The end of a blue duckweed (3)
Behind him came the sounds of a man wailing, crying in desperation.
Even as he walked out of the detention center gate, Duan Cheng felt dazed. The cries seemed to linger in his ears, impossible to shake off.
He stepped into the mud puddle and finally noticed that it had started raining outside, though he didn’t know when it had begun.
He was feeling anxious, so he took a cigarette from the pack. But it quickly got wet from the rain, and the lighter wouldn’t ignite.
Duan Cheng thought of the despairing look in Zheng Chengrui’s eyes before leaving, and a sourness rose up in his eyes. He dropped the cigarette on the ground.
A pair of high-heeled shoes walked closer from afar.
He looked up at the owner of the shoes, and the rain had stopped.
Fang Xin was holding an umbrella for him.
After receiving Lin Yan’s beauty secret recipe, Fang Xin took off her thick glasses, put on contact lenses, and started to let down her long hair, learning to do makeup and dress herself up.
Under the dim yellow streetlights, she lightly applied makeup, her appearance not particularly stunning but still elegant and pleasant.
Her presence here freed him from that atmosphere of sorrow, especially when she said.
“Let’s go, my father is calling us back home for dinner.”
Duan Cheng was stunned for a moment, then fiercely embraced her, burying his head in her neck, his shoulders trembling.
Fang Xin took a step back to steady herself, holding the umbrella with one hand and embracing him with the other, gently rubbing the sweater on his back.
After a while, he finally regained his composure, wiped his face, ran his fingers through his hair, and took the umbrella from her hand.
“Alright, let’s go buy something.”
Fang Xin glanced at the cigarette box in his hand, “My dad has bronchitis…”
Duan Cheng tactfully threw the cigarette box into the nearby trash can, “I quit.”
“My mom has a bad temper, she loves to nag…”
“Whatever the mother-in-law says is always right.”
Fang Xin angrily retorted, “We haven’t even gotten married yet!”
Duan Cheng put his arm around her shoulders, both of them holding the same umbrella, the streetlight casting a picture of them cuddled together.
“It’s just a matter of time.”
After Zhao Junfeng was arrested, Song Yuhang also went to the provincial capital to see her mentor’s wife, Lin Yan accompanied her.
She originally didn’t want to ask Lin Yan to go, as the journey was far and it was after all Zhao Junfeng’s wife. She was afraid that Lin Yan might feel uncomfortable.
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She was considerate in everything, but unexpectedly, Lin Yan smiled slightly.
“You always think for others, but have you ever considered yourself? I have a thousand reasons not to go, but there is only one reason I must go, and that is to accompany you.”
This door in front of her, she used to come here often when she was in school, but now she felt a bit hesitant, unable to knock on it.
Song Yuhang hesitated for a while. Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, the door opened from the inside.
An elderly person appeared behind the door, with a head full of silver hair, eyes slightly dull and lacking vitality. Upon seeing them, she gave a faint smile, a smile that appeared weak and feeble.
“It’s Yuhang.”
Song Yuhang took a step forward, “It’s me, Mentor’s wife.”
She shifted her gaze towards Lin Yan, who was standing beside her.
“Who is this?”
Since Zhao Junfeng’s arrest, people have been coming to the house frequently for investigations, so the elderly woman’s expression showed a hint of confusion and wariness.
“She’s my friend.”
Song Yuhang replied this way, holding the person’s hand and pulling her inside, while Lin Yan placed the things she was holding on the table.
When she was in school, she often came here to eat, but she never brought any classmates or friends with her.
The old woman suddenly realized, then glanced at Lin Yan again, she must be a very important friend who knows everything about her.
But she has been living in a daze recently, her mind not very clear.
The old woman turned around again, numbly walking inside, muttering to herself.
“It’s good that you’ve come, it’s good that you’ve come. Besides the police, nobody has been coming here lately.”
She didn’t come today as a police officer, so she had enough reason to feel sad.
Song Yuhang followed her inside, “We’ve come to see how you’re doing. Is there anything you need help with?”
The old woman shook her head, picked up the electric kettle to pour them water to drink.
“No, no, people from the community come by every few days to check on me. I still have a bag of rice from last month that I haven’t finished.”
After pouring water for a while, the kettle was still empty, so the old woman awkwardly put it down.
“Oh, I’ve finished cooking breakfast already. Drink up, and stay for dinner tonight. Mentor’s wife will make delicious food for you.”
As the old woman spoke, she opened the refrigerator door again. Lin Yan noticed that the power behind the refrigerator was not plugged in. Upon opening it, a strong smell of rotting vegetables hit her face.
The old woman looked puzzled and rummaged through a plastic bag for a while, “Oh, they’re all spoiled, can’t eat them. How about I cook noodles for you?”
Song Yuhang stopped her, saying, “Mentor’s wife, don’t bother. We’re not hungry.”
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The old woman turned around sadly, “Look at me, my memory is getting worse. By the way, how is Old Zhao doing inside?”
As she said this, a hint of longing overflowed in her eyes as she tightly held her hand.
Song Yuhang pulled the person to sit on the sofa, then prepared a pot of hot water using an electric kettle, filling up the hot water bottle.
Lin Yan casually plugged in the refrigerator’s power cord.
“He’s doing well, just that it’s almost autumn, the weather is dry, causing a bit of a cough.”
Before she could finish speaking, the old woman suddenly stood up trembling and unsteadily walked towards the inner room.
“Then I’ll find him some warm clothes, and you help me deliver them to him.”
Until the court verdict is issued, the person is kept in the detention center, and except for the lawyers and investigators, no one else is allowed to visit, not even family members, especially for high-profile cases like this.
Duan Cheng was allowed to visit Zheng Chengrui as per the arrangements from higher-ups, in order to get him to reveal the truth as soon as possible.
“Okay.”
Song Yuhang agreed and followed her inside.
The old woman’s hands trembled slightly as she opened the wardrobe and pulled out a large stack of clothes.
She didn’t pay much attention to her daily life, often forgetful, but knew all the details about Zhao Junfeng’s daily life, like the back of her hand.
“Sigh, I don’t know if the food in there is any good. He loves the dumplings with cabbage and pork filling that I make.”
“These are a few pieces of autumn clothes, bought at the material exchange event that year, at the square, twenty yuan for three pieces.”
As the old woman spoke, it seemed as though she was lost in memories, a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth as she picked out the clothes and set them aside.
“I don’t know when the review will be completed. Maybe I should bring a few sweaters.”
“And this, the coat issued by the unit, I’ve washed it all nice and clean for him.”
Song Yuhang noticed that the colors of a few buttons on the cuff were slightly different, probably because they had fallen off and the old woman had sewn them back on.
Feeling a pang in her heart, she said, “Mentor’s wife, find a large bag, I’ll pack them all up.”
“Ah, okay, under the wardrobe in that drawer, see if there’s any knitting bag.”
The old woman said, unable to free up her hands.
Song Yuhang walked over to help her search, but couldn’t find the knitting bag. Instead, she found a large stack of medical records, medical imaging data, various types of medicine bottles, and insulin pens, filling up a whole drawer.
Lin Yan leaned against the door, arms crossed, watching her take out a test report with trembling lips, “Mentor’s wife, what is this?”
Lin Yan turned her gaze to the old woman, her expression a mix of pity and indescribable meaning.
The old woman didn’t seem to be too concerned, continuing to organize clothes for Zhao Junfeng, “Ah, diabetes. I’ve had it for decades. The doctor originally said I wouldn’t live for so many years, but Old Zhao didn’t believe it. He insisted on taking me to hospitals all over the country, and insisted on using that insulin pen, which costs a few hundred yuan per shot, every day…”
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Song Yuhang gripped the test report, “When was this diagnosed? Why didn’t you tell me?”
The old woman didn’t look up, continuing to tidy up a few pieces of intimate clothing for Zhao Junfeng.
“Ah, that’s all in the past. You were still in school when it happened. There’s no need to worry yourself about it by telling you.”
Tears welled up rapidly in Song Yuhang’s eyes.
She rambled on about something else, but Song Yuhang couldn’t make out what she was saying anymore.
After packing up, Song Yuhang insisted on taking her out for a meal, but the old woman refused.
“I’ll just stay here, not going anywhere. In case he comes back, there needs to be someone to open the door for him.”
At the end, the old woman held her hand again, asking:
“Yuhang, can you tell me what exactly he did wrong? Why is the review taking so long?”
She still didn’t know the news that Zhao Junfeng had been arrested, which was already considered a lenient approach from the organization towards him.
Song Yuhang forced a smile, “Just wait a bit longer. I’ll try to apply to see if you can visit him.”
The old woman’s eyes lit up with joy, her cloudy gaze suddenly becoming lively. She escorted them to the door, warmly inviting them as usual.
“Ah, okay, Yuhang, bring your friend over next time to play. By then, Old Zhao should be back. He’s even hiding a bottle of Wuliangye to drink with you. Mentor’s wife will make some delicious food for you.”
After returning from the provincial capital, the two of them lived a peaceful life for a long time. Song Yuhang was idle at home, and Lin Yan didn’t want to go back to work. There was even a period of frequent nightmares; a person who had never feared any bloody corpses in the past would now tremble at the sight of horror scenes on the TV, experiencing physiological disgust.
The scene of Lin Youyuan and Lin Ge’s death kept replaying in her mind.
The doctor said that in her current condition, she needed to take good care of herself and avoid external stimuli. Feng Jianguo returned the key to the Qingshan Villa to her. It was far from the city center, tranquil, and held many memories for the two of them. So, Song Yuhang moved there with her.
The autumn sunlight was gentle and not glaring, with a pleasant temperature. Lin Yan moved a lounge chair to the courtyard to bask in the sun.
Song Yuhang was tending to the plants in the nursery, wiping the sweat from her forehead and pointing to an empty piece of land.
“Lin Yan, what are you planting here?”
“Sunflowers.”
Lin Yan heard the voice, slightly turned her head, and a hint of a smile appeared on her lips as she looked at her.
The police officer stood in the tilled land, wearing a slightly old camouflage short-sleeved shirt. The hem of the shirt was tucked into matching combat pants. With a slim waist and broad shoulders, tall with long legs, a white towel hung around her neck. Sunlight sprinkled on her, setting off the setting sun behind her, nestled by the green mountains, making her look even more radiant.
Song Yuhang was stunned, recalling how Lin Yan used to plant sunflowers everywhere, inside and outside the courtyard. Could there be some special meaning behind it?
“Why sunflowers?”
Lin Yan squinted her eyes and smiled mischievously, like a sly and playful fox.
“I’m not telling you.”
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Song Yuhang looked at her nestled in the rattan chair, wearing a loose white cashmere sweater that made her complexion appear even paler. The past few months of care had given her a bit of energy, and when she smiled, it was like a well-painted ink wash slowly unfolding, with affection in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
She felt a stir in her heart, so she tossed the hoe aside and washed her hands under the nearby water pipe. Shaking off the water droplets, she walked over to Lin Yan, slipping her hand under the thin blanket covering her legs to warm her.
“To tell or not to tell? To tell or not to tell? To tell or not to tell, hmm?”
Lin Yan dodged around, teasing her and causing her to laugh uncontrollably, panting before finally stopping.
Their eyes met.
Song Yuhang looked into her pupils, where she saw her own reflection.
The first time she met her, those eyes were filled with countless negative emotions: arrogance, contempt, irrationality, disdain, aloofness…
In the subsequent period of time together, she also witnessed the sadness, reluctance, heartbreak, and despair in those eyes.
In fact, after Lin Yan returned, she also had many sleepless nights like her. How should she put it? There was always a sense of emptiness, fearing that this was all just a dream she had created. If she woke up from the dream, Lin Yan would no longer be there.
It wasn’t until this moment, in the tranquil afternoon of autumn, that she found herself in her eyes, and also found love in her eyes.
Song Yuhang always thought that accompanying her would heal her, but she realized that it was also healing herself.
She quietly sighed in her heart.
The crack that had grown in her heart due to Lin Yan’s absence seemed to have healed, and even became stronger than before.
She had thought she would never be okay again in this lifetime.
Feeling a warmth in her heart, Song Yuhang reached out to hug her.
Lin Yan thought she was going to pat her on the head, so she naturally lowered her head, but unexpectedly found herself being embraced.
Her chin rested perfectly on her shoulder.
The thin blanket slipped off, revealing a pair of slim and straight legs, typically clad in light and thin attire at home.
She was still barefoot.
Song Yuhang glanced over and calmly lifted her up in his arms.
“It’s getting chilly outside, let’s go inside.”
Lin Yan still missed her sunflowers, sunshine, and rattan chair.
“Hey, it’s not cold here, it’s actually quite warm…”
Song Yuhang reached behind to lock the living room door and drew the curtains, causing the sunlight to shrink to a corner of the floor.
“The sofa is warmer.”
Lin Yan’s resistant voice grew softer.
“I want to be on… mmm… top.”
“In a moment…” her voice was slightly hoarse. “If I have the strength, I’ll give it to you.”