You on the other side of time

He rolled out of bed and sat back down at the table. Si Yang first called his father, Si Xingbin, trying to keep his tone calm: "Dad, don't worry, I already know that my sister didn't eat anything today. I didn't come home yesterday because I went back to school. I'm trying to find a solution now, so you don't need to worry about me."

Si Xingbin on the other end of the phone was stunned for a few seconds. What he wanted to say was said by Si Yang in one breath. He seemed not to have fully reacted yet, and finally just replied with "Okay".

After hanging up the phone, Si Yang sat on the edge of the bed, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Was this a salvation from heaven, giving him repeated opportunities to avoid risks? Or was it an endless torment, forcing him to repeatedly confront this suffocating "correct timeline"?

Regardless of the cause, he will never allow the tragedy to repeat itself.

The last time he went to see the single mother in the evening, she wasn't home. This time, Si Yang changed the time, planning to try his luck again in the afternoon. But the lesson of "acting bravely" turning into "intentional injury" was still fresh in his mind, and he knew he couldn't act alone, for fear of getting into unnecessary trouble again.

After much deliberation, he decided to invite Wen Jinxin to join him after his shift ended.

Si Yang took out his planner from his bag, intending to write down the outline of the time travel mechanism and his subsequent plans, but he found that all the dense reminders written in black pen on the first page, except for the red marker that read "Don't meddle," had mysteriously disappeared.

"There must be something wrong with that girl's pen. Could it be a heat-sensitive pen? So it just disappeared on its own after a while due to friction or when the weather got hot?" Si Yang frowned and muttered to himself.

That girl, even the pen she used was so strange. He didn't bother to investigate further, but he felt that writing so many words was a waste of time and energy, which was undoubtedly a nuisance for a meticulous science student like him.

He pulled out a ballpoint pen from his pencil case and quickly jotted down the key information from the two crossings. After finishing, he got up and left. He had already contacted Wen Jinxin before leaving, knowing that Wen Jinxin would change shifts at 10 a.m. and wouldn't be on duty again until 12 p.m. He just needed to get to his post before 10 a.m.

Because he had something on his mind, Si Yang walked very fast. When he arrived at the duty station, Wen Jinxin had not yet finished his shift, so he stood by the roadside and waited patiently.

Not long after, an electric scooter carrying two people drove by and was stopped by Wen Jinxin on the spot.

"Those riding electric bikes, pull over to the side of the road." Wen Jinxin's voice was crisp and efficient.

The cyclist was an elderly man in his fifties. He took off his helmet, looked dejected, and stood there silently, as if he had expected to be fined and was too lazy to argue.

"Carrying passengers on an electric scooter is a violation of regulations and will be punished." Wen Jinxin walked up to the old man, his tone unusually serious. "You're something else, not only carrying passengers, but carrying two at once. You're definitely going to get fined."

As soon as Wen Jinxin finished speaking, the two passengers on the bus slunk off and left without looking back, leaving the old man standing there alone, at a loss.

"Old Yang, is your wife feeling better at the hospital?" At this moment, a middle-aged man passing by casually greeted the old man, but seeing that the atmosphere was not right, he quickly left.

The voice was quite loud, and Si Yang and Wen Jinxin clearly heard it.

Si Yang's heart skipped a beat; he wanted to plead for the old man, but the words "don't meddle" kept echoing in his mind. No matter what, traffic regulations couldn't be violated, otherwise the entire traffic order would be in chaos.

He didn't speak, but just stared blankly at Wen Jinxin for a couple of seconds.

Wen Jinxin looked Lao Yang up and down, and seeing his haggard appearance, his tone softened involuntarily: "According to regulations, carrying passengers on an electric scooter should be fined fifty yuan. I'm about to get off work, so I'll just fine him five yuan today."

He picked up the ticket book and wrote down the details while earnestly reminding the passenger: "Remember next time, you can't carry passengers on your bike, and you can only carry one child under the age of 12 at most. Also, for your own safety, you must always wear your helmet."

With a flourish of his pen, Wen Jinxin tore off the middle copy of the ticket and handed it to the old man. Old Yang took the ticket, his lips twitched slightly, and then he nodded. He silently paid the fine, put on his helmet, and slowly rode his electric scooter into the traffic.

After Wen Jinxin finished handing over the shift, he quickly walked over to Si Yang and patted him on the shoulder: "Come on, where to?"

"I always thought you were a rough guy, but I never expected you to have such a gentle side," Si Yang said with emotion. This side of him gave him a new understanding of his brother.

"Gentle my foot!" Wen Jinxin retorted stubbornly. "I'm afraid if I punish him too much, he might lie on the ground and not get up, or have a heart attack. I can't take the responsibility."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "I looked into the auxiliary police a while ago. They earn at most five yuan per trip, but if they're fined fifty, they have to make ten trips to earn it back. They're exposed to the wind and sun, it's not easy, and they might not even earn it back in a day."

After saying that, he raised his fist and gently touched Si Yang's raised thumb. The unspoken understanding between the brothers was evident.

"How's Yingmei doing today?" Wen Jinxin took out his phone and glanced at it. There were no new messages on the screen, and a feeling of disappointment immediately welled up in his heart. He had been sending messages to Si Chuying for half a month, and hadn't received a single reply.

"It's the same as always." Si Yang's voice turned somber. "I'm looking for you today because I want to go visit that single mother again. I went there by myself before, but I didn't see her."

Wen Jinxin nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He always believed in Si Yang, and even though the situation was unfavorable to Si Yang and rumors were rampant, he never doubted his brother's character.

The two walked through several narrow alleys and arrived at Jiuyanqiao Community. Si Yang was already familiar with the area and quickly found No. 45-3.

The scene at the door was the same as last time, with takeout bags piled up on the ground. Last time, he was in a hurry and didn't look closely, but this time Si Yang noticed that there were children's toys, a girl's dress, and some beautifully packaged pastries in the bags. It seemed that kind people had ordered takeout for them after the child's accident.

The surrounding roads were full of potholes, some of which were filled with sewage, and there wasn't a single green tree in sight. In addition, several shared bicycles with their locks pried open were piled up haphazardly by the roadside, and a few free-range roosters were foraging around, leaving droppings everywhere.

Just two alleys apart, the entrances of Jinchuan No. 7 Middle School and Jinchuan University are bustling with traffic and people, forming a stark contrast to the dilapidated state of this place.

"I'll try knocking." Wen Jinxin stepped forward and knocked hard on the rusty wooden door, but there was no response. He knocked a few more times, but still no movement.

"Brother Yang, still no one." Wen Jinxin turned around and shouted to Si Yang.

"As expected, she should still be in the hospital, and there might even be someone watching over her."

He wasn't home for two mealtimes during the day, and the doorknob was covered in a layer of fine dust, clearly indicating that no one had touched it for a long time.

The two turned to leave when they suddenly heard a creak behind them. The door of number 4 across the street opened, and a man carrying a basin of grayish-black muddy water poured it out without hesitation.

"Damn it!" Wen Jinxin reacted quickly and jumped to the side, splashing mud on the ground. The mud splattered almost got on his trouser leg.