Separated by a wall, two beds lay.
On the western bed, Li Sanjiang frowned, muttered in his sleep, and thrashed about. Despite his violent reactions, he couldn't wake up from the nightmare. It felt as if an invisible person was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push it off. Even so, he found some comfort: "It seems that Xiao Yuan Hou'shas passed to me. The array is complete!"
On the eastern bed, Li Zhiyuan lay still, with no sign of pain, breathing steadily, seemingly asleep. But in his dream, he opened his eyes and sat up. He thought he was awake, but when he looked outside, it was pitch black. He realized he was still dreaming because the window usually let in moonlight. Looking around, he could only see the bed he was on. It was an old wooden bed, with delicate carvings that time had worn away, but still visible upon close inspection.
Li Zhiyuan threw off the quilt, knelt on the bed, and reached out to touch something outside. After all, it was just a dream. When asked by Liu Manting if the countryside was boring, he had replied that there were many interesting things. He now understood why some people could feel pain from studying. For him, learning had always been numbness. His mother's cold gaze when he reported his grades made him envious of those who could feel the pressure and joy of studying. The change came when he saw the little yellow bird and the drowning bearded man and his son. He felt a strange excitement.
Li Zhiyuan's hand reached out of the bed, and he seemed to feel a slight breeze. He couldn't see his hand, but when he pulled it back, it was there. He tried again, reaching downward. He felt a slight coolness, different from the air at the level of the bed. He closed his eyes, concentrating, and moved his hand slowly. He felt something thin brush against his fingertips. It felt like seaweed or hair. He leaned over the bed, stretching his arm further. The sensation came again, faster now. It felt like hair, and when he pinched it, it was fine and hard.
"Slap."
Li Zhiyuan's eyes lit up. He felt something lightly slap his palm. He waited, and it happened again. He increased the movement of his arm, and finally, there was a clear "slap." It was as if someone had high-fived him. As he explored, the darkness began to fade, and the sensations became clearer. He could even grab the hair and feel the difference between a palm and a backhand.
Suddenly, his arm was hit, and he pulled it back in pain. His fingers touched the back of someone's head, then the neck, and finally the elastic chest. He quickly withdrew his hand, shocked. There was a whole person under the bed, and not just one or two, but many.
At that moment, the quilt was gone. He looked up and saw a child in the corner, tightly wrapped in the quilt, trembling in fear, with eyes full of terror. The child looked exactly like him. "I'm so scared, so scared... Mom, come and take me away." Li Zhiyuan asked, "Why are you still here?"
...
"Comrade, your son has been tested, and there are no psychological problems. He is healthy, cheerful, and sunny," said the female doctor with a smile, gently touching the boy's face.
The boy smiled. How cute he was.
The female doctor was puzzled. Why did the mother's face show no joy but coldness?
Li Lan said, "You've been fooled by him."
The female doctor explained, "You should trust our profession."
Li Lan replied, "I overestimated your profession."
Li Lan took Li Zhiyuan's hand and left. They went to another psychological clinic. After forty minutes, the doctor said, "Your son shows signs of severe schizophrenia and autism, which may be related to family emotional issues. He needs your care."
Li Lan asked Li Zhiyuan, "Is it fun?"
"Mom, I..."
The doctor stopped her, "You shouldn't be so harsh on your son."
Li Lan ignored him and walked to the bathroom. Li Zhiyuan followed. In the mirror, he saw his mother's disgust, which she also directed at him. "Mom..." Li Zhiyuan tugged at her sleeve, wanting to ask how to make her like him again. He believed he could learn quickly.
"Ah Lan!" His father came running, worried about Li Zhiyuan.
"Ah Lan, what do you want? Why do you torture us like this?"
His father sat on the floor and cried. Li Zhiyuan tried to comfort him but met his mother's gaze. Li Lan turned away, leaving the father and son.
Li Zhiyuan watched her back in the tile's reflection.
...
"Why are you still here?" Li Zhiyuan asked the trembling "himself" again. The quilt fell on the bed, and the child disappeared. Water sounds filled the air. The darkness turned to gray, and Li Zhiyuan stood on the bed, which seemed like a boat on a river filled with corpses. "Grandpa said I would be normal after the斋, but why am I still dreaming like this?" The wind brought the stench of corpses. Li Zhiyuan watched for a long time, then made the bed, lay down, and prepared to sleep.
...
Li Zhiyuan woke up refreshed. The black lines on his wrists and ankles were gone. He learned this habit from his mother, who always took deep breaths in front of the mirror. He smiled as the sun covered him. He wondered if the black line circle was broken, but his grandfather said they would be cut in the morning.
After washing up, he went downstairs. Liu Yi was calling him for breakfast. The table had porridge, salted duck eggs, pickled eggplants, and pickled ginger. Li Zhiyuan asked if his grandfather was up. Liu Yi said probably not. Li Zhiyuan wondered about his grandfather's wealth. His grandfather was extravagant but had many sources of income and no children, so he spent freely.
"Ah Yi, I'll ask Grandpa." Li Zhiyuan saw a girl in a purple qipao being led out by her grandmother. The girl's grandmother prepared breakfast for her. The girl ate in a specific pattern, one bite of pickled vegetables and two of porridge. Her grandmother tried to give her a salted duck egg, but the girl trembled. The grandmother apologized and took it away. The girl continued eating.
Li Zhiyuan thought of his classmate with similar habits. The girl finished quickly and sat on the threshold, staring ahead. Her grandmother sighed, "Originally, our A Li should be in third grade too." Li Zhiyuan asked if the girl had autism. The grandmother was surprised, as few knew the term. Li Zhiyuan said he read it in the newspaper. The grandmother sighed and invited him to have tea. Li Zhiyuan poured tea, as he often did for the elderly in the family compound. The grandmother offered him a jade ring, but he refused, saying he needed to ask his grandfather. The grandmother then asked about his studies and age.
Li Sanjiang came downstairs, looking tired. Liu Yi asked if he had been up all night. Li Sanjiang said he had been chased by Qing zombies in his dream. He asked Li Zhiyuan how he slept. Li Zhiyuan said well, and Li Sanjiang was relieved that the array worked. Liu Yi served Li Sanjiang breakfast. Li Weihan and Cui Guiying arrived with Li Zhiyuan's clothes and snacks. Li Sanjiang teased them for not wanting to stay for breakfast. They apologized and left.
Li Sanjiang said Li Weihan was stingy, but Li Zhiyuan said Li Weihan would take care of him. Li Sanjiang said he would leave everything to Li Zhiyuan. Li Zhiyuan asked about the basement. Li Sanjiang said it had old things and books. Li Zhiyuan was interested in the books and asked to see them. Li Sanjiang gave him the key.
As Li Zhiyuan was about to go, Niu Fu came, asking for help. Li Zhiyuan looked at Niu Fu's back, remembering Liu Jinxia's warning. He turned away, but saw Qin Li move her neck and look at Niu Fu's back.