Winter Returns

Chapter 159 The Watcher's Loneliness (Part 2) (Thanks to Alliance Leader FoxMakarov for the donation)

"should be."

This answer was a bit unexpected.

Zhang Shutong thought she would ignore those words, although ignoring them would be a form of acquiescence, but saying it so bluntly made it difficult to respond.

He hesitated for a moment, then had to say:
“…My condolences.”

I had already guessed about her parents' situation. People who haven't shown up for so many years are practically the same as being missing or dead.

“However,” Zhang Shutong said cautiously, “since you’ve already anticipated this, could you tell me about your mother’s situation? Why did she become a ‘mud person’?”

“I have very little memory of her, including her death, and this is the first time I’ve seen a picture of her.”

"Is it the first time I understand it to be?"

"Whether in life or in death," Lu Qinglian said softly.

Zhang Shutong initially found it unbelievable, but then realized it made perfect sense. Logically speaking, how could a person not have a photo in their lifetime? Selfies, travel photos, group photos with friends, various anniversaries and birthdays... Not to mention Lu Qinglian's mother's generation, even she herself had basically never kept any.

Zhang Shutong also recalled a rumor in her class that the year they graduated, the school hired a professional photographer to take photos of everyone, and each person submitted a casual photo to make a photo album.

Rumor has it that only Lu Qinglian didn't pick up the photo album, while Zhang Shutong did have one. Over the past eight years, when he occasionally flipped through it, he belatedly realized that there were no photos of her in it. He used to think that the girl was struggling financially, although the album was only sixty yuan and a thick stack wasn't that expensive, but now he thinks that might not be the case.

There's an electronic version of the graduation photo, which is free of charge. Lao Song sent it to everyone's email address, but she probably doesn't even have an email address.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the woman's photo on the wall again and understood what Lu Qinglian meant by "few impressions." If clay figures could be preserved in the state of the deceased, the woman was not much older than Lu Qinglian at all; otherwise, he would not have mistaken her for someone else before.

Early twenties? That's the youngest she could be. That means her mother really did pass away when she was very, very young—two or three? Even if she were a little older, what could a child that age possibly remember?

He stopped asking questions, because Lu Qinglian's words had already been a tacit answer.

On the contrary, Lu Qinglian added:
“If I knew her situation, I would have said so, but the truth is, I didn’t.”

"However, you shouldn't think of people as too fragile, Zhang Shutong."

She lowered her eyes and gently stroked the scratched wooden table:
"Since it was foreseen, we should have prepared in advance. Besides, all I want is the truth."

"the truth?"

"There are records about clay figures on the murals in the temple. Someone who should have been responsible for collecting them turned into one. Why did she die? What happened after her death? Isn't it normal to want to know the truth?"

She said, word by word:

“I am a temple keeper. My mother is too.”

"Even your grandmother didn't know about these things?"

“Grandma said it was an accident, but I remember that she had thought about leaving the island and going with my father before she died.”

"and then?"

“An accident happened.”

"The temple keeper can't leave the island?"

“At least that’s the rule in the temple.” Lu Qinglian ended the topic by saying, “Time is almost up.”

As she said this, Zhang Shutong was inspecting the interlayer of the wooden table, but unfortunately it really was just a wooden board.

“I have a new idea,” Zhang Shutong said. “At first I thought this person had been observing Lao Song in this basement for four whole years, but later I found that it might not be the case. Since the clay figure has already been recovered, there is no reason for him to stay for so long. The dust in the room also proves this point.”

"It's more likely that he initially targeted Old Song in order to find clues about the clay figures."

"But this brings up a new problem. Old Song's move-in was purely accidental. He thought the east-facing room had the best sunlight, but the basement probably dates back to the last century. It's impossible that such a dormitory building was built so early just to observe Old Song."

"I mean, the person living in the basement may not be the same person who built the dormitory building."

"So, building such a strange building is strange in itself... cough..."

Lu Qinglian hummed in agreement, about to speak, when she frowned:
"What are you doing again?"

Zhang Shutong was breathing heavily when that damned feeling returned:

"I'm a little out of breath... Did you find anything on your end?"

"No, if you feel anxious, just leave. If Teacher Song arrives at the dormitory ahead of time, all your preparations will be for nothing."

"You also think we shouldn't have told him?" Zhang Shutong asked with difficulty, trying to calm his breathing, but the air around him was filled with a musty smell that made him feel nauseous.

“You don’t need to ask me about this.” Lu Qinglian glanced at him, her eyes gleaming in the darkness. “To me, there’s only what’s necessary and what’s unnecessary. If telling him won’t help, then it’s unnecessary.”

She spoke without any emotion, but Zhang Shutong felt that she meant more than just what it seemed on the surface; it was more like she was looking for another reason.

However, he didn't have time to think about what Lu Qinglian was thinking; his breathing and brain were both constricted.

Zhang Shutong didn't know if it was the enclosed space that triggered her anxiety or something else, but this illness was really delaying things.

He had no choice but to hurry up to his dormitory, where the world had completely changed before his eyes—

It was afternoon, and tiny dust particles danced in the sunlight streaming in through the window. He sat directly on Old Song's bed, slapped his face hard, and tried to calm down... He forced himself to calm down, thinking that being bathed in sunlight would make him feel better, but the more he thought about it, the harder it was to control himself.

Suddenly, a cold sensation ran down the back of Zhang Shutong's neck. He jolted and quickly turned around to see Lu Qinglian standing beside him. She was holding an empty Red Bull can, which she pressed against the back of his neck with a blank expression.

In this kind of weather, one can only imagine what temperature a metal can that has been frozen for days and nights would be at. Zhang Shutong's teeth were chattering, but the feeling of suffocation quickly subsided. Just as he exhaled a breath of stale air, Lu Qinglian withdrew her hand, and the can crashed to the ground with a bang. The girl took a step forward and opened the dormitory window.

The cold wind hitting Zhang Shutong's face made him inexplicably relax.

Zhang Shutong felt that Lu Qinglian was not a purely cold-blooded creature.

He simply lay back on the bed, not in the mood to talk for the time being. He thought he would be met with Lu Qinglian's habitual sarcasm, such as "you are more fragile than I thought" or something. But since he had been helped again, it was no big deal to be told something. However, Lu Qinglian just stood by the window without saying a word.

She tilted her head slightly, her hands resting on the windowsill, perhaps watching a cloud drift by on the horizon. The dormitory building was built in a desolate field, and the afternoon was the quietest time of day. The wind blew, and her clothes rustled.

This made Zhang Shutong realize that he wasn't the only one under pressure.

No one is immune to this.

Some people lost their lovers, and some lost their loved ones. The difference is that some people swam ashore from the whirlpool and could temporarily put a period to the past; while others remained in the very center of the whirlpool from beginning to end, until they left this world alone eight years later.

Well, Zhang Shutong used to think that she didn't understand anything and was just silently fulfilling her duties as a temple keeper, guarding the temple until she died. He remembered that in the original timeline, Du Kang said that Lu Qinglian had been alone for so many years. Even her grandmother had died by then. Lu Qinglian had made a phone call before she died. It was the only phone call she ever made, and it was to him. He returned to the island to attend the funeral, which led to everything he had today.

Only now do I realize that she has been searching for the truth in her own way, or perhaps something even closer to the truth.

Zhang Shutong remained silent for a while before saying, "Thank you for what happened earlier."

Lu Qinglian didn't speak. Her mood had been so-so since noon, and she probably didn't even realize it herself. Her words and gaze were sharp, and this oppressive atmosphere reached its peak when she saw the photo in the basement just now.

A crisp sound suddenly came from ahead, and Zhang Shutong realized that she had tapped the metal windowsill twice with her fingers, perhaps indicating that she had heard what she had just said.

“I still remember the first time I saw you on the rooftop,” Zhang Shutong recalled. “You told me then that if I didn’t want anything to happen, I shouldn’t pry into your affairs.”

“If you regret the symptoms of not being able to breathe,” Lu Qinglian said calmly, “I think it’s not just that time on the rooftop; I should have warned you many times.”

What Zhang Shutong actually meant was, "No wonder you said those things."

"But I'm the kind of person who never learns from mistakes." In the end, he simply stood up and walked to the windowsill. "Who isn't curious about the truth? Everyone has a little secret in their heart."

"what do you want to say in the end?"

"I don't want to say anything, um... it's just useless talk again."

Lu Qinglian sighed softly, seemingly tired of talking, "Zhang Shutong, please stay away from me."

"Oh, you don't like physical contact with people, right?"

But Zhang Shutong was certain this time that the two of them were actually quite far apart.

"No," Lu Qinglian said indifferently, "You ate garlic at noon, so your breath is a bit strong. Or did you not smell it at all?"

Zhang Shutong was taken aback, thinking to himself that it's normal to dip hot pot in some seasoning, right? Sesame paste with minced garlic is very fragrant. Who is like you, eating almost boiled vegetables?

His desire to say something vanished, so he took a step back and sighed.
"Give me a hand and help me pack up."

Lu Qinglian nodded:

"But I don't understand how you're going to cover it up by buying an identical poster and putting it up?"

"You definitely can't buy it." The former superstar is almost an old man now, how could he still buy those posters? "I wanted to pack his luggage in advance under the pretense of helping him pack, and then lift that iron bunk bed and lean it against the wall. This way, it can cover up the hidden door and save Old Song some effort, which is reasonable."

"You are the kind of person who lives in lies all the time."

"I have someone to keep me company now."

Lu Qinglian gave him a cold look.

Zhang Shutong stopped talking.

Actually, there wasn't much to pack up for Lao Song's things, since there was very little furniture here. Zhang Shutong could only move one arm, so he went to the desk and put away the teaching materials and stationery. Lu Qinglian sat on the edge of the bed and quietly folded the other person's bedding.

Zhang Shutong discovered that she had this side to her.

Old Song's room wasn't as messy as he was; on the contrary, it was quite tidy. They tidied up in just a few minutes, and spent the rest of their time carefully peeling off the photos from the wall.

Finally, Zhang Shutong gently stacked these photos together and placed them in an exam paper.

That test paper was the one he hadn't had time to go over after the monthly exam. It contained statistics on how many people got each question wrong. Zhang Shutong kept hearing him say that he wanted to leave something behind. On one side was the test paper, and on the other side were photos. Song Nanshan had been on the island for so long, and perhaps these were all he had left behind.

"Shall we go see Teacher Song off together later?" Zhang Shutong asked. "After all, that's the reason I took leave, so why not see her off?"

"it is good."

It seems that in her eyes, this is a "necessary" thing.

The entire room was restored to its original unfinished state. Finally, the two said goodbye in front of the hidden door. Yes, they also had to say goodbye. The structure of the hidden room made it difficult to disguise everything perfectly. One person had to be outside the door and the other person had to go inside, working together from the inside and outside.

Lu Qinglian wanted to go back to the basement, close the door there, and then close the entrance to the old house.

Of course, this is also a precautionary measure. Since the current clues have led to a dead end, and we still don't know the identity of the person in the basement or who awakened the mud man, it's better to be careful.

They agreed to meet downstairs at the dormitory building later.

Zhang Shutong watched Lu Qinglian's figure disappear into the tunnel. He watched for a while longer until he heard the sound of the iron door locking, then he shoved the hidden door open and forcefully pulled the bed aside.

Before leaving, Lu Qinglian had already set up the bed against the wall; all he needed to do was push it to the position of the hidden door.

Having finally accomplished all this, Zhang Shutong called his mentor. The other end of the line was noisy and filled with crying, while Old Song chatted and laughed, seemingly holding the phone up.

"I'm leaving right away, I'm leaving right away. What, you're asking if I'm leaving yet, and you want to come and see me off?"

Yes.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself.

Although the man said to take care and that we should never see each other again, our master-disciple bond is so deep.

He estimated he had about twenty minutes left, so he took advantage of that time to leave the dormitory building and head out onto the street.

The afternoon of December 13th.

He wasn't sure if what he'd missed on the Wild Dogs line was that basement; everything seemed hopeless, yet also seemed to be making progress.

The place is very close to the police station, and Zhang Shutong is interested in finding out who built the dormitory building and whether Lu Qinglian's mother's death was recorded.

He no longer owns a car and relies entirely on his own two legs. At this time, few students are wandering around outside. On his way, he passed a small supermarket and bought the chewing gum he had been longing for—Wrigley's Yellow Arrow, a flavor that will soon be discontinued.

As he blew a bubble while paying the bill, a little girl next to him stared at him longingly.

"Want to eat?"

Zhang Shutong asked with a smile, and was about to hand her a piece of bubble gum when the girl was suddenly pulled away by her mother.

A little girl suddenly burst into tears behind me.

The mother then whispered a lesson:

"Look at this older brother, not only does he skip school, but one of his arms is in a sling..."

"But Mom said that handsome older brothers aren't bad people!"

The bubble popped.

When I entered the police station, I found a group of acquaintances gathered there.

Officer Xiong and Deputy Officer Wang were sitting in the office.

(End of this chapter)