Yu Ting just looked at Lu Jue. His light amber eyes merged into the night, dark and bottomless for the very first time.
The two faced each other like this, neither speaking. The cave was deeply silent, only occasionally broken by the sound of surging waves.
In the next instant, Lu Jue suddenly lifted something and poured it into Yu Ting’s arms.
Crinkle, crinkle.
The rustling friction of shiny packaging broke the quiet inside the cave.
Biscuits, wafer rolls, Bugles corn snacks, gummy bears, potato chips, cartons of oat milk, nut-based plant protein milk, soda water…
Yu Ting’s arms were stuffed full. What he couldn’t hold fell to the ground, piling up around him as if he were sitting in a mountain of snacks.
Lu Jue said, “Eat something first. Go home once you’ve had enough of this place. I’ll go down and wait for you.”
He turned to leave, but his back was suddenly grabbed.
He looked back. Yu Ting hadn’t spoken for a long time. His lips were a little pale and dry from the sea wind, and his voice was slightly hoarse when he finally spoke.
“Eat with me.”
Yu Ting casually tore open a pack of biscuits. Thin and crispy, they had a faint, refreshing scent of pomelo.
He took a small bite. A carton of oat milk with a straw already inserted was brought to his lips.
Yu Ting took it and drank a large mouthful. His parched mouth was soothed by the smooth, wheat-scented liquid. Yu Ting suddenly felt a desire to talk.
Words he had never spoken to anyone before.
“My dad was a captain.”
“He was at sea for ten months every year. But whenever he was home, he would play with me every day until I fell asleep.”
“He said when I was a bit older, he would take me out to sea, to see the world invisible from land.”
“He couldn’t wait for me to grow up.”
“His ship capsized at sea. Not a single body was ever recovered.”
“Back then, I didn’t understand the meaning of death. All I knew was that every day, people came to the house to cry. The company boss ran away. No one paid compensation. Mom took out all the family passbooks. She looked for a job during the day, and at night, she took me door to door to apologize.”
“If there was no money left, she wrote IOUs. That thick.”
The flashlight only illuminated the small patch of ground where Yu Ting sat. He chewed on his straw and raised his hand, tracing a thickness in empty air. “Enough to fill an entire lunchbox.”
“It wasn’t until New Year’s, when I asked Mom when Dad was coming home, that I said I missed him. Mom made me a bowl of dumplings, then hid back in her room to quietly wipe her tears. I never dared ask again.”
“My dad once brought me a little blue fish from the sea. Its whole body was deep blue, its eyes the color of the ocean. I adored it. I got it a big fish tank. Every day, I went to the beach to pick all sorts of shells for it, fed it on time, and changed its water.”
“It died the following year, too.”
“That was when I finally understood. That was death. My dad wasn’t coming home. I had no dad anymore.”
Yu Ting’s voice was calm. He also calmly gazed out of the gap in the cave. In truth, the sea was pitch black tonight. Not a single ship passed by. There wasn’t a sliver of light. Nothing could be seen.
“The day my dad died, I didn’t shed a single tear. The day I understood the meaning of death, I wanted to cry, but I still couldn’t.”
“I want to build ships partly because of my dad. But mostly, it’s because I love it.”
Yu Ting took another drink of oat milk. His voice wasn’t as hoarse now. “When I have nothing to do, I’ll just sit by the sea all day, watching the ships pass by.”
“They’re inanimate objects. But the way they sail on the sea, they all come alive, vigorous and magnificent. Sunny days, rainy days, snowy days—beautiful every single day.”
“I want to build ships.” Yu Ting’s voice dropped low. “I really, really want to build my own ship.”
Silence returned to the cave.
Yu Ting wasn’t expecting a response from Lu Jue. Suddenly, his head was patted again.
This time, it wasn’t a touch that withdrew instantly. Lu Jue patted his head very, very gently, over and over. “I’ll be waiting to become the first passenger on your ship.”
After eating all the snacks and packing up the empty wrappers and boxes, Yu Ting was ready to leave.
He climbed down first. Lu Jue didn’t follow, only his voice came out.
“Can I take the bucket?”
Yu Ting: “What?”
“Take it to my place.” Lu Jue said. “If I keep it at my place, it’ll be easier to look at.”
Yu Ting knew all the books by heart, but leaving them here was indeed too damp. He thought for a second. “Alright.”
Yu Ting held the flashlight to light the way. Lu Jue carried the plastic bucket full of books across the sand.
Far off, a car was parked by the roadside, its headlights on.
“I called my chauffeur to drive over.” Lu Jue explained.
Yu Ting asked him, “Did you go to my house?”
“I did. Aunt Fei said you ran off.”
“…My mom… is she still very angry?”
“No.”
Chatting, they soon reached the roadside. The chauffeur saw them and immediately drove forward.
The AC inside the car was on full blast. Having stayed in the cave for nearly ten hours, Yu Ting’s skin shivered the moment he got in, instantly raising a patch of goosebumps.
He was a little cold.
Lu Jue closed the car door, naturally turned up the AC, and told the chauffeur Yu Ting’s home address.
He also found a thin blanket for Yu Ting. “Sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“Thank you.” Yu Ting didn’t refuse. Wrapping himself in the blanket, his head tilted slightly towards the window, and he fell asleep.
A short while later, they drove onto Binhai Avenue. Finally, there were streetlights. Mottled light and shadows flashed rapidly past the window. Lu Jue leaned against the soft cushion, his head also tilted. But he wasn’t sleeping. He gazed deeply and quietly at Yu Ting’s profile, flickering between light and shadow.
Yu Ting was truly exhausted today. He slept very deeply. Hearing Lu Jue’s voice, he forced his eyelids open with difficulty. His vision slowly cleared.
The car had already stopped. The streetlight outside shone in. Yu Ting looked at Lu Jue’s slightly lowered chin. His mind went blank with a bang, and he jolted away from Lu Jue’s shoulder.
Wasn’t he sleeping against the window…
“Sorry.” He apologized. “I’m not a very still sleeper.”
Lu Jue smoothed out the crease on his shoulder a little, comforting him. “It’s fine, I’m not a very still sleeper either.”
Yu Ting looked out the window. They were familiar buildings now. He removed the blanket, folded it, and placed it on the seat. “Thank you for today. I’m heading back.”
After thanking the chauffeur as well, Yu Ting got out of the car.
Reaching the courtyard gate, Yu Ting glanced back. The Lu family car hadn’t left. It remained parked in place, its headlights illuminating the direction of his home.
There was no streetlight in front of his house.
Walking into the courtyard, it was pitch black inside. The entryway light wasn’t on. Inside the house was also pitch black, not a single light anywhere.
Yu Ting’s eyelids immediately twitched violently. Before his brain could even issue a command, his legs rushed him into the house.
Even if Zhao Rufei were asleep, even if she were still angry, it was impossible she wouldn’t leave a light on for him.
Bang!
Yu Ting practically slammed the door open.
He turned on the light and rushed into Zhao Rufei’s room. Seeing Zhao Rufei collapsed motionless on the floor, Yu Ting’s breathing stopped for a split second. He dashed over, knelt down, and lifted Zhao Rufei. “Mom!”
Zhao Rufei’s eyes were tightly shut, her face pale with a bluish tint. She lay in a pile of vomit, remnants still clinging to the corner of her mouth.
Yu Ting called out several times, but Zhao Rufei didn’t respond. The blood beneath his skin froze solid. His hands and feet turned ice-cold. Completely unable to think, it took several attempts for his hand to finally reach Zhao Rufei’s nose tip.
A faint, warm breath puffed against his finger.
Only then did tears burst from his eyes. He hoisted Zhao Rufei onto his back and immediately rushed outside.
Just as he ran out of the courtyard, Lu Jue came running towards him. “What happened?”
He had heard Yu Ting’s footsteps.
“Hospital…” Yu Ting ran with his head down. “We need to go to the hospital!”
Lu Jue saw the unconscious Zhao Rufei. His expression changed. He caught up to Yu Ting and grabbed him. “Get in the car.”
The chauffeur had driven over. Yu Ting glanced at Lu Jue. Only then did he loosen his grip and let Lu Jue take Zhao Rufei.
Yu Ting and Zhao Rufei were in the back seat. Yu Ting only sat on a very small part of the seat so Zhao Rufei could lie down more comfortably. Zhao Rufei’s head was pillowed on his lap. Lu Jue gave him a pack of wet wipes. He lowered his head and meticulously wiped the residue of vomit from the corner of Zhao Rufei’s mouth.
Lu Jue was in the passenger seat, watching the rearview mirror.
The young man lowered his head. Fine, broken strands of hair fell down, hiding all the emotions on his face.
Just now… he had seen Yu Ting’s tears.
Lu Jue clenched his fists.
The car was incredibly quiet. The chauffeur sped the entire way, arriving at City Hospital half an hour early.
Once in the emergency room, a nurse came to tell Yu Ting to go pay the fees.
Yu Ting hadn’t brought anything; his phone was still in his schoolbag. His throat hurt terribly. Before he could even open his mouth, Lu Jue, beside him, said, “I’ll go.”
Outside the emergency room was a long bench against the wall. Yu Ting didn’t sit. He stood rigidly straight, staring unblinkingly at the closed door of the emergency room.
Even in the middle of the night, it was still around twenty-some degrees. It was even slightly muggy. Yet Yu Ting’s entire face was frozen stiff with cold. Only his fingers could still move, incessantly, repeatedly pinching his palm to stay awake.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered.
Suddenly, a patch of warmth touched his face. He slowly turned his neck. It was a bottle of strawberry-flavored Li Zi Yuan milk drink.
Warm.
Lu Jue took the Li Zi Yuan back, twisted open the cap, and handed it to him. “Drink.”
In his other hand, he held the payment receipt. “There are still more tests to be done. If you collapse, who will take care of your mom?”
Yu Ting nodded. He was chilled all over now. Pulled by Lu Jue to sit on the bench, he looked down at the small bottle opening. Only after a long while did he lift it and drink in small sips.
Warm, and exceptionally sweet.
Yu Ting wanted to say thank you, but he truly didn’t have the energy to utter another word. After a few sips, he couldn’t drink anymore. Hugging the warm bottle, he leaned back against the wall. His chin lifted slightly, his eyelashes tilting upward, he stared at the mottled wall plaster above, and at that dazzlingly white light tube.
Lu Jue also didn’t speak again. In the deep night of the hospital corridor, there was a deathly silence.
After a moment, Yu Ting let out a silent breath and said softly, “I might need some time to pay you back the money.”
With the flower nursery reopening, both he and Zhao Rufei had no money.
Lu Jue: “No rush.”
Yu Ting still wanted to say something else when the emergency room door opened.
Yu Ting practically stood up instantly. He strode quickly to the doctor, his eyes searching into the emergency room. His lips moved a few times before he made a sound. “Doctor, my mom…”
The doctor took off his mask and said, “The patient is out of major danger. She passed out from the pain. She’ll wake up in a few hours. The specific condition will need to be determined after tests are done tomorrow. Have you completed the hospitalization procedures?”
Lu Jue handed over the payment receipts. The doctor glanced at them and immediately arranged for Zhao Rufei to be moved to a ward.
The doctor also said one more thing to Lu Jue. “You should be prepared for a long-term hospitalization.”
Yu Ting didn’t speak. He followed to the ward and watched over Zhao Rufei for a while. He decided to take this moment to go home and fetch some clean clothes and daily necessities for Zhao Rufei.
Lu Jue was still waiting at the ward door. Yu Ting looked at him. “Thank you. I can handle the rest myself. You should go back and rest. Morning self-study period is almost starting.”
Lu Jue was noncommittal. “It’s hard to get a cab now. I’ll drive you back.”
That last shred of pride was worthless in the face of worrying about Zhao Rufei. Yu Ting didn’t hesitate much. “Sorry to trouble you.”
The ride home remained silent the entire way. Back home, Yu Ting headed straight for Zhao Rufei’s room.
He packed two sets of clothes. Then Yu Ting went back to his own room to get money.
The hospitalization and examination fees had been temporarily covered by a sum Lu Jue paid, but there were still other places that needed money.
He took a few steps to the desk and pulled open the drawer. Yu Ting suddenly stopped, frozen in place.
There was already light outside the window. The dawn light illuminated the “Ship Science and Technology” magazine on the desk.
The torn, ripped, and cut-up pieces had been meticulously and carefully taped back together with clear adhesive tape, restored to its original form.
Pitter-patter.
Tear after tear fell onto the reassembled magazine.
At the doorway, Lu Jue watched the young man’s slightly trembling shoulders and silently pulled the door closed for him.
