twenty two
It's summer, and my exposed skin has gotten very tanned.
The sun was blazing, and I felt incredibly thirsty. I stood there helplessly, the scenery around me constantly changing.
I stood on the elementary school playground. The big trees surrounding the flower bed had aged considerably, their trunks twisted and gnarled, no longer recognizable as straight as they once were.
I walked on the ancient road, which was very charming, but I didn't see the legendary travelers leading camel caravans back and forth.
I walked through the bustling streets, the city lights flashing brightly, and the fact that I didn't recognize a single person made me feel very uneasy.
A little while later, I sat on the Gobi Desert in Dunhuang, a place I had longed to visit for so long. The Gobi Desert was very wide and vast, stretching endlessly, and I could not see the oasis-filled beyond.
I became even thirstier and wanted to find a place to drink water, but there was none; all I could see was the riverbed from the past.
I looked up at my watch, trying to figure out what time it was, but the time was blurry and I couldn't read it correctly.
I lay down next to a rock, my limbs outstretched, worried that I wouldn't be able to find my way home.
In mid-air, I saw Pengpeng sitting on the sofa, watching TV and chatting with a shadowy figure.
Pengpeng stood up and walked into the room, lying down on our bed covered with snow-white sheets. He took off his pajamas and said to the blurry figure, "Come and give me a massage."
On the bedside table sat the tulips I had given him for the first time.
A gust of wind blew by, and I raised my hand to shield my eyes. When I lowered my hand, I saw that I was riding a bicycle, with Pengpeng sitting behind me, hugging my waist and laughing.
We walked through meadows, wheat fields, and a stream until we came to a house. The door opened, and a large spotted dog darted out.
I was a little afraid of that thing that was either smiling at me or calling out to me, so I grabbed Pengpeng's hand tightly, leaning against his shoulder.
Hua Hong, with his black hair, came out from inside. He touched his spotted head and smiled at me, saying, "You're back."
Just as I was feeling a bit strange, another gust of wind blew by.
When I opened my eyes, I saw myself standing alone on the vast grassland.
I want to go back, I want to go back, I shouted desperately that I wanted to go back. But the sound seemed to be stuck in my throat, and I couldn't make it out.
I was anxious and panicked, and ran forward as fast as I could without any direction.
Exhausted, I collapsed next to an old bus.
I craned my neck to see if anyone was in the car; maybe he could take me home.
A large hand patted my shoulder. I turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a thick beard.
He said, "You've been away from home for a long time, and the people who are important to you are waiting. If you want to go back, don't give up easily. Keep walking straight ahead, and the exit is in the brightest place."
I stood up, and just as I took a step, the screen went completely blank.
What happened? Why is it dark? I need to go home, I need to go home.
I forced my eyes open, and a blinding light filled the air.
I feel my head is heavy and my body is very heavy.
"You're awake, you're awake, you're finally awake, that's great. Hehe, Zhang Peng, Xia Xiang is awake, he's awake, he's alright, he's alright."
I recognized the voice; it was Hua Hong. He excitedly shouted and rushed out.
I was so happy thinking, "Am I finally home? I'm finally home!"
But where is Pengpeng?
I tried to look around, but my neck was too weak to move at all. I looked closely at the ceiling; it was completely unfamiliar. My eyes scanned the surroundings, seeing white walls, a white bed, and a white sheet covering me—everything was still unfamiliar.
I saw a thin, transparent tube hanging from the left hand, with a bag containing a clear liquid above it.
Am I receiving an IV drip?
What's wrong with me?
The door was kicked open with a bang.
"Xia Xiang!" Pengpeng shouted and pounced on me.
I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, and the memory instantly returned to my mind.
Oh, right, Xiaowen chopped me up.
Pengpeng looked up, and a gaunt face covered in tears appeared before me.
Looking at his eyes, which were red, swollen, and dark, I felt incredibly sorry for him.
"Crying...what? This is the first time I've seen you like this...it's really not my style. Look, those dark circles under your eyes are huge, haha, you don't look handsome like that."
"Seriously, are you even a patient? You just woke up and you're already arguing with me! I... I was so worried." Pengpeng choked up, looking at me with a mix of laughter and tears.
Several more footsteps hurried over, and I saw that it was Hua Hong, Shi Ji, Xia Yu, and the doctor and nurse.
"Don't speak yet, let the doctor examine you."
Pengpeng made way for me, and the middle-aged doctor and nurse came over and carefully examined me from head to toe. Then the doctor smiled and said to me, "It's alright. You can go home to recuperate after staying in the ward for two more days." He then turned to Pengpeng and said, "Come to my office in a little while, and I'll write down the nutritional supplements the patient needs and the care instructions for you."
After the doctor left, I looked at the few people who were staring at me without saying a word and laughed, "Why...did you all come? Hehe, so I'm that popular?"
"Haha, look at your mouth, I think you could take two more cuts and it wouldn't be a problem." Shi Ji laughed, but as soon as he finished speaking, everyone glared at him.
"Haha... I misspoke, I misspoke. Please don't look at me like that, I'm scared."
"You damn big mouth, you deserve to be scared." Xia Yu said, pinching Shi Ji, who screamed in pain.
When Hua Hong saw me, tears streamed down his face. He stood as far away from the bed as possible, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he kept apologizing to me, bowing his head.
Seeing him like this, my heart ached again. He's such a grown man, why are his tear ducts still so fragile, like a child's?
"What are you talking about? What did you do to offend me? Come here, let me see."
Hua Hong looked at me hesitantly, and Xia Yu walked over and pulled him over.
"Why are you crying? You didn't do that bastard thing, my brother won't blame you. Right, Xia Xiang?"
I nodded and said to Hua Hong, "Come here quickly, why are your eyes all red like a panda's? Did you and Pengpeng watch porn all night?"
I got a hard tap on the forehead, and Pengpeng glared at me and said, "Stop talking nonsense! Hua Hong hasn't slept for several nights, and he's been staying by your bedside waiting for you to wake up."
My heart warmed when I heard that, and I comforted Hua Hong, saying, "Don't cry, I'm fine, aren't I? I should have listened to you that day and not gone. I brought this on myself, so don't blame me."
Hua Hong covered her mouth, tears falling even more profusely. "No...it's my fault. I should have broken up with Xiao Wen a long time ago, otherwise things wouldn't have turned out like this. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"Oh, don't cry. I hate it when people cry. It hurts my wound when you cry."
Upon hearing this, Hua Hong quickly wiped away his tears and tried to calm himself down.
"So... how is Xiaowen now?"
"He has been detained."
I nodded. "This kid's pretty unruly. Maybe he'll learn his lesson after a few days in there. By the way, how long have I been lying there?"
"Four days."
"Haha, only four days? Not long at all. When I collapsed, I thought I would never wake up again. Hahaha, I'm so lucky."
Pengpeng tapped him on the forehead again. "I'm warning you, if you dare say such unlucky things again, I won't let you off the hook."
Hua Hong pulled Pengpeng back and said, "Don't hit him, he's not fully recovered yet."
Xia Yu and Shi Ji watched and chuckled ambiguously to each other.
The atmosphere felt a bit strange to me, and even though I wanted to talk to them a little longer, my head started to feel foggy again.
"Want to sleep?" Pengpeng asked.
"Yeah, but I want to go home and sleep."
"No, the doctor said you have to stay here for two more days."
"Is one day okay? I keep dreaming about going home."
Pengpeng patted my hair, and he looked quite touched.
"Okay, I'll talk to the doctor later. You lie down first. Hua Hong, you should go back and get some sleep too. You've been exhausted these past few days."
"It's alright, I'll just sit here. If he wakes up and wants water, I can help him. You should go back to sleep; you've been quite tired these past few days."
"I'm fine, you should go back."
Xia Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter, walked over and whispered in my ear, "Brother, I'm so lucky, I have two sisters-in-law."
When I heard that, my eyes widened.
What did that girl say? Did I hear that right?
"What are you saying, Xia Yu?" Pengpeng asked.
"It's nothing, just a casual whisper."
"Really?" Pengpeng looked at her suspiciously, then at me.
I chuckled awkwardly, thinking I'd better just go to sleep quickly.
After seeing Shi Ji and Xia Yu off, Peng Peng went to the doctor to discuss my hospitalization, while Hua Hong stayed behind to take care of me.
I closed my eyes, but before I could fall asleep, I heard regular breathing beside me. I opened my eyes and saw Hua Hong asleep by the bed. His dark circles under his eyes, like a panda's, looked so pitiful to me; he must have been exhausted these past few days.
I raised my finger and gently touched his hair. He smiled slightly in his sleep, murmuring my name, "Xia Xiang..."
My fingers trembled slightly, and I hesitated before touching his hair again.
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