Chapter 4 The Flag Flutters (Part 2)

  It was probably because Wu felt that the news of Li being a big smoker was too difficult to mention, so after getting Zhang's repeated assurances, she lost interest in continuing to talk to him. Zhang himself also became somewhat absent-minded due to encountering too many shocking messages in a short time after waking up. The two kept a distance of about two steps, one in front of the other, and walked out of the field hospital gate, turning onto a nearby bluestone path. After walking another three or four hundred steps along the path, they turned onto a fairly spacious main street.

  There were many people on the street, basically all wearing military uniforms. Either riding horses or walking, they were all in a hurry. The intermittent sound of cannons from the sky was also reminding people that war was not far away from this place.

  "Screech!" A sudden, urgent braking sound rang out right next to Zhang Songling's body, startling him into quickly turning his head and glaring. The military officer driving the car didn't care about his anger at all, jumping down from the vehicle, standing at attention, with snow-white gloves held high by his ears, "Big sister! Big sister, where are you headed? I'll give you a ride!"

  "Be careful, what if you bump into someone?" Wu Dasao was not grateful at all, and glared at the white gloves with her phoenix eyes. "I'm sending this little brother from the 27th Division to the Special Operations Brigade, it's not far, so I won't waste your gasoline. See you later, and don't forget to pass on my greetings to Zhang Shuai!"

  "Go to the special task force!" The white glove seemed very disappointed, responding in a low voice, "That's indeed not far. Big sister, next time you go out, please send someone to notify me in advance or give me a call. I'll come pick you up right away!"

  "I'm afraid I won't be able to get in!" Wu's words were laced with a strong tone of rejection, "That car belongs to your superior, and I'm just a nurse. If I ride in the superior's car, wouldn't that shorten my lifespan? Hurry back now, drive slowly on the road, and be careful not to bump into anyone!"

  "Hmm!" The white-gloved hand tapped the two soft nails in succession, and with a drooping head, jumped back onto the car. After starting the fire, it seemed to remember something, staring at Zhang Songling's Lianzi carefully for two rounds before stepping on the accelerator heavily, raising dust and leaving.

  "Hmph!" Zhang Songling snorted out a cold breath, quite displeased with the arrogance of the white glove. Wu Dajie also felt that the white glove had gone too far and smiled apologetically, explaining in a low voice: "This kind of person, you have to treat him with contempt. He's the driver of Zhang Yaoming, the commander of the 25th Division, and usually just drives around showing off. It's only within their 25th Division that no one takes these things seriously. If it were our side, he would have been dragged away and had his butt kicked into eight pieces!"

  "Haha!" Zhang Songling grinned foolishly, as if he had already seen the miserable sight of White Glove's buttocks being kicked open. From the conversation between Wu Dajie and White Glove earlier, he vaguely felt that there was a subtle relationship between the 25th Division where White Glove belonged and his own 27th Division. Especially the Special Operations Brigade of the 27th Division seemed to have a great deterrent effect on White Glove, scaring him so much that he didn't even dare to approach the gate, and fled as soon as he heard the sound.

  "I heard that you, Commander Ji, have recently received another windfall?!" Interrupted by the white glove, Wu's mood seemed to improve slightly, and she smiled at Zhang Songling, slowing down her pace and actively shortening the distance between them.

  "Maybe, I'm not quite sure. I'm new here!" Zhang Songling quickened his pace, walking in tandem with Wu Dajie, the two of them separated by a gap of about two fists' width.

  He was telling a big truth without any exaggeration, but no one believed him. Wu Dajie stared at him with her round eyes, and a cold smile rose to the corner of her mouth. "I didn't expect that your mouth would be so tight! Newcomer, Old Ji dares to take you to the battlefield?! When did your special forces become so unreliable?!"

  "This... I really am new here, the wounds on me, I didn't..." Zhang Songling's face was full of grievance, but he didn't know where to start explaining from."

  Wu Da Jie didn't plan to dig deeper, smiled and shook her head magnanimously: "Alright, you have discipline not to talk about it, then don't need to tell me. I've been a soldier for so many years, can't I understand the rules of your special task force?! Hey, Old Dog, Gou You De, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?!"

  The latter half of the sentence was obviously not directed at Zhang Songling. The latter quickly raised his head, following Wu Dajie's pointing direction, and found himself on the opposite side of the street, on top of the special task force, Lao Gou. He was riding a sorrel horse, with two tattered book bags tied behind the saddle, full of oil stains.

  The officer also saw Wu Dajie and Zhang Songling, and quickly jumped off his horse, leading the red date horse over, walking while smiling and greeting, "Sister, where are you going?"

  "Ah, ah, Officer Zhang!" Zhang Songling hastily bowed and stuttered a greeting. Not because he was nervous, but because the other's surname was simply too unusual. No matter how you called it, it felt awkward to the extreme.

  "Dog official! Might as well be called dog officer! Haha……” Wu Dajie covered her mouth with her chubby palm, and in the midst of a smile, she seemed to have a hint of charm. The military officer was laughed at so hard that his three souls and seven spirits all escaped, and he raised his hand to scratch the back of his head repeatedly, "That, that, my surname was given by my parents. Can't change it. Little Zhang, why aren't you lying in the hospital? What are you doing sneaking out? I just had the kitchen stew some chicken soup, and I was about to send it over to you!"

  "Thank you, sir! I've already been discharged from the hospital! I'm just about to report to you!" Zhang Songling was moved and bowed again, his voice suddenly becoming much more crisp.

  "Chicken soup?!" Wu's eyes lit up instantly, and she reached out to grab the oilskin package on the saddle, "Let me see, what kind of chicken stew can be stewed into a square box shape!"

  "Lunchbox, lunchbox, it's a square lunchbox!" Officer Gou tried to cover up but was eventually disarmed by Wu Dajie. Seeing the other person's face quickly turn gloomy, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and added in a low voice: "It's for the hospital, to be used as a painkiller. It's better than morphine. I'm not lying to you!"

  "Then I'll help you carry it over!" Wu Dajie put the two bags full of opium on her shoulders, crossing them in front of her chest. Her ample bosom was immediately squeezed by the straps, bulging out prominently. Officer Gou wanted to grab them back, but was afraid his hands would touch places they shouldn't, his face red and neck thick, muttering: "You...you have to be reasonable! It's Old Ji who entrusted me to deliver it to Commander Li, you can't just rob me halfway! Give it back, give it back quickly, otherwise I'll have no way to explain to Old Ji! Really, no way to explain!"

  "Then let Old Ji come over and find me!" Wu Da Jie retorted, her face stern. Immediately, she snatched the reins from his hand, leapt onto the horse's back, "If you want this horse, have Old Ji come over himself to take it. I just so happen to have something to say to him!"

  "Hmm hmm——" The poor war horse was pressed down by Fat Sister and stumbled, but ultimately could not resist the pull of the reins. It had no choice but to resign itself, turn its head, and run along in the direction Zhang Songling came from, swaying gently as it went.

  Note 1: Zhang Yaoming, commander of the 25th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, anti-Japanese hero. In 1948, he served as the principal of the Central Military Academy. He was later dismissed for abandoning the school and died in depression. The 25th Division was one of the first divisions to be rebuilt according to German infantry standards, with excellent equipment. During the July 7 Incident, it defended against the Japanese army's attack between Baoding and Cangzhou for two days and nights, suffering more than half casualties.