Chapter 102 (1/2)
When Qiu Linsong found He Nuo’s uncle’s house according to the address on the paper, He Nuo wasn’t at home. Since Qiu Linsong came in a car, He Nuo’s cousin led him to find He Nuo. It wasn’t too far away if you drove, but if he had to walk or ride a bike then his cousin would have probably been unwilling because there was a hilly road in the middle that was quite bumpy. Qiu Linsong asked his cousin what he was doing so far away, the other party said that he would know once he got there.
After they drove past two villages, they arrived at a small town. The market here was very small, his cousin asked Qiu Linsong to park the car by the roadside cause they needed to walk in. When he saw He Nuo, Qiu Linsong didn’t know what he was doing for crying out loud. He was sitting on two bricks as he read a book, and in front of him was a bunch of plants that Qiu Linsong couldn’t recognise. The roots of each plant were all wrapped up in newspapers — there was probably mud on them.
“He Nuo.”
He Nuo looked up from his book and saw Qiu Linsong. He was surprised at first, then he looked behind him.
“San Ge’s not here. Have you had enough? He’s so sick that he’s at death’s door but he still asked me to come find you.” Qiu Linsong was really impulsive as he talked, because he really couldn’t understand how big a deal it could have been; friends should bear with one another more and be more tolerant, how could friends fuss over every little thing? What’s more, with how well San Ge treats He Nuo, what’s there to be critical about? From Qiu Linsong’s point of view, San Ge must have been so tormented and angered by this that he fell sick for no reason.
He Nuo smiled bitterly. Qiu Linsong really deserved to be called a ‘brother’ and ‘buddy’. He Nuo does feel a little ashamed when he has to face Qiu Linsong, “We’re no longer friends……..”
“What the fuck are you saying? He Nuo you bitch, how could you be so inhumane?” Qiu Linsong flew into a fit of fury the moment he heard those words and jumped in to interrupt He Nuo. He condemned him like a machine gun, “Do you still have a heart? San Ge is so sick now that he has to be supported by someone if he wants to pee, yet he still wanted me to pass you this message: he asked you to please forgive him, and that he was sorry. Even if San Ge did something wrong, isn’t it fine since he has already apologised to you? When have you ever seen San Ge apologise before? What’s more, how San Ge treated you in the past is something we all saw with our own eyes. Don’t make me think that you’re someone without a slightest shred of conscience.”
He Nuo didn’t know why, but when he faced the ignorant Qiu Linsong, he had no way of justifying himself.
“I’m not here to beg you, we must go back today, it’s just a matter of how you’re going to go back. He Nuo, if worst comes to worst, you can just break it off with me too.” When Qiu Linsong saw how He Nuo never spoke a single word, he got anxious.
“Then let’s go back ba.” He Nuo sent his cousin back home first. He packed his bags and brought two of the plants from before onto the car.
On their way back, Qiu Linsong told him everything about Shi Yan’s hospitalisation without exaggerating anything — he merely stated the truth. He told He Nuo that they still couldn’t find the reason for his fever now, and the doctors are worried that if things were to go on like this, Shi Yan’s vitality might be adversely affected. He Nuo was listening to him quietly, but when Qiu Linsong saw the anxiety in He Nuo’s eyes that he couldn’t conceal, he felt quite comforted. After he finished listening to Qiu Linsong, He Nuo looked out in a daze at the trees that were few and far in between as they zoomed past them. Qiu Linsong thought that he didn’t really want He Nuo to worry too much, so he changed the topic and asked about those unknown plants.
He Nuo introduced them as Goji plants. He had digged them up at the mountains in front of the village, and told Qiu Linsong that he knew about them when he came here to attend school before. The people in the village don’t really know what it was, but those in the city all know that if you use its fruits to make wine and tea, it would be very beneficial for the eyes.
When Qiu Linsong asked why he wanted to dig these up to bring back to their town, He Nuo looked a little embarrassed. To sell them, of course. There was a small number of migrants in their town. They would buy these back to plant them in a flower pot and grow them like they were growing flowers. The goji fruits will sprout in autumn, and although there won’t be a lot of them, you could treat them as an ornament — it would be a very beautiful sight to see those bright red fruits along its branches. When Qiu Linsong knew that each plant could only be sold for a few cents, he really “admired” He Nuo.
They only got back around 7pm. According to Qiu Linsong’s plan, they should be going straight to the hospital now to see San Ge. But He Nuo wanted to go home first so he told Qiu Linsong that he would go to the hospital tomorrow. Qiu Linsong thought that since he had pressured him into coming back, it wouldn’t be good to pressure him too much so he sent He Nuo home first before going to the hospital himself. Shi Yan’s mother was rubbing alcohol on his palms and feet while Wang Feng ate at one side. When he saw that Qiu Linsong was alone, Shi Yan’s eyes instantly dimmed, but Qiu Linsong was already smiling as he nodded, “He’s back.”
Shi Yan urged his mother to go home. Since his buddies have been accompanying him here for the past few nights and his ward was a single room, there was now an extra bed here. Mama Shi repeated all the precautions that she has been nagging him about every day before she left. Once the door closed, Shi Yan immediately asked if he was still unwilling to come.