Winter Returns

Chapter 114 A Sudden Turn for the Worse (Part 2) (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)

"By the way, Shutong, do you know that Qiu Mian thought you went home to rest peacefully? She even asked me to take you out to relax. If she finds out, she'll definitely worry again..."

Old Song put away his phone and quietly leaned close to his ear.

Zhang Shutong was silent for a moment, then said, "That's for the best. Don't tell her."

There's no need for him to prove anything to anyone. She already has bodyguards around her and is safe. Why would he imply that she's running around outside looking for the so-called murderer? Is he deliberately trying to gain sympathy or just indulging in self-pity?

And even if she found out, she would simply make a phone call from home or ask a few questions on QQ.

Old Song shook his head and stopped talking. The group went to the second floor of the mall, where colorful banners fluttered and some newly opened stores were visible. Their destination was a Sichuan cuisine chain restaurant. Old Song said he needed to go to the restroom, so Zhang Shutong and Lu Qinglian strolled around the entrance.

"First time here?"

"the first time."

They are now standing in an appliance store across from a Sichuan restaurant. Back then, the mall didn't have clear zoning, like the first floor being a fashion section and the second floor being a food section. Instead, it was all crowded together in a chaotic mess.

You might walk out of a hot pot restaurant and find yourself next to an underwear store.

Zhang Shutong and Lu Qinglian watched TV outside the store.

The TV was showing a local channel, the midday news, reporting on the heavy snow of the past few days, and then briefly introducing some safety tips for snowy weather, such as clearing snow from roads and sheds in a timely manner, walking slowly, and not riding a bicycle these days. It might appear in a Chinese homework assignment a few days later.

Zhang Shutong glanced at it and then stopped paying attention; it was really not interesting. Lu Qinglian, however, raised her face and looked at it very seriously, like a cat looking at dried fish in a shop window.

Oh well, this girl finds everything fascinating.

The scene then shifts to new footage, likely showing a mountain on the island covered in snow. The host then adopts a lighthearted tone, reminding everyone to be aware of avalanches.

Avalanche, a somewhat distant term.

But Zhang Shutong knew it wasn't impossible. The host also said that students should remember not to go up the mountain alone this weekend, and even if they did, they must pay attention to safety.

Because avalanches usually do not occur immediately after a snowfall;
Instead, a few days later, as the temperature rises and the surface of the snow melts, the meltwater slowly seeps in, causing the originally firm snow to loosen.

Then another piece of data was introduced:
According to experts, 90% of avalanches are caused by victims or their teammates; these avalanches are called 'human recreational avalanches'.

"The sounds made by winter sports enthusiasts can inadvertently become the trigger. Sometimes, even just a sneeze can cause the vibrations from the sound source to be transmitted into the snow layer, causing the precarious snow to collapse."

"Therefore, it is essential to remain quiet during outdoor activities, especially when an avalanche occurs, as screams from those involved could trigger a secondary avalanche."

"If a person is buried under a snowdrift and cannot be rescued within half an hour, their chances of survival are very slim..."

“This timeframe is unreliable, don’t believe it,” Zhang Shutong said casually. “Actually, the best rescue time for most people is only fifteen minutes, and only adult men with excellent physical fitness can last for half an hour.”

Lu Qinglian nodded her chin, then asked in confusion, "Do I need to soak my feet in hot water after being rescued?"

Zhang Shutong shut up.

"Go ahead and look if you want," he said helplessly. "It's your own fault for being up in the mountains every day."

The scene shifts again to another mountain view. As the camera zooms in, Zhang Shutong looks vaguely familiar.

"Look at that road down the mountain, doesn't it look like the mountain road that leads to the villa?"

"It seems so." Lu Qinglian also frowned.

"Then do you think those footprints might be...?"

"Left by a reporter?" the girl added casually.

That would be a huge blunder.

Zhang Shutong examined it carefully for a moment before saying:
"It shouldn't be. Do you see that tree over there? I remember resting there and looking at the snow on the mountain, worried about an avalanche. There were no trees then, and no footprints on the mountain path. It's probably just old material used to fill in the gaps."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qinglian recalled, "I didn't see a single tree either."

Just then, they heard Lao Song calling them. Zhang Shutong turned around, but Lu Qinglian was still watching TV.

"Next, we will demonstrate the standard procedure for artificial respiration..."

He called out, and the girl glanced at him a few more times before turning around and entering the restaurant with her cane.

……

Soon after, his three best friends arrived.

Seeing that the two had arrived first, I wasn't too surprised, except for asking a few questions about Lu Qinglian's foot injury.

After ordering, the group was led into a private room by the waiter. Old Song was the leader, standing ramrod straight. The waiter kept addressing him as Mr. Song, and with the gold VIP card in his hand, he really looked like a successful person.

But the secret was exposed as soon as the door was closed.

The man took off his coat while giving a wry smile:
“You guys remember this: although I said I would treat everyone, this favor is owed to Qiu Mian. I initially thought that saving five hundred would be the maximum, but I didn’t expect to save a full five thousand.”

"How many?"

Several friends exclaimed in surprise.

“Five thousand, and that’s because this card can only be topped up to five thousand,” Old Song said, a little troubled. “It’s not that I’m being ungrateful, but if I had known it was this much, I wouldn’t have accepted it. Actually, I wasn’t planning to accept it at the time. Qiu Mian told me to take you guys out for some fun, just to calm your nerves and not take yesterday’s events to heart. I figured it wouldn’t be just me spending it; it would probably be gone in one meal, so I took it. But how am I going to spend this five thousand… are you guys going to buy clothes?”

"No." The group shook their heads in unison.

"After you finish this meal, you can keep your meal cards. You can decide how to use them; the teacher should avoid any appearance of impropriety..."

“We don’t need so many,” Du Kang said instinctively. “Could we return them?”

"How about this," Old Song readily agreed, "let's pretend we don't have this card. I'll treat you to this meal. When I see Qiu Mian tomorrow, I'll say I forgot the card. She'll probably feel bad about it and treat you to another meal. You can have two meals in total. As for the card, Shu Tong, you can return it to her when you have the chance."

Everyone agreed, and the card ended up in his hands in a daze. Zhang Shutong glanced at it and found that it was made of metal and had a substantial weight.

Soon, the dishes were served one after another, a total of eight. Old Song was actually a little reluctant to part with the money, but he couldn't back down in front of the students at this moment, so he took the initiative to pick up his Coke and invite everyone to a toast.

"Shutong, why are you sitting so far away?" Ruoping asked curiously.

"I caught a cold," Zhang Shutong said, pulling down her mask. "I'm afraid of infecting you all."

"What time did you stay out yesterday?"

"I forgot," Zhang Shutong answered truthfully.

He toasted everyone in the air and drank the cola in big gulps.

Zhang Shutong said he had a super-strong flu, and that even a little bit of saliva from it would be bad for him; anyone who wasn't afraid of dying could come.

As expected, I was rejected.

Ruoping even thoughtfully found him a pair of serving chopsticks.

It's already past one o'clock.

He was already a man of few words, but today he was even less so. He listened to the others making a ruckus at the dinner table while he ate quietly in the distance. Everyone knew he was sick and, being understanding, didn't invite him to chat or drink with them.

Zhang Shutong occasionally checks his phone. He's feeling much clearer now, and he's grateful to Lao Song for that.

I remember when I finished dealing with Zhou Ziheng and his son, on my way home, I arrogantly thought that so-called retrospection was just kicking away the stumbling blocks on the road of life. Now I think about it, it was just that I wanted to give myself an explanation for some things. If I can still run, then I will keep running. If I have really done my best, then I can take a break.

A fearless individual approached him; it was Qingyi.
"Any new discoveries?"

"What did you find?" Zhang Shutong shifted his chair and picked up a Kung Pao Chicken. "Oh, I found something. This thing is actually sweet."

Where are you planning to go this afternoon?

"Let's go for another bike ride."

Qingyi said in surprise, "I thought you would keep it from us."

"That would be too boring. Now I'll just answer whoever asks me. If no one asks, I'm happy to have some peace and quiet."

"What do we need to do?"

"It's nothing, I'm just wandering around until I'm exhausted, then I should go back." Zhang Shutong thought for a moment.

"To find that footprint?"

“No, it was actually someone else. Now I know what I was subconsciously worried about,” Zhang Shutong sighed. “If it were just a series of footprints on the mountain road, it wouldn’t be so scary, but do you remember the figure I saw in the restricted area?”

"Oh, weren't you talking about Lu Qinglian?"

“It wasn’t her,” Zhang Shutong could only answer. “But I don’t know who it was either. She and the footprints are two different people. By the way, when I went back yesterday, I ran into the real murderer. Lu Qinglian fought with her once.”

Zhang Shutong gave a brief description: "Judging from her skills, there's nothing to worry about. If she walks right into our trap, even if I can't beat her, a bunch of bodyguards can definitely handle it. Besides, I'm planning to take Lu Qinglian there tonight."

"What's truly worrying is the figure in the restricted area?"

Zhang Shutong nodded, "If we can find her, we will. If not, we'll wait for the snow to melt and search slowly. We'll find her eventually."

"I think I understand now. The situation isn't exactly dangerous, but you've been thinking about your own conscience?"

"Correct."

"So it's not that we're trying to hide it from anyone, but that we genuinely don't need any help?"

"Ah."

"Don't make yourself look too pathetic."

"Men always have to be a little disheveled," Zhang Shutong rarely joked. "Actually, it's just obsessive-compulsive disorder."

"That's called protecting what you cherish," Qingyi said, throwing out a cringeworthy line and waving her hand. "Then let's keep in touch if anything comes up."

The same thing can sound different when it comes from different people. In Lao Song's eyes, it's obsessive-compulsive disorder; in Qingyi's eyes, it's just teenage angst. Of course, he himself wouldn't think that way.

After dinner, Zhang Shutong and Lu Qinglian discussed something else.

Let her go home with Ruoping to rest for a while and prepare for the evening.

Given her current condition, it's impossible for her to return to the mountain, and going to her own home would make it inconvenient to contact her.

Ruoping naturally agreed. After finalizing the deal, Zhang Shutong grabbed his clothes and said goodbye to the others.

……

"How much did it cost, teacher?" Ruoping asked curiously. She noticed that Lao Song's hands were trembling when he came out.

"Don't ask, it's not expensive." The man closed his eyes, breathing in and out, too embarrassed to say that the meal had cost him a seventh of his salary, a full six hundred.

"How about the few of us pool our money?" Ruoping noticed something was off about the teacher's tone and felt a little embarrassed.

"I already said I'd treat, how could I go back on my word?" Song Nanshan sighed. "These past few years I haven't had any major expenses, so I've gradually become more frugal. Actually, when I was younger, I was also a spendthrift, spending money extravagantly."

"Is he buying a gift for his girlfriend?"

"You're absolutely right," Old Song chuckled. "You're a girl, so you should know that girls have a ton of expenses. There are ways to be frugal if you want to, but if you don't want to settle, your spending instantly jumps to a whole new level. Let me tell you, just buying fruit..."

Ruoping plugged her ears:

"Stop, stop, I don't want to hear you showing off your love."

"It's just what I felt, it's just what I felt," Song Nanshan said awkwardly, realizing it was indeed inappropriate to say these things to his students.

"Then I'll take you back later. Don't worry about Shutong for now. That kid's been a bit stubborn lately. Well, as his friends, you should be more tolerant of him."

“No problem~” Ruoping said in a drawn-out tone, “Sigh, I’m too lazy to ask now. I’ll just let him do whatever he wants these next few days and play along with his crazy antics.”

"Yes, he's lucky to have friends like you."

Song Nanshan smiled with satisfaction.

"That would be best. I'm afraid he'll find us annoying." Ruoping rolled her eyes and told the remaining two boys to hurry up and leave.

They somehow ended up at the appliance store across from the restaurant and were watching TV there, which was showing "Armor Hero".

Two boys gestured with their hands and shouted their lines:
"Hey Qingyi, I never want to see people's tears again! I want to see everyone's smiles!"

"Coincidentally, that's me too, Du Kang, so watch closely for my transformation!"

Before he could finish transforming, Ruoping pulled him back to his original state, speechless.

"How old are you to still be watching Armor Hero? Aren't you all childish...?"

These words, however, provoked outrage from the two boys:
"First of all, this is Kamen Rider. Secondly, I, Lao Di, am here!"

Ruoping fell silent immediately.

Do you realize you're wrong?

“I don’t know either of you…” she sighed. “Alright, Qinglian’s foot is hurting, she’s still waiting downstairs, let’s hurry up.”

“That’s true.” Du Kang instantly betrayed the knights’ camp. “Why don’t we leave Qingyi? I told you long ago that there’s nothing to see here.”

“You…” Qingyi stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

The three chattered as they walked toward Song Nanshan, who was waiting for them at the elevator entrance.

"I can't control them anymore, teacher, you should take care of them." Ruoping said, rubbing her forehead as she walked away.

The man, who had been leaning against the handrail, watching them playfully bicker with a smile, waved and was about to step onto the escalator when his smile suddenly froze:
"Wait a minute, Ruoping..."

"what happened?"

“You guys keep playing… or could you call your dad and have him come pick you up? The teacher suddenly has some urgent business… I’m leaving right away,” the man visibly stammered, “no, I might not be back for a while, I have to go…”

"What's wrong, teacher? What happened?" Du Kang hurriedly ran up to ask.

Song Nanshan didn't respond. Instead, he staggered down the escalator. The three of them were startled by this sudden turn of events and thought to follow him, but their homeroom teacher had already run to the first floor of the mall and disappeared into the crowd.

"What happened to the teacher?" Ruoping asked blankly.

"Let's call and ask later." Qingyi turned around and looked. "Which way was he looking just now?"

"It looks like it's on the first floor?" Ruoping pointed, and the three of them looked over at the same time, where a large crowd was gathered.

"I'll call my dad first," Ruoping said wearily as the group quickly descended one floor. She dialed the number and waved to Lu Qinglian, "Here, here. The plans have changed. Take my car back..."

……

Zhang Shutong rode his bicycle to the police station.

He then thought of another question: since three people had died in the restricted area eight years later, had such a case occurred before, or had anyone witnessed any suspicious figures in the restricted area before?

In the original timeline, in front of the funeral home, Du Kang once said that a few days before the incident, some fishermen had seen people lurking in the restricted area.

Zhang Shutong initially believed the suspect was a poacher and set a trap to eventually eliminate the restricted area. However, it now seems that all clues must be traced back to the beginning.

He now has two police officers on his phone: one is Officer Xiong, whom he met while fishing; the other is Officer Wang, with whom Lao Song has a past relationship.

However, neither of the two officers were available; they said they had gone to the city to give a report on the Gu family matter, leaving only one officer on the line. The call went unanswered; the line was busy, presumably in a meeting.

Zhang Shutong asked the police officer if he could see the case file, but the officer looked hesitant.

"The case file is definitely not in accordance with procedure, but I can tell you that neither of the two situations you mentioned have happened in recent years. If you really want to say that someone died in that wasteland, it's that legend that a fishing boat carrying college students capsized. But that happened at the beginning of the century. I was about your age then, and whether it's true or not, there's still no way of knowing."

Zhang Shutong sighed and thanked the other party.

It's three o'clock in the afternoon.

If we define Saturday morning as midnight, then there are still 9 hours until the incident.

Ruoping glanced at her phone habitually. She said they had arrived home and that Lao Song had suddenly had an emergency and left in a hurry for some reason. She tried calling him but couldn't get through. She planned to ask him later.

Zhang Shutong replied, "I understand."

He put on his helmet and gloves, got on his bike, and began cycling around the island against the cold wind.

He didn't know if what he was doing was right. He was on a frantic journey in search of someone who "didn't exist." The motorcycle's exhaust pipe was scorching hot. He had accidentally bumped into it when he got on the motorcycle, and it still hurt a little even through his gloves.

He walked around and around the bus route.

Did Lao Song also walk down this path?

Zhang Shutong sometimes thinks about it.

Snow, reeds, stones, ice, soil...

The scene was desolate.

Winter is never a kind season; it merely conceals its bleakness beneath a blanket of white.

Zhang Shutong didn't know how long he had been riding. His condition at noon seemed to be just a temporary respite, and now his head was starting to spin again. He knew he couldn't push himself any further. He glanced at his phone; it was already past four o'clock.

The afternoon passed just like that.

Zhang Shutong rode his bike back to the hospital, registered by himself, and went to the respiratory surgery department again. The same uncle was on duty, and he was clearly taken aback.
"It's you again?"

"It seems like the fever has started again..." Zhang Shutong said, "Could we have another injection?"

"You're treating fever-reducing injections like meals, coming back this afternoon after getting one at noon," the doctor said with a headache. "I think you should just get an IV drip and rest there. If your fever doesn't go down by tonight, it'll probably get serious."

Zhang Shutong thought about it and had no objection.

He got his medication and went to the ward for his injection. It was the same nurse again. "Why are you here again?" she asked.

"Busy, I guess." He's always had a great sense of humor.

Zhang Shutong extended his hand, and the other person, having fastened the tourniquet, patted the back of his hand as if examining a rack of ribs:
"How long have you been outside? It's so cold!"

"All afternoon."

"Stop running around."

"I can't escape now," Zhang Shutong replied weakly, waving his hand.

He asked the nurse for a charger again, and this time he didn't dare to be reckless and obediently made sure the battery was fully charged.

Zhang Shutong closed her eyes to rest, occasionally opening them to look at the IV drip, worried that she might fall asleep.

As it turned out, he was overthinking it. There were even more people at night, the wards were packed, and the sounds of coughing, spitting, and all sorts of strange smells filled the air, along with the cries of children, making people's temples throb.

The hospital was definitely not a good place, but he somehow managed to feel a strange sense of warmth there.

Zhang Shutong saw a chubby boy whose veins couldn't be found in his hands. The nurse suggested inserting a needle into his foot, but the boy refused, desperately trying to hide his legs under his body like a meditating Arhat. His mother was standing nearby, anxiously crying, but the nurse wouldn't stop. Zhang Shutong smiled at the sight, forgetting whether she had ever acted like that as a child, crying at the sight of a needle. But what adults are really like is someone who, one day, doesn't feel well and consciously goes to the hospital for an injection.

This was a small hospital room, about the size of his living room, a few dozen square meters, with a sofa and a bed. The sofa was full of holes, and there was hardly any foam left inside. When he sat on it, he could feel the metal frame. He wondered who was so mean as to pick at the sofa instead of just giving him a shot. But when he came to his senses, he realized that he had also pulled out a small clump of foam, and he felt embarrassed.

As lunchtime approached, the strange smell of various slimes mingled with the aroma of food, making Zhang Shutong feel nauseous. He decided to go for a walk, removing the IV drip himself and carrying it to the corridor, where it was crowded. He came up with a clever trick: he hung the IV drip on the window handle, finally freeing his hands.

The hospital's regulations aren't strict these days. A man stood beside him, constantly smoking, while gusts of cold wind blew in from the window, scattering the smoke in all directions. Zhang Shutong knew the emergency room was next door. Whose husband or father was this?
Winter is a bleak season, and hospitals are the places closest to death.

Behind you, people hurry by—adults, children, men, women… It’s noisy behind you, but you look out the window at the snow; that’s the only peaceful place.

He yawned and was about to go back when he was suddenly bumped.

"Make way!" It turned out that a group of nurses were running through the corridor. The one leading them was a male nurse. He sounded anxious and didn't pay much attention to his surroundings. Zhang Shutong was almost knocked down by him, and for a moment, the needle in her hand started to bleed back.

Upon closer inspection, he saw nurses surrounding a hospital bed, confirming that it was indeed a resuscitation effort. He quickly moved aside, knowing that at this point, it was best not to worry about whether he had touched the bed or not; if he couldn't help, he should at least avoid causing trouble.

He even thought that this was the downside of small hospitals, unlike large hospitals where there are clearly defined areas—injections are just injections, not to mention the emergency room, even children are in a separate pediatric ward.

But on the island, you can see all kinds of patients: some with runny noses, some with persistent high fevers, some in urgent need of rescue, and some on the verge of death.

Zhang Shutong sighed, shook his head, and brushed past the hospital bed.

A man lay on the hospital bed, his head wrapped in bandages, blood seeping through them. His eyes were closed, and his face was as white as paper.

"boom--"

The IV drip bottle in his hand fell to the ground, spilling medicine everywhere. Glass shards flew across the terrazzo floor, making the already chaotic area even more chaotic.

Zhang Shutong was struck dumb; he opened his mouth, but suddenly couldn't utter a word.

Simply because he knew that man.

The man's name is Song Nanshan.

(End of this chapter)