"How do you know these two characters?"
Zhang Shutong looked at Gu Qiumian as if he had seen a ghost.
"Auntie said it in the ward at noon today."
Zhang Shutong thought to himself that his mom had still let it slip, but at that time he was lying in bed unconscious, and didn't have the time to care about what a nickname was or wasn't.
Gu Qiumian asked again if this was his nickname, and that it was quite cute. Zhang Shutong was a bit withdrawn, not wanting to talk to her.
What transfer, what butterfly flapping its wings, all of it was a trap Gu Qiumian had dug. Before, Zhang Shutong thought she wasn't stupid, but on the contrary, a bit clever. Now, seeing her get clever was simply terrifying.
"Can you not be so childish." Zhang Shutong said helplessly.
As soon as he said this, the princess-like Gu Qiumian returned.
She frowned, and said icily:
"Childish? I was only coaxing you because I saw you were hospitalized. Zhang Shutong, do you really think what I just said to you was all fake? I still have two accounts to settle with you, I'm really getting tired of talking to you."
Zhang Shutong knew what she meant, it was that he shouldn't hide things about her from her, shouldn't act like some unknown hero, shouldn't run around risking his life. Thinking about it, from Gu Qiumian's perspective, she came out with him last night, but then he left her alone and ran off in the middle of the night, and almost lost his life. Even if it was to catch the so-called culprit, it still made one feel very complicated.
This was probably one of the two accounts.
But Zhang Shutong couldn't figure out where the other account came from.
"It's a real loss that you won't inherit your dad's family business in the future." Zhang Shutong said sincerely.
"What's a loss?" She scrunched her nose.
"How do I always owe you two accounts?"
Gu Qiumian first wanted to laugh, then she tensed her face:
"You're still in the mood to joke!"
"It won't happen again." Zhang Shutong could only say, "I was also quite scared this time. Fortunately, the mountains near your house were low and the snow was thin, so there was a scare but no danger."
His original intention was to admit his mistake. But since Gu Qiumian's ears had already calloused from hearing "sorry," he had to beat around the bush. But Gu Qiumian didn't laugh or continue to be angry after hearing it. Instead, she fell silent.
"Why do you always say such frivolous things."
After a long while, she said softly:
"Do you know how many people were fine yesterday, but then suddenly disappeared the next day?"
Zhang Shutong said he of course knew, and he also said in his heart, you were like this last time, thinking you had returned home safely, but then something suddenly happened.
But Gu Qiumian said you clearly don't know:
"I just want to tell you that sometimes there aren't the signs you think there will be, it might just be an ordinary evening. You ate dinner together, she came to your room, kissed your forehead, and said goodnight to you, but you didn't say goodbye to her, because you could never have imagined she would disappear. It really was a very ordinary side of a very ordinary evening, there was no wind and no rain, and it wasn't a special, memorable day, but that person suddenly disappeared, and it was a long time before you realized it was the last time you would see them.
"But you had so many, many things you didn't get to say to her. You always dream of her. I've heard people talk about this feeling too, for example, when you're dreaming and don't know you're dreaming, you'll just think that the person who has been gone for a long time has reappeared in front of you. You'll be very happy, very excited, and want to cry. But I know that's fake, at least for me it's not like that, because I'm too greedy. What if I dream of her? After I wake up, everything will be the same as before. So where would there be emotion in a dream? There's only fear."
"Can you understand? Only fear." Gu Qiumian raised her head and looked at him.
Zhang Shutong didn't know how to answer. He probably guessed that Gu Qiumian was talking about her and her mother. In fact, everyone has a little secret hidden in their heart.
The two of them sat side by side on the edge of the bed, mostly looking down at the floor. Zhang Shutong would occasionally look at the hair pendant behind Gu Qiumian's ear. Now it was quietly hanging in her hair, no longer flying around like before. So he hesitated and nodded, intentionally changing the topic:
"What did your dad say?"
"What do you mean, what did he say? He made a lot of phone calls today, probably trying to find that person. It would be strange if he left so easily." Gu Qiumian mumbled, "And did you not listen to everything I just said to you? Then I won't say it anymore in the future."
"I listened."
"Don't be like this again in the future."
"Okay."
Zhang Shutong had thought that Gu Qiumian was an excellent actress. When she said she was transferring schools in the hallway a little while ago, it was an act. When she came back to the room and her aura exploded, it was an act. Even the slight glisten in her eyes just now was an act. But in fact, it wasn't. Now he pulled out two tissues and handed them to the girl, not knowing how to comfort her. Some things don't have a chance to start over.
"Actually, I've seen Auntie." Zhang Shutong finally said.
"You…" Gu Qiumian was stunned.
"Do you remember, that day we were watching a movie downstairs at your house, and the family photo fell? At that time, I went upstairs, wanting to help hang it up, but Auntie Wu didn't let Teacher Song and me in. When she was helping the photo frame, I happened to see a part of Auntie's photo. Although most of it was blocked, a part of Auntie was just visible, wearing a light white gauze dress…" Zhang Shutong didn't know how to describe it. It seemed that saying young, beautiful, or gentle wasn't quite right. He just followed his inner feelings, "Her smile was very beautiful."
"Mm, her smile was very beautiful." Gu Qiumian also smiled softly.
The hospital bed was directly facing the window. When they sat down, they could see the scenery outside. Zhang Shutong didn't look at his watch, not knowing what time it was. Dusk had arrived, and the sky was smeared with the last hint of orange-red afterglow. Maybe it was because they were in a small room, but the sunset they saw today was especially large, almost filling the entire window.
The view was very good, and they could see very far. The nearby blocky buildings, the distant stretching mountains, the shimmering lake at the end, everything was dyed orange-red.
Winter night was about to fall, but it wouldn't make anyone feel cold at all. There was air conditioning here, and also a small color TV.
He asked:
"Do you want to watch another movie?"
"Wait, what did you just say?" But Gu Qiumian's eyes widened, her rosy lips slightly open in an 'o' shape.
"Watch a movie. I promised to finish watching it with you yesterday." Zhang Shutong said, reaching for the remote control, finding CCTV-6. The signal wasn't very good, "But it might not be Roman Holiday anymore."
"No, I'm asking what you said in the previous sentence!" Gu Qiumian became anxious.
"That day we were watching a movie downstairs at your house..." Zhang Shutong said, confused.
"And then?"
"The family photo fell."
"The next sentence!"
"I wanted to go in and help put it up, but Auntie Wu didn't let me in…"
"So you were standing at the door of the study at that time, and the family photo was blocked by Auntie Wu, so in the end you only saw a small part of the photo," Gu Qiumian completed the rest of his sentence with a rapid speed, "You didn't see anything else, including me and my dad?"
"Of course. What's wrong?"
Zhang Shutong didn't know why she was reacting so strongly. Shouldn't he have mentioned the family photo? Did Gu Qiumian not want others to mention her mom?
"Why didn't you say it sooner! I thought, I thought... you blockhead! Idiot! Fool!"
Her pale skin was also reddened by the sunset, all the way to the tips of her ears:
"I'm leaving! The driver is still waiting for me downstairs. Are we very close? Who wants to watch a movie with you…"
As she said this, she stood up and was about to pull open the door, but when she pulled it, it didn't open. Only then did she realize that she had locked the door from the inside just now. So she turned back and glared at him:
"Bye-bye, fool."
Zhang Shutong felt that the avalanche must have frozen his brain, otherwise how could he completely not understand what Gu Qiumian was saying:
"What's suddenly wrong with you?"
"I don't know!"
As she said this, a bright, smiling arc curved at the corners of her lips.
Zhang Shutong watched her burst out of the room, her small boots making a tapping sound on the colorful terrazzo. Her steps were quick yet light. That silver pendant was always a beat behind her, swaying in her hair, but it would never fall.
...
"It has been found."
Lu Qinglian placed the clay figurine sculpture on the stone brick. She straightened her back and looked at the old woman standing at the entrance of the side hall:
"What is this?"
"A clay figurine."
"A clay figurine..."
Lu Qinglian softly recited these two characters, then turned her face. She looked at the right wall of the temple. The entire wall was covered with mottled frescoes. They had been passed down for who knows how long.
Lu Qinglian looked at the bottom right corner of the fresco.
Blue pigment represented the lake water.
Black pigment represented the swamp.
Green pigment represented the weeds.
Now these pigments had long faded, as if covered by a layer of dust that couldn't be wiped away, but it wasn't difficult to distinguish the black and green surrounding the blue.
A clumsy-looking doll with indistinct features was lying inside.
The doll was entirely a muddy yellow, or rather, the pigment used to paint it originally was some kind of mud.
Lu Qinglian silently looked behind it.
Behind this fresco was a person lying horizontally on the ground. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was surrounded by more people. The eyes of those people were painted as inverted triangles, perhaps representing sorrow.
The third scene: The person with tightly closed eyes appeared in the swamp.
The fourth scene: The clay doll disappeared, the person with tightly closed eyes also disappeared, and the swamp was empty.
The fifth scene: The person with tightly closed eyes reappeared among the crowd.
The dead revived.
The fresco ended abruptly.
Lu Qinglian withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.
But the old woman called out to her:
"Tell me, how did you encounter it."
"By chance."
"Continue."
"Knocked that person unconscious, and according to what you said, took it to that body of water in the west."
"Who did it turn into before?"
"I don't know."
"Place it on the shrine." The old woman's voice was very low, like a shard of glass scraping across a stone slab.
She watched as the girl placed the clay figurine in front of the statue. The flame of the candle holder to the side was faint, and the light licked at the body of the clay figurine. This clay figurine had no features, only a blurry face, dim and unclear, seemingly smiling but not smiling, like a child's ornament.
"Good child."
The old woman's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed:
"Good child, you are even better than I thought. It only took you less than five days to find it."
The old woman had a head of silver hair that reached her waist. She stooped her back and slowly walked to the girl's side:
"I have said it before, you should not forget your duty. You are the temple keeper. Apart from this mountain and serving the god, you should have no other thoughts."
The girl was tall. The old woman's height barely reached her shoulder. The old woman then extended her withered and skinny hand and gently patted the girl's back. Every time she said a word, her palm landed on her body. Time seemed to travel back, returning to her prime, but now it was difficult for her to stroke the girl's hair again:
"Are you cold? Are you hungry?"
Lu Qinglian just shook her head, expressionless.
"You've had a hard time these past few days."
The old woman said slowly:
"Unlike your mother, she didn't listen to me. She insisted on being with a man, clamoring to see the outside world. Fortunately, she left you behind. Tomorrow, you can go and take a look at her grave."
Lu Qinglian looked at the inner side of the shrine. Besides the candle holder and the clay figurine, there were actually a number of spirit tablets placed there.
Small wooden plaques, placed together. These were the spirit tablets of the temple keepers for generations.
Lu Qingkui.
Lu Qinglan.
Lu Qingcheng.
Lu Qingying.
Lu Qing…
Lu Qinglian withdrew her gaze and said calmly:
"I'm a bit tired. If there's nothing else…"
"Of course I know you're tired," the old woman interrupted her for the first time. "It's been snowing these days, you've been running around outside, right? You've never taken care of yourself since you were a child. Coming back so late every day, I've always seen it. Of course you would be tired. Tell Grandma, what have you been doing these days?"
Although the old woman's voice was harsh, it gradually softened. The two women, one old and one young, stood in front of the statue and uncommonly talked about daily life. A faint smoke lingered in the temple, and time also slowed down. The candlelight quietly licked at their faces.
"This one thing was enough to keep me busy."
"That's true." The old woman said to herself, "After all, it was only five days. Grandma is old and has some physical ailments. I've been living in the side hall these days and haven't come out. I have confidently handed over cooking, sweeping snow, and wiping the statue to you."
She paused, stopping the hand that was patting the girl's back, and said kindly:
"Time was so tight, and you had to go to school and do all those chores. Naturally, you were too busy to get away. Now this matter is finally over, so…"
Suddenly, with a muffled thud, her palm slapped heavily on the girl's back:
"So Lu Qinglian! You tell me! When did His right eye break!"
At this moment, sparks flew!
In the wavering flames, Lu Qinglian let out a muffled groan. Her body unexpectedly trembled for a moment. She immediately looked at the right eye of the green snake. On the agate that had clearly been sealed with wax, another layer of cracks had appeared at some point.
"Do you think you hid it well, or do you really think I can no longer see?"
The old voice was like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue. Before, she had been slowly slithering in the grass, just waiting for the opportunity to strike.
"You, not bad. You've also started to have thoughts you shouldn't have."
The old woman stared at her intently. A white haze covered her murky eyes.
"It's my fault." Lu Qinglian lowered her eyes. "December 5th, in the afternoon. That day I finished sweeping the snow, and it suddenly broke."
"Why didn't you say anything?" she pressed.
"Because it's troublesome to repair. I shouldn't have used wax to cover it up to save trouble."
"Save trouble? Or feigning ignorance?" The old woman said grimly. "Do you really not know what this means?"
"I forgot." Lu Qinglian said in a low voice.
"I should have told you before. Now I'll say it one last time. When His right eye is broken, it means someone has come back from the future!"
The old woman's voice suddenly became high-pitched. She coughed heartbreakingly, but still insisted on finishing her sentence, one word at a time:
"You don't know how long I've waited for this day. Find him, no matter who he is, no matter what means you use! Bring him to the temple! Now you only have this one thing to do. Don't let me find out that you have other thoughts!"
When she raised her head again, the girl's eyes had returned to their calm state. She gently uttered a single word:
"Yes."