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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: Fateful Path (Part One)
The text message read: "I’m waiting for you at the old place." The number that sent the message was unfamiliar to me, and I was curious. I shared the number with Qin Jian, but he also had no idea who it belonged to; he had never heard of it before.
Since that was the case, I decided not to dwell on it and instead had a brief discussion with Qin Jian about Chi Xinrong.
After a few exchanges, I understood the meaning behind Chi Xinrong's call.
Chi Xinrong's hospital organized a volunteer medical outreach event in the countryside, and those who participated were fortunate enough to win a free trip funded by the hospital.
There were fourteen spots available for the trip, and Chi Xinrong had one of them. She gave her spot to her good friend, who is also a surgeon, Zhang Xian.
Being cooped up in the hospital all year round can wear anyone down, even good people. This time, they finally had a chance for a vacation, and those participating were overjoyed. Zhang Xian was responsible for documenting all activities during the trip, making her task quite demanding.
They were all adults—both men and women—with everything meticulously arranged, so they had a great time. Unfortunately, something happened on their way back home: Zhang Xian's colleague from the same department, Male Doctor Zhang Youjian, encountered an incident.
What exactly happened wasn’t clear over the phone. It seemed that Zhang Youjian walked out of the hotel and then went to a tree by the roadside where he hanged himself with a rope.
Some passersby noticed someone hanging from the tree and were startled. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the person was already dead.
That person was Zhang Youjian.
Chi Xinrong called to ask when we would be returning. When she learned we were heading back soon, she urged us anxiously: "Hurry! Zhang Xian might be in danger too." What kind of danger could there be? Qin Jian and I were puzzled; although we couldn’t decipher Chi Xinrong’s words, we sensed that something was amiss.
We dropped Zhang Wang's mother off at the town and explained everything briefly before hurrying back to City A without delay. On the way, I asked Qin Jian, "How did you explain this situation?"
"What do you mean?"
"The matter regarding Zhang Wang's mother."
"Ah, the old traditions are truly harmful. These people have no idea what they're thinking. Generation after generation, can they really manage? You are a boy in this generation, the next generation will be girls, and who knows what the generation after that will be! When will this outdated preference for boys over girls come to an end?"
"You see, when I asked you how to address the issue of Zhang Wang's Mother causing her granddaughter's death due to her preference for boys, you just went on a rant. I'm not a savior; I can't change their old traditions and outdated views."
"I'm sorry, I'm just venting because I have no outlet for this frustration. You asked me, and I couldn't help but let it out." Qin Jian sighed and continued, "As for how to deal with Zhang Wang's Mother, it has to be handled as it is. There are countless people with such traditional views; I can't overstep my authority and interfere in matters outside my jurisdiction. So regarding how to handle this, I have no right to intervene."
"Don't you feel tired? You went on and on about a simple question, but it was all for nothing."
"If it’s useless, then why did you ask?" Qin Jian snapped irritably and fell silent.
The car sped along, and I felt drowsy again.
I don't know why, but I had this feeling that if I fell asleep, I would dream. I didn't like this feeling. It felt innate, something I had to accept passively, and it worked every time.
Not only did I want to sleep, but I also felt cold.
I asked Qin Jian to pull over and moved to the back seat, covering myself with all the warm clothes he had brought. Then I dozed off.
I wondered if anyone ever remembered the colors of their dreams upon waking—gray, white, and black. The dream I was having now was in normal colors. It felt as real as events happening in reality, as if I were seeing someone from my vantage point.
This person stood motionless in the pouring rain, appearing as if hypnotized, soaked through to the skin, even her pant legs dripping water that mingled with the rain flowing toward lower ground. No wonder I felt cold; in this unknown world I was about to enter, it was pouring.
My thoughts were particularly clear at this moment.
I felt like I was watching a movie; the screen was covered in rainwater, and the sound of rain filled my ears. I wanted to shout but couldn't.
Her lonely figure drenched by the rain seemed so helpless. I desperately wanted to reach out and protect her. As I looked at her, a familiar warmth washed over me; she felt like someone I knew from long ago.
Yet despite being so close, I couldn't approach her. Then someone appeared—a man holding a large umbrella. The umbrella was so big that it covered his upper body completely; all I could see were blue pants and leather shoes. His shoes stepped into puddles without splashing any water; they seemed almost capable of absorbing it.
Umbrella Man passed by her, and she did not move.
More people walked past her, and suddenly she woke up. The rain was pouring down, getting heavier by the moment. She slowly lifted her head, her bewildered eyes scanning the surroundings. There were many umbrellas around, and beneath one of them, a person revealed a pair of legs, all dressed in identical pants and shoes, matching the umbrella.
She seemed startled and suddenly grabbed the first person next to her, asking, "Where am I?"
The person she grabbed remained silent, looking at her without speaking. From my perspective, I couldn't see the face of the person under the umbrella, but I recognized her face—was that Han Mi?
I had thought my story with Mi had come to an end. I remembered she had followed her master to a distant place that required her management.
Now, seeing Mi alive before me yet unable to communicate felt like watching a bizarre film about her. I helplessly looked to another version of her for assistance, but the outcome was the same; she was frightened by the face under the umbrella, fell to the ground, and helplessly hugged her arms as the rain poured down relentlessly.
Tears slid silently down my face, reaching my lips. Instinctively, I reached up to touch them but was surprised to find my hand dry without any tears.
Mi was running wildly through the rain. Suddenly, I felt she wasn't Mi at all; she just resembled her closely.
Was it Han Lan?
With this doubt in my heart, I watched her run through the rain as if she were afraid of something. I stood up abruptly, feeling a jolt throughout my body as I realized I was still on the bus.
Hearing movement behind me, Qin Jian asked with concern, "Did you have a nightmare?"
"Yeah."
"What was it about?"
Qin Jian had taken a keen interest in my dreams long ago because after each nightmare I had, unexpected events would follow.
For instance, with Mi—I had been dreaming of kites for nearly half a month before losing her.
I dreamt of Han Lan, rain, and a man holding an umbrella. What could that mean?
I had barely exchanged a few words with Han Lan, and we had no contact. Why would I dream of her out of the blue?
Seeing that I was silent, Qin Jian asked, "Who did you dream about?"
"Han Lan."
"You don't actually like her, do you? Following her like a shadow!"
"Stop talking nonsense." I cursed lightly, preferring to lie back on the rear seat and continue dozing off. In dreams, once you wake up, it's impossible to continue where you left off. However, this time when I woke up and exchanged a few words with Qin Jian, I fell back asleep only to find myself in heavy rain again.
This time, I was standing in the rain.
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