Chapter 51 Christmas

When Zhang Hainuo appeared at the gate of the Lübeck Island sanatorium, it was already the afternoon of December 24, 1917. It was evident that the Christmas atmosphere in the sanatorium was very strong, with staff busy preparing for the Christmas dinner, and some military officers recuperating there also lending a hand.

Soon, Zhang Hainuo saw Anna Thiefe, the Bavarian girl he had been yearning for day and night. She still had her hair coiled up behind her head and was wearing the same milky white nurse's uniform. Her fair face was slightly flushed from busyness, and her slightly weary eyes brightened upon Zhang Hainuo's arrival.

"Hainuo!"

After a year apart, and even in such a public place, Anna disregarded everything and rushed into Zhang Hainuo's embrace.

Zhang Hainuo hadn't even had a chance to savor the natural feminine fragrance emanating from his lover when he heard Anna sobbing in his arms. His intuition told him that her tears weren't just from the excitement of their reunion; there must have been something else troubling her, perhaps something about her family...

With that thought, Zhang Hainuo held Anna even tighter and whispered softly in her ear, "Anna, I'm here! Right here in front of you!"

Anna just cried, without saying a word.

Although Zhang Hainuo had lived for over twenty years in his era, he was still not very good at comforting others, especially disliked seeing women cry. If Anna kept crying like this, he really didn't know what to do.

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

"Hainuo, Gremont... he..." Anna had just uttered these words when tears welled up in her eyes again.

Anna's family consisted of both parents, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. Several months ago, from Anna's letters, Zhang Hainuo had learned that her second brother, Egmont Thiefe, had been conscripted into the German Army, but he hadn't expected him to...

Zhang Hainuo thought for a moment and said solemnly, "I'm sorry, Anna! As a German soldier, dying in battle is the highest honor. I believe Egmont would be proud of himself even in heaven!"

Anna buried her head deep in Zhang Hainuo's chest, her voice choked with sobs as she expressed her worries:

"Hainuo, every time I think about my father and you, both soldiers, both in the war, I'm very afraid! I'm afraid that one day you both will..."

Zhang Hainuo's heart trembled. Indeed, even with nearly a hundred years of foresight, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be killed in some battle. Thinking of the battles he had experienced before, death sometimes seemed just a step away! As for Anna's father, an army officer, his chances of falling in battle were not much lower than those of submarine crew members!

"Don't worry, Anna. The war is about to end, and your father and I will be back from the battlefield soon! I promise you, we will return to you safely!"

This was the first promise Zhang Hainuo made under uncertain circumstances, as he didn't want Anna to worry about these things. Yet, war was so cruel, and love amidst the flames of war, though brilliant, could fall like a shooting star at its most beautiful moment. Therefore, Zhang Hainuo and Anna only held hands, kissed occasionally, and even when they lived together in a hotel, he never intruded on her body.

Gradually, Zhang Hainuo began to understand Hessen's predicament.

After a while, Anna raised her head again, but instead of asking Zhang Hainuo to swear, she gave him a smile while tears still glistened in her eyes. This smile, although faint, was the brightest smile in Zhang Hainuo's eyes.

Zhang Hainuo smiled back, feeling a tinge of sadness.

He handed the large paper bag he was holding to Anna. "It's a holiday for the troops, so I brought this to visit you!"

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

"Bacon, canned goods, and wine, Hainuo, today's Christmas party is missing these! Come, let's help prepare together!"

Anna wiped away the tears from her face and then took Zhang Hainuo's hand, leading him towards the sanatorium's dining hall.

As Zhang Hainuo held that cool little hand, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. There was joy, joy that Anna was still the Anna who had captured his heart before, kind, innocent, cheerful, and hardworking, seemingly possessing all the best qualities; there was also helplessness, helplessness that such a good girl could only be seen once a year, sometimes he really wanted to cast aside this damn war and take Anna back to the peaceful Fenck Manor.

Zhang Hainuo was about to say something to Anna when he saw one of his former attending physicians, Dietrich, who looked very much like Santa Claus, standing in front of him with a smile. Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but chuckle, and he was both honored and delighted that the man could still remember his name.

"Hello, Mr. Dietrich!"

Although Anna blushed a bit, she didn't shy away. Instead, she showed the bag's contents to Santa Claus.

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

"Oh, and a bottle of wine!" Santa Claus was also delighted. "That's great, Mr. Von Fenckenstein! You don't know, even the officers recuperating here can only get 100 grams of meat per day now. Compared to before, oh..."

The topic became somewhat heavy, and Dietrich, who was dressed as Santa Claus, didn't continue. Instead, he patted Zhang Hainuo's arm. "Let's go in quickly, everyone is busy preparing for the party!"

The dining hall here was familiar to Zhang Hainuo, who had visited here almost every day when he was recovering from his injuries. A year and a half had passed, and the furnishings here had hardly changed. At this time, the staff had already assembled individual tables into a T-shaped banquet table, and everyone was still placing various dishes on it. Although these dishes looked abundant, a closer look revealed that they were mainly seafood—this was also the greatest advantage of Lübeck Island as an island. There were not many bread and fruits, and the two shining roast chickens were definitely the most eye-catching targets here. Meat and dairy products were served in small plates. As for the pots of soup whose contents were hidden by silver covers, Zhang Hainuo could already smell some aroma in the air, either fish soup or vegetable soup.

Thinking of the extravagant life of the nobles, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but sigh. It was no wonder that Hitler's fiery rhetoric after the end of World War I could gain support from many people.

It was evident that Anna was well-liked here. Seeing her enter with a young military officer, almost everyone greeted her with friendly banter, and Anna, now brushing off her previous sadness, enthusiastically introduced Zhang Hainuo to everyone. After the greetings were over,

 she brought out two small knives and then put the bacon brought by Zhang Hainuo into a large plate, asking Zhang Hainuo to help her slice it.

Watching 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 the former Hainuo had been thinking to love such an iceberg-like beauty so passionately, and what kind of love could exist between such people? Zhang Hainuo thought, the kind, pure, cheerful, and hardworking girl in front of him was the one worth spending his life protecting!

Considering that the end of the war was not far away, Zhang Hainuo felt it was time to lay the groundwork for their reunion after the war.