In Room 705 of the Aiya River Community, as he woke up one morning, Old Ji felt like he'd forgotten something.
He saw the door was open and wanted to close it. How could he have forgotten to close it? What if a thief broke in... But there wasn't much in the house that could be stolen, and the thief had no interest in stealing.
He walked to the door, his hands already closing it, but he couldn't close it no matter what.
Ji Yongtao stood by the door, stunned for a long time. He saw a figure in the entrance mirror: an old man with gray hair. Actually, he wasn't that old, but his hair had already turned gray.
-
In his youth, Ji Yongtao was a police officer.
His outstanding performance earned him a transfer to the brigade, and the timing was perfect: he'd caught up with the first crackdown. The country was severely under-represented in police force, and the criminals were better equipped than the police. Shootings were a daily occurrence, and the newspapers reported robberies of savings banks or armored trucks almost every day.
Back then, there was a saying: "Car and road thieves, they'll kill you, no matter what." You can imagine how brazen the criminals were.
As young people today would say, it was like being thrown straight out of the novice village to fight the big boss. It was under this high pressure that Officer Ji became a key member of the team.
He earned 290 to 330 yuan a month, with bonuses of 500 to 1,000 yuan for solving cases. But he had little to spend, simply remitting money regularly to his mother back home.
Work, assignments, meals, sleep, and remittances. Ji Yongtao's life was confined to these things.
He often heard people envy the past, citing lower housing prices, regular life, less overtime, lower prices, and simpler people. But the past Ji Yongtao witnessed was one of chaos, uncertainty about the future, and impunity for evildoers.
Ji Yongtao rose through the ranks quickly, being the designated successor. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would have retired in glory, with a prestigious title and benefits, a lavish farewell banquet, and a host of supportive students.
Later, Old Ji retired early, and until his death, he remained an ordinary police officer.
During lunch, Ji Yongtao remembered something he'd forgotten—he had to record a conversation. It was a task a neighbor had assigned him.
The recording phone, with the app already installed, was placed on his desk.
But he still had to eat first. He took his bowl and chopsticks to the table and casually cooked a few dishes. The community had volunteers caring for the elderly and delivering prepared meals every day, but the old man preferred to cook his own meals. He thought the term "elderly" was strange and eerie.
Old Ji: "I don't understand how I became an elderly person.
" Old Ji: "I don't think I'm that old. They don't even let you cook for yourself, worried you'll forget to turn off the stove."
Old Ji did forget to turn off the gas once. Later, a neighbor replaced it with an induction cooker with a timer.
He served his meal and opened a beer, only to discover it wasn't beer, but soda in similar packaging. He pondered for a long time, suspecting the neighbor had surreptitiously switched it. The doctor told him he needed to quit drinking.
The man across from him, looking down at his bowl of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, muttered: "Without a wife or children, who else would be an elderly person if not an elderly person?"
Old Ji was speechless and laughed at himself. In fact, when he was young, he was very popular at social dances. There was a female teacher who looked very similar to Yamaguchi Momoe. He wanted to ask her out for dinner, but he didn't succeed after several attempts.
Yamaguchi Momoe is old now, and her grandchildren may be grown up.
The man looked at the recording phone: Why does he want you to record?
Old Ji: He wants to write a memoir for me. He is a writer.
The man laughed: What writer? Maybe he is a liar.
There is a writer named Chu living in Room 706. He is a friend of Old Ji. Every Tuesday, Mr. Chu would come to ask about the progress.
Old Ji collected the two sets of dishes and chopsticks: You didn't eat much.
The man lay on the sofa: It's summer, too hot.
Old Ji: Really? I see you didn't drink the iced Coke either.
Old Ji washed the dishes and chopsticks and sat back on the sofa. He cleared his throat and prepared to record.
Old Ji: I came to City A in the 1980s. I remember the first case I encountered...
Old Ji: This part is not good. No way, no one wants to hear it.
The man laughed: I want to hear it.
Old Ji: You're not the one writing it, so how can you write a book? Besides staying home and playing with dogs and cats, what else can you do?
Old Ji: I keep feeling like I've forgotten something. I want to remember it and record it together.
The man said, "Don't forget me."
Old Ji: I forgot my own name, but I won't forget you.
Old Ji: You're my enemy. I owe you something from a past life, and you're here to collect it from me. When you graduate, pack up your things and go back home. Don't call me again."
The man fell silent, and remained silent forever. Old Ji gathered his thoughts and was about to continue recording when he felt an eerie silence.
Old Ji realized the man was missing and searched the house for him, from the living room to the bedroom, from inside the door to outside.
-
Mr. Chu accompanied him to the hospital to get medicine this afternoon. Ji Yongtao had suffered a stroke last year and had been in poor health.
Mr. Chu asked him about the recording progress. He couldn't say anything and didn't know where to begin.
Mr. Chu: Just whatever comes to your mind.
Mr. Chu: There's no need to go into chronological order. Of course, it's your occupational ailment: you love to tell everything from the beginning.
If you want to start from the beginning, how far back in time? From childhood? When Ji Yongtao was little, he only remembered his parents arguing every day, then getting divorced. He left with his mother, who remarried. Unable to stay in that home, he moved with relatives to City A.
There's nothing much to say about that.
He returned home with a large bag of medicine. The man was back, leaning against the table, enjoying the fan.
The man: You always argue with me. Are you mad at me?
Old Ji: No, I'm not mad at you anymore.
Old Ji: Have you eaten yet?
The man: I don't need to eat.
Old Ji: Are you a god?
The man smiled and fell silent again. Old Ji heated up dinner and turned around to find that he was no longer at the table, but on the balcony.
The man said, "It's so hot in the house."
Originally, there was only one person in the house, but now there are two. More people means it gets hot.
But with only one person, perhaps it can't really be considered a home. Ji Yongtao really wanted to have a home, a home where he didn't have to quarrel with anyone or have to read other people's faces. He also felt a little guilty, probably because he couldn't remember the things he had forgotten, so he spoke harshly.
He sat back on the sofa, turned on his phone, and started recording.
Lao Ji: Let's record together.
The man: This is not my memoir.
Lao Ji: Can you help me say something, add some details.
Lao Ji: My name is Ji Yongtao, this is my family member, his name is... Lao Ji:
What's your name?
The man sat quietly beside him, his pair of innocent and bright eyes like a child, looking at him helplessly.
Lao Ji: What's your name?
The man shook his head and said nothing.
Lao Ji: Why don't you tell me your name?
The man just sat there, looking at him helplessly.
Lao Ji asked, "Why do you look like you're about to cry?" "What's wronged you?
" Lao Ji: "Talk about it, tell me. You've been bullied. I'll stand up for you.
" Lao Ji: "Don't just shake your head. Tell me. What's the grievance? You've been wronged outside, and you don't even tell me when you get home?"
He lowered his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The man said, "I want to go to Shanghai."
Lao Ji: "Then let's go. I'm retired, I can go anywhere."
The man was silent for a long time, then whispered, "But you're old, and you need to take a lot of medicine. If you take those medicines, you won't be able to find me.
" Lao Ji laughed: "What nonsense! How can you not find me?" "Let's go. It's a little windy tonight. Let's go for a walk by the river.
" There's the Ai Ya River next to the Ai Ya River community.
Lao Ji loved walking by the river. He used to have a dog, and there were times when the dog, excitedly, rushed into the river, and it couldn't be stopped.
They walked a long way. The river was very calm, as calm as a mirror. The man did something strange, he slowly walked over the reeds by the river and headed towards the river. Old Ji called him, but he just kept walking, as if he wanted to cross the river.
He saw the man walking on the river, stepping on the water, and walking calmly across. He was so surprised that he couldn't help but follow him. The river was really calm, carrying their footsteps.
-
The people in the community found him back. He stood on the green belt late at night. The Ai Ya River had been filled in a long time ago.
But recently it was said that it would be re-excavated and the environment would be restored. The river channel was being excavated on the south side, and it had become a construction site.
Ji Yongtao was sitting at home, and Mr. Chu gave him an electronic watch, the kind that prevents the elderly from getting lost. He stared at it in confusion: Why are you doing this to me?
Mr. Chu brought him today's medicine, but Old Ji refused to take it. He suddenly waved Mr. Chu away: What right do you have to do this?
Old Ji stormed out of the house. The man was gone, the dog was gone, and Ai Yahe was gone. He suddenly woke up with a start: "I've been kidnapped! Where am I?!" He
called out to people on the seventh floor, who gathered around to try to persuade him, forcing him to take the medicine. The drug made him dizzy, and he collapsed on the bed. The man sat beside him, stroking his white hair with sorrow. Old Ji wanted to ask him to help him up, but in the blink of an eye, the man disappeared. Wind rushed in through the window, blowing his hair.
The doctor recommended that he stay in the hospital for another two weeks. His symptoms were caused by the combined effects of a stroke and a fall, and they would only get worse.
Considering his age, a second surgery to reduce the ischemic area was possible. Mr. Chu discussed it with the community staff, and they granted permission to arrange hospitalization on Old Ji's behalf.
Ji Yongtao was in the intensive care unit, taking a heavy dose of medication every day. The man had never visited him, which made him very angry.
He called to the nurse: "The man is gone, he won't come anymore..."
The nurse said: "That's how it is. It can suppress many hallucinations."
Old Ji: What hallucination?
The nurse reassured him, saying it would be fine, he wouldn't see those things anymore, just keep taking his medicine…
She lowered her head to get his medication for the day, and when she looked up again, Ji Yongtao was gone.
-Old
Ji ran home from the hospital and locked the door. The hinges had worn out from being left open all the time.
He stood on the balcony, watching the Ai Ya River disappear outside. After a long time, the person finally came home and walked over to him.
Old Ji: I'm fine, I'm out of the hospital. What would you like to eat tonight?
He couldn't see the person, couldn't hear their voice, but he could feel their presence.
Old Ji: I have to find my motorcycle. I have to take you to Shanghai.
Old Ji had a motorcycle when he was young, abandoned in the corner of the carport.
It couldn't be driven for years. He pushed it back home, cleaned it from top to bottom, and slowly fixed it up.
He turned on the recording: I used to take him to class on my motorcycle. It took half an hour to ride from here to the university.
Old Ji: I still remember the way to the university. I'd pass the Friendship Shopping Center and stop by for a cake.
Lao Ji was silent for a while: I don't have any good memories, my memories are all these trivial things.
Late one night, he repaired the motorcycle, and the man sat on the back seat, hugging him tightly.
Along the non-existent river, the old car started again and took them to the distance.
-Mr.
Chu received a call from the police late one night, the Shanghai police.
The police said that a lost old man and his motorcycle were found on the scenic avenue beside the Huangpu River. The emergency contact in the old man's phone watch was Mr. Chu.
From City A to Shanghai, Lao Ji suddenly remembered something.
He remembered that the man was his younger brother, a college student. The man asked, what about the others? What about other things about me?
The other things are not important.
The Bund is shining with gold. This city is different from the gray city he once thought of. It is like a sponge soaked in water, softening the desires of all things, which is what that person likes.
Lao Ji walked to the guardrail, and the river wind was whistling. Sightseeing ferries traveled back and forth on the brilliant river. Even in the middle of the night, the place was shrouded in glory.
Old Ji was very tired. He sat down against the guardrail and breathed a long sigh of relief.
The man sat down beside him: "It's time for me to go."
Old Ji: "Where are you going?
" The man: "I'm leaving."
Ji Yongtao looked up, blankly staring at his back.
Old Ji: "Aren't you taking me with you? I'm old. I can't walk on my own anymore."
Everyone grows old. When we were young, we were full of vigor and ambition, hailed as heroes, and received supreme honors. When we grow old, everything fades away.
Ji Yongtao was that hero, but that hero wasn't Old Ji.
The man returned to him: "I can't bear to leave you. If there's anything I want to take with me, it's you."
The man smiled bitterly and shed tears: "But you've done nothing wrong. I'm on my way. I've come this far, and my journey is over."
Old Ji looked at him: "I've forgotten a lot of things.
" The man nodded: "Don't remember.
" Old Ji: "Can you tell me who you are?"
The man: "I beg you, don't remember."
Ji Yongtao looked for him on the sightseeing path. Late at night, there were still some people along the Huangpu River. People were astonished to see a white-haired old man trying his best to drag a motorcycle that should not be towed onto the sightseeing path onto the steps.
He dragged the motorcycle onto the sightseeing path, pointing the front of the motorcycle towards the river. The motorcycle started and rushed towards the river.
But it soon slowed down, and the front of the motorcycle hit the guardrail and stopped.
This old motorcycle could not move after all.
-Mr.
Chu took the man back to City A.
Lao Ji said, I remember, he was my brother.
Mr. Chu: He is no longer here. So you have to take your medicine well to live a normal life.
When Lao Ji returned to City A, the channel of the Ai Ya River had been almost dug. The heavy rain that lasted all night filled the river pit that had not yet been filled with water with thick water.
Lao Ji looked into the distance from the window, and he always felt that there was a child there. He rushed into the rainstorm many times to find the child, and he seemed to be crying very sadly.
After a serious illness, Ji Yongtao was really old.
His knees hurt so much that he couldn't walk, he couldn't hear clearly, and he felt sleepy after being awake for a while.
He could only walk around the house with a cane. He found an old photo, which was moldy, and the faces of the people in the photo became mottled. There was a snow-white mold spot that completely corroded the person's face.
Suddenly, he returned to the table and turned on the mobile phone. Old Ji began recording his memories. His thoughts were clear: time, place, events, people, the food he'd eaten, the price of seasonings, the pen he'd borrowed from a colleague, the high heels of the girl in the dance hall, the feel of his keychain, the voices at the train station, his brother's long hair, his heavy luggage, the soft click of a Coke bottle being opened, the smell of a hundred-yuan bill being lit, that person's laughter, that person's tears, that person crouching on the balcony,
that person's body gleaming in the sunlight. The length of that person's steps, the videos that person liked to watch, the holes that person had dug in the mosquito net.
His own loves and hates.
Everything he'd lost, everything that person had never existed to begin with.
Reed flowers and birds, a childlike gaze.
The key he always forgot to bring.
Ji Yongtao found a key trapped under a glass Coke bottle.
He crushed it with pliers and put it in the bottle. Suddenly, he felt like he'd done something he'd always forgotten.
He gave him the key.
That
night, he heard the sound of running water.
The riverbed filled, the river reappeared. He lay in bed, seemingly on a gentle river, flowing into the distant, white distance.
People passing Room 705 in the morning saw the door was closed. Like all weary people in the world, the old man with white hair indulged in this.
-
Mr. Chu arranged his affairs.
The will was recorded, leaving everything to Mr. Chu, with full authority. There weren't many things, actually: old furniture, old videotapes, the man's ashes.
He thought the old man would ask for the ashes to be taken to Shanghai, but he didn't. He simply requested a water burial, close to home.
An urn and a Coke bottle. In the early morning, Mr. Chu took them to the river. He went, but then he left. The next day, when children were at school, adults were at work, and people were coming and going on the streets, he went to the banks of the Ai Ya River again.
As he scattered the ashes, the snow didn't melt immediately. It floated for a moment like a ball of reed flowers on the water, blending with the reeds on the riverbank.
Fragments of keys and Coke bottles sink to the bottom of the water. Birds fly high in the sky, water flows away from its original place, and names are forgotten.
I, but I.
I have heard all the rivers in the world.
— "Love River Mystery Record"