☆、07
Chapter 3 2012, Liu Wan
From the moment the long-distance bus entered Qinggang city proper, Zuo Si'an felt disoriented.
The Qinggang before her eyes bore no traces of the old county town—it had transformed into a quite presentable city. Buildings of varying heights filled the landscape, roads were orderly and wide, vehicles streamed endlessly, and advertisements were visible everywhere. As Qinggang's only listed company, "Qinggang Daqu Liquor" ads were highly conspicuous even in the provincial capital, but here they were nearly ubiquitous, occupying all prominent locations.
After getting off at the long-distance bus station, she had to ask for directions and then take a taxi to find Qinggang Middle School.
Zuo Si'an first came here when she was just 13 years old, having recently started eighth grade.
At that time, Qinggang's administrative status hadn't yet been upgraded from county to county-level city. Compared to the provincial capital where she was born and raised, the county town appeared small and shabby. A four-lane road served as the main thoroughfare, with only a few bus routes crossing the county. It had no special local products nor any famous historical figures. If outsiders remembered this small county at all, it was solely because it housed Qinggang Middle School—renowned for its excellent teaching quality, astonishingly high college admission rates, and strict management. It was practically a legend in the province's education circles and, of course, the pride of local residents.
Her father, Zuo Xuejun, originally held a position at the Provincial Department of Agriculture. Due to outstanding performance, he was appointed deputy county mayor here for a two-year temporary assignment, typically signaling upcoming promotion. Her mother, Yu Jia, worked at the Provincial Hydraulic Research Institute, engaged in geological survey research for large hydraulic projects and frequently traveled on business. Yu Jia advocated sending their daughter to boarding school, but Zuo Xuejun, who always doted on his daughter, refused. After discussion, they decided Zuo Xuejun would transfer their daughter from the provincial capital to continue studies in the advanced class of eighth grade at Qinggang Middle School.
Back then, despite its long-established reputation, Qinggang Middle School only had two drab six-story teaching buildings, one simple three-story dormitory, and a dirt sports field—appearing entirely unremarkable. Now the school grounds had expanded several times over. Teaching buildings spread out in a pin-shaped formation, imposing and magnificent. The soccer field at the center of the sports ground had neatly trimmed grass without a single weed, surrounded by a synthetic track. A bit further stood two standard basketball courts. Students just dismissed from class emerged from the teaching buildings in small groups, with active boys already eagerly starting basketball games.
"What are you doing here?"
A stern voice sounded behind her. Startled, she whirled around to see Gao Xiang standing not far behind, watching her coldly as he awaited her answer.
"The sports field used to be much smaller than this, with no synthetic track. I remember boys all loved playing soccer back then," she didn't question why he appeared here too, answering irrelevantly in a relaxed tone. "Now they seem to prefer basketball."
"What are you doing here?" He ignored the diversion, asking her again.
"Just looking around." She turned back toward the campus. "I wonder when the school expanded. The new teaching buildings are really beautiful, and that building over there seems newly constructed too."He had also graduated from this middle school, donated funds for its expansion, and even returned for an anniversary celebration, so of course he was more familiar with the changes here than she was: "That's the library over there. Would you like to go in for a look?"
Ignoring the sarcasm in his tone, she shook her head: "No need. I've seen enough and was just about to leave."
She turned to leave. Gao Xiang grabbed her arm: "Where are you planning to go?"
"The bus station. I want to visit Liu Wan."
He clearly hadn't expected her to mention Liu Wan. After a moment's stunned hesitation, he released her and casually took the lightweight travel bag from her hand. "Get in the car. I'll drive you there."
Without looking at her, he walked straight to the car, opened the rear door, tossed the travel bag inside, then took the driver's seat. She seemed somewhat at a loss but still came over, opened the passenger door, and got in.
After heading east out of Qinggang's urban area, the terrain transitioned noticeably from plains to hills. No longer were there vast farmlands on both sides of the road, but instead rolling mountains of modest elevation. They drove in silence for over an hour on the smooth highway. Only when they saw the road sign indicating Liu Wan was ahead to the right did Zuo Si'an murmur: "The roads to the village have been built so well now. I remember..."
She stopped, not finishing her sentence. Yet both clearly remembered the old dirt road—dusty in dry weather, muddy and potholed when it rained—a world apart from the current narrow but perfectly smooth cement road.
About ten minutes later, they entered Liu Wan. Gao Xiang parked the car by the village pond, and they got out. Before them lay Liu Wan, a natural village nestled at the foot of the mountains with over two hundred households. Some parts still retained old-style architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties—gray walls and black tiles, appearing weathered and dilapidated after years of exposure and repeated repairs. Other sections consisted of newly built multi-story houses with square, flat roofs sporting satellite dishes and solar water heaters, green plastic-steel framed windows, and exteriors decorated with garishly patterned colored tiles. The two architectural styles interwove abruptly and discordantly, creating a sense of temporal disorientation.
Gao Xiang clearly saw the stunned expression on Zuo Si'an's face and said coldly: "The old houses in this village are just aged, not cultural relics. For villagers with comfortable finances, it makes more sense to tear them down and rebuild rather than put effort into restoration. At least some houses remain in their original state, which should satisfy your sightseeing desires."
She was taken aback but replied calmly: "I know my appearance was abrupt, and my request to you was unreasonable. If you had refused me, I would have had nothing to say. But you really didn't need to drive me here. Or you can leave now—it's easy for me to take a bus back."
She opened the rear door, picked up her travel bag, and walked toward the village. Gao Xiang was thoroughly speechless. After a long moment, he thought self-mockingly that since he had already come from Linjiang Hotel to Qinggang and then driven her here, his sarcasm went against his usual demeanor and was completely unnecessary. Standing by the pond, he watched a group of ducks swim leisurely past, allowing his emotions to fully settle before walking in the same direction.
☆、08
ThreeThe village was exceptionally quiet in the afternoon. A yellow dog lay basking in the sun at the corner of a wall, barely bothering to bark as people passed by. Several hens led a flock of chicks dyed in bright red and green colors to distinguish their owners, idly pecking at insects in the grass.
Zuo Si'an stopped in front of an old house at the eastern end of the village, staring blankly at the courtyard gate.
Gao Xiang approached from behind. "Is there no one inside?"
"What happened to the osmanthus tree?"
The courtyard gate was wide open. She pointed to a shallow pit overgrown with weeds inside the yard, making the barren courtyard appear somewhat eerie. Before Gao Xiang could respond, a slightly hunched old man shuffled over, pausing every few steps before finally stopping. "So you remember there was a big osmanthus tree here too."
"Yes, where is it now?"
"That tree was dug up and sold five years ago by Liu Guanwen, the eldest son of the Liu family's main branch. It was planted by his great-grandfather's generation, older than I am. It always bloomed the earliest and lasted the longest. In good weather, it could bloom three times, and half the village could smell its fragrance." The old man seemed feeble, his words interspersed with wheezing. Though his tone was critical, his expression carried a hint of smugness. "Ah, nothing's worse than raising a prodigal son. He'd have sold the roof tiles and shamed his ancestors if he could."
Zuo Si'an stood frozen, still staring at the shallow pit as if trying to trace the osmanthus tree's whereabouts from it. The old man squinted his dim eyes, studying them curiously. "You're not here for Liu Guanchao, the youngest son of the Liu family's second branch, are you? Did he cause trouble again?"
Zuo Si'an finally snapped back to attention, asking in surprise, "Liu Guanchao? How could he possibly do anything wrong?"
"So you haven't heard." The old man grew even more animated. "What Liu Guanchao did was even more disgraceful than his cousin. Truth be told, Liu Wan has only ever had one person go to jail all these years, and that's him..."
Just then, a gray-haired elderly woman emerged from the house and scolded sharply, "Old Liu Seven, what gossip are you spreading now?"
The old man showed no embarrassment, chuckling. "It's not like I made any of this up."
The woman glared at him before ignoring him further. Turning, her gaze swept past Zuo Si'an and landed on Gao Xiang, whom she recognized first. "Xiao Gao, I was just about to call you. The child you funded the surgery for last time is recovering very well. Her parents repeatedly asked me to thank you."
"It's nothing, Aunt Mei. If there are similar cases, remember to notify me."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely trouble you again. By the way, you always say you're busy—what brings you here today? Is this your girlfriend?"
Gao Xiang looked somewhat awkward and hadn't yet spoken when Zuo Si'an called out softly, "Aunt Mei." Aunt Mei examined her with puzzlement.
"Aunt Mei, I'm Xiao An."Aunt Mei stared in astonishment, her hands fluttering in the air as if trying to grasp something, yet her feet remained rooted to the spot, utterly at a loss. Zuo Si’an stepped forward and embraced her, and only then did she snap out of her daze. "You child... you’ve grown so much. You’ve been gone for so many years—first to America, and you even wrote to Jingjing. Then, out of the blue, you sent a postcard, and after that, there was no news at all. Jingjing said that postcard came from..." She frowned, struggling to recall. "My memory’s gotten so much worse with age. She said it was from a country near the former Soviet Union—what was it called again..."
Gao Xiang interjected, "Finland."
Zuo Si’an looked at Gao Xiang in surprise, but his expression remained impassive.
"Yes, it came from Finland. Why did you go so far away? Were you living in Finland all this time? Is it very cold there?"
"No, I only went to Finland during Christmas... for a trip. After that, I continued living in the U.S."
"How long do you plan to stay this time?"
Before she could answer, the hunchbacked old man who had been watching nearby suddenly exclaimed in realization, "So you’re that student girl who used to come from the city, always sitting by the osmanthus tree in the yard, basking in the sun. No wonder you were asking about what happened to that osmanthus tree."
At the mention of the osmanthus tree, Aunt Mei, who had been excited moments before, fell silent and glared at the old man with disgust. "Liu Laoqi, go back and finish your meal. If you keep spouting nonsense here, don’t expect me to treat you ever again."
Aunt Mei was the only rural doctor in the area, running a clinic with basic equipment and adequate medication. She handled all the minor ailments and pains of the villagers and held considerable authority locally. No matter how thick-skinned or sharp-tongued Liu Laoqi was, he dared not offend her. He forced a smile and said, "Just making small talk, no need to get so worked up. By the way, my chest has been feeling tight these past few days. Could you check my blood pressure again?"
"I’ve already told you, just taking blood pressure medication isn’t enough. You need to go to a proper hospital for a thorough check-up..."
Before Aunt Mei could finish, an elderly woman came running from a distance, carrying a child and shouting, "Aunt Mei, please save my grandson!"
The old woman was stumbling as she ran. Gao Xiang immediately stepped forward and took the child from her. The boy looked to be about four or five years old, his mouth wide open, nostrils flaring rapidly as he gasped with dry, labored breaths. His lips were pale, and his face was swollen.
Gao Xiang carried the child inside. Aunt Mei began her examination immediately. In her speech, clothing, and appearance, she seemed no different from any ordinary elderly rural woman. But the moment she started treating a patient, her skilled and confident demeanor set her apart entirely.
As she examined the child, she questioned the old woman about the situation. The grandmother, overwhelmed with fright and exhausted from running, spoke in a disjointed panic: "What should I do? I really don’t know. When I left the house, he was eating the biscuits his mother sent. I just went to the vegetable patch to pick some cabbage, and when I came back, he was like this. If anything happens to him, how will I ever face my son and daughter-in-law..."Oh ho, dear friends, if you find 52 Book Lake great, remember to bookmark the URL https:https://www.52shuku.net/ or recommend it to your pals~ Please and thank you (>.<) Portal: Ranking List | Book Finding Guide | Qing Shan Luo Tuo
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