Winter Returns

Chapter 74 Green Snake Temple

"When you came to her funeral four years ago, I told you not to take this too seriously, that you have to let go eventually..."

funeral?

To be honest, Zhang Shutong is almost allergic to this word.

He quickly pieced together the information from before, which was known to be:

Old Song's ex-girlfriend died in a car accident;

The other party is from a small island;

Old Song came to the island four years ago;

It was winter.

The funeral the policeman mentioned must have been for his ex-girlfriend.

The smaller the place, the more important these customs are. His girlfriend's body was sent back to the island for her funeral.

So the reason Lao Song came to the island was not, as he said, "to find a place to relax."

Funerals, winter...

What did Lao Song mean by "thank you for your trouble"?
What does he need the police for?

Could it be related to the car accident?
But wasn't the car accident in the city?

Zhang Shutong's forehead bumped against the glass door unconsciously. The cold touch brought him back to his senses. Without thinking too much, he continued to eavesdrop on the two people's conversation. To his disappointment, the events from four years ago were only briefly mentioned.

"How have you been lately?" the middle-aged policeman asked again.

"That's fine, I teach and wander around the island most of the time, it's pretty comfortable."

"It's better not to stay in small places."

"Sigh, I've gotten used to a peaceful life."

"Was that your student just now? He looks familiar?" The policeman habitually turned around to look into the lobby, and Zhang Shutong also dodged to the side.

Yu Guangli, Old Song smiled bitterly:

"Oh, he should have come last night, but that's a long story..."

There's really no need to listen to this anymore. He did suspect Old Song before, and that the car accident was related to the Gu family. But Qingyi later investigated and found that the drunk driver from back then had already been sentenced. The perpetrator was someone else, and had nothing to do with Gu Qiumian's murder.

Zhang Shutong returned to his bench, glanced at his phone. It was nearly four in the afternoon, probably halfway through the third period. He checked his text messages again, but his mother still hadn't replied.

Zhang Shutong thought of the plot in the TV series and wondered if he could take this opportunity to look through the case files.

But Conan was lying; he couldn't find the archives at all.

Even if they find it, Zhang Shutong doesn't want to spend the weekend at the police station.

The warm air inside made him feel drowsy. He seriously considered Lao Song's suggestion and realized that he did need to go to Gu Qiumian's villa. He needed to figure out how long it would take to get to the restricted area, how many roads there were, and how to get there... He decided to take a car first.

Today is Thursday.

Zhang Shutong found his schedule quite full. Ideally, he would discover something tonight, then spend Friday preparing, and finally close the net on Saturday night. That's roughly how it works.

Looking outside, Old Song and the policeman had already stubbed out their cigarettes, brushed the snow water off their shoulders, and were pushing open the door to go inside.

It's unclear what the two said, but the policeman patted Zhang Shutong on the shoulder and said, "Well done, young man."

The other person made a joke and seemed to have something to do, and was about to leave in a hurry, but Zhang Shutong stopped him and said, "Uncle, can I have your phone number?"
The middle-aged policeman seemed a little puzzled, but still gave the number.

Besides "Officer Xiong", he also saved "Officer Wang" in his contacts, like a stamp collector, planning to ask him about Lao Song when he had time.

Zhang Shutong thought that if reputation points existed in reality, he would have already maxed out his reputation with the police station.

Old Song sat down next to Zhang Shutong and smiled as well:

"What, you want to be a policeman when you grow up?"

Zhang Shutong shook his head; he was actually quite a lazy person.

"You just did a good deed last night, and the banner hasn't even been delivered yet. You got another one today. I just asked, and although there's no bonus, the school and the police station can let you pick a small gift. Have you decided what you want?"

Zhang Shutong was pondering, but one thing after another happened. Zhou Ziheng's mother arrived soon after and burst into tears upon seeing Song Nanshan. Old Song was also at a loss. He couldn't offer any comfort, but keeping a straight face was pointless. At this moment, the dean of students came to the rescue, telling the teacher and student to go back to school first, and that he would handle things here.

Before leaving, the other party gave Lao Song another instruction:

"Go back and pay close attention to Gu Qiumian's condition. This important task is entrusted to you, Teacher Song..."

Old Song readily agreed, his words practically screaming that he couldn't wait to fly back to school. Only after the two of them had left the police station and walked a short distance away did he stretch.

"What's going on every day... Let's go buy a bottle of water."

He reverted to his usual rambling manner:

"I didn't even have lunch. Shall I take you for a walk? Anyway, we won't get back until the fourth period, so it doesn't matter if it's early or late."

The police station was located in the city center, at the middle of an intersection, opposite a small shop. Zhang Shutong remembered that Du Kang's restaurant was nearby.

Zhang Shutong didn't care, but Lao Song sighed and said, "I almost forgot that Qiu Mian is still waiting. Never mind."

They went to the convenience store and bought two bottles of Red Bull. Old Song also asked for four extra grilled sausages, the kind that keep rolling in a machine. He gave one to Zhang Shutong, who finished it in two or three bites. When they got to the car, he had two bamboo skewers in his hand.

The Ford Focus started up again.

When Lao Song returned, his mood was clearly different. He was about to turn on the radio to listen to music, but Zhang Shutong didn't give him the chance and said directly, "Teacher wants to ask you a few questions."

"What's wrong? Tell me."

How much do you know about Lu Qinglian?

Old Song was shocked again, and even stopped eating the sausage. He said that there was indeed no mistake on the draft paper. I originally thought you only liked Gu Qiumian, but it turns out you also had your eye on someone else. It is absolutely unacceptable to be greedy and have your cake and eat it too!
Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes and said, "First of all, I don't like Gu Qiumian; secondly, I don't like Lu Qinglian either; and finally, the draft paper was really an accident." Only then did he realize he was holding up three fingers, and he remembered what Qingyi had said—that even he himself hadn't noticed this little gesture.

Zhang Shutong then withdrew his hand and changed his question:
"I discovered that her family wasn't well-off; she and her grandmother usually relied on donations for incense offerings?"

Old Song said, "Don't change the subject."

Zhang Shutong was helpless and swore to the Ford Focus that if he was lying, he would turn off the car on the spot.

Old Song told him to go away, "What are you swearing on my beloved car for?" But after glancing at Zhang Shutong's expression and finding it genuine, he said seriously:

"Probably, they probably receive some government subsidies regularly. Why are you asking this?"

"I'm a little curious about the temple in her family's home."

"It's alright, it's just a local little temple, a courtyard with a stone-paved path. Inside, there's a main hall and two side halls. To me, all these temples look the same, with red walls and blue tiles... There's a big fringe tree in the courtyard, and a shelf where you can hang wishing plaques. I even made a wish there back then."

Zhang Shutong said, "I'm not asking where to go for fun. What I mean is, since it's called the Green Snake Temple, where is the green snake?"
"It's just a big green snake. I'm not religious, so I don't care about anything. Since I'm there, I'll just offer my prayers. Sincerity is key."

Zhang Shutong then asked:
"Then how did this Green Snake Temple come about, and why isn't it some other kind of temple?"

He just searched on Baidu and found a legend, the one Lu Qinglian told when she was fishing:

Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple, and in the temple lived a girl... no, a green snake. Legend has it that a long, long time ago, this place was not an island, but a huge pit. Then the Green Snake God coiled up here, and His body formed the island.

Zhang Shutong even suspected that Lu Qinglian had memorized the name from Baidu Baike.

He told this to Lao Song, and Lao Song laughed:
"Just listen to it and forget about it. To put it bluntly, it's all superstition. I've heard there's even more of it along the southern coast, where a whole village can build a temple."

“I remember two or three years ago, when you were in the second year of junior high school, there was a national policy that involved relocating mountain dwellers to the city. Although her family’s situation was not quite the same, they were eligible if they really wanted to. Government officials came to inquire, and they asked me to help mediate, but her grandmother refused. Moreover, the matter was quite complicated. Her family’s temple was actually a small tourist attraction, and many people came specifically to visit it. In recent years, there’s been a popular saying: ‘Building cultural symbols to jointly develop tourist cities.’ I guess that Green Snake Temple was also a ‘symbol.’ With so many things piled up, the matter was eventually dropped.”

As he spoke, Old Song became somewhat worried:
"What I'm worried about is something else. It's not good for Qinglian to stay in the temple all the time. Although I, as a teacher, should respect people's beliefs, she will have to go to high school, college, and find a job in the future. She can't be a temple keeper for the rest of her life, right?"
Zhang Shutong thought to herself, "Don't worry, this time without my interference, she should have no problem getting into high school."

Zhang Shutong then asked if there was anything else, and asked if he could tell her more.
"As for other things, I think I know less about you students than you do. Does walking to school every day count? I once asked her if she needed me to buy her a bicycle, it's not expensive, and she said no. Oh, and there's a vegetable garden next to the temple, and they raise a few chickens there. Qinglian gave me a bag of eggs..."

These are all trivial matters concerning family life.

Zhang Shutong didn't want to hear that; he actually wanted to ask Lao Song if there was anything unusual about Lu Qinglian.

After listening to a lot of things, it's fair to say that everything about them is unusual, but that's relative to the average student.

He now realized that he knew very little about Lu Qinglian before. Despite being classmates for more than three years, he knew nothing about her.

Zhang Shutong recalled that in the past, when parents held parent-teacher meetings, they would write their names and place them on their seats. Soon after, the parents would find their seats, and the students would crowd at the back of the classroom, laughing and whispering to each other. At this time, it was as lively as dumplings being boiled. When Old Song glared at them, some of the parents of the naughty students would turn around to look for their sons and daughters.

Lu Qinglian's seat was always empty.

So I always feel embarrassed when they read out my report card.

Lu Qinglian was always in first place. When Old Song praised her, the parents below the stage looked at each other but no one claimed her spot. When the second place was announced, Zhang Shutong was usually in line. Only then did her mother stand up with a smile and accept the applause from the surroundings with a clear conscience.

In school, ranking on the report card was a great honor, the dream of many parents. They would say to their children with disappointment, "Look at how other people's children are doing!" But the top student in their class was absent for more than three years. Until they were about to graduate from junior high school, no one had ever seen what the parents of the top student in the grade looked like. Later, the parents got used to it and automatically skipped the ranking. So, the report card for Class 4-1 started from second place.

But Zhang Shutong couldn't figure out where Lu Qinglian had gone at that time. Was she standing at the back of the classroom with them? Or did she go to the rooftop alone? Or had she already returned to the mountain?
So he asked:

"Where are her parents?"

Old Song scratched his head:

"Oh, it seems like he went to another city a long time ago. I haven't asked him in detail. You know, sometimes the result is the same whether you ask or not, so it's better not to ask."

It seems so.

Anyway, her parents didn't show up at the funeral.

Zhang Shutong turned his head and looked at the street scene outside the window. The street was desolate. This small piece of land has always been like this. He only studied here for four years before leaving. What if he stayed here for another eight years?
Or perhaps they lived their entire lives in the same place, never even leaving the island?
Regardless of the timeline, Lu Qinglian remained on this island.

These eight years may have passed in the blink of an eye for him, but for others, they represent a significant period of time.

At this moment, Old Song said:

"Actually, you two are quite alike."

Zhang Shutong nodded absentmindedly and said, "It's alright. I may not be very talkative, but overall I'm quite normal."

"Who are you calling a jerk? Saying Qinglian isn't a normal person?" Song Nanshan laughed and scolded. "I think you're overcomplicating things for that girl. It's not just you, it's the other students too. Her family is a bit special, but she's still a kid your age, isn't she?"

Zhang Shutong said that she was much more precocious than the average child.

"You're pretty precocious too. What normal kid goes to the police station with their teacher?"

Zhang Shutong shrugged.

"Think about it, why is Qinglian always ranked first in the grade?"

"Because he's smart."

"No, it just shows that they love learning."

This statement is strangely humorous.

Old Song, however, said seriously:

“I’m not joking. Although this kind of thing isn’t popular now, think about it. For you, going to school is a burden, like being in jail. You wish you could have a holiday every day. But it’s different for Qinglian. You know, she has to get up at five or six every morning, rain or shine. It takes her an hour just to get there. It can’t be for exercise. So I’m saying that now that families are better off, things that you look down on and think are commonplace are opportunities that some people have worked hard to earn.”

Zhang Shutong was convinced. After thinking about it, he realized it made sense. No matter what role the girl played outside of school, she had always been dutiful in her role as a "student".

Old Song then said earnestly:

"She's actually pretty much like you. It's not that she has no desires; can someone who has no desires be called a normal person? She's just particularly oblivious, and sometimes she doesn't even realize it herself."

Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled, "Is there?" He wasn't slow on the uptake; he knew exactly what he wanted—a normal life. Old Song just chuckled and fell silent.

So the two of them went to the police station for a visit and then quickly returned to school. That's why Zhang Shutong didn't understand why Ruoping and the others were so excited about going together, and why they really thought it was a good job.

Zhang Shutong looked at Lao Song with disdain as he pushed open the car door with his oily hands—he had just finished the last grilled sausage. The two were on their way to the disciplinary office when Zhang Shutong's phone vibrated. It was her mother; she had finally gotten off work.

My mom isn't the type to dawdle, so she told him to call her back as soon as he got home from school, because she thought typing was too much trouble.

Zhang Shutong told Lao Song not to worry about him. He went into the teaching building, found a sheltered spot, and returned the call.

It was the fourth period, and the hall was empty. The sound of lecturing could be heard from the classrooms, but the atmosphere in the classrooms was quite restless because school was about to end.

"Hey, son!"

Suddenly, a woman's voice came through the microphone. My mom's voice was incredibly loud; I don't know why she's always so energetic.

Zhang Shutong was startled and, fearing she would disturb others' classes, moved to the stairwell.

"Isn't it time for school to get out yet?" Mom asked疑惑地, "Where are you?"

He explained what had happened again, and his mother listened with amusement, saying, "I want to see which girl my son cares about so much."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "You've already met him, yet you still want his phone number."

He stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point, asking if there were any other suspects besides those in the commercial district.

"So that's why you suddenly asked me for the development diagrams. But aren't you worrying too much? Girls don't like guys who are too clingy, you know?"

Fortunately, Mom was just teasing her; she yawned.
"Okay, I'll just consider it something to do. But I don't really remember any places like commercial streets... How about I send you the planning map later? Take care of yourself."

Zhang Shutong responded and was about to hang up when his mother asked, "What are you having for dinner?"
He was going to Gu Qiumian's house later and planned to grab a quick bite outside the school, but since it was snowing today, there were no food stalls, so he couldn't get that strange steamed bun. Luckily, the restaurant with toppings was still open.

At that moment, a questioning voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Huh, it's snowing?"

Zhang Shutong said you're quite carefree; it's been snowing all afternoon.

“I’ve been busy,” Mom suddenly said, a little worried. “Then I’ll come pick you up now, don’t go yet.”

Zhang Shutong said no, his homeroom teacher would take him home.

As for which home he would return to, Zhang Shutong did not say.

Mom said there's your down jacket in the third closet, don't forget to find it. Oh well, I'll go home tonight and give it to you tomorrow...

These kinds of things can never be finished. Zhang Shutong glanced at the time, told his mother that school was about to end, and hung up. He walked towards his classroom, holding onto the handrail. There was no need to go back to the classroom. He just glanced at the window in the corridor and noticed that parents were starting to gather at the school gate.

Many people were standing by the electric sliding doors, seemingly ready to rush into the school building to pick up their children as soon as they heard the bell ring for the end of get out of class.

School's out, melting snow, a group of boisterous students and their parents...

It's easy to imagine how noisy it will get next.

Zhang Shutong simply went to sit in the office, found a disposable paper cup, poured some water, and just as he took a small sip, Boss Gu's planning drawings were sent over.

My mom is really awesome.

But Zhang Shutong downloaded the file and just glanced at the screen, and his temples began to throb.

Even on a computer screen, this kind of thing needs to be enlarged, let alone on a small phone screen. There are computers in the office, so he might want to borrow one, but it's best not to leak these blueprints. Actually, it's already a bit against the rules for Mom to send them to him.

He frowned, squinted, and moved the phone in front of his face, feeling like he was prematurely entering old age.

Zhang Shutong zoomed in on the blueprints and moved them little by little, first confirming the cardinal directions, then turning the phone around to start searching from the commercial street.

Although the island is small, it has been condensed onto a mobile phone screen, and Zhang Shutong had to put in a lot of effort just to locate the commercial street.

The bell seemed to have rung, but he didn't pay attention, waiting for Lao Song to return while studying the blueprints.

Commercial street, commercial street...

This thing is so hard to find.

He changed his approach, first finding the shopping mall, then swiping the screen along the mall, and finally found a street that met his criteria.

found it.

The future plan for this area is to develop it into a commercial street, which will be connected with the expanded shopping mall to form a commercial plaza.

Zhang Shutong then looked around.

There was a lot of noise around him, with people coming and going. His best friends probably didn't expect him to be sitting there. They had already sent him QQ messages, but Zhang Shutong didn't have time to reply. He was still studying the blueprints, and if he logged out, he would have to start looking for them all over again.

I remember hearing about the commercial facilities back then, including resorts, cinemas, hotels...

He looked around and found they were all in the suburbs.

Until they found a tower-like sign.

Is it a tourist attraction?
Zhang Shutong didn't recall ever mentioning building such a thing before.

Gu's father once said he wanted to turn the island into a 5A-level scenic spot. Zhang Shutong always thought that the other party wanted to rely on the natural scenery, but it turned out to be man-made.

But I couldn't figure out what this place was.

It seems to be to the east, and there are mountains to the east.

He thought for a while, staring at the screen, trying to figure out where he was located on the mountain. Just as he was about to take a screenshot, he thought he should just ask his mom.

Suddenly, a clear, cold voice reached my ears:

"This is the Green Snake Temple."

(End of this chapter)