Winter Returns

Chapter 9 The Mysterious Girl Lu Qinglian

As evening approached, the light from his phone screen shone on his face.

Zhang Shutong opened his mouth silently; the news was truly shocking.

Why is she here?

That blue robe was so distinctive that it was hard to mistake it. The girl's posture was quite serious. The folding stool she was sitting on was very low, and most people would have to bend over to sit on it, but she sat there upright, almost like when she was in class. There was some snow around her that had not yet melted, giving her a feeling of fishing alone in the cold river snow.

However, Zhang Shutong tried hard to recall, but he had long forgotten many things from his student days. But he could guarantee that Lu Qinglian had never come fishing with them.

Which butterfly flapped its wings this time?

It couldn't possibly be himself, could it?
Zhang Shutong was not one to be presumptuous. It was true that Lu Qinglian had spoken to him after school, but the problem was that he felt he should have brought up the matter at that time.

He didn't think the girl was the type to overthink things. Besides, he wasn't universally loved, and it was unrealistic to expect her to cling to him just because of a misunderstanding.

However, it wasn't a big deal. After staying in that godforsaken place, the mental state was a bit tense—in fact, the restricted area wasn't far from where they were fishing. During the day, they could almost see the opposite shore across the lake.
So Zhang Shutong was genuinely shocked, thinking that Ruoping and the others had just encountered the murderer and met with misfortune.

In comparison, Lu Qinglian, who was the only one who came, seemed much more harmless, and could be left to Du Kang to deal with.

The bike ride took less than ten minutes, and I quickly arrived at the agreed-upon location.

Moonlight poured out, filtering through the dense clouds, leaving only a sliver of light.

Zhang Shutong parked the car in the dark and looked down. Through the thick reeds, he could see Ruoping idly scrolling through her phone.

Unlike restricted areas, this place allows you to walk directly from the road to the shore. The lake level is much lower, requiring you to walk down a slope to descend. As a result, the water nearby is very shallow, making it a great spot for fishing in winter.

However, the car couldn't be parked on the road; it had to be moved out and tucked into the reeds—that way, there was no need to worry about being caught by patrolling police. A few people sitting behind the reeds formed a natural screen, and with the darkness, it was very private, and no one would notice.

Strangely, when Zhang Shutong looked around, he only saw two people, the closest one being the short-haired girl playing on her phone;

The girl had a delicate face, a headband decorated with flower petals on her short hair, and her bangs were neatly trimmed. When she wasn't speaking, she really had the air of a well-bred young lady.
However, this quiet face has a rather large mouth, but Zhang Shutong can't say it's a flaw. After all, there are several famous female stars with big mouths, and saying it would just expose her lack of aesthetic sense.

I remember a couple of years ago, the girl dragged them to see a movie, I think it was called something like "If You Are the One," an art-house romance film. After it was over, she kept asking them what they thought. Zhang Shutong and the others didn't understand it at all, or rather, even if they did, it wouldn't have mattered. Anyway, it had nothing to do with what the girl wanted to hear. As soon as they left the theater, they saw her pouting, stomping her foot, and pointing at Shu Qi on the poster with a look of exasperation, saying, "Who says big mouths don't make you beautiful?"
The group of men quickly nodded in agreement, showering her with flattery, and she smiled broadly, just like a flower in full bloom.

This is Feng Ruoping, a lively and energetic woman. Zhang Shutong always felt that she had the spirit of a female knight-errant.

She usually seems gentle, but she has a temper that's worse than anyone else's. All three boys are afraid of her. She's a professional at bullying and protecting her own, although the targets of her bullying and protecting are usually the three of them.

At this moment, the girl was subconsciously biting her thumb, while her other hand was swiping around on the screen, seemingly doing nothing.

She thought the other party would come to confront her after hearing the noise, but to her surprise, he didn't even look up when he walked to the side. Just as he was about to speak, Ruoping frowned and said:

"Go away, we'll talk about it later..."

Zhang Shutong glanced at the screen and saw a red, chubby chicken... or rather, a little bird, under the other person's finger. The little bird stared wide-eyed at the slingshot. As Ruoping finished speaking, the little bird was launched with a bang and crashed sadly into the concrete wall, leaving only the green pig's head inside laughing merrily.

Failed to complete the level.

—These four large characters are cut out from the screen.

"Zhang! Shu! Tong!" The girl immediately raised her head, gritting her teeth like an angry bird.

Zhang Shutong innocently raised his hand.

"Shutong, ignore her. She's been stuck here for days." A calm voice came from ahead.

The voice belonged to a boy.

The boy was wearing a khaki wool coat, with a pair of fluffy earmuffs covering his hair, so that his black bangs hung down in front of his forehead. He was sitting by the water, holding a pole in one hand and reading a book in the other. Combined with his expressionless face, he looked extremely good.

Out of ten points, Zhang Shutong would give this outfit an eight.

"Isn't it because you came here wearing earmuffs and not saying a word! What am I supposed to do if I don't play on my phone? Go downstairs to catch turtles?" Ruoping immediately shifted her focus, exasperated, "And why are you wearing earmuffs in this weather? Aren't you cold?"

The boy turned his head away and remained silent.

"What does he mean?" Ruoping suddenly turned her head.

“He can’t hear,” Zhang Shutong translated.

"what?"

"To put it more completely, he was trying to create a persona; he felt that he shouldn't hear that given his current appearance."

Qingyi is a deep-seated chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) with a moderate degree of literary youth.

He always has a book in his hand. You can see the latest magazines, old comic books, and hardcover books in his hands. He usually has a blank face and doesn't like to talk. In fact, he is immersed in his own world.

Zhang Shutong always felt that with Fang's outstanding performance as an example, the word "aloof" could never be applied to her.

Looking at his WeChat Moments eight years later, he seems to be a department head at a large company, a typical elite STEM guy.
Sometimes I post photos, but they can hardly be called landscape photos. Instead, they are photos taken from inside an office building dozens of stories high, with the shutter pressed in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The night in the big city is very lively, with pedestrians like ants and vehicles shuttling back and forth like a flowing ribbon.

Occasionally, you'll see him post a group photo of a company dinner, where young women always gather around him, but beneath the bright lights and bustling atmosphere, he still has the same unsmiling face.

He also owns a golden retriever, and occasionally takes a selfie while holding the dog. Only then will a rare smile appear on his perpetually expressionless face.

More often, he would quote profound and philosophical sayings and add, "I'm currently reading a book that I highly recommend." Zhang Shutong didn't buy his recommendations and would just give him a like each time. He would reply with a smiley face, the kind of sarcastic emoji that's all over WeChat.

Their contact has remained unbroken for so many years, but they have never actually talked, only exchanging messages on social media. Their interactions are like masters exchanging sparring moves, stopping short of a full exchange, showing a certain tacit understanding between them.

In a sense, it was the same eight years ago.

"Which book did you read today?" Zhang Shutong walked over to his best friend and asked, looking at the book in his hand.

"The Headless One: The Haunted Thing," a classic mystery novel published last year.

Actually, there's no need to explain so much. Anyway, he's never heard of them. The two most well-known mystery works are Conan and Sherlock Holmes.

But that doesn't stop Zhang Shutong from giving a thumbs up:

"cool."

Under the cover of night, the other person returned a thumbs-up.

"But in this darkness, can you really read the words on it?"

"...To be honest, I can't see it."

“I give up,” Ruoping sighed, rubbing her forehead. “It really is just chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).”

Qingyi immediately turned around and glared angrily, then stopped reading.

See, this is what chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) is all about; its biggest weakness is those three words themselves.

Four benches had already been set up by the water. Zhang Shutong sat down first, watching the two of them bickering.

Ruoping couldn't stand it anymore and ripped off his earmuffs; Qingyi had no choice but to negotiate with her. Ruoping smiled like a demon king and said, "Okay, then you help me beat five levels of Angry Birds..." It took a while before she calmed down.

The two sat on either side of Zhang Shutong. Qingyi handed him the fishing rod and asked him to help her fish first, while she herself fought against the green pig head.

Just as Zhang Shutong was about to ask if there was any water, Ruoping suddenly leaned over and said, "If it weren't for you, I would have passed that level long ago. Don't forget that you also owe me five levels."
He encouraged me, saying, "Try this trick again when you go back to class tomorrow. I guarantee you won't have to fight a single level. You can uninstall the game as soon as you get your phone back."

Then Ruoping got angry and reached out her claws. Zhang Shutong couldn't dodge and her hair was messed up.

She loved to ruffle their hair, and she also felt that men's hairstyles were very important; she had their weaknesses completely under her control.

She didn't like fishing either, so she would just sit there watching a few boys fish, acting as a referee. Sometimes Zhang Shutong felt it was really hard on her, having to go crazy with a few boys all day. But Ruoping was a fangirl, and once when asked this question, she covered her mouth and smiled, saying, "It's because you and Qingyi are handsome." At this point, all Zhang Shutong could do was shrug, not knowing how to respond.

Then I heard her ask:

"What were you doing just now?"

There was no way to answer that question. Zhang Shutong thought for a moment and said, "My mom asked me to deliver something to her, so I rode my bike there."

"You rode pretty fast, haven't you eaten yet? I brought some biscuits, want some?"

"Row."

Would you like some water?

"If we have them, that would be perfect."

Zhang Shutong found it hard to describe the relationship between the group and Ruoping. They were all only children, but if they had more older or younger sisters, it would probably be just like this.
Sometimes she seems like the boss. She's a bit long-winded, but she's also very concerned. Everyone is under her control. She's always chattering and asking all sorts of questions, but no one gets annoyed. They just follow her arrangements.
Sometimes she's like a younger sister. Once, she was made to cry by a student from a higher grade. She ran back with red eyes, startling the group. She wiped away her tears for a while, annoyed that no one came to comfort her. But when she looked up, she saw three boys with cold faces, ready to grab weapons. Startled, she quickly asked, "What do you want to do?"
Back then, in the "base," there was a treasure chest hidden in an abandoned drainage hole. That's what you call fully equipped. The three of them put on their motorcycle helmets, looking fierce, and got on their bikes to settle scores. But when Ruoping heard this, she couldn't help but burst into laughter through her tears, saying that she had already made the other person cry.

She had won, but on the way back she felt she hadn't scolded him harshly enough. She regretted not saying it better, as that would have been more hurtful. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she ended up crying...

What else can one say?

He lost contact with Ruoping after that, and wondered how this energetic girl was doing.

These are the stories that happened to them on the island. Eight years later, when they lived alone in a rented room, the memories of the past always occupied an important place in their hearts.

The float bobbed, and Zhang Shutong lifted the fishing rod, causing a small fish to leap out of the water.

The little fish was only as long as his index finger, not even worthy of being called a "victory". He threw the fish back into the water, thinking to himself that he would let the fish off the hook today, but he should not forget to come back and repay the favor when he grew up.

In fact, once a fish has been hooked, it is very difficult to catch it again. Just like people grow up, the process of growing up is like a fish in the water. Every time you are hooked, you learn to behave.

Later, you became a slow and cunning old fish, wisely protecting yourself, the biggest in the area, able to roam freely in the entire body of water. But where did those little fish that used to swim alongside you go? There's no other way but to slow down this process as much as possible.

Then, for no apparent reason, I sighed:
"If things could just stay like this, everything would be fine."

This unintentional remark made Qingyi and Ruoping both nod. They started discussing their future lives, from high school to summer and winter vacations. Today was Wednesday, and they wondered what activities were planned for the weekend, whether to go on a trip off the island, and what holiday travel options were available. The outside world always seemed so appealing.

“But it’s fine this way too,” Zhang Shutong said.

"Yes."

"It's just the few of us," Ruoping said with a smile.

The three of them fell silent, staring quietly at the water. Ripples would sometimes appear on the surface, and they could hear birds squawking and crashing into the pig's head.

After a long silence, Zhang Shutong suddenly asked:

"I said... isn't someone missing?"

Ruoping also woke up with a start:
"Hey, right, where's Du Kang?"

……

Ruoping suddenly felt a little embarrassed, since it was she who said, "It's fine with just the few of us."

Zhang Shutong then remembered this question and hurriedly asked why it was just the two of you.

"Don't interrupt me. I still want to ask you what happened today. Why did you suddenly run to the young lady's side? And what about that piece of toilet paper..."

"Didn't Du Kang tell you?"

"Do you think I will believe it?"

Qingyi also became interested, "You like Gu Qiumian? We saw her after school today. Shall we call her for you this weekend?"

Zhang Shutong rolled her eyes at them.

"Tell me quickly!" Ruoping's future boyfriend is definitely in for a rough time.

Just as I was thinking of how to change the subject, Qingyi suddenly spoke, his tone mysterious:

"You'd better not ask. What makes a man a man is that he always has a forbidden place in his heart that no one else can reach."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Brother, where did you find these cringeworthy quotes?" But at that moment, he clung tightly to this straw:

"agree."

"Don't talk about knocking me down."

Ruoping and Gu Qiumian didn't have a good relationship to begin with.

Zhang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief:

"So where did Du Kang go? I see his carriage is still here."

"Him?" Ruoping smiled mysteriously, "is probably grinning like an idiot right now. Oh, by the way, did you see the photos I sent you?"

"Lu Qinglian? By the way, what's she doing here?"

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you."

"I?"

"Otherwise, who told you to write other people's names randomly? Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought of anything else."

Zhang Shutong pretended not to hear and asked again:

"what happened?"

"When school was over, we were going to eat first without waiting for you, but Du Kang forgot something and went back. When he came out again, he was taking forever. I said, 'Why are you acting like a grown woman?' And guess what?"

Ruoping laughed as she said this:
"Then I saw him move to the side, and there really was a girl hiding behind him. Lu Qinglian also got off behind him. Du Kang told us that when he went back to the classroom, Lu Qinglian asked him if she could come along to go fishing."

Zhang Shutong raised an eyebrow and asked curiously:
"Are they finally getting together?"

Ruoping responded with a chuckle, ignoring the question, and continued:
"I originally thought Lu Qinglian was the kind of person who was completely unapproachable, but I didn't expect her to be interested in fishing. Well, I'll bring her along. I told her the place, and the rest of us ate first and then came over. She arrived after a while."

Zhang Shutong looked around:
"Then she fished for a while and then went home. Did Du Kang see her off?"

"No, that's not it. I just finished teaching her how to cast the rod, right when I was taking your picture, and then she said she suddenly remembered she had something to do and would come back later. She didn't say where she was going, just put down the fishing rod and left, and Du Kang is still sitting here like an idiot..."

At this point, Qingyi continued:
“We told him, ‘It’s so late, why don’t you go and see?’ Only then did he remember to chase after us. You arrived shortly after you left, Shutong.”

Even after piecing the whole story together, Zhang Shutong still couldn't reach a conclusion.

So, after all that, we still don't know what Lu Qinglian came here for.

You can't actually come here to fish, can you?

He found the girl's behavior somewhat familiar, quite like his own back then. Sometimes he would be doing something else next to his friends and family when the regression was triggered. He wasn't good at making up excuses, so he would just make up a random excuse and suddenly run away.
Sometimes, in order to get involved in something, even if the other person is completely unfamiliar with you, you force yourself to get involved. Others look at you with surprise, but you feel like you're making a superhero entrance.

I wanted to ask something more, but then I saw Ruoping beckon to someone behind her:

"Here, here... They're back. Just ask them whatever you need."

It's getting late today, sorry.
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(End of this chapter)