As dusk fell, the light from the phone screen reflected on his face.
Zhang Shutong silently opened his mouth. This news was a bit shocking.
Why did she come?
That light-blue robe was too iconic. It was hard to mistake her. The girl's posture was very serious. The type of folding stool she was sitting on was very short. A normal person would have to hunch their back to sit on it, but she sat there ramrod straight, just like in class. There was some unmelted snow around her, giving her the aura of a person fishing alone in the cold river.
However, Zhang Shutong tried his best to remember. He had already forgotten many things from his school days, but he could guarantee that Lu Qinglian had never gone fishing with them.
Which butterfly flapped its wings this time?
Could it be him?
Zhang Shutong was really not a person who would think too highly of himself. It was true that Lu Qinglian had said a few words to him after school, but the problem was that at the time, he felt that he had made things clear.
He also didn't think the girl had a personality that would get hung up on things. Besides, he wasn't someone that everyone would love. It was unrealistic to think that she would cling to him just because of a misunderstanding.
But, it wasn't a big deal. Staying in that spooky place, the Forbidden Zone, for too long made him feel a bit tense—actually, the Forbidden Zone was not far from where they were fishing. During the day, they could almost see the opposite shore across the lake;
So Zhang Shutong had just thought that Ruoping and the others had run into the killer and were in danger, and he was truly shocked.
In comparison, it was just Lu Qinglian who came, and she seemed much more harmless. He could just leave it to Du Kang to deal with.
It was less than a ten-minute bike ride, and he soon arrived at the designated spot.
The moonlight was shining through, but only a little bit of light was left through the dense clouds.
Zhang Shutong stopped his bike in the dark. He looked down and could see Ruoping idly scrolling on her phone through the thick reeds.
This place was not like the Forbidden Zone. You could walk directly from the road to the shore. The lake was much lower. You had to go down a dirt slope to get to it. Because of this, the water nearby was very shallow, which made it a good place for winter fishing.
But the bikes couldn't be parked on the road. They had to be carried down and put into the reeds—this way, they didn't have to worry about being caught by patrolling police. With a few of them sitting behind the reeds, it was like a natural screen. And with the darkness, it was very private. No one would notice them.
Strangely, Zhang Shutong looked around and only saw two people. The closest one was the short-haired girl playing on her phone;
The girl had a delicate face. She was wearing a hairband with a flower petal decoration on her short hair, and her bangs were neatly trimmed. When she didn't talk, she really had the demeanor of a respectable young lady;
But this quiet face had a slightly large mouth, but Zhang Shutong couldn't say it was a flaw. There were several famous female celebrities with large mouths. If he said that, it would just show that he had no taste;
He remembered a few years ago. The girl insisted on dragging them to a movie called "If You Are the One," a romance film. After watching it, she kept asking them for their thoughts. Zhang Shutong and the others completely didn't understand it. Or even if they did, it was useless, because it wasn't what the girl wanted to hear. As soon as they left the theater, she pouted her lips, stomped her foot, and pointed at the poster of Shu Qi with an exasperated expression, saying, "Who says you can't be a beauty with a big mouth?"
Of course, the few of them quickly nodded in agreement and flattered her to the heavens. Sure enough, she smiled like a flower.
This was Feng Ruoping. She was a fiery and boisterous person. Zhang Shutong had always felt that she had the demeanor of a female knight.
She looked gentle on the outside, but her temper was worse than anyone's. The three boys were all a bit afraid of her. She was a professional when it came to bullying and protecting her own. Although the people she bullied and protected were often the three of them.
At this moment, the girl was subconsciously biting her thumb, and her other hand was swiping on the screen. He had no idea what she was doing.
He thought that she would start scolding him as soon as she heard the sound, but to his surprise, she didn't even look up when he got to her side. Just as he was about to speak, Ruoping said with a frown:
"Go away, go away. I'll talk to you in a bit..."
Zhang Shutong looked at the screen. Her finger was on a red fat chicken... or rather, a small bird. The bird was glaring on the slingshot. As Ruoping's words fell, the bird was shot out with a bang, and it sadly crashed into a concrete wall, leaving only the happy cackles of the green pig heads inside.
"Level failed."
—These four words popped up on the screen.
"Zhang! Shu! Tong!" The girl immediately looked up, her expression gritting her teeth, just like the Angry Birds.
Zhang Shutong raised his hands innocently.
"Shutong, don't mind her. She's been stuck on this level for days." A calm voice came from in front of him.
The owner of the voice was a boy.
The boy was wrapped in a khaki woolen coat, with a pair of furry earmuffs over his hair. His short black hair fell over his forehead. He was holding a fishing rod with one hand and sitting by the water, and he was even reading a book with the other. With his expressionless face, he had a perfect look.
On a scale of ten, Zhang Shutong would give this look an eight.
"It's all your fault for wearing those earmuffs and not talking when you got here! What else am I supposed to do besides playing on my phone? Go down and catch turtles?" Ruoping immediately shifted her anger and said frantically, "And why are you wearing earmuffs in this weather? Are you that cold?"
The boy turned his head and didn't say a word.
"What does he mean?" Ruoping turned her head suddenly.
"He can't hear you," Zhang Shutong translated for her.
"Huh?"
"To be more precise, he's acting. He thinks that with his current look, he shouldn't be able to hear you."
Qingyi was a severe case of middle-school syndrome with a moderate amount of literary youth.
He always had a book in his hand. You could see popular magazines, old manga collections, and hardcover books in his hands. He usually had a blank expression and didn't like to talk, but he was actually immersed in his own world.
Zhang Shutong had always felt that with him as an example, the word "cool and aloof" could never be used to describe himself.
Eight years later, looking at his social media, he seemed to be a department head in a big company, a true elite tech guy;
Sometimes he would post photos, but they could hardly be called landscape photos. They were usually shots of the night from a high-rise office building, looking out at the city below. The night in the big city was bustling. The pedestrians were like ants, and the moving cars were like a flowing ribbon of light.
On a few occasions, he would post a group photo of a company dinner. Young women would always gather around him, but under the colorful lights, his face was still expressionless.
He also had a golden retriever. Occasionally, he would take a selfie with the dog, and only then would that perpetually blank face rarely show a hint of a smile.
Most of the time, he would quote some profound and philosophical golden sentences and add, "This is a book I've been reading recently. I highly recommend it." Zhang Shutong didn't fall for his recommendation. He would just like it every time, and he would reply with a smile emoji, the one that looked like he was being sarcastic.
Their contact had been maintained for so many years, but they had never really chatted. It was limited to their social media. Their interactions were like a duel between masters, just a quick exchange. It was a bit of an unspoken understanding.
In a sense, it was the same eight years ago.
"What book are you reading today?" Zhang Shutong walked to his best friend's side and asked, looking at the book in his hand.
"The Headless Ghost of the Village." It was just published last year. "It's a genuine mystery."
He didn't need to explain so much. Anyway, he had never heard of it. The most famous mystery works he knew were "Detective Conan" and "Sherlock Holmes."
But that didn't stop Zhang Shutong from giving him a thumbs-up:
"Cool."
In the dark of the night, the other party returned the thumbs-up.
"But it's so dark, can you really see the words on the page?"
"...To be honest, I can't."
"I give up," Ruoping sighed, putting a hand on her forehead. "He's really a middle-schooler."
Qingyi immediately turned his head and glared. He stopped reading his book.
See? That's what middle-school syndrome is. The biggest weakness is the words themselves.
There were already four stools by the water. Zhang Shutong was the first to sit down, watching the two of them arguing:
Ruoping couldn't stand it and snatched his earmuffs; Qingyi reluctantly made a deal with her. Ruoping laughed like a great demon king and said, "Okay, then you have to help me beat five levels of Angry Birds..." It took a while for them to calm down;
The two of them sat on either side of Zhang Shutong. Qingyi handed him the fishing rod and asked him to help fish for a while. He would fight with the green pigs;
Zhang Shutong was about to ask for water when Ruoping suddenly leaned in and said that if it wasn't for him, she would have already beaten that level. She also said that he owed her five levels;
He encouraged her, "Go ahead and try to get a free ride like this back in the classroom tomorrow. I guarantee you won't have to play a single level, and you'll get your phone back with the game uninstalled";
Then Ruoping got angry and reached out her demon claws. Zhang Shutong couldn't dodge, and his hair was ruffled by her.
She loved ruffling their hair, but he felt that a man's hairstyle was very important. She had his weakness completely in her grasp.
She also didn't like to fish. She would just prop her chin up and watch the boys fish, acting as a referee. Sometimes, Zhang Shutong felt it was difficult for her to be hanging out with a few boys all the time.
But Ruoping was a hopeless romantic. Once, when he asked her this question, she just chuckled and said, "Because you and Qingyi are handsome." At this moment, he could only shrug, not knowing what to say.
Then he heard her ask:
"What were you doing just now?"
He couldn't answer that. Zhang Shutong thought for a moment. "My mom called me to deliver something for her. I went on my bike."
"Then you're a fast rider. You haven't eaten yet? I brought some cookies. Want some?"
"Sure."
"Want to drink some water?"
"If you have some, that would be great."
Zhang Shutong had a hard time describing the relationship between the few of them and Ruoping. They were all only children, but if they had an older sister or younger sister, it would probably be something like this;
Sometimes he felt she was like a big sister. She was a bit of a nag, but she was also caring. She would manage everyone and constantly ask questions. No one was annoyed by it. They would just follow her lead;
Sometimes she was also like a little sister. Once, she was made to cry by a student from a higher grade. She ran back with red eyes, which startled the few of them. She wiped her tears for a long time and was angry that no one came to comfort her. But when she looked up, she saw the three boys with cold faces, ready to get their weapons. She was so scared that she quickly asked, "What are you doing?"
At that time, they were in the "Base." There was a treasure box hidden in the abandoned drainage tunnel. The equipment inside was top-notch. The three of them put on their motorcycle helmets, looked aggressive, and were about to ride their bikes to settle the score. Ruoping heard this and couldn't help but laugh and cry. She said that she had already made the other party cry;
She had originally won, but on the way back, she felt that she hadn't cursed them hard enough. She thought about what she should have said to really hurt them. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and she made herself cry...
What could anyone say to that?
Later, he and Ruoping also lost contact. He didn't know if this fiery girl was doing well.
These were the stories that the few of them had on the small island. Eight years later, when he lived alone in a rented apartment, recalling these memories would always occupy an important place in his heart.
The fishing float moved. Zhang Shutong picked up his rod, and a small fish jumped out of the water.
The small fish was only as long as his index finger. It couldn't even be called a "catch." He threw the fish back into the water, thinking, "I'll spare you this time. When you grow up, don't forget to come back and repay my kindness."
Actually, a fish that has been caught once is very hard to catch again. Just like people will slowly grow up. The process of growing up is like a fish in the water. Every time you get hooked, you learn a lesson;
Later, you're a sluggish and cunning old fish, who knows how to protect yourself. You're the biggest in the entire body of water and can move around freely. But where did the little fish that swam beside you go? There's no way to know. You can only try to slow down this process as much as possible.
He couldn't help but say emotionally:
"I wish it could be like this forever."
This unintentional remark made both Qingyi and Ruoping nod in agreement. Who knows who started the discussion about their future lives. The long term would be high school. The short term would be the winter and summer vacations. Today was Wednesday. What were their plans for the weekend? Should they go off the island to play? The holiday trips... The outside world was always something to yearn for.
"But this is pretty good, too," Zhang Shutong said.
"Yeah."
"Just the few of us," Ruoping said with a smile.
The three of them fell silent, quietly staring at the water. The water would sometimes ripple, and they could hear the little birds crying as they crashed into the pigs.
After a long silence, Zhang Shutong suddenly asked:
"I said... are we missing someone?"
Ruoping was also startled:
"Hey, right. Where's Du Kang?"
...
Ruoping was a little embarrassed. After all, she was the one who said, "It's pretty good with just the few of us."
Zhang Shutong also just remembered this question. He quickly asked why it was just the two of them.
"Don't change the subject. I still want to ask you what was going on today. Why did you suddenly run over and sit next to the young miss, and what was with that scrap paper..."
"Didn't Du Kang tell you?"
"Do you think I would believe him?"
Qingyi also became interested. "You like Gu Qiumian? We saw her after school today. Should we call her to hang out this weekend?"
Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes at them.
"Tell me, tell me!" Ruoping's future boyfriend was definitely in for it.
Just as he was thinking of how to change the subject, Qingyi suddenly spoke up, his tone mysterious:
"You'd better not ask. The reason a man is a man is because there's always a forbidden place in his heart that no one else can reach."
Zhang Shutong thought, "Brother, where did you get that middle-school quote?" But at this moment, he held on to this lifeline tightly:
"I agree."
"Fine, don't tell me."
Ruoping's relationship with Gu Qiumian was already bad.
Zhang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief:
"So what did Du Kang go do? I see his bike is still here."
"Oh, him," Ruoping chuckled mysteriously. "He's probably in a happy daze right now. Oh, right, did you see the picture I sent you?"
"Lu Qinglian? Oh, right, why did she come?"
"I was about to ask you that."
"Me?"
"Who else? It's your fault for writing her name on the paper. I can't think of anything else."
Zhang Shutong pretended not to hear her and asked again:
"What's going on?"
"After school, we originally said we'd go eat first and wait for you, but Du Kang forgot something and went back. When he came back out, he was dragging his feet like a girl. I said, 'Why are you acting like a big girl?' Guess what happened?"
Ruoping laughed when she said this:
"Then I saw him move to the side, and a girl was really hiding behind him. Lu Qinglian also came down behind him. Du Kang told us that when he went back to the classroom, Lu Qinglian found him and asked if she could go fishing with us and if he could take her along."
Zhang Shutong raised an eyebrow, curious:
"So something's finally happening between the two of them?"
Ruoping gave him an "oh, please" expression, ignored the question, and continued:
"I originally thought Lu Qinglian was a person who was completely out of touch with the world, but I didn't expect her to be interested in fishing. So we just said we'd take her. We told her the location. The few of us went to eat and came here first. After a while, she arrived."
Zhang Shutong looked around:
"And then she fished for a while and went back? Did Du Kang walk her back?"
"No, that's not it. Right after I taught her how to cast the line, which was when I sent you the picture, she said she suddenly remembered she had something to do and would come back after she was done. She didn't even say where she was going. She just put down the fishing rod and left. Du Kang is still sitting here in a daze..."
At this point, Qingyi took over:
"We told him that it was so late and he should go and check on her. Only then did he remember to run after her. Not long after he left, you arrived, Shutong."
Zhang Shutong pieced the whole thing together, but he still couldn't come to a conclusion.
So, after all that, he still didn't know what Lu Qinglian came for.
She couldn't have really come to fish, could she?
He felt that the girl's actions were a bit familiar. They were very much like his own back then. Sometimes, he would be doing something else with his friends or family, and then reversion would be triggered. He wasn't good at making up excuses, so he would just randomly say he had something to do and suddenly run off;
There were also times when he wanted to interfere in something, but the people there weren't close to him at all. He would just forcefully get involved. Others would look at him with surprise, but he would feel like a superhero making an appearance.
He was about to ask something else when he saw Ruoping waving her hand behind him:
"Here, here... They're back. Just ask them directly."