Volume Two: Second Scroll
The End of the Green Duckweed (6)
“Call me Uncle1 for me to hear.”
The moment Lin Yan said those words, Song Yuhang also knelt down. The scene she had imagined countless times was actually being initiated by the other party.
Song Yuhang’s eyes filled with hot tears, and she wept from extreme joy, allowing the other person to slip the ring onto her ring finger.
The two of them, with tears in their eyes, looked at each other and smiled. Next came the kiss, and the filling out of the marriage certificate.
After the ceremony was complete, Ji Jingxing led Xiao Wei out of the city hall. The two of them sat on a bench by the street.
Xiao Wei dangled her feet, watching the golden dome of the city hall stand quietly in the distance under the setting sun.
People came here every day to register their marriages. Men in suits and leather shoes walked past them with blonde-haired, blue-eyed women on their arms.
“Mama, the weddings on TV are always between a man and a woman. Why can Auntie and her get married too?”
A trace of doubt was in the child’s eyes, filled with innocence and confusion.
Ji Jingxing slowly stroked her head and said earnestly, “Mama used to wonder about this question too. Xiao Wei, you have to remember, in this world, regardless of nationality, gender, race, or status… as long as two people love each other, they can get married.”
Xiao Wei had a sudden realization, “Then is it because Mama and Uncle Liang love each other that you decided to get married?”
Ji Jingxing’s face turned red, and she lightly tapped her nose, “Person small, ghost big.”2
Xiao Wei giggled, hee hee, jumped off the bench, and grabbed her mother’s hand to plant a kiss on it. “Mama, no matter who you marry, I hope you’ll be happy, just as happy as Auntie and Auntie Lin.”
Ji Jingxing’s eyes grew warm, and she pulled the little one into her arms.
“Silly child, it’s been hard on you all these years.”
The news always said that being a single mother was especially hard, but how happy could a child born into a single-parent family be?
The parent-teacher conferences she could never attend because of her busy work schedule; always being the last one to leave after school; the endless tutoring classes because there was no one to look after her at home.
And most importantly, that forever-missing love.
But thankfully, all of this was finally about to come to a perfect end.
As Ji Jingxing thought this in her heart, tears began to fall.
A somewhat abrupt and teasing voice cut in.
“Xiao Wei, when we get back to the country, I’ll take you out for a big meal, give you a permanent free pass to the amusement park, and the newest Barbie doll set. Call me Uncle for me to hear.”
Lin Yan was still wearing that white suit, slender and tall. Her long hair was pinned up, revealing the snowy white of her neck. She stood with her arms crossed, exuding a powerful aura.
Ji Jingxing glanced at her, let go of her child, wiped the corner of her eye, and stood up.
Xiao Wei’s eyes were full of excitement, “Aun—”
Before she could finish, Song Yuhang had already strode over and pushed Lin Yan’s head down.
She didn’t use much force, but her tone was rather like she was grinding her teeth.
“Xiao Wei, don’t listen to her. Call me Uncle instead. You don’t have to wait until we get back, I’ll take you skiing right now!”
Lin Yan was filled with righteous indignation, shoving at her shoulder as she was swept along.
“Xiao Wei, call me! Don’t you like snow? I’ll take you to Siberia, the North Pole is also an option.”
“Russia is so cold, what’s so fun about it? I’ll take you to the aquarium to see beluga whales.”
Lin Yan gritted her teeth, frequently looking back, “Xiao Wei, I’ll cover your extracurricular books and cartoons for a year, all sorts of new clothes and shoes, and an unlimited supply of toys.”
Song Yuhang got serious, “Xiao Wei, don’t you want to skip your math homework? I can…”
Ji Jingxing pulled Xiao Wei along with them, watching as the offers became more and more outrageous, and shouted angrily, “Can you two be a better influence!”
Xiao Wei covered her mouth with her hand and, with a pfft, burst out laughing. She raised her head and called out sweetly to the two of them, “Aunties~”
After that, they stayed in Vancouver for about two more weeks, strolling through the oldest district in the city and drinking coffee at an outdoor cafe; biking in Stanley Park and gazing at the magnificent Lions Gate Bridge; and going to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park to experience the world’s most thrilling 140 meters.
Below was the endlessly rushing river valley. Lin Yan’s heart was in her throat, and she clutched the corner of Song Yuhang’s shirt, refusing to move.
Xiao Wei, Ji Jingxing, and Mother Song had crossed long ago and were waving at them from the other end of the bridge.
Song Yuhang smiled, “Scared?”
The suspension bridge was paved entirely with wooden planks, swaying precariously in the wind, looking for all the world like it was in a state of disrepair.
Lin Yan shook her head like a rattle-drum, shrinking back with all her might. “Sca… Scared of what?! I3… I don’t want to play! I’ll wait for you outside the park!”
Saying that, she turned to run, but Song Yuhang grabbed her and pulled her back into her arms, her voice gentle.
“If you’re scared, just close your eyes.”
Before the curse could leave Lin Yan’s lips, her body lightened as she was lifted onto someone’s back, and a scream leaped from her throat.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
As Song Yuhang ran, the suspension bridge swayed even more violently. Lin Yan was jostled until she was seven meats and eight vegetables4, forced to close her eyes and cling tightly to her neck.
“Song Yuhang, fuck! Fuck! Ahhhhhhh you just wait!!!”
On the other side, Ji Jingxing and Xiao Wei were laughing like crazy.
Once they had safely crossed the bridge, Lin Yan got off her back and squatted to the side, dry-heaving. She raised a trembling hand, “I hate you!”
“Lin Yan, look.”
Despite her words, she still raised her head.
The morning sun sprinkled across the mountain forest valley. Below their feet was the endlessly rushing river, and in the distance, an unknown mountain range was still covered in a thin layer of snow.
Song Yuhang leaped onto a towering boulder, cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, and shouted towards the rising sun, “Lin Yan, I love you!”
The echo of “I love you” reverberated through the valley, traveling far into the distance.
“Aren’t you childish.” Lin Yan shook her head and grumbled, but the corners of her lips curved upwards.
Xiao Wei also let go of her mother’s hand and, mimicking Song Yuhang, shouted, “Mama, I love you!”
Perhaps she was moved by the scene.
A trace of excitement also appeared on Ji Jingxing’s face. She shouted towards the canyon, “Xiao Wei, Mama loves you too!”
“Also, I’m getting married!”
After one round, Mother Song was excused; after all, at her age, she really couldn’t bring herself to do something so childish.
Several pairs of eyes turned to the only one who hadn’t spoken: Lin Yan.
Lin Yan looked at the vast morning sun, at the magnificent view that could spirit swallows mountains and rivers, and for some reason, the words just came out.
“My name is Lin Yan! To hell with the darkness! I want the mortal world!”
After that, the group visited many more attractions, including Granville Island, the University of British Columbia, Canada Place, Queen Elizabeth Park…
A week later, they rented a car and drove from Vancouver to Banff, passing through the majestic Rocky Mountains. Along the way, they saw everything from colorful autumn leaves to forests, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls.
After arriving in the town of Banff for a short rest, they would transfer at the nearby Calgary International Airport for a flight to Saipan to hold their lawn wedding and island tour.
One week later.
Saipan Island.
“Here, look this way.”
Song and Lin stood back to back. Song Yuhang wore a tailored black suit, her hands in her pockets, which made her figure appear even more upright and dashing. She tilted her head slightly to look at the camera.
Lin Yan wore a pure white wedding dress and held a bouquet. Her hair was neatly pinned up, revealing her snowy neck and slender collarbones. Her figure was slim where it should be and full where it should be, exceptionally eye-catching.
The photographer pressed the shutter, freezing the moment.
The click-clack of the camera shutter sounded continuously.
Sometimes Lin Yan would go and pull Song Yuhang’s ear.
Song Yuhang would gently cup her face and kiss her with a smile.
The two of them holding hands, watching the sunset by the sea.
Lin Yan lifting the hem of her dress to run, then turning back with a radiant smile.
Song Yuhang holding a lit firework, kissing her on the cheek from behind.
The person who had said she was unwilling to wear a wedding dress ultimately put on the floor-length gown, and was then lifted up in a princess carry.
Lin Yan nestled in her arms, nodding slightly, a blush rising on her face, her smile so sweet.
She spun around while holding her, and the guests below broke into thunderous applause. Even Feng Jianguo was slightly moved.
Mother Song’s eyes, however, were wet with tears.
It’s unknown who started it, but with a loud howl, the young men from the Municipal Public Security Bureau all rushed up.
Song Yuhang had just put Lin Yan down when she was tossed into the air by the surging crowd.
Everyone’s nerves had been stretched taut for too long, and no one tried to stop this revelry.
Feng Jianguo raised a glass of wine and toasted from afar towards the distant East, to the person who had already passed away and had no chance to attend such a wedding.
Seeing that the scene was about to get out of control, the photographer, drenched in sweat, shouted, “Everyone come over, time for a group photo!”
The crowd of people scattered with a whoosh.
Song Yuhang fell on her bottom with a thud, a look of helplessness on her face as she climbed up from the ground.
It’s unknown who started it, but once one person put on their police uniform, everyone else changed into their uniforms as well.
A row of young faces squatted in the front, while the older ones all stood in the back. Song and Lin were squeezed into the middle.
Lin Yan held the bouquet, wearing the summer uniform. The light blue regulation shirt finally had its discipline button5 fastened, and the tie was tied perfectly.
Song Yuhang wore the spring and autumn uniform, her tie done up neatly, a smile on her lips as she held Lin Yan by the waist.
The photographer waited for everyone to get into position, “Everyone, at attention—”
Hearing this, everyone tensed up out of reflex. Someone had already raised their hand to their temple.
He let out a pfft of laughter, “Look here, say cheese!”
Everyone shouted along with him, “Cheese!”
The camera recorded everyone’s vibrant, smiling faces, which would become an eternal memento.
After the wedding video was finished, it was time for the buffet dinner.
Lin Yan was talking with Fang Xin and the others when she suddenly looked up and saw a man in a suit standing at the end of the lawn.
She was all too familiar with that head of exaggeratedly red hair.
Lin Yan’s expression changed. She shoved her wine glass into a waiter’s hand, patted Fang Xin’s shoulder to signal for them to eat and drink well, and then walked over quickly.
She pulled the man to a secluded spot. “Why are you here?”
Jingzhe smiled, a backpack still on his shoulders. “I’m heading back to Boston. I came to say goodbye.”
After Lin Yan’s incident, she hadn’t had a chance to see him again, so naturally, she couldn’t have instructed him to return the mechanical baton to Song Yuhang.
She had just assumed he had gone into hiding. So, who had ordered him to do that?
Something seemed to flash through her mind.
Lin Yan took two steps back, as if in disbelief. “You…”
Jingzhe nodded, took off his backpack, and pulled a USB drive from an outer pocket, handing it to her.
“Director Lin asked me to give this to you.”
Lin Yan looked at the black USB drive and gritted her teeth. “You’re his man?”
At this point, there was nothing for Jingzhe to hide.
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?!” Lin Yan suddenly closed the distance, grabbing him by the collar and roaring in a low voice.
Jingzhe gently brushed her hand away, pried open her tightly clenched fist, placed the USB drive inside, and closed her fingers around it again.
“You won’t. This contains all the answers you want to know.”
Jingzhe took a few steps back and put on a baseball cap.
“Director Lin said that I should only give this secret to you when the day comes that Ding Ye is dead and you have found your own happiness.”
Lin Yan suddenly understood his meaning.
This was a belated farewell. At this moment, it was time for Lin Youyuan to truly depart.
In her youth, she had countless times wanted to escape this family, to escape his shackles, yet never before had she felt such a strong sense of reluctance.
No matter how unwilling she was, her father would no longer provide her with any shelter.
Since the item had been delivered, it was time for Jingzhe to leave.
He turned to go, “Miss, my mission is also over. In the days to come, please take care of yourself.”
Lin Yan clutched the USB drive, her eyes slightly red. “Will we meet again?”
A smile touched the corner of Jingzhe’s lips. “Perhaps. In the streets and alleys of Boston, at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, or on a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico.”
“As long as we are in the mortal world, we will eventually meet again.”
Lin Yan mulled over his words, and a smile finally appeared on her lips. She looked at his departing back and said.
“Hey, if things don’t work out for you, you can still come back and be my bodyguard.”
Jingzhe waved without looking back, hopped onto a speedboat, and disappeared into the azure sea.
“Try this, this is delicious.”
Song Yuhang was talking with a few colleagues when another line of waiters in Western-style vests came over to serve dishes.
The dishes prepared for the wedding were all carefully selected by Lin Yan, featuring both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign cuisines, including all of the Eight Great Cuisines6.
Several plates were set down, clearly Cantonese cuisine with its characteristically exquisite presentation.
Song Yuhang froze. The head waiter gave a slight bow, “Please enjoy your meal.”
That voice was a little familiar.
Song Yuhang stared at his side profile, and like a lightning flash and flint spark, something clicked in her mind. She abruptly put down her wine glass and grabbed his shoulder. “Guo…”
The surrounding crowd was bustling, a scene of red lanterns and green wine.
She was slightly agitated, but she restrained herself again and again, lowering her voice to say, “You’re not dead?!”
Guo Xiaoguang stared at her face for a long time, then looked her over from head to toe. Finally, through the heavy foundation and makeup, he recognized her true face.
An irrepressible excitement instantly flooded his face. “Officer Song!”
Looking again at the wedding venue, and the red silk flower pinned to her chest, he instantly understood.
“Congratulations, congratulations!”
A smile appeared on Song Yuhang’s lips. She looked around and gestured for him to follow.
“Let’s talk over here.”
The two went up to the second floor of the hotel and stood by the railing, gazing out at the sea. In the distance, the faint sound of a ship’s whistle could be heard. The lighthouse and the moon hung in the sky together.
Song Yuhang: “I always thought…”
Guo Xiaoguang gave a bitter smile. “After we parted ways, my mother and I were ambushed. I thought we were done for back then, too.”
A trace of doubt appeared in Song Yuhang’s eyes.
She and Lin Yan had always believed that Zhao Junfeng didn’t want the Chunan case reopened, so he had to eliminate all the insiders at the time.
Guo Xiaoguang and his mother were just two of them. How else could one explain why even she and Lin Yan were attacked multiple times?
To be so lost one’s heart and gone mad7—even though Zhao Junfeng was already dead, she still couldn’t forgive him, couldn’t forgive the things he had done.
Guo Xiaoguang continued, “But that group of people just locked us in a warehouse, serving us good food and drinks. After staying there for a day and a night, we were let go.”
To this day, he was grateful to the point of tears and runny nose when he recalled that scene.
When the sunlight shone into the dilapidated warehouse, dust motes flooded in with it.
Guo Xiaoguang subconsciously raised his elbow to shield his eyes. The sound of firm, powerful footsteps stopped in front of him.
The person extended a hand to him. “Guo Xiaoguang, get up. You can go.”
He stood against the light, his face obscured.
Guo Xiaoguang was slightly stunned. Seeing that he wasn’t getting up, the person took a letter of introduction from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand.
“Take this and go to the nearest police station. The name Guo Xiaoguang can’t be used anymore. After you change your household registration, take your mother and leave Binhai Province. Don’t come back.”
By the time he came to his senses and chased after him, the person was already far away.
Guo Xiaoguang shook the name tag on his chest. On it was the name of the hotel where he worked, and below that, his name and position.
He had really changed his name. He was now called Guo Yi8.
“After what happened with my dad, my mom went to the police station many times to request a name change to make it easier for me to go to school. Every time, she was fobbed off. Who knew it would be so easy this time…”
Hearing this, Song Yuhang’s eyes reddened slightly, and she turned away to lean on the railing.
Guo Xiaoguang paused, “Officer Song, what’s wrong?”
Song Yuhang managed a smile, “It’s nothing. That last person, did he tell you his name?”
Guo Xiaoguang thought for a moment.
When he had taken the letter of introduction and chased out of the factory complex, he had finally managed to stop him and had repeatedly begged him to reveal his name so he could repay him in the future.
A tuft of white hair was visible under the man’s baseball cap. He finally turned around slowly. “My surname is Zhao. There’s no need for repayment. It was I… who let you down.”
He had mumbled the last half of the sentence.
Guo Xiaoguang didn’t hear it clearly, and by the time he wanted to ask more, the old man had already opened the door of a car parked on the roadside and gotten in.
The car quickly drove away from him; he didn’t even manage to remember the license plate number.
Guo Xiaoguang was still chattering on, perhaps influenced by the festive atmosphere, and also because he had met his savior. The man’s face was filled with joy and excitement.
“Thanks to that Uncle Zhao, I was able to turn over a new leaf and even got a job as an apprentice at a big hotel based on my skills.”
“The head chef brought us over to cook for a wedding banquet. I didn’t look closely, I didn’t expect it to be you and…”
“No matter what, congratulations, congratulations! All lovers finally become family9!”
“And thanks to you and Medical Examiner Lin, my dad’s a deep grievance is redressed and cleared. We saw the news. My mom was so excited she threw down her cane and took two steps. She even said that if she could see you two again, she would definitely kowtow to you.”
He knew these two weren’t short on money—Lin Yan had even sponsored them before. Looking at the surrounding scene of hung lanterns and tied colorful decorations and the joyous, peaceful atmosphere, Guo Xiaoguang licked his lips in excitement.
“How about this, I’ll go to the back kitchen later and make a few of my specialty dishes. No charge. Consider it a token of my appreciation, for you to try something new.”
Song Yuhang’s elbows were propped on the railing, her shoulders shaking violently as she silently wept.
Guo Xiaoguang finally sensed that something was wrong. “What’s the matter with you?”
Song Yuhang waved her hand repeatedly, choking back sobs, “N-nothing. I’m just… happy.”
A glimmer of understanding finally dawned on Guo Xiaoguang. “You know that Uncle Zhao?”
Song Yuhang shook her head. “I don’t.”
A trace of disappointment appeared in Guo Xiaoguang’s eyes. “He’s such a good person. I was still thinking that one day I could repay his kindness in person.”
Song Yuhang smiled, noncommittally.
That night, she never told him who was responsible for his father’s wrongful imprisonment.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t, but that she couldn’t bear to.
There were too many cruel things in this world. It was better to let his heart retain this final piece of pure land.
If time could go back, Song Yuhang also hoped that Zhao Junfeng would forever be that Zhao Junfeng—the one who was like a teacher, a friend, and a father figure in her heart, and also the great, good person in Guo Xiaoguang’s eyes.
What a pity. The beautiful time had passed. In the end, he had to pay the price for his actions. Otherwise, how could the spirits of the dead be comforted, how could the lonely souls be consoled, how could the tormented be appeased, and how could those who clutched their pain and still chose to live on strongly be vindicated?
After Guo Xiaoguang left, Song Yuhang stood alone by the railing in the sea breeze for a long time.
Until someone patted her on the shoulder and handed her a glass of wine.
Feng Jianguo was still wearing the clothes from the photoshoot. Song Yuhang noticed that on his epaulets, a silver olive branch wrapped around half the national emblem; he already held the rank of Deputy Commissioner General10.
She raised her champagne flute and clinked it against his. “Congratulations.”
Feng Jianguo smiled and also leaned on the railing. “What is there to congratulate? I’m just going to clean up a mess. If I had the time, I’d rather go home and spend more time with my granddaughter.”
Song Yuhang also smiled, her eyes still red. “I know you. You say you’re unwilling, but you’ll still contribute. This position, your fame follows merit11. The police officers and the common people below can also rest assured.”
Feng Jianguo scoffed, the wine in his glass untouched. He just held it.
“Falling in love has made you quite the oily mouth and slippery tongue12.”
Only then did a smile appear on Song Yuhang’s lips. She took a sip of the foreign liquor, leaning against the railing and letting the sea breeze mess up her hair.
Feng Jianguo turned back to look at her. “It’s been almost a year. How much longer are you planning to be idle?”
Song Yuhang smiled, turning around to lean on the railing and look at the brightly lit city on the coast across the water, not answering.
Feng Jianguo handed her a sealed file. “Give me a reply when you’ve thought it through.”
Song Yuhang lowered her eyes to look. The file had an official seal stamped over the string on the flap.
She was all too familiar with it. This was a transfer order13 from the provincial department.
Song Yuhang was slightly stunned. “Feng—”
Feng Jianguo paused his steps. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, whether you want to come back to work or give up this profession to live an ordinary life. But I think that we police officers are people who walk in the darkness, like fireflies in the sky, like lamps standing by the roadside.”
“The more people like this there are, the more a spark of fire14 can converge into a galaxy of stars. Light will ultimately dispel the darkness, don’t you think?”
Song Yuhang clutched the transfer order tightly and nodded slightly. “Thank you. I will consider it carefully.”
A smile appeared on Feng Jianguo’s lips, and he walked away quickly.
“Alright, on your big day, go and accompany your wife.”
The author has something to say:
Thank you for reading. There aren’t many chapters left. There’s so much I want to say, but I think I’ll save it for the day it truly ends. In short, thank you, thank you very much. [Bows]
Cherish the days when you can still say “see you another day.”
Everyone, see you another day, good night. I love this world, and I love you all.
LP: Re-translated on September 19, 2025
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Thank u for the chapters
Thank u for the chapters
thank you for the translation
thank you for the translation