head away, not looking at Li Zan, but forgot the next question in her mind. She couldn't help but listen to him chatting with his comrades, as if they were discussing the injury of another comrade.
Pei Xiaonan asked: "Where are you going this afternoon? If there is anyone else in the hospital you want to interview, I will contact them for you."
"Thank you." Song Ran said, "But I have to go to the western suburbs to interview the child bride issue."
"The western suburbs are a bit chaotic, be careful." Pei Xiaonan raised an eyebrow, "Don't let yourself be kidnapped as a bride."
"I'll be careful."
As he was talking, Li Zan patted his comrade and stood up to leave. Pei Xiaonan noticed the movement and immediately called out, "Li Zan."
"Huh?" Li Zan turned around.
Pei Xiaonan pointed at Song Ran and said, "This is Song Ran, a famous war correspondent. If she wants to interview someone, please help her."
Li Zan's eyes fell on Song Ran's face, he smiled slightly, but did not express his opinion.
Song Ran smiled and nodded at him.
Just as he was about to leave, Pei Xiaonan pulled the bag on the chair and said, "Wait a minute."
She took out something and hid it in her hand, got off the bed, hopped over on one foot, and stuffed the thing into his palm: "Thank you for saving my life." Then she hopped back on one foot.
Li Zan was holding a green apple in his hand and was stunned for a moment.
Song Ran looked away.
Li Zan came over to return it, saying, "You are a patient, keep it for yourself..."
"If you give it back to me, I will jump and chase you out." Pei Xiaonan raised his chin, "I don't owe anyone a favor, but I must thank you for saving my life."
"Okay." Li Zan weighed the apple and showed it to her, "This will be considered as repayment."
Pei Xiaonan smiled happily when she saw him accept the apple, but the next second, she felt that there was something wrong with what he said.
Before he had time to think deeply, Li Zan turned around and left without staying for long.
Pei Xiaonan saw Song Ran's stunned expression and misunderstood, so she said, "He's a man of few words and not very outgoing, so he looks rather cold, but if you want to interview him, he will help."
Song Ran forced a smile and wanted to ask her how they knew each other, but when the words came to his lips, he felt it was meaningless and swallowed them back.
After interviewing Pei Xiaonan, I got a lot of meaningful story information.
Song Ran thanked him and said goodbye, her steps were heavy as she went downstairs. She walked through the courtyard, looked up at the sky, and sighed.
As soon as I walked out of the hospital, I stopped.
Li Zan was sitting on the steps at the door, surrounded by a dozen homeless children from the East Country; the oldest was seven or eight years old, and the youngest was only two or three years old.
He was cutting a green apple with a saber, and the children were standing around him, looking at him eagerly. A ragged child was lying on Li Zan's back affectionately, his black little hands around his neck, his messy little head leaning on his shoulder.
Li Zan had a faint smile on his lips, his expression patient and quiet. He cut an apple into eight pieces vertically and then cut it horizontally. The sixteen pieces were distributed, and the children took them one by one, licking their own apples carefully. The green apples were sour and sweet, and the children looked at each other, chattering about the taste, and jumping excitedly on the side of the road.
A little girl looked at her friends and then at Li Zan, and handed her her apple slice. Li Zan smiled and shook his head.
The little girl withdrew her hand, smiled shyly at him, turned and ran away.
Li Zan sat where he was, wiped the juice off his saber with a handkerchief, and put it away.
At this time, a little boy picked up an intact empty beer bottle on the roadside and greeted his friends happily.
The little ones gathered together and soon had a disagreement on how to deal with the beer bottles.
One child put a beer bottle on the ground and kicked it, suggesting that everyone play football. Another child quickly picked up the bottle, dusted it off, and held it in his arms, pointing at the broken glass on the side of the road and babbling something to the effect of "Breakable idiot!"
The other children spread their palms, shrugged their shoulders, and chattered on the side of the road.
Li Zan stood up and walked over, bending down and reaching out to the little boy holding the beer bottle. The little boy confidently handed him the precious beer bottle.
He walked to the outer wall of the hospital, placed the beer bottle in the corner, scanned the ground around him, and easily picked up a few pebbles and small pieces of glass.
He stood on a cement brick about one or two meters away from the beer bottle, pinching a piece of broken glass between two fingers, squinting his eyes and taking a look.
He took aim and threw it lightly.
The broken glass drew a parabola and fell into the mouth of the beer bottle, making a clanging sound and falling into the bottle.
The clear sound, like tinkling bells, is like the sound of nature.
"Wow!" The children were so excited that they jumped and clapped their hands, looking around for pebbles and broken glass.
In a country where even marbles have become a luxury, they finally have a fun game.
Song Ran was filming seriously, and couldn't help but smile. In the camera, the children were actively drawing lines on the ground, standing in a line behind the lines excitedly, and throwing stones into the bottle.
The stones hit the glass bottle, tinkling.
After a while, even the doctors and soldiers who were free became interested and lined up with the children to pick up the broken glass. More adults watched happily from the side.
A little kid threw it in, and was overjoyed, as if he had become a hero;
A soldier missed several shots and was ridiculed by his comrades, who laughed loudly.
Adults and children were in a mess.
Song Ran zoomed in, intending to take a close-up, but his hand shook and he ended up capturing Li Zan's profile. He stood to the side, watching with his arms folded and a faint smile, his eyelashes long and black when he raised his eyes.
She was unable to move the camera away for a moment, and the next second, he glanced sideways in her direction, his eyes dark and clear, slightly narrowed, as if they had the power to penetrate the camera.
Song Ran's heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked away. After a few seconds, he slowly raised his eyes from the camera and looked at him.
He looked at her.
Song Ran said dryly: "... I'm shooting material."
Li Zan twitched the corner of his mouth and was about to say something when a little girl ran over, grabbed the corner of Song Ran's clothes and shook it.
Song Ran lowered his head and saw that it was the child who wanted to give Li Zan an apple.
Her clothes were tattered and her face was dirty, but her big eyes were as cute as freshly washed black grapes. Her long eyelashes blinked as she grinned at her and stretched out her palm to her.
In the little girl's hands were a few glass beads she had just picked up, which were her treasures. She shared these treasures with Song Ran and asked her to play with them.
Song Ran naturally couldn't refuse her kindness, so he picked up two from her soft little hands and said, "Two is enough. Thank you."
The little girl didn't understand, but ran away happily.
Li Zan took a step back to make way for her. Song Ran walked to the children's line. The throwing distance now was much closer than Li Zan's just now, so it shouldn't be difficult.
She observed the children and soldiers in front of her and simulated them silently in her mind.
Finally it was her turn. She picked up a stone, squinted one eye and aimed at the mouth of the bottle, and it was accurate.
She threw it with all her strength.
The stone perfectly avoided the beer bottle and didn't even touch the bottle.
"… "
Someone beside me let out a very light laugh, very short, as if it was restrained out of politeness.
But Song Ran heard it and turned to look at Li Zan: "..."
He stopped smiling, but there was a slight blush on his cheeks. He coughed lightly, walked over, and pointed at her left hand with his eyes.
She opened her hand, and there was a stone in her palm.
He traced his fingertips across her palm, picked up the stone, moved it farther and closer in her sight, gestured, and said, "You can't use one eye. You need two eyes to accurately judge the distance visually."
Song Ran opened his eyes alternately and found that he really felt like he was moving in space.
"Oh..." She suddenly realized, "I see."
He put the stone back into her hand.
Song Ran looked at it with both eyes, not quite used to it, but slowly found the right spot and threw it towards the bottle mouth again. This time, the stone hit the bottleneck and bounced away with a ding.
Song Ran withdrew from the team without any regrets and was quite satisfied. He said, "I hit the bottle."
Li Zan said, "Just play more."
Song Ran returned to the camera and adjusted the lens.
Li Zan also inadvertently left the crowd and moved closer to her. He stood aside, watching the people playing, and suddenly asked, "Is your mother healed?"
Song Ran's heart moved slightly, and he raised his eyes: "Much better."
"You've been discharged from the hospital?"
"It's been a long time since I left. I've been back to work for a long time."
"That's good."
Neither of them spoke for a while.
A little child ran over and pulled Li Zan's hand, asking him to go and teach him.
Li Zan then walked over, squatted beside the group of children, and began to teach them without being able to communicate in their language.
Song Ran took pictures for a while, and when he saw that the time was almost up, he turned off the camera, put it away, and walked towards his car.
As soon as I walked down the stairs, I heard Li Zan's voice behind me: "Are you going to the western suburbs?"
Song Ran turned around and saw that he was one meter behind her. She had no idea when he had followed her.
She nodded: "Ah."
"Alone?" His expression was quite calm.
"..." Song Ran actually intended to ask Jose to join him, but when he said it, he lied so easily, "... Yeah, alone."
He pressed his lips into a flat, straight line, exhaled silently, and said, "I'll go with you."