Chapter 122: Meeting
“Military orders are like mountains, and military law is merciless. If you disobey orders and delay the battle opportunity, you will be severely punished for the crime of defiance without mercy!”
Zaozhuang 20th Army Group Headquarters
Seeing that Li Zongren, who was always known for his benevolence, had actually sent such a harshly worded telegram, Tang Enbo only felt a buzzing in his head.
He was very clear that his failure to attack as ordered a few days ago had already offended this big shot, and now with this telegram, the other party had clearly developed murderous intent.
Unknowingly, beads of sweat had begun to seep from his forehead.
It had been less than three months since Han Fuqu, the chairman of the HEN provincial government and commander-in-chief of the 1st Army Group, was executed by firing squad. The crime for which he was shot was exactly “disobeying orders and withdrawing without authorization.”
This seemed pretty much the same as what Li Zongren said in the telegram.
Thinking of this, he called the communications staff officer: “Immediately send a telegram to the Chairman……”
After finishing the report to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, it was already evening. Su Yaoyang declined their invitation to stay for dinner and drove to Xuzhou Christian Hospital.
As the largest hospital in Xuzhou, Xuzhou Christian Hospital was founded in 1883 by American Presbyterian missionaries（in the 9th year of Qing Guangxu）, initially named “Gospel Hospital” and later renamed “Christian Hospital”.
It was also one of the earliest Western medicine hospitals in modern China, and a medical center for northern Jiangsu, southern Shandong, and eastern Henan regions.
The hospital had more than a hundred medical staff. From a modern perspective, it was at best the scale of a county-level hospital, but in this era, it was already one of the top hospitals in Xuzhou and even northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong regions.
When Su Yaoyang got out of the jeep and entered the hospital, he found that although it was approaching evening, the medical staff inside were still very busy.
Everywhere were the hurried footsteps of doctors and nurses and wounded soldiers visible everywhere. During this time, Su Yaoyang even saw several foreigners wearing white coats.
Enduring the smell of disinfectant mixed with blood stench drilling straight into his nostrils, he stopped two little nurses who were carrying a basket of gauze and asked where Song Mei was.
“Doctor Song is in the operating room on the second floor.” One little nurse pointed upstairs.
And she spoke very quickly, “A soldier who was shot in the abdomen was just brought in, and Doctor Song is performing surgery on him……”
“Okay, I got it, thank you!” Su Yaoyang politely thanked her.
“Uh…… you’re welcome.” Looking at Su Yaoyang who was smiling at her, the little nurse was obviously a bit shy. The two carried the basket and left quickly, but their voices still faintly reached Su Yaoyang’s ears.
“Hey…… how many people is this in the past few days asking about Doctor Song?”
“I can’t remember, at least five or six, right?”
“Doctor Song said she already has a fiancé, do you think it’s true?”
“Who knows…… let me tell you……”
Listening to the whispers of the two little nurses, Su Yaoyang just smiled faintly and didn’t take it to heart.
A good girl is sought after by many families. For a girl like Song Mei who is tall and has a delicate appearance, it is perfectly normal to be liked by others.
Soon, he arrived outside the operating room on the second floor. Through the frosted glass, he could vaguely see figures moving under the shadowless lamp, and the crisp sound of hemostatic forceps clinking against the metal tray occasionally reached his ears.
Su Yaoyang sat down on the long bench in the corridor outside, lit a cigarette, smoked while leaning on the bench with his eyes closed to rest.
These days in Tai’erzhuang, he had been working non-stop day and night, and hadn’t had a good rest for five days, although he slept last night.
But today he had discussed things with Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi for half a day, and rushed over without even eating dinner. Exhausted and sleepy, he fell asleep before finishing one cigarette.
The cigarette butt slipped from between his fingers, splashing a few sparks on the concrete floor.
He slumped in the bench, his military uniform collar open, his Adam’s apple rolling slightly with his breathing. The dusk outside the window soaked through the carved window lattice, casting mottled tree shadows on his dark eye sockets.
Just as Su Yaoyang was sleeping in a daze, he heard a man’s voice beside him: “Doctor Song, it’s getting late, don’t go back tonight. I know there’s a restaurant in the city with good food. Would you do me the honor? I’ll treat you to dinner.”
When Su Yaoyang opened his eyes, the smell of disinfectant was still lingering at the tip of his nose.
The light slanted in through the glass window of the hospital corridor, stretching their shadows long and thin.
A man in a white coat had his leather shoe heels tapping on the concrete floor, sticking to Song Mei step by step, holding a bunch of roses he got from somewhere in his hand, like a shadow that couldn’t be shaken off.
Song Mei suddenly stopped, her jet-black hair swaying lightly on her shoulders with the turning motion. Although wearing a white coat, it couldn’t hide her breathtaking figure and delicate features at all. Standing there prettily, she was like the most beautiful scenery.
Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the hard edge of the medical record folder, her nails gleaming with a pale blue like shells.
“Doctor Yang.” Her voice was still so cold, her eyelashes casting two arcs of shadow under her eyes. When her gaze swept over the roses in his hand, a strong sense of helplessness appeared. “Doctor Yang, I’ve told you long ago that I already have a fiancé. Please don’t waste your efforts on me anymore.”
“I don’t believe it!”
The man called Doctor Yang’s Adam’s apple rolled, and the stethoscope hanging around his neck shook violently.
He said somewhat stubbornly: “You’ve been here with us for several days, and I’ve never seen that so-called fiancé of yours come to see you. You must be lying to me or testing me, right?”
“I……”
Looking at this man who was clearly almost thirty but still like a stubborn child, Song Mei only felt a wave of exhaustion.
Ever since she took the initiative to come to Xuzhou Christian Hospital to help, in just a few days, many male doctors and even wealthy merchants had pursued her openly and covertly, but all were rejected by her.
The others were fine; after her clear refusal, they all stopped. Only this Doctor Yang who had just returned from America—perhaps influenced by Americans—was like a piece of taffy, sticking to her side every day, making her extremely annoyed.
To make matters worse, they worked in the same hospital and saw each other all the time, which was unbearably uncomfortable.
Just as she wanted to refuse again, a familiar voice sounded beside her, “Wife!”
Song Mei jerked her head up and saw a familiar figure standing in front of her, smiling at her.
“Yaoyang……” Song Mei exclaimed in surprise, then a huge joy surged in her chest as she pounced toward him fiercely and hugged him tightly.
Behind her, the man called Doctor Yang’s Adam’s apple rolled. He opened his mouth, but stiffened the instant he met Su Yaoyang’s icy gaze.
The gaze of the man opposite was like a knife tempered with fire, scraping inch by inch across his face, as if waves of stinging pain were coming from his face.
Just as he was at a loss, the man opposite slowly withdrew his gaze, embraced the goddess in his heart, and walked toward the stairwell, leaving Doctor Yang dejected and listless alone, just like the roses he had just awkwardly withdrawn in his hand.
