[10/31, 06:32, Haijing City, at Lin Heyu’s home]
Lin Heyu successfully stayed at home for one night. Luckily, he was usually busy with work and didn’t have the habit of contacting Lin Zhizhi daily; otherwise, a phone call might have been hard to explain.
In the morning, he went downstairs for a run and picked up breakfast. He knocked on Lin Zhizhi’s door and saw a pair of panda eyes.
“Brother, I didn’t sleep until four last night. I’m so tired…”
“Who told you to stay up so late?” Lin Heyu glanced around the room—it was even messier. “It’s not even schoolwork. Can’t you just buy a finished product online? Why tire yourself out like this?”
Lin Zhizhi decisively refused, bluntly saying that her tough, macho brother couldn’t understand a girl’s thoughts. No wonder he was still single, without even a partner.
“…” Lin Heyu couldn’t be bothered to argue with her and urged her to eat breakfast and go back to sleep. While he had some free time, he tidied up the house. Judging by Zhizhi’s progress, she definitely wouldn’t have time for the next couple of days.
The entire morning flew by in a blur of activity. The sunlight shifted its angle into the balcony. Lin Heyu sat in his room, packing his luggage. Even though this was his home, he couldn’t return frequently. His instincts told him that running into the other version of himself wouldn’t bring any good. He found a backpack he hadn’t used in years, picked out some old clothes from the bottom of the drawer, and dug out his old police badge—just in case.
Lin Heyu sat cross-legged on the floor and took out a folded A4 paper from the inner pocket. This piece of paper had been through a lot—soaked in water, dried, the writing along the creases smudged and almost unreadable. If it were folded a few more times, it would be useless. The text was written backward, the best proof that he had been to Yi Shi’s place.
From today until November 21, there was a long stretch of blank time. Had they really not seen each other during this period? Or was there a chance they would meet again, and they just didn’t know it yet?
In hindsight, he should’ve exchanged more information with Yi Shi when they separated. Yi Shi was in the future and must know much more. Lin Heyu closed his eyes, recalling that moment when his memories had just returned. All he could think about was sticking to Yi Shi, hugging him, kissing him, and doing everything he had ever wanted to do. Yi Shi’s skin was very fair, and when he blushed, it started from his ears, slowly turning to a pearly pink. He looked thin, but his body wasn’t fragile—his muscles were firm and well-proportioned, covering his bones beautifully. His waist and abdomen were very sensitive. When pinched on the sides, he would tremble slightly. The back of his neck was extremely ticklish. A gentle bite there would make his legs so weak he couldn’t even stand…
Tsk. Lin Heyu ran a hand through his messy bangs. Just recalling this made him unbearably hot.
At 2 PM, Lin Heyu calculated the time and knocked on the door to wake Lin Zhizhi. Lin Zhizhi woke up groggily, complaining that her brother had terrible timing. The bullfrog dish she had ordered had just arrived, and she hadn’t even had a bite before being woken up.
“If you love Sichuan food so much, you should marry a chef,” Lin Heyu said.
“No way, no way. I heard that chefs are usually too tired from work to cook at home,” Lin Zhizhi said, smiling with her cheeks resting in her hands. “Besides, it’s not a required skill. If my future husband is as good to me as you are, I’d be willing to learn how to cook and happily make meals for him.”
…Yes, that’s true. According to Yi Shi, you grew up eating the food I cooked.
To satisfy her dream, Lin Heyu ordered a stir-fried bullfrog dish to be delivered home. Lin Zhizhi was feasting in the living room, while he stayed in his room, copying the timetable onto a new A4 paper.
“Bro, where did you order this bullfrog from? It’s amazing! Tell me the name of the place so I can take my friends there next time!” Lin Zhizhi burst in. “Why are you sitting on the floor? What are you writing?”
“A work schedule.” Lin Heyu blocked her view, folding the A4 paper with the mirrored writing and casually slipping it into the bedside drawer. Lin Zhizhi only noticed the clothes and bag laid out. She picked up the hem of one shirt with her thumb and index finger, shocked: “These are from years ago! Why are you still wearing them? What about the new clothes I bought you?”
She opened the wardrobe and was met with a sea of black, white, and gray. The brightly colored clothes she had bought him were nowhere to be seen. She felt utterly defeated: “Bro, you need to change your style. Even my friends say, ‘Your brother is so handsome, but he dresses like an old man every day. What a waste of such good looks.’”
“What’s the big deal?”
“Big deal? I still don’t have a sister-in-law.”
You already do. Lin Heyu silently answered in his heart.
The next day, Lin Zhizhi took the carefully prepared gift and boarded the high-speed train to attend a wedding out of town. Lin Heyu also left the house and found a small inn in a remote suburban area to use as a temporary base. He tried looking for Xiao Shitou and Gardenia, visiting all their usual haunts, but didn’t see them once.
Under the overpass was a gathering spot for many homeless people. Most of them knew Xiao Shitou and Gardenia and accurately pointed out where they lived. Lin Heyu went to check—a simple shelter under the bridge, built from a few wooden planks, serving as a home for two children and an old man to keep the wind and rain at bay.
“Those two kids have had a tough life. They’ve been collecting bottles and cardboard to sell to me since they were little. Luckily, they’ve got that old man looking after them; otherwise, they’d have starved. It’s not surprising you couldn’t find them—they might’ve gone to the countryside with the old man. People throw banquets for weddings and funerals there, and the kids can get a few decent meals.”
Lin Heyu handed a cigarette to the scrap shop owner. The owner smiled as he accepted it and asked curiously, “Officer, why are you looking for them? Did they cause trouble?”
“Not yet,” Lin Heyu said softly. “But I’m afraid they will in the future.”
Three days later, the northern city of Haijing entered deep autumn, and the temperature dropped sharply. Lin Heyu finally saw Gardenia in that shaky, ramshackle little house.
The small girl curled up with her tiny body, covered by a blanket that was gray and stained with indelible marks, its original color long unrecognizable. The temperature had plummeted in the last couple of days; people were even wearing thin cotton jackets on the street, but she was still in her thin autumn shirt and pants, sleeping on a hard wooden board that offered no warmth. Half of her little face, which was exposed, was flushed red, as if she had a fever.
Just from a side profile, Lin Heyu recognized this was his younger sister, Lin Zhizhi, whom he had picked up and raised. He approached quietly and gently brushed aside her messy black hair. Gardenia suddenly woke up, her dark eyes filled with caution as she stared at him.
“Y-you, who are you?”
Her throat was hoarse from tonsillitis. Lin Heyu spoke softly, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you, Zhi… Gardenia.”
Gardenia blinked her big, round eyes, “You know my name?”
“Yeah, I know your brother too. Where did he go?” Lin Heyu looked around the rickety wooden shed, which seemed like it could be blown down by a gust of wind. “Have you been living here all along? What will you do in the winter? Your face is so red; are you catching a cold?”
“I’m sick. My brother and grandpa went to collect bottles, and they told me to wait for them to come back.”
Children have weaker immunity, and if a cold accidentally leads to pneumonia, under such conditions, there are only two outcomes: either self-heal or die. The former almost seemed like a fantasy for Gardenia, considering the nutritional aspects.
Lin Heyu thought of taking Gardenia to the hospital immediately, but she was startled, climbing to the center of the wooden shed, tightly hugging the supporting wooden beam. “I won’t go. I won’t go with strangers. My brother, he went to buy medicine, and he will be back soon!”
“The doctors in the hospital are more professional. I’ll leave a note for them, and once you see the doctor, I’ll bring you back,” Lin Heyu gently patted her head. “I’m Uncle Police; when you’re in trouble, you should contact the police, got it?”
“No, I don’t want to go to the hospital. I’m fine. My brother will come back. Can you leave my home?”
“…” Lin Heyu stepped out of the small wooden shed. He could have forcibly taken Gardenia, but he didn’t want to see that terrified expression on her face.
Gardenia only listened to Xiao Shitou’s words, so Lin Heyu decided to find Xiao Shitou first and then take both children away together. He left the bridge’s arch and followed the route Xiao Shitou took to collect bottles. Upon reaching the vicinity of the city park, he spotted a small figure crouched against the wall in a dark alley. He hurried inside, where he saw an old beggar with a fruit knife stabbed into his chest further down the alley.
There were signs of a struggle at the scene, and from the footprints, it was evident that there were two assailants. Lin Heyu carefully circled around, trying to preserve the integrity of the scene, and checked the old beggar’s injuries. Unfortunately, the old man was already dead; the body still had warmth, with the time of death not exceeding fifteen minutes.
He shook his head helplessly, picking up Xiao Shitou and placing him on his lap. During the examination of his limbs, Xiao Shitou woke up, disoriented and rummaged through the cardboard boxes around him, kneeling on the ground and searching everywhere. “Where’s the glass jar? Where’s the glass jar…”
A glass jar? Lin Heyu hadn’t seen any glass jars since entering the alley. From Xiao Shitou’s reaction, that item must be very important for their survival.
Lin Heyu took off his outer coat and draped it over Xiao Shitou, then called Yuan Maoqiu, asking him to bring a team over; a homicide had occurred at the city park. He glanced around and noticed Xiao Shitou staring blankly at the old beggar’s corpse. He quickly covered his eyes. “Don’t look.”
“…Is he really dead?”
“Yeah.”
Xiao Shitou leaned back, pushing his hand away, and vomited a stomach full of bile in the corner. Lin Heyu handed him a tissue. After wiping his mouth, he sat silently. The city police arrived quickly, and Lin Heyu immediately directed his colleagues to cordon off the area and conduct an investigation. Yuan Maoqiu joked, “Hey, Lin Heyu, what kind of luck do you have? It’s rare for you to have a day off, yet you’re handling a case. Are you a homicide radar?”
Lin Heyu didn’t feel like bantering with him. “Stop talking nonsense. First, get that kid to the hospital; he hit his head and just vomited. He probably has a concussion.”
“A kid? What kid?”
Lin Heyu turned around, only to find the alley empty, his outer coat lying to the side, and Xiao Shitou was nowhere to be seen.
“…” That child really had a knack for running off.
“Just stay here for now; I’ll be right back.” Lin Heyu turned to leave, but Yuan Maoqiu grabbed him. “Hey, wait a minute. You’re the first eyewitness at the scene; you need to complete the record before leaving.”
“I’m going to find the first eyewitness.”
He searched several streets around the city park but still couldn’t find any trace of Xiao Shitou. Lin Heyu felt puzzled; even injured, he was able to run so fast, showing remarkable vitality. Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a glass jar in a box outside a small store. After checking the surveillance footage, he saw two punks laughing as they passed the shop and casually tossed the glass jar into the junk box.
Lin Heyu took the glass jar and, within half a day, apprehended the two punks who had committed the crime. He wanted to share this news with Xiao Shitou but had been unable to find them again; only the dilapidated house remained under the bridge, swaying in the wind and rain.
———
[11/15, 15:32, Haijing City Weisen International Kindergarten]
Hongfu Avenue is a famous affluent area. Before 4 PM, all kinds of luxury cars were parked along the tree-lined road, with parents and nannies crowding together to pick up their children, making the school gate bustling with activity.
Lin Heyu stood under a phoenix tree, watching the surging crowd for any sign of Xiao Shitou. This was the location provided by the scrap yard owner since Xiao Shitou had come to sell cardboard boxes a few days ago, one of which bore the insignia of Weisen Kindergarten.
It was a smart choice for them to come to Hongfu Avenue; after all, it was a gathering place for the wealthy, making it easy to find good things. During the time he spent searching for them, Lin Heyu had a persistent feeling that a mysterious force was interfering, not wanting him to have too much contact with Xiao Shitou. Nevertheless, he hadn’t given up because even a small change could potentially help them avoid getting caught up in the bombing case.
“Excuse me, are you Lin Heyu?”
Lin Heyu turned around; the world was too small. It was rare to run into not just a high school classmate, but the most talkative one at that.
“We haven’t seen each other since graduation. You never attended the class reunions. Are you at the police station now?”
“City bureau.”
“You got into the city bureau, huh? Impressive, impressive. Are you here to pick up your child? Son or daughter? Which class? I have a daughter in the senior class; she’s in Class 3.”
“Not married.”
“Not married yet? You guys in the police must be so busy. Do you want me to introduce someone? My wife has a cousin who graduated from a 985 university; she’s capable, pretty, and there are suitors who can circle Haijing just to pursue her…”
“No need.”
This social butterfly was the natural enemy of awkwardness. Lin Heyu struggled to deal with him; he was loud and annoying. In the past, he could always put on a stand-up comedy show wherever he sat, and eventually, the teacher had no choice but to give him a window seat.
The school gate opened, and Lin Heyu felt like he saw a release order: “School’s out.”
“I see, I see. My daughter’s class is still early. Where were we? Oh right, the class monitor! Guess what he’s doing now? Serving plates in a restaurant! You two are from Linjia Village, right? He used to talk behind your back all the time, and now he’s like this—serves him right.”
“…” Lin Heyu rubbed his forehead and turned his gaze across the street, where he spotted a familiar figure wearing ill-fitting old clothes—thin, worn, and dirty. The current temperature had already dropped to single digits, and his ankles were exposed. His hair was messy and uneven, but his eyes sparkled with an incredible brightness.
It was Xiao Shitou.
The classmate’s gossip faded into the background as Lin Heyu shook off the man’s hand and quickly walked to the crosswalk. Just then, the traffic light turned red. He stood on the opposite side, witnessing Xiao Shitou dragging a snake-skin bag to scavenge. A chubby boy tossed a toy into a trash bin, and Xiao Shitou rushed to pick it up, his eyes filled with joy. However, before he could enjoy it for two seconds, the chubby boy snatched it away and kicked him for no reason.
Xiao Shitou fell onto the sidewalk, staring at the chubby boy’s bouncing back with cold, resentful eyes that accused the world of its unfairness. He got up and dusted off his pants, regaining his composure in just a few seconds. Having faced such incidents too many times, he clearly recognized how humble his situation was. Just surviving was exhausting; what right did he have to be angry?
When the light turned green, Lin Heyu followed the bustling crowd across the street, but in the blink of an eye, Xiao Shitou vanished among the throngs. The situation of being so close yet missing each other was truly bizarre. Lin Heyu was more convinced that this was an intervention of the temporal order, preventing them from making too much contact.
Looking at it from a different perspective, this might be a good thing. Xiao Shitou was so self-conscious, and the past he had tried so hard to hide was now laid bare before Lin Heyu; it might be so embarrassing that he would want to find a hole to crawl into.
It was truly heartbreaking.
Lin Heyu covered his eyes. If he had seen this earlier, he definitely wouldn’t have hesitated regarding the adoption issue. As long as he could pull Xiao Shitou out of the mire, no reason would be sufficient to become an obstacle.
