Beep, beep, beep——!
The harsh chirping of cicadas mixed with the continuous honking of car horns echoed through the bustling street. The scorching sun baked the grayish-brown asphalt road, and the heat surged, making the entire street seem to distort.
Under the few patches of shade by the roadside, several young people huddled together, smoking cigarettes and waiting for the traffic lights to change.
Suddenly, one of the young men, who was puffing on a cigarette, seemed to have noticed something. He let out a soft gasp and his gaze landed on a certain corner of the street.
"A Nuo, what are you looking at?" his companion beside him asked.
The young man named A Nuo stared blankly at the corner of the street. It took him a while to speak. "Do you think... how does a blind person cross the road?"
His companion was taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly said, "Generally speaking, blind people are accompanied by someone when they go out, or they are guided by a guide dog. In more modern cities, there are also voice announcements for the traffic lights on the roadside. If all else fails, they might be able to move across little by little relying on the sounds and their guide sticks?"
A Nuo shook his head. "But what if there's no one to accompany them, no guide dog, no voice announcements, and they've even used the guide stick to carry a bottle of peanut oil?"
"...Do you think you're being funny?"
His companion rolled his eyes. Following A Nuo's gaze, he froze in place the next moment.
There, on the opposite corner of the road, stood a young man wearing a black short-sleeved shirt. His eyes were wrapped in several thick layers of black satin, completely blocking out all the light.
In his left hand, he held a cheap shopping bag filled with vegetables. In his right hand, he gripped a guide stick that was slung over his shoulder, as if he were carrying a carrying pole. And at the end of the guide stick, a large bucket of golden peanut oil sparkled in the sunlight!
With black satin covering his eyes, a guide stick on his shoulder, vegetables in his left hand, and oil in his right hand...
This incredible scene immediately attracted the attention of a large number of people around.
"Hey, look, that guy is so strange."
"With so much cloth covering his eyes, can he even see the road?"
"Didn't you see the guide stick in his hand? He's a blind person, okay?"
"What era is this? Blind people usually wear sunglasses nowadays. Who wraps their eyes with satin on a hot day? Aren't they afraid of feeling stuffy?"
"Exactly. And have you ever seen a blind person who doesn't use the guide stick to walk but instead uses it to carry things?"
"Young people these days really know how to have fun."
"..."
Even the chirping of the summer cicadas couldn't drown out the whispers of the pedestrians around. They curiously sized up the young man, discussing in low voices whether he was truly blind or faking it, and at the same time, they looked expectantly at the flashing red light.
Just then, a clear voice rang out beside the young man.
"Brother, let me help you cross the road?"
It was a little girl wearing a school uniform, around twelve or thirteen years old. There were a few glistening beads of sweat on her cheeks, and her big, dark eyes were looking at the young man with worry, pure and simple.
The young man was slightly taken aback. He turned his head in the direction of the little girl, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Okay."
He hung the bag of vegetables on his right hand, freed his left hand to wipe the sweat on the corner of his clothes, and gently held the little girl's hand.
Click——!
The green light came on.
The young man took a step forward and walked across the road with the little girl.
The little girl was very nervous, looking left and right at the vehicles on both sides, her steps cautious and timid.
As for the young man... he walked steadily.
In the eyes of everyone, this scene didn't seem like a kind-hearted girl leading a blind person across the road. Instead, it was more like an older brother taking a child across the road.
The road wasn't wide. In just a dozen seconds or so, the two of them reached the other side of the road. The young man thanked the little girl and then walked straight towards the secluded alleyway without looking back.
"He's not blind," A Nuo said with certainty when he saw this scene. "He must be able to see."
One of the young men behind A Nuo rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought. Then, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly exclaimed:
"I get it. He's cosplaying Blind Monk!"
Slap——!
A big slap landed crisply on the back of his head. A Nuo cursed, "Idiot. All you think about every day is playing games. Who in their right mind would cosplay Blind Monk on a busy street? Don't you care about your life?"
After a pause of two seconds, A Nuo muttered under his breath and added, "Besides... the cloth that covers Blind Monk's eyes is red. This cosplay doesn't even look like him."
"A Nuo, you're one to talk..."
"Shut up."
"Okay."
Just as the two were bickering, the young man who had been silent all this time stared at the young man's departing back, his brows furrowing slightly.
"What's wrong?" A Nuo noticed his gaze.
"I know him."
"You know him?"
"Right." The young man nodded. "When my cousin was still in primary school, I heard that there was a student in his school who had an accident. The student's eyes were damaged, and he could only cover his eyes with black satin. It was said that he also had some mental problems..."
"Mental problems?" A Nuo was taken aback. He thought carefully about what had just happened. "He didn't seem to have any problems to me."
"That was all ten years ago. Maybe he has already recovered. But at that time, the incident seemed to have caused quite a stir. The student dropped out of school within a few days. It was said that he was later transferred to a special school for the blind."
Just then, another person chimed in enthusiastically, "So, what exactly was that accident? It could make someone go blind and have mental problems. Could it be that he was possessed by an evil spirit?"
"I don't know." He paused. "But... I heard it was something even more outrageous than that."
"He's a poor soul." A Nuo sighed. "What's his name?"
"His name seems to be, Lin... Lin... Lin Qiye?"
...
At sunset, Lin Qiye pushed open the door.
Almost immediately, the aroma of the dishes from inside the house wafted into his nostrils. He sniffed and swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then carried his things into the house.
Creak——!
The old door let out a harsh screech, drowning out the sound of stir-frying coming from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman pushed open the kitchen door. Seeing Lin Qiye carrying a lot of bags, she let out a cry of surprise and hurried forward.
"Xiao Qi, why did you carry so many things back all at once again?" The woman wiped her hands on her apron and quickly helped Lin Qiye take the things. She chattered on, "Such a big bucket of peanut oil? You child, did you misuse the government subsidy again?"
"Auntie, the government subsidy for the disabled is for living expenses. It's making good use of the money for me to buy oil," Lin Qiye smiled.
"Nonsense. This money is reserved for you to go to university. How can you misuse it? Let me tell you, the money I earn from working is actually enough to support the three of us. Don't spend money randomly on your own."
The auntie gently and carefully wiped the oil bucket with her hand. Her expression showed a bit of heartache, and she murmured softly, "Such a big bucket of oil, and it's a branded one... It must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Before Lin Qiye could say anything, the auntie suddenly reacted.
"Wait a minute... With so many things, how did you bring them back?"
"Oh, I met some kind-hearted people on the way, and they helped me bring them back," Lin Qiye said calmly.
"Good, good. It seems there are still many kind people in society... Did you thank them properly?"
"I did." Lin Qiye changed the subject. "Auntie, where's A Jin?"
"He's doing his homework on the balcony... Oh, by the way, the doctor from the mental hospital who came for the routine review this year is resting in the room. Go and let the doctor examine you. I'll go and finish cooking first and call you two when it's ready."
Lin Qiye's steps paused slightly. He let out an "okay" and turned to walk towards the bedroom.
...
"Hello, I'm a doctor from Sunshine Mental Hospital. My surname is Li."
Seeing Lin Qiye push the door open and enter, the young man sitting on the small stool in the bedroom stood up and spoke gently. He wore a large pair of black-rimmed glasses on his face, looking scholarly.
Lin Qiye raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wasn't it always Doctor Han who came before?"
"Doctor Han was promoted to vice president last year," Doctor Li smiled, a hint of envy appearing in his eyes.
Lin Qiye nodded slightly and let out an "oh".
That's right. Doctor Han is quite old and has excellent medical skills. It's not surprising that he was promoted to vice president. It's only natural that a younger doctor comes to conduct his regular review.
Seeing Lin Qiye sit down, Doctor Li cleared his throat and took out a stack of medical records from his bag.
"Sorry, since I'm new here, I don't know much about your situation yet. Let me have a brief understanding first," Doctor Li said apologetically.
Lin Qiye nodded.
"Your name is... Lin Qiye?"
"Yes."
"You're seventeen years old this year."
"Yes."
"Hmm... The medical records say that you lost your sight in both eyes ten years ago and were sent to our hospital due to some issues?"
"Yes."
Doctor Li pondered for a moment. "Have you ever changed your name?"
"...No. Why do you ask?" Lin Qiye was taken aback.
Doctor Li scratched his head sheepishly. "Ahem... It seems I was overthinking it."
He stretched out his hand, pointed at the age on the medical record, and then at the words "ten years ago". "Look, you lost your sight ten years ago, and you were exactly seven years old at that time. And your name is Lin Qiye. So I thought you changed your name after you lost your sight..."
Lin Qiye was silent for a long time, then shook his head and said, "No... I've never changed my name. Before I was born, my parents had already decided on the name Lin Qiye for me."
"That's really quite... ahem," Doctor Li said. Halfway through his sentence, he realized it wasn't polite and quickly shut his mouth.
"Quite a coincidence," Lin Qiye said indifferently. "It really is quite a coincidence."
Doctor Li felt a bit embarrassed, but he quickly changed the subject. "Hmm... The medical records don't seem to describe in detail the accident that caused you to lose your sight and go mentally disordered.. If it's convenient, could you tell me about it?"
Before Lin Qiye could speak, Doctor Li quickly added, "I don't mean to offend. Understanding the patient better can help us treat them better. Of course, if you don't want to say it, I won't force you."
Lin Qiye sat there quietly. Under the black satin, his eyes seemed to be staring at Doctor Li.
After a long while, he slowly said:
"There's nothing I can't say... It's just that you might not believe me, and you might even send me back to the mental hospital."
"No, no, no. Don't think of our relationship as just that between a doctor and a patient. This is just a normal chat between friends. It won't come to that," Doctor Li said half-jokingly. "Even if you tell me that you were pulled into the alchemy furnace by the Supreme Lord Lao Jun, I'll believe you."
Lin Qiye was silent for a moment and then nodded slightly.
"When I was a child, I liked looking at the sky."
"Okay. And then?"
"One night, I was lying on the roof of my old house, looking at the moon."
"What did you see? The Moon Rabbit?" Doctor Li smiled.
Lin Qiye shook his head. His next words made Doctor Li's smile freeze on his face.
"No, I saw an angel," Lin Qiye said seriously, and he gestured with his hands in front of him. "A Seraphim enveloped in golden light, with six white wings."