"It's not being vulnerable, I'm just a little tired."
"I understand."
What do you understand?
Zhang Shutong looked at her strangely, about to ask, but Lu Qinglian said:
"How about I ask you a question? What's the latest time of that dream you had?"
Zhang Shutong didn't expect her to ask such a sharp question after just seemingly comforting him a second ago:
"You actually believe it?"
"Since I believe that you saw a person who looks exactly like me, why wouldn't I believe that you had a dream that predicts the future?"
"Just until midnight on Saturday."
"Is that so..." Lu Qinglian looked at the lake. "So that's why you went to the rooftop to find me that day?"
"Pretty much."
"I see," she nodded slightly. "One more question. How many times have you had a dream like this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. On December 5th, Wednesday, you wrote my name on a scrap of paper. Other people might believe the excuse you made up, but you can't fool me."
Lu Qinglian glanced at him:
"Did you also have a dream that day?"
Zhang Shutong broke out in a cold sweat. He had almost forgotten about it. She was really sharp.
Zhang Shutong thought for a moment and didn't act tough:
"I did have a dream."
"What was it about?"
"I dreamed of my adult self, I guess."
"Where was your deskmate at that time?" She quickly caught the key point.
Zhang Shutong was silent for a while:
"She also died."
"That's the second time," Lu Qinglian said as if confirming something. "Last question. Under what circumstances do you have these dreams?"
"When else would it be? When I'm sleeping," Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat.
But she didn't delve deeper, just said softly, "Then your sleep quality isn't very good."
"...It's okay."
Lu Qinglian then said:
"You asked me why I'm helping you. Because if you fail, it means I will also fail. Let me give you an example. Do you like fishing?"
Zhang Shutong nodded.
"A person comes to the water to fish, and a very big fish is about to get hooked. If it gets unhooked right before it's pulled out of the water, it's very frustrating."
Zhang Shutong couldn't help but complain. You learned how to fish from me. Can you not sound like a fishing master:
"I think I get it. You're worried that the fish will disappear completely, right?" The fish referred to the figure in the forbidden area.
"Wrong."
"Then what do you mean?"
"I'm likely to never know that the fish existed. If it happens again, will that person come to the shore to fish? The person knows, the fish knows, but I don't."
Zhang Shutong didn't understand.
"It's okay if you don't. To put it simply, I'm a little interested in observing you."
"You said something similar before, on the way down the mountain yesterday. Why?" Zhang Shutong asked belatedly.
Thinking about it, he didn't have much interaction with Lu Qinglian, but her attitude toward him was indeed a little special. At least, it wasn't like how she treated others, always calling them "that child."
"You want to know?"
"I'm a little curious."
"Get me a bottle of water, please," she said politely.
Zhang Shutong went to the motorcycle again and handed her a bottle of water.
He thought he would get a different answer, but who knew:
"You're a little different from everyone else," she unscrewed the cap. Her small lips were half on the bottle opening, and the corners of her mouth curved into a subtle arc.
"What do you mean by 'everyone else'? My peers?"
"Everyone else."
"Uh..." Zhang Shutong said, confused. "First of all, I'm not narcissistic, but what you said sounds so strange?"
"Whatever you want to think," Lu Qinglian said indifferently.
"Just tell me if you're going to tell me," Zhang Shutong shrugged, suspecting that she just wanted to trick him into running errands.
It was actually quite interesting to chat with her. Anyway, they were both saying things that were half-true and half-false, so there was not much psychological burden. Also, she gave off the vibe of a mature and calm person, unlike girls her age.
"Do you want to go fishing again after this is over?" Zhang Shutong learned to paint a picture for himself. A good life was right in front of him. "Not just me. Ruoping and Du Kang also want to ask you to come."
"No," Lu Qinglian refused coldly. "Tell them thank you for me."
"You're a little heartless."
"Are you thinking that you can go back to a normal life after this is all over?"
Zhang Shutong nodded subconsciously.
"For you, going back to a normal life is going fishing," she paused and said calmly. "But for me, it's the opposite. If I weren't looking for that person, I wouldn't have stayed down the mountain for so long."
Zhang Shutong seemed to understand.
If it were a normal day, her identity should switch between a student and a temple master. Sitting by the water in a coat and chatting with him was an exception.
It wasn't that she didn't want to, but that she couldn't.
"You can also try to change," Zhang Shutong suggested.
"Classmate Zhang Shutong, my interest in observing you does not include chit-chat."
"But we've been chatting for so long."
"So you're going to take a mile when you get an inch?" she chuckled softly.
"You can even smile like that."
However, when he looked back, Lu Qinglian had returned to her indifferent state:
"Your cold is so serious that you're hallucinating."
He looked at the time again. The two of them had been sitting there until eleven o'clock without realizing it. It was quiet all around. The melting snow and swaying reeds made for a lonely scene.
Still no new findings.
Lu Qinglian seemed to be a person whose words came true. He was a little dizzy from the cold wind. He should take his cold medicine twice a day, so taking it again at night should be enough, but the medicine didn't seem to be working. He felt dizzy and sleepy.
It should be that the medicine was working, but he couldn't sleep.
Zhang Shutong felt that it was not a good idea to continue. He had to at least stay in a good state for the night. Speaking of which, did he need an ID card to register at the hospital in 2012? He probably didn't... He thought vaguely.
He'd go there and get some medicine.
"Do you still want to wait?" he asked for Lu Qinglian's opinion.
"If you can hold on."
Then there was nothing to say. The two of them got on the motorcycle and rode to the hospital.
The island was perfect for a slow-paced life, and there were still very few people on the streets.
Just now, he had sent a message to Gu Qiumian, and she replied that she was eating and that he didn't have to worry.
Zhang Shutong replied as usual, "You be careful, especially tell the bodyguards to guard the two doors." He felt a little long-winded. Forget it. Even if she hated him, it would only be for today.
The hospital was in the city. They arrived at 11:20 AM.
He was healthy as a child and rarely came here. He only remembered that it was a three-story building. The first floor was the outpatient department, the second floor was the inpatient department, and the third floor had various clinics. As a hospital, it was very small. As a clinic, it was too big. There were about ten doctors working there at any given time. He couldn't expect them to treat major illnesses, but since they were on an island, he was used to it.
As soon as he entered, he smelled the faint scent of disinfectant. The bottom half of the walls was painted green, and the top half of the white walls had turned into a light yellow, with a red cross on it. Zhang Shutong took Lu Qinglian to the window to queue up.
"Have you been here before?"
"Basically never."
"Is it a problem you can't talk about?"
"It's just a minor illness. It's not necessary. I'll get over it with some medicine."
Common sense was something that was hit or miss for Lu Qinglian. Zhang Shutong was also used to teaching her. He told her where to register, which department to go to for which illness, and where to see the doctor. He also told her to bring her medical records next time.
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid," she said a little helplessly as she listened. "I'm here with you to see a doctor."
"Then guess why I registered for two appointments," Zhang Shutong said to the nurse at the window and then turned his head back to her. "One is for respiratory medicine and one is for surgery."
"Are you really hallucinating from the fever?" Lu Qinglian analyzed, using the knowledge she had just learned.
"I'm helping you with your foot..."
Lu Qinglian seemed surprised. She was rarely stunned:
"That's not necessary."
"You're welcome. No, don't be so stubborn," Zhang Shutong was too tired to explain to her. "Look at me. I'm not being stubborn anymore. If I'm sick, I'll get treated. And I'm also responsible for your situation."
"You'd better not say it in such an ambiguous way."
"Then I'm also responsible for your foot?"
"Are you doing this on purpose?" Lu Qinglian's face was expressionless.
"You're welcome."
"...Thank you," she said softly after a long while.
"I told you, there's no need to thank me. I'm helping myself," Zhang Shutong said, imitating her calm demeanor. He thought this was the only interesting thing that happened today.
But he was met with a dangerous look from her:
"Don't copy how I talk."
It was a fact that he was helping himself. It was a simple logic that if her foot was better, he could catch the culprit.
But her eyes were somewhat kind. Zhang Shutong stopped talking. The two of them first went to the respiratory medicine department. The girl had no common sense. She should have waited outside the door but followed him in and sat on a small stool next to him. Her face was calm, but she was acting like a family member. Zhang Shutong didn't have the energy to correct her. He first told the doctor the cause of his illness, put on a thermometer, and waited listlessly.
"Do you have a runny nose?" The doctor was a middle-aged man.
"A little."
"What about phlegm?"
"No, but I have a little cough."
"Lift your shirt," the man said, picking up the stethoscope.
Zhang Shutong did as he was told. There was no need to avoid suspicion—although Lu Qinglian was right next to him—because he was wearing an undershirt.
"It's nothing. You just caught a cold. There's a little bit of inflammation, but it's not the flu," the man said after listening for a moment. But just in case, he pressed on his chest. "If it hurts..."
But before the doctor could finish, Zhang Shutong hissed.
"Does it hurt a lot?" The man's expression became serious, and he put on his mask.
"Uh, I'm fine. I was kicked..."
"You kids. You look so clean and decent. I thought you were a good student," the man shook his head. "Why are you fighting in the snow? If you fall, you'll end up next door. I'm telling you, go to the surgical department. Don't take it lightly. Two students from your school were sent here last week..."
The man habitually started to nag, but Zhang Shutong thought to himself:
One, I am a good student. This wasn't a mutual fight, but a one-sided beating. But the person who beat him was sitting right next to him, so it was hard to say.
Two, you're a psychic. We are actually going to the surgical department later.
When he was in an average mood, he was good at telling himself jokes and entertaining himself. The effect was pretty good.
But when he took out the thermometer, Zhang Shutong couldn't smile anymore. He didn't expect to have a fever of over 38 degrees.
"Your fever is a little high. I'll prescribe you an IV drip. Go outside and pay, and then go to the first room on the left on the second floor. Give the paper to the nurse."
The man saw that he was a student and gave him a few extra instructions.
Zhang Shutong said with a headache:
"How long will it take?"
"It's about a three-hour dose. Let's do it for three days first."
"Can you give me a fever-reducing shot instead? I have things to do later."
"Your temperature probably won't go down with just a shot," the man adjusted his glasses. "And fever-reducing shots are bad for your body. I know you kids find IV drips too slow and don't have the patience to wait, but..."
On the contrary, he actually wanted to get an IV drip and sleep, but he really didn't have the time.
So Zhang Shutong sighed:
"Thank you for your trouble."
"Alright, your parents aren't here, so I can't persuade you anyway," the man said, grumbling as he wrote the prescription. "Go back and observe yourself after the shot. Just stay in bed today. We'll talk about it if it doesn't get better."
Zhang Shutong quickly thanked him, called Lu Qinglian, and left the clinic.
He would have to take off his pants for the shot later. He was about to tell Lu Qinglian not to follow him in, but the girl apologized as soon as she left the room.
Zhang Shutong knew she was probably referring to the injury on his chest, but it was meaningless to dwell on what happened yesterday.
"You can teach me how to ride a motorcycle. You can get a shot here," Lu Qinglian rarely reminded him.
"Forget it. I can handle it."
The two of them went to the surgical department next door. The surgical doctor was an auntie. Lu Qinglian took off her shoes and socks, revealing her sprained ankle.
Zhang Shutong sat next to her, acting as a family member for once. He took a look and found that it was more serious than he thought. Her smooth ankle was very swollen.
Zhang Shutong felt a phantom pain just by looking at it. He knew that it wasn't this bad at home yesterday. To be honest, if he had known that Lu Qinglian's foot was this serious, he would have definitely not picked her up this morning and would have told her to rest on the mountain while he went solo.
The doctor was as surprised as he was.
"You didn't sprain this today, did you? How did it get so bad?"
If the man from before was just overly worried, this auntie was truly serious.
"I sprained it yesterday," Lu Qinglian said indifferently.
"Did you rest at home?"
"I was active."
"Doesn't it hurt, kid?" the doctor was even more surprised. "A sprain like this should have hurt so much that you couldn't move."
Zhang Shutong was even more surprised than the doctor because he knew that what Lu Qinglian meant by "active" was not just a simple walk. On the contrary, she had been running and even had a fight with someone. And today, she walked down the mountain by herself... Zhang Shutong couldn't count how many steps she had taken with that injury, but she hadn't said a word.
"Of course it hurts."
"Then why did you..."
"I had things to do, so I had to endure it," she said calmly.
But the doctor still frowned when she pressed on the injured area. Zhang Shutong noticed that her toes curled up slightly because of it. It seemed that it really did hurt, but she was enduring it and was not insensitive to pain.
He suddenly felt a little guilty.
"You should have come earlier. Why did you wait so long?" Maybe Lu Qinglian was about the same age as her daughter, and the auntie unconsciously spoke to her with the tone of an elder talking to a junior. "You're lucky it's just a muscle strain. It would have been bad if you had hurt a bone."
"I already treated it yesterday," but Lu Qinglian was like this with everyone. She was like the solid ice in the snow outside. Her voice had no emotion.
"How did you treat it?"
"I soaked my foot and applied safflower oil."
"What? Soaked your foot?" The doctor's voice rose a little, and she frowned. "Now I know why it's so serious. You should have used an ice pack to apply cold compresses within forty-eight hours of the sprain. Who told you to soak your foot in hot water?"
The doctor was clearly a little angry. The two of them were stunned.
Then, the girl's gaze moved slowly to the boy next to her.