The Twelve Years: Song of the Unsung Friends

Renji. This is where she first thought of.

Just thought of it.

Renji's building was bigger than she thought. She went into the outpatient hall, found a nurse, and asked if there was a gentleman named "Qian Yuan". The other party shook his head in doubt, saying that Renji did not have such a person.

Did you remember the name of the hospital wrong? No, such a famous hospital, you can remember it once you hear it.

Shen Xi thought about it, and asked the nurse again, is there a doctor who just got off the boat in the surgery room? Two, one British and one Chinese. This time the nurse laughed and said yes.

Shen Xi hurriedly handed the cigarette case to the nurse, who was also enthusiastic and asked her to wait in the waiting hall.

Before long, the British greeted him with a smile.

"I'll take you to find him." The Englishman said, taking her to the second floor to find the "money source". Going upstairs, it happened that the sun was back in the afternoon, the light was insufficient, and the corridor was not lighted up, it was a bit dark. The tiles on the floor are new, and they are all glowing in such a dark place.

The British pushed open a door.

Inside, there was nothing but paper. The man squatting on the ground sorting documents turned his back to them. He turned his head when he heard the movement, and when he saw Shen Xi, he immediately smiled and said, "You really came."

"I'm here, just almost being a liar." She replied politely.

"Liar?" The man suddenly stood up, "Oh, yes, I used a pseudonym for you."

He smiled again, wiped his hands with a wet towel, extended his right hand to her, and formally introduced himself: "Duan Menghe, Duan."

Shen Xi shook hands with him symbolically.

"Sorry first," Duan Menghe pointed to the sofa, "Sit down first, and I will give you a reasonable explanation."

Although she was deceived, she thought that she was also a person with a pseudonym, and she also lied to him that she and Fu Dongwen were husband and wife. In this way, she lied to him one more time, so she didn't really get angry, and sat on the sofa as he said.

Duan Menghe sent off his British colleague, returned, bolted the door specially, and handed her a cup of tea.

The others sat down on the chair opposite Shen Xi, their smiles gradually disappeared, as if they were thinking about how to explain, which could be more concise and reasonable.

"On the cruise ship, the gentleman next to Ms. Shen is heartbroken, has a background of studying abroad, and is the son of Fu, who lives in Beijing. I guess he is the third son of the Fu family. Right?"

Shen Xi pursed his lips: "If you want to ask him, then I have to go now."

Duan Menghe shook his head, "Listen to me. I concealed my real name because I guessed it was Fu Dongwen." He paused for a while, and said, "Actually, I have some relatives with the Duan family, Duan Qirui... …You should have heard it."

President Yuan's confidant? Shen Xi was surprised.

Looking at it this way, both his family and the Fu family belong to the Beiyang army and belong to colleagues. Why don't they want to recognize each other?

"I'm very afraid that I will let my family know about my life in Shanghai. They thought I was still studying abroad," Duan Menghe smiled helplessly. "That's why I lied to you. I'm sorry, Miss Shen."

"You didn't tell your family when you returned home?"

"I returned home for five years and never returned home," he said, "so, I hope you can understand my difficulties."

This is serious.

Shen Xi shook his head lightly: "I'm not angry, Mr. Duan doesn't have to apologize all the time."

"That's good," Duan Menghe relaxed a lot, "Come on, let's talk about you. Did you change your mind and come to Renji?"

"Not all."

"So?" He smiled and looked at Shen Xi, "Why?"

"I have only been in Shanghai for three months, so I want to find something to do, so I recommend it myself." She glanced at the pile of paper on the ground, with English on it, "Do you need an assistant? Medical background, proficient in Chinese and English, and knows some Chinese medicine Assistant?"

Duan Menghe was slightly surprised, but very happy: "Of course," he pointed to the paper bags and piles of paper all over the floor, "I am worrying about these things. You must be the angel sent by God to save me."

Postoperative records and cases left over from the past departments on the ground.

Because Renji was moving to a new hospital building, these materials were also turned up and requested to be reorganized. The dean originally wanted to hand it over to the residents, but the hospital was already scarce. Everyone didn't have enough time to do their own work. Who would have time to sort out the historical data. So as soon as Duan Menghe arrived in Shanghai, this problem was thrown at him.

In Shanghai, a person who understands both English and medicine is considered a scarce talent. Even if he finds one, what he wants to do is a resident doctor, not an assistant and secretary for collating information.

Therefore, Shen Xi is really an angel.

The angel who came to save him.

"Is there an orthopedic clinic here?" Shen Xi was very interested.

Three months is not enough for serious work, but it is just right for this.

"Maybe you are going to be disappointed. To this day, there is no orthopedic department in a western medical hospital in China," Duan Menghe explained with a smile, "The people here trust Chinese medicine more."

It turned out to be so.

She is very clear that clinical experience is the most important asset.

Therefore, these cases are equally precious to her. The clinical experience is here, and they are the best teaching materials.

Shen Xi gladly accepted this job, which was also the first job in her life.

But at the same time, she didn't want to waste this good opportunity in Renji. After obtaining the consent of Duan Menghe, she would take some home every day, and if she didn’t understand, she would take it back to the hospital for questions the next day. In this way, during the day there is still time to go to the British in the surgical internship, go to the clinic or ward. If there is no systematic orthopedics department, then the surgery is not a deviation from what she learned in New York.

What's more, in Renji, many doctors also rotate departments.

Duan Menghe said that he had been in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and even gynecology.

"By rotating departments in this way, we can have a deeper understanding of clinical medicine." He explained.

There are many cases in the data that are decades ago, and the handwriting is illegible. Duan Menghe discussed it with her, hoping that she would be affected and copy it again for future generations to check. "No problem, you pipe the ink." She agreed.

then,

In August 1915, the one who accompanied her the longest every night, although not Fu Dongwen, was the pen he gave.

One night, the pen and ink ran out, but there was still a small half-page to copy.

She wanted to go to bed after finishing her work, so she searched for ink all over the room, thinking that he had lived here and there would always be stationery. Fu Dongwen's things are all piled up in the corner of the first floor, the wooden box is not locked, open two, they are all books.

Several diaries came upside down in the cabinet. This is a very private thing...

Shen Xi didn't look much, put them as they were, and saw a bunch of letters on the right corner of the cabinet.

The handwriting above is beautiful, written in lower case—Dong Wen Qiqi

Seeing this suddenly in the middle of the night, it was like a small ghost who swaggered through the city in his heart, swaying, pestering her, and blowing a breath in her ear: Take a look, it's okay.

Shen Xi's hand rubbed the rope binding the letter for a while, and he peeked at the cover of the second and third envelopes. The same handwriting appeared to be from the same girl. The kid was blowing again, and Shen Xi hurriedly pushed them back and closed the cabinet.

Don't look at evil, think of evil, don't think about it.

Pulling the slippers, she ran upstairs, came back a few steps, and turned off the light.

When I went back to the room on the second floor, I didn't care about what happened today. I just turned off the lights and went to bed.

***

Three months later.

Empty bottles of pen and ink filled the desk.

Shen Xi didn't throw them away. He wanted to make a souvenir, so he put the used ink bottle on the shelf.

She is full of calculations, counting the days to the last day.

She sorted out all the documents and cases left by Duan Menghe's office, and wrote explanations to him in different categories. On that day, they were all handed over to Duan Menghe, but they were also reluctant to give up. She was afraid that Duan Menghe would not be confused, and patiently turned over the explanation for him, explaining page by page.

Duan Menghe is a person who likes to joke. He doesn't talk much today, just listen to her.

She finally put the copper key of the office on the table: "Mr. Duan, you have to have breakfast on time."

Duan Menghe is similar to her in some respects. Once he concentrates on work, he will forget about sleep and food. The residents here have strict meal times, but Duan Menghe had been the main treatment early, and was not restricted. On the contrary, the life of the residents was not as healthy as that of the residents.

Rules and regulations are sometimes useful.

"I always wanted to ask you," Duan Menghe opened the drawer and put away the copper key. "Are you and Mr. Fu posing as a couple? Or something else?"

Fu Tongwen told her not to tell outsiders that it was a relationship between a boyfriend and a friend.

After silence, she said: "It is home, he is my home. I am an orphan, and I have no family. He is my closest person."

He was surprised: "You never mentioned it."

How to mention this? Shen Xi lowered his head and smiled: "You have a home and don't want to go back, but there is always a door and a lamp for you to keep. I am different from you. I have lived in New York, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Which apartment can I live in? I live in the same way as I am on a cruise ship," she said after thinking about it, "Of course, I can support myself, not to rely on my family. It is from my heart."

At the most desperate time, ideals can no longer be said. When you are physically and mentally exhausted, even if you do not have the strength to walk back and die halfway, you will know that there is a place for yourself.

She smiled: "You don't understand everything, at least you are considerate?"

Without personal experience, you will not understand.

After Shen Xi finished speaking, implying goodbye, Duan Menghe offered to send her off.

"Just send it to the door?" Shen Xi asked for his opinion, but she kept a secret to this man who was also a teacher and friend. Regarding the residence, about Fu Dongwen, or about herself, I have never revealed it.

Duan Menghe smiled and said, "Yes, just go outside."

He did what he said and did not break his promise. People walked to the gate of the hospital and stopped.

On the left side of the door, there is a mother-in-law who sells flowers, squatting on the ground, with a basket on her feet, and a piece of blue coarse cloth in front of her. Small flower buds are neatly placed on the cloth, and each flower bud is used. The string was knotted.

"Gardenia, white orchid, a five-pointed cylindrica," the mother-in-law asked in the autumn breeze, "sir, buy one for the young lady?"

Duan Menghe was quiet and took out the wallet.

Shen Xi was afraid that he would spend money, so he counted five coins and put them on the coarse cloth, and picked a white orchid.

She once saw Mrs. Zhu hung on the button of her dress, and when she walked towards her, the fragrance was pleasant. It's just late autumn now, and wearing a coat is not convenient to hang on the front of the front. So she hooked her index finger and squeezed it in her fist, so that all the way back, there should be orchid fragrance on her hands and sleeves. It was nice to see him with a fragrance...

Shen Xi went home like an arrow, saying goodbye: "Goodbye, Mr. Duan."

Duan Menghe looked at her without a smile: "Goodbye."

When she turned around, she heard him say again: "Beijing Qiuliang, you wear thin clothes like this."

Shen Xi said, and left without looking back.

Duan Menghe stood in front of the hospital for a long time wearing a black woolen coat with his arms open.

He saw her disappear completely, and he didn't mean to go back.

The old woman murmured softly: "Sir, you should pay. Only after paying, the girl will know what you are thinking."

Know, so what? He laughed at himself: "There are some relationships, and nothing breaks is the most beautiful."

I really complied with the sentence: I want to say it, I want to say it, I want to say it, but it's a cool autumn.

When Shen Xi returned home, it was still dark.

She didn't go to the second floor either, but waited on the first floor. The leather suitcase had been placed by the door for a long time, and she could leave at any time.

She propped her chin, sitting at the door of the kitchen, with a wide-brimmed hat on her knees, wearing a coat, leaning against the door, turning the orchid in her hand upside down. Play for a while, smell the palm of your hand, and laugh for a while.

When she was in Shanghai, she read many newspapers and magazines, and prepared a lot of words to talk to him for three days and nights.

At first, there was evening sunlight in the room. Later, there was a neighbor's light. In the end, only the opposite family had not turned off the light bulbs in the yard. When the light bulb ran out, she was also dark here.

it's dark.

At the door of her, there was an unspeakable confusion in her heart.

The ground is moonlight.

People are hungry and tired, and they hang their hearts from dusk until late at night, and don't bother to move their fingers. She had to leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, closed her eyes and rested. I didn't dare to go upstairs, because I was asleep, and I couldn't hear anyone coming.

In a trance, time and space became fragments, spinning in his mind.

The image returned from Guangzhou, on the cruise ship, then to New York, and finally returned to the Fu's house. That day, the brothers and sisters of the Fu family gathered together-"Everything is worse than a cup in hand, I will see the moon in my life, brother." Fu Tong's essay on that day was full of charm, and when he said this, the corner of his mouth came out. The laughter was ridiculed and disdainful, from the bottom of the eyes to the brows.

...

When people wake up, they are awakened by the rapid knock on the door.

She hurriedly got up, her hat fell on the ground without paying attention, and she rushed to open the door.

In the dazzling sunlight, standing outside the door is actually Duan Menghe.

He was still wearing yesterday's woolen coat, as if he had never gone home to change his clothes. Shen Xi recognized this face, and his heart fell: "Mr. Duan?" She pretended to be relaxed and asked, "How do you...know that I live here?"

"Sorry, I told you earlier," Duan Menghe apologized, and asked in a low voice, "It has been almost 20 hours since you got home yesterday afternoon. I didn't see any lights in the kitchen at night, nor did you bring Buy food and come back. Are you hungry?"

Shen Xiren was a little slow: "No...not too hungry."

"You didn't mean to leave yesterday? But the one who picked you up didn't come?"

She was worried about Fu Dongwen. When she was asked, her heart trembled, and she hurriedly lowered her head to cover up her emotions. She smiled and said, "I didn't say that it was yesterday, maybe it is today. The world is so chaotic, and it is normal to delay a day or two ."

The neighbor outside the door walked by and looked at Duan Menghe's back. This was the first time that Shen Xi had come to this house.

"Can I go in?" Duan Menghe asked softly when seeing her look very bad.

May I? Shen Xi hesitated, she glanced back at the house: "It seems, it's not very convenient."

"Forget it." Duan Menghe is not too difficult.

He brought breakfast, western sandwiches.

Shen Xi refused to ask for it at first. He also said that in the past few months in the hospital, Shen Xi often brought him breakfast, which was considered to be hers. Seeing him so persistent, Shen Xi couldn't refuse any more, thanked him, and put the paper bag in his arms and said, "Mr. Duan, let's say goodbye."

"Good...bye." Duan Menghe promised.

After Shen Xi nodded politely to him, he closed the door.

After talking to Duan Menghe for so long, she was exhausted and she couldn't stand up. When she went upstairs, she took off her coat and hung it on a hanger. She fell on the bed, ate two sandwiches, and put the quilt directly. Cover it on the body and fall asleep.

Three months is a psychological line of defense for her.

This last day passed, and all the worries about Fu Dongwen flooded in. For a while, I was afraid that there would never be news from him, and for a while, I was afraid that he would get news of his death. Such a demon tortured her, and she lost the stability of the past three months, and she lost confidence in Fu Dongwen.

Go to Beijing to find him? What if he was on the way when he came?

She had thought that she would be able to wait even after three months, but at this point, people were all messed up.

His body, the situation he was trapped in, and everything he wanted to do was the most dangerous. As long as she thinks that he might die, or is already dead, she is cold all over.

People are immersed in a bathtub full of hot water, and it is like sleeping on an ice tuft.

One day, two days...

She waited for more than ten days in such a muddled manner.

There is still no news about Fu Dongwen.

That morning, she took a shower, looked at her face in the mirror, and lost two full circles. The person in the mirror, the baby's fat has faded, and his eyes have become bigger, looking at the mirror. Look at yourself with yourself.

There seems to be someone knocking on the door downstairs?

She woke up suddenly, and ran off in her pajamas, too late to put on a coat.

The man was still panting, the latch opened, and the door opened with a smile.

The moment she saw the person outside, she thought she had hallucinations, and her heart was chilled inch by inch: "Mr. Duan..."

The cold wind of November poured in along the open door. Duan Menghe did not consult her this time. He held her shoulders to let her aside, and then he entered the door. Backhand, the door is closed.

"Mr. Duan, what are you going to do?" Shen Xi took a step back and hit the wooden stairs with his head.

"Listen to me, don't be afraid," Duan Menghe eagerly took out a telegram from his arms, "You are going to collapse if you wait like this. You have been waiting in this room for 13 days. ."

"But does this have to do with you?" Shen Xi's bad emotions broke out. She ran downstairs just now, with much hope, and now she has much frustration, "Please don't come here without permission, can you? It’s me and his house."

"Shen Xi," Duan Menghe took a step forward. "Look at this telegram. This is a message from my family about him."

Shen Xi was taken aback.

Duan Menghe took her hand and placed the message on her palm: "The person you are waiting for is in Beijing."

Shen Xi didn't care about anything else, and opened the telegram. There were dense numbers on it. Next to every four digits there was a handwritten Chinese character, which was the translation of the telegram.

She hurriedly swept over, and then formed a sentence:

Fu San suffers from a serious illness and is unmistakable in Beijing. The current situation has changed. Once you return to China, you will return to Beijing as soon as possible.