Chapter 27
On the first day of winter vacation, Lu Baiyan was awakened by the howling north wind outside the window. Thick snow covered the entire world, sucking away all sounds, leaving only the whistling of the wind. He lay in bed, not getting up immediately, his mind uncontrollably filled with the image of Xu Nianlei shivering in the snow, clutching her schoolbag tightly.
She should be able to keep that set of exercise books, right? Wang Xiuqin should at least have some respect for the head of student affairs. But this winter break will likely be another form of imprisonment for her. Without the school's temporary protection, how will she face her mother's endless nitpicking and her father, who might harass her at any moment?
A sense of powerlessness gripped him once more. The cycle had given him foresight, but not the power to arbitrarily interfere in the lives of others, especially in the face of the family—the most private and fortified fortress.
He got up and sat down at his desk. His final exam report card lay on the corner, the dazzling first place ranking bringing him little joy. He turned on his computer and began planning his winter break. Besides completing schoolwork and preparing for next semester's competitions, he added two more tasks for himself: to gain a deeper understanding of channels for adolescent psychological support and family relationship mediation; and to continue subtly influencing Wang Xiuqin through the internet.
He knew the latter would have little effect, but like the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains, he believed that as long as he persisted, there would eventually be a day when things would loosen up.
Days passed by in a routine of studying and a lingering worry for the girl far away. Occasionally, Lu Baiyan would ride his bicycle, deliberately taking a detour past the street near Xu Nianlei's house. He never stopped, never tried to look back, just like an ordinary passerby, riding very slowly. He couldn't see her, only that tightly closed, peeling, dark red iron gate, imagining the silent war unfolding behind it.
One evening, he saw Wang Xiuqin carrying a vegetable basket, walking quickly home with a gloomy expression. Another time, he glimpsed Xu Jianguo wandering drunkenly near that building, being pointed at and whispered about by several neighbors, and finally leaving while cursing.
Every time Lu Baiyan saw these things, his heart sank a little deeper. He knew that the storm was just gathering its strength.
As the Spring Festival approaches, the county town is gradually taking on a festive atmosphere. Shops are hanging red lanterns, and more people are shopping for New Year's goods on the streets. But this festive atmosphere seems to have nothing to do with that dark red iron gate.
On the afternoon of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lu Baiyan used the excuse of going to the bookstore to buy new competition textbooks to ride his bicycle to that familiar street again. The weather was gloomy, as if it was about to snow again. In the distance, he saw that the iron gate was open a crack.
His heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over him. He instinctively pulled over behind a newsstand by the roadside, pretending to read a magazine, but his eyes were fixed on the door.
A moment later, the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside. Xu Nianlei staggered out, wearing only a thin sweater and no coat. Wang Xiuqin stood in the doorway, her face ashen, waving a book in her hand… it was that set of winter vacation workbooks!
“…I’ll teach you to study properly! I’ll teach you to hide it! Where did this come from? Huh? Did Lu Baiyan give it to you? I told you why you wouldn’t admit it! You little slut, just like your father, you only know how to steal and cheat!” Wang Xiuqin’s voice was sharp and piercing, sounding particularly clear in the quiet afternoon. She roughly tore at the exercise book, the sound of the paper tearing scraping like a knife against Lu Baiyan’s heart.
Xu Nianlei's face turned deathly pale. She tried in vain to grab it, but Wang Xiuqin shoved her away, causing her to fall to the cold ground. She looked up, tears streaming down her face, but it wasn't crying; it was a desperate scream: "That was a reward from the school! It was a reward from the school for doing well on the exam! Give it back to me!"
"A reward? You're kidding me! The school would give you a separate reward? Who do you think you are?" Wang Xiuqin didn't believe it at all, or rather, she didn't want to believe it. She needed an outlet to vent her resentment, and any "unexplained" benefit her daughter received could become a reason. She threw the torn exercise book hard at Xu Nianlei, and the scraps of paper scattered like snowflakes.
"You're not getting in this door today! Die outside!" Wang Xiuqin slammed the door shut with a loud bang, the sound echoing in the hallway.
Xu Nianlei sat on the cold ground, looking at the scattered, torn exercise books—her only solace and light in the cold winter. She didn't pick them up, nor did she cry out; she just sat there blankly, her eyes eerily empty, as if her soul had been ripped away.
Lu Baiyan hid behind the newsstand, his fingers digging into the cold metal cabinet. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating him. Anger raged within him, threatening to burst through the dam of reason. He wanted nothing more than to rush over, smash open that door, shove the twisted woman aside, and help the broken girl to her feet.
But he couldn't.
He bit his lip hard until he tasted a hint of blood. Impulsive actions solve nothing; they only push Xu Nianlei into a deeper abyss. Wang Xiuqin was furious; any external provocation could drive her to do something even more extreme.
He watched as Xu Nianlei sat there on the cold ground, her thin body shivering in the cold wind, her eyes staring blankly into the void, like a lifeless porcelain doll. Time passed second by second, each second feeling like an eternity.
Finally, as darkness fell completely and snowflakes began to drift down, Xu Nianlei moved. She slowly, extremely slowly, stood up, without looking at the broken pieces on the ground or trying to knock on the door. She simply hugged her arms and, step by step, staggered, walked in the opposite direction from home.
Where is she going? Where can she go?
Lu Baiyan's heart leaped into his throat. He immediately got on his bicycle and followed her at a distance.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, with goose-feather-like snowflakes dancing in the dim light of the streetlights. Xu Nianlei's figure appeared even more blurred and unreal in the snow. She didn't go to the familiar park, nor did she head towards the family-run inn she had visited before. Instead, she turned into a more secluded, dimly lit alley.
Lu Baiyan's heart sank. The path led to the edge of the county town, where there were some abandoned factories and warehouses.
Did she intend to spend the night there? In such heavy snow?
He could no longer hesitate. He sped up, overtook her, stopped abruptly at a bend, abandoned his bicycle in the snow-covered bushes by the roadside, and slipped into the shadow of an abandoned factory building.
Xu Nianlei remained oblivious, continuing to walk forward numbly until she reached a rusty, ajar iron gate. She stopped, hesitated for a moment, then pushed the gate open and went inside.
Lu Baiyan waited a few seconds before silently following. The factory interior was spacious and dark, with only a sliver of snow light filtering through the broken windows and the faint glow of distant streetlights. The air was thick with the smell of dust and rust.
He saw Xu Nianlei huddled in a relatively sheltered corner, where some discarded burlap sacks were piled up. She wrapped herself tightly in those dirty sacks, with only her head showing, like a wounded little animal hiding in its den, her body trembling violently from the cold and fear.
Lu Baiyan stood in the shadows, watching the figure shivering in the ruins, his eyes instantly reddening. He tilted his head back, breathing in the cold, polluted air, barely managing to suppress the sob in his throat and the turmoil of emotions churning in his chest.
He cannot show himself. Any appearance at this moment could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back. What she needs is absolute safety and secrecy.
He silently left the factory and stood in the heavy snow. Snowflakes fell on his head and shoulders, quickly accumulating into a thin layer. The biting cold calmed him down a little.
He had to do something, immediately, right away.
He took out his phone and logged into that anonymous account again. This time, he didn't choose the gentle push notification. He found a local, active neighborhood discussion group where Wang Xiuqin might also be spying, and using a virtual IP and an untraceable account, posted a carefully crafted message:
"【Urgent Missing Person Notice】Neighbors, please keep an eye out! Ms. Wang Xiuqin, Residential Building X, Unit XXX, XX Community, your daughter Xu Nianlei (a first-year high school student at the county's No. 1 Middle School) left home this afternoon after an argument with you and has not returned. It's snowing heavily outside, and the temperature is extremely low. The child is only wearing a thin sweater, which is very dangerous! The family is extremely worried! Please, if you see her, contact Ms. Wang immediately (Wang Xiuqin's phone number is attached) or call the police! The child's safety is the most important thing!"
He also attached a photo of Xu Nianlei’s student ID card to the message (he had seen it by chance before and described the features roughly from memory).
In this message, he masqueraded as a concerned neighbor, subtly pointing the finger at an argument as the cause of the "running away from home," emphasizing "heavy snow," "extreme cold," "danger," and "family anxiety," while directly providing Wang Xiuqin's contact information. He intended to use public pressure and the potential consequences (such as police intervention) to instill fear in Wang Xiuqin, thus prompting her to go out and search for her.
After posting the message, he immediately deleted all records and logged out of the account.
Then, he went back into the abandoned factory and hid himself in a corner where Xu Nianlei would never find him, but could observe her. He couldn't leave her alone in this dangerous place.
The snow fell silently. The temperature inside and outside the factory was dropping rapidly. Lu Baiyan leaned against the cold wall, able to hear his own teeth chattering, and could also faintly hear Xu Nianlei's suppressed, intermittent sobs in the distance.
Time slipped away slowly amidst the cold and anxiety. Every minute was excruciating.
After an unknown amount of time, faint footsteps and calls could be heard outside the factory, accompanied by the flickering beams of flashlights.
"Xu Nianlei! You brat, where are you? Come out now!"
It was Wang Xiuqin's voice! It was filled with obvious anxiety and panic. It seemed the anonymous message had worked.
Lu Baiyan held his breath and saw Xu Nianlei, who was curled up in the sack, tremble suddenly, but did not respond.
The beam of the flashlight swept into the factory and quickly landed in that corner.
"You're here!" Wang Xiuqin rushed over, her voice trembling with tears, no longer sharp as before, but filled with lingering fear. "You scared your mother to death! What are you doing here in this cold weather! Come home with me!"
She reached out to pull Xu Nianlei, her movements no longer rough.
Xu Nianlei struggled, refusing to get up, her voice hoarse as she repeated, "My book...you tore my book..."
"Mommy was wrong! Mommy was wrong, okay?!" Wang Xiuqin's voice was filled with genuine panic. "Mommy will buy you a new book tomorrow! A better one! Come home with Mommy, you'll freeze to death!"
Perhaps it was the extreme cold and exhaustion that weakened her will to resist, or perhaps it was the unprecedented apology and promise from her mother that had an effect, but Xu Nianlei was eventually half-pulled and half-draggled by Wang Xiuqin and staggered away from the factory.
Lu Baiyan waited until their voices completely disappeared before emerging from the shadows. He walked to the spot where Xu Nianlei had been curled up, where traces of the burlap sack and a trace of warmth remained. He bent down and picked up a small piece of torn paper from the snow and dust, on which was printed an unfinished math problem.
He clutched the piece of paper tightly in his palm, the cold paper digging painfully into his hand.
Outside the factory, the heavy snow continued to fall, covering all footprints and traces.
Lu Baiyan pushed his bicycle, stumbling along the road home. Snowflakes covered his shoulders, but he felt no cold at all; his chest was filled with a mixture of heartache, anger, and a faint glimmer of hope.
Leilei, I'm so sorry, I still made you suffer like this. But please believe me, I won't let this cold winter freeze your future forever. A torn book can be pieced back together page by page. The trampled dignity, we will also pick it up again, bit by bit.
This winter break is destined to be long and arduous. But he knows that the seed he planted has already been buried in the coldest soil. What follows is waiting, and using every means possible to make it sprout.
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