Winter Returns

Chapter 243 A Fleeting Dream of the Past (Part 1)

Zhang Shutong opened his eyes groggily and immediately felt a coolness on his eyelids.

A thin mist hung in the air, like a veil shrouding the temple in the early morning.

Zhang Shutong regained consciousness when the second drop of dew fell from the eaves onto his eyelids.

He is still in the Green Snake Temple.

He seemed to have fallen asleep in a daze last night, and even spent the entire night by the pillar in front of the palace gate. He rubbed his stiff face, about to check his surroundings, when a creak sounded—

The door to the side hall opened.

Lu Qinglian walked out of the room with her schoolbag on her back.

She had her hair in a high ponytail and was carrying a pink backpack, looking quite smug.

"I'm going to school."

She gave a brief explanation and then jumped down the steps.

Through the gap in the poorly zipped backpack, you could glimpse half the head of a crooked grass snake peeking out.

It really was the next day, Zhang Shutong thought blankly, but he hadn't yet left this dream world.

So what to do?
His limbs acted before his mind; he patted his bottom, stood up, and followed Lu Qinglian out of the temple gate.

The moment Zhang Shutong pushed open the wooden door, his eyes widened. The rising sun entered his field of vision, turning the mist golden. The pale golden mist flowed slowly among the mountains, and the clouds were also golden. At this moment, the boundary between the clouds and the mist became blurred, and the line between heaven and earth could not be found. No one would have imagined that such a vast world was hidden outside the small temple gate.

They were stunned for a moment, but unfortunately Zhang Shutong had to leave the dream, and Lu Qinglian had to go to school, so they both looked away at the same time. He continued what he hadn't finished the night before—

"Wake up, it's really time to go out."

“Lu Qinglian, you were quite cute when you were little.”

"Did someone say they wouldn't let me go into the water, and what happened?"

"I already mentioned that I participated in swimming competitions in elementary school, although I came in second place."

He used his hands and mouth the whole way, and even made a face, but Lu Qinglian seemed oblivious, or rather, her mind was on something else entirely.

When she walks to the tree, she will tilt her head back and shake the dry trunk. When she passes pebbles, she will kick up the stones blocking her way.

Zhang Shutong sighed, thinking to himself, "You must have been a slow learner when you were a kid. No wonder you have to get up so early."

Of course, foxes were also present. Five red foxes, swishing their fluffy tails, circled around Lu Qinglian. At this time, they were still a group of little foxes.

Are we just supposed to watch these foxes grow up? Zhang Shutong thought with a headache, maybe those college students are trapped in a dream.

The good news is that I was on a boat when I dreamt, so at least I don't have to worry about drowning.

The bad news was that he remembered an anime called "Sword Art Online," in which a group of players were trapped in a game, a situation remarkably similar to his own. He couldn't stay a vegetable forever.

Finally, she arrived at the school gate. Just as she entered Class 1, Grade 2, the morning reading bell rang. Despite wasting a lot of time on the way, Lu Qinglian managed to step into the classroom just before being late.

She found an empty seat and sat down. Her deskmate was the little girl who had given her the beef stick yesterday. Sure enough, the two of them kept a straight face and didn't say a word.

Zhang Shutong found a clean spot on the ground to sit down, propped his face up with his hand out of boredom, and reviewed the elementary school knowledge he had learned in a class period.

During the break, he found it noisy and went to stand alone in the corridor. Zhang Shutong thought about how to wake Lu Qinglian, but he had no clue.

Wow, it's snowing!

Someone said that, and when I looked up, a snowflake drifted down from the window.

Through the back door of the classroom, you can see Lu Qinglian turning her head. She opened the window a crack and was staring blankly with her face propped up on her hand.

Zhang Shutong knew that she was also someone who liked to daydream.

In the past, when I rode the bus, I could spend ages looking at the swaying handrails on the railings, but I always found it hard to find the time to do so.

The morning exercises were canceled, and the corridor became chaotic. A grinning boy ran past him, creating a gust of wind. Zhang Shutong looked closely and smiled too.

That was Du Kang.

That's right, my best friends are native to the island, it would be strange not to see them.

At this moment, Lu Qinglian came out of the classroom and took a book from the book corner. It was Harry Potter. Zhang Shutong remembered very clearly that the Chinese version of this book was only published in 2000. It was a very popular new book at the moment. It seemed that someone had returned the book not long ago, and Lu Qinglian took the opportunity to borrow it again.

Zhang Shutong finally found something to do. As soon as the bell rang for the third period, he and Lu Qinglian secretly read extracurricular books together.

"Lu Qinglian!"

The teacher suddenly shouted from the podium.

Xiao Lu jumped up and instinctively opened her eyes wide.

Zhang Shutong laughed until his stomach hurt. Lu Qinglian wasn't as indifferent as she would be later. She lowered her eyes, looking ashamed. Zhang Shutong guessed that she must be thinking of a way to escape. She was a cunning woman from a young age.

Zhang Shutong's guess was correct.

During the lesson, while reviewing the workbook, she tentatively read out a small portion of the question. The teacher angrily interrupted her, saying:

"Was this where I was talking? I was clearly talking about the third option..."

"Choose B."

Lu Qinglian answered calmly.

The teacher's words stuck in her throat, so she had no choice but to let her sit down.

Zhang Shutong lowered his head and continued reading Harry Potter. A breeze blew in through the slightly ajar window, turning the pages. It was the very line he was looking at. Zhang Shutong instinctively reached out to press the page down, but how could he possibly stop it? He shook his head inwardly, only to discover—

He pressed down on the pages of the book.

Zhang Shutong was stunned. Could it be that he could finally influence the world?

He patted Lu Qinglian's shoulder directly, but the next moment, his hand passed through Lu Qinglian's body.

Zhang Shutong slapped his forehead.

The sound it made was quite crisp.

It's too early to be happy, but this small change is enough to excite people, as if they are slowly integrating into this world.

He tried to open the window with his other hand, but failed.

I picked up the book from the desk, but failed.

Making some noise still failed.

The only time the pen rolled slightly was when Lu Qinglian pushed it with her finger.

Zhang Shutong seemed to be deep in thought.

When school let out at noon, Lu Qinglian took out her lunchbox from her schoolbag and ate it in small bites at her seat. It wasn't a big meal, but it contained two stir-fried dishes and a peeled hard-boiled egg.

She was the only one left in the classroom; the other children had all gone home for lunch.

Zhang Shutong sat next to her, watching her clean up the dishes, wash her hands and mouth with a strong sense of cleanliness, and then curl up by the radiator for a nap.

Zhang Shutong left the classroom and took the opportunity to wander around the teaching building. Not everyone had gone home; for example, a few girls in Class 2 were chatting noisily.

"This year's New Year's Day is all about singing in the choir, how boring." "Our class's rehearsal is quite interesting, though. There's a boy named Du Kang who always sings off-key, it's so funny..."

Zhang Shutong looked at Xiao Ruoping and thought to himself, "You two have a really deep and complicated relationship."

They weren't best friends yet at that time.

Unfortunately, in the afternoon, the Harry Potter book was borrowed by a boy from another class. Lu Qinglian had no choice but to listen to the lesson obediently, while Zhang Shutong went to borrow the book from him.

The boy's surname is Meng and his given name is Qingyi.

"Meng Qingyi!"

The teacher roared again.

Qingyi conscientiously went to stand outside the classroom as punishment. Zhang Shutong saw him pull out an earphone cord and listen to music with his hands in his pockets, looking quite cool. To be honest, it seemed that he deliberately let the teacher find out because he wanted to listen to music.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in Class 1, and I could vaguely hear someone shouting:
"...Quickly, grab Lu Qinglian!"

Zhang Shutong rushed over, but it was too late. Lu Qinglian coldly withdrew her fist. The boy who had snatched the beef stick after school yesterday was crying on the ground, his eyes swollen at a visible speed.

Zhang Shutong accompanied Lu Qinglian to the office.

Why did you hit Guo Yang when he was perfectly fine?

Lu Qinglian lowered her head, indicating that she was too lazy to explain.

The teacher scolded her, but she didn't say a word or admit her mistake. She was left to stand in the office as punishment. Zhang Shutong was also punished and stood in the office. She thought that she could just explain what happened yesterday, but Lu Qinglian, who was still a little girl, was surprisingly stubborn.

They stood there for an unknown amount of time. The school bell rang, but the teacher still hadn't returned. Since the other party wasn't coming back, Lu Qinglian didn't leave. When the other party finally returned, he gave Lu Qinglian a cold glance and went about drinking his tea.

Zhang Shutong really wanted to say something to help, but he couldn't even make a sound.

The snow outside was falling heavier and heavier, and it was getting dark. There was still a long way to go from the school back to the mountain.

Zhang Shutong began to get anxious. This couldn't go on. He spotted the teacup on the desk and was about to cause an accident, but when his finger touched the side of the cup, it still passed right through it.

Zhang Shutong slammed his fist on the table, but no sound came out.

It was noisy outside the office, with many students hiding at the door to watch the commotion, but inside the office it was quiet, with only the incandescent light bulb flickering occasionally.

Why hasn't Lu Qinglian left yet?

"She hit someone today..."

"Wasn't it said that Guo Yang offended her first?"

"But my mom said it's wrong for girls to hit each other, it's so rude."

"Look, that person—"

"So beautiful, like a fairy from a TV drama..."

The children watching the commotion instinctively made way, and a figure walked in, shrouded in wind and snow.

Her long hair reached her waist, and she wore a blue robe. A beauty mark under her eye softened her features, but her expression remained cold and stern.

When she saw Lu Qinglian, she breathed a slight sigh of relief, and the beauty mark under her eye softened.

"Teacher, what happened to her?"

"Oh, it's Qinglian's mother." The teacher looked up in surprise, then frowned and said, "Your daughter got into a fight and not only bruised someone's eye, but when I asked her to apologize, she thought she was right. This can't go on, so I gave her a lesson today."

"I'll talk to her when I get back," said Mrs. Lu, gently brushing the snow off her clothes. "It's snowing outside."

"She's the one who hit the other student!"

"It's snowing outside."

"What does it have to do with her hitting someone? It's snowing."

"It's snowing outside," the woman said slowly.

"I know it's snowing heavily today... but I... but I'm doing this for her own good!" the teacher said, exasperated.

"That's good." The woman smiled and took Lu Qinglian's hand. "The teacher said it's time to go."

The teacher was speechless for a moment.

"For her own good, shouldn't we have let her go home earlier?" Zhang Shutong said softly. "Now you're dumbfounded, aren't you?"

Zhang Shutong realized that Lu Qinglian's mother only seemed gentler than her; in fact, her eyes were cold and her aura was just as strong. However, she didn't need to use it on a mere teacher, so she hid it very well.

He walked down the stairs in a few steps, and from a distance he heard the woman ask:

Do you remember what we talked about last night?

"I want a gift," Lu Qinglian said softly after a long pause.

"And the previous sentence?"

"It's Christmas."

"anything else?"

"It mentioned the Bible, Christianity, and Santa Claus."

Recite that sentence to me.

Lu Qinglian's lips moved, but in the end she said softly:

"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

"You recited it very fluently," the woman's voice became slightly stern. "I remember you said you really liked that phrase, but have you lived up to it?"

“I…” Lu Qinglian lowered her head, “I’m sorry.”

“I never doubted that this was your fault, but you, your mother, and even your grandmother are different from others. Other children can hit you when they can’t take it anymore, but you have to take a step back.”

The woman softened her tone:
"Of course, this statement is not very suitable for you now. Just remove the last sentence and remember the first three."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "What a cool woman! She can change Christian doctrines so easily."

"What happened?" Lu's mother asked at this point.

Lu Qinglian walked forward without saying a word.

"Of course it's about upholding justice," Zhang Shutong thought to himself. He'd actually wanted to beat him up yesterday, but that guy got away. No wonder Ruoping admired Lu Qinglian so much; she'd become like her surroundings… well, you get what you pay for.

But Lu Qinglian probably couldn't bring herself to say it. She stared at her toes and moved forward step by step:

"That boy stole my friend's snacks."

"and then?"

"I asked him to apologize today, but he said..."

Lu Qinglian pursed her lips, and Zhang Shutong finally understood the whole story:

"Dad doesn't want us anymore."

(End of this chapter)