Winter Returns

Chapter 110 The Injured Duo (Part 1)
Saturday, December 8, 2012.

Seven fifty.

There are still more than ten hours until "early morning".

After parking his car, Zhang Shutong went into the convenience store to buy a bottle of water and warm himself up by the air conditioning.

Although leaning against a motorcycle while waiting for the girl to come down the mountain is pretty cool, my life is more important right now.

Perhaps because of his cold, he wasn't in much spirits today. There's a story in Greek mythology called "The Sword of Damocles," also known as "The Sword Overhead," meaning "a danger that is always present." He's like a little man running around under that sword right now. Although he's already avoided the area where the sword will fall, he always wants to run a little further away.

He didn't expect the shop to open so early. This place was probably an illegal building from years ago, with the shop in front and the house in the back. It was open for business as soon as he got up.

Zhang Shutong walked into the convenience store. As soon as he entered, he saw the bubble gum jars on the counter, the cracked cement floor under his feet, the incandescent light bulbs overhead, and the dust on the shelves. The place was filled with an old and worn atmosphere.

He made a mistake: the ice dew here costs two yuan, so how could the proprietress bear to turn on the air conditioning so early in the morning? So buying a bottle of water gave him "temporary stay rights," and the proprietor didn't kick him out.

Zhang Shutong bought another tissue to wipe his nose. After looking at his phone for a while, his head felt even more dizzy, so he started studying the instant noodle packaging. Sometimes he would glance at the time; it was almost eight o'clock. He turned to look outside but didn't see Lu Qinglian.

It was 8:10 again, and he was getting sleepy, but he still hadn't seen it.

Not up yet?
Or is there some unexpected event?
He wrapped his clothes tighter and left the convenience store, walking towards the mountain road. He thought to himself that Lu Qinglian would also stand him up, but he ran into her after saying a few bad things.

The girl slowly walked down the mountain path. Today she was wearing a very thick military coat. To be honest, the style was a bit outdated, but she was pretty and looked good in anything. Besides, the coat had a fluffy collar that could hide her pretty face. She was a pragmatist.

"Sorry I'm late," Lu Qinglian said as soon as they met, her voice tinged with weariness.

“It’s okay, as long as it’s not measured in hours, I can accept it,” Zhang Shutong turned and went down the mountain. He casually asked, “You didn’t run into that fox on the way, did you, and then you played with it for a while?”

"No, the injury to my foot is more serious than I thought, so I walked a little slower than usual."

"Uh, sorry..."

When Zhang Shutong looked back, she realized that she was several steps behind her.

“I didn’t mean to blame you.” Lu Qinglian said calmly, as if stating a fact. “There’s no point in dwelling on what happened a day ago. I just wanted to make my situation clear in advance so that we could make adjustments if it would affect the subsequent arrangements.”

"I understand. You mean I can't run around like I did yesterday?"

"I can move around, but I can't do anything too strenuous."

"I should have packed that bottle of safflower oil for you," Zhang Shutong sighed. "I caught a cold today too, how are you?"

"Fortunately."

Zhang Shutong wanted to ask if the cut on her face had healed; it seemed to have scabbed over, leaving a faint red line on her fair skin. Just as he was about to get closer to take a look, Lu Qinglian covered her face expressionlessly.

"Fifth reminder..."

"Yes, yes, we're not that close, right?"

"You'd better remember that."

"Do you need help?"

She nodded her chin and softly thanked him, indicating that she truly had difficulty moving around.

Zhang Shutong stretched out his arm, and Lu Qinglian put one hand on his upper arm as the two slowly walked down the mountain path.

“Lu Qinglian, you’re cuter when you say thank you.”

"Zhang Shutong, you're talking a lot of nonsense today. Is it because of a cold, or because you've just broken up with your boyfriend?"

Zhang Shutong choked for a moment:
"Oh, right, I went to the restricted area again last night."

"You're being too impulsive," Lu Qinglian frowned.

"It wasn't really risking my life. I was riding a motorcycle and basically didn't get off. Even if she spotted me, she wouldn't be able to catch up."

"And what happened? Nothing was found?"

"Yeah, it's basically a waste of time." Zhang Shutong sniffed. "By the way, does the temple have any folk remedies for colds? The temple keeper should have some healing skills, right?"

"There's no such thing," Lu Qinglian said, slightly annoyed.

After the two injured people descended the mountain road, he asked Lu Qinglian to wait at the entrance for a moment while he drove the car back first, so they could save themselves some walking.

A short while later, the motorcycle roared up in front of Lu Qinglian. Zhang Shutong patted the back seat, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed:
"I forgot to bring you a helmet; it's windy today."

"I expected it." The girl decisively turned the collar of her military coat outwards, almost covering her entire face.

Zhang Shutong then told her where the motorcycle pedals were hidden and where to hold onto them for easy gripping when getting on the bike. He felt himself becoming increasingly verbose. Lu Qinglian simply nodded, then flipped herself onto the bike with nimble movements.

Zhang Shutong inexplicably felt that she would look very cool riding a motorcycle.

But now I'm the one taking care of her.

He just didn't expect that the first woman to sit in the back would be Lu Qinglian. Of course, Zhang Shutong had no other thoughts. He was in a so-so mood today. He was neither anxious nor unhurried. He had just gone to pick up someone and was going to share a ride with her.

The motorcycle cruised leisurely across the vast snowfield, a little shaky, and his gear-shifting was a bit clumsy, but he was still able to handle it.

Sometimes the snow kicked up by the wheels would splash onto her face, and she could see Lu Qinglian's long hair being blown by the wind in the rearview mirror.

No one was wandering around at the foot of the mountain at this time. The surroundings were vast and empty, a silvery snowfield, a cool motorcycle, and two people who had temporarily formed an alliance. The road ahead was unknown, and everyone had their own purpose, so it wasn't very romantic, but time seemed to slow down.

The temple keeper girl only injured her foot, but she was still agile. She said this because she could sit steadily while holding onto the motorcycle's guardrail.

There was always a distance between the two of them, and if it weren't for her flowing hair, it would be hard to notice that there was someone behind her.

"Go to the restricted area first?"

"it is good."

With just five words, the itinerary for the following day was finalized. After a moment of silence, Zhang Shutong stared at the road and asked again,
"Oh right, you actually have other clothes. I thought you only had that one robe."

"You don't change your clothes all year round?"

Lu Qinglian gave a perfunctory answer, saying that she had originally tied her hair in a ponytail, but had let it down after getting on the bus, perhaps to keep it warm? Zhang Shutong couldn't say for sure.

“Actually, I used to think that the robe was a work uniform, for example, that one must wear that blue robe when performing the duties of a temple keeper.”

“That’s right.” She thought for a moment and said briefly.

"So, what about today?"

“Your judgment is based on your understanding of Lu Qinglian,” Lu Qinglian said calmly.

"What do you mean?"

“What if I were someone else?” Zhang Shutong was taken aback, gripped the brake, and turned around to speak, but saw Lu Qinglian prop him up with her hands, letting out a soft sigh:

"fake."

"Are you fake?"

"What I just said was a lie. Why did you believe it? But I admit, I shouldn't have scared you."

Zhang Shutong knew this wasn't a sudden pang of conscience, but rather that her body had also uncontrollably lurched forward, resulting in a close, chest-to-back encounter between them—a scare tactic that had backfired on her.

"It was a subconscious reaction," Zhang Shutong said helplessly. "I'm not in good shape today, and my mind is a bit blank."

“Sorry, but your question is a bit too… What do you mean by work clothes? What are you thinking?” Lu Qinglian couldn’t find a suitable adjective for a moment. “Also, you’d better not take this opportunity to do things that boys your age like to do.”

"You actually know about this?" Zhang Shutong was surprised. "And someone even mentored you?"

“No, you really did have a fever that damaged your brain. Didn’t I tell you that I don’t like physical contact with people?” Lu Qinglian recalled, “But I’ve heard other people say that some people deliberately squeeze the brakes, which is a very childish behavior.”

Zhang Shutong was definitely not that naive; he started talking about serious matters:

"There are two conclusions now. First, she must have had a purpose in going to the restricted area. Second, I still believe I wasn't mistaken; she and the person I saw that day are probably not the same person."

"But now all leads have gone cold."

"So be prepared for today's schedule; you might end up wasting your whole day."

Lu Qinglian nodded and said nothing more.

Zhang Shutong knew that today's actions were likely futile, but he needed to find a goal to keep himself going, otherwise he would have been bedridden this morning.

—As long as I can get through tonight, that's all that matters. If I can get through tonight, catch the murderer, and finally I'll be free. Maybe things won't go that way, but he sometimes comforts himself with these nonsensical reasons.

He focused on riding his bike, but made a detour to the base to get a motorcycle helmet and a folding stool. He tossed one to Lu Qinglian, only to remember that he hadn't yet searched the safe, which contained a compressed biscuit.

Zhang Shutong rarely reflected on his actions, but perhaps he shouldn't have taken Gu Qiumian to eat compressed biscuits last time.

But it was too late to say all that; he then led Lu Qinglian back to the forbidden area.

This is the definition of wasted effort—there was no one in the restricted area, but they hadn't made any new discoveries, so they sat on the bench and waited. Anyway, Lu Qinglian was also injured, so it was just a rest.

After all, the focus today is on the "evening".

The two of them sat down on the lakeshore. Zhang Shutong rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the water. Once people are quiet, they tend to chat.
"Thank you so much for helping me these past few days."

"I said there's no need to thank me, this is helping myself."

"But in fact, you helped me a lot. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to deal with that person, and without you, I would be sitting here all by myself."

Zhang Shutong had also sat in the restricted area before, sometimes for several hours at a time, and knew it wasn't a pleasant experience:

"Even if we don't gain anything, it's still nice to chat. I don't know if you can understand, but there are some things I can't tell my friends, teachers, or parents. I can't even tell Gu Qiu Mian herself. After a while... I might feel a bit pent up. I'm really grateful to have someone to listen to me."

I don't deny that statement.

"So thank you anyway, at least we could chat for a bit..."

“Sorry, I don’t like guys like you,” Lu Qinglian interrupted.

“Who confessed to you?” Zhang Shutong was speechless. “Besides, I don’t like girls like you.”

She asked, puzzled:

"Isn't that right? Usually, when a boy talks to me like that at school, it's a sign that he's about to confess his feelings."

Zhang Shutong remained silent. But he saw Lu Qinglian's ambiguous smile.

"Did you do it on purpose just now?"

"It was intentional," she readily admitted.

"why?"

"You're being a bit noisy."

"Do you want some water? Is there any in the carriage?"

Lu Qinglian shook her head.

The two of them chatted intermittently, falling silent when the cold wind blew by. Sometimes Zhang Shutong would pick up his phone and chat with Gu Qiumian for a moment, but it was nothing more than repeating past confirmations.

"How about it?"

"Everything is safe."

Zhang Shutong turned off his phone and murmured:
"So, do you think this matter is over?"

He couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or actually asking something.

“It depends on your purpose,” Lu Qinglian said casually. “If it’s to protect your deskmate, then her personal safety is already guaranteed. If it’s to find out the truth, then it’s not. So this matter is not over for me yet.”

“The truth is…” Zhang Shutong sighed. “The former is easier to figure out, but the latter is really a mystery. Ever since I saw you come out of the pit that day, I’ve been thinking, since you said that person’s skills are about the same as yours, is it possible that he could have jumped over it directly?”

“I don’t know.” Lu Qinglian provided a good answer. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Jumping over directly might be very difficult, but like climbing a tree, it’s possible.”

"It's like in the movies, right? You step on it and you're up there in no time..." Zhang Shutong was silent for a while, "I might have to give up on the truth now, I just don't have the energy for it."

He added:
"Of course, it's not about giving up completely, but about putting it aside for now. At least from tonight until tomorrow night, the only goal is to prevent Gu Qiu Mian's death. As for who saw the person that day, my current thought is this: it would be best if we could find them along the way, but if we can't, after a few days when the snow melts, your snakes will be able to move around normally. That's better than us searching for someone aimlessly."

Lu Qinglian, unusually, did not warn him not to mention snakes again:

"So you already have a goal, don't you? Why are you asking me?"

"Because making the decision is really difficult. Even if you feel that your current choice is correct and you have really tried your best, you will still uncontrollably think about whether you can take on this responsibility..."

"Why should you take this responsibility?" Lu Qinglian asked rhetorically.

"I haven't finished yet. I used to think this way, but now I realize I was wrong. Actually, a friend of mine reminded me before that taking on everything alone is a sign of arrogance. At the time, I thought he was just talking without understanding the situation, but he meant well, so I didn't feel comfortable saying it."

"But now I realize he was right. The idea that 'only I can do this' is really arrogant. Now it's proven that her father is back. The problems I thought were difficult can be solved by him with a wave of his hand, and he can solve them even better."

"I'm not saying this to wallow in self-pity or like a complaining woman, feeling that all my previous efforts were wasted and blaming anyone. I just feel that I was wrong before. There's nothing that I absolutely have to do, and instead, I've put a lot of pressure on myself."

He spoke for a very long time, then exhaled, realizing he was a little embarrassed. Zhang Shutong usually didn't voice these kinds of thoughts. He glanced at Lu Qinglian, who seemed to be listening intently, and after a long pause said:

"Zhang Shutong, you seem a bit fragile today."

(End of this chapter)