"He's forcing himself to keep working," Ah Yu said softly to the window, as if explaining to the old man, or perhaps to himself. The wind seeped in through the cracks in the car window, carrying a hint of the pungent smell of grass and trees, making his eyes sting.
Chapter Three: Starlight on the Threshold
By the time he transferred to the third train, it was already dawn. The waiting room wasn't crowded. Ah Yu found a bench and sat down, resting his head on his suitcase, still clutching the box of fever reducers in his hand. He was so tired; his eyelids seemed glued shut, and he fell asleep almost immediately.
In my dream, I returned to that rainy day, the three of us huddled under the eaves of the bakery. Ah Yu was taking pictures of the rain curtain with his camera, and Zhong Hua draped his coat over his shoulders, leaving half of his body exposed to the rain. Lin Wanqing poked Zhong Hua's arm and laughed, "You always protect him." Zhong Hua looked at his camera lens and said, "The rain is cold."
"Sir, wake up, the train is about to leave." The attendant's voice woke him up. Ah Yu rubbed his eyes. The sky outside the window was already turning a pale white, and the distant mountain outlines were blurred, like an ink painting immersed in water.
"Thank you." He stood up, his legs a little numb, and carried his suitcase to the platform. The morning breeze was cool, making him shiver, only then realizing that he hadn't brought a coat and was only wearing a thin sweatshirt.
This was a slow, short-distance train that stopped at every station. Most of the passengers were villagers carrying baskets on their backs, with fresh vegetables and eggs. The carriage was immediately filled with the smell of earth. Ah Yu found a seat and sat down. The old woman next to him was shelling peanuts and handed him a handful: "Try some, they're homegrown."
The peanuts were crunchy with a hint of sweetness. Ah Yu chewed slowly, remembering the snack cabinet in the studio. Zhong Hua always kept nuts in it, saying that Ah Yu's brain worked hard taking photos and she should eat more. Once, Ah Yu casually remarked that the peanuts were a bit hard, and the next day, a jar of peanut butter appeared in the snack cabinet.
The sun had just risen over the mountains when the bus arrived at the station. The county town was small; several dilapidated tricycles were parked at the station entrance, and the drivers surrounded them, asking, "Where to?"
"How much does it cost to go to Shipan Village?" Ah Yu asked.
“Shipan Village, it’s far away and difficult to travel,” an uncle wearing a straw hat looked him up and down. “Fifty yuan, I’ll take you to the village entrance.”
Ah Yu didn't haggle. She put her suitcase in the back of the tricycle and sat down on a small stool next to it. The tricycle sputtered and bumped along the small roads of the county town. The aroma of fried dough sticks wafted from the breakfast stalls by the roadside. Ah Yu rubbed her stomach and realized that she had only eaten one orange candy since yesterday afternoon.
Once outside the county town, the road turned into a dirt track, full of potholes. The tricycle rocked violently, and Ah Yu clung tightly to the side railings of the cargo bed, feeling like her bones were about to fall apart. The cornfields stretched as far as the eye could see along the roadside, the morning dew glistening on the leaves like stars in Zhong Hua's camera lens.
"Young man, who are you looking for in Shipan Village?" the driver asked him, turning around.
“I found a friend who does charity work in the village and takes photos,” Ayu said.
"Oh, isn't that the young man with glasses? He speaks so gently and always helps the kids in the village fix their cameras." The uncle laughed. "He even took a picture of my grandson a few days ago, and he looks so energetic when it came out."
Ah Yu felt a warmth in her heart and hummed in agreement: "It's him."
"He seems to be sick," the uncle clicked his tongue. "I saw him yesterday, and he was very pale, but he was still explaining composition to the children."
Ah Yu didn't say anything, but clenched her fingers even tighter.
The tricycle swayed along the mountain road for over an hour before finally reaching the entrance of Shipan Village. At the village entrance stood an old locust tree, its branches and leaves spreading like a large umbrella. Ah Yu paid the fare, picked up her suitcase, and walked into the village. From afar, she could see a person sitting on the threshold of an adobe house.
The man was wrapped in a thick cotton quilt, curled up like a dumpling. The morning light fell on him, outlining his thin frame. Ah Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickened her pace.
The closer I got, the clearer it became. It was Zhong Hua.
He kept his head down, clutching a film canister in his hand, his knuckles white. His hair was disheveled, his cheeks were an unnatural red, and his lips were chapped. Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his head, and when he saw Ah Yu, his eyes lit up, like dusty stars suddenly being polished.
"You've come." Zhong Hua smiled, his voice a little weak and hoarse.
Ah Yu walked up to him, put her suitcase on the ground, squatted down, and handed him the fever reducer. He wanted to say, "Why are you being so stubborn?" but the words turned into a choked sob, tinged with anger: "You..."
"I'm fine," Zhong Hua said, taking the medicine and trying to stand up, but he swayed. Ah Yu quickly supported him. The medicine was burning hot to the touch, much hotter than he had imagined.
"You said you were fine!" Ah Yu's voice was sullen, but her eyes were red. "You had such a high fever, why didn't you say so sooner? Why didn't you lie down and rest?"
Zhong Hua was helped by him and leaned against the wall. He smiled like a child who had done something wrong: "I was afraid you would worry."
"Aren't you worried now?" Ah Yu glared at him, but her hand instinctively reached for his forehead, her palm touching his burning skin, feeling a pang of heartache.
“It’s much better now,” Zhong Hua patted the back of his hand. “The village doctor said that he’ll be fine after the IV drip.”
Ah Yu snorted, said nothing, and turned to pull her suitcase: "Go inside, it's windy outside."
Zhong Hua's room was small, containing only a bed, a table, and some photography equipment piled in the corner. Ah Yu placed the suitcase in the corner, helped Zhong Hua sit down on the bed, and poured a cup of hot water. "Take your medicine," he said, handing over the medicine and water, his tone still curt.
Zhong Hua obediently took the medicine and drank some hot water before he recovered. "How did you get here so quickly?" He looked at Ah Yu, his eyes filled with surprise and barely concealed joy.
“No hurry,” Ah Yu said, sitting on a small stool by the bed and looking at him. “If you had come any later, would you have been carrying your camera to take pictures of the sunrise?”
Zhong Hua scratched his head and laughed: "I originally wanted to..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
