Zhao Yi shook his head. His figure swept past the brightly lit Lantern storefront, plunging straight into the piercing cold wind.
He shuttled alone on the streets for a long time. From the bustling streets with unceasing shouts, walking to the gradually desolate western city suburbs. When he returned to the front of that dilapidated small building, within the darkness only this building was left emitting the brightness of a Kerosene Lamp.
Zhao Yi stepped up the stairs step by step. After entering the house he discovered Ling'er had already fallen asleep peacefully on the sofa at the doorway... One of her hands was still gripping a small blanket, as if on the way of waiting for Zhao Yi to return, she truly couldn't resist falling asleep.
There were no electric lights in the house. Zhao Yi stood at the dim doorway, looking at Ling'er who was still letting out slight snoring sounds. On his face frozen stiff by the cold wind, a wipe of a faint smile was hooked up.
He walked into the house with light footsteps, picking Ling'er up from the sofa, and walked towards the bedroom... But during this process, even though Ling'er's weight was very light, a burst of tearing severe pain still transmitted from Zhao Yi's back, making him almost fail to stand steadily in one step, directly bringing Ling'er along to topple onto the ground.
Fortunately Zhao Yi supported against the wall with one hand, only then steadying his figure. By the time he put Ling'er back onto the small bed, his forehead was already full of sweat.
"Damn it..."
Zhao Yi gritted his teeth, tremblingly fishing out a pill from his pocket and swallowing it. He squatted at the doorway for a long time, before that pain that pierced straight to the soul weakened a little.
Divine Doctor Chu's diagnosis was not wrong. Zhao Yi had already obviously felt, his physical qualities in all aspects were all declining... According to this speed, in not more than a few days, he would only be able to be paralyzed in bed waiting to die.
Not knowing how much time had passed, he pulled out a crumpled up form from his pocket, his dusky eyes gradually evolving into firmness.
He gently covered the quilt over Ling'er's body, rubbed her head, and subsequently closed the room door, his figure disappearing into the dark house...
Right as Zhao Yi walked down the stairs, he then saw Xu Chongguo currently sitting at the doorway smoking.
"Little Yi, when did you come back?" Seeing Zhao Yi walking out from the house, Xu Chongguo spoke in astonishment.
"Just came back..."
"Oh, I didn't know when you would come back earlier, so I brought Ling'er over to our house to eat dinner... At this hour, she should be asleep right?"
"En."
"Did you eat?"
"...No."
Xu Chongguo looked at Zhao Yi's somewhat pale face, speaking in doubt, "What's wrong with you? Have something on your mind?"
"..." Zhao Yi was silent for a moment, the corners of his mouth squeezing out a wipe of a smile, "Uncle Xu, from now on Ling'er, might have to trouble you to take care of her a lot..."
"What do you mean?"
"I found a pretty good job. However the requirements over there are relatively strict, it's a confidential unit, from now on I might not be able to come back often."
"Confidential work?" Xu Chongguo looked at Zhao Yi somewhat surprisedly. "Where did you find it?"
"Found it on the official side." Zhao Yi changed the topic. "Although it's a bit tiring, but the salary is very good. If I can't spend it all inside that unit I'll let them send it out... Ling'er is too young, so for the collection of payment I used your name."
"Ah? Oh... no problem."
Xu Chongguo seemed to have thought of something. "You finished seeing the Doctor for your illness?"
"Finished seeing, the Doctor said it's just an external wound, not a big problem, prescribed a bit of medicine and it can heal very quickly."
"As long as the body is well it's fine, earning money can be done any way." Xu Chongguo nodded his head. "However you going to work, no matter how hard it is to come back you occasionally still have to come back once... Ling'er is right when she's growing her body, if you don't come back to take a look more, when the time comes you won't even be able to recognize her."
Zhao Yi blanked for a moment, looking towards the direction of his own house door, and smiled slightly.
"Then I'm leaving, Uncle Xu."
"Have a safe trip."
Zhao Yi walked down the stairs. Just as he was about to continue proceeding forward, Xu Chongguo's voice rang out once again.
"Little Yi."
"En?"
Zhao Yi turned his head back. He only saw Xu Chongguo pinching a cigarette with one hand, speaking to him with a sigh of emotion, "Do you know? You right now, are already like an indomitable great man... If your dad saw your current appearance, he would definitely be very happy."
Zhao Yi was stunned. He twitched the corners of his mouth, not knowing if it was crying or smiling... He did not respond, only silently turning his head back, walking towards the end of the dark street.
The cold wind of the night was like a knife cutting across his cheeks. Loneliness and sorrow tore him into pieces in a corner no one paid attention to. Zhao Yi was like a sick wolf leaving the pack step by step. As he gradually sank into the darkness, a fire however ignited in the deepest depths of his heart.
That was the fire of unwillingness, that was the fire of anger, that was a dying person's final resonance before collapsing right before dawn. Zhao Yi gripped that form in his hands, suddenly having a kind of uncontrollable impulse!
He quickened his footsteps, quickened! Quickened again!
He almost ran wildly in this cold night, speeding past the side of a sparse few home-returning pedestrians. He also didn't know what he wanted to do, or where he wanted to go, he only knew that that suppressed young heart, needed a channel to vent its final emotions.
Not knowing how much time had passed, he panted heavily, his two hands supporting his knees as he stood in front of that noodle shop.
"Little brother, how come you came back again?" The Middle-Aged Man who was preparing to close up shop saw Zhao Yi, and spoke in astonishment.
Zhao Yi raised his head and looked at that brightly lit and translucent storefront illuminated by Lanterns. In his daze, it seemed to gradually overlap with the breakfast shop in his memories... He stood blankly at the doorway. Only after a long time did he recover his senses, smiling and taking large strides to walk into it.
"Boss! Give me a bowl of noodles!"
The boss who was halfway through closing up shop was stunned. "Ah? Sigh... okay, if you want to eat I'll just make you another portion. What noodles do you want to eat?"
"Give me a bowl of pork chop noodles!" Zhao Yi slapped all the final loose change in his pocket, completely onto the table, extremely resembling a tycoon with tens of thousands of family wealth.
"Pick the biggest pork chop for me! No... I want two pieces!!"
The boss took a look at Zhao Yi with a strange expression, but still skillfully began to cook noodles. Before long, a bowl of steaming hot noodles was handed in front of Zhao Yi. Covered on top were two pieces of pork chops, both as big as the mouth of the bowl, to the point that chopsticks could almost not flip to the noodles.
Zhao Yi also didn't care whether it was scalding hot or not. Picking up chopsticks he just crazily rolled them into his mouth, letting out bursts of fragrant slurping sounds.
"Slow down... eh, you slow down, no one is fighting with you." The boss couldn't resist advising.
Zhao Yi did not stop. He greedily sucked on every single drop of soup water in the bowl. This was the final meal he prepared for himself, and it was also the final period he drew for his own young and fresh vibrant life...
One bowl of noodles, two pieces of pork chop;
Zhao Yi felt it was enough.
When he slapped an utterly clean noodle bowl back onto the tabletop, he let out a long full burp, subsequently speaking loudly:
"Boss, fetch me a pen!"
Although the boss was suspicious, he still handed the pen he used to keep accounts to Zhao Yi. The latter pulled out a tattered and torn form from his embrace. On the final name column, with Dragon Soaring And Phoenix Dancing handwriting, he wrote down two large words:
—— Zhao Yi.
He placed the pen back onto the tabletop, holding the form and taking large strides to walk out of the shop door.
He stood outside the door where the cold wind was piercing. At the edge of the Lantern's firelight and the dark street, he slightly turned his head back... He looked at this storefront, or perhaps that breakfast shop in his memories, or perhaps his nineteen years of life he once had, and murmured a sentence:
"...Thank you for the hospitality."
He disappeared into the darkness.