Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 122 Meeting
"Military orders are absolute and military law is merciless. Those who disobey orders and miss crucial opportunities will be severely punished for the crime of disobeying orders!"

Zaozhuang 20th Army Corps Headquarters

Upon seeing that Li Zongren, who was known for his magnanimity, had sent such a strongly worded telegram, Tang Enbo felt a buzzing in his head.

He knew very well that his failure to follow orders to attack a few days ago had offended this big shot, and now that this telegram had been sent, it was clear that the other party intended to kill him.

Before he knew it, beads of sweat had begun to appear on his forehead.

Less than three months had passed since Han Fuqu, the chairman of the HEN provincial government and commander-in-chief of the First Army Corps, was executed for "disobeying orders and retreating without authorization."

This seems to match what Li Zongren said in his telegram.

Thinking of this, he summoned his communications officer: "Send a telegram to the Chairman immediately..."

After reporting to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, it was already evening. Su Yaoyang declined their offer to stay for lunch and drove to Xuzhou Christian Hospital.

Xuzhou Christian Hospital, the largest hospital in Xuzhou, was founded in 1883 (the ninth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign in the Qing Dynasty) by American Presbyterian missionaries. It was originally named "Gospel Hospital" and later renamed "Christ Hospital".

It is also one of the earliest Western medicine hospitals in modern China, and a medical center for northern Jiangsu, southern Shandong, and eastern Henan.

The hospital had more than 100 medical staff. From a modern perspective, it was at most the size of a county-level hospital, but in that era it was one of the top hospitals in Xuzhou and even in northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong.

When Su Yaoyang got out of the jeep and entered the hospital, he found that although it was almost evening, the medical staff inside were still very busy.

Everywhere there were doctors and nurses rushing around and wounded people everywhere. Su Yaoyang even saw several foreigners wearing white coats.

He forced himself to endure the smell of disinfectant mixed with blood filling his nostrils, then stopped two nurses carrying a basket of gauze and asked where Song Mei was.

"Dr. Song is in the operating room on the second floor," a nurse pointed upstairs.

And he spoke very quickly, "A soldier with a gunshot wound to the abdomen was just brought in, and Dr. Song is performing surgery on him right now..."

"Okay, I understand, thank you!" Su Yaoyang thanked her politely.

"Uh...you're welcome." The nurse was clearly a little shy as she looked at Su Yaoyang, who was smiling at her. The two of them quickly left with the basket, but their voices could still be faintly heard by Su Yaoyang.

"Oh dear... how many people have asked Dr. Song about this in the past few days?"

"I can't remember exactly, but there must have been at least five or six, right?"

"Dr. Song said he already has a fiancé, do you think that's true?"

"Who knows... Let me tell you..."

Hearing the two nurses whispering to each other, Su Yaoyang just smiled faintly and didn't take it to heart.

Good women are sought after by many, and it's perfectly normal for a tall and beautiful girl like Song Mei to be liked by many.

Soon, he arrived at the operating room on the second floor. Through the frosted glass, he could vaguely see the swaying figures under the operating lights, and the crisp sound of hemostats hitting metal plates could be heard from time to time.

Su Yaoyang sat down on a bench outside the corridor, lit a cigarette, and leaned back on the bench to rest his eyes while smoking.

He's been working non-stop in Taierzhuang these past few days, and hasn't had a proper rest in five days. Although he slept last night, he spent most of the day discussing matters with Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi. He rushed over without even having dinner, and was so tired and sleepy that he fell asleep before finishing a cigarette.

The cigarette butt slipped from my fingers, scattering a few sparks on the concrete floor.

He slumped in the bench, his military uniform collar open, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly with each breath. Dusk seeped through the carved window frames, casting dappled shadows of trees onto his dark, sunken eyes.

Just as Su Yaoyang was drifting off to sleep, he heard a man's voice beside him: "Dr. Song, it's getting late. Don't go back tonight. I know a restaurant in town that serves excellent food. Would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?"

When Su Yaoyang opened his eyes, the smell of disinfectant still lingered in his nose.

The light streamed in through the glass windows of the hospital corridor, casting long, thin shadows of the two people.

A man in a white coat, his leather shoes clicking on the cement floor, followed Song Mei closely, holding a bouquet of roses he had somehow acquired, like an inseparable shadow.

Song Mei suddenly stopped, her jet-black hair swaying gently over her shoulders as she turned. Although she was wearing a white lab coat, it couldn't hide her stunning figure and delicate face. Standing there gracefully, she was like the most beautiful scenery.

Her fingertips unconsciously traced the hard edge of the medical record book, her fingernails gleaming with a pale blue hue reminiscent of seashells.

“Dr. Yang.” Her voice was still icy, her eyelashes casting two shadows under her eyes. When her gaze swept over the roses in the other person’s hand, a deep sense of helplessness appeared. “Dr. Yang, I’ve already told you, I already have a fiancé. Please don’t waste your time on me anymore.”

"I do not believe!"

The man, referred to as Dr. Yang, bobbed his Adam's apple, and the stethoscope hanging around his neck swayed violently.

He said stubbornly, "You've been here for several days now, and I've never seen your so-called fiancé come to see you. You must be lying to me or testing me, right?"

"I……"

Looking at this man who was almost thirty but still acted like a stubborn child, Song Mei felt a wave of exhaustion.

Since she volunteered to help at Xuzhou Christian Hospital, she has been pursued by many male doctors and even wealthy businessmen, both openly and secretly, but she has rejected them all.

Everyone else was easy to talk to, and they all stopped after she clearly rejected them. But this Dr. Yang, who had just returned from the United States, seemed to be influenced by Americans. He was like a piece of chewing gum, sticking to her side every day, which annoyed her to no end.

Unfortunately, the two of them worked at the same hospital, so they saw each other all the time, which made things incredibly difficult.

Just as she was about to refuse again, a familiar voice rang out from beside her, "Wife!"

Song Mei looked up abruptly and saw a familiar figure standing in front of her, smiling at her.

"Yaoyang..." Song Mei exclaimed in surprise, then a huge surge of joy welled up in her heart, and she rushed towards him, hugging him tightly.

Behind her, the man called Dr. Yang's Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth, but froze the moment he met Su Yaoyang's icy gaze.

The man's gaze was like a quenched knife, scraping across his face inch by inch, as if waves of stinging pain were coming from his face.

Just as he was at a loss, the man opposite him slowly withdrew his gaze, put his arm around the goddess in his heart and walked towards the stairwell, leaving Dr. Yang alone with a dejected look, much like the rose he had just awkwardly put away.

(End of this chapter)