Chapter 119 An Ominous Sign
Since that day, Chen Guang has never knocked on Lin Yu's door again. Only occasionally will his WeChat message light up on her phone screen, reminding her to pick up the lunchbox left at the door.
Lin Yu was studying for exams every day and didn't have time to cook for himself, so he simply stopped worrying about it and ate all the food he had prepared without any burden.
In early February, my grandmother finally finished her observation and treatment at the hospital.
As originally planned, Jiang Chuan was to escort Lin Min and her family back to their hometown after completing their quarantine. Considering that the grandmother's health condition could not withstand a long flight, they chose to transit through Linjiang.
To avoid the hassle of repeated quarantine, Jiang Chuan didn't go with them and booked direct flights to Linjiang for the three of them. After the fourteen-day quarantine period, Yao Fangfang would personally drive them back to their hometown.
Lin Yu checked the weather forecast for Linjiang in advance, contacted the local epidemic prevention station, reported his grandmother's health condition, and asked for help in arranging volunteers to help his family move their luggage.
Before leaving, Lin Yu gave Yao Fangfang's contact information to Jiang Chuan to facilitate communication on the way.
After seeing them off, Jiang Chuan drove back to Shanghai alone along the route he had come from, preparing to undergo the final fourteen days of quarantine.
The next morning, Lin Min called her daughter to let her know she was safe. Lin Yu was still asleep when she was startled awake by the ringing of her cell phone beside her pillow.
She groggily fumbled for her phone, and her mother's familiar teasing came through the receiver. "Whose lazy girl is this? The sun's already high in the sky and you're still not up?"
"Hmm, Mom!" Lin Yu sat up abruptly upon hearing Lin Min's voice, all sleepiness instantly vanishing. "How is Grandma feeling? Is she settling into the hotel?"
"Everything is arranged, don't worry." Lin Min's warm voice carried the weariness of a long journey.
"I was busy with the transfer and resettlement yesterday, so I didn't have time to contact you." She learned about Lin Yu's quarantine situation from Jiang Chuan, and then changed the subject. "How are things on your end? When will you be released from quarantine?"
"I can order takeout, and I have plenty of supplies..." Lin Yu glossed over the matter casually, without mentioning his unemployment. "I can go out in three more days. I'll go to the hospital to see my aunt first."
"Don't go now." Lin Min's tone suddenly became serious.
“Your aunt has finished chemotherapy and your uncle is with her. Hospital visitation slots are limited right now, and besides…” She paused. “At this critical juncture, Mom really doesn’t feel comfortable letting you go to a place like that.”
"You're quite well-informed, Mom!" Lin Yu could tell from her mother's knowledge of the hospital situation that she knew who had told her without even having to guess.
"Yes, Xiao Jiang told me everything." Lin Min sighed softly. "I originally came to visit you, but I didn't expect to cause you so much trouble instead."
"What are you saying?" Lin Yu comforted her gently. "As long as you are all alright, nothing else matters."
"Yes, your grandma had a close call this time." Lin Min sighed and started talking about her plans.
“I was thinking that once her condition stabilizes, I would gradually reveal your aunt’s situation to her. It’s not good to keep it a secret like this.”
"Hmm..." Lin Yu responded softly, unsure of what to say next.
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then Lin Min seemed to suddenly remember something. "By the way, any news from Xiao Jiang? He should have arrived last night."
Her tone became somewhat anxious. "He hasn't replied to my WeChat message. Remember to call him later to check on him. He's been driving alone for so long; I hope nothing goes wrong on the road."
"Don't worry, he's always been reliable, there won't be any problems."
"Mom can see that this child truly cares for you. These days, even couples who have been married for decades are rarely willing to risk their lives for each other's families like this."
Lin Min paused, her voice tinged with emotion. "Once his quarantine is over, you must treat him well."
"Mom will send you a few recipes later, you can try making them too. I remember Xiao Jiang really liked the river fish that your Uncle Liu made during the Chinese New Year, didn't he?"
Holding his phone, Lin Yu could clearly sense the subtle change in his mother's attitude.
Lin Min, who initially had reservations about Jiang Chuan, completely dispelled her doubts after this incident, and now her words are full of approval for her prospective son-in-law.
She responded softly to her mother, repeatedly urging her to take care of herself and her grandmother.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yu sent Jiang Chuan a WeChat message, but waited for a long time without receiving a reply.
Considering that he had driven alone for more than ten hours yesterday and was probably still catching up on sleep, I decided to contact him later.
......
As midnight approached, Jiang Chuan finally arrived in Shanghai. He was greeted by epidemic prevention personnel dressed in white protective suits and fully armed, their tired but vigilant eyes visible behind their goggles.
After completing temperature checks and registration at the Fengjing checkpoint, he was taken directly to a designated quarantine hotel in Pudong by a special epidemic prevention vehicle from the street and town.
By the time we finished checking in, it was almost 4 a.m.
The cramped room reeked of a musty smell, and the old air conditioner fan blades groaned like an ox. Jiang Chuan didn't pay much attention, quickly took a hot shower, and then lay down on the creaking bed.
His body was so tired that his eyelids felt like lead weights, but his mind was unusually clear and active, making it difficult for him to fall asleep. The experiences of the past few days kept flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern.
He took out his phone, read the message from Yuan Jie about the sanatorium, and wanted to send Lin Yu a WeChat message to let him know he was safe.
Knowing that she was a light sleeper, and worried about waking her, he tossed and turned, his consciousness gradually fading, and he drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, the ventilation ducts overhead, carrying the virus that had not yet manifested, were silently seeping into every room on the entire floor along with the constantly circulating warm air.
The next morning, Jiang Chuan woke up groggily, feeling an unusual fatigue. The winter sun shone through the hotel's thin curtains, but he felt a chill seeping into his very bones.
He tried to sit up, but found his limbs to be as heavy as lead.
He felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and a fine, ticklish sensation rose in his throat, like feathers gently scratching him, making him want to cough.
He propped himself up and got out of bed to wash up. He rubbed his throbbing temples in front of the mirror, attributing all the discomfort to driving all night.
He took his temperature; it was 36.8℃, everything was normal, and he breathed a sigh of relief. While retrieving the breakfast he'd left outside, he checked his phone for messages and saw a WeChat message from Lin Yu, which he replied to.
Lin Yu answered the phone almost the instant it rang. "Are you... alright? Why are you only replying now?"
It was rare for her to be so concerned about him, and the thought softened Jiang Chuan's heart. Even over the phone, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips. "I arrived too late last night, worried I'd disturb your sleep."
"You must be exhausted?" Lin Yu asked, his tone filled with guilt and self-reproach upon hearing the expected answer.
"I feel much better after a good night's sleep..." Jiang Chuan chuckled, deliberately changing the subject so as not to worry Lin Yu. "You know my stamina."
"You...!" Lin Yu's ears suddenly burned when he heard Jiang Chuan's pointed reply.
Although she knew Jiang Chuan couldn't see anything over the phone, his voice seemed to possess a strange penetrating power, subtly teasing her through the airwaves. "Can't you be serious for once?"
Jiang Chuan suddenly stopped smiling and called her softly. "Banban?"
"Hmm?" Lin Yu subconsciously softened his breathing, quietly waiting for what was to come.
"When will your area be unsealed?" Jiang Chuan's heart pounded like a drum, but his tone remained calm.
"Three more days." Her fingertips curled unconsciously. "After the lockdown is lifted... I want to go to a nursing home first."
"Don't wander around at this time. Don't worry, Yuan Jie is here." The sanatorium, with its enclosed environment, has become the safest refuge during this raging epidemic.
"Mm," Lin Yu responded, wanting to help him share some of the burden, but unsure of what else she could do.
“Wait for me to come out, and we’ll have a good talk…” He paused, his voice hoarse from the early morning.
"You said the same thing when you were in Hong Kong, but after you came back, you ignored me for so long." Lin Yu's heart felt like a lemon being squeezed in his hand, its sour juice seeping out as it was repeatedly kneaded.
"I promise you, I will definitely keep my word this time, okay?"
"...Okay." Her throat tightened slightly, and a surge of heat unexpectedly welled up in her eyes.
She didn't know when it started, but Jiang Chuan no longer seemed to be a former love that she could easily let go of, but a family member who would protect her in times of crisis.
On the morning of the third day, Jiang Chuan woke up amidst a violent cough and choking sensation. The dryness and itchiness in his throat turned into a knife-like pain, and each breath brought a tearing sensation deep in his chest.
The chill intensified, and even wrapped in two blankets, his body trembled uncontrollably. A bad premonition welled up inside him. He knew this was no ordinary cold.
A dull knock interrupted his reverie. Jiang Chuan struggled to sit up, put on his mask, and opened the door.
Medical staff wearing full protective gear stood in the corridor and held up a forehead thermometer to shine on his forehead.
The electronic screen displayed a blatant 38.5℃. Through the fogged-up goggles, he couldn't make out the other person's expression.
"Do you have a cough?" The nurse's voice, muffled and distant, came through the thick mask into Jiang Chuan's ears.
"Chest tightness, dry and sore throat, chills." He recalled his symptoms and answered truthfully.
While taking notes, the nurse took out a pulse oximeter from her pocket and pinched it between his fingertips. A few seconds later, the device emitted a sharp alarm.
The nurse stared at the flashing 93% on the screen, paused for a moment, then put away the device and took two steps back. "Wait for further notice in the room," she said, before turning and quickly leaving.
The waiting time was endlessly stretched by fear and physical pain. All the latent symptoms appeared as quickly as the tide the moment the fever was discovered.
Every cough felt like it was tearing at my lungs, and every breath felt like scorching sand rubbing against my trachea.
Death was not unfamiliar to Jiang Chuan; he had felt its temperature, its weight, and its breath as it arrived in his parents' bodies.
Before meeting Lin Yu, he didn't care how he would reach his destination.
But at least at this moment, on the verge of regaining her forgiveness, he so desperately wanted to live, to truly and for a long time stay by her side.
Although he was almost certain that he had been infected, he couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong, even though he had been extremely careful along the way.
That evening, Jiang Chuan, unusually, did not contact Lin Yu as usual. The last message in their WeChat chat was still the one Lin Yu had sent at noon: "The food here is too bland."
Lin Yu stared at his phone screen, thinking of the recipes Lin Min had sent him, and for the first time in his life, he felt the urge to cook for someone.
She dialed Jiang Chuan's number, and all she heard was a mechanical, long waiting tone.
Once, twice... but no one answered.
She comforted herself that he might be taking a shower, but when she called back an hour later, there was still no answer.
The day after Jiang Chuan went missing, Lin Yu tossed and turned all night. His worries grew like wildfire, yet he had nowhere to vent them.
She suddenly thought of Zhang Hengyuan. As Jiang Chuan's closest friend and partner, perhaps he would know more than she did.
After the call connected and he learned the purpose of Lin Yu's call, Zhang Hengyuan comforted her not to worry too much, saying that he would find out the situation first and get back to her later.
Half an hour later, he brought news that plunged Lin Yu into an icy abyss. Jiang Chuan had been diagnosed with COVID-19 yesterday afternoon and was currently receiving isolation treatment at the Pudong Emergency Medical Center.
She looked out the window at the still bright morning light, but felt no warmth at all.
"He's been staying in the hotel the whole time, how could he have gotten infected?" Lin Yu bit her lip hard, forcing herself to stay calm. "Was it on the way back, or before in Hubei...?"
"Sister-in-law, don't overthink it." Zhang Hengyuan remembered Jiang Chuan's instructions before he left, lowered his voice, and deliberately made his tone more even.
"Based on the hotel's initial investigation, it is very likely that the problem lies in the sewer or ventilation system, and there is a high probability that the aerosols were spread through the pipes."
He paused. "The source tracing results should be available by tomorrow at the latest, and I will let you know as soon as they are available."
Lin Yu's breath caught in her throat, a chill running through her chest. Guilt, worry, and panic engulfed her like a tsunami.
She remembered the day they broke up, when she sat on the edge of his bathroom sink, stroked his face and said, "Let's end it here." She remembered standing in the entryway, turning around and seeing his silent, desolate figure sitting on the sofa.
For some reason, my mind is filled with ominous images of farewells. All the moments I had deliberately forgotten have suddenly come back to life, and every detail has become a bad omen.
She couldn't accept that their last memories were so unbearable; it hurt her a thousand times more than breaking up with him.
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