Lu Fen slept soundly that night.
When he woke up, it was already light out. He lay there without moving, staring at the ceiling. Her words from last night were in his mind — "I'll keep an eye on Lame Li for you."
He turned over to face the wall.
The water stain on the wall was still that rabbit. He stared at it for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
He didn't even notice.
---
A knock at the door.
He sat up, walked over, and opened the door.
No one was there.
On the ground sat a plastic bag — steamed buns, soy milk.
He glanced toward the stairwell. No one.
He picked it up, went back inside, sat down, and ate.
He took a bite. Meat filling.
He chewed, the corner of his mouth lifted.
When he finished, he stood up, walked to the door, and stood there for a few seconds. Then he closed the door and went to work.
---
When he arrived at the crematorium, Old Liu was already at the entrance.
No cigarette today. He was just standing there, staring into the distance.
Lu Fen walked over. Old Liu turned his head and glanced at him.
"The corner of your mouth is lifted again today," Old Liu said.
Lu Fen froze for a second and touched the corner of his mouth. It was lifted.
He didn't say anything.
Old Liu didn't say anything more either. He walked inside.
Lu Fen followed.
---
Not much work today. After burning two people, he was done.
At lunch, he squatted behind the back door, gnawing on a steamed bun. As he gnawed, his phone rang.
He pulled it out — an unknown number.
He answered. The voice on the other end said, "Lu Fen?"
The voice sounded familiar. He thought for a moment and placed it — one of the thugs who hung around Lame Li, the one he had seen at the chess card room.
He said, "It's me."
The voice said, "Brother Li told me to pass along a message. Today's the last day for that three thousand. Eight o'clock tonight, at the usual chess card room. Come over. Bring the money, and this matter is settled. If you don't come, tomorrow we'll go to the nursing home to find your mother."
The call ended.
Lu Fen looked at his phone for a few seconds, turned the screen off, and kept gnawing on his bun.
---
While working that afternoon, he kept turning this over in his mind.
Eight o'clock tonight. The chess card room. Bring the money.
He had money now — over ninety thousand. Three thousand was nothing.
But he didn't want to pay.
It wasn't about the money. It was about that day he had come to the nursing home to cause trouble and scared his mother. The scar on her knee from where she scraped it was still there.
He added coal, staring at the fire in the furnace, his eyes unmoving.
The flames leaped — red, yellow, blue.
He thought about how the urn had burst into flames that day at the memorial hall.
Thought about Qian Feng's pale white face.
Thought about what the system had said — "three months of lifespan."
He didn't know how many more times he could burn. Nor did he know what he would forget each time. Last time he forgot the weather on the day of his father's burial. What would he forget next time?
But he knew that the matter with Lame Li needed to be settled.
---
When he got off work, it was almost dark.
He changed his clothes and walked outside. At the entrance, he stopped.
Tu Su was squatting on the steps.
She was wearing her work uniform, spinning her motorcycle keys in her hand. When she heard his footsteps, she looked up at him.
"Off work?" she said.
He said, "Yeah."
She stood up. "Come on. Let's eat."
He said, "I have something to do today."
She looked at him. "What is it?"
He didn't speak.
She stared at him for a few seconds, then said, "Lame Li?"
He still didn't speak.
She said, "What time?"
He said, "Eight."
She said, "Where?"
He said, "The chess card room."
She didn't say anything. She swung her leg over the motorcycle and started it. Then she turned her head to look at him. "Get on."
He stood there without moving.
She said, "Hurry up."
He walked over and sat on the back seat.
She rode fast, the wind howling. He held onto her clothes and watched the streetlights flash past on the side of the road.
---
When they reached the building with the chess card room, she stopped the motorcycle.
He got off and stood beside her.
She got off too and looked at him. "I'll wait here for you."
He said, "You don't have to."
She said, "I didn't ask whether I have to."
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
They looked at each other for a few seconds. He looked away first and walked toward the stairs.
After two steps, he heard her voice behind him: "Lu Fen."
He turned back.
She said, "Don't do anything stupid."
He nodded and kept walking up.
---
The chess card room was thick with smoke and noisy with chatter.
He walked inside and headed to the back. Lame Li was sitting at the table in the very back. Two men stood beside him — the ones he had seen in the bathroom that day.
When he saw Lu Fen, Lame Li smiled. "Oh, you came? Right on time."
Lu Fen walked over and stood by the table.
Lame Li looked him up and down. "Did you bring the money?"
Lu Fen didn't say anything. He pulled a stack of money from his pocket and placed it on the table.
Three thousand.
Lame Li's eyes lit up. He reached for it.
Lu Fen pressed his hand down on the stack.
Lame Li looked up at him.
Lu Fen said, "I'll give you the money. But I have a condition."
Lame Li froze for a second, then smiled. "A condition? You're negotiating conditions with me?"
Lu Fen didn't speak. He just looked at him.
Lame Li finished smiling and leaned back in his chair. "Alright, let's hear it."
Lu Fen said, "Don't come to the nursing home anymore. Don't touch my mother."
Lame Li looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "That's it?"
Lu Fen said, "That's it."
Lame Li stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. "Alright. I agree."
Lu Fen let go of his hand.
Lame Li picked up the stack of money, counted it, and tucked it into his pocket. Then he stood up and patted Lu Fen on the shoulder. "If you'd been this easy about it from the start, we wouldn't have had all this trouble. Alright. This matter is settled."
He walked away with his two men.
After two steps, he suddenly turned back. "Oh, I forgot to tell you — about your mother. I didn't send anyone there. Someone else told me to do it."
Lu Fen froze. "Who?"
Lame Li smiled, didn't say anything, and left.
---
Lu Fen stood there, watching his figure disappear through the doorway.
His mind was racing. Someone else? Who?
He thought of Qian Feng. Thought of Wang Dazhi.
Thought of that day at the crematorium when Qian Feng had spit in his face.
He stood there for a few seconds, then turned and walked out.
---
Downstairs, Tu Su was leaning against her motorcycle, spinning her keys in her hand.
When she saw him come out, she stood up straight.
He walked over.
She looked at him. "All done?"
He said, "Yeah."
She said, "Everything okay?"
He said, "Yeah."
She looked him up and down, then swung her leg over the motorcycle. "Get on."
He sat on the back seat.
She started the motorcycle and rode off.
After they had ridden for a while, she suddenly asked, "What did he say?"
He froze for a second.
She said, "Lame Li. Besides taking the money, what else did he say?"
He didn't speak.
She didn't ask again.
---
When they reached the entrance of his alley, she stopped the motorcycle.
He got off and stood beside her.
She got off too and looked at him.
They stood there, neither speaking.
After a moment, she pulled a plastic bag from her pocket and handed it to him.
He took it — two steamed buns.
She said, "I was passing by anyway."
He looked at the buns in his hand, then at her.
She said, "Alright, go inside."
He didn't move.
She didn't move either.
They stood there for a few more seconds. Then he suddenly said, "Tu Su."
She froze for a second.
This was the first time he had called her by her name.
He said, "Why… why are you so good to me?"
She didn't speak.
He just looked at her.
After a few seconds, she looked away, swung her leg over the motorcycle, and started it. Right before she rode off, she left him with these words —
"I was passing by."
Then she was gone.
Lu Fen stood at the entrance of the alley, watching the motorcycle disappear into the night.
He looked down at the buns in his hand and smiled.
This time, he smiled very clearly.
---