It's scorching August.
Beep—beep!
Sharp cicada chirps mixed with car honks are echoing through the bustling streets. The scorching sun has burned the asphalt pavement gray and brown, surging heat making the entire street seem distorted.
Under the shade of the few trees on the roadside, several young people together, with a cigarette in hand are waiting for the traffic lights.
Suddenly, a young man puffing on a cigarette let out a light sigh noticing something and his eyes landed somewhere on the corner of the street.
"What are you looking at, Arnold?" his companion asked.
The young man named Arnold stared blankly at the street corner, only speaking after a long pause, "Tell me… how do blind people cross the street?"
His companion froze for a moment, and after a brief hesitation, slowly replied: "Generally speaking, when blind people go out, they have someone looking after them, or a guide dog to lead them. In more modern cities, there are audio signals at traffic lights that announce when to cross. If everything else fails, they might be able to inch their way across bit by bit, relying on sound and their white cane."
Arnold shook his head. "But what if there's no one to look after them, no guide dog, no audio signals, and they've even used their white cane to carry peanut oil?"
"…You think you're funny?" his companion rolled his eyes and followed Arnold's gaze. The next moment, he froze completely in place.
Across the street at the opposite corner stood a young man wearing a black short-sleeved shirt. His eyes were wrapped in several thick layers of black silk, completely blocking out all light.
In his left hand, he carried a cheap shopping bag full of vegetables, while his right hand gripped the white cane slung over his shoulder like a carrying pole. At the end of the cane, a large jug of golden peanut oil glinted in the sunlight!
Black silk covering his eyes, the white cane on his shoulder, vegetables in his left hand, oil carried in his right…
This absurd scene immediately drew the attention of a large crowd of people around him.
"Hey, look at that guy. He looks so weird."
"With all that cloth wrapped around his eyes, can he even see where he's going?"
"Didn't you see the white cane in his hand? He's obviously blind."
"In this day and age blind people pretty much all wear sunglasses. Who still wraps their eyes in cloth in this heat? Isn't he afraid of suffocating?"
"Exactly! And have you ever seen a blind person who doesn't use their white cane to walk, but instead uses it to carry things?"
"Young people these days really know how to have fun."
"…"
The summer cicadas' chorus couldn't drown out the whispers of the pedestrians around him. They studied the young man with curiosity, murmuring quietly about whether he was truly blind or faking it, while watching the flashing red light with some anticipation.
Just then, a clear voice came from beside the young man.
"Big brother[1], let me help you cross the street, okay?"
It was a little girl in a school uniform, around twelve or thirteen years old. A few glistening beads of sweat dotted her cheeks, and her large, dark eyes gazed at the young man with worry - pure and innocent.
The young man froze for a moment, turned his head toward the little girl, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Mm-hmm."
He hung the bag of vegetables on his right hand, freed up his left hand to wipe the sweat on his shirt hem, and gently grasped the little girl's hand.
Click—!
The light turned green.
The young man stepped forward and walked with the little girl toward the other side of the street. The little girl was very nervous, glancing left and right to watch for vehicles on both sides, her steps cautious and timid.
As for the young man… he walked steadily.
To the onlookers, the scene didn't look like a kind-hearted girl leading a blind person across the street, but rather like a big brother escorting a little child across the road.
The street wasn't wide, and in just over ten seconds, the two reached the other side. The young man thanked the little girl, then walked away toward a secluded alley without looking back.
"He's not blind," Arnold said with certainty after witnessing the scene. "He can definitely see."
A young guy behind Arnold cupped his chin with one hand, looking thoughtful. Then as if struck by realization, he exclaimed:
"I get it! He's cosplaying Lee Sin!"
Smack—!
A sharp slap landed cleanly on the back of his head. Arnold cursed, "Idiot! All you know is to play games all day. Who the hell has nothing better to do that cosplay Lee Sin in the middle of a busy street? Does he have a death wish?"
After a two-second pause, Arnold muttered under his breath, "Besides… Lee Sin's blindfold is red. This doesn't even look like a proper cosplay."
"Arnold, and you're the one to talk…"
"Shut up."
"Okay"
While the two bickered, a young man who had been silently standing nearby watched the young man's retreating figure, his brow furrowing slightly.
"What's wrong?" Arnold noticed his gaze.
"I know him."
"You know him?"
"That's right," The young man nodded. "When my younger cousin was still in elementary school, I heard that a student at their school had an accident. Something happened to his eyes, and he could only wrap them in black silk. Supposedly, there were mental health issues as well…"
"Mental health issues?" Arnold paused, carefully recalling what he had just witnessed. "He seemed fine to me."
"That was all ten years ago. Maybe he's recovered by now. But at the time, it apparently caused quite a stir. Within a few days, that student withdrew from school. I heard he later transferred to a special school for the blind."
At this moment, another person chimed in enthusiastically: "What was that accident, anyway? How could it cause someone to go blind and develop mental issues? Did he encounter something supernatural?"
"He's had a tough life," Arnold sighed. "What was his name?"
"I think it was… Lin… Lin… Lin Qiye?"
...
In the sunset, Lin Qiye opened the door.
Almost instantly, the aroma of food from inside the house filled his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, swallowed, and walked inside carrying his things.
Squeak—!
The old door let out a piercing creak, drowning out the sizzling sounds from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman opened the kitchen door, and when she saw Lin Qiye with all the bags with purchases, she let out a startled cry and hurried forward.
"Xiao Qi, why are you carrying so many things home at once again?" The woman wiped her hands on her apron and hurriedly took the things from Lin Qiye, muttering as she did.
"Such a big jug of peanut oil!? Did you misuse the government subsidy again, kid?"
"Auntie, the government subsidy for people with disabilities is meant for living expenses. Using it to buy oil is making good use of it," Lin Qiye smiled.
"Nonsense! That money is supposed to be saved for your university tuition. How can you just spend it like that? Let me tell you, the money auntie makes from working is enough to support all three of us. Don't spend your own money recklessly."
Auntie carefully wiped the oil jug with her hand, her expression tinged with distress as she murmured softly, "Such a big jug of oil, and it's a brand name… that must have cost quite a bit, right?"
Before Lin Qiye could respond, his aunt suddenly paused, realization dawning on her face.
"Wait… how did you manage to bring home so many things?"
"Oh, I ran into some kind-hearted people on the way who helped me carry them back," Lin Qiye said calmly.
"Good, good! It seems there are still many good people in society… Did you remember to properly thank them?"
"I did." Lin Qiye changed the subject. "Auntie, where is Ajin?"
"He's on the balcony doing homework… Oh yeah, the doctor from the mental hospital came by for the annual routine checkup today. He's resting in the bedroom. Go and see the doctor. I will cook first and call you when it's ready."
Lin Qiye's pace paused for a moment upon hearing this. He nodded in acknowledgement and turned toward the bedroom.
...
"Hello, I'm a doctor from Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital. My surname is Li."
Seeing Lin Qiye push open the door, the young man seated on a small stool in the bedroom stood up and spoke in a gentle tone. He wore a pair of large black-framed glasses that gave him a refined, scholarly appearance.
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised, "Wasn't it always Dr. Han who came before?"
"Dr. Han was promoted to deputy director last year," Dr. Li smiled, with a little envy in his eyes.
Lin Qiye nodded slightly in acknowledgement.
That made sense. Dr. Han was getting on in years and was highly skilled; his promotion to deputy director was hardly surprising. It was only natural for a younger doctor to come for his checkups.
After Lin Qiye took a seat, Dr. Li cleared his throat and pulled a stack of medical files from his bag.
"My apologies. Since I'm new here, I'm not very familiar with your situation yet. Let me just get a general overview first." Dr. Li said apologetically.
Lin Qiye nodded.
"Your name is… Lin Qiye?"
"Yes."
"You're seventeen years old this year."
"Yes."
"So… according to the medical file, you went completely blind ten years ago and were admitted to our hospital due to some circumstances, correct?"
"Yes."
Dr. Li pondered for a moment, then asked, "Did you change your name at some point?"
"…No, why would you say that?" Lin Qiye was taken aback.
Dr. Li looked a bit embarrassed and scratched his head. "Ahem… I think I'm overthinking."
He pointed at the age listed in the medical file, then at the three words ten years ago. "You see, you went blind ten years ago, at which time you were exactly seven years old, and your name happens to be Lin Qiye[2] — so I thought perhaps you changed your name after going blind…"
Lin Qiye remained silent for a long time, then shook his head. "No… I've never changed my name. My parents gave me the name Lin Qiye before I was even born."
"That really is quite… ahem." Dr. Li realized mid-sentence that his comment was inappropriate and promptly closed his mouth.
"It's quite a coincidence," Lin Qiye said quietly. "Indeed, quite a coincidence."
Dr. Li felt somewhat awkward, but he quickly changed the subject. "Well… the medical file doesn't seem to provide detailed information about the accident that caused your blindness and mental condition. Would it be alright to tell me about it, if you don't mind?"
Before Lin Qiye could respond, Dr. Li quickly added, "I don't mean to offend. The more I understand about my patients, the better I can treat them. Of course, if you'd rather not talk about it, I won't press you."
Lin Qiye sat quietly in his seat. From beneath the black silk bandage, those eyes seemed to pierce through and fix upon Dr. Li.
After a while, he slowly spoke:
"There's nothing I can't say… It's just that you might not believe me. Or worse, you might have me sent back to the mental hospital."
"No, no, no. Don't think of our relationship as that between a doctor and a patient. This is just a normal chat between friends. It won't come to that," Dr. Li said with a half-joking tone. "Even if you told me you were dragged into an alchemy furnace by Taishang Laojun[3], I would believe it."
Lin Qiye was silent for a while and nodded slightly.
"When I was young, I loved astronomy."
"Mm-hmm, and then?"
"That night, I was lying on the roof of my family's old house watching the moon."
"What did you see? The Moon Rabbit[4]?" Dr. Li smiled.
Lin Qiye shook his head. His next words made Dr. Li's smile freeze on his face.
"No, I saw an angel," Lin Qiye said seriously, gesturing with his hands in front of him.
"An angel wreathed in golden radiance, its six white wings spread wide — a Seraph."
[1] It's a common way in China to refer to others by "big/small brother/sister", or "autie,uncle", or "grandpa/grandma" in order to sound more friendly
[2] Qiye in Chinese literally means "Seven Night"
[3] a supreme Taoist divinity.
[4] The Moon rabbit, Moon hare or Jade rabbit is a mythical figure in Chinese folklore, often portrayed as a companion of the Moon goddess Chang'e.