Health Consultation Center

"Youchen, it's time for dinner!" Mom's gentle voice came from the kitchen. At the same time, there were two knocks on the door. Dad said from outside, "Youchen, your aunt and her family will be here soon. Come out, wash your hands and get ready for dinner."

Shi Youchen put down his pen and closed his homework book. "Gaokao Selection Paper 50" lay quietly on his desk. He stood up and stretched. After leaving the room, he smiled at the man at the coffee table and called out, "Dad." Then he went to the kitchen to wash his hands and set the table for his busy mother, who was busy working.

The woman, wearing oven gloves, brought out a pot of chicken soup. She walked to the dining table, took a look, and said to the man beside the coffee table in a stern tone, "Honey, didn't I ask you to take out the potholder? Hurry up, my arms are sore!"

The man quickly put down the cup of water at his mouth, hurriedly opened the drawer under the TV, took out the cushion, ran to the table and put it down, then stretched out his hand to protect the woman: "Come on, come on, be careful." After putting the steaming casserole steadily on the table, he smiled and rubbed the woman's arm a few times: "Thank you for your hard work, my wife."

This scene happened to be seen by several people who pushed the door open. The little girl in the lead put on a pretentious look and covered her eyes with her hands and said with a smile: "Oh, auntie and uncle, shame on you!" Then she was immediately patted on the head by the woman behind her: "Little girl, you are talking nonsense!"

Then the woman smiled at the people in the room: "Sister, brother-in-law, Xiaochen, happy new year!"

It was customary for both families to gather for a meal during the Lunar New Year. This year, my aunt's family had just returned from a trip and had come directly to my uncle's house instead of returning to their own. Shi Youchen watched as his uncle neatly arranged his suitcases against the wall, then pulled out several gift boxes from one of them and placed them on the coffee table in the living room.

"I brought you some gifts. They're nothing special. They're just some local specialties." My uncle looked very honest. He had a chubby body and a smiling face. He looked a bit like the snowman in the cartoon on TV.

"Youchen, this is for you. I wish you good luck in your studies this year and all your wishes come true." The aunt stuffed a long, exquisite-looking box into Youchen's hand, and patted the back of his hand with the same smile as her mother.

Shi Youchen thanked them shyly and, under the encouraging gazes of the adults, put away his gift. "I'll go get Grandma." He turned and ran to the balcony. The old woman was lying in a rattan chair, her eyes closed, resting, the setting sun shining down on her.

The whole family sat down to eat New Year's Eve dinner. My aunt's two children, who had no real grandparents, had grown up calling Shi Youchen "grandparents." In previous years, they were always awkwardly reluctant to say hello, but this year, they seemed to have grown up and understood, sweetly calling out "Happy New Year, Grandma" and "I wish you good health and all the best," which made the old lady smile and stuff red envelopes into their mouths.

The lively and warm evening passed in a flash.

When the sound of firecrackers started outside, my uncle looked at his watch and said it was getting late and he had to pack up his things when he got home, so he prepared to say goodbye.

The aunt patted the shoulders of the two sleepy children and coaxed them softly: "Wake up, let's go home and sleep again, okay." The older girl opened her eyes drowsily, but the little boy refused to stand up from the sofa.

So the aunt had no choice but to hold the boy in one hand and the girl in the other as they went out. Shi Youchen helped move their suitcases to the trunk of the car and watched the family of four drive away amid the sound of firecrackers.

After returning to his room, Shi Youchen carefully opened the long gift box. Inside were a pen and a watch. He didn't recognize the brand, but holding them in his hands, he could sense their high quality, a gift from his aunt and her family.

Reluctant to use the new gifts, Shi Youchen put them away carefully. Then he wrote some questions for a while before feeling sleepy. So he washed up and lay down.

...

Shi Youchen was woken by a loud noise. Bleary-eyed, he opened the door and looked towards the source of the noise, only to find his parents in the living room. His father was holding his mother's shoulders as they walked towards the door, and she was crying.

"Where are you going?" he asked as he walked out of the room. At this moment, his grandmother came over, hugged Shi Youchen and comforted him, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. They're going to take care of something and will be back soon. You go back to sleep first."

Shi Youchen wanted to follow, but he couldn't break free from his grandmother's arms.

However, not long after dawn, he was taken to a place by his grandmother and the police who came to his door.

The police told him that his aunt and her family had just arrived home when they ran into a group of burglars. They, along with their two children, were brutally murdered. It was a neighbor who woke up in the middle of the night and smelled the strong smell of blood, which ultimately led to the police call. His parents, on the way to identify the body after receiving the call, were involved in a car accident and both died despite efforts to save them.

The grandmother hugged Shi Youchen and cried bitterly. Even the policemen around were lamenting the fickleness of fate and pitiful them. Several female police officers were secretly wiping away tears.

But Shi Youchen, who was held tightly in his arms, remained indifferent.

He sat like an old monk, staring blankly at the ceiling with his eyes open, letting his grandmother's tears and sobs flow into his shoulders.

Why isn't he crying? Yes, why isn't he crying?

Shi Youchen seemed to hear the voices of the people around him.

He lowered his head, but his grandmother raised her head, stared at him with red eyes and asked, "Why aren't you crying?"

"..." Shi Youchen didn't avoid his grandmother's gaze. His dry lips moved twice, and his voice was very soft. "I cried a long time ago, many, many years ago."

"Really? Did you find out?" Grandma's eyes became strange. She let go of the hands that were holding Shi Youchen and sat up straight.

Shi Youchen reached out and fixed her collar, his eyes fixed on her withered hands. "I've noticed it a long time ago, but I just couldn't bear to expose it."

Yes, my parents died in a car accident the year I graduated from elementary school. My aunt's family was murdered before I even started high school. My younger siblings never called me "Grandma," nor did they ever happily accept a red envelope. Before the college entrance exam, it was my grandmother who spent my last Spring Festival with me.

But it feels so good to be able to celebrate the New Year with everyone.

A few tears fell from the withered back of Grandmother's hand, passing over the bulging meridians and falling to the ground. "I know this is all fake, an illusion. I just..."

"I just don't have the courage to break them." Shi Youchen shed tears quietly and looked up at the "grandmother" in front of him. "But I have to wake up eventually. There are still many things waiting for me to do."

In an instant, his grandmother and the surrounding police officers disappeared. Shi Youchen wiped away his tears and saw a dark door at the end of the corridor. He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked towards it. His footsteps echoed in the long corridor, as if they would never stop.

This was the nth door. Shi Youchen couldn't remember how many illusions he had entered, how many times he had emerged from them, and how many times he had rushed to the next door. But he was certain that this was the first black door.

"I am Shi Youchen. This is the Health Consultation Center and the Global Management Association of Superpowers." After emphasizing it in his heart again, Shi Youchen reached out and pushed open the dark door.

This time, he woke up in a tent. It seemed to be raining outside, and the raindrops made a dripping sound on the tent. There was a heater inside, and some miscellaneous items were piled in the corner, making it look like someone lived there. But there was no one else inside except him.

Shi Youchen looked around and his eyes fell on his left arm, which was wrapped in circles of bandages, part of which had purple-black marks on it.

At that moment, footsteps were heard outside the tent, and Shi Youchen turned his head warily. The zipper creaked open, and a large, furry head poked in. "You're awake! Great!" The person who came in was an unfamiliar young man. He was wearing a hood, and his cheeks were flushed, a common symptom of living in the highlands.

"You are..." Shi Youchen did not sense any malice from him, and it seemed that this was the young man's residence. Did he bring him back?

The boy crawled into the tent and zipped it up to keep the wind out. He smiled, showing his white teeth, and said, "My name is Hassan, and I'm a wanderer!" Wandering seemed to him to be a particularly interesting thing, something worth talking about with a smile.

"Then where is this place?" Shi Youchen asked.

Hassan pulled out a piece of dried meat from his bosom and handed it to him. "This should be a mountain, right? I don't know, but I know you're going to ask, 'Then why am I here?' Right?" He grinned and quickly answered, "I found you in the valley. Let me think about it. You've been unconscious for three days since I brought you back!"

Three days?

Shi Youchen's heart skipped a beat. First, he was certain he had no memory of the young man named Hassan, nor any recollection of the valley. Second, he felt light and didn't seem thirsty or weak. He didn't look like a victim who had been unconscious for three days. Third, how could a wanderer not know where he was? It was incredibly strange.

But this is an illusion, everything could be false, so I have to remain calm. Shi Youchen comforted himself.

"You can speak the language of District 8, so this should be District 8... or nearby." Shi Youchen raised his left arm and found that the psychic bracelet was missing.

Hassan hurriedly said, "Hey, don't move your hand! The wound hasn't healed yet!"

The purple-black mark under the bandage had expanded. Shi Youchen thought, "What does the wound on my hand look like?" Hassan scratched his head. "It looks like a bruise, but it's quite deep. I've applied a herbal remedy that helps heal the wound and also has a pain-relieving effect. You shouldn't feel too bad."

Shi Youchen said, "Thank you. Since you found me in the valley, you should know the way out." He figured that even if this was an illusion, returning to the association base would always be a good idea. There were no specific rules for clearing the environment, so as long as he stayed awake, there would be no problem.

Hassan turned his head and said, "But your injury hasn't healed yet, and the mountain roads here are difficult to walk on. If you want to go down the mountain, you'll have to wait at least a few days."

"It's okay, this little injury is nothing serious. I have something urgent to do and I have to get down the mountain as soon as possible. I'm sorry to bother you."

Hassan seemed to be in a dilemma. He hesitated for a long time before pouting and saying, "Okay, I'll take you down the mountain after the rain stops and the ground is dry." After saying that, he turned away as if he was not very happy, leaving Shi Youchen with only his back.

The tent became quiet. Shi Youchen glanced at Hassan, raised his right hand to cover the wound on his left arm, and activated his healing ability.

Fortunately, his abilities were still normal. He could clearly feel that the injury on his left hand had completely healed, and he no longer felt any discomfort in his body. So he waited quietly for the rain to stop.