Winter Returns

Chapter 147 One Hundred and Sixty Years Old
"Who is this?" the nurse asked softly.

"My deskmate." Zhang Shutong replied without hesitation.

"What about the one before that?"

"We were also deskmates."

"Do you sit in groups of three in your class?"

"No."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Zhang Shutong said that one was his former deskmate and this one is his current deskmate, which is not contradictory. Why do you always dwell on your deskmate?

"You seem to have a lot of female admirers, little brother." The nurse said as if appraising a product. "But compared to those two, I prefer the other one."

Zhang Shutong almost thought a supernatural event had occurred. How could another one suddenly appear?
He thought for a moment, then said "Oh":
"You mean Ruoping? The girl with short hair? She's my friend."

"So they're not friends?" The nurse had a rather unconventional perspective.

Zhang Shutong said that the one with medium-length hair was also one, but this one in the blue robe... He glanced at Lu Qinglian, who seemed not to have heard their conversation, and simply found a sofa to sit down.

Zhang Shutong was too lazy to explain anymore. He waved his hand and prepared to leave.

"You go ahead with your work, I'll go outside and wait."

"Hey, don't be shy," the nurse teased.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "No, this is called avoiding suspicion."

Otherwise, someone will say again later:
"Zhang Shutong, please look away..."

Zhang Shutong entered the corridor.

Most men would sneak out for a smoke at this time, but he was just a teenager.

Young people should do things that waste their lives. Zhang Shutong rested his arm on the windowsill and stared blankly out the window.

After a long day of running around, I finally breathed a sigh of relief; it was the perfect time to relax and daydream.

There was an old house behind the hospital, something he already knew. This was a characteristic of places with slow development; the rise of new buildings did not accompany the disappearance of old ones, and they often coexisted.

The entire wall was covered with ivy, half of which had already been blown off by the wind and was about to fall off completely.

This thing is strange. If it clings to a wall, it can form a wall of leaves even if it withers. But if it falls to the ground, it turns into mud in a few days.

Perhaps it will climb up again in the spring. He stared at the ivy for a while and thought he could write an essay on the topic of "Self-reliance and Perseverance: On the Spirit of the Ivy". Zhang Shutong even prepared the opening in his mind and just waited for a suitable topic to come.

Sure enough, the newly formed study group was very effective. He found himself thinking about studying whenever he had free time. And this was only a morning. What would happen if he had to memorize vocabulary even while fishing in a few days? He sighed and rested his chin on his hand until the nurse patted him on the shoulder from behind.

The young nurse's surname was Hao. During her hospitalization, the two chatted quite a bit at night and even exchanged contact information. The young nurse said:

“I’ve noticed you keep staring at that old house, whether you’re in the hospital or out of the hospital.”

"I was just bored." Actually, it was because he had been reading the books Qingyi had brought him those days, including Ghost Blows Out the Light. Every night, he would stare at the old house and wonder if a zombie would suddenly appear.

—Of course, there was no result. The old house was just an old house, and it was a pity that Zhang Shutong had spent so many days studying it.

"Is the dressing changed?" he asked.

"Alright, but you need to let it air out a bit before you leave," the nurse whispered. "Judging by her attire, is your classmate from the mountains?"

To be precise, it's in a temple; Xiao Lu isn't a caveman.

Zhang Shutong nodded, and the nurse continued:

"I knew you looked familiar. I visited the temple when I first came to the island. Hmm, you seemed aloof and quiet..."

"Excuse me, how old are you this year, sister?"

"Twenty-three, what's wrong?"

Zhang Shutong said it was nothing, just verifying a conjecture.

He had previously discovered that Lu Qinglian only had a special effect on middle-aged and elderly women, and sure enough, it didn't work on the 23-year-old nurse.

"Actually, she's not exactly a quiet person." For example, she never holds back when it comes to her words. Zhang Shutong thought helplessly, "Whether she's twenty-three or forty-three, you've all been fooled."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, or it'll sound like I'm gossiping about people behind their backs," the nurse said. "Oh, by the way, don't forget to come back in a couple of days to have your cast removed. Director Zhang told me that this morning."

"Director Zhang" is Zhang Shutong's attending physician. Gu's father had made a special arrangement for him, and he is already the most authoritative doctor on the island.

"When?"

"It depends on your schedule. He said you're recovering quite well, even faster than he expected. You don't actually need to keep your arm in a sling all the time." The nurse said she was going to the restroom, and before leaving, she added, "Try to bring a new girl with you next time you get the cast removed. I'm rooting for you!"

Zhang Shutong's eyelids twitched, and she returned to her ward.

Some people stand out more because of their environment; others can't hide their natural charm no matter where they are.

Lu Qinglian is undoubtedly the latter.

She had one foot bare, lightly touching the top of her shoe. Her legs were together, and her hands rested naturally on her lap. She sat upright, neither looking awkward nor restrained.

Her eyelashes drooped down, as if she were resting with her eyes closed.

Even sitting in a dirty hospital room, she exuded an ethereal aura, completely unaffected by the external environment, and her blue robe remained spotless.

Zhang Shutong used to think that Lu Qinglian had a low profile, but that was a wrong impression. Whenever Lu Qinglian appeared in your sight, there was something indescribable about her. She was not a particularly dazzling presence, but she could always attract your attention immediately.

No wonder so many boys have a crush on her.

So Zhang Shutong was right about one thing: she really was like a fairy who didn't eat the food of this world.

“Lu Qinglian.” Zhang Shutong sat down next to the fairy.

"what's up?"

Have you noticed that the sofa you were sitting on is empty?

"Ok?"

“Some people have a habit of prying out the sponge underneath.” Zhang Shutong looked at her hand with a hint of admiration. “You can actually resist doing that.”

The fairy finally opened her eyes, but her clear, cold eyes were already filled with helplessness. "You just wanted to say such strange things?"

Zhang Shutong was also helpless, thinking to himself, "Do you even know what idle chat is? It's just chatting a few words when you have nothing to do."

"By the way, try to walk less these days." Zhang Shutong knew she was stubborn in some ways, so she taught her by example, "Let me tell you a story. There was a person who got injured but didn't listen to the doctor's advice and ran around everywhere. As a result, he developed aftereffects at a young age. Coughing and such are minor issues; he also developed anxiety disorder. By the way, do you know what anxiety disorder is..."

Lu Qinglian sighed in exasperation:
"Don't tell me you had another dream while I was applying the medicine."

"You can understand it that way for now." Zhang Shutong felt a comfortable sigh emanating from every pore of his body.

“Zhang Shutong, I’ll take your good intentions for now,” she said, her head aching. “But could you please stop mimicking my speech so childishly?”

"Uh, is it childish?" "More childish than a fox in the mountains."

Why a fox?

"To care about such trivial matters is a sign of immaturity."

I'm so sorry.

Zhang Shutong stopped trying to make conversation, and the two stayed together for a while longer, waiting for the ointment on her feet to dry.

“Let’s go.” He got up from the sofa.

Lu Qinglian nodded, quickly put on her shoes and socks, and as they left the ward together, she asked again:
"Whose phone number did you just give the doctor?"

“It’s my mom. Anyway, she knows you sprained your ankle.” Zhang Shutong helped her recall, “On Friday, the day you got hurt, she left the island and didn’t get back until Sunday. When she was packing her things at home that night, she asked me why I had an extra pair of shoes. My mom is a very gossipy person, and it’s quite troublesome to explain clearly, so I told her the whole story.”

Zhang Shutong added, "You don't know, my mom has been talking about you every day lately."

Lu Qinglian asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"I wanted to thank you, but she's been at the hospital with me for the past few days, so I haven't had a chance."

Actually, his mother also asked him to invite Lu Qinglian over for a meal, but Zhang Shutong thought she wouldn't go, so he said he would ask her when they met.

Now that a suitable opportunity has presented itself, Zhang Shutong, as usual, completes the following task:
"Want to come over for dinner tonight?"

Anyway, she was coldly rejected, but to her surprise, Lu Qinglian gently shook her head:

"It probably won't work today; it's going to rain tonight."

So, does this mean it's okay when it's not raining?

Before he could speak, Lu Qinglian calmly said:

"What strange thing are you thinking about now? I mean, I'll go to your house to pick up the shoes when I have some free time, but that will inevitably bother your aunt."

As they walked down to the lobby, they could see the gloomy sky from the entrance. A plastic bag tumbled in the wind on the sidewalk. Zhang Shutong remembered something:
"Hold on."

He turned around and ran back.

“You…” Lu Qinglian sighed again. She turned around and saw the boy go to the service desk, smile at the young female receptionist, say something, and then the receptionist took an umbrella out of the counter.

Zhang Shutong walked back quickly with an umbrella, and asked in confusion:

"What did you want to say?"

"nothing."

"Sighing will make you age faster. Even though you are already 160 years old, you should still be careful."

Lu Qinglian looked over expressionlessly, while Zhang Shutong walked away with a smirk.

Just as I stepped out of the hospital, the lightning that had been brewing in the clouds finally erupted with a deafening roar, followed by a torrential downpour that soaked the cold stone pavement.

Zhang Shutong held the umbrella for Lu Qinglian, watched her get on the bike, and then sat on the back seat.

He watched the street scene rushing past, with occasional pedestrians hurrying by. The shop signs along the street were illuminated by a ring of colorful lights, the multicolored lights blending into a misty haze by the water vapor.

For some reason, this kind of weather makes you want to chew a piece of gum. Zhang Shutong didn't have any gum to chew. He only knew that the distance between them was bound to be closer this time. Lu Qinglian's high ponytail would always be swaying against his nose, making him itchy and wanting to sneeze.

"Don't wander around." Lu Qinglian would always give this cold warning at this time.

Soon she saw the school gate and Lu Qinglian squeezed the brakes.

Zhang Shutong understood what she meant. He took the handlebars of the bicycle, tucked the umbrella into his arm, and didn't rush to follow. He watched the girl disappear into the rain alone. The dust in the world seemed to be frozen, and then fell to the ground with the rain. The gray raindrops soaked her blue robe.

He slowly pushed the bike back to the shed, where the poor tail box lay untouched. He picked it up and put it back in place, thinking to himself, "Once I remove the cast, we'll go to the lakeside for another round."

I saw Lu Qinglian again in the fourth-year junior high school office.

The new homeroom teacher position belongs to Lao Song. Zhang Shutong looked at the desk drawer; it would be very difficult to get the lollipops back from there.

Teacher Xu glanced at the light rain outside the window, took a small sip of tea, and closed the lid of the teacup.

Zhang Shutong handed over the registration slip and payment receipt, then adjusted her glasses and looked them over:
"Are these ointments for burns?"

Zhang Shutong didn't believe she could understand that string of strange Western medicine names. Of course, even if she did understand them, there was nothing she could do. It could only be said that Xu Zhiruo's aunt was indeed quite capable.

Have you contacted your mother?

"not yet."

"Is the injury serious?"

"Fortunately."

"Zhang Shutong, you seem to be a quiet child," the homeroom teacher said meaningfully.

Zhang Shutong felt that he was indeed a man of few words.

"Alright, go back to class now. Save my phone number now, let's see what excuses you can come up with later." The homeroom teacher ignored him. "Xiao Lu, you stay here, I want to talk to you alone."

As Zhang Shutong left the office, she thought to herself that the old teacher was indeed worthy of the title. Until the very end, she did not say whether she believed it or not. Other students would have been anxiously pondering it for a long time, but unfortunately, she could not scare Zhang Shutong.

During the second period in the afternoon, he calmly returned to his seat after giving a brief report. Zhang Shutong was already used to the surprised looks from everyone, after all, the first and second place students in the grade had not been there since the afternoon. He just didn't know how the homeroom teacher explained it to the students in the class.

Given her personality, even if she really skipped class to do something, she would keep it a secret from her.

Class ended quickly, and he was expecting his three best friends to come and interrogate him, but they didn't show up. Zhang Shutong was wondering what was going on when Wei Chenchen, who sat in front of him, turned around:
"Hey, Lao Xu said he wants to call you two to a meeting. What did he say?"

"The class's grades, I suppose." Zhang Shutong chuckled, thinking that the homeroom teacher was quite good at making excuses. He remained expressionless. "Isn't she supposed to be clueless about the students in our class? But I'm just there to make up the numbers; she's the main force."

Zhang Shutong pointed to the empty spot where Lu Qinglian was sitting.

"That's good." Wei Chenchen patted her chest. "Don't say bad things about me."

"will not."

The other person turned around, and Zhang Shutong suddenly felt grateful to his homeroom teacher for solving a problem for him without him even realizing it; he had just been about to hand over the payment slip.

I'm still a little unaccustomed to the feeling that nothing is happening.

His seat was next to the heater. He had just come back from the rain, and the warmth around him made him drowsy. Just now, in order to make it look more convincing, Zhang Shutong had taken some toilet paper, wet it on the tap, and dried his hair as he entered the office, since he wasn't actually wet.

The second break between classes is the time for breastfeeding.

The milk distributor in the class has changed; today's milk is strawberry flavored.

Zhang Shutong inserted the straw, and at that moment Lu Qinglian returned.

Her face remained expressionless, and no one knew what the homeroom teacher had said to her—whether it was a patient lecture or an attempt to find fault with her. Zhang Shutong was curious and was about to ask when a phone call came in. It was from the nurse. Zhang Shutong didn't know what she wanted, so he pressed the answer button. The other person said:
"Did you leave your keys here? I found them while making the bed."

Zhang Shutong patted his pocket and realized that his dormitory key had slipped out of his pocket.

(End of this chapter)