Capítulo 8: Chapter 8: The First Date
Several weeks had passed before Zhang Hainuo received a reply from Franz Laurenz, and it was then that he learned his "cousin-in-law" had been promoted to the rank of major general and was now serving as the captain of the S.M.S. Seydlitz, replacing Stranto von Graf, who retired due to injury. In his letter, Franz encouraged Zhang to focus on recuperation and early recovery to rejoin the fleet soon, subtly hinting that there wouldn't be any major operations in the High Seas Fleet in the near future.
Zhang wasn't surprised by this information, but he knew that Germany had only a little over two years left.
In his reply to Franz Laurenz, Zhang also subtly expressed his thoughts on how the High Seas Fleet could win naval battles through a series of strategic tactics, testing the waters to see what Franz thought.
"Mr. Lieutenant, I have good news for you! After yesterday's comprehensive examination, the doctor said you can be discharged from the hospital next week!"
Anna, with a smile on her face, approached Zhang Hainuo's bed carrying a tray of medicine. As his recovery progressed, there were fewer and fewer cotton pads and bandages on Zhang Hainuo's body. The sanatorium was actually a good place for officers to relax. If it were an ordinary field hospital or if there were large-scale military operations in the High Seas Fleet, Zhang Hainuo would probably have been discharged long ago or even been holding his position!
"That's thanks to your careful care, Miss Anna! Actually, you can call me Lieutenant Hainuo, or just Hainuo! I'd be more used to that!"
"Well, Lieutenant Hainuo! You're young, so you're recovering quickly. If a military officer in his forties had injuries similar to yours, it would take at least half a month of recuperation. And if they were older, they might have to retire!"
"Hehe, then I should count myself lucky! By the way, Miss Anna, I still don't know how old you are this year... cough, sorry, that's a bit impolite. Please pretend you didn't hear that!" Zhang Hainuo deliberately made a slightly apologetic expression. He knew that in such situations, most young women and a considerable number of middle-aged and elderly women who didn't mind telling others their age would smile and say "It's okay," then give a number, which might be true or slightly off.
"Lieutenant Hainuo, it's not nice to inquire about someone's age like that!" Anna still smiled, showing no sign of anger. Now that she only needed a minute or two to help Zhang Hainuo change his medicine, the rest of the time was spent tidying up the scattered books and notes for him—one willing to put away, one willing to tidy up, which was actually quite nice.
"But... if you invite me to dinner tonight, I might consider telling you!"
For Zhang Hainuo, who was thinking whether he should invite the nurse who took care of him so diligently to dinner, this sentence was undoubtedly a relief. He almost agreed without hesitation, but then he thought, damn it, since coming to Lügen, he was initially inconvenient to move due to his injuries, and later he was busy reading the books sent by Edwin, so he hadn't gone anywhere at all! The meals every day were either brought by medical staff or eaten at the restaurant a hundred steps away. While the food there was good, it was also too...
Anna apparently noticed Zhang Hainuo's embarrassment. She smiled and said generously, "I know of a very nice restaurant in town. It's only half an hour's drive away. I can borrow a car. How about it, Lieutenant Hainuo? You should be able to drive, right?"
Seeing Anna mimicking holding a steering wheel, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but suppress a laugh. Although his driving skills were not up to professional standards, he knew the most basic techniques of stepping on the gas, shifting gears, and holding the steering wheel, which he learned from the streets of Germany and television. Although not necessarily perfect, at least it was usable.
"No problem! What time do we leave?"
"Five o'clock. I'll come to find you then. How does that sound?"
"No problem!" Zhang Hainuo was extremely happy.
It was not yet four o'clock in the afternoon when Zhang Hainuo began to dress himself carefully. After all, this was his first date since coming to this era. He first washed his hair, then shaved his chin and cheeks clean in front of the mirror—although he had seen this face in the mirror more than a hundred times in the past two months, today was definitely the most handsome. His naturally curly hair, somewhere between golden and brown, was combed into the now popular side parting. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes not large, giving the impression of kindness but not weakness. His nose was tall but not the typical hawk nose. As for his mouth, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it, but it didn't detract from his overall appearance.
Next, Zhang Hainuo took out his new naval lieutenant uniform from his box, which he had only worn once. He carefully buttoned every button, then meticulously wore his two medals, and polished his black leather boots until they shone. Unfortunately, there was no full-length mirror here, otherwise Zhang Hainuo would surely have been overjoyed at his dashing military appearance!
When the clock struck five, Anna Tiefert appeared punctually in front of Zhang Hainuo. She wore a beige long dress, with a matching small hat on her head, her curly hair cascading down very ladylike, and she carried a white handbag in her hand. A pair of white leather shoes peeked out from under her long skirt.
If she looked like a white-clad angel at work, now she was an elegant princess ready to attend a banquet.
Seeing Zhang Hainuo's somewhat stunned expression, Anna couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey, Lieutenant Hainuo, we'll lose our reservation if we don't go now!"
"Oh, sorry!"
It was only then that Zhang Hainuo came to his senses. He put on his military cap and walked to Anna's side, extending his right arm voluntarily. He hadn't formally and systematically studied European traditional etiquette, but he had learned a few things from the streets and television in Germany. Although not necessarily standard, at least they were usable.
Anna gladly took the arm of this young and handsome naval lieutenant. "The car has been borrowed. It's right at the gate of the sanatorium!"
"Great, let's go!"
This wasn't Zhang Hainuo's first time escorting a lady, but it was the one he felt best about. His impeccably tailored navy blue uniform, the medals on his chest, and the beautiful lady beside him were the assets he was proud of. And this pairing of male talent and female beauty also attracted quite a few envious glances and playful whistles along the way.
"That's the one!"
Following Anna's direction, Zhang Hainuo saw a four-seater car with a gray-green canvas canopy. Though somewhat old-fashioned and not as luxurious and elegant as cars in later years, with its narrow tires, simple cockpit, and rudimentary seats, as long as it wasn't a primitive car made from a carriage frame with an engine and a steering wheel, Zhang Hainuo was quite satisfied.
With courtesy, Zhang Hainuo opened the car door for Anna—though the quality of the door was not much better than that of a garden fence gate—then briskly walked to the other side, got into the car, and while fumbling with the steering wheel, throttle, and brake, hypocritically praised, "Oh, what a great car!"
"Yes, we have to thank Dr. Dietrich, the orthopedic specialist who took care of your right hand! This is his private car, but it's hard to get gasoline now, so he doesn't use it often himself!" Seeing Zhang Hainuo's surprise, Anna added, "Don't worry, there's still half a tank of gas in the car, which is enough to get from here to the southernmost tip of Rugen Island!"
Zhang Hainuo wasn't sure how many kilometers it was from here to the southern tip of Rugen Island, but whenever gasoline shortages were mentioned, he would think of the various frustrating predicaments caused by the lack of oil during the late period of the Third Reich in history. And now, the situation around the Second German Empire was no better—there was the Russian Empire to the east, the British and French to the west, Italy in the south had already sided with the Allies, and the Netherlands and Denmark to the north adhered to neutrality. The sea routes were also tightly blockaded by the British fleet, and oil supply was equally problematic! Fortunately, this era didn't rely too heavily on mechanized forces, and the proportion of the air force was also small, so the shortage of oil wasn't as deadly. Of course, if there were sufficient oil supplies, the main ships of the German Navy could use fuel boilers on a large scale like the British did instead of coal boilers as they did now. It's worth noting that there was a big difference between these two boilers in terms of efficiency and fuel consumption per unit power.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Zhang Hainuo's confusion, Anna asked with concern.
"Oh, nothing, just thinking about that Dr. Dietrich you mentioned, his appearance..." Zhang Hainuo pursed his lips and smiled, "He really looks like Santa Claus!"
"Santa Claus? Ho! Really?"
While Anna was laughing behind her hand, Zhang Hainuo had already started the car. The town they were heading to wasn't far, visible from the gate of the sanatorium. They just needed to drive along the coastal road to get there. From a distance, the town didn't look large, but it had some beautiful buildings and a tall spired clock tower—underneath which was a small train station. The railway line extended inland, crossing the Rugen Island railway bridge to reach the German inland.
This Mercedes-Benz car had a 60-horsepower gasoline engine, so it wasn't faster than a carriage. The stiff seats made one's buttocks ache when driving on this sandy road. But for this happy couple in the car, feeling the breeze on their faces and leisurely traveling on this sunny road had its own charm!
"We're here, that's the house with the white roof ahead!"
Anna pointed to a two-story European-style building by the roadside. From the outside, it looked more like a tavern than a Western restaurant, but the sign at the entrance clearly indicated that it was the "White Wine Restaurant"!
"Uh, the white wine here should be good!" This was Zhang Hainuo's first reaction upon seeing the sign, but he was completely ignorant when it came to wine tasting. When he was in Germany, he hardly drank, only having a few drinks at family gatherings when he returned home. The difference between several hundred marks and several dozen marks of wine seemed insignificant to him. At this moment, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but wish he could inherit some memories from the real Hainuo von Finkenshtat. According to Edwin, even if he wasn't a wine connoisseur, he must have known much more about it than himself!
"Yes, it's delicious and not expensive!"
Anna smiled and said. She wasn't worried about Zhang Hainuo's wallet because naval lieutenants like him received generous allowances every month, and if they went to sea on a mission, they would receive additional subsidies. Such income was considered high among the working class in Germany.
Zhang Hainuo, who had studied economics in Germany, was aware of this, but as the war progressed, shortages of goods in Germany became increasingly severe, and inflation was inevitable. By the end of the war, the economy was almost on the verge of collapse. So, just to be safe, he brought along the special war injury allowance he received from the German Navy Department while he was hospitalized—650 marks, which was almost three to four months' income for a German working-class person before the war!
Upon entering, Zhang Hainuo found that the business here was indeed very good. About seventy percent of the tables were already occupied. If they had come a bit later, as Anna said, they might not have found a seat!
"Are there any tables by the window?" Zhang Hainuo asked somewhat disappointedly to the waiter who was serving them because he thought it would be enjoyable to dine while watching the street scene outside, but those tables were already "fully booked."
The neatly dressed waiter looked somewhat helpless, but Anna, who was holding Zhang Hainuo's right arm, spoke up, "It's okay, let's sit inside!"
The waiter quickly led the two to a table somewhat in the corner. Zhang Hainuo noticed that many soldiers dining here, with naval officers and army officers among them, some enjoying dinner with ladies, others dining with two or three fellow officers. As he walked past, these people didn't pay much attention to him. There were indeed quite a few handsome ones among them, many of whom wore medals on their chests. Judging from their ranks, except for a table where a slightly older army major was sitting, the rest were basically lieutenants.
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