GQ Chapter56

The second day after returning to Yancheng, I saw Wen Linyu again.

 

We agreed to meet at a coffee shop outside the school. I arrived first, looking at the dazzling menu, feeling a momentary blankness. These words were familiar, and this shop was somewhere I used to frequent. Touching the simply designed menu, I suddenly felt a sense of being in a different era.

 

I chose a secluded corner and sat down, quietly waiting for Wen Linyu. School hadn’t officially started yet, but more students had arrived, and there were a few scattered customers in the coffee shop.

 

I silently stared at the small potted plant on the table, my mind empty. The surrounding human voices gradually faded away, and I suddenly shivered for no reason.

 

It was too quiet, which always reminded me of that lonely stilt house. Most of the time, there was no sound there either, only the company of my own breathing.

 

I became anxious and got up, wanting to change seats, but in a flash, a figure had already quickly sat down.

 

“I’m late,” Wen Linyu apologized softly. “This cup is on me.”

 

With someone there, that lingering anxiety immediately disappeared. I looked up and saw Wen Linyu’s face, whom I hadn’t seen in months. She seemed to have lost a lot of weight, her eyes were sunken, and her face was very haggard.

 

“No need, there’s no reason for a girl to treat.” I said.

 

Wen Linyu pursed her lips and forced a smile, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She asked, “What was the final verdict on that matter?”

 

I lowered my head and stirred my coffee, suppressing the discomfort in my heart, and said, “It was determined to be getting lost in the deep mountains. They absolutely didn’t ask about what happened in the mountains.”

 

My memory returned to that day at the police station when Ye Wensheng took me to cancel the report. The police and rescue team were very surprised that I could return, but they were also very busy. “Tourists” like us who entered the mountains and got lost were basically just troublesome for them. After some simple questioning and a statement, they let me go.

 

In fact, I was also very glad they didn’t ask anything. I didn’t know how to talk about what happened in the Miao village either. If they pressed me on how I lived in the Miao village and how I escaped… would I tell others that I was… no, that’s impossible.

 

“Li Yuze?” Wen Linyu’s call pulled me out of my memories. “Are you okay?”

 

I shook my head and said, “I’m fine.”

 

Wen Linyu said, “Actually, there’s one more thing I want to ask you.” She unconsciously twisted her fingers, her eyebrows lowered, shielding the light in her eyes.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“Do you remember the boy who sat next to me during the campfire ceremony?”

 

Ah Song, of course I knew.

 

“Do you know what happened to him later?” Wen Linyu looked embarrassed, her fingers twisted together tightly.

 

I looked at her and couldn’t help but think of Ah Song in the woods, holding her student ID card, his face full of joyful expressions.

 

“Why do you ask about him?” I said.

 

Wen Linyu’s cheeks gradually flushed, her eyes sparkling. She deliberated and said, “We couldn’t get out of the mountains back then, and he… he came to rescue us, leading the way for us. When he left, he pointed at my campus card. I didn’t understand what he said, but I still gave it to him.”

 

Wen Linyu’s expression felt very familiar to me. I suddenly recalled that I had seen the same expression on Shen Jianqing’s face.

 

He had also looked at me with such tender affection.

 

So, Wen Linyu had fallen in love with Ah Song.

 

I didn’t know what had happened in those few short days that made Wen Linyu fall in love with that Miao youth, and even with a language barrier.

 

I didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad, or whether I should tell her the truth.

 

“His name is Ah Song.” I said.

 

Wen Linyu murmured happily, “Ah Song, so his name is Ah Song…”

 

“He’s now—” I paused for a moment, as if making up my mind. “He’s not doing well. Helping us was considered rebellious in the Miao village, and he was punished.”

 

“Ah!” Wen Linyu leaned forward, almost knocking over the coffee on the table. “What was his punishment?”

 

I couldn’t bear to say more.

 

That answer might be too cruel for them.

 

Seeing my silence, Wen Linyu grabbed my forearm, her voice trembling with a hint of a sob: “Please tell me, okay?”

 

I thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go see Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong first. After we’ve seen them, if you can accept it, I’ll tell you then.”

 

Wen Linyu nodded eagerly.

 

When I returned, Professor Ye told me that Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong were both at the Yancheng Sanatorium and suggested I visit them when I had time.

 

The sanatorium was in the city’s suburbs, with a very pleasant environment, free from the city’s hustle and bustle and the deep mountains’ loneliness.

 

We explained our purpose to the receptionist, who then led us to the sanatorium’s small garden.

 

“Mr. Xu does his rehabilitation on the lawn at this time every day.”

 

Turning past the building, there was a sizable lawn with many patients strolling, some accompanied by family, others not.

 

My gaze instantly landed on Xu Zirong, who stood quietly apart from the others, his hand resting on the edge of the railing. This once robust man had also become emaciated, his calves protruding from his shorts, his kneecaps noticeably prominent.

 

He advanced slowly, gripping the railing, each step cautious and unsteady. With every movement, his body wavered dangerously, nearly collapsing more than once, only managing to steady himself by clutching the railing in time.

 

I suddenly couldn’t connect the person before me with the spirited athlete I remembered. He had once been a track and field athlete, competing in national and international events, yet now he couldn’t even walk without stumbling.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Wen Linyu, who was beside me, was the first to not be able to hold back, letting out a few suppressed whimpers from her throat, turning away in distress.

 

The receptionist also seemed sympathetic to Xu Zirong’s plight, saying, “Mr. Xu’s cerebellum suffered severe damage, so he has some problems with balance… Oh, you two go see him. I’ll head back now.”

 

Wen Linyu and I composed ourselves before daring to approach him. Xu Zirong was still trying very hard to walk, gritting his teeth with every step. Sweat had long since soaked his thin shirt, but he paid no mind to it, nor did he notice us.

 

It wasn’t until he had completed a circuit that he finally looked up and saw Wen Linyu and me standing not far away.

 

I expected him to be embarrassed or uncomfortable, but Xu Zirong instead broke into a sunny smile, his lips parted.

 

“Ah Ze! Xiso Wen! What are you two doing here!” He let go of the railing and took two steps forward, almost falling. I quickly stepped up and supported him.

 

Xu Zirong’s hands trembled as he held my arms, and his voice was also trembling: “Ah Ze, that’s great, you’re back! I felt so guilty about leaving you behind then!”

 

My eyes welled up with moisture involuntarily, and I blinked hard: “You…”

 

But Xu Zirong quickly cut in: “Don’t cry! I’m not dead yet, or are you pitying me?”

 

I quickly shook my head.

 

“I’m lucky enough,” Xu Zirong said, showing his white teeth. “Lulu and I probably drank untreated water and got infected with parasites like toxoplasma. If we hadn’t gotten timely medical attention, both of us would have died already. You should be happy for us.”

 

They actually thought they became like this because of parasitic infections from the wild.

 

But Xu Zirong’s optimism far exceeded my imagination. I couldn’t imagine if I were in his shoes whether I would collapse.

 

“Let’s go see Lulu, she’ll definitely be happy to see you two too.” Xu Zirong said, leading us towards the sanatorium building.

 

Qiu Lu’s ward was on the top floor. When we exited the elevator, we noticed that the entire corridor was covered with wire mesh, likely to prevent patients from accidentally falling from the building.

 

When we reached the ward door, we faintly heard a low humming sound coming from inside. On the hospital bed, Qiu Lu lay peacefully with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, and clutching a large cotton doll. The doll even bore some resemblance to Xu Zirong.

 

And on her bedside table, there were several small dolls. Strangely, the style of the dolls’ clothes looked very familiar to me. After a long while of trying to identify them, I finally recognized them: among those dolls were me and Wen Linyu!

 

Sitting by Qiu Lu’s bed was a middle-aged woman, gently patting Qiu Lu’s quilt, humming a song I didn’t recognize. Underneath that song, Qiu Lu slept even more peacefully.

 

Seeing us enter, the middle-aged woman turned her head and raised a finger to us, signaling us not to speak.

 

She tiptoed with us into the hallway before saying, “Xiao Xu, you’ve come to see Lulu ah!”

 

Perhaps recognizing that Wen Linyu and I resembled the dolls by Qiu Lu’s bed, she then said to us, “You two are also good friends of my Lulu.”

 

“Auntie, they are Li Yuze and Wen Linyu, they specifically came to see Lulu.”

 

Qiu Lu’s mother said with a sudden realization, “I often hear Lulu talk about you guys!”

 

It was normal for her to mention Wen Linyu, as they were friends. But why would Qiu Lu often mention me too?

 

Qiu Lu’s mother explained, “When Lulu plays with those dolls, one of them is called ‘Li Yuze.’ Young man, please don’t mind.”

 

I waved my hands repeatedly.

 

Half of Qiu Lu’s mother’s hair was white, and as she spoke of Qiu Lu, tears shimmered in her eyes: “Our Lulu is also fated to suffer, enduring this illness. She’s only in her own little world, talking to herself every day. No matter how we call her or speak to her, she doesn’t respond. Ai…”

 

She looked at our worried faces and added, “Don’t look so down either. As her parents, we definitely won’t give up on Lulu. She was also like this when she was little; now it’s as if she’s gone back to being a child again…”

 

The rest of her words were completely choked by sobs, she was unable to continue.

 

Wen Linyu quickly stepped forward and hugged Qiu Lu’s mother. My heart also felt a pang of sadness.

 

The four of us had set out full of ambition, our hearts filled with endless beautiful expectations for the future. Yet, only a few short months had passed, and time had changed, and the world had changed. Everyone seemed to have been left with hurt and regret, and everything had transformed into this irreversible state.