Winter Returns

Chapter 93 Emotionally Dull
"Where to go next?"

Mom yawned lazily.

"Where to go first?" Zhang Shutong didn't answer immediately, but instead asked behind him.

“Let’s go there first.” Lu Qinglian nodded her chin.

The "there" they were referring to was the restricted area. As they had agreed upon when they came down the mountain, they planned to go back to the restricted area to investigate again. Although they couldn't see anything themselves, Lu Qinglian might be able to discover something unusual.

"It seems like your relationship has improved again." Mom tilted her head in surprise.

How can there be.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself.

Is it because I got kicked?
She had just sprained her ankle.

Zhang Shutong prefers to call it a friendship based on a single kick.

He ignored his mother's teasing and instead described the location of the restricted area in detail.

"Why are you going there?"

"……Play."

"You really think of your mom as a driver. What about Xiao Lu?"

"I'd like to go there and take a look. Thank you for your help."

Lu Qinglian's soft voice sounded from behind.

Zhang Shutong glanced at her; her expression was a half-smile, a playful one. Of course, according to her, it was a smile of interest. He knew what she meant; she was mocking him for telling another lie.

Of course, she also covered up this lie for herself.

Mom sighed.

Zhang Shutong sighed inwardly.

He was sure that if he were the only one in the car right now, his mother would have impatiently dumped him on the side of the road long ago.

When the car entered the restricted area, this is where the difference between women and men comes in. Old Song asked if I should come down with him, but Mom said, "You all go down by yourselves, don't call me." After saying that, she reclined the seat, turned up the air conditioning, and slowly lay down.

Don't stay too long.

"it is good……"

Zhang Shutong pushed open the car door and subconsciously looked around. There was no one around, and he could still see the tire tracks left from last night.

A light mist enveloped the waters, turning everything into a white expanse. The sky was high and the surroundings vast, with reeds swaying gently in the wind.
He was a little slower this time because Lu Qinglian had an injury on her foot.

Zhang Shutong took the initiative to walk forward, parting the reeds as he reminded the other person to watch their step, as there was a fishing line.

Why is there a fishing line?

"Uh... I guess some idiot fishing tied it up."

Zhang Shutong gave a perfunctory reply and pointed towards the shore:
"She was right there, squatting by the lake. How should I put it, it looked like she was supporting herself on the ground with both hands. Have you ever watched Kung Fu?"

He wanted to use the Toad Style Kung Fu from the story as an example, but Lu Qinglian just shook her head:

"I think I understand, continue."

"Then, when I shone my flashlight on her face, she turned her head. By the way, her hair was down at that time, unlike yours now."

The girl is currently wearing a high ponytail.

"You only ran away when you saw me getting close?"

"Yes."

“But we’ve made quite a commotion on our way here.” Lu Qinglian frowned.

“I also felt something was off. At the time, I thought it was you. I thought you recognized me and were doing something shameful, or something you absolutely couldn’t let me find out, which is why you suddenly ran away…”

"How fast?"

"It felt like it happened in the blink of an eye."

“You should be glad she ran away. Judging by that speed,” Lu Qinglian thought for a moment, “if she had attacked you, you wouldn’t have been able to escape.”

"That's true." Zhang Shutong was still a little shaken by his words. "Can you figure out anything?"

"I can't tell," Lu Qinglian pondered, "but I can think of two possibilities for now."

"First, it's unusual that she only looked away after she clearly saw your face, even though she clearly heard the voice. Your deduction is that she must have a reason not to be discovered by 'you', but this is based on the premise that she knew 'you' before."

"She knows me?" Zhang Shutong frowned. "Just in case, I'll double-check. From the first year of junior high, I've always known the 'Lu Qinglian' in front of me, right?"

"Yes."

"What about the second possibility?"

“It’s simple. She has hearing problems, but she reacts to light sources.” Lu Qinglian’s thinking was very clear. “You came by car. I just noticed the sound of your car. The engine was very loud, but she didn’t notice. But when you turned on your flashlight, she immediately turned around.”

"If that's the case, then it's quite possible," Zhang Shutong murmured. He looked at Lu Qinglian for a long time before finally asking, "Are you sure that person really wasn't you?"

“I’ve already said, I was never here last night,” Lu Qinglian said calmly. “If you still have doubts, then our cooperation can end here.”

"I mean, what if you yourself don't remember it, like sleepwalking or something?"

"No, I was perfectly sober all night."

It seems they really aren't the same person, but two identical individuals.

He immediately remembered that he had run into Lu Qinglian on his way home last Saturday. The two had exchanged a few words. That Lu Qinglian must be real. At that time, she was heading south, towards the direction of the villa.

So it turns out she still went to the villa.

Zhang Shutong recalled their previous conversation.

Those frozen snakes were a means of "passing messages".

In other words, she may have noticed the unusual activity at the villa on Saturday night through the snake, and then rushed over.

But in the end, they still couldn't prevent Gu Qiu Mian from being murdered.

But this time, with the heavy snow, even the snakes were useless.

The two circled the shore again, trying to find each other's footprints, but she ran straight into the reeds and couldn't find anything at all.

"Let's go back," Zhang Shutong said, his head aching. "There's no point in staying any longer."

"Hmm, where to next?"

"How about we go take a look at the villa?"

"Well."

Zhang Shutong walked ahead again. He noticed that Lu Qinglian's foot was indeed quite bad; she had to lean on the reeds on either side from time to time, as if she were using crutches.
How's your foot?

"Fortunately."

Zhang Shutong didn't quite understand what "it's alright" meant.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you said it was okay, it actually hurt quite a bit. If it were truly "okay," you'd say you're fine. "By the way, aren't you cold wearing all that?"

Zhang Shutong noticed that her face, which had just regained its color, had turned pale again.

Zhang Shutong used to think she wasn't afraid of the cold, but now she realizes that she seems to be simply resistant to the cold, or perhaps just slow-witted.
It seems to be the type of person who ignores their own feelings once they get serious.

"A little, but I can tolerate it."

"I thought you weren't cold."

"Why do you always say such useless things?" Lu Qinglian sighed.

Zhang Shutong was speechless.

Back in the car, Mom was applying lipstick in front of the makeup mirror:

"Where are you two going next?"

Zhang Shutong wasn't surprised by this; his mother was also vain. He simply asked:
"Are the buses still running today?" Zhang Shutong asked.

"have it."

"Then let us drop you off at the bus stop."

There's only one bus route on the island that goes to the vicinity of the villas—although it doesn't go all the way to the mountain road, the bus can't go up there anyway, so it doesn't matter if it's a little further or a little closer.

"So you've finally learned to care about your mom?" She seemed genuinely happy all of a sudden, though I didn't know what had happened.

So he didn't ask them what they were going to do, but simply said okay and started the car.

When there are outsiders around, his mother never asks him why he does something, thus saving face for herself.

But Zhang Shutong remembered that Lu Qinglian's foot was still injured, and it would seem inhumane for her to keep going like this. Although she asked Lu Qinglian if she could hold on, she would most likely still reply "I'm okay".

So Zhang Shutong changed his tune again:
"Never mind, let's go home first."

He glanced at Lu Qinglian and noticed that she didn't respond, but instead turned her head to look out the window.

"Why did you change your mind again? Tell me where you're going, I'm in a hurry."

"go home."

"Are you sure you don't need me to take you anywhere else?"

"Need not."

"How about we make a bet? What if you call me again today?" Mom said playfully. The woman had beautiful almond-shaped eyes; when she squinted, the corners of her eyes turned slightly upwards—that was never a good sign.

"Not good." Zhang Shutong didn't respond.

"By the way, what about your friends? Didn't you say you were going to visit them in the mountains?"

"They went home first in their family car."

Zhang Shutong answered half-truthfully.

Hanging out with my best friends is a lie.

But they did come together by car today. Zhang Shutong didn't ask in detail, but it should be Ruoping's father who brought them.

"A man's word is his bond, right? Don't call me, or I might really leave the island later?"

"Why leave the island?" Zhang Shutong was taken aback, thinking that his mother was still on the island in the previous timeline.

"Of course I'll go to your dad. It's a candlelight dinner. He said he's booked a restaurant." His parents have a very good relationship, and his mother readily admitted, "Not long after you left, he called me and said he saw that it was snowing on the island. Since it's Friday, he asked if I wanted to take you to the city. I said you had plans with other classmates, so we'll just have some time alone together."

"Uh……"

Zhang Shutong is still processing this information.

No wonder she was wearing lipstick.

No wonder he was all smiles.

It turns out Dad and Mom were going on a date.

I'm not ready to bring myself yet.

Although his parents are both very busy, their jobs are quite different. His mother lives on the island, while his father sometimes travels to attend lectures or conferences. So even though it's snowing today and he doesn't have to go to work, only his mother came back.

I vaguely remember that my father has been in the city these past few days.

"I'm envious." Zhang Shutong was indeed envious.

His parents were the perfect couple in his eyes. They met in college. His mother was a wild and energetic person when she was young, like a witch who loved to stir up trouble. She had countless suitors, but her heart was firmly tied to his father.

His father really dotes on his mother. Over the years, she is still as carefree as when she was young, and she hasn't even developed many wrinkles.

And now they've even brought a candlelight dinner.

Zhang Shutong felt a mix of emotions as she thought about how she would be running around later and had no idea what dinner would be like, while the two of them would be having dinner together in a private room at a restaurant.

But there was no way around it. Tongtong grew up in an environment where the two of them would show affection from time to time. I remember when she was in high school, the two of them were transferred back to the city for work. They finally had some free time, but instead of rushing back to work, they drove around the country for a while.

At that time, Zhang Shutong had just gained the ability to rewind and was enjoying being a lone wolf.

Influenced by the two of them, he had high standards for his partner. He finally met a senior in high school, but they were not meant to be and he remained single for many years.

Zhang Shutong recalled the past and couldn't help but feel melancholy.

His mother saw that he hadn't said anything for a long time, so she pinched his cheek and said, "Are you lonely? Why don't you go too?"

Zhang Shutong reluctantly shook off her hand, "No need, I have something to do later."

"I knew it," Mom laughed again. "You and Xiaolu have so much fun."

The car quickly returned to the dormitory building.

The two got out of the car.

Zhang Shutong said goodbye to his mother.

Qinglian barely spoke the rest of the way, except when her mother asked her questions, she would occasionally nod or shake her head. She was quiet and polite, and no parent could dislike a girl like that.

But Zhang Shutong knew she was faking it. For example, she often acted like a natural airhead, and even he was almost fooled. In reality, she was a terrifying woman.

“I think I already said that we’re short on time, and your unauthorized changes to the plan are really giving me a headache,” Sure enough, as soon as the car drove away, Lu Qinglian immediately dropped her act and frowned. “You’d better have a reasonable explanation for why we came to your house, instead of some silly reason.”

“There weren’t that many plans. I just wanted to find you a place to rest for a while. I just realized that your shoes are not suitable for that mountain road. You should at least change your shoes.” Zhang Shutong said helplessly, “You said I was suspicious, but I think you are pretty much the same.”

"Is that why?"

"That's why." He pointed to the stairs again: "Do you need me to carry you?"

Lu Qinglian remained silent. She simply shook her head and slowly climbed the stairs, holding onto the handrail.

"Thank you."

After a while, Lu Qinglian spoke softly.

(End of this chapter)