Winter Returns

Chapter 27 A Man's Mission is Sacrifice (5.5k views, please vote!)

10:13 AM;
The morning sunlight shone on faces brimming with youthful energy.

The music on the radio played incessantly, its melody so cheerful.

If viewed from above, the faces on the winter playground are all so joyful, yet some people leave amidst this cheerful atmosphere, walking very quickly.

Their class was Class 1 of the fourth grade. The advantage of being in Class 1 was that they were always the first to go downstairs for exercise, but the disadvantage was that they were always squeezed into the back by the classes behind them during exercise.

So when the three figures walked through the neat, long queues, from the fourth grade to the first grade, from class one to class six, going against the flow of people without looking back, some people's eyes began to be drawn to them.

"Two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight—"

Amidst the rhythmic beat, many people lost their rhythm, twisting their waists when they were supposed to kick their legs and kicking their legs when they were supposed to twist their waists.
It is said that a special kind of red crab lives on a small island in the eastern Indian Ocean, more than 300 kilometers south of Java. Every year in October or November, when the rainy season returns, they begin their legendary large-scale migration.
The island's approximately 80-kilometer coastline is surrounded by cliffs, which sweep across the land like red waves, breaking through all obstacles with astonishing force: roads, cars, houses, tunnels... and even the cliffs themselves.

The person who provided this little-known fact was right behind Du Kang, a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) boy named Qingyi. Whether he could feel the same way or not, Du Kang felt that the three of them were like three stray red crabs.

They weaved through the crab army, their eyes filled with human figures, nimbly and stubbornly overcoming obstacle after obstacle. To the cheerful music, Du Kang remained unperturbed, simply waving and smiling. Sometimes they would run into familiar faces from other classes, and sometimes he would inevitably shout to those around him:
"Excuse me, excuse me..."

"Hey kid, don't kick me, kick the front!"

"Hey buddy, move aside, I need to get in trouble!"

"Of course it's urgent. What urgent thing are you asking about... I don't know either. I was warming up when he dragged me here!"

"He" obviously refers to the person walking in front of the three.

Zhang Shutong is the crab at the very front.

The music in his ears gradually faded, and he had already stepped into the teaching building lobby with one foot. The cool air hit him, and he waited for a while.
Sure enough, Du Kang trotted up to catch up and immediately asked in an exaggerated manner:
"What's going on?"

"I already said, arrest them."

"I know about arresting people... but the problem isn't arresting them, the problem is you suddenly knew who it was?"

The three of them walked in a straight line, their feet never stopping.

"do not know."

Du Kang choked:
"If we don't know, then who should we arrest..."

"But I know where he is now."

Aren't all the students in our class doing exercises outside?

“They’re not from the class.” Zhang Shutong shook his head. “I spent the whole afternoon listening to Lao Song yesterday and basically ruled out everyone.”

"Wouldn't the scope be even larger if it included people outside the class?" Du Kang stared wide-eyed.

Zhang Shutong simply said:

"The scope is actually smaller."

The fourth day of the lunar new year was naturally on the fourth floor. They stepped onto the first step of the marble staircase, which made a crisp echo when they stepped on it.

"How did you determine that? Explain your thought process. I've been holding back from asking this since earlier." Qingyi leaned closer.

"The focus is on the castle."

"castle?"

"Correct."

"I don't think it's meaningful to dwell on this, and I haven't seen Gu Qiu Mian react at all," Du Kang wondered.

"It's not about Gu Qiu Mian's reaction, but why the other party would smash her castle."

Zhang Shutong explained:

"Compared to this, the other party's motives, identity, and even the names on the partition are all distractions. Instead of dwelling on those details, it's more important to grasp what the castle represents—"

He concluded:
"What method does he intend to use to retaliate against Gu Qiumian?"

"I think I understand now," Qingyi said, seemingly having grasped the meaning.

"What are you two talking about? I don't understand!"

"Then listen to what Shutong has to say, and don't interrupt." Qingyi glared at Du Kang.

The three of them turned around and went up to the second floor.

“I’ve been thinking about a few questions since yesterday afternoon. Let’s start with the first one,” Zhang Shutong tapped his fingers lightly on the metal armrest, “If you were that person, how would you take revenge on Gu Qiumian?”

"Tear up her homework?" Du Kang said instinctively.

"No way, tearing up homework and books isn't satisfying." Qingyi had already rejected the idea. "Don't you think about it? Even if her family isn't rich, and even if they were just ordinary students, they could just tear it up and buy a new one, right?"

"Insult her?"

"You're stupid, that's why you got caught..."

"No, I meant just write a letter and leave it on her desk. Didn't you write 'go die' on that A4 paper?"

“That won’t work either,” Zhang Shutong shook his head. “As I just said, the key is the method of revenge against Gu Qiumian. This isn’t even revenge; it’s just impotent rage.”

"Then, should we smash her phone, watch, and stuff like that? My cousin studies in the city, and I heard there was a girl there who got bullied, something similar..."

“That would be a big problem,” Zhang Shutong said. “Don’t forget who her father is. If that happens, it will escalate outside the school and be very difficult to handle.”

"So we must cause her enough harm, but that person doesn't dare to make too much of a scene and get caught?" Qingyi concluded.

"Yes, that reduces the area to a much smaller size."

"Oh, so it's a castle?"

"Yes, so it's a castle."

"What are you two talking about again? Did that person leave clues when they smashed things? Didn't they fail to find any writing?"

Du Kang asked curiously.

Zhang Shutong didn't respond, but instead asked:
"My second question is, what do you think the castle means to Gu Qiu Mian?"

"It must be a very beloved... toy? Didn't she bring it from home on purpose? Every time I go to the bookshelf to get a book, I'm afraid of bumping into it and then blaming me."

“That’s right.” Zhang Shutong nodded. “The other party thought Gu Qiumian would be very valuable, but in reality, she didn’t take her seriously at all.”

He recalled his conversation with the girl after school yesterday:
"Not to mention that person, even I didn't expect it at first. That person's understanding of Gu Qiumian is about the same as ours. Not deeper, not shallower."

"That grandson must be furious. He thought he had covered his tracks perfectly, but Gu Qiumian didn't take it seriously at all."

Du Kang pursed his lips, only realizing what was happening at this point:

"But after all you've said, how can you be sure where that person is? The castle was already smashed up, wasn't it?"

"So there's a third question—"

They had just reached the third floor of the stairs. Zhang Shutong stopped tapping on the railing and began to walk softly.
Why did this happen during the long break between classes?

This time, before he could speak, Qingyi had already given his answer:

"Going to and from school is definitely out of the question, there are too many people around, and I might get spotted. I have to pick a time when no one is around. That leaves only PE class and the two breaks between classes, and PE class is the first one to be eliminated."

"How so?" Du Kang was no longer interested in thinking; he wasn't cut out for this, so he simply enjoyed the process of unraveling the mystery.

“We’ve already ruled out our own class with Lao Song, leaving only other classes,” Qingyi explained happily. “So how could it be during PE class? Are we supposed to just rush over during class? That’s why Shutong said earlier that the scope has actually narrowed down.”

"What about the long break in the afternoon?" Du Kang asked hurriedly.

The two of them gave him a silent look at the same time:
"It's been snowing these past few days, and the track is icy, so we can't go out for a run."

"Oh, I see," Du Kang suddenly realized. "So, that bastard ruled out those two times and found that the only time he could make a move was during the morning break, so he went straight for Gu Qiu Mian's castle, smashed it up, and ran away, right?"

“No,” Zhang Shutong interrupted, “He wasn’t after the castle in the first place.”

Du Kang was dumbfounded:

"I remember you two were just saying in a very profound way, 'So it's a castle,' how come it's not?"

Zhang Shutong said with amusement:

“But don’t forget, when I asked you about your opinion on the castle, you said yourself that the castle is only ‘should’ be very precious to Gu Qiu Mian.”

He lowered his voice at this point:

"But don't forget there's one more thing that is 'certainly' precious."

Du Kang was taken aback, and blurted out instinctively:

"scarf!"

They went up to the fourth floor.

"That's right! I just remembered that scarf. Shutong, didn't you make her cry because of this last time? A lot of people know about this, right? Even I can think of it. Why didn't he just tear off Gu Qiumian's scarf?"

"So he was after the scarf from the beginning."

The corridor above was deserted, so Zhang Shutong simply stopped and gestured for the two to lower their voices.

He leaned against the wall, lost in thought, actually recalling the person who had made eye contact with him on the flag-raising platform yesterday:
"But he didn't expect one thing."

"what?"

"You're so silly," Qingyi said, covering her face. "What were you doing during yesterday's long break? You've already forgotten?" "I know we were talking, but what does it matter?"

Were you cold yesterday?

"Yes, it was a bit windy at the time."

"Then do you think Gu Qiu Mian was cold listening to you talk in the wind?"

"I imagine it's quite cold?"

“That’s it. We didn’t do exercises yesterday, so it must have been cold,” Qingyi said, spreading her hands. “That’s why that person only found out when they got to the classroom yesterday that Gu Qiumian had worn her scarf outside. If you recall what we just talked about about how to get revenge on Gu Qiumian, you’ll understand.”

Du Kang suddenly slapped his thigh:
"Damn, I finally get it. He originally went there for the scarf, but he couldn't find it. And tearing up his homework wouldn't work, so he remembered that Gu Qiu Mian had a castle?"

“That’s right, that’s how the castle was smashed,” Zhang Shutong continued. “So naturally, a fourth question arises—was his revenge successful?”

“I don’t think so…?” Du Kang thought for a moment before answering. “Didn’t we run into Gu Qiu Mian at a restaurant at noon? And not only that, all her reactions have been spread around, that grandson must know too.”

"So what do you think he'll think?"

"That must be incredibly frustrating. He wrote 'I want to die' on an A4 sheet of paper, but Gu Qiumian didn't take it seriously at all. If it were me, I think I would feel even worse than Gu Qiumian... Actually, I'm feeling really frustrated right now too."

The music for the morning exercises had completely faded away. They were now leaning against the windows on the stairs, looking out to see the orderly departure of each class, with the students bustling about.
Gymnastics is a sport with a moderate level of activity, which makes you sweat slightly but not to the point of being out of breath.

In the cold weather, some people were breathing out white vapor, some had their collars open, and some were even so hot that they took off their coats and waved them around in their hands.

The long break is about to end, and soon you'll see groups of students walking into the teaching building.
Du Kang, who hadn't participated in the exercises, was now so anxious he was practically sweating, wishing he could dash into the classroom to find out what was going on.
"They're almost back. We've discussed this a lot and figured out what that person's intentions are, but what does that have to do with coming up now? What mischief can he possibly cause in the classroom? Gu Qiu Mian's castle is smashed, and she took her scarf...etc."

At this point, Du Kang suddenly opened his mouth silently, glanced at the students taking off their coats outside the window, and then looked at Zhang Shutong;

Unbeknownst to them, the other person had quietly reached the stairwell. He leaned against the handrail, glanced at the time, lowered his gaze, and looked at himself and Qingyi.

Du Kang quickly lowered his voice:

"You mean..."

Zhang Shutong nodded slightly.
"Yes, we did exercises today."

……

"Yes, we did exercises today."

Du Kang's mind went blank for a moment, and he immediately understood. He cursed under his breath, "So this bastard went to find the scarf. Shouldn't we hurry up and go up?"

But Zhang Shutong listened intently for a moment, then shook his head slightly:
"We'll have to wait."

Du Kang had no choice but to wait patiently. He glanced at his watch; the second hand ticked crisply, but time seemed to stand still. The half-hour break between classes was almost over. What had flown by suddenly felt unbearable. He asked in a low, urgent voice:
"Shutong, are you really sure he'll dare to come today?"

“The second to last question,” Zhang Shutong held up two fingers, but then shook his head and chuckled, “isn’t really a question. What day of the week is it today?”

"Friday……"

"So he can only come today, because tomorrow and the day after are the weekend. If he comes back next Monday, there won't be any clues left, so where will he even start looking..."

At this point, Zhang Shutong suddenly paused and turned around sharply. Du Kang followed her gaze and saw that the corridor was still empty. But then he heard a "ripping" sound, like fabric being torn.

Zhang Shutong immediately waved his hand and rushed into the corridor. Du Kang reacted instantly.

That bastard made a move!

A single glance was enough for the group to convey their meaning. He stopped talking, focusing all his confusion on his legs. He quickly climbed the stairs and then began to run.
Actually, he ran much faster than the other two. Zhang Shutong and Meng Qingyi barely made it to the classroom door when Du Kang sprinted in. His eyes immediately focused on the seat by the window. Sure enough, a boy was sneaking around in front of Gu Qiumian's seat.
The red scarf that was always with the girl was stepped on by the other person, so the boy simply came around from behind and pulled the other end forward with all his might.

The girl named Gu Qiumian was a rich young lady with countless valuable possessions, which was common knowledge. However, her scarf was an ordinary item. Du Kang remembered Ruoping saying that it wasn't even a brand name product and looked more like it was hand-knitted, but it was the girl's most precious possession.

The ordinary wool scarf was no match for the weight; it was stretched and broken, the yarns came apart one by one, and with a regrettable ripping sound, it finally became completely out of shape.

But the boy seemed unsatisfied. His expression was neither a smile nor an rage, but rather a twisted look of vindication. He stomped his feet a few more times, even clearing his throat and opening his mouth—

Then he was startled by footsteps and subconsciously turned his head. In an instant, three boys appeared at the classroom door.

"you……"

The distorted expression froze on his face;
When did they...when did they arrive?
How do you know you're here?

Was it seen?

What if they see it?
Shock, panic, fear... but before he could speak, the lead boy had already rushed over, while one of the two behind him pulled out his phone and waved it:

"Take pictures of everything."

He then looked at the boy next to him with a puzzled expression and asked:
"Who is this guy? Qingyi, do you know him?"

"Oh, that guy who told dirty jokes, the one who transferred classes because of Gu Qiu Mian. But Shu Tong, you didn't even think of that? I guessed it on the stairs just now..."

What is a "dirty joke guy"?

The last thought that crossed his mind was to turn and run away, but the leader of the group was faster:

"You really are a disgusting bastard!"

The next moment, the boy fell to the ground along with his scarf. Du Kang was about to curse him, but the boy suddenly stopped breathing, stood there dumbfounded, and tried to run outside.

"Du Kang, grab him and don't let him get away."

"Got it."

Just like when the other person stepped on the scarf, Du Kang stepped directly on the boy's coat. The boy seemed to be stunned and lost his will to resist. He simply sat on the ground without moving, his eyes vacant.

Du Kang let out a satisfied sigh.

Although he didn't have a good impression of that young lady, the bastard's actions were so disgusting that even he felt a sense of relief and a little excited.
The three best friends undoubtedly performed another act of chivalry. Although they failed to save the world, they at least saved a girl that one of their best friends liked, which was quite remarkable.

His mind always jumped around quickly. He wondered what would happen if he had to give another speech on the flagpole tomorrow, would that be too frequent? What if Gu Qiu Mian's father gave them a bonus? This sentence didn't mean he didn't want to accept it, but rather what if Ruo Ping wouldn't allow him to accept it?

Moreover, Gu Qiu Mian, the person involved, will be returning soon. I wonder what she will think then.

Lost in thought, he forgot all about interrogating the boy and was about to ask if he should transfer the guy to the office.

But then Qingyi suddenly said:

"Move your foot and take a look. Isn't that scarf completely rotten?"

Du Kang was taken aback. He pulled the boy away and looked at the scarf that was pressed on the ground. Sure enough, it was rotten beyond repair. Unlike last time, when there was only a footprint and one end was slightly torn, this scarf was completely deformed and almost torn in the middle. It was beyond repair.
While he was still stunned, he saw Zhang Shutong walk over, squat down, lift his scarf and wave it in front of his eyes as if examining a corpse, then throw it on the ground as if it were dirty, and sigh.
"His fate was full of twists and turns, what a pity."

Finished!

It's really over now!
At this moment, Du Kang couldn't care less about anything else; only this one thought remained in his mind.

Last time, Gu Qiu Mian was only slightly injured, yet such a huge fuss ensued. This time, won't things turn upside down?

He didn't care how much trouble Gu Qiumian caused, but the problem was—

This time, the three of them deliberately used the scarves as bait!

Although the intention was good and the "criminal" was caught, the result was absolutely terrible!

Putting himself in Gu Qiu Mian's shoes, if he had to choose between the scarf and finding out the truth, Du Kang thinks he would definitely choose the former.
It's said that those who don't know the truth are not to blame... but these three clearly knew the truth;

In order to record evidence, he even waited until the other party made a move before running out.

So how exactly should we say it?
To be honest, I beg Gu Qiu Mian for forgiveness.

The boy who transferred classes has been caught, but what if the three brothers also transferred classes?
You should lie and say you had diarrhea and went to the toilet, but you accidentally stumbled upon the situation. If the homeroom teacher asks if the three of you had diarrhea, you should definitely nod and say, "Of course... no!" You're crazy, even Du Kang himself wouldn't believe it.

"Then, Shutong, what should we do?"

"Whatever, it's just bad luck with the scarf," Zhang Shutong shrugged.

"But what if Gu Qiu Mian comes back?"

"Hmm, let that kid go to the scarf's grave?"

"No, what kind of time is this for you to be making a scene!"

"What else can we say?" Zhang Shutong said helplessly. "We are only trying to help her, and we can only hope that Gu Qiumian can understand."

"Dude, you're way too calm, aren't you?"

Du Kang trembled as he spoke:
"You forgot that she cried last time? I could tell that this scarf means a lot to her, didn't you?"

“Her…” Zhang Shutong recalled their conversation after school yesterday and the girl’s indifferent expression. Although he couldn’t figure Gu Qiumian out, his understanding should be correct. “Actually, it’s nothing. It’s just a very cheap scarf. It’s not worth worrying about.”

"Alright, don't worry about it. There's nothing we can do. Great men don't concern themselves with trifles," Qingyi sighed, patted Du Kang's shoulder deeply, and gleamed in his eyes. "That's the meaning of a man. To protect something, you have to sacrifice something."

"Stop, brother!"

Who knew that as soon as these wise words of wisdom were uttered, the boy, who had been quite calm just moments before, rolled his eyes instantly;

"Am I wrong?" Qingyi asked, puzzled.

"Um, that's true, but now I have a different opinion..."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled hard. To the astonishment of the two men, a splash of bright red burst forth from the other's bulging pocket.
Zhang Shutong stroked the scarf, which was obviously old and even pilling, draped it over the back of Gu Qiumian's chair, and touched his chin:
"I feel like a man's role is to be perfect in every way."

Ignoring the astonishment frozen on his two best friends' faces, he looked up, a happy smile spreading across his usually cold face, and held up one finger:
"The last question is—"

What time do the clothing and hat shops on the commercial street close?

(End of this chapter)