Chapter 218 Epilogue - The New World Arc (15)
Is something on your mind?
[...]
If you're feeling troubled, try talking about it.
A faint fragrance floats in the air, and when inhaled, it transforms into soft downy hairs, stirring a gentle itch in the chest.
I can't help but want to cough forcefully or say something random to relieve that urge to vent.
But……
When it came time to actually speak, I realized I had no idea where to begin.
She claims she was sexually harassed by a man in the bathroom in the early hours of the morning.
Or was it after having a dream about you, doctor?
If she were to explain the cause and effect, it would seem necessary to explain why she was in the washroom at that time, which was precisely what Yu Qingzhou least wanted to mention.
Is it okay to lie?
--certainly.
However, the boy lacked the corresponding confidence, especially when facing those eyes that seemed to see through everything. If the lie were exposed, it would undoubtedly cause even greater embarrassment.
I once heard someone say that once you start lying, even if it's just the smallest lie, sometimes you need to tell hundreds or even thousands of lies to cover it up.
People can lose themselves in lies.
From lying for a reason to lying for the sake of lying... one falls into an inescapable abyss of lies.
The explanation is actually the same.
Once the first cause is put forward, countless causes can be derived accordingly... the source is ultimately unseen.
If we have to say something, there aren't that many so-called causal continuities in reality.
What happens because of A can also be explained as B. The relationship between A and B can be mutually inclusive, mutually causal, or simply completely unrelated.
Because... because all explanations can actually be summarized by a simple "excuse".
Since the event has already occurred, its occurrence is inevitable.
If we try to deduce from the result in reverse, there will inevitably be many interpretations available.
—Does that one and only truth really exist?
Rather, it is the most probable answer from a statistical perspective, and it also happens to meet the needs of the person involved.
Therefore, to avoid falling into this passive situation of endless retreat and ultimately becoming a liar, it is better to remain silent from the beginning, or to stop at the point as much as possible... or even to adopt the strategy of asking questions in return.
Turn the tables and gently throw back the net that was thrown at you.
—Would the other party fall into the trap so easily?
--not necessarily.
However, using this tactic can at least protect oneself to the greatest extent possible, avoiding falling into chaos beforehand and ending up helpless and completely at a loss.
On the other hand, if someone has full confidence in their own existence and the world they live in, they have absolutely no need to worry.
Unfortunately, Yu Qingzhou lacked in both of these aspects.
In other words, the boy distrusts himself and is also filled with doubt about the real world he lives in...
Therefore, for him, the best strategy is to remain silent.
[By saying nothing, you can pretend you didn't see or hear anything, as if nothing happened... Does that make you feel safe, loquat?]
The words were gentle yet precise, hitting the nail on the head regarding the boy's thoughts.
Especially the three words the woman whispered in her ear at the end, it was as if an invisible hand suddenly gripped Yu Qingzhou's throat.
His pupils trembled, and he suddenly turned to look at the other person.
His face showed shock, doubt, and bewildered disorientation.
Why...why did the other person know...?
Yu Qingzhou could no longer remain silent, and squeezed out a difficult question from deep within her tightened throat: "You just called me—"
Loquat.
Hearing the name clearly coming from behind the white mask, a name that should never have been heard at this time and place, Yu Qingzhou's mind went blank for a moment.
The surrounding space seemed to distort.
The modern white room instantly turned yellow and faded, transforming into a farmhouse courtyard buried deep in memory.
The crumbling walls, the dilapidated house, and the woman calling out for her loquat.
His tone was sometimes gentle, sometimes cold, and on his face, which had lost its girlish charm far too early, there was always an inescapable sorrow—that was his… long-deceased mother.
Trapped in a remote and foreign land, he never gave up the idea of leaving until the very last moment of his life.
The woman shoved his shoulder forcefully with her hands, which were scorched and scarred by the flames, and ordered him to leave in an incredibly hoarse voice.
Then, like everyone else in the village, he died silently that summer.
The difference is that, back five or six years ago, Yu Qingzhou should only be considered a half-grown child, and he didn't even have this name back then.
He pulled his mother's body from the pile of corpses and buried her with his own hands on the only small hill nearby.
From that spot, you can see the river outside the village.
The child thought that this way, his mother would be able to see him leaving this place as the other person had asked... which would be considered fulfilling the other person's dying wish.
My mother said she wanted to leave the village.
But the children had no idea where to go after leaving the village.
Although he had heard his mother talk about their distant hometown before, for a child who was stepping out of the village for the first time, an unfamiliar place name was no different from a cave in a Arabian Nights story where a thief's treasure was hidden—both were things that were out of reach.
But he remembered one thing: the farther he went, the better.
After walking along the riverbank for about three days, the child finally found a cargo ship docked at another ferry crossing and secretly climbed aboard.
Of course, it wasn't long before he was discovered by the boat captain.
Fortunately, the dark-faced man with the scar on his face was not as fierce as he looked; in fact, he was more sincere than many of the seemingly kind-looking people the child had seen in the village before.
After learning that the child had nowhere to go, they did not immediately kick him off the ship. Instead, they gave the child a job he could manage in exchange for food and a deck where he could curl up and sleep.
Later, the child overheard the crew chatting and learned about the places the cargo ship passed by along the way. He was surprised to discover that one of them was the place he had only heard about from his mother's stories—the hometown that she longed for.
[Really? Do you have any relatives there? That's good. A kid your age should still be studying. Only by studying can you have a future. Staying on the ship all day isn't a good solution.]
The boat captain exhaled a series of smoke rings with a sigh, the smoke blowing into the child's face, choking him and making him cough. The scarred man, however, laughed, a deep, resonant laugh that came from the depths of his chest. It wasn't exactly pleasant to hear, but it gave people a sense of reassurance.
The boatman laughed for a while, then put on a stern face and solemnly told the children that even if they were to leave, they should stand guard until the very end.
In short, it means no slacking off at work.
When they arrived at their destination, unexpectedly, the boat captain did not immediately let the child leave. Instead, after unloading the cargo, he accompanied the child to the local police station.
The boat captain explained it this way when the children were puzzled.
"Look at you, so naive. What if you don't find your family and get kidnapped and sold to some godforsaken place? Then all my good deeds would have been for nothing."
Yes, children retain parts of the truth about their origins.
Originally, the child was afraid of getting involved in some things that were difficult to explain, but the other party didn't ask any questions and just accepted everything... At that moment, the child suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Because of lying, because I seem to have unjustly deceived a kind and good person.
At that moment, the child opened his mouth, but when he arrived at the destination and saw the police officers walking back and forth in the bright hall, he remained silent.
He ultimately said nothing.
Once we start explaining, it will go on and on, and besides, we've already gotten to this point.
If we can keep it a secret as if nothing happened, that might not be a bad option.
However, the truth eventually came out, and the lie was soon exposed.
Because he knew nothing about his so-called "relatives"—their addresses, names, phone numbers… the only surname he could recall was Yu.
Fortunately, the surname Yu is not common in the area. After a preliminary search, they quickly selected one of the families that had previously reported missing persons.
However, nearly ten years have passed since then.
After further questioning, the police learned from the child's intermittent account that he was not the missing person, but a child born to a trafficked victim.
This makes the problem much more complicated.
After several twists and turns, and almost being mistaken for scammers and having the phone hung up on several times, an elderly couple and a middle-aged woman finally arrived at that household.
They are the girl's parents and older sister, respectively.
The elderly couple were overjoyed to hear that their long-lost youngest daughter had suddenly reappeared. Accompanied by their eldest daughter, they went to the police station to find out what was going on. However, instead of finding their youngest daughter, they encountered a strange child.
Comrade, we came all the way back from out of town because we heard news about my younger sister. What brings you here...?
The eldest daughter looked completely bewildered, before she could ask any more questions.
The wife of the elderly couple walked forward shakily, staring blankly at the child from head to toe, especially at his face. She muttered to herself, "He looks so much like her, just like Xiaorou..."
Seeing the other person's mysterious appearance, the child was somewhat frightened.
Instinctively, I wanted to hide to the side, but when I saw the other person's red eyes, I felt sorry for them. Just as I hesitated, the old woman suddenly grabbed both of my arms and pulled me to her face, questioning me.
[Was it you? Was it you who hid my Xiaorou?! Was it you?! Ahhhhhh!!!]
If it weren't for the timely reaction of the police officer standing by, the child would probably have had both arms dislocated. Even so, the places where he was grabbed still left a burning pain.
Faced with this sudden change, the child was undoubtedly at a loss.
At this point, the middle-aged woman came over and slowly explained that when her younger sister went missing, her mother was so worried that she went insane.
After so many years, it seemed like he was almost fully recovered, but this shock has caused a relapse. His words implied a degree of blame on the police for their incompetence.
As she spoke, she seemed to suddenly remember something, and with a look of heartache, she went to help her elderly mother, who was still muttering something in a daze. She patted her back and whispered softly in her ear. As for the child in the corner, she didn't spare a single glance from him.
The child also knew that his/her identity was awkward.
While they were discussing their future, I followed a policewoman with a round face out.
When I first arrived, the sun was still high in the sky, but now it's already getting dark.
The child saw the boat captain again; he was standing in a corner, holding a cigarette to his nose, but seemingly not lighting it because he felt the place was inappropriate.
Upon seeing the somewhat dazed child, he almost reflexively smiled, though the smile seemed a little unnatural. Yu Qingzhou later realized that it was probably a man's clumsy attempt to comfort a child.
The two of them stood together under the streetlights in front of the police station for a while.
The boat captain suddenly asked, "Are you hungry?"
The child shook his head.
The boat captain stretched and yawned: "Young people really can hold their hunger! Alright, consider it keeping this old codger company for a meal."
The child nodded, paused, and said softly, "Actually, you're not that old."
The boat captain paused for a moment upon hearing this, then chuckled and cursed: "You're pretty heartless, damn it, you made me worry for nothing."
The two of them ordered two stir-fries at a restaurant across from the police station.
After a couple of sips of wine, the boat captain suddenly said, "If you really don't want to go back, there's still room on the boat. At worst, you can be my son and inherit my mantle."
That's a very tactful way of putting it.
The child looked at the man's suddenly serious expression.
Thinking of that crazy old woman, her husband who remained silent after entering the house, and the middle-aged woman with a hypocritical expression and affected words... I felt a momentary wavering in my heart.
But it only lasted for a moment.
He remembered his mother's last words, and he also remembered the other person's unwavering belief before her death. As long as there was even the slightest possibility, he should not back down first.
He wanted to live as Yu Qingzhou—just as his mother had once dreamed.
So he silently shook his head.
Then the two of them finished their meal in silence.
Surprisingly, the Yu family eventually adopted the child.
Moreover, it was at the insistence of the old woman—Yu Qingzhou's maternal grandmother—that she insisted on adopting the child despite her eldest daughter's objections after learning of her younger daughter's death.
Her husband seemed to be against it as well, but for some reason, he did not participate in the discussion.
In the end, the old woman naturally won.
From that day on, the child became the adopted son of the Yu family.
The official explanation is that the elderly woman happened to see a child in the welfare home who looked remarkably like her missing daughter. Feeling a connection, she adopted the child to alleviate her longing for her missing daughter.
It was from that time that Yu Qingzhou officially became his name.
The name "loquat" was thus buried, along with that past memory, in the scorched earth of Nancun.
This is how it should be...
So much time has passed that even Yu Qingzhou herself has almost forgotten, treating the past and everything in the outside world as her own delusion.
How could Yu Qingzhou not be shaken to his core when someone suddenly appeared and called him by his old name?
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