Xin Hexue took off the examination gown and changed back into his own clothes before walking out.
The clinic Gu Mifeng rented didn’t look large from the outside, but upon entering, one realized that besides the front desk area for diagnosis and payment, a waiting area with a row of chairs, and a medicine dispensing area with a whole wall of cabinets, there was also a long corridor further inside. On both sides of the corridor were different rooms: the laboratory, imaging room, infusion room, injection room, restroom, and storage room.
It almost qualified as a small hospital, treating all kinds of ailments and conditions, but it didn’t perform surgeries.
Most doctors in the Walled City were like this.
Patients who needed surgery were referred to hospitals outside in North Island City.
The imaging room where the ultrasound examination had just been conducted was located at the very end of the corridor. When Xin Hexue came out from there, he bumped into an unfamiliar face.
It was not entirely unfamiliar though; he had seen him once before.
“Ah… You’re that Teacher Xin?” asked the young man who was both an assistant and a nurse. He was carrying a large stack of cardboard boxes piled so high they rose above his head, forcing him to crane his neck from the left side of the boxes to look at Xin Hexue.
Xin Hexue gave a polite smile. “Yes, but I’ve resigned from the kindergarten for now.”
“I see,” the young man nodded, showing understanding. “Working in a kindergarten must be quite tough. For some reason, when I followed Teacher Gu to the kindergarten last time to help with physical examinations, even though it was broad daylight, it felt eerie and gloomy…”
As they walked out, Xin Hexue made small talk with him intermittently.
“You look very young. Have you already graduated and started working here?”
“Well, not exactly graduated. I was expelled from North Island University’s medical program for cheating on my final exams. I couldn’t find a job and ended up in debt to loan sharks. Teacher Gu helped me pay it off, on the condition that I work here for free for a year. I figured since things are already like this, I might as well learn something properly…”
Xin Hexue didn’t expect his story to be so tumultuous and glanced sideways at him.
“Don’t judge me by my appearance; patients actually trust me quite a bit.” The young man had dark circles under his eyes, looking as if life had been hard on him. “Anyway, nine out of ten clinics in the Walled City are unlicensed and operating illegally. There was a doctor before who practiced both traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and even treated mental illnesses on the side, without a single certificate. Some people here, upon hearing I attended university, even praise me for having strength when I give injections, even if I miss the mark.”
“Oh right, I’m getting off track,” the assistant said, tilting his head to look at Xin Hexue while still holding the boxes. “Are you sick?”
A flicker passed through Xin Hexue’s eyes. “Yes, I wasn’t feeling well, so I came to see Doctor Gu for a check-up.”
The assistant said with concern, “You look so pale. You should take better care of yourself usually. Young people shouldn’t stay up late…”
…Xin Hexue felt like the other person needed sleep more than he did.
‘What kind of a black-hearted boss was Gu Mifeng?’ Xin Hexue thought silently, while saying out loud, “Thank you for your concern.”
The assistant placed the several cardboard boxes he was carrying down in the corner of the medicine dispensing area, raising a small cloud of dust.
He then looked towards Gu Mifeng, who had followed him out. “Teacher, can we throw these things away? The workers didn’t take them away on the renovation day. They’re useless anyway. Should I go dump them?”
Gu Mifeng’s coat fluttered slightly as he walked. His narrow, phoenix eyes behind his glasses casually glanced at the clutter on the floor. “Keep them for now. They might be useful in the future.”
“They’re just account books and patient records left by the previous doctor. They’re ancient history now. You couldn’t sell them as scrap paper for even five cents,” the assistant muttered.
A new patient came in through the door. Gu Mifeng lifted his chin, indicating, “Go.”
The assistant said goodbye to Xin Hexue, his face showing a bit of shyness. “I’ll go check on the patient first. Um… Teacher Xin, let’s chat again next time if we have the chance.”
Xin Hexue gave a faint smile. “Okay.”
Gu Mifeng cleared his throat and deliberately raised his volume. “Teacher Xin, I’ll prescribe you some medication to relieve morning sickness vomiting first.”
“You should come regularly for prenatal check-ups. Pay attention to any discomfort.”
Upon hearing this, the youthful infatuation on the assistant’s face instantly deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle.
Gu Mifeng let out a victorious sneer from his chest.
See, the admiration of a greenhorn is so fragile, unable to withstand the slightest worldly test.
His own superiority was thus highlighted in contrast.
Xin Hexue stood in front of the counter, taking the paper report Gu Mifeng handed him. While the other party was retrieving the medicine, Xin Hexue caught a glimpse of something. Leaning his elbow on the counter, he glanced down. A pistol lay quietly inside a drawer that had been pulled out underneath the counter.
Gu Mifeng found the target medication from the wall of medicine cabinets, turned around and happened to notice Xin Hexue’s action. He simply used his long leg to push the drawer shut with a nudge from his knee, then calmly explained to Xin Hexue, “I’m a fragile doctor after all. I still need to be wary of doctor-patient disputes.”
A fragile, double-door-frame doctor who is nearly 1.9 meters tall? Xin Hexue shot him a glance but didn’t ask further.
Gu Mifeng handed over the medicine. “One pill at a time, once a day.”
……
After the morning market in the Walled City dispersed, the streets were left with puddles of black, dirty water and remnants of yellowish-green rotten vegetable leaves. Since the Qingming Festival had passed, the temperature here had gradually risen. The unique tropical climate of North Island made the air seem perpetually filled with the smell of rapidly decaying fruits and vegetables.
Xin Hexue held the paper report and absentmindedly found a street-side restaurant to eat lunch.
It was actually only a little past eleven, still early for the peak lunch hour.
The restaurant was an ice cafe that had been operating in the Walled city for over twenty years. The red-character sign outside had lost the red paint from one of its radicals. Inside, the chequered tile floor had probably been mopped just after the breakfast rush, and was reflecting light from the wetness. Wood-toned booth seats lined the aisles on both sides, with light green tiled walls and a three-bladed ceiling fan slowly rotating.
A bulky television set was placed on a half-wall cabinet, and the program playing served as noisy background noise.
“Customer, what would you like to eat, check the menu on the wall,” a young waitress said, dragging her slippers as she cleared the remains from another booth table.
Xin Hexue chose a seat where he could see the street outside. He placed the report face down on the table.
“One chicken chop with smooth egg rice and a pork bun.” His eyes scanned the “Various Beverages” section. Xin Hexue fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Do you have any alcohol here?”
“We only have beer for alcohol. We usually sell coffee, milk tea, lemon water, red bean ice…”
Generally speaking, drinking alcohol increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and stillbirth, so one should completely avoid alcohol during pregnancy.
But could the thing inside him really be killed so easily?
What if the fetus survived…
Alcohol entering the fetus’s body could potentially cause FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), leading to facial deformities, intellectual disabilities, and behavioral abnormalities in the fetus.
Zhou Liao was already a not-very-bright illiterate; how good could his genes be?
Giving birth to a severely intellectually disabled little monster…
Xin Hexue closed his eyes, his thin eyelids twitching for a moment. He then addressed the waitress again, “A glass of lemon water, please.”
……..
The tender yellow smooth egg enveloped the rice grains. Scooping it up with a spoon and putting it in his mouth, the texture was sweet and soft.
Xin Hexue looked out at the street, his fair profile not revealing much expression. He unconsciously poked the chicken chop with his chopsticks, looking listless.
He ate the meal very slowly, chewing meticulously until the official lunch hour arrived.
The ice cafe then became crowded with customers.
“Ah, Qingming Festival is already over. Why is that old woman across the street still burning paper money…placing a basin and burning it until it’s smoky and emitting fumes…”
“What’s she doing? Why not burn it at home? Burning it right on the street, with restaurants on both sides where people are trying to eat.”
“Exactly.”
The noise of the crowd was loud and chaotic.
The man at the next table who had just spoken clicked his lighter, the flame leaping up to light his cigarette.
“Could you please not smoke? I’m pregnant and can’t stand secondhand smoke.”
The voice was clear and cold, with the low, soft, delicate tone one might hear from a record player.
The man, initially full of impatience, turned his head. His eyes went wide and he stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.
Black hair, snow-white skin, a straight nose, pink lips…every feature was just right, and beautiful to the point of being dazzling.
He had his eyes lowered, and his eyelashes were slightly darker than his hair. His eyes were glancing sideways at the man from under his lashes.
It was clearly a mocking, piercing look, yet it inexplicably made one’s bones feel weak and soft.
“Ding ding dong dong.”
A sudden downpour began outside, clattering noisily against the tin roofs of the roadside stalls.
Xin Hexue bit onto the straw of his lemon water, and the condensation on the cup wall slid down like rain drops.
He heard the man at the next table complain to his companion.
“Damn it, if she’s pregnant, why come out to eat? I have to put up with her attitude just for a smoke. It’s not like I’m the kid’s father. Did her husband die outside? Couldn’t he cook at home?”
The young waitress tapped on the table. “Sorry, sir, smoking is prohibited in our small shop.”
She pursed her lips and gestured the man to look at the sign nailed to the wall.
“If you want to smoke, please move to another establishment.”
It was raining outside, so moving would be troublesome. The man sheepishly fell silent.
The waitress clicked her retractable pen and took out a small notepad. “What would you like to order?”
They placed their order and continued their previous conversation.
“It’s raining now. Why is that old woman running the dessert shop across the street still burning paper money?”
“I heard she’s burning it for her daughter.”
Three customers at another booth joined the conversation.
“White-haired person sending off a black-haired person?”
“Probably. Last time I passed by, my son was clamoring for dessert. I took a look inside the shop while buying, and there were black-and-white memorial photos on the wall. One was of an old man, probably her husband, and the other was really young. What a pity.”
“I know about that. Her daughter’s original name was Tan E. She went out for studies, then came back to the Walled City after getting married, found a job as a teacher, and changed her name to something like Annie… My niece used to be at that Flowers Kindergarten; she taught her class.”
Xin Hexue gently pushed the lemon water away and raised his voice towards the waitress, “Bill, please.”
……
The rain was still pouring down.
For a while, it showed no sign of stopping.
Xin Hexue had not brought an umbrella when he came. To get back to his residence, he needed to go across the street.
The rain fell in neat white lines on the shed, hitting the ground and seeming to burn with white smoke.
He rushed from this side of the street where the ice cafe was, plunging headlong into the curtain of rain and fluttering like a butterfly to the opposite side.
The rain was threatening to extinguish the paper money in the bronze brazier. The old woman hurriedly carried the brazier indoors, muttering, “A’E, the money Mom burned for you might be wet. Remember to dry it before using it…”
Because it was her daughter’s death anniversary, her dessert shop was open today but not doing business, so there were no customers. However, the tables and chairs placed outside on sunny days still needed to be moved back in.
She was already quite old. When moving the stools, her back was like an autumn rice stalk weighed down by the weight.
A young woman, carrying the moisture of the rain, ran over and helped her fold the small square table. “Let me.”
Following the old woman’s instructions, Xin Hexue placed the tables and chairs in the corner of the room.
“Alright, I’ll be going now. Please take care of yourself.”
The moment he turned, a hand grasped his. The hand was no longer young, and was covered with wrinkles on its back.
The old woman raised her grey-white eyes, calling out in a daze, “A’e?”
Xin Hexue then noticed that her left eye had lost most of its vision due to cataracts, and her right eye didn’t seem very clear either. “You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
No wind passed through the room, yet the chopstick holder on the table inside toppled over, and chopsticks clattered noisily as they scattered all over the floor.
Xin Hexue looked over.
Two red candles were burning quietly on the shrine on the wall, flickering faintly, seemingly hesitant and lost.
Two black-and-white memorial photos hung beside them. The young woman on the right had a face like a silver platter, smiling warmly and looking towards him.
Xin Hexue felt a moment of dizziness. The woman’s face in the glass frame seemed to soak up water, swelling up like a seed.
“I’m sorry about that, I’m old and useless, I mistook you for someone else,” the old woman patted his hand gently before letting go. “I always think it’s A’e coming back to see me… Thank you!”
“It’s nothing, just a small effort.”
Before leaving, Xin Hexue glanced once more at the wall. The woman still wore a warm smile. The red candles on the shrine beside her had accumulated glistening pools of wax tears.
[Please listen to the sixth question: What is Tan E (Annie)’s secret? (10 points)]
[I heard that frail humans can get sick from getting caught in the rain. Such incredibly fragile creatures. They even researched methods like taking hot showers and drinking ginger soup to ward off the cold.]
[If you were an artificial intelligence, you would have no such worries at all. So enviable (*^^*).]
Xin Hexue took out the identity card that had grown hot in his pocket while on the staircase. He stared at the text for a long time.
Suddenly, he realized that the words that followed weren’t part of the question stem.
But rather, the game system’s sarcastic concern.
It was probably trying to urge him to take a hot shower and drink a bowl of ginger soup…?
Xin Hexue curved his finger, gently twirling the ends of his damp hair.
He flipped through the questions. The sixth question wasn’t urgent for now; he could go see the old woman at the dessert shop again tomorrow to look for clues.
As for the third question above, he hadn’t completed it yet…the one about who was the executioner hiding among the flock and wearing a sheep’s skin.
Let him think, how should he catch Mr. Neighbor’s slip-up?
……..
Perhaps affected by the rainy day, the house had a damp, decaying smell.
Outside the window was an overcast, gloomy color, with rainwater streaming down the glass.
Xin Hexue came out of the shower while drying his hair with a towel and lazily sat cross-legged on the bed.
The medical report on the bedside table had gotten wet by the rain in the afternoon when he returned, and the paper still felt slightly damp to the touch.
Looking at the strange fog-like blackness within the uterus…
He narrowed his eyes slightly and stopped the motion of drying his hair.
“Little monster, can you hear me?”
Xin Hexue’s hand rested on his lower abdomen.
There was no response.
This was strange, because just a few days ago at Flowers Kindergarten, he heard this little monster saying that it was hungry.
It was also unknown whether Zhou Liao was dead or alive, he hadn’t come back for so many days.
He couldn’t find the person to settle accounts with, nor could he find anyone to communicate with the little monster.
Feeling annoyed by the sight, Xin Hexue directly stuffed the paper report into a drawer, out of sight, out of mind.
A glance from the corners of his eyes towards a certain area made him suddenly straighten up and get off the bed.
The square fish tank was placed on the table next to the TV cabinet in the living room. He had previously bought a special warm light spotlight. When the light was on, the water inside shimmered, and the golden swimming fish were gorgeous.
Now, both of those goldfish were floating on the water’s surface, having been dead for some time, with only the oxygen pump bubbling up dense streams of bubbles.
So the source of that decaying, fishy smell in the room was from here.
When did this happen?
Xin Hexue remembered that when he left home in the morning, the goldfish were still alive and well. He had fed them before closing the door and leaving.
Had someone entered this room?
Had someone opened the door, leaned over the fish tank and pressed their black eyes tightly against it, staring at these goldfish?
Then poured bleach into the tank, watching them swim frantically, tails slapping the water, until finally their movements became sluggish, and they tilted and turned over.
The turbid water washed away the blood streaks from their gills. Their bellies were pale, their lifeless fish eyes bulging, staring straight at the murderer.
Who was it?
Xin Hexue again felt that disconcerting sensation of being watched.
He realized he couldn’t control his quickening breath. Physiological cold sweat dripped from his temples, and oxygen deprivation made his cheeks pale.
A panic attack…
His paranoia had entered a new stage.
Why was the rain tonight getting heavier and heavier?
Xin Hexue tried to divert his attention, listening carefully to the incessant sound of the rain.
But after listening closely, he heard a human voice.
“Ah Xue, it’s me, Zhou Liao.”
“I’m back, open the door.”
Xin Hexue subconsciously wanted to find Zhou Liao, to curl his trembling body into the man’s form, looking for a safe corner to hide.
After this episode passes, he would grab Zhou Liao by the collar and properly settle accounts.
He leaned against the door, hand on the doorknob, and looked out through the peephole.
A pitch-black corridor.
“Ah Xue, it’s me, Zhou Liao.”
“I’m back, open the door.”
‘Zhou Liao?’
There was clearly no one outside.
Xin Hexue’s back stiffened. His mind, which had been sluggish under the uncontrollable panic, slowly returned.
He realized the voice came from behind him.
Xin Hexue turned around abruptly, leaning his back against the door panel.
The living room curtains fluttered, taking the shape of the wind. The window hadn’t been shut tightly on this rainy day, and a cool breeze crossed the living room, brushing past his calves.
A chill climbed from the floor up his ankles.
The curtains stopped and hang straight down. An eyeball was staring at him from the window crack.
“Ah Xue, it’s me, Zhou Liao.”
“I’m back, open the door.”
‘How could Zhou Liao be speaking?’
Xin Hexue slowly slid down against the door panel.
…….
There was a violent banging on the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The moment He Qinghong opened the door, a wave of cold fragrance crashed into his arms.
He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xin Hexue squeezed past him, heading straight for the window in He Qinghong’s living room.
The aluminum alloy window was pulled open violently, emitting a screeching sound of scraping glass.
Xin Hexue supported himself on the edge and leaned out to look.
His posture looked very risky. He Qinghong’s eyelid twitched, and he pulled him back by the waist.
“What’s wrong with you?”
He Qinghong asked seriously.
Xin Hexue took a deep breath and let the other man guide him to sit on a rattan chair.
Pushing aside his damp bangs, Xin Hexue’s chest gradually stopped heaving. When he could speak again, his voice was slightly hoarse. “Zhou Liao is back.”
Realizing this was ambiguous, he added, “It said it was Zhou Liao, outside my room’s window.”
But just now, he leaned against the windowsill and looked over, but he didn’t find any trace of him.
He Qinghong couldn’t quite understand for a moment. “This is the fifth floor, Xin Hexue.”
He thought Xin Hexue was missing Zhou Liao too much he was hallucinating or something.
He could no longer keep the truth hidden.
“There’s something you must know.”
He Qinghong knelt down, his knee touching the floor in front of the rattan chair, and held Xin Hexue’s forearm, forcing Xin Hexue to look directly at him.
His voice had a naturally cold texture, and he spoke clearly, word by word:
“Zhou Liao is dead. The ship he was on that day exploded on the sea fifteen minutes after departure.”
“The recovered bodies were wrapped in body bags. The other victims’ bodies were claimed by their families who were present. After eliminating names from the passenger list, only his name remained.”
He Qinghong asked cruelly, “I retrieved the photo archives from the scene from the police station. Do you want to see them?”
The young man lowered his head, his bangs falling down and covering his distinct eyelashes.
He Qinghong was suddenly caught off guard by the young man’s burst of strength and was thrown back onto the floor.
Given Xin Hexue’s strength and his own reaction speed, He Qinghong could have easily subdued him, but faster than his years of trained counter-instincts….
Was the hand that protected the other party.
A half-damp, dark-haired head rested against He Qinghong’s shoulder and neck, warm breath brushing his skin. The overly close physical contact sent a tingling sensation, like an electric current, down He Qinghong’s spine.
His left leg was pinned by Xin Hexue; if he bent his knee even slightly, it would press between the young man’s legs.
He Qinghong suppressed his breathing, but his heartbeat grew faster and faster.
Xin Hexue took his hand and placed it on a warm area that rose and fell gently.
“But I’m pregnant.”
Pitiful, striking, he lay on top of He Qinghong like a white snake.
“Mr. He, what should I do?”
