Sleeper

Case Eight: Lou Shaoyu

Age: 17

Occupation: Student

Sleep Difficulty: Four Stars

Background music: Somewhere Beautiful

In the starry sky, a crescent moon hangs high in it.

The man who came to answer the door said, "Hi, you are Mr. Bai Yan, right?"

The man was dressed in a military uniform, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, but a little serious.

"Good evening, I'm Bai Yan, I'm here on invitation," Bai Yan smiled.

"I'm Wen Ziyang, you can call me Xiaoyang," Wen Ziyang bowed slightly respectfully, and led the guests to the back room.

"Mr. Bai Yan must be very busy every night, right? There must be a lot of appointments," Wen Ziyang said while walking.

But before Bai Yan could reply, Lou Shaoyu, who was sitting beside the bed soaking his feet, said first, "What are you gossiping about? Go aside."

Hearing this, Wen Ziyang said: "Shaoyu, I'll wipe your feet first, so you can lie on the bed and go to sleep."

Lou Shaoyu looked impatiently at Wen Ziyang wiping his feet seriously, but then he beamed with joy after finishing.

"Bai Yan, sit down," he pointed to the chair beside the bed, "Should I call you brother, or uncle?"

Bai Yan glanced at the acoustic guitar in the corner, and sat down, "Call me brother, please be kind."

"That's a birthday present my dad bought me," Lou Shaoyu said while looking at the guitar, and with a wink, asked Wen Ziyang to bring the guitar over.

"My dad said that learning an instrument is beneficial and harmless." He patted the seat next to the bed, "Xiaoyang, sit down and show us a hand."

Wen Ziyang sat down beside Lou Shaoyu, tuned the guitar, and began to play and sing: "The wind is blowing on my face, I can't help but refuse, you never stop for a moment; no matter how big the world is, I only ask for a little, and I will ask for a little more. It’s no better than a fingertip of yours. No matter how strong your love is, it’s a parabola, no matter how close you are, it’s just a disappointment to my feelings…”

When he sang the chorus for the second time, Lou Shaoyu suddenly said: "Stop playing, you are only at this level? Go back and continue practicing. If you can't practice well, how will you teach me?"

But from Bai Yan's point of view, Wen Ziyang actually plays the guitar quite well, and his singing skills are not bad either.

Wen Ziyang put the guitar back to its original position and left the room silently.

"Xiao Yu, do you mind if I call you that?" Bai Yan asked.

"My mom loves to call me that," Lou Shaoyu raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "My dad just called me by my name, Lou Shaoyu, Lou Shaoyu, endlessly all day long."

"Xiao Yu, how about I play a guitar song for you?"

"Whose is it?"

"Somewhere Beautiful by Claudie Mackula."

"I haven't heard of it, let's listen to it."

The intoxicating melody of the music sounded immediately, and for a few minutes, it was really beautiful.

"Xiao Yu, have you closed your eyes?" Bai Yan said with his eyes closed.

"Closed."

"Do you like the music?"

"like."

"Tell me what picture comes to your mind."

"A little girl, her smiling face looking back."

"Is she looking at you?"

"Yes, it seems not."

"What else do you see around you?"

"Zebra crossing, there is a zebra crossing behind me..."

Lou Shaoyu's consciousness gradually became hazy, and a tear fell from the corner of his eye.

When Bai Yan gently closed the bedroom door, he didn't expect that Wen Ziyang was still guarding outside the room.

"Mr. Bai Yan, can you leave later?" Wen Ziyang begged.

"Shao Yu didn't sleep for long, and would wake up every two hours, or even shorter," he continued.

"How long has he been like this?"

"After Mrs. Lou passed away, he has been like this."

Bai Yan was taken aback when he heard the words, turned around and went back to the room, and sat down again.

About four or ten minutes later, Lou Shaoyu really woke up, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Bai Yan dozing off.

"Brother, go back to sleep, I have Xiaoyang with me."

Seeing that he woke up, Bai Yan approached him a little closer and said in a gentle voice, "I'll read you an English poem, you can continue to sleep, okay?" After finishing speaking, he gently covered his eyes with his hands.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there. Ido not sleep.

Iamathous and winds that blow.

Iamthediamondglintsonsnow.

Iamthesunlightonripenedgrain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning'shush.

I am the swiftupliftingrush

Ofquietbirdsincircledflight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. Idid not die."

The lights are as red as beans, and the moon is as bright as washing.If there is a home, Bai Yan also wants to go home.