After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

The young students instantly erupted in excitement. These high-achieving students, who usually buried themselves in their studies, abandoned all pretenses and started banging on the tables, their faces beaming with the carefree, pure joy unique to this era.

The rules were simple and brutal. The largest stainless steel vegetable washing basin in the mess hall, turned upside down, became a drum, and two chopsticks became drumsticks. The logistics team found a piece of red silk used for award ceremonies from somewhere, tied it haphazardly into a big flower, and whoever got it had to make a public appearance.

"Knock knock knock—"

The drumbeats pounded on my heart like dense raindrops, and the big red flower was passed around quickly in the crowd, like a hot potato.

"stop!"

The drumbeats stopped abruptly. A red flower landed steadily and gracefully in the arms of a burly young man wearing an old cotton-padded jacket.

"Hey! Isn't that Zhao Dayong from Harbin Medical University?!" someone in the crowd shouted. "Dayong, let's get one! Don't embarrass our black soil!"

Without any hesitation, Zhao Dayong rolled up his sleeves, jumped onto the stool, and shouted in a thick Northeastern accent, "Fine, let's do it! What are you afraid of? Today I'm going to perform a local specialty for everyone—a two-person folk opera called 'Little New Year's Greeting'!"

He casually grabbed a white rag used for wiping tables, and deliberately twirled it into the shape of a handkerchief flower, singing as he did so: "The first month of the lunar year is the New Year, the first day of the Lunar New Year..."

The tune was high-pitched and soaring, carrying a rustic, earthy enthusiasm, and the humorous actions had the entire audience doubled over in laughter. Even Thomas, who couldn't understand Chinese, was infected by this joyful energy and started clapping along.

The drums sounded again, this time even more urgently.

"Thump!"

The red flower landed in the hands of a girl with dark skin and rosy cheeks from the high altitude. She was a student at Lanzhou Medical College.

The girl was a little shy, but seeing the encouraging looks around her, she took a deep breath and stood up.

"I... I'll sing a folk song for everyone."

The moment she spoke, the noisy cafeteria fell silent.

"A sheepskin towel, with three blue stripes... It's easy for us to meet, but hard to strike up a conversation..."

The voice was high-pitched and desolate, like a wind blowing from the ravines of the Loess Plateau, carrying a power that pierced the soul. On this snowy night in a foreign land, the song stirred up all the homesickness that everyone felt but dared not express. Many female students had tears in their eyes, yet they straightened their backs in response to the song.

This is what college students in the 80s were like—outdated and unsophisticated, yet so sincere it brought tears to your eyes.

The drumbeats sounded for the third time, this time with a strange and playful rhythm. Hans was stuffing a glutinous rice ball into his mouth when suddenly his arms felt a weight on them.

"Perform! Perform!" This time it was the Chinese students' turn to cheer. "Our German friends should also do as the Romans do!"

Hans wiped his mouth, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and said, "Fine! I'll show you the might of a Bavarian man!"

This foreigner really went all out, immediately performing a German-style leg-slapping dance. Although he looked a bit clumsy in his suit and almost tripped over the bench, his comical yet energetic appearance made the whole audience burst into laughter.

Thomas covered his face, wishing he could crawl under the table—this guy had completely disgraced Siemens!

The drums sounded for the fourth time, and this time, the beats became faster and faster, almost like a death knell.

"Thump!"

With a resounding clang, as if a hammer had sealed the deal, the red flower landed squarely and steadily in Gu Zheng's arms.

"oh!!!"

The commotion was deafening. The female students at Peking University Medical School had their eyes shining; this was Professor Ye's lover, a legendary special forces hero, a living legend!

"Captain Gu! One more! One more!"

"We have to be forceful! A soft approach won't work!"

Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow, not refusing. He stood up, deftly took off his military overcoat, and tossed it casually onto the back of the chair. Underneath was a dark green, tight-fitting military sweater; its close-fitting cut perfectly outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. With each movement, the muscles in his arms were clearly defined, exuding a fierce, ready-to-strike power even through the sweater.

He casually shoved the red flower into Ye Zhen's arms, leaned slightly forward, and whispered in her ear, his voice low and warm: "Wife, watch closely, this will make you proud. It'll stop those foreign devils from staring at you."

After saying that, he walked to the open space and, without bothering with any fancy tricks, simply supported himself with one hand.

"Push-ups? Captain Gu, that's not difficult at all!" shouted a clueless boy.

Gu Zheng sneered, his eyes filled with arrogance. His right hand, supporting him on the ground, was as steady as a rock, his five fingers gripping the ground. His left hand was behind his back, his feet were together, and his body was taut like a javelin.

"one two three……"

With each rise and fall of his body, the muscles in his back stretched out like a fully drawn bow, exuding an explosive and beautiful power. He not only did it fast, but he also did it perfectly, each downward thrust almost touching his nose to the ground, and when he stood up, it was effortless and graceful, without even his breathing getting out of whack.

"Fifty...eighty...one hundred!"

When he counted to one hundred, Gu Zheng, without blushing or panting, did a somersault and soared into the air, dusting off his hands as if he were completely at ease.

The screams in the cafeteria this time really blew the roof off.

"That's amazing! Is this the quality of special forces soldiers?!"

"What a man! So cool!"

Gu Zheng slowly straightened his collar, his gaze piercing through the bustling crowd and locking precisely onto Ye Zhen.

His eyes held a hint of provocation and a touch of smugness, radiating an unbridled charisma that seemed to be silently showing off: How about it, wife? Is your man's physique good enough?

Ye Zhen's face flushed slightly, and her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. She picked up her teacup and took a sip, using the steam to conceal the smile in her eyes, inwardly cursing:

The old peacock spreads its tail feathers, showing off to an extreme degree.

"Snap!"

The flash went off suddenly.

In the corner, Lao Zhao from Guangming Daily pressed the shutter.

The camera captured this magical yet real scene: a German engineer in a suit with a powdered face, Ye Zhen with her sleeves rolled up like a village woman but with a determined look in her eyes, and a man in military uniform who had just finished doing push-ups and exuded an imposing aura.

The background features dozens of young, energetic, and hopeful smiling faces.

This photograph, later titled "Ark in the Snowy Night," became one of the most heartwarming and down-to-earth pages in the history of Chinese medicine.

That night, the snow continued to fall in the capital, but no one felt cold, because everyone's hearts were burning with warmth.

"Boss, when will our ship arrive?" After the commotion subsided, Hans let out a burp and leaned over to Thomas to ask.

Thomas looked out at the dark night sky, his eyes filled with complex emotions, still clutching the unfinished glutinous rice ball in his hand: "Tomorrow morning, Tianjin Port."