Winter Returns

Chapter 182 Tracing the Winds of the Past (Part 2) (Thanks to Yixiaotianqing for being the Alliance Leader)

Five years ago, he placed this grinning fox on the altar, thus triggering a regression.

Perhaps we can find a way to go back through it.

The premise is...

The fox is still there.

He quickly crossed the platform, and once he landed on the ground, he immediately used his phone to shine a light down the rock face.

A fox with a wide grin is smiling at you.

Zhang Shutong's pupils contracted. Even he couldn't say for sure whether it was strange or normal for this fox to have stayed here for five years.

He then looked at the other four pits, which were empty. Zhang Shutong immediately realized that this meant that he had not found the other four foxes in this timeline.

He quickly put the guess out of his mind. Zhang Shutong hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grasped the fox.

One second, two seconds... As the world before my eyes began to vibrate, this was a sign of regression!
Despite having anticipated it, Zhang Shutong was still surprised and his eyes widened. This meant that the reason he was able to travel back in time was entirely due to the fox's trickery. But why would the fox sculpture have this ability?

He instinctively withdrew his hand, and then—

The world returned to peace.

"..."

Zhang Shutong was stunned for two seconds. He first looked at his hand as a reflex, and then stared at the fox in astonishment.

This was the first time he had encountered a backtracking interruption.

Yes, the backtracking was interrupted.

Simply remove your hand from the fox.

The rewind was interrupted for the first time.

His guess turned out to be correct; his arrival five years in the future was related to this fox, not to anything happening to anyone around him.

But what is going on?

Countless questions flooded my mind, but now one choice was imminent—

Should we go back now?

still is……

Investigate and find out exactly what happened on this timeline.
Zhang Shutong reached out his hand, waited two seconds, and then put it down again.

He exhaled, letting his violently beating heartbeat calm down.

After glancing at the fox one last time, Zhang Shutong climbed off the platform.

When he reached the fork in the road, he didn't turn back and go up the stairs, but walked straight ahead.

To the left of the tunnel is a cave, and to the right is the basement.

There are also clues about the clay figurines hidden inside.

Soon Zhang Shutong arrived at the door. He carefully pressed the doorknob and, just like five years ago, easily went inside.

However, the door hinges were on the verge of breaking, and a strong musty smell wafted out. Zhang Shutong coughed twice and looked around the room.

It was still just a bed and a wooden table.

He then brushed aside the cobwebs on the door frame, walked to the wooden table, and wiped the surface with his fingers. A thick layer of dust stuck to his fingertips, all signs indicating that no one had set foot here for a long time.

Whether it was the fox or the clay figure, it seems their existence was forever sealed away in that winter.

Zhang Shutong silently circled the room. He walked to the other side of the door, which led to the iron gate to the dormitory building. He climbed the stairs in a few steps and pushed the wooden board embedded in the wall.

Amidst a teeth-grinding sound, the bed frame blocking the wooden board was slowly pushed aside.

Zhang Shutong sized her up for two seconds, then turned around.

This dormitory has been empty for a long time...

He went back to the basement and finally stopped by the photo wall.

The glue on the back of those photos had almost dried, and the corners were curling up, like specimens of butterflies. They were frozen in time, but have the stories behind them long been forgotten?
Another photo lay on the ground. Zhang Shutong glanced at it for a few seconds, but ultimately decided it was pointless.

He bent down to pick up the photo, and was about to stick it back on the wall when his arm paused.

Zhang Shutong frowned, looking at the photograph. It shouldn't belong on this wall, because the subject wasn't any of the three women, but rather—

A group photo.

He could vaguely make out the contents of the text.

A group photo of young people, all wearing matching dark blue uniforms, their faces blurred in the photo.

It has been there for longer than the ones on the wall, and the upper half is stained... But who are these people?

When did this photo appear here?
This time, he simply stuffed the photo into his pocket, walked around the room once more, and finally closed the door.

When he returned to the ground, the scorching air enveloped him. His eyes were not yet used to the intense sunlight. Zhang Shutong shielded his forehead, and all he could see was desolation.

On his way back to the hospital, he stopped to listen to the noisy cicadas, a sound that was absent in winter.

Zhang Shutong handed a bottle of milk tea to Ruoping.

"Thanks, you're kind enough to say that," Ruoping said happily, but then looked at the milk tea with a troubled expression. "But I'm on a diet, so I can't drink this stuff."

She wore a fitted dress today, her stomach was flat without an ounce of fat, and she was as slender as she was back then. But back then, Ruoping loved milk tea the most, and she would drink it no matter what. Not only did she drink it, but she would also add two servings of pearls and coconut jelly.

Zhang Shutong rolled her eyes:
"Suit yourself, go on, go back to work."

He rode the electric scooter again and asked Ruoping if she remembered the basement. According to Ruoping, they went there together a few times afterward, but they could never find out who the owner was, so the matter was left unresolved.

"What about the other photos?"

"No, I don't think so." Ruoping sat sideways on the back seat of the car, swinging her legs gently. "Well... anyway, we didn't go when we graduated, and I don't know about after that. You still want to go on an adventure? Please, please, at this age, you should have already finished your chuunibyou phase, okay?"

Zhang Shutong nodded:

How long will you stay at home?

"I'm leaving in a few days."

"So busy?"

"There's no other way," Ruoping said decisively.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shutong thought for a moment. This was an answer that was all too familiar. Many times, what you want is a fill-in-the-blank answer, but the other person is doing a multiple-choice question, only answering yes or no.

“Everyone has grown up now.” After a while, Zhang Shutong had forgotten about the topic, and Ruoping said softly.

"To be honest, there's not much to be busy with. All the trouble will come next year, but staying on the island..." She thought for a moment, "Tell me, even if you were allowed to stay here now, what could you do?"

She asked what "can" do.

Zhang Shutong was speechless.

He suggested going for a bike ride, but Ruoping said it was too hot.

He said he would swim in the lake, but Ruoping said he would get dark.

Zhang Shutong remarked that Gu Qiumin's shopping mall was cool, and Ruoping, propping her chin on her hand, thought to herself:

"There's not much to see here, it's a bit outdated. We might as well go to the city, it's quite close anyway."

Zhang Shutong had no choice but to ask:

"Fishing?"

"You're still thinking about fishing?" Ruoping laughed. "You threw away your fishing rod before you even graduated."

"How could that be?" Zhang Shutong wanted to ask, but then he thought that Ruoping and Du Kang no longer had any contact, Qingyi was mostly reading, and he himself had no interest in reading.

Zhang Shutong stopped talking.

On a sweltering summer day, he loaded all sorts of furniture onto his car in a narrow alley. Zhang Shutong gulped down the milk tea he had just bought and let out a satisfied sigh.

Ruoping was carrying a large box downstairs when Zhang Shutong was about to lend a hand. Ruoping suddenly stepped aside and pointed with her toe at the SUV in front of them.

"Could you please open the trunk?"

“There’s still room in the van.” “No, that’s not relevant. There are bedding, clothes, and some small items inside. I packed them out myself.” Ruoping then went to the driver’s seat. “Let’s go, to the mountain.”

"Up in the mountains?" Zhang Shutong thought for a moment, "You mean to go to the temple?"

“Otherwise, it’s already past three o’clock, and almost everyone at the festival has left.” Ruoping tossed her short hair and started the car. “Stop dawdling. Don’t you want to see her too?”

Zhang Shutong knew who "she" referred to.

Indeed, he should go and find Lu Qinglian. Asking his three best friends for answers to many questions was vague, and he couldn't find the answers on his own. The only way was to go to her.

Zhang Shutong realized that he seemed to have gotten used to working with Lu Qinglian.

As the car drove onto the road, Zhang Shutong belatedly realized that the box of things Ruoping had packed wasn't for moving, but for Lu Qinglian.

"You two have a really good relationship," Zhang Shutong remarked.

Ruoping remained silent for a while:
"It's what I should do. It's not convenient for her up in the mountains, and I don't need these things anymore."

Zhang Shutong felt that Ruoping was also being a bit hypocritical.

If you're close, just say you're close. Why make up an excuse? Back then, Ruoping would reach out and make a peace sign just to get Lu Qinglian's QQ number. So many years have passed, and they've finally become good friends.

They parked their car at the foot of the mountain, where a few scattered people were walking down. Zhang Shutong looked up at the sun; the pilgrims had mostly dispersed, but the sun was still far from setting.

To be honest, he really didn't want to climb mountains in this kind of weather.

"Cover your face." At this moment, Ruoping handed him a baseball cap. "It's my dad's, you can wear it for now."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself that Ruoping was really thoughtful, even preparing the equipment for mountain climbing.

Ruoping was never a delicate little girl. She carried the suitcase and started walking up the mountain. Zhang Shutong offered to take it from her, but she shook her head.
"You've had a long day too, I'll give it to you later when I'm too tired."

Zhang Shutong couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had no choice but to follow behind her slowly.

He looked around, trying to find the pit from back then, but the snow had long since melted, so there was no pit. Zhang Shutong meant that he hoped Xiao Lu could forget about the pit after all these years.

It's probably difficult.

"Do you want to go into the temple?" Zhang Shutong asked.

Lu Qinglian had told him not to go to her grandmother, and he even developed anxiety because of it during the Wild Dog storyline. Zhang Shutong didn't know how this timeline was handled, but judging from Ruoping and Lu Qinglian's attitudes, it seemed to be alright.

"We won't go into the temple; we'll just meet outside."

"it is good."

Zhang Shutong pulled his hat brim down a little.

The so-called Green Snake Temple is not just a temple, but a courtyard built on a mountain.

There are still tourists, but not nearly as many as when I called at noon.

He remembered that during summer vacation in the original timeline, he and his best friends came to the festival. Because the courtyard was so crowded that it was impossible to squeeze in through the main gate, he came up with a crooked idea and tried to climb over the wall in the backyard. As a result, he slipped and fell, which led to all the events that followed.

So this was the first time he had entered the courtyard.

Zhang Shutong looked around curiously, and soon saw the main hall directly in front of him, with its red walls and green tiles. He figured the sculpture of the green snake must be inside.

On either side are side halls, perhaps the residences of the temple keeper.

He searched around but couldn't find Lu Qinglian, or her grandmother, since the two of them should have been quite conspicuous.

"You can wander around for a bit, I'll go give the box to Qinglian," Ruoping said.

Zhang Shutong nodded, knowing that girls have a habit of whispering to each other.

He looked around again. In front of the hall was a huge incense burner, with worshippers lining up. Next to the incense burner was a small table and a box for putting money. Zhang Shutong guessed that was where the incense was placed, but the table was empty, with only a few incense residues left. No wonder Lu Qinglian wasn't outside.

This is what was captured during the video call. Zhang Shutong turned his head and quickly found where Lu Qinglian had started the video call from—

It turned out to be next to a shelf with wishing plaques hanging on it.

I remember the first night we went back to the past, they were fishing by the lake. Lu Qinglian had told me that this place used to be a clothes rack, but later, for some reason, a few more signs were added. With the influence of the internet, hanging wishing plaques here has become a "custom".

Looking at the wishing rack again, it was no longer the clothes rack that Lu Qinglian had mentioned. Instead, it had been replaced by two wooden frames covered with colorful signs, some made of wood, some of paper, and some even of metal.

Lu Qinglian once said that the content was nothing more than who is going to be with who is going to be together forever, which was very boring.

She is indeed the kind of person who flips over people's wishing cards, and she does so without any expression on her face.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shutong couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

He also saw a small vegetable garden on the left side of the yard, with some peppers and eggplants planted in it, the fruits not yet ripe; and a small chicken coop... It seemed that these were all Lu Qinglian's jobs.

Zhang Shutong had never seen or imagined what her life was like.

But this should be it.

In the square courtyard, tourists thronged, red bricks and green tiles stood side by side, cicadas chirped incessantly, occasionally drowning out the whispers of the worshippers, and wisps of white smoke slowly rose into the air. The world was so small that it took a long time for that wisp of smoke to dissipate.

When Zhang Shutong turned his head, he saw a figure walking out of the side hall. The person had long hair and was wearing a blue robe. He met Lu Qinglian's gaze, and just then a breeze brushed his face, making the world feel cool.

Lu Qinglian gently nodded her chin, as if to say hello.

Zhang Shutong seemed to understand her meaning; she wanted him to speak in that side hall. He subconsciously took a step forward, and when he came to his senses, he was already sitting down on the bluestone-paved ground.

There were only three prayer cushions here, with dim lights on, so it didn't seem to be a dwelling.

Only the two of them remained in the side hall. It was a unique classmate reunion. Zhang Shutong moved his mouth, but suddenly didn't know what to say.

We meet again. Five years have passed in the blink of an eye?

In the end, Zhang Shutong simply took the photo out of his pocket and handed it to Lu Qinglian:
"Do you remember this? I found it in the basement."

He had assumed that since they hadn't seen each other in a long time, they would at least greet each other and exchange a few pleasantries, such as, "How are you doing, Lu Qinglian?" "Not bad?" "Really? I'm doing well too..." But in reality, they didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

Lu Qinglian glanced at the photo, then stared at his face. After a long while, she shook her head.

So that's from the last few years? Four years have passed since graduation, which means that person came again during those four years?

Zhang Shutong pondered reflexively, while Lu Qinglian slowly asked:

Do you want some water?

Her voice was very soft, and she seemed much less emotional than before.

"I'm not thirsty, it's been a long time... How are you?"

"Fortunately."

Zhang Shutong felt relieved upon hearing this.

"Very busy today?"

Lu Qinglian nodded her chin.

There were no electric lights in this side hall, and only a candlestick was placed between the two people. The candlestick was already half burned and would soon go out.

Zhang Shutong stared at the flickering flames and asked again if they needed more incense since all the incense outside had been taken.

He knew this was obvious, but without saying something obvious, Zhang Shutong would have a hard time finding a way to talk to Lu Qinglian. He didn't know what she was thinking five years ago, and he didn't know it even more so five years later.

Zhang Shutong remembered this timeline again.

He seemed to realize where the problem lay this time. If everyone was driven by some kind of obsession, then this time everyone's obsession had almost disappeared.

You can't pinpoint exactly where things have really gotten worse, but logically speaking, things shouldn't be like this, unless all the problems that bothered him five years ago have been resolved, or rather, become insignificant issues.

"How about having dinner with Ruoping tonight? It'll be on me."

Zhang Shutong asked again.

The atmosphere inside the side hall was rather oppressive, but the outside was not a place to talk either.

When he said that, Lu Qinglian turned her face slightly. Zhang Shutong didn't know what was going on. She seemed... not very welcoming to him? Or rather, her reaction was colder than he had imagined. She seemed to be thinking about something before she spoke, and her reaction was always a beat slower. She seemed dazed. Even when listening, she would not look directly at the other person, but would turn her face to the side.

"so……"

Lu Qinglian said softly.

This was also the first time she had truly faced Zhang Shutong:

Are you dreaming again?

(End of this chapter)