Chapter 72 The winds of Anjing are no less strong than those of Berlin.
The car was completely silent.
Until the sound of a tourist accidentally kicking a pebble in the hotel plaza not far away, startling a flock of pigeons, came from nearby.
The small stone startled the white doves, thus disturbing the tranquility inside the carriage.
In front of Yang Yin, everything Ji Tong said seemed strange.
He slumped into his chair, his shoulders drooping. He didn't look at Yang Yin's phone or talk to the person on the other end. He said softly, "Auntie, I'll talk to him on WeChat."
"Okay," Yang Yin said to Ji Tong with a smile.
Did you hear that?
The other end replied after a while.
"Um."
"That's all for now. Be careful in Anjing."
Yang Yin said no more and hung up the phone.
It started suddenly and ended unexpectedly.
The distinctive static noise from the phone's speaker has completely disappeared.
Ji Tong originally thought that the mother and son would talk for a while longer, and even planned to use this time to give himself a mental break. Who knew it would end so quickly, so quickly that his phone was still unlocked.
Ji Tong's phone vibrated.
A notification pops up on the screen: a WeChat message.
The name and content are not displayed, but it's easy to guess who it is.
Ji Tong placed the pad of his thumb on the edge of the phone and rubbed it up and down in a caressing motion.
I didn't open it.
The rain outside seemed to have stopped, but the sky was still a leaden gray, gloomy and overcast, while the warm yellow lights were on inside the car.
Ji Tong lowered his head, while Yang Yin sat beside him watching his silhouette reflected in the car window.
This white turtleneck cable-knit sweater suits him well; he has red lips and white teeth.
Yang Yin's gaze swept over the phone.
"If you don't want to reply, then don't."
"Did you two have a fight?"
Ji Tong shook her head and told the truth: "I just don't want to talk to him for the time being."
Yang Yin: "I understand."
"There's a coffee shop nearby that serves pretty good white sausage and apple pancakes. If you don't like that, there's also a Chinese breakfast shop next door that sells seafood wontons and hand-ground soy milk. Auntie will take you there to try it!"
Ji Tong knew that Yang Yin had already eaten breakfast, so there was no need for him to make a special trip.
"It's alright, Auntie, the hotel has..."
"Gu Lin also often goes to their house to eat."
Their voices rang out simultaneously.
Ji Tong turned her head and met Yang Yin's gaze.
Two seconds later.
Ji Tong felt a sense of helplessness: "...Is it far?"
Yang Yin smiled and said, "It's not far, only three kilometers."
After saying that, Yang Yin gave the driver her location.
The vehicle headed toward another street.
Looking at Yang Yin's upturned lips, Ji Tong finally realized that, in some ways, Gu Lin was quite like his mother.
Four more WeChat messages flashed on my phone.
This frequency doesn't seem like that person's. Ji Tong guessed it might be her uncle or Brother He, and clicked on it.
really.
[Uncle: ?]
[Uncle: Where did you go?]
[Uncle: The receptionist said you left around 6:00 AM?]
[JT: Woke up early, just wandered around the neighborhood.]
JT: It's okay.
[JT: It's not like I've never been abroad before, and I speak German.]
[Uncle: [I initiated location sharing]]
[Uncle: Answer it, right away.]
They were really anxious.
Ji Tong hadn't expected his uncle to get up so early. Afraid that Song Zhenshu would worry, he planned to answer the phone first and then tell him his current location.
As soon as I joined—
[Uncle: Where are you? Didn't you say you were just wandering around nearby? How come you're moving so fast?]
Ji Tong: "..."
I forgot I was in a car.
[JT: In Aunt Yang Yin's nanny van.]
[JT: We bumped into each other downstairs on our way back to the hotel. We're now heading to a shop about three kilometers away for breakfast.]
The other end finally quieted down.
Two or three minutes later, I replied to the last message.
Uncle: Call me immediately if anything happens.
JT: Okay.
Four unread messages were cleared, leaving only the last one.
With a simple swipe up, you can skip the unread message and return to the main screen.
Ji Tong stared at it for a long time before finally moving her finger up and tapping the unread "1" in the top left corner of WeChat.
[Child under guardianship: Did you bring a warm coat?]
[Time: 07:43]
It is now 8:01.
Nearly twenty minutes have passed.
Ji Tong clicked on "Take a Photo" at the bottom, quickly snapped a picture of the sweater, and sent it as a reply, without typing anything.
[The child under guardianship: Are you cold?]
[JT: The car's air conditioning is set to 25 degrees Celsius [bomb]]
Do you think it's cold?
Ji Tong opened the emoji pack and subconsciously wanted to send "I'll punch you" to the person in the emojis, but then she held back.
[JT: I'm in my aunt's car, I'm not going to say anything more.]
Ji Tong was afraid that if she said a few more words, she would lose her temper, so she called a halt in time. Just as she was about to lock the screen, new messages kept flashing on the chat interface.
[The child under guardianship: I had shumai for breakfast from the place you said was good last time.]
[The person under guardianship: I just had lunch with A-Yuan and the others.]
[The person under guardianship ordered the private kitchen dishes at Guanlong.]
[The ward's meal consisted of: beer-braised duck, steamed fish maw with peppers, steamed pork ribs, mushrooms and cabbage, a bowl of boat congee, and quinoa rice.]
[The ward: No classes this afternoon. After finishing the introduction to my information security thesis, I'm going to take a nap.]
Ji Tong was puzzled by the series of messages that were so different from Gu Lin's usual way of speaking when—
[The person under guardianship: I am eating and sleeping well]
[Guardian: Quoting [ticket screenshot]]
[Guardian: So, does this plane ticket count?]
Ji Tong's fingers hooked and released as he typed, then hooked and released again.
His gaze fell once again on the message that resembled a menu.
At Guanlong's private kitchen, even just ordering two dishes will cost four or five hundred yuan.
Meat, vegetables, soup, porridge, rice—they have everything, yet they still…beg for mercy.
[JT: I've already booked it, and there's a cancellation fee.]
JT: I'm back.
When Ji Tong saw the "typing" notification, it was as if he knew what Ji Tong was going to say, and he immediately started typing.
[JT: Uncle Kang is here to pick me up]
Sure enough, after he sent the message, the "typing" notification disappeared.
[JT: I've already contacted Uncle Kang. My uncle will stay in Germany for a few more days; I'm going back first.]
JT: You stay in the apartment and don't come downstairs.
[JT: If you keep coming to the airport without telling me, I'll have Uncle Kang take me straight back to Haiyuan.]
[JT: Did you hear that?]
After a while.
[The person under guardianship: Mm.]
Ji Tong smiled for no apparent reason.
She had reason to be angry, and her anger hadn't subsided, but for some reason, looking at that somewhat resentful "hmm," Ji Tong's lips involuntarily curled up.
-
The coffee shop Yang Yin mentioned is a typical European brunch spot. It's not a large shop, but it's quite popular.
Ji Tong tried the restaurant's signature white sausage and apple pancakes, and Yang Yin then asked the driver to buy seafood wontons and hand-ground soy milk from the side of the restaurant, which is a combination of Chinese and Western styles and caters to all tastes.
Ji Tong didn't have a good appetite this morning, but perhaps because she ate little last night, she ate most of what she ordered.
We finished eating at exactly nine o'clock.
The hospital where Gu Lin sought medical treatment was located in the southwestern suburbs, dozens of kilometers away from King's Road.
Ji Tong had been wondering how He Ge managed to access Gu Lin's medical records from such a distance, until Yang Yin provided an explanation.
“Anton works at a neurology hospital with two campuses, the East Campus in Berlin and the West Campus in Düsseldorf.”
"The two hospitals have different operating models. The East Hospital in Berlin is located on the top of Dagatren Mountain and is more like a health center than a hospital."
Ji Tong: "A sanatorium?"
Yang Yin nodded: "Yes, more or less, so your uncle's friend probably went to the West Campus."
“Anton is only in Berlin for one week a month, and spends the rest of the time in Düsseldorf.”
It was still quite a distance to the East Courtyard. Yang Yin looked at Ji Tong beside her and asked him if he wanted to sleep. Ji Tong shook his head and said he wasn't sleepy.
Yang Yin responded, pondered for a moment, lowered the car's interior partition, activated the privacy sound shield, and retrieved a file folder from the back.
"I was planning to give it to you after I got to Anton's place, but I don't have anything else to do, and the car is quiet and not crowded, so I'll just look at it now."
A brown paper document bag was handed to Ji Tong.
Ji Tong knew what was inside, and thought that two days had passed and he had already broken free from that feeling of weightlessness.
But the moment the light, flimsy leather bag was placed in my hand, my nerves tensed up again.
It's a physiological conditioned reflex, the kind that no amount of mental preparation can help.
Ji Tong closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and then opened the bag.
He spent twenty-four minutes reading just a few pages.
It's like being forced to go through a long exam; after overloading your brain, you're left with the exhaustion of a long battle.
While he was reading, Yang Yin didn't disturb Ji Tong. But once he finished, Yang Yin quickly put away the few pages and pulled Ji Tong's attention away from them: "Talk to Auntie for a bit?"
Ji Tong remained silent for a long time.
"Auntie, I don't want these."
"I know."
"I just want him to be safe and healthy. Even if we're not in that kind of relationship, just... ordinary friends, high school classmates, I still hope he's safe and healthy."
Yang Yin paused in her act of putting down the bag: "I know."
“It’s the same,” Yang Yin put down the documents, raised her hand, and touched the end of Ji Tong’s hair. “What you think is what he thinks.”
"Tongtong, don't worry too much about this."
Do you know what his father and I thought of it?
Ji Tong looked up at Yang Yin.
"Treating it as a 'path,' the 'path' that Gu Lin found for himself."
"The 'Road' from Berlin back to Anjing".
"Just like the slaps his grandfather gave him... By the way, did he tell you about the wound on his back?"
Ji Tong responded sullenly, "I did."
Yang Yin laughed: "That rattan cane was made of special materials, so it was impossible for it not to hurt when it hit him, but he didn't cry out when he was whipped, and he was still laughing."
"Because he knows that after enduring these blows, he can put his mind at ease and return to Anjing to find you with a clear conscience."
Yang Yin looked into Ji Tong's eyes and said seriously, "Gu Lin didn't actually convince us with this, nor your uncle, but himself."
-
“All his medical records, the medications he took, and his psychological reports are all here. I’ve printed them all out.” Anton handed over a stack of documents that was almost half a finger joint thick. “There’s also a USB drive with electronic files inside. You can arrange for translation if needed.”
With such a complete set, Yang Yin could tell at a glance who had done it.
"Did Gu Lin contact you?" Yang Yin asked.
Anton was clearly familiar with Yang Yin and joked, "Yes, Ms. Yang, Gu Lin is an adult. We must respect the patient's privacy. Even if you are his mother and this beautiful little girl is his legal spouse, it's not allowed without his consent."
Ji Tong's forehead twitched, but he pretended not to hear the words "legal spouse" and asked the doctor a few questions in German.
Anton was startled: "AchDulieberHimmel (My God)! You speak German!"
Not only could they speak it, but they even used medical terminology.
Ji Tong: "..."
She thought he wouldn't understand, which is why she dared to talk about a legal spouse.
Grandpa Gu Lin is a regular at the health center. Since they were already there, Yang Yin took Ji Tong for a stroll around the neighborhood and had lunch before driving back.
The car was parked where it was in the morning.
After saying goodbye to Yang Yin, Ji Tong opened the car door with the stack of medical supplies, ready to get out, when Yang Yin suddenly called out to him.
"戈戈."
"Um?"
Yang Yin asked casually, "Would you like to come over to my house? And pick up a down jacket while you're at it?"
Ji Tong nearly dropped the medical record, and her voice, which had been calm all day, finally stammered, "Thank you, Auntie... maybe next time."
Yang Yin didn't say anything more: "The flight is tomorrow morning?"
Ji Tong: "Mm."
"Didn't you take five days off? You can stay one more day. Auntie will show you around Berlin tomorrow."
Ji Tong pressed her finger against the cover of the file, right on Gu Lin's name.
He unconsciously rubbed his hand twice. Facing Yang Yin, he followed his heart, without hiding anything or lying.
"No, Auntie, I've already spoken to Gu Lin."
Yang Yin chuckled and watched Ji Tong walk into the hotel before waving for the driver to leave.
Ji Tong returned to her room and first sent a message to Song Zhenshu, saying that she was back.
Ji Tong hadn't looked at that huge stack of medical records yet, and didn't plan to look at them today, so he carefully put them into his suitcase.
As usual, Song Zhenshu ordered dinner that evening. In addition to the hotel's signature dishes, Qin He bought some street food from somewhere and delivered it to Ji Tong's room.
Along with the food truck came the hotel's exclusive butler for the deluxe suites.
The housekeeper handed over a package, saying that someone had left it at the front desk.
Ji Tong was puzzled. Just as he opened a corner, a grayish-blue color caught his eye.
Ji Tong: "..."
The next day, at six o'clock in the morning, Ji Tong finished packing and stepped out of the hotel suite—
"I've never seen that down jacket you're wearing before," Song Zhenshu asked, puzzled.
Ji Tong avoided his gaze: "Put it in your suitcase."
"Really?" Song Zhenshu recalled, "Didn't you just put pajamas and sweaters in your suitcase?"
Ji Tong: "Yes."
Song Zhenshu: "?"
Ji Tong lowered her head and pulled Song Zhenshu's forearm: "Let's go, Uncle, we'll miss it."
Song Zhenshu was dragged away in a daze.
Two people came to Berlin, and one person returned to Anjing.
The plane took off and landed, carrying travelers back to their own time zone.
The wind in Anjing at dawn was no less intense than in Berlin. Ji Tong smelled the scent of orange groves on her down jacket and buried her chin in the collar.
Uncle Kang received the person and jogged up to take the suitcase from Ji Tong's hands.
Ji Tong asked, "Uncle Kang, did you bring the coat I asked you to bring?"
"Yes, I brought it. It's in the car."
Ji Tong nodded, sat in the back seat, took off his gray-blue down jacket, folded it neatly, and put it in a bag next to him: "Uncle Kang, take this jacket back to Haiyuan later."
Uncle Kang agreed, and fearing he might forget it when he got out of the car, he reached over the armrest box, picked up the bag, and placed it on the passenger seat.
Ji Tong, who was in the back seat, was already changing into the jacket she had brought from Haiyuan.
Uncle Kang asked, puzzled, "Is this down jacket dirty? Should we wash it?"
Ji Tong: "No need, it's not dirty, just hang it in my room."
Uncle Kang: "They're not dirty? Then why do you suddenly need to change your clothes?"
Ji Tong paused in zipping up his zipper.
He looked up slightly, glancing at the gray-blue section of the front row that was visible.
They'll go back and argue.
Who wants to wear his clothes back?
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