Chapter 51: Christmas

  When Zhang Haino appeared at the gate of Lüshunkou Sanatorium, it was already December 24, 1917. It could be seen that the Christmas atmosphere in the sanatorium was still very strong, and the staff were busy preparing for Christmas dinner, while some military officers who came here for recuperation were also helping out.

  Soon, Zhang Hainuo saw the Bavarian girl Anna Tiefert who had been on his mind day and night. Still with her hair styled in a bun at the back of her head, still wearing that milky white nurse's uniform, her fair skin was slightly flushed from busyness, and her somewhat tired eyes lit up with excitement at Zhang Hainuo's arrival.

  "Hello!"

  It's been a year since they last saw each other, and in such a public setting, Anna still rushed into Zhang Hainuo's arms without hesitation.

  Zhang Hainuo had not yet savored the natural feminine fragrance emanating from his lover's body when he heard Anna sobbing in his arms. His intuition told him that this was not just the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, but something bad must have happened. Was it Anna's family...

  Thinking of this, Zhang Hainuo held Anna tighter and whispered in her ear:

  "Anna, I'm here! I'm right here! Right in front of you!"

  Anna just cried but didn't say anything.

  Although Zhang Hainuo had lived for over twenty years in his era, he was still the kind of person who wasn't very good at comforting others. He especially disliked seeing women cry, and if Anna continued to cry like this, he really didn't know what to do.

  Fortunately, after a while, Anna finally stopped crying. Zhang Hainuo timely pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away the tears on her beautiful face.

  "Haino, Gremont he...he..." Anna had barely spoken these few words when the tears in her eyes burst out again.

  Anna comes from a complete family with parents, two younger brothers and one younger sister. A few months ago, Zhang Hainuo learned in Anna's letter that her second brother Egmont Tiefert was recruited into the German army, but didn't expect it to happen so soon...

  Zhang Hainuo thought for a moment, and said in a deep tone: "I'm very sorry, Anna! As a German soldier, dying in battle is the highest honor. I think Egmont would be proud of himself in heaven too!"

  Anna buried her head deep in Zhang Hainuo's chest, telling her worries with a sobbing voice:

  "Hainuo, whenever I think of my father and you being soldiers, fighting in the war, I get very scared! I'm afraid that one day you'll..."

  Zhang Hainuo's heart skipped a beat. Yes, even with nearly a hundred years of advanced knowledge, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't die in some battle. Thinking about the battles he had been through before, sometimes he was really just one step away from death! As for Anna's father, an army officer, the probability of dying on the battlefield was not lower than that of submarine officers and soldiers!

  "Don't worry, Anna, the war is almost over and your father and I will be back from the battlefield soon! I promise you, we'll return safely to you!"

  This was the first promise Zhang Hainuo made with a sense of insecurity in his heart, he really didn't want Anna to worry about these things. However, war is so cruel, love under the flames of war may be brilliant, but it can fall like a meteor at its most beautiful moment. For this reason, Zhang Hainuo and Anna only held hands and kissed, even when they lived in the same hotel, he had never entered her body.

  Hesen's bitter intention, Zhang Hainuo also gradually felt it.

  After a long time, Anna finally lifted her head again. She didn't ask Zhang Hainuo to make an oath, but instead gave him a smile while her tears were still not completely dry. This smile was faint, but in Zhang Hainuo's eyes, it was the brightest smile in this world.

  Zhang Hainuo also smiled, a smile tinged with sadness.

  He handed Anna a large paper bag he was holding, "The troops are on holiday, so I brought this to visit you!"

  Anna took the bag and said "thank you", then opened it.

  "Smoked meat, canned goods and wine, Heinrich! Today's Christmas party is missing these! Come on, let's go help everyone prepare!"

  Anna wiped away tears from her face and then pulled Zhang Hainuo's hand towards the large dining hall of the sanatorium.

  Holding that cool little hand, Zhang Hainuo had an inexplicable feeling in his heart. It was joy, joy that Anna was still the same as before, the one who made his heart beat with excitement, kind, pure and generous, with all the best qualities seemingly gathered in her; there was also helplessness, helplessness that such a good girl could only be seen once a year, sometimes he really wanted to throw away this damn war and take Anna back to the peaceful Fenke Manor.

  Just as Zhang Hainuo was about to say something to Anna, he saw one of his attending physicians from back then, Ditrich, who had once lent him a car and looked just like Santa Claus, standing in front of him with a big smile on his face. What made Zhang Hainuo burst out laughing was that today Ditrich was actually wearing a Santa Claus costume, all he lacked was a snow-white beard.

  "What? Isn't this Mr. von Ferkenschein, the object of our lovely Anna's day and night thoughts?"

  Santa Claus jokingly said that he could even call out his own name, Zhang Hainuo was honored and delighted.

  "Hello, Mr. Dittrich!"

  Anna was a little red-faced but not so shy as to hide, and instead showed the contents of the paper bag to Santa Claus.

  "Look, Lieutenant has brought us a lot of delicious food!"

  "Oh, and there's still a bottle of wine!" Santa Claus was also delighted, "It's really great, Mr. von Finkensteina! You don't know, even the officers who come here to rest can only get 100 grams of meat per day now, compared to those years...tsk tsk..."

  The topic was a bit heavy, so Dr. Dietrich, dressed as Santa Claus, didn't continue and instead patted Zhang Hainuo's arm, "Hurry up and go in, everyone is busy preparing for the party!"

  The large dining hall was familiar to Zhang Hainuo. After he recovered from his injuries, he basically came here for meals every day. A year and a half had passed, but the layout of the place hadn't changed much. The staff had already set up a T-shaped table with small tables, and everyone was busy placing various dishes on it. At first glance, the food looked dazzling, but upon closer inspection, you could see that most of the plates were filled with seafood - this was also the greatest advantage of Lügen Island as an island. There wasn't much bread or fruit, but two roasted chickens glistened in the light, absolutely eye-catching. Meat and dairy products were served in small bowls. As for those pots covered with silver lids that couldn't be seen, Zhang Hainuo had already smelled some flavors from the air - they were either fish soup or vegetable soup.

  Recalling the extravagant lives of the nobles, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but sigh in dismay. It's not hard to understand why Hitler's fiery rhetoric gained support from many ordinary people after World War I.

  It's clear that Anna is well-liked here, as she brings in a young officer and almost everyone greets her with friendly banter. Anna enthusiastically introduces Zhang Hainuo to the group, shaking off her earlier sorrow. After the greetings are over, she fetches two small knives and places the smoked meat brought by Zhang on a large plate, asking him to help her slice it into pieces.

  Looking at Anna's serious expression as she cut the bacon with a small knife, Zhang Hainuo felt a warmth in his heart. He really didn't know what he was thinking before, to love an iceberg beauty like that until he was dead and gone, what kind of love could there be between them? Zhang Hainuo thought, this kind, simple, cheerful and hardworking girl in front of him is the one who deserves him to spend his life taking care of.

  With the end of the war imminent, Zhang Hainuo felt it was time to lay the groundwork for their reunion after the war.