66 (644) Entering the Dream

“Hello, is that Uncle Chen? The condition of my patient has become rather serious, and I can't leave at the moment. I won't be able to pick up Nannan this week. Please tell her that I've just bought a new foreign fairy tale book, and I'm memorizing it for her. I'll recite it to her next week!”

“Oh? You have a patient? The situation is so serious you can't get away?” Uncle Chen repeated as he listened, half speaking to himself. Tan Yang could hear someone speaking not far from the receiver, and Uncle Chen quickly continued, “Young Madam, which hospital are you working at? They won't let you leave? Tell us where you are, and the Young Master will come to fetch you! You shouldn't have to do such servile work. It's not worth it.”

Tan Yang took a deep breath before replying, “No, I want to stay of my own accord. Please just tell him that.” With that, she hung up.

Uncle Chen slowly put down the phone. Bi Qingtang, who was sitting nearby, asked impatiently, “Which family is it?” Uncle Chen shook his head. “The Young Madam didn't say.” Bi Qingtang crossed his legs, his brow tightly furrowed. “Damn, what a mystery. Is there anywhere in Shanghai that I can't find out about?” Uncle Chen mused, “A few days ago, a soldier went to the hospital, and the Young Madam, wearing her white coat and carrying her medical kit, left with him. After that, there was no news. All the army officers' families are in the city, and I haven't heard of any officer's child falling ill. I suspect it must be some officer who's afraid of his wife and is secretly raising a child with his mistress.”

Bi Qingtang laughed disdainfully as he rose to leave, making a sarcastic remark. “Tch, a man who handles guns, afraid of his wife? I hope I never find out who it is—what a disgrace!” Uncle Chen, hearing this, looked up at his retreating figure and could only smile helplessly.

Bi Qingtang didn't turn around, but called back sternly, “Don't laugh at me. Have I ever been afraid of her? I just care because I gave my heart. Don't compare me to that sort of man. If I want a woman, I'll go about it openly. If I fall in love, there will be no sneaking around, no tricks behind anyone's back!”

After finishing her call, Tan Yang returned upstairs. She stood at the door of Xu Zhizhong's bedroom, watching as Liu Fazhu treated him. Tan Yang hadn't planned on entering, but Vice-Adjutant Lin quickly stepped aside to make way for her. Since morning, every soldier in the building had treated her with a mixture of respect and fear, their cautious curiosity making Tan Yang uncomfortable. She stood at the doorway for a moment before Liu Fazhu, catching sight of her from the corner of his eye, called out, “Yang Yang, come in and help!”

Hearing Liu Fazhu needed her, Tan Yang hurried forward into the room. Xu Zhizhong lay weak and pale on the bed, dressed only in shorts, a blanket covering his legs. When he heard Liu Fazhu summon Tan Yang inside, he pulled the blanket higher, but Liu Fazhu scolded impatiently, “Don't move!”

Tan Yang helped Liu Fazhu open the lid of the medical kit, taking out the bottles he needed and placing them on the bedside table. Her gaze fell by chance on a photo frame there, and she froze.

The black lacquered iron frame, decorated with patterns, showed signs of wear on the side that touched the table from being picked up and set down so often. Inside the frame was a photograph taken after the poetry recital years ago—a picture of only the two of them. A young man and woman in the prime of youth stood together in a lush, leafy campus, a perfect pair. She wore a light-colored blouse and a dark pleated skirt that reached her knees, her hair in two braids, her smile delicate and sweet. He wore a Zhongshan suit, arms folded, standing behind her. His bearing was upright and heroic, but his smile carried a hint of shyness.

To outsiders, it was a memento of young love, preserving the most beautiful memory of youth—pure, innocent affection, fresh and sweet as spring.

Since the photo had been cut from a larger group picture, it was long and narrow. The empty space on the left inside the frame had been filled with a poem, written in small, neat characters:

“Remembering the days of wine on the bridge at noon,
Among the company, all were gallant and bold.
The moon drifted silently along the long canal.
Amid sparse apricot blossoms, the flute played till dawn.

More than twenty years have passed like a dream,
Though I remain, the wonder never fades.
At leisure, I climb the little pavilion to watch the clear new sky.
So much has happened through the ages,
While fishermen sing through the deep night.”

Beneath the poem, a line in small script read: “Summer of the eighteenth year of the Republic, with Miss Tan Yang at Jingye Middle School.”

Tan Yang lingered on the line, “Amid sparse apricot blossoms, the flute played till dawn,” as if grasping something. In that instant of realization, she found herself drawn into his dream...

Everyone has their own dreams, whether realized or not, and one is always the first to be intoxicated by them. Through these lines, Tan Yang saw Xu Zhizhong—the man of lofty ambition—painting a dazzling dreamscape for himself. In his dream, he rode through battlefields, made friends across the land, recalled a lifetime of glory in his old age while watching fishermen sing at dusk; and then, under the moon and flower shadows, he played the flute for her, night after night, year after year, side by side, hand in hand, calmly watching the world change, quietly awaiting the passage of time.

In that instant, she suddenly understood all his hopes and loneliness. Tan Yang felt a slight pang in her heart and turned to look at him. Xu Zhizhong, eyes half-closed, seemed to sense something at that very moment. He opened his eyes to look at her, only to find an unusual expression in her gaze, at first puzzled. But when Tan Yang's eyes shifted back to the photo frame, he instantly grew embarrassed, reaching desperately to grab the frame.

As he moved, Liu Fazhu’s forceps, which had been clamped to a suture, were pulled loose. Furious, Liu Fazhu shouted, “What do you think you're doing?” Xu Zhizhong ignored him and stubbornly turned the frame face down. With a snap, Liu Fazhu threw the forceps into the tray and berated him, “What is it you want? Don't you want to be treated? Don't you want to get better? So why call us here? Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen such a dreadful wound? The surgery was poorly done, you refuse to stay in bed, the wound won’t heal, and you still dare to exert yourself? Are you regretting that the bullet didn’t hit your left chest?”

Seeing Liu Fazhu getting worked up, Tan Yang, knowing his temper and fearing he’d go too far, hurried forward to intervene, “Liu Fazhu, actually—” She had barely begun when Liu Fazhu shot her a glare and added, “And then you got a pediatrician to treat your external wounds!” This jab made Tan Yang’s face go pale in an instant. She cursed Liu Fazhu inwardly—a heartless brute—and then regretted not bringing Zhang Xiangning along at the time.

Xu Zhizhong saw that Liu Fazhu was in the midst of venting and chose not to argue, instead leaning back and chatting as if nothing was amiss. “Dr. Liu is Xiangning’s boyfriend, isn’t he? Xiangning, Yangyang, and I were all classmates in middle school. I know Director Zhang quite well too—the old gentleman is most astute.” He paused, then added lightly, “I’ve fought side by side with Xiangning’s elder brother Xiangsheng these past few years; we've been through life and death together. He has a stubborn temper, but he’ll listen to me sometimes.”

No sooner had Xu Zhizhong finished than Liu Fazhu’s bluster faded. Xu Zhizhong went on sincerely, “We soldiers are used to life and death—this is just a minor wound, nothing to worry about. Please, Dr. Liu, don’t take offense.” Hearing this, Liu Fazhu dropped his head and picked up the forceps again, muttering, “This is hardly a minor wound. Fortunately, the weather's cool; if it were hot, it would have been infected long ago!”

After finishing the bandaging and packing up the medical kit, Tan Yang, standing to the side, said to Xu Zhizhong, “Rest well. I’ll be going now.” Before Xu Zhizhong could reply, Liu Fazhu turned and glared, “Where are you going? You’ve been here a week, now you hide after changing a dressing, not even keeping an eye on your patient? He ignores doctor’s orders, and you don’t supervise him? The wound hasn’t improved at all—don’t you have any responsibility?” Tan Yang knew she was at fault and kept silent. Liu Fazhu glanced at the thermos on the floor. “Go, fetch him some water to replenish his fluids.”

Tan Yang had no choice but to pick up the thermos and head out. Vice-Adjutant Lin hurried forward, “Miss Tan, let me!” His hand had barely touched the thermos when Vice-Adjutant Li grabbed him and pinched him hard, grinning ingratiatingly at Tan Yang, “Miss Tan, you don’t know where to fetch water—I’ll show you!”

As Tan Yang left the room, Xu Zhizhong whispered almost inaudibly to Liu Fazhu, “Thank you.” Liu Fazhu smiled knowingly, and when he saw Tan Yang was far enough away, he whispered back, “What if I could keep her here two more weeks?” “I’d gladly take a few more bullets!” Xu Zhizhong answered without hesitation. Liu Fazhu snorted, “As a doctor, I dread patients who don’t want to recover.” “Brother Fazhu, you must help me,” Xu Zhizhong pleaded earnestly. Liu Fazhu nodded, “Don’t worry. Xiangning made it clear before I came—I’m here to fulfill her wishes as well as my own.”

Xu Zhizhong laughed. “Dr. Liu, you know how to joke as well? Such a great favor goes beyond words—I can never repay you!” “No, no, you must thank me. You must repay me! Zhang Xiangsheng has plenty of prejudice against me; I’ll need to rely on you in the future, Chief of Staff.” Xu Zhizhong was surprised. “Xiangsheng’s in the Northeast. He hasn’t been back to Shanghai in two years—have you seen him?” Liu Fazhu only smiled mysteriously and said nothing.

When Tan Yang returned with water, she met Liu Fazhu in the corridor and said, “Fazhu, I’m going back to the hospital tomorrow. I’ll leave Chief of Staff Xu’s wound in your hands!”

Liu Fazhu shot her a cold look. “I have surgery tomorrow morning. I’m leaving tonight!”

“What about Xu Zhizhong’s wound?”

“Isn’t that what you’re here for? I’ve done everything; you just need to change the dressing and make sure the patient rests and stays in bed. Take the opportunity to brush up on your surgery basics. You spend all your time with children’s fevers and upset stomachs—your surgical skills have gotten rusty.”

“No, I can’t stay!” Tan Yang said, troubled.

“Why not? Because he likes you?” Liu Fazhu’s voice was loud, drawing the attention of the soldiers standing guard in the hallway.

Tan Yang, annoyed, lowered her voice. “Keep your voice down!”

“What’s there to keep down? Is there anyone in this building who doesn’t know?”

Seeing Liu Fazhu had said as much as he had, Tan Yang decided to be frank. “That’s exactly why I can’t stay. I can’t knowingly stay by Xu Zhizhong’s side to treat his wounds, knowing how he feels about me!”

“Then just pretend you don’t know,” Liu Fazhu replied matter-of-factly.

“To interact with him as if nothing’s changed, knowing his feelings for me—how selfish must a woman be to do such a thing?”

“Oh? Is that what you think? I, on the other hand, think it’s even more selfish for you to abandon him now, wounded as he is, just because you know he loves you to distraction.”

“You’re being completely unreasonable, Liu Fazhu!”

Liu Fazhu lowered his head, looked Tan Yang in the eye, and asked slowly, “Yangyang, be honest. Do you like him too? Is that why you don’t dare stay near him day and night—why you’re so eager to get away?”

“No!” Tan Yang blurted out.

Liu Fazhu smiled and walked away, calling over his shoulder, “Then what are you afraid of? Just stay two more weeks until his wound heals. You’re not going to fall in love with him just because you can’t help yourself!”