Chapter Five
Zhou Mo finally noticed Zhang Xing's hesitant expression, but she didn't think about it too much. Or rather, she didn't know how to think about it deeply. Before finding the right direction, thinking might be futile.
She followed Zhang Xing to the hospital, where the air was thick with the smell of disinfectant. Doctors and patients were coming and going. She heard people crying, laughing, and kneeling on the ground, praying to heaven.
She didn't even have that kind of opportunity.
Zhou Mo's hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched into fists to conceal her inner turmoil and unease.
She doesn't like hospitals.
After this natural disaster, she developed many new dislikes. When her parents were alive, everything in the world seemed beautiful, wonderful, and colorful to her; even the tears that flowed into her mouth tasted sweet.
Zhou Mo averted her gaze and followed Zhang Xing closely. They made their way through a maze of turns to the door of a ward. Zhou Mo quickly realized something was wrong; there was someone guarding the ward door.
At this moment, she finally remembered Zhang Xing's earlier hesitation and what Yu Xi's identity really was.
"Zhou Mo, before we go in, there's something I need to tell you. It won't be too difficult for you."
"What is it?" Zhou Mo met Zhang Xing's slightly serious expression.
Zhang Xing: "The boy inside is named Yu Xi. His father was a very outstanding scientist in our country, but he disappeared in an accident many years ago. He has been living alone ever since and has refused all assistance. We hope you can persuade him to..."
"Does he want to die again?"
"?" Zhang Xing was completely confused. "Who... wants to die?" Based on his level of Chinese language skills, Zhou Mo's words meant that the wild... that ancestor inside wanted to die?
Ha, he really didn't notice at all.
"Yu Xi".
Zhang Xing didn't know why Zhou Mo had such a misunderstanding about Yu Xi. He had heard Yu Canghai say before that the two children had only exchanged a few words, and Yu Xi's attitude was very cold when she left. He didn't expect that Yu Xi would change again after only a few days and start clamoring to see Zhou Mo.
If it weren't for Yu Xi's identity, he would have spanked this naughty kid eight times, with different angles and techniques.
"Uncle Zhang, can I go in now?"
Zhang Xing nodded to the person at the door. Just as the person was about to open the door, he heard a brash voice coming from inside, "You're not going to die. You don't need to come see me every day. Save your skills for saving people. Don't waste your time on me."
The sound stopped abruptly as the door opened.
Yu Xi lay on the hospital bed with one leg dangling in the sling, holding a phone in one hand. Her brows and eyes were filled with hostility, but when she saw Zhou Mo standing at the door, she showed a surprised expression, though that emotion was faint and fleeting.
Zhou Mo even wondered if she was seeing things.
But what puzzled her even more was that Yu Xi, who had been spouting nonsense in the ruins, was actually like this?
No wonder Zhang Xing had that expression before.
Yu Xi put her phone aside, ignoring the awkward silence in the ward, and waved to Zhou Mo, "Zhou Mo, come here."
"Why?"
Zhang Xing was about to step forward to stop him. He was already very unwilling to ask Zhou Mo to come over as Yu Xi wished, and now he heard this kid so naturally calling Zhou Mo over. However, he did not expect Zhou Mo to ask him back so casually.
Yu Xi was taken aback by the question, "What do you mean, 'why'? Didn't you come here to see me?"
"You're talking nonsense again. You're the one who came to me, but you wouldn't see me or give me the injection."
It was rare for Yu Xi to be challenged by someone. This was the second time Zhou Mo had challenged him. He hadn't observed Zhou Mo carefully the first time, but now, in the relatively bright light, he could see Zhou Mo clearly.
An eerie silence fell over the ward once again.
Zhang Xing felt that he had never had such a difficult time in carrying out missions. Sure enough, kids, no, I should say, kids like Yu Xi, are really difficult to deal with.
He scratched his head in frustration.
"Uncle, the sound of you scratching your head is disturbing my cell regeneration."
Zhang Xing's eyes widened, his body reacted before his brain, his fists clenched, and he strode forward. If it weren't for someone coughing beside him to remind him, his fist, as big as a sandbag, might have already landed on Yu Xi's head.
"Cough cough..."
"You..." Zhang Xing took several deep breaths to barely suppress his anger.
"If you don't have anything important to do, I'm leaving." Zhou Mo seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere in the ward and turned to leave.
Seeing that Zhou Mo was really about to leave, Yu Xi stopped beating around the bush and said, "Don't go, I want to repay your life-saving grace."
"Tell them all to leave, I'll talk to you alone." Yu Xi grinned at Zhou Mo, her expression completely different from the troublesome person she had been on the phone earlier.
Zhou Mo was dazzled by the laughter.
Zhang Xing: "No."
"Never mind if it doesn't work."
Upon hearing Zhang Xing's words, Yu Xi tucked the blanket in and closed her eyes, preparing to go to sleep.
Zhang Xing wanted to say something, but when he looked down, he met Zhou Mo's eyes. Her eyes were emotionless, but they made Zhang Xing's heart tighten, and he inexplicably relaxed, saying, "Call me if you need anything. I'll be right outside the door."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."
Soon, only Zhou Mo and Yu Xi remained in the ward. Zhou Mo looked at Yu Xi and took two steps forward. "Let's talk now."
Yu Xi opened her eyes abruptly. "I know what you're looking for: your parents' rings."
Zhou Mo was somewhat surprised, "What happened?"
"I guessed a little bit, overheard a little bit, and had them investigate a little bit more." Yu Xi's tone was playful as he spoke, and he winked at Zhou Mo. "I'll help you find it, as a way of repaying your favor."
"Your feet are like this, forget it, I can do it myself." Zhou Mo said this, but in her heart she already felt that hope was slim. In this disaster, people were mercilessly swallowed up by the earth, let alone two small rings. But even so, she would continue to search, but she felt that it was unnecessary to drag another person into this.
No one is obligated to help her with her hopes.
"You could search through the ruins your whole life and still not find it."
Yu Xi's tone was confident, but Zhou Mo was somewhat angry when she heard it, "What's it to you!"
"They are not in the ruins, but in someone else's hands."
Yu Xi ignored Zhou Mo's anger and continued, "Judging from your shoes and your demeanor, I can tell that your family is well-off, you are very well-mannered, and very naive. So you don't understand the allure of material possessions to others, and you don't understand that someone would take something from a dead person. Your first reaction is not that it was stolen, but that it was lost."
Zhou Mo's anger came to an abrupt halt, replaced by another emotion—an unexpected direction, surprise, and incomprehension. Then, anger returned, but it was different from before.
"Someone took it."
"So now, Zhou Mo, do you need my help? I have the manpower you need."
Zhou Mo couldn't bring herself to refuse. She wanted to find her parents' rings, wanted the superstitious belief to come true, and wanted her parents to be happy and fulfilled in their next life.
"Help me, Yu Xi."
Yu Xi smiled with satisfaction, "Okay, Zhou Mo."
Zhou Mo underestimated the convenience brought by Yu Xi's identity. Within a few hours, someone brought over a black backpack. Yu Xi unzipped the backpack and casually dumped all the contents onto the hospital bed. Some of the things touched his wounds, but he didn't care at all. However, Zhou Mo, who was watching from the side, was terrified.
"Come here, what are you standing there for? Find your parents' rings."
Zhou Mo wanted to walk over as soon as she saw the backpack, but she didn't rush. The greater the hope, the greater the potential disappointment. She had to be prepared to not find it at any time.
Yu Xi ignored Zhou Mo's dawdling and rummaged through a pile of glittering jewels with his slender white fingers. When he touched something, a smile appeared on his face.
When Zhou Mo saw that smile, her heart skipped a beat.
The next second, she saw Yu Xi's fingers holding two identical rings, dangling in front of her. "Are these the two?"
"yes."
The longing and pressure of the past few days overwhelmed Zhou Mo when she saw her parents' rings, making it hard for her to breathe. Tears fell like broken beads onto the white duvet cover.
Yu Xi didn't show any change in expression when she saw Zhou Mo crying.
When Zhang Xing came in, this was the scene he saw. He mistakenly thought that Yu Xi had bullied Zhou Mo, so he quickly stepped forward to comfort Zhou Mo, "What's wrong? Did this kid make you feel wronged?"
Zhou Mo picked up the two rings and murmured to herself, "They can rest in peace now. In the next life, they will be together again."
Although Zhang Xing didn't understand the meaning behind Zhou Mo's words, he knew what Yu Xi had asked someone to do, and he also understood why Zhou Mo was crying. He didn't know what to say to comfort Zhou Mo, so he could only pat her on the shoulder.
This tough guy's behavior earned him a sneer from Yu Xi.
Zhang Xing glared at Yu Xi, who yawned nonchalantly, "I'm sleepy, you guys can go."
"Thank you, Yu Xi." Zhou Mo bowed to Yu Xi and then left the ward.
Zhou Mo left, and Zhang Xing, not wanting to stay in the ward any longer, turned and followed her.
Once again, Yu Xi was left alone in the ward. She yawned again, closed her eyes, and fell asleep immediately.
Zhou Mo and Zhang Xing walked side by side.
"Uncle Zhang, I want to see them, for their final journey..."
“You don’t need to say that. The main reason I came to you today is because of this. If it weren’t for…” Zhang Xing didn’t say why, but they both understood. Zhou Mo didn’t expect Yu Xi to be valued so much, but she didn’t feel any resentment. “I know that the reason they didn’t let me go before was because they were afraid of aftershocks, but today, no matter what, I’m going to watch them leave.”
She should have spent these seven days by her parents' side to observe mourning and fulfill her duty as a child, but special times call for special treatment, and she understands... understands.
Without realizing it, she seemed to have grown up, possessing a mature mind and an invulnerable armor.
Her birthday was only one day apart from the seventh day after her parents' death.
"I'll take you there and give them a proper send-off."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."
Zhou Mo exhaled a breath of stale air, looked up at the sky, and saw that the gloomy and murky sky now had a touch of blue, hanging faintly on the horizon, as if indicating something.
Unfortunately, she had no heart to appreciate it anymore and turned to embark on her future life.
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