Winter Returns

Chapter 224 The Path, Oh the Path

Rooftop.

It was the school's rooftop. Their school was built on the outermost edge of the island. Zhang Shutong used to like climbing up to the rooftop to take in the surrounding scenery. Beyond the campus, there was a town in the shape of tofu blocks in front of him, and behind him was an endless lake.

It was getting dark.

"Walk……"

Zhang Shutong subconsciously stood up, only able to recreate the filming location before sunset, but his movements were a bit too vigorous—the restaurant was many years old, and the tables and chairs were worn out—so the tabletop wobbled.

As a strip of green pepper slipped from between her chopsticks, Lu Qinglian's pink lips parted slightly.

She put down her chopsticks, her eyes not particularly friendly.

"Zhang Shutong, I just thought of something."

"What?" Zhang Shutong was taken aback. Had she made another discovery?
“Every time I do something with you,” she said indifferently, “it seems like I’ve never had a complete meal.”

Zhang Shutong choked, glancing at the almost untouched fried noodles:

"Why don't you continue eating? I'll go ahead. It's not too urgent, but if I miss it, I'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Lu Qinglian listened but didn't say anything. She simply took out a napkin, folded it, and put it to her lips, as if she was thinking about something.

But Zhang Shutong always felt that she was thinking of ways to subtly mock him, and that cold words would soon come out from her small pink lips.

Lu Qinglian only turned halfway around. They were sitting in the corner of the restaurant, with plastic bags and disposable tableware piled up on the table behind them. She picked up two takeout bags and pulled them casually.

Zhang Shutong was stunned. Lu Qinglian had already skillfully broken it apart. She glanced back, her meaning self-evident. Zhang Shutong picked up the plate with admiration.

A few minutes later they were sitting on a bicycle with two bags of fried noodles that they had packed together in the basket. The noodles were already steaming hot, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on them, as if adding a layer of warmth.

Zhang Shutong asked:

Where on the rooftop do you think you could hide something?

In a short while, he thought about many things. The key point was not just the filming location, but where the fox ended up. Maybe it was hiding in some corner of the rooftop.
He used that place as a secret base, and Lu Qinglian ate lunch there every day. Logically, no one knew the structure of the rooftop better than them. But the truth is, if there really was a statue hidden there, the two of them should have discovered it long ago after all these years.

"There is a patched-up hole in the southern corner."

“No, I know when that hole was patched,” Zhang Shutong explained. “In fact, it was because of patching that hole that I was able to get the key. The school worker forgot the key in the lock after finishing his work. Even if he really wanted to hide something, it should have been in the drainage pipe on the north side.”

"No," Lu Qinglian said. "There shouldn't be any there."

"How to say?"

“That place used to be blocked. One year it rained and a lot of water accumulated on the rooftop. A stone, only about half the size of a fist, was blown in by the wind.”

"Your fist?"

"...What are you thinking about?" Lu Qinglian seemed startled by his strange focus.

“I mean, if the stone is taken as a reference, it’s so small that it can block the drain pipe, let alone the statue. But if it’s an adult’s hand,” Zhang Shutong thought for a moment, “you know, that statue is only about the thickness of a forearm.”

“No way,” she denied. “A single rock can hold water, and if there really was a fox hiding inside, something would definitely happen when it rains.”

"But nobody has ever seen what a rooftop looks like when it rains, and besides, leaves and branches can block the view."

"I say this because I've been up there," Lu Qinglian said calmly. "The north side of the rooftop is slightly lower, and rainwater gathers towards the drainpipe, forming a small eddy. The possibility of a statue being hidden there is close to zero."

"Uh... the south is actually lower than the north?" Zhang Shutong turned around. "I always thought it was level?"

"The extent is very small, and it can only be seen on rainy days. Rather, it would be surprising if you were. I always thought you knew that place very well."

No, no, no, Zhang Shutong thought to himself, you understand better. Even if it's a secret base, I wouldn't go up there and get soaked in the rain.

"You even run up there to eat when it rains?" he asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Only someone with a screw loose would go out to eat on a rainy day," Lu Qinglian said casually. "Besides, I've only been there once, so I said the probability is close to zero rather than zero."

"Wait, I think I remember now," Zhang Shutong said, even more surprised, "Could it be that you went up at the parent-teacher conference last summer?"

The reason it left such a deep impression was because it rained heavily that day. It was the end of the semester when the rankings were announced, and the role model of the top student in the grade had an immense influence. Even Old Song wanted to call Lu Qinglian over to show her face. At that time, a group of students were crowded at the back of the classroom, looking at each other, but they couldn't find the figure with the high ponytail.

Zhang Shutong had a good memory. He remembered that when the physics teacher was speaking on the stage, and the other person was the last one, when it was the turn of the homeroom teacher to announce the rankings, Lao Song secretly waved to him from outside the classroom and asked if he had seen where Lu Qinglian had gone.

Zhang Shutong naturally couldn't know her whereabouts, but he was the homeroom teacher's favorite student and ranked second in the grade. They would be going on stage together later, so even if he couldn't provide information, he could gather it. As dusk fell, Zhang Shutong glanced at the torrential rain outside the window, opened his umbrella, and went out to look for her.

The summer rain relentlessly washed away the dust and heat in the air. Although it was a bit cold, it wasn't chilling. He was a stubborn person, and once he was entrusted with an important task, he wouldn't slack off. But that day, Zhang Shutong walked all over half of the campus alone, looking for the library and the administration building. When he returned to the classroom, his hair was damp with moisture, but he still couldn't find Lu Qinglian's whereabouts.

From then on, he had a guess: Lu Qinglian never attended parent-teacher meetings, but went straight back to the mountain. This guess has remained buried to this day and continues to affect him.

But she was actually on the rooftop, standing alone in the rain, watching the rainwater gather and flow at her feet. Zhang Shutong felt quite emotional:

"I said, you didn't just watch me search for you in the rain, did you? You could have at least let me know."

"Zhang Shutong, do you think we have a telepathic connection?"

"Probably not?"

“Since there isn’t one,” Lu Qinglian’s voice turned cold, “who would know what you’re doing? Also, you’d better focus your attention on the important matter at hand. Instead of discussing where the statue is, you should first confirm that the rooftop is indeed the location for taking photos.”

She proactively ended the conversation, glanced at the setting sun on the horizon, and spoke swiftly:
"Ride faster."

The position of the setting sun began to change, and the stars shifted. They seemed to be two people chasing the sun. As they spoke, the car drove into the school gate. Zhang Shutong parked his bicycle directly in front of the teaching building. When he went upstairs, he could see several students who had finished rehearsing.

The people on the fourth floor had all left. They opened the door to the rooftop, and Zhang Shutong walked towards the drainpipe. He knelt down on one knee, took out the bottled water he had bought on the way, and poured it all in.

Zhang Shutong bent down, the sound of rushing water filling her ears. On the other side, Lu Qinglian stood on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the drainpipe outlet below.

"There are no obstacles."

"It didn't go so smoothly as expected." Zhang Shutong shook his head.

It would be better if he could find the statue directly, but since he couldn't, he circled the rooftop again, comparing its location to the one in the photo. Finally, he stopped at the edge of the rooftop and pointed:

"It's about here."

Lu Qinglian nodded her chin.

One of them took out his phone, and the other moved to the spot, as if two people chasing the sun had finally reached their destination. The viewfinder showed Lu Qinglian's upper body, at the same angle as the old photo. The background behind her was filled with the glow of the setting sun, a hazy orange-red. Zhang Shutong squinted but didn't press the shutter button.

There's no need to try again. Except for the person in the frame, everything is the same as it was back then. Zhang Shutong looked around. Seven or eight years ago, in the winter, a woman named Yun returned to her hometown island. At that time, she was a freshman in college and took that eerie photo on the rooftop.

They had grasped the only clue they had, yet they still knew nothing about the story behind the photograph. "Is this the place?" Lu Qinglian asked.

"There's no mistake. If the rooftop door has been locked all these years, how did Master's wife and the others get the key back then?"

"But the fox isn't on the rooftop."

Zhang Shutong understood what she meant: since the fox wasn't there, there was no point in continuing to dwell on it on the rooftop. Truly a woman with almost zero curiosity.
"That's right."

"So, how long are you going to keep filming?"

Zhang Shutong snapped out of his reverie, noticing the thoughtful expression on the person in the viewfinder.
"Lately, you seem to be taking pictures of me intentionally or unintentionally."

Zhang Shutong was temporarily immune to her playful tone, simply because he suddenly felt that this angle seemed familiar.

It reminds one of that photo from the funeral, where the woman's beautiful face was sealed in a black and white photograph, where time and light no longer flow.

But now that lifeless color was filled with a touch of orange light. Her eyes, which used to be calm and emotionless, were not much better now, but they carried a languid quality.

"Hey," Zhang Shutong asked, "want to say 'cheese'?"

Lu Qinglian didn't say "cheese." As soon as he finished speaking, three words rang in his ears—his own name:
"Zhang Shutong!"

The voice was excited because it wasn't Lu Qinglian who shouted. Zhang Shutong put down his phone and lowered his head at the same time as Lu Qinglian.

"Lu Qinglian!"

The owner of the voice became even angrier.

A very familiar-looking person stood downstairs in the teaching building and roared:

"What are you two doing! Now, right now! Get down here! Go to the office!"

……

Before they even entered the office, they could smell the tension inside. The fourth floor was already empty, so who else could be inside but the homeroom teacher, Xu Aiping?

Zhang Shutong wondered if this middle-aged female teacher had some kind of radar installed on her, so that she could appear wherever he and Lu Qinglian were.

"Just cooperate later," Zhang Shutong said softly.

"I will tell you the truth." Lu Qinglian's tone remained calm and composed. He nodded and was about to instruct him that the matter of the fox should still be kept a secret for a while. "Take me to the rooftop to take pictures."

"..."

Zhang Shutong had just breathed a sigh of relief when he gasped for air again. What a tremendous gasp!

"What do you mean, 'I'll take you to the rooftop for photos'?"

"Isn't this just telling the truth?" Xiao Lu tilted her head mischievously.

"Can you stop joking?" Zhang Shutong said speechlessly, "This is really troublesome."

"Zhang Shutong," someone said with a faint smile, "you brought this trouble upon yourself."

After saying that, Lu Qinglian turned and went into the office, leaving Zhang Shutong to watch her back and look up at the sky.

So, in the eyes of the homeroom teacher, what exactly did the two of them do on the rooftop?
"Well done, you two, first and second in the grade!" Teacher Xu sneered. "You always put on a good show in class. Luckily, I left late for a meeting today, and luckily I heard the drainage pipes in the teaching building making a noise and became suspicious, otherwise I would still be in the dark today!"

She grew angrier and angrier, and finally slammed her hand on the table:
"Do you two think you're so great? What do you take me for? What do you take the school for? Huh?"

Lu Qinglian lowered her eyes in response, looking like a good girl who was almost crying from shame after being exposed. But Zhang Shutong knew that she just didn't want to be sprayed in the face with the homeroom teacher's spittle.

Seeing this, Teacher Xu calmed herself down and then said with great distress:

"Xiao Lu, Xiao Lu, I've always thought you were a promising student, but what about you? Don't blame me for being blunt, but your family isn't well-off. If you don't study hard, are you going to stay on our island? It's such a crucial time in your final year of junior high, and instead of focusing on improving your grades, you're distracted by dating. Yes, I know you're doing well now, but what if it affects your performance? I've seen countless students like you!"

Zhang Shutong suddenly realized that Lu Qinglian never slacked off in her studies. Apart from serious matters, she would either be reading books or taking the opportunity to review her test papers. Of course, only he, her deskmate, knew about these things.

"And you, Zhang Shutong!"

The woman suddenly raised her voice, and Zhang Shutong thought to herself, "Hey, don't be so obviously different from me. Why are you so rude to me?"

"I'm too lazy to argue with you." She slammed her water glass down and said bluntly, "If you don't want to study, don't hold that girl back. You can forget about being her deskmate anymore. Go pack your bag in a bit."

It felt like I had become a delinquent teenager who led innocent girls astray.

But as it turns out, Lu Qinglian also miscalculated. Not long ago, she walked into the office first and took the brunt of the attack. Zhang Shutong stood behind Lu Qinglian and secretly glanced at her profile. Even though she lowered her head, he could still see spittle flying in the air. As a germaphobe, Lu Qinglian probably wasn't in a good mood at that moment. Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "This is trouble you brought on yourself."

Then a cold gaze fell upon him.

"You two dare to exchange glances!" The homeroom teacher was both shocked and furious.

Seeing that the homeroom teacher's anger had subsided, Zhang Shutong stepped forward to help Lu Qinglian share some of the "firepower." He took out the photo and pushed it onto the desk:

"Teacher, we're busy with important business..."

"What important business is it that you're taking photos on the rooftop?"

“Find someone,” Zhang Shutong said. “You see, taking a photo is also about restoring the angle of this photo; you’ve misunderstood again.”

He quickly recounted what had happened, and the homeroom teacher gave another cold laugh:
"Well, this excuse is pretty good, it's quite convincing."

"This is no excuse." Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Is my credibility really that low?" He then glanced at Lu Qinglian.

"You think I can still trust you? Photos? Let me see what kind of photos are so coincidental..."

As Ms. Xu spoke, her lips moved, but she couldn't say anything else for a moment. She picked up her water glass and left the two of them standing aside.

Well, it seems the other person is still angry and unreasonable. Zhang Shutong was prepared to wait for her to lose her temper again, but with a bang, the water glass was slammed onto the table again.

Zhang Shutong sensed something was wrong; it seemed the teacher had already planned her reprimand in the blink of an eye. The gray-haired female teacher adjusted her glasses, stared at the photo on the table, and exclaimed in surprise:

"Isn't this Xiaoyun? How did you get her photo?"

Zhang Shutong was also stunned:

"Do you know him?"

"I don't recognize her, she's my former student..."

(End of this chapter)