Winter Returns

Chapter 111 The Injured Duo (Part 2)
"It's not that I'm fragile, I'm just a little tired."

"I can understand."

What did you understand?

Zhang Shutong gave her a strange look, and was about to ask a question when Lu Qinglian said:
"How about I ask you a question instead? What's the latest time you've ever had a dream?"

Zhang Shutong never expected that her seemingly comforting words just a moment ago would turn into such a sharp question the next:

"You really believe it?"

"Since I believe you saw someone who looks exactly like me, why don't I believe you had a dream that foresaw the future?"

"It will be Saturday morning."

“Is that so…” Lu Qinglian looked at the lake, “So that’s why you came to the rooftop to find me that day?”

"more or less."

"I understand." She nodded slightly. "There's one more question: how many times have you had this kind of dream?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. On Wednesday, December 5th, you wrote my name on scrap paper. Others might believe your made-up excuses, but you can't fool me."

Lu Qinglian glanced at him:
"You had a dream that day too?"

Zhang Shutong broke out in a cold sweat. He had almost forgotten about it. The other party was incredibly perceptive.

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment, then decided not to be stubborn:

"It was a dream."

"What about the content?"

"You were dreaming about your future self, weren't you?"

"Where was your deskmate back then?" She quickly grasped the key point.

Zhang Shutong remained silent for a while:
"He was also killed."

"This is the second time." Lu Qinglian said, as if confirming something. "One last question: under what circumstances do you dream?"

"When else could it be, during sleep?" Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat.

But she didn't delve into it, only saying softly, "Then your sleep quality isn't very good."

"……good."

Lu Qinglian then said:
"You ask me why I'm helping you? Because if you fail, it means I'll fail too. Let me give you an example: you like fishing, right?"

Zhang Shutong nodded.

"A man came to the water to fish, and a very big fish was about to be hooked. If it got off the hook just before it was caught, it would be very frustrating."

Zhang Shutong couldn't help but complain, "You learned fishing from me, can you stop talking like you're a fishing master?"
"I think I understand. You're worried that the fish has completely disappeared, right?" The fish refers to the figure in the restricted area.

"wrong."

"what does that mean?"

"It's very likely I won't even know that fish exists. If it happened again, would that person come to the shore to fish? The person knows, the fish knows, but I don't know."

Zhang Shutong didn't understand.

"It's okay if you don't understand. To put it simply, I'm still somewhat interested in observing you."

"You seem to have said something similar before, didn't you? Why did you say that yesterday when you came down the mountain?" Zhang Shutong asked belatedly.

Thinking about it carefully, he didn't have much interaction with Lu Qinglian, but Lu Qinglian's attitude towards him was indeed somewhat special, at least not like how she treated others, always referring to "that child".

"You want to know?"

"I'm a little curious."

"Could you please get me a bottle of water, please?" she said politely.

Zhang Shutong then went to the motorcycle and handed her a bottle of water.

I thought there would be a different answer, but to my surprise:
“You’re a little different from other people.” She unscrewed the bottle cap, her small lips half-pressing against the bottle opening, a subtle curve forming at the corners of her lips.

What does "others" refer to? Peers?

"Everyone else."

“Uh…” Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled, “First of all, let me clarify that I’m not narcissistic, but what you’re saying sounds really weird?”

"Interpret it however you like," Lu Qinglian said casually.

"Say it or don't, it's up to you." Zhang Shutong shrugged, suspecting that she just wanted to trick him into running errands.

Actually, chatting with her is quite interesting. Anyway, we both say things that are half true and half false, so there's not much of a psychological burden. Moreover, she usually doesn't seem like a girl her age; she's mature and calm.

"How about we go fishing again after this is over?" Zhang Shutong had learned to paint a rosy picture for himself, a wonderful life was just around the corner. "Not only me, Ruoping and Dukang also want to invite you again."

"No, thank you," Lu Qinglian coldly refused, "please thank them for me."

"You're a bit heartless."

Are you thinking that once this is resolved, you can go back to a normal life?

Zhang Shutong nodded subconsciously.

“For you, returning to a normal life means going fishing,” she paused, then said calmly, “but for me it’s the opposite. If it weren’t for finding that person, I wouldn’t have stayed down the mountain for so long.”

Zhang Shutong seemed to understand.

Normally, she would switch between being a student and a temple keeper, so it's an exception that she's sitting by the water in a coat chatting with me like this.

It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

“Actually, you could try making a change,” Zhang Shutong suggested.

"Zhang Shutong, I have a slight interest in observing you, but that doesn't include chatting with you."

"Anyway, we've been chatting for so long."

"And you're pushing your luck?" She chuckled softly.

"You can laugh like that too?"

However, upon closer inspection, Lu Qinglian had already regained her calm demeanor.
"Your cold has gotten so bad that you're hallucinating."

They glanced at the time again and realized that they had unknowingly sat there until eleven o'clock. The surroundings were quiet, with melting snow and swaying reeds creating a desolate scene.

Still nothing has been found.

Lu Qinglian seemed to have a magical power. He felt a little dizzy from the cold wind. He was supposed to take cold medicine twice a day, and he should be able to take it again at night, but the medicine didn't seem to work. He felt dizzy and sleepy all the time.

It worked, but he couldn't sleep.

Zhang Shutong felt that continuing to force himself to stay in the line of duty was not a solution. He needed to at least maintain a good condition until the evening. By the way, did he need an ID card to register at the hospital in 12? He thought vaguely.

Go there and get some medicine.

"Should we wait?" he asked Lu Qinglian for her opinion.

"If you can handle it."

There was nothing more to say then, and the two of them got back on their motorcycle and headed to the hospital.

The island is perfect for a slow-paced lifestyle, and there are still very few people on the streets.

He just messaged Gu Qiumian again, and she said she was eating and told him not to worry.

As usual, Zhang Shutong replied, "Be careful, especially have the bodyguards guard the two doors." He felt he was being a bit long-winded, but then thought, "Oh well, even if I get disliked, it'll only happen once today."

The hospital is in the city, and we arrived at exactly 11:20.

He was healthy when he was a child and rarely came here. He only remembered that it was a three-story building. The first floor was the outpatient department, the second floor was the inpatient department, and the third floor was the various departments. It was very small as a hospital, but too big as a clinic. There were about a dozen doctors on duty at any time. Don't expect to be able to cure serious illnesses, but it was an island, so he got used to it.

Upon entering, the first thing you smell is a faint scent of disinfectant. The lower half of the walls is painted green, while the upper half, which was white, has turned pale yellow and is marked with red crosses. Zhang Shutong is leading Lu Qinglian in line at the window. "Have you been here before?"

“Basically not.”

"What's the secret?"

"It's just a minor ailment, nothing serious, some medicine will do the trick."

Common sense was sometimes effective and sometimes not for Lu Qinglian. Zhang Shutong was used to teaching her, so he told her where to register, which department to go to for what kind of illness, and where to go for treatment. He also told her to bring her medical record book next time if she had one.

"Don't take me for a fool." She listened with a hint of helplessness. "I came to see you for a medical appointment."

"Then guess why I registered for two appointments?" Zhang Shutong said to the nurse at the window, then turned back and said, "One for respiratory medicine and one for surgery."

"Are you really hallucinating from the fever?" Lu Qinglian analyzed the situation using the knowledge she had just learned.

"I was just checking your feet..."

Lu Qinglian seemed surprised and paused for a moment, which was uncommon.
"no need."

"Don't be polite, no, I mean don't be stubborn." Zhang Shutong was too lazy to explain to her. "Look at me, I don't try to be stubborn anymore. If I'm sick, I get treatment. Besides, I also have a responsibility for your situation."

"You'd better not phrase it so ambiguously."

"So, I'm also responsible for your foot?"

"You did this on purpose?" Lu Qinglian asked expressionlessly.

"You're welcome."

"...Thank you." She said softly after a long while.

"I told you, there's no need to thank me. I'm helping myself." Zhang Shutong mimicked her and said it casually, finding it to be the only somewhat interesting thing that happened today.

As a result, she gave me a dangerous look:
"Don't mimic my speech."

She was originally helping himself; once her foot healed, she could catch the murderer—it's a very simple logic.

But her eyes were somewhat kind. Zhang Shutong stopped talking nonsense, and the two went to the respiratory department first. This girl had no common sense. She should have been waiting outside, but she just followed him in and sat on a small stool. She looked calm, but she was actually like a family member. Zhang Shutong didn't have the energy to correct her. He first explained the cause of his illness to the doctor, then put on the thermometer and waited listlessly.

"Snotty nose?" The doctor was a middle-aged man.

"Kind of."

"Where's the phlegm?"

No, but I have a bit of a cough.

"Lift up your shirt." The middle-aged man picked up his stethoscope.

Zhang Shutong did as instructed, there was nothing to avoid—even though Lu Qinglian was right next to him—because he was wearing an undershirt.

"It's nothing, just a slight chill and a bit of inflammation, not the flu." The uncle listened for a moment, but just to be on the safe side, he pressed on the man's chest. "If it hurts..."

Before the doctor could finish speaking, Zhang Shutong hissed.

"Does it hurt a lot?" The man's expression turned serious, and he pulled his mask up.

"Uh, it's nothing, I just got kicked..."

"You kids, seeing how fair-skinned you are, I'd think you were a good student." The uncle shook his head. "Why are you fighting in the snow? If you fall and get hurt, you'll be going to the ward next door. Surgery, let me tell you, don't take this lightly. Just last week, two students from your school were sent here..."

The middle-aged man started rambling on as usual, but Zhang Shutong thought to himself:
First, I am a good student. This is not a fight between two people, but a one-sided beating. However, the person who beat him is sitting next to him, so he can't say it out loud.

Second, you're amazing! We really need to go to the surgery department later.

When he's in a bad mood, he likes to tell himself jokes to amuse himself, and it works quite well.

However, Zhang Shutong couldn't laugh when the thermometer was taken out. He hadn't expected the fever to be over 38 degrees Celsius.

"Your fever is a bit high. Let me start an IV drip for you. Go outside to pay the bill in a bit, then go to the first room on the left on the second floor. Give the form to the nurse."

The older man, seeing that he was a student, gave him a few more instructions.

Zhang Shutong said with a headache:

"How long will it take?"

"That's about three hours' worth of food, let's do three days' worth first."

"Could we switch to a fever-reducing injection? I have something to do later."

"I'm afraid we can't bring your temperature down," the middle-aged man adjusted his glasses. "Besides, fever-reducing injections can be harmful to your body. I know you kids think IV drips are too slow and none of you have the patience to wait, but..."

On the contrary, he actually wanted to get an IV drip and take a nap, but he simply didn't have the time.

Zhang Shutong then sighed:
"Excuse me."

"Alright, your parents aren't here, so I can't persuade you," the uncle said, being easygoing. He muttered as he wrote out a prescription. "Go back and observe yourself after your injection. Just stay in bed today, and we'll talk about it if it doesn't improve."

Zhang Shutong quickly thanked him and called Lu Qinglian out of the consultation room.

He was about to tell Lu Qinglian that she should not follow him in when she was about to get the injection, but the girl apologized as soon as she left the room.

Zhang Shutong knew she was probably referring to the wound on his chest, but there was really no point in dwelling on what happened yesterday.

"You can teach me how to ride a bike while you get your injection here," Lu Qinglian rarely offered such a suggestion.

"Fine, I can tolerate it."

The two went to the surgery department next door. The surgeon was an older woman. Lu Qinglian took off her shoes and socks, revealing her sprained foot.

Zhang Shutong sat next to her and also acted as a family member. He took a look and found that it was more serious than he had thought; her smooth ankle was swollen high.

Zhang Shutong felt a pang of pain just looking at it; he knew it hadn't been this bad at home yesterday. To be honest, if he had known Lu Qinglian's foot was this serious, he definitely wouldn't have gone to pick her up this morning. Instead, he would have let her recover on the mountain while he went off to be a lone wolf.

The doctor was just as surprised as he was.

"You didn't sprain your ankle today, did you? How could you hurt yourself like that?"

If the uncle's scare was a false alarm, this aunt's was genuinely serious.

"I twisted it yesterday," Lu Qinglian replied casually.

"Have you been resting at home the whole time?"

"There have been events."

"Doesn't your child feel pain?" the doctor asked, even more surprised. "With an injury like yours, you should be in so much pain that you can't move by now."

Zhang Shutong was even more surprised than the doctor, because he knew that Lu Qinglian's "activity" was not just a simple walk. On the contrary, she had been running, and even fought with someone once. Today, she walked down the mountain by herself... Zhang Shutong couldn't count how many miles she had walked with her injuries, but she had never said anything.

"Of course it hurts."

"How can you feel pain..."

“Something’s going on, so I have to endure it,” she said calmly.

But the doctor still frowned when he pressed on her injured area. Zhang Shutong noticed that her toes were curled up slightly as a result, indicating that she was really in pain, but was just enduring it, rather than being insensitive to pain.

He suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

"You should have come earlier, why did you wait until now?" Perhaps because Lu Qinglian was about the same age as her daughter, the aunt unconsciously adopted the tone of an elder speaking to a younger person, "Luckily, you only strained a muscle, otherwise it would have been broken if the bone had been injured."

"It was already dealt with yesterday." But Lu Qinglian was always like this to everyone, like solid ice in the snow that can be seen everywhere outdoors, her voice without any inflection.

"How to deal with it?"

"I soaked my feet and applied safflower oil."

"What, soak your feet?" To everyone's surprise, the doctor's voice rose slightly, and his brows furrowed. "Now I know why it's so serious. You should have applied an ice pack within 48 hours of the sprain. Who told you to soak your feet in hot water?"

The doctor was clearly angry, and both of them were taken aback.

Then, the girl turned her gaze to the boy beside her.

(End of this chapter)