Chapter 158: Alley
Su Yu returned to Qingchuan early. He didn’t go to the dorm to put away his luggage first. After he got off the high-speed train, he directly dragged his luggage to the address Fang Yan had given him. The address was written on a wrinkled piece of paper, with a string of numbers next to it, which was the other party’s contact information.
He had called this number many times on the subway, but it was always turned off. Although Fang Yan had cried and begged that day, she had only asked him to go and see her first, just to show his face. If the girl was still unwilling… it was okay for him to leave directly. She didn’t force him too much.
The address on the note was outside the third ring road, a little far from the school and the high-speed train station. But fortunately, there was a subway connecting them, so it didn’t take too long to get there.
It was almost afternoon when Su Yu walked out of the subway station. Qingchuan was still in the cold winter at this moment. The sun was not visible, and the thick clouds blocked the sunlight completely. The large, dark gray clouds seemed to be about to fall heavily at any moment, a gloomy and miserable scene.
He squeezed out of the crowded station. The New Year’s atmosphere in a modern city dissipated faster. The billboards on the roadside were still covered with festive bright red, but the chaotic crowd had long since returned to a state of coldness and numbness. A gray and somber mood flowed freely, bringing with it a chill that pierced straight to the soul.
The neighborhood on the note was not hard to find. The name of the station was the same as the neighborhood, Hongfangli. Su Yu found a small convenience store by the roadside near the subway and bought a bottle of water, asking the owner for directions.
“Hongfangli? Go straight ahead… turn into the alley behind that shopping center, and you’ll be there.” The owner spoke with a thick Qingchuan accent. There were many people asking for directions near the subway station, and he skillfully pointed to a large comprehensive shopping mall nearby.
“This is a shortcut. They’ve temporarily closed a main road for repairs these past few days. If you don’t take the shortcut, you’ll have to take a big detour. But you have to be quick. When it gets dark… there might be some local hooligans in the alley. Don’t get involved with them.”
“Okay, thank you, boss.”
Su Yu nodded in thanks and dragged his heavy suitcase in the direction the owner had pointed. He walked around the main entrance of the shopping mall and saw the sign for the fire escape. The back door of the shopping mall was much more dilapidated than the front, and there were very few people there. It was usually used as a passage for goods.
He saw a few customers coming out of the fire escape and turning into the alley the owner had mentioned. The alley was surrounded by some old-fashioned residential buildings of irregular specifications. The front was blocked by the tall building of the shopping mall, and the lighting was very poor. Before noon, the sun could barely shine in. Walking in alone, one would always feel a little gloomy, with a lingering, gloomy air.
The houses were all painted with red paint and the word “demolish,” but the work had not yet started. The residents either endured and still lived there, or they rented them out cheaply to the young people who had come to Qingchuan to try their luck. The tenants were a mixed bag. There was no dedicated property management, and the hygiene was poor, and the security was also very bad. It was like the dark side hidden behind the bright and beautiful Qingchuan, greedily swallowing all the sunlight, losing its color, leaving only a gloomy and gray tone.
A few of the customers in front had turned directly into the residential building next to them. Some were obviously taking a shortcut like him. Su Yu followed behind. Fortunately, perhaps because of the need to transport goods, the road was not too bad. He was not struggling to drag his suitcase and hiking bag at the same time.
The alley was very deserted. The cold wind blew in from outside, and the back of his neck was cold. From time to time, he could see the outer skin of firecrackers that had exploded rolling in the wind. The smell of gunpowder had been blown away by the wind. The icicles on the eaves that had not been knocked down had begun to melt, and they were dripping on the road, creating a wet patch.
The alley forked into a few small paths halfway through. Su Yu was worried about going the wrong way and specially asked the passersby in front. The passersby said that they were also going back to Hongfangli and told Su Yu to just follow them. They also complained a little about the road closure. After all, even if it was a shortcut, no one wanted to walk through such a gloomy place. The New Year had just passed… it was unlucky.
Su Yu was relieved. He was careful not to step on the puddles on the side of the road and followed them for a while. He finally saw a bright light at the end of the alley. He quickened his pace, but he suddenly heard a few harsh curses coming from the fork in front. It was the voices of a few girls.
He followed the passersby past the fork and glanced curiously. He saw a few girls with heavy makeup, dressed a little revealingly. From their voices, they should be quite young, but their makeup was too thick, and he couldn’t guess their specific age.
The passersby in front turned around and saw Su Yu still staring. They said that these were the little delinquents from the nearby schools who were always messing around, and they were not to be trifled with, and told him to hurry up.
Su Yu took a few more glances. He saw the cursing girls throw their cigarette butts on the ground. The corner of their eyes glanced at Su Yu, and their eyes lit up. They even winked at him a few times. But seeing that Su Yu was indifferent, they could only smack their lips and brush past him, even cursing a few times in dissatisfaction.
The passersby, who didn’t want to get involved, had already left. The few girls seemed to be tired of playing and left the alley with little interest.
The pungent smell of cheap perfume still lingered at the entrance of the alley for a long time. The desolate and cold wind brushed against his face, the tip of his nose turning slightly red. Su Yu’s legs felt as if they were nailed to the ground. After the alley had quieted down, a large empty space was revealed. The cigarette butts that the giggling, frivolous girls had thrown on the ground struggled in the cold wind for a moment, the sparks dying out, the smoke fading, and the girl’s silhouette becoming clearer.
The girl wore a white sweater dress, her shoulders trembling. She had her back to Su Yu, curled up into a small ball, like a lost child crying on the side of the road, unable to find her parents.
Su Yu put his suitcase aside and quietly approached. He was a little hesitant. The girl seemed to have just been bullied by those little delinquents. She was crying so sadly. He should have just walked away like the other passersby, worried about trouble. But the first glance at the girl’s back made him feel very familiar. In the photo Fang Yan had sent him, the girl inside was also wearing the same pure white sweater dress.
He coughed twice and pretended to be passing by. He walked up to the girl and carefully turned his head, wanting to steal a glance at her. But he happened to meet her tearful eyes.
Su Yu looked down at the girl who was half-squatting on the ground. The memories that had been buried in the dust were revived and gradually overlapped with the image in front of him. He reached out to the girl, his voice gentle.
“Are you okay?”
The girl lifted her fair neck. She opened her wet eyes, her nose red from crying. Her whimpering cries still hadn’t stopped. If the girl were really made of water, she might have cried herself to death like this.
She stared blankly at the boy, her baby-fat cheeks full of tear stains. The thick clouds had been peeled away by the sun at some point, and a bright light enveloped the boy’s back. The other party was reaching out to her, his voice gentle and familiar. The warm light made the boy’s facial contours soft. At that moment… the boy was like a god’s mercy descending upon the world.
Su Xi opened her mouth. The moment she stopped crying, she even let out a comical, childish hiccup. She subconsciously said the name in her memory.
“Zhiyan… brother.”
