Winter Returns

Chapter 233 Ancient Temple, Green Lamp, Alone (Part 3)
"Lu Qinglian, what a coincidence." Zhang Shutong thought with some regret that he hadn't managed to startle her.

"What are you doing there again? And before we talk about that, you'd better move the flashlight away."

A straight beam of light shone from his hand onto Lu Qinglian's face, causing her to squint uncomfortably.

Zhang Shutong quickly moved the flashlight down and saw the plastic bag in Lu Qinglian's hand. No wonder she looked "slim on top and fat on the bottom".

"You're only just finished? I thought you'd already gone back a long time ago." He was somewhat surprised.

"Otherwise what?" Lu Qinglian's gaze swept over the flashlight in his hand, as if she were looking at a child who had run out of the house in the middle of the night without permission. "Like you, do you only choose to run out to explore when it's late at night and everyone is quiet?"

"We're out for dinner," Zhang Shutong clarified. "I haven't had dinner yet."

—They're even more of a worry than you think.

He seemed to read that meaning in Lu Qinglian's eyes.

"So, what are you trying to say?" she asked casually.

"How did you know I had something to tell you?" Zhang Shutong asked curiously.

Lu Qinglian glanced at the bicycle parked not far away:
"It's not just for idle chatter."

"Lu Qinglian, have you ever heard of a sharp-tongued person?"

Perhaps she was too tired today and was in a bad mood. Following "scheming", Zhang Shutong decided to introduce a new term.

"Poisonous...snake?" Lu Qinglian enunciated each word clearly. "Where?"

Zhang Shutong was suddenly stumped by the question. He couldn't very well say that it was right in front of him.
"It actually refers to someone who is sharp-tongued and unforgiving."

Lu Qinglian was silent for two seconds after hearing this:
"So it's the tongue in the context of tongue?"

"certainly……"

“Zhang Shutong,” Lu Qinglian said expressionlessly, “can I take that as you discussing tongues with a girl at night? You’re even more frivolous than I thought.”

She really has a sharp tongue!
"Uh……"

Zhang Shutong really wanted to say that it was just internet slang and that they weren't actually discussing anyone's tongue, but his mistake was discussing internet slang in front of Lu Qinglian without noticing that her phone was still lying in the phone store.

"How about we get down to business?"

"Zhang Shutong, did someone stop you from getting down to business as soon as we meet?" Lu Qinglian asked, puzzled.

"Feel sorry……"

She nodded her chin:
"what?"

"It's the case of the college student shipwreck from back then."

"Are you referring to the shipwreck that occurred after the heavy snow?"

"Yeah, I went to the restricted area with Qingyi today. He guessed that the victims from back then were my teacher's wife's classmates. By the way, my senior also called back, saying that she couldn't contact those people, which is also a form of indirect testimony."

"What other evidence?" Lu Qinglian frowned.

"That's it. Oh, the version we heard was that the group of students lost their boat on their way back to the island, and a kind fisherman offered them a ride, but the boat capsized. What did you hear?"

"Not much."

"More details?"

Lu Qinglian shook her head.

That's right. She was only eight years old in 2004, the age to start elementary school. At that time, Lu Qinglian was just a cool elementary school student.

She pondered:
"Based on the current information, the fisherman is the one who is acting strangely."

“Oh, there’s another detail. The people were clearly drowned, but when the boat was found, it was floating perfectly fine on the water.” Zhang Shutong recalled a ridiculous theory: “They said that the snow was too heavy and sank the boat. Later, when the snow melted, it floated up on its own. So, whether it was the fisherman or the cause of the sinking, it’s all suspicious.”

“There’s one more thing,” Lu Qinglian recalled. “Private boats used to be allowed on the lake, but since that incident, only ferries have been allowed to travel on it.”

“Okay,” Zhang Shutong nodded, “Shall we go to the police station together and ask?”

Even if there is evidence, as the primary crime scene back then, it should be kept in the police station on the island.

Before Lu Qinglian could speak, he added:

“I tried to contact them after I got home, but the person who answered the call was very young. He said he was still in school when the incident happened. I also asked the police officer, but he was out on business and wouldn’t be back until the day after tomorrow. Are you free the day after tomorrow?”

Zhang Shutong calculated the time. It had been almost three hours since school ended. Lu Qinglian said it would take about five hours, so they could finish it by tomorrow.

“I remember saying that,” Lu Qinglian pinched her brow as if she had been working overtime, “the straw ropes you see are only part of it. There’s also the yellow paper that needs to be cut, as well as the candlesticks to be wiped and the wax to be prepared. I’m busier than you think.”

"Alright then." Zhang Shutong prepared to go by himself.

"Noon?" Lu Qinglian asked.

"Correct."

"It'll be eleven o'clock."

“You’re a very busy person, so I’ll listen to you,” Zhang Shutong shrugged.

Lu Qinglian did not respond to that sentence:

"Have you ever considered that the problem might lie with you?"

"I'd still like to introduce you to a new term: 'to turn the tables on someone else'..."

"What I mean is, if your acting is better, you can spend more time on actual work instead of rehearsals, and I'll have more time to prepare," Lu Qinglian said bluntly. "Zhang Shutong, have you counted how many times you've had to start over?"

"What I really wanted to ask was, weren't you busy? Why did you notice how bad my acting was..."

"You can judge just by listening." "...Is my acting really that bad?" Zhang Shutong was surprised.

Lu Qinglian glanced at him:
"In fact, your tone right now is the most vivid it's ever been."

Zhang Shutong was a little injured, so he went to get his bicycle.

"Let me explain. I had just gotten used to you playing the witch when suddenly Ruoping's best friend came back. Whether it's her tone or her temperament, she's the complete opposite of you."

“That makes sense, but you sounded like you were really having a good time.”

“It’s not contradictory. After all, it’s about having fun, and having a good time is the most important thing. Are you sure you can’t come on New Year’s Day? It’s going to be very lively.” Zhang Shutong thought for a moment. “You haven’t come for the past three years. Even if you come this time, it will be your first time, so it’s not an exception.”

"Stop talking nonsense. I've said it many times: we'll be at the temple on New Year's Day."

Okay, okay, she's a truly flawless woman.

Zhang Shutong noticed the fleeting weariness in Lu Qinglian's eyes.

Just thinking about it makes me realize how busy she must be. In the past, during the Lunar New Year, my grandparents would be busy all night long, doing things like worshipping the Kitchen God, offering sacrifices, and ancestor worship... They would stay up until they had dark circles under their eyes and wouldn't rest until the sky started to lighten.

Although they were exhausted, the elderly were quite happy to see their children reunited, while Lu Qinglian probably wouldn't even get to join in the fun.

He was a little disappointed:
"I thought you'd be able to rest after these few days of work, but since you can't leave on the night of the 31st either, does that mean we'll have to prepare overnight?"

"What you're talking about started early on the 1st."

"I'm so tired..."

Zhang Shutong had intended to say that, but he heard a completely different answer from what he had expected:
"Wait, it doesn't start until the 1st? What were you doing the night before?"

"Rules," she said calmly.

"Rules?" Zhang Shutong was taken aback, then realized, "We can't just stay in the temple all night without any consequences, can we?"

This time, instead of saying something like "you can understand it this way for now" or making rambling statements, she simply hummed in agreement, giving Zhang Shutong a definite answer.

Zhang Shutong wanted to say that since that was the case, you could simply wait until the party was over before going back up the mountain, but then he remembered that the party started at seven o'clock, and Lu Qinglian would come to school as usual that day. Only in the evening would a seat become available in Class 1's area.

When he came to his senses, all he could see was Lu Qinglian's back.

There were no streetlights in this area, and he had already turned off his flashlight. The surroundings returned to darkness, with only the moon hanging overhead. The cool moonlight shone on her back, but was completely blocked by her loose black hair.

Zhang Shutong had long noticed that Lu Qinglian had two "identities": a student and a temple keeper. When she was the former, she was no different from everyone else, at most a little mysterious and aloof, but she would also listen attentively in class, complete her homework, rehearse, and play Truth or Dare. When she was the latter, she had many more things to do, such as running around, returning to the mountain with plastic bags, or guarding the dark temple on the last day of the year.

It's not hard to distinguish between the two. If she has her long hair down, she's probably a temple keeper. If she's just getting ready for school today, she'll have it tied in a neat high ponytail.

She glanced back at him:
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

“Actually…” Zhang Shutong paused, “You were busy with something else today, weren’t you?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qinglian neither confirmed nor denied it, but simply stopped in her tracks.

Zhang Shutong said:

“When you were at the library, you said that the morning market opened too late because of the fog, so you spent the whole morning buying things. But then you disappeared for an afternoon. Even if your phone really broke, it wouldn’t take that long to fix it. Besides, you didn’t mention anything when you came back.”

"There was indeed a loophole." She shook her head slightly. "I'll be more careful next time and tell you less."

"So, whatever happens, I'll do my best to help in any way I can."

Just understand it the way I told you after school.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "What a perfunctory answer!" He became more serious:
"Since you've been running around all day, it means the situation is very serious?"

"You can interpret it that way if you like it."

"Do you remember that time on the mountain when you said I've always lived a lie? But aren't you the same way?"

Zhang Shutong's tone unconsciously carried a hint of dissatisfaction. If she were doing well, it would be fine, but she had been running around all day and was only now walking home alone at night. Why wouldn't she say so?
"Haven't I told you before that if it's a topic I don't want to tell you, it's best not to ask?" As she said this, Lu Qinglian frowned and said, "But this time it was my mistake, so I'll tell you."

“It’s related to this thick fog,” she said slowly, “and also to what happened at the temple.”

Zhang Shutong's heart sank. This fog was indeed unusual, but Lu Qinglian stopped in her tracks at that moment.

"Zhang Shutong, behind you."

"What……"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a cold touch on the back of his neck. Zhang Shutong turned his head reflexively and saw a blue snake coiled around his shoulder. Zhang Shutong met the snake's vertical pupils.

"Didn't I already tell you that time on the mountain?" Lu Qinglian sighed softly. "Sometimes, not wanting to say something is for your own good, but if you insist on bringing it up..."

Zhang Shutong could clearly feel the snake pressed against her cheek. At that moment, even the night wind seemed to stand still, but her tone was sharper than the wind itself:
"And so, may you rest in peace."

The snake flicked its tongue!

Then--

He licked Zhang Shutong's face.

Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment. The scene seemed familiar, as if it were a scene from a play being reenacted. The witch had finally plunged the sword into the prince's heart. But then again, the lines were incredibly corny. Xiao Lu, shouldn't your lines have been a bit more cool? Back then on the mountain, lines like "I am a snake," "I am 160 years old," and "I can swallow people alive" were so cool, they almost scared me to death. Where did those scary lines go?

How come this is even more childish than Qingyi's script? No, this is definitely Qingyi's script!
Zhang Shutong looked at the girl in front of her expressionlessly. A slight smile appeared on her lips, but Zhang Shutong knew that for Lu Qinglian, this meant that she was in a good mood.

Then Lu Qinglian stretched out her arm, and the snake crawled up her arm.

“I have anxiety,” Zhang Shutong said quietly.

“I can cure it,” Lu Qinglian said casually.

"Then forget it." He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he found the scene before him unbelievable. "You really have a connection with snakes?"

(End of this chapter)