Chapter 48.1 Throwing the Handkerchief (End)
Lin Banxia climbed over the fence at the side door and almost ran towards the roller coaster. He clearly remembered where he fell from just now, and even the strange feeling of weightlessness still remained in his body. It was noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the entire amusement park was bathed in golden light. It was in sharp contrast to the terrifying appearance of the amusement park last night. From a distance, Lin Banxia finally saw the roller coaster track in the sky and Song Qingluo below the track.
Song Qingluo was lying on the ground. He was a little tired as he stared at the blue sky with half-lidded eyes. There were white clouds floating in the sky, and the sunshine was not dazzling, but made people feel warm. Just when he thought he was about to fall asleep, a shadow suddenly entered his sight.
There was a gentle smile in the shadow’s voice, like a warm wind blowing on his face. He asked him: “Song Qingluo, are you okay?”
Song Qingluo opened his eyes and saw Lin Banxia’s face.
Lin Banxia bent his eyes, and his hair, which was slightly lighter than most people’s, glowed with a faint golden color under the sunlight. It looked soft and warm, like a ball of soft cotton, which made him want to stretch out his hand and rub it gently. Song Qingluo blinked and suppressed the sudden desire in his heart.
“How are your legs?” Lin Banxia immediately noticed that the angle of Song Qingluo’s feet was a little wrong and asked worriedly.
“It’s okay.” Song Qingluo replied softly.
“It doesn’t look like everything is okay.” Lin Banxia said, “When will the people over there come to deal with the aftermath?”
“It will probably take a while.” Song Qingluo said, “I don’t want to go to the hospital, I want to go home.”
“Not go to the hospital?” Lin Banxia looked hesitant, “This injury looks quite serious… Is it really okay??”
Song Qingluo was very stubborn and shook his head: “I won’t go.”
Knowing that Song Qingluo never went to the hospital, but not knowing whether it was because Song Qingluo didn’t like it or because it was inconvenient, Lin Banxia thought for a moment and said, stretching out to pick Song Qingluo up, “Then I’ll carry you back.”
Song Qingluo didn’t hesitate, held Lin Banxia’s hand, and was pulled up from the ground.
This was not the first time that Song Qingluo had been carried on his back, but Lin Banxia was still surprised by his light weight. If Song Qingluo’s chin was not resting on his shoulder, he would not have felt that he was carrying a person.
Song Qingluo buried his head in Lin Banxia’s neck and remained motionless, as if he had fallen asleep again.
Lin Banxia deliberately walked slowly and carried him out of the amusement park through the side door. Though it was morning, the entrance to the amusement park was empty. He walked forward for a while and reached the road where they could catch a taxi. He was about to take out his mobile phone and make a call, but suddenly he smelled something.
“Want to eat sausage?” Lin Banxia felt a little hungry.
“Eat.” Song Qingluo’s voice became brisk, “I also want to drink Coke.”
Lin Banxia smiled.
He turned around and found the source of the aroma – a sausage machine placed in the food court. He bought a large bottle of Coke and stuffed the fried sausage into Song Qingluo’s mouth.
Song Qingluo slowly ate the grilled sausage and was fed two mouthfuls of Coke. Satisfied, he continued to sleep on Lin Banxia’s shoulder.
Lin Banxia chewed the sausage, caught a taxi, and went home.
The driver saw Song Qingluo’s unconscious appearance and cast a suspicious look at Lin Banxia. Lin Banxia had no choice but to explain that his friend was not feeling well. Fortunately, he had a kind enough face, so the driver barely suppressed his desire to call the police.
Song Qingluo had been sleeping until he arrived at home and was carefully put on the bed by Lin Banxia. He woke up and asked Lin Banxia to call Li Su.
Lin Banxia asked what he needed to say when he called Li Su. Song Qingluo said that he would know after calling him. After that, he fell asleep again.
Lin Banxia had no choice but to follow his instructions and called Li Su. No one answered the first call. The second call rang for a long time before Li Su’s voice rang on the other end. He seemed to have just woken up and his voice was soft.
“Hello, Li Su?” Lin Banxia said.
Li Su said: “What’s the matter, honey Banxia?”
Lin Banxia said: “Song Qingluo asked me to call you.”
Li Su said: “You guys came out?” The other end started to make a sound, probably because he was getting dressed.
“Yes, we’re out.” Lin Banxia said, “Song Qingluo is asleep now, and the thing was taken away by Shen Junyan.”
“Oh…that’s it.” Li Su said, “I’ll come over right away. Just let him sleep and don’t worry about him.”
Lin Banxia said, “Yes.”
However, even though he agreed, he was still a little worried, so he didn’t go rest and instead sat beside Song Qingluo to watch over him. Song Qingluo closed his eyes, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes. There was no blood in his white porcelain skin, making it look like a sculpture carved from ice. If his chest wasn’t still heaving, Lin Banxia would have even thought he was dead. This illusion left Lin Banxia a little panicked. He poked Song Qingluo gently and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his brows furrow slightly.
Outside the bedroom, a small head appeared. Lin Banxia saw it and whispered: “Small Cave?”
The little skeleton walked to the bed with a creaking sound, wanting to stand on his toes to take a look at Song Qingluo, but he was too short and could only see the edge of the bed. When Lin Banxia saw this, a smile appeared on his face. He stretched out his hands to hug him into his arms, and whispered: “Keep your voice down, he is resting.”
Small Cave nodded.
Song Qingluo slept soundly. After Small Cave looked at him for a while, he felt bored. He dug around and finally found the large bottle of Coke placed on the bedside. He looked at Lin Banxia eagerly. Although he couldn’t speak, it was clearly written on his expression: “Can you actually drink that if you want?”
Lin Banxia suddenly felt a little worried. He didn’t know whether the skeleton could drink Coke, but thinking about it carefully, it even ate eyeballs as snacks, so Coke seemed to be nothing. So, he took it, opened the lid, and held it to Small Cave’s mouth.
Small Cave was very happy. He started drinking Coke while holding the bottle in his arms. He drank most of it and planned to continue but was stopped by Lin Banxia.
“Children can’t drink too much at once.” Lin Banxia pinched Small Cave’s thin hands and feet and whispered, “Osteoporosis will occur…”
Small Cave: “…” He gestured with his hands and feet and made a strong man’s posture. He probably wanted to tell Lin Banxia that he had a young and healthy skeleton and didn’t have to worry about osteoporosis, which only the elderly have. The problem. Lin Banxia did understand, but he pretended not to understand and put the Coke away. Small Cave suddenly withered, and its bare head hung like a deflated balloon.
Lin Banxia touched his head, intending to say a few words of comfort, but heard someone knocking on the door, very softly.
It seemed that Li Su was here, but Lin Banxia didn’t expect him to come so quickly. It had only been twenty minutes since he called.
Lin Banxia opened the door, and there was indeed a fully armed Li Su outside. Li Ye also came, standing behind Li Su with the same expressionless look.
“Where is he?” Li Su asked.
“Sleeping in the bedroom.” Lin Banxia said.
Li Su was holding a black box in his hand. The appearance of this box was very familiar to Lin Banxia. It was the one in Song Qingluo’s home. He also wore black gloves on his hands and moved very carefully. It seemed that there was something important in the box.
Li Su carried the box into the house, then walked to Song Qingluo, briefly checked his physical condition, and asked Lin Banxia a few questions, summarizing how Song Qingluo was injured.
“He fell from a very high place.” Lin Banxia replied, “I don’t know if there were any internal injuries… but his leg must have been broken. I originally wanted to take him to the hospital, but he insisted on going home.”
Li Su thought for a moment: “It’s not a big problem. Just let him sleep for a few days. Were the things in the amusement park taken away by Shen Junyan?”
“Yeah.” Lin Banxia nodded.
“Okay.” Li Su lowered his head and took off his gloves, “That’s okay.” He glanced at the black box, then at Lin Banxia, and after thinking for a moment, he said, “I’ll leave this box with you for the time being. If Song Qingluo’s condition changes, please open the box, the password is 27263.”
Lin Banxia asked: “What’s in it?”
Li Su glanced at Song Qingluo, smiled, and said, “It will be kept secret for now.”
Li Su explained all the other matters that needed attention in detail. During the whole process, Li Ye didn’t say a word. Only when he was leaving, he nodded slightly to Lin Banxia, which was regarded as a greeting. Lin Banxia knew Li Ye’s temperament, so he didn’t find it strange. He saw the two of them carrying luggage and asked them what they were going to do.
“Isn’t it very busy lately?” Li Su said, “Something happened in City C. I have to go there.”
Lin Banxia asked strangely: “Have you always been so busy?”
“No.” Li Su said, “It only started in the past few years.”
“Why is this happening suddenly?” Lin Banxia was confused.
Li Su pondered for a moment and said, “Do you know what heresy is?”
Lin Banxia shook his head.
“In fact, it is difficult to explain it with current science. It is like a kind of radiation that will not fade away and can be attached to all existing objects, including even living things. Things alienated by it will produce strange effects. The radiation will also spread further…” Li Su said, “Until now, we have not found the original source of the radiation.”
Lin Banxia barely understood and said, “So this kind of radiation has become more powerful recently?”
“Yes.” Li Su said. After he finished speaking, he looked at the time and said, “I have to go. Remember to guard him.”
“Okay.” Lin Banxia nodded, “Pay attention to safety.”
Li Su and Li Ye left together.
Song Qingluo slept for a whole day and woke up lazily the next morning.
Lin Banxia happened to be sitting next to him eating a sandwich Ji Leshui bought from a convenience store. When he saw him waking up, he asked him if he wanted to eat some too.
Song Qingluo whispered: “Is it delicious?”
“It’s not delicious.” Lin Banxia struggled to swallow the food and said honestly, “It’s not as delicious as what you made.”
Song Qingluo slightly curled his eyes.
Lin Banxia said: “Does your foot still hurt? Do you really not want to go to the hospital?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Song Qingluo said, “It should be almost healed.”
Hearing this, Lin Banxia simply bent down and lifted the quilt, and checked Song Qingluo’s feet. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the ankle that was twisted yesterday had returned to its original shape, with no trace of injury at all.
“It’s really better.” Lin Banxia was a little surprised.
Song Qingluo got up from the bed, got dressed, and went straight to the kitchen. Lin Banxia leaned against the door frame of the kitchen and saw him put on his apron and asked, “What’s left in the refrigerator?”
Lin Banxia thought for a while: “It seems there is nothing left. After a few days, the vegetables in the refrigerator are almost spoiled, but there are still dumplings in the freezer…”
“Let’s make egg dumplings then.” Song Qingluo said.
Lin Banxia seldom cooked. He didn’t have the conditions when he was in college. After work, he ate in the cafeteria most of the time. Even if he didn’t eat in the cafeteria, it was just a couple of occasional meals from roadside stalls. His requirements for food were very low, and it was enough to satisfy his hunger. However, Song Qingluo was very different from him in this regard. He had meticulous requirements for food, so he chose to cook by himself most of the time.
The dumplings were placed on the pan, making a delicious sizzling sound. Then cold water was poured into the pan, then the seasoned egg liquid, diced ham, chopped green onion, and a little sesame oil were added. Soon a fragrant pot of eggs and dumplings was ready.
Lin Banxia tasted one and praised Song Qingluo’s cooking skills. He said, “Who taught you your cooking skills?”
Song Qingluo said: “I taught myself.”
Lin Banxia’s own family background was special, and he rarely mentioned his family, but if he thought about it carefully, Song Qingluo’s background was obviously more complicated than his. In the past few months with him, apart from Li Su, he never saw any friends around Song Qingluo.
Lin Banxia hesitated for a moment but swallowed the question. There were some things that the person involved didn’t want to talk about, so it was better not to ask, so as not to cause embarrassment. He was a little distracted and didn’t even hear the phone ringing. It was only when Song Qingluo patted his arm gently and raised his chin at the phone that he reacted.
Lin Banxia glanced at the screen and found that it was an unfamiliar number.
He was about to pick up the phone when Song Qingluo said: “It may be a harassing call, please put it on speakerphone.”
Lin Banxia didn’t think much, hummed, and pressed the speakerphone.
“Hello.” A middle-aged man’s voice sounded on the other end of the phone, with a thick accent. He said, “Is this Lin Banxia?”
Lin Banxia said: “Yes.”
The man said, “When will you come back? Your aunt is dying. She called you last month. Didn’t you promise her? Why aren’t you coming back?” His tone was a little cautious at first, but who knew that as he spoke, he became irritable, his voice mixed with intermittent dialect. Song Qingluo couldn’t understand it, but he guessed it might be some curse words.
According to common sense, most people would have been angry when they heard these words, but Lin Banxia’s expression was very calm, a bit abnormally calm. He responded while eating the dumplings in the bowl. If you looked carefully, you would find that his whole body was absentminded. Although he said something nice, he wasn’t listening at all.
The man scolded again and finally got tired and said, “I know you hold grudges about what happened when you were a child, but it’s not easy for your aunt to drag you along to this age. You have made a difference. Even if you don’t come back, you should make some money… ”
Song Qingluo frowned.
Lin Banxia still didn’t respond and said yes.
The man said: “Then remember, come back as soon as possible.” After saying this, he hung up the phone. Lin Banxia didn’t even look at the phone. All his attention was on the dumplings in front of him, and his face was full of satisfaction towards the food.
Song Qingluo said: “Who was that?”
Lin Banxia looked up: “Who was who?”
Song Qingluo tapped the phone with his fingers.
Lin Banxia glanced at the phone, and his expression went blank for two seconds. He tried hard to find the answer to Song Qingluo’s question but failed in the end. He said in a daze: “Who called… It seems, I don’t remember.” He looked a little nervous, but it didn’t look like he was lying, “No name, is it a harassing call?”
Song Qingluo looked at him silently.
Lin Banxia was a little panicked by Song Qingluo’s eyes, and asked tentatively: “What’s wrong?”
Song Qingluo said: “This call… was from your uncle.”
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