Ch 8: Text Messages Across Time

Route 22 ran for fifteen kilometers end to end, passing through places like the wholesale district and the labor market. Not long after the two of them got on, another big wave of passengers boarded, making the already crowded bus even more packed.

Qin Weidong and Lin Wu were standing near the back door. Qin Weidong held onto a hanging strap, while Lin Wu gripped the pole beside him. The two of them swayed along with every stop and lurch of the bus.

Qin Weidong couldn’t stand being jostled. When he went out, he either took a taxi or got picked up by the family driver. It had been a long time since he’d ridden a bus. Now the whole bus smelled of cheap leather and sweat. After standing there for a while, he started feeling dizzy and nauseated.

To distract himself, he began studying Lin Wu.

Lin Wu was standing diagonally across from him, and from this angle Qin Weidong could clearly see his face. His eyelashes were long, his eyelids slightly hooded, his nose bridge straight and high. His features looked clean and finely cut, better-looking than Qin Weidong had imagined.

At that moment, the driver slammed on the brakes. Lin Wu pitched forward with the force of it, and when he steadied himself again, all Qin Weidong could see was the back of his head.

Taking advantage of the fact that the other person couldn’t see him, Qin Weidong brazenly looked him over from head to toe, then fell into thought again.

The bus was too crowded to start talking now, but his whole purpose was to ask about the strange number. He couldn’t just keep following him forever, could he?

Qin Weidong racked his brain and racked it some more, but after another sudden brake, he couldn’t think anymore. The smell on the bus was too awful. Standing in the back and swaying the whole way, he felt as if his insides had all been churned together. He wanted to throw up.

He found himself hoping Lin Wu would get off soon.

One stop, two stops…

After seven stops, Lin Wu still showed no sign of getting off. A middle-aged woman boarded in a rush and bumped into him, and Lin Wu merely shifted aside, clearly used to scenes like this.

Three more stops passed, and Qin Weidong had had enough and was about to get off. Just then Lin Wu moved toward the back door to wait by the exit, bringing the two of them very close. The doors opened, wind rushed in from outside, and Lin Wu got off with the crowd.

Qin Weidong froze for a second, then hurried after him.

The air outside felt wonderful. Qin Weidong took several deep breaths and realized this was Xuhu Park Station. Translated on Hololo novels. Lin Wu had already crossed the street and gone into Xinwen Bookstore across the road.

“So he’s going to the bookstore.”

Xinwen Bookstore was the largest general bookstore in Xuhu. Watching Lin Wu’s back, Qin Weidong did not follow immediately. Instead, he looked around nearby, then dashed toward the public restroom behind him.

Three minutes later, after throwing up miserably, Qin Weidong came staggering out looking drained. He sat for a while at the park entrance, and once he felt more recovered, headed over to the bookstore across the street.

Xinwen Bookstore had two floors. After entering, Qin Weidong worried Lin Wu might already have left. Fortunately, his luck was good. After only half a turn around the place, he found him in the second-floor study-guide section for high school students.

The bookstore had display copies for customers to browse freely.

In the high school study section, Lin Wu was sitting at a table reading a book. It was an oversized reading table about three meters long, and now quite a few people were seated there reading. Warm sunlight streamed in, the curtains lifted gently in the breeze, and the atmosphere was quiet and comfortable.

Qin Weidong felt that this place, like the bus, was no good for talking. After a moment’s thought, he pretended to browse books and walked behind Lin Wu, stealing a glance at what he was reading.

Then he sat down diagonally across from him. From time to time he looked at him, but Lin Wu was always surrounded by people, leaving him no chance to ask about the strange number.

In the end, Qin Weidong could only turn his attention to the novel in his own hands. It was a highly original suspense story, and gradually he became absorbed in it.

From four to seven, the customers in the bookstore changed over wave after wave. Just as he finished a climactic part and habitually looked up toward Lin Wu, he suddenly discovered that the seat opposite him was empty!

Bang!

Qin Weidong shot to his feet, hurried downstairs, shoved the book back where it belonged, and ran outside in a panic. Cars flowed continuously past the bookstore. He searched quickly, and finally spotted Lin Wu at the bus stop in front of the store.

“Hey!” Qin Weidong decided he wasn’t waiting for the right moment anymore. He was just going straight over.

He had only just reached the stop when Route 22 arrived.

Lin Wu took out his student transit card and boarded.

Qin Weidong: …

Route 22 again!

He stood there with a twisted expression, looking caught between getting on and not getting on. The driver was about to close the doors, then saw him and asked, “Are you getting on or not?”

“Yes!” Qin Weidong boarded as if marching to his death.

The rush hour had passed, and there were three empty seats on the bus. He found one he liked and sat down, then searched for Lin Wu.

Lin Wu was sitting on a two-seat bench farther ahead. In front of him sat a middle-aged man, and beside him a middle-aged woman. The man and woman knew each other and were chatting about family matters. Clearly, this was once again not the right moment to talk.

Qin Weidong swallowed down all his questions again and opened the window beside him as much as possible to get some air.

When they had come earlier, they were heading east to west. Now they were going west to east.

There were twelve stops between Xuhu No. 1 High and Xuhu Park. Qin Weidong counted them patiently. When the bus reached Xuhu No. 1 High, he assumed this long bus ordeal would finally end.

Lin Wu did not get off.

So Qin Weidong had no choice but to keep following, enduring the motion sickness. In this way they went another seven stops before Lin Wu finally moved.

Qin Weidong stood up at once.

Lin Wu got off, and Qin Weidong followed. They had now reached the outskirts of Xuhu. Around them were two residential areas and three urban villages. Beyond that lay the Xuhu railway line, with coal trains rumbling past. The roar of the trains was irritatingly loud.

Qin Weidong looked around and felt that if they went a few more stops, they would probably start seeing cornfields. Just then Lin Wu turned into an alley up ahead, and Qin Weidong hurried after him. But halfway through, he suddenly lost sight of him again!

Qin Weidong turned around blankly. Where did he go?

“Looking for me?”

A cool, clear voice sounded from behind him.

Qin Weidong turned around. Lin Wu was standing in the middle of the alley. Behind him, not far away, was the road where they had just gotten off the bus. The streetlights from the road filtered faintly into the alley, casting a weak glow.

“You knew I was looking for you?” Qin Weidong looked him over face-to-face. His first thought was that the line of the other man’s jaw was pretty good.

“You’ve been following me since school let out.”

Lin Wu had noticed him while waiting for the bus after school. Qin Weidong was tall, dressed in casual clothes, with a bandage around his arm. At the bus stop he stood out like a crane among chickens.

At first Lin Wu had not thought Qin Weidong was following him. But later, on the bus, the other person looked at him. In the bookstore, he looked at him. Then when Lin Wu left the bookstore, the other man hurried after him…

At that point, Lin Wu could no longer treat it as a simple coincidence.

His mind ran quickly through everything. He did not know this person.

“I was following you,” Qin Weidong admitted when he saw he had been exposed, not trying to hide it. “Someone asked me to find you and pass on a message.”

A single opening line. So simple. He had finally gotten the chance to say it.

“What message?” Lin Wu asked.

“On November 19 at 8 p.m., Xiao Hulu will be in a car accident. On December 15 at 10 p.m., Luo Xiaorong will be in a car accident.”

Qin Weidong had read those texts so often by now that he had memorized the names and times. Translated on Hololo novels. After relaying them, he was about to ask about the strange number, but the moment Lin Wu heard the names Xiao Hulu and Luo Xiaorong, his eyes sharpened as he looked at him.

“Who told you that?”

“A strange stranger,” Qin Weidong said, startled.

Lin Wu’s first impression of him had been quiet, obedient, and withdrawn. But now, as the other lifted his head, Qin Weidong saw anger, vigilance, and even a trace of fury in his eyes. It was completely different from before.

Though those emotions were subtle, Qin Weidong clearly felt them.

“Who told you?” Lin Wu stared at him and asked.

“It’s… kind of hard to explain…” Qin Weidong touched his phone, planning to just show him the number directly. Just then, an excited voice came from behind:

“Brother Qin?”

Qin Weidong turned around. The newcomer was about 1.7 meters tall, slightly chubby, with dyed red hair in a messy, explosive style, wearing a skull-pattern jacket. At a glance, he looked like a delinquent student.

“Luo Liang?” Qin Weidong said, surprised.

Luo Liang was from the vocational school. They had run into each other a few times during fights, and over time had become familiar. Of course, that familiarity was mostly one-sided. Qin Weidong only knew his name and where he studied, nothing deeper.

“My place is around here. When I passed by just now, I thought it looked like you. Didn’t expect it really was!” The alley was about fifty meters long. He had just happened to pass by and noticed him.

“We were just up ahead…” Luo Liang grew more excited as he spoke, but when he saw Lin Wu, his expression turned strange. “Lin Wu?”

“You know each other?” Qin Weidong asked curiously.

“Kind of…” Luo Liang answered vaguely.

In the alley, Lin Wu glanced at Luo Liang, then at Qin Weidong. His gaze swept from Qin Weidong’s brow all the way down to his feet, a warning in his eyes. Then he turned and left without another word.

Qin Weidong: ???

He had taken two bus rides, spent three hours in the bookstore, and now, after all that effort, he was left with nothing but a warning… and a hint of disdain.

What was this supposed to be?

“He’s just a weirdo. Forget about him,” Luo Liang said, not knowing what had happened between them but thoughtfully trying to smooth things over. Then he added, “A few of us are up ahead having barbecue skewers. Want to join? After that we can go play some billiards.” Delinquent students didn’t have many entertainment options, usually just internet cafés, pool halls, or roller rinks.

“I’ve got something to take care of. Another time,” Qin Weidong said. He had no mood for socializing.

Luo Liang knew his temperament and didn’t push. He eagerly pulled out his phone. “Let’s exchange contact info?”

“Sure.” Qin Weidong generally didn’t embarrass people unless necessary.

He gave his number, and Luo Liang entered it digit by digit before calling him.

Qin Weidong’s phone rang. He saved the contact.

“Let’s hang out next time,” Luo Liang said as he followed Qin Weidong to the roadside and helped him hail a taxi.

“Sure, next time,” Qin Weidong replied casually.

At 8:30, he returned to the dorm. Hu Wei hadn’t come back yet, and the other roommates were out. In the four-person room, he was alone.

After washing up, Qin Weidong lay on his bed and thought of Lin Wu, or more precisely, that final look Lin Wu had given him, the one filled with warning and disdain.

He might not be a model student, but he wasn’t that bad, was he?

Qin Weidong got out of bed, took out a small round mirror from the dorm, and looked at himself.

His features were pretty handsome. He didn’t look like some vicious thug either.

……

The steel factory residential district and nearby villages together housed over thirty thousand people. It wasn’t convenient for them to go into the city, so most of them bought food and ate at the nearby steel factory market, a large open market built around the factory.

The Third District residential area was about three hundred meters from the market. After leaving the alley, Lin Wu didn’t go home but headed straight to the steel factory market.

There were over a hundred shops there, selling clothes, small appliances, hardware, groceries, food… all kinds of things. At eight in the evening, many of the meat and vegetable stalls had already closed, leaving only snack shops and supermarkets still lively.

Wearing white cloth shoes and carrying his schoolbag, Lin Wu stepped over puddles and scattered vegetable scraps until he reached the steel factory canteen.

The canteen was operated by the factory itself. It was larger than other eateries, mainly selling buns, steamed bread, rice dishes, and stir-fries. It was the most popular and bustling place nearby.

As soon as he entered, Lin Wu went straight to the kitchen. It was over seventy square meters, filled with professional stoves and two large refrigerators stocked with fresh meat and frozen fish.

When he arrived, three middle-aged men were playing cards, and two middle-aged women were sitting at a low table eating steamed buns and millet porridge. They were all kitchen staff. Now that the rush hour had passed, the atmosphere had relaxed considerably.

“Where’s my mom?” Lin Wu asked after looking around.

Luo Xiaorong was thirty-nine years old and had a severe intellectual disability. She struggled with many aspects of daily life, but she had one strength: she was very good with handicrafts. When Lin Haiming was still alive, his salary was enough to support the family, and Luo Xiaorong spent her days sleeping, daydreaming, or occasionally doing embroidery to earn a little extra money.

After Lin Haiming passed away, the family had little savings, and Lin Wu still had to attend school.

Considering their situation, the factory leadership arranged a job for Luo Xiaorong at the canteen making buns. She worked from 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If it wasn’t busy, she could leave early. She was only responsible for making buns and didn’t handle anything else.

Lin Wu finished evening study at 8:50 and got home around 9:30. At first, Luo Xiaorong would go home alone after work, but the market area was chaotic. Earlier that year, she had been followed by a man on her way home.

Though she had an intellectual disability, she could sense something was wrong when the man tried to undress her, and she screamed loudly. Her cries drew attention from passersby, and the man fled. Fortunately, nothing serious happened.

After that incident, Lin Wu didn’t want her to keep working. They still had twelve thousand yuan saved. He calculated that if he studied hard and got into a top university, he could receive a fifty-thousand-yuan scholarship. Once in college, he could support her by working part-time.

“I want to work!” Luo Xiaorong had limited understanding, but after working, she had heard others say things like “college is expensive” and “mental illness is a burden.” Lin Wu told her she wasn’t mentally ill, so she didn’t think she was. She just wanted to earn more money and not be a burden.

In some ways, Luo Xiaorong was very stubborn.

After hearing her out, Lin Wu pressed his lips together and said, “Then I’ll come pick you up from now on.”

The canteen closed at ten, sometimes as late as eleven. So Lin Wu spoke with the management. After finishing work, Luo Xiaorong would stay at the canteen until 9:30, and Lin Wu would come to pick her up so they could walk home together.

Today was Sunday. Instead of waiting until 9:30, Lin Wu had come right at her usual time to get off work.

“It’s Sunday today.” The head chef was one of the three men playing cards. He hadn’t expected Lin Wu to come early and looked a little uneasy.

“Where is my mom?” Lin Wu stared at him and asked.

Lin Wu was usually quiet, but when he got angry, the way he stared at people was fierce. The head chef felt a chill under that gaze, then stiffened his neck and said, “Your mom’s in the yard. Where else would she be!”

Behind the kitchen was a courtyard, and beyond that the staff dormitory. As soon as he heard this, Lin Wu ran straight toward the yard.

The canteen courtyard was about a thousand square meters, paved with bluestone bricks. There was a water pipe in the yard with a warm yellow bulb hanging above it. When Lin Wu arrived, Luo Xiaorong was sitting in front of a basin, washing dishes. The dishes, both from customers and staff, were greasy and piled into a small mountain.

She was facing the staff dormitory. Inside, there was a television, and two dishwashers were sitting there watching it.

Through the window, Luo Xiaorong could catch glimpses of the screen. As she watched, she giggled.

Seeing this, anger surged in Lin Wu’s chest, but he forced himself to stay calm. “Mom.”

“Wuwu is here!” Luo Xiaorong liked calling him “Wuwu,” sometimes “Little Wu.” When she was unhappy, she would call him by his full name.

Lin Wu didn’t like those nicknames. He thought they sounded overly sweet, but Luo Xiaorong liked them, and after resisting a few times when he was younger, he had let it be.

“I’m here.” Lin Wu asked as evenly as he could, “Why are you washing dishes?”

“I want to watch TV. Meiling said if I wash dishes here, I can watch TV and play with water at the same time!”

Lu Meiling was one of the dishwashers. As Luo Xiaorong finished speaking, the dormitory door opened, and two round-faced, slightly chubby young women, around twenty years old, walked out.

One of them looked a little awkward when she saw Lin Wu. “Lin Wu, you’re out of school?”

“Mm.” Lin Wu asked gently, “Sister Meiling, can my mom really watch TV and play with water like this?”

“There’s been a lot of work today… Sister Xiaorong said she wanted to help me…” Lu Meiling trailed off. She could brush off Luo Xiaorong, but Lin Wu was clearly not someone easy to fool.

“How long has this been going on?” Lin Wu lowered his eyelashes slightly and asked calmly.

“How long… what do you mean…” Lu Meiling faltered.

“Mm?”

“A month, maybe. Sister Xiaorong is really nice. She often helps me on her own…”

At that moment, the others from the kitchen heard the commotion and came over.

“Lin Wu, Xiaorong just has a kind heart. It’s mutual help. Meiling is still young. Don’t hold it against her. Don’t worry, this won’t happen again!” The head chef knew it couldn’t be hidden anymore and immediately patted his chest in assurance.

“Uncle Zhao, you’ve known about this all along.” Lin Wu looked at him.

The head chef froze. “It’s just… mutual help.”

“Mm.” Lin Wu gave a soft acknowledgment, then turned to Luo Xiaorong. “Mom, let’s go home.”

“I haven’t finished this yet…”

Lin Wu looked at the pile of pots and dishes in the basin. There were easily over two hundred pieces, almost like the scale of a village banquet.

“Sister Meiling said she’ll do it herself,” Lin Wu said.

Lu Meiling quickly reacted. “Sister Xiaorong, just leave it! I’ll handle it myself!”

Lin Wu pulled Luo Xiaorong up from the ground. It was September, not cold, but she hadn’t worn gloves. Her hands had been soaking in greasy cold water for so long that the backs of them were already red.

Lin Wu wiped her hands with his school uniform and tucked them into his pocket.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

“Okay!” Luo Xiaorong smiled foolishly, not understanding what had happened.

The two of them left, and the others exchanged looks.

“Wasn’t he rumored to have killed someone? That’s all the temper he’s got?” one of them asked. There had been rumors in the compound that Lin Wu had killed someone. Someone had even called the police, and Lin Wu had been taken to the station, only to be released within half a day, proving he hadn’t done anything.

But with his disabled father and intellectually impaired mother, and his somewhat gloomy demeanor, people still treated him as a potential criminal. They didn’t say it to his face, but they avoided provoking him whenever possible.

“It’s just nonsense people say. He’s only seventeen, what kind of temper could he have?” Lu Meiling, who had stirred things up earlier, now felt relieved that he had left. She grabbed a pair of gloves from the rack and sat down on a stool in the yard. “If I’d known, I would’ve had her start earlier. There’s still so much left…”

She had just finished complaining when a surprised voice sounded from the yard:

“Lin Wu?”

Lu Meiling looked up.

Lin Wu had come back, carrying a slop bucket in his hand.

Before she could react, he tipped the bucket over her head. Leftover food scraps mixed with pork grease poured down onto her.

“Ugh!” Lu Meiling gagged in disgust and looked up.

“I’ll pour one bucket on you every day from now on, until it’s been a full month.”

Under the warm light, Lin Wu looked at her coldly.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Previous