stranger
That seemed to be the last time they saw each other. Lin Luo didn't remember how they parted, was it because of that phone call, or because she didn't want others to see her vulnerable side and ran away.
Later, Lin Luo discovered that there was a coffee shop in a great location near Peking University. She liked the balcony on the third floor the most, which overlooked the airport. When she had no classes, she liked to sit in a corner and read for the entire afternoon. The plane that Fu Xingchuan took to go abroad also passed by there.
"Swoosh——" Time flew by like an airplane, and in a blink of an eye, two years had passed.
In 2019, the Yanghuzhu restaurant brand became increasingly popular in China, expanding beyond Nan'an and opening locations across southern China. Zhu Changyu planned to expand his market and open a few pilot locations in northern China. Lin Luo, on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor management, took over the coffee shop.
The decoration was still done by Xu Yangyang. She resigned from the company, set up her own studio, became a female boss, and broke up with Qi Yao.
It is said that because Tian Yajun showed her the ambiguous message sent by Qi Yao, Xu Yangyang completely gave up on him.
A few months ago, Lin Luo's application for a joint master's and doctoral program was approved, and she will pursue a doctorate in physiological immunology.
"What time will you land? I'm going to pick up the two bosses." Lin Luo asked them in the WeChat group of Yang, Hu and Zhu. She had just finished a group meeting, and she and Wen Zenian were the only two left in the classroom.
A reply arrived shortly after. Zhu Changyu said, "There seems to be some infectious disease recently. I just received a notice that someone from higher-ups is coming to inspect the pig farm back home. I guess I'll have to go back to Nan'an first and then go to Jinghe in a few days."
In recent years, when he wasn't busy, he'd often travel abroad, claiming to want to see the world, but they all knew he really wanted to see Tong Yun. After graduation, Tong Yun became an international volunteer teacher, and they reportedly didn't keep in touch much. Tong Yun only occasionally sent Lin Luo pictures of foreign scenery, but his birthday cake always arrived on time every year.
Xu Yangyang: [A client's house in Nan'an had a problem with renovations, so I have to go back first.]
Lao Hu: [Okay, I'm here. To be safe, wear masks when you go out. Keep some at home and remind your family members.]
Lin Luo stocked up on masks at Nan'an's house and urged Tang Heng to take care of his health. His checkups over the past few years had been good, but being so far away from home, Lin Luo was always a little worried. She put down her phone and asked Wen Zenian, "Brother, what do you think about infectious diseases?"
"I think we can't take it lightly. It's a matter of life and health, so we still have to take it seriously." Wen Zenian adjusted his glasses.
"I think so too."
At first, people thought it was just a common flu, but as news reports became more and more frequent, alarms were sounded, prompting people to reduce going out and stay at home.
During the Spring Festival, Lin Luo did not return to Nan'an. She video-called her family from her Peking University dormitory. Du Yunyan and Tang Heng were making dumplings, while Tang Muchen was eating potato chips. "Sister, I see masks are being snapped up like crazy. Luckily, you had the foresight to do so."
"You little brat, are you going to eat your meal later if you're eating snacks now?" Du Yunyan pushed him away from the screen. "Lin Luo, have you prepared a mask?"
"Well, don't worry, our tutor is an expert in this field." Lin Luo said with a smile.
"That's good." Du Yunyan's brows relaxed. "I heard your father is quarantined in a Shanghai hotel."
"Yes, it seems there is a suspected case, but he is not infected at the moment."
"Oh." Du Yunyan was concentrating on making dumplings and just listened casually.
Tang Muchen washed his hands and came over to help them pack. Lin Qi reminded him, "Stay home during the holidays and don't run around."
"Brother Zenian should not be busy, right? Can I play games with him?" His eyes lit up.
Lin Qi paused for a few seconds and said, "He's quite busy. Go play with your friends."
"Okay!" Tang Muchen made a rabbit dumpling and showed it to her. "Look, sister, it's a pity you can't eat it this year!"
"Get out of here if you're causing trouble." Du Yunyan slapped him hard on the back.
"Hmph, then I'll go watch the fireworks." He held up his phone and shone a picture of the fireworks outside the window for Lin Luo to see. Jinghe was completely deserted, with no New Year's atmosphere at all. But as Lin Luo watched the few fireworks bloom and then fade away, she felt even more sad.
After ending the call with them, Lin Luo switched to the QQ group. The group of seven was quite lively, with everyone sending New Year greetings and precautions for epidemic prevention and control.
Noticing Zhu Sui'an's increased activity in the group chat, Lin Luo called her and reminded her to take care of her health. "...COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease. The heart and lungs are closely connected. You must pay more attention."
"I know. My grandparents have stopped traveling to accompany me!" Her voice was very clear and she sounded in good condition.
"Then...what about Fu Xingchuan?" Lin Luo couldn't help but ask.
"He's not home right now. He's so busy every day. He comes and goes without a trace. I guess he's been hurt again."
"oh."
"Lin Luo, don't keep thinking about us. You have to be more careful when you're alone in Jinghe... Hey, are you setting off fireworks?"
Lin Luo looked out the window and saw a beam of fire rising into the sky not far away. "Hmm."
"Then I won't bother you anymore."
"Okay, bye!" The phone was hung up, and the sparks in the sky also fell to the earth. I remembered the words of a doctor friend who was on the front line of the fight against the epidemic, describing how serious this epidemic was.
She once again felt the fragility of life, and how insignificant humans were compared to the universe. Yet, on this Earth, people were connected by love, their hearts beating together. For a family, a city, every individual was significant.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, a day for family reunions, Lin Luo signed a letter of request and pressed her red fingerprint, becoming a member of the biological science research support team organized by Peking University. But she was not alone, as her entire school was with her.
Along the way, there were few people and vehicles, and it was a straight road, but at this moment I was going in the opposite direction.
Most of them entered Jiangcheng without telling their families.
It was still the coldest time of the year, the temperature was not high, and the city of Jiang was shrouded in fog, as if a shadow was covering the sky.
There were too many patients and the hospital was short-staffed, so they first acted as nurses. After changing into masks, caps, goggles, isolation gowns, protective suits, and protective shoe covers according to regulations, they passed through two doors before entering the isolation ward.
Fully armed, Lin Luo felt like she was trapped in a fish tank full of water, having difficulty breathing. Only then did she realize that she was on the battlefield.
Prior to this, they received pre-job training and learned some nursing knowledge. Since patients in the wards are rarely accompanied by family members, they and the medical staff had arduous tasks, including blood drawing and infusion, ECG monitoring, regular turning, changing body positions, and blood oxygen saturation testing.
This group of young people were in a panic, and the patients' fear of the disease and physical discomfort also caused them to feel anxious.
Only in the stillness of the night did everything reluctantly return to calm. It was Lin Qiao's turn for the night shift. Despite the marks on her face, she continued to wear her mask and combat uniform. She deliberately ignored Lin Dayong's video calls and avoided contact with anyone else during this time.
In the middle of the night, a middle-aged patient who was on a ventilator suddenly stopped breathing. Lin Luo discovered it in time and called a doctor, but he could not be saved in the end.
For more than a dozen days and nights, they encouraged the patient and said they would overcome the difficulties, but he could not survive the long night.
Lin Luo's goggles fogged up, and she said to herself, "I can't cry. Medical supplies are in short supply right now. I can't waste protective gear."
She really didn't cry because she knew there were more people waiting for her and she couldn't fall down.
The hospital quickly contacted the patient's family, hoping that she would consider donating her body to contribute to research.
Family members generally would not agree to let the patient suffer any more without being able to see their parents for the last time before death, but this time the family member who was contacted was the head nurse of another ward in the hospital, and she signed without hesitation.
Later, a forensic doctor performed an autopsy on the body. As more and more medical teams came to Hubei to provide assistance, Lin Qi and his colleagues also began to shift the battlefield, going to the laboratory to assist other experts in studying the pathogenesis of the virus, conducting experiments, and discussing treatment plans.
Gradually, everyone became puzzled, and knowing they couldn't hide it anymore, Lin Luo confessed. Du Yunyan called four or five times a day to check on her safety, and Lin Dayong wanted to rush out of the hotel to be with her. Unfortunately, Xu Yangyang was infected, and Zhu Changyu stayed at her bedside. Although he couldn't come, they both donated supplies to help Jiangcheng.
What came to Jiangcheng were not only supplies from all directions, but also volunteers from all corners of the world.
"Lin Luo, take a rest. Your eyes are red from staying up late." Wen Zenian saw her bloodshot eyes through two layers of goggles, but so did he.
Their fellow senior sister was infected and passed away yesterday. Lin Luo was trying hard not to cry until her eyes turned red. "Brother, we will win, right?"
"Of course you can." Wen Zenian patted her shoulder. "We all have to persevere. When we return to Jinghe, I will confess my feelings to the girl I like. You have to help me then."
"……good."
Lin Luo walked to the corridor and closed her eyes to rest. The smiling face of the young man deep in her memory unconsciously emerged in her mind, and the corners of her mouth on the half of her face covered by the mask curled up slightly.
“Dongdongdong——”
She was facing another ward, separated by glass. Someone knocked and Lin Luo opened her eyes.
In front of her was a fully armed person wearing the same protective suit. His goggles were fogged up and Lin Luo couldn't see the other person's eyes clearly.
But he must be a sunny and optimistic person. He made a big heart with his hands to cheer her up, and Lin Luo also responded with a fist.
There are usually names written on protective suits. It seemed like someone was calling him, but Lin Luo couldn't hear the three words clearly through the glass. He passed a note to her through the gap in the glass. Lin Luo had just taken it when Wen Zenian called her, and she hurried into the laboratory.
After finishing a day's work, Lin Luo returned to the hotel to pack up. It was almost twelve o'clock and she collapsed on the bed. She was so sleepy that the marks on her face were slightly painful.
She restrained herself from touching it, closing her eyes as she fumbled around on the bed. She didn't touch the quilt, but instead bumped into something hard. Lin Luo stood up and unfolded the note the stranger had handed her. On it was a rainbow drawn with colored pencils.
The paper smells strongly of disinfectant.
Lin Luo didn't know how she fell asleep; it must have been the stench that made her fall asleep. When she woke up, it was already April. Everything that had happened during that time, every person she had met, seemed like a very long dream, completely unreal.
What brought her back to reality were the slips of paper with colored pencil drawings on them, some with flowers, some with cute little animals, which the stranger put between the cracks in the glass every day.
Lin Luo relied on these paintings to get through the most difficult days.
The epidemic situation had stabilized somewhat, and the research had made some progress, so they were ready to return to Jinghe. Before leaving, Lin Luo left a note for the stranger, thanking him.
Lin Qi took photos of the little notes and did not take them out of the hospital. She did not intend to ask the person's name or where he came from. She just wanted to remember the kindness.
But on the second day after returning to Jinghe, Lin Luo saw the list of volunteers from the neighboring ward in the support team group. Some of the names had the shocking word "death" written in red pen behind them. Lin Luo looked at the list carefully, imagining the faces of the corresponding people.
From top to bottom, her eyes stopped on three words: someone she knew.
Xu Fanqing.
I heard he'd gone abroad for further studies, and this time he must have come back specifically to volunteer. Coincidentally, they were fighting side by side, separated by a layer of glass. It seemed like it was intentional, and Lin Luo took a deep breath.
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