"Four years ago, when you came to her funeral, I said that you shouldn't take this matter too seriously and that you had to let go..."
Funeral?
To be honest, Zhang Shutong was almost allergic to this word.
He quickly put together the previous information. It was known that:
Old Song's ex-girlfriend died in a car accident;
The other person was from the small island;
Old Song came to the island four years ago;
It was a winter.
Then the funeral the police officer mentioned should be his ex-girlfriend's.
The smaller the place, the more they valued these customs. His girlfriend's body was sent back to the island, and the funeral was held here.
So the reason why Old Song came to the island was not what he said, which was "to find a place to clear my head."
Funeral, winter...
Then what did Old Song mean by "I appreciate what you did for me back then"?
What did he want from the police?
Was it related to the car accident?
But didn't the car accident happen in the city?
Zhang Shutong's forehead subconsciously hit the glass door. The cold touch brought him back to his senses. He didn't have time to think too much. He continued to eavesdrop on the conversation. To his disappointment, the past of four years ago was only mentioned in passing.
"How have you been lately?" the middle-aged police officer asked again.
"Just so-so. Teaching, wandering around the island. It's quite easygoing."
"You should still not stay in a small place."
"Hey, I've gotten used to a peaceful life."
"That student just now, he looks familiar?" The police officer habitually turned his head to look inside the hall. Zhang Shutong also hid to the side.
From the corner of his eye, Old Song smiled bitterly:
"Oh, he should have been here last night. It's a long story..."
There was really no need to listen to this. He had indeed suspected Old Song and that the car accident was related to the Gu family, but Qingyi later specifically checked. The drunk driver from back then had already been sentenced, and the hit-and-run driver was someone else. It had nothing to do with Gu Qiumian's murder.
Zhang Shutong returned to the bench and looked at his phone. It was almost 4 p.m., probably in the middle of the third class. He opened his text messages again, and his mom still hadn't replied.
Zhang Shutong thought of the plots in TV shows. Could he go and look through the case files now?
But Conan was a lie. He couldn't even find where the archives were.
Even if he found them, Zhang Shutong didn't want to spend this weekend at the police station.
The warm air inside made him lazy. He seriously considered Old Song's suggestion. He really needed to go to Gu Qiumian's villa. From there to the restricted area, how long would it take, how many roads were there, how to get there... He would take the car and see first.
Today was Thursday.
Zhang Shutong found that his schedule was quite full. It would be best if he could find something tonight, and then use Friday to prepare and Saturday night to close the net. That was probably the plan.
Looking outside the door again, Old Song and the police officer had already put out their cigarettes, brushed the snow off their shoulders, and were pushing open the door to walk inside.
Who knows what the two of them said. The police officer patted Zhang Shutong's shoulder: "Good job, kid."
The other person made a joke, probably still busy. He was about to leave in a hurry, but Zhang Shutong grabbed him and said, "Uncle, can I have your number?"
The middle-aged police officer was a little surprised, but he still gave him the number.
Besides "Officer Xiong," he also saved "Officer Wang" in his contacts, like collecting stamps. He planned to find him when he had time to ask about Old Song.
Zhang Shutong thought that if there was such a thing as reputation points in reality, he would have maxed out his reputation with the police station.
Old Song sat down next to Zhang Shutong and also laughed:
"What, you want to be a police officer in the future?"
Zhang Shutong shook his head. He was actually a pretty lazy person.
"You just did a great deed last night, and the commendation banner hasn't even arrived yet. Today you did another one. I just asked. Although there's no bonus, the school and the police station can let you pick a small gift. Have you thought about what you want?"
Zhang Shutong was thinking, but things were happening one after another. Zhou Ziheng's mom arrived not long after and started crying when she saw Song Nanshan. Old Song also had a headache. He thought, "What's there to comfort her about?" But being cold-faced was also meaningless. At this time, the dean of students saved the day, telling the master and apprentice to go back to school first and that he would handle things here.
Before they left, the other person also instructed Old Song:
"Go back and pay more attention to classmate Gu Qiumian's state. This heavy responsibility is entrusted to you, Teacher Song..."
Old Song agreed repeatedly. In his words, he wished he could fly back to school immediately. When the two of them left the police station and walked a little farther, he stretched:
"Every single day, what a mess... Come on, let's buy a bottle of water."
He went back to his nagging personality:
"I didn't even eat lunch. Want me to show you around? We'll be back at school during the fourth period anyway, so it doesn't matter if we're early or late."
The police station was located in the city center, at a crossroads. There was a small convenience store right across the street. Zhang Shutong remembered that Du Kang's family restaurant was nearby.
Zhang Shutong didn't care, but Old Song sighed and said, "I almost forgot that Qiumian is waiting. Never mind, never mind."
They went to the convenience store and bought two bottles of Red Bull. Old Song also bought four extra grilled sausages, the kind that were constantly rolling in the machine. He gave one to Zhang Shutong and finished one himself in a few bites. By the time they got to the car, he had two more bamboo skewers in his hand.
The Focus car started again.
Old Song's mood was clearly different on the way back. He was about to turn on the radio to listen to music, but Zhang Shutong didn't give him a chance and said directly, "Teacher, I want to ask you a few questions."
"What's up? Go ahead."
"How much do you know about Lu Qinglian?"
Old Song was again shocked. He didn't even eat his sausage and said, "That draft paper was indeed right. I thought you only liked Gu Qiumian, but it turns out you're also thinking about another one. You absolutely cannot have one in the bowl while looking at the one in the pot!"
Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes and said, "First, I don't like Gu Qiumian. Second, I don't like Lu Qinglian either. Finally, the draft paper was really an accident." When he said this, he realized he had held out three fingers. He remembered what Qingyi said, and he didn't even realize he had this little habit.
Zhang Shutong then pulled his hand back and changed the question:
"I found that her family's financial situation is not very good. Do she and her grandma rely on the money from the temple?"
But Old Song said, "Don't change the subject."
Zhang Shutong was helpless. He swore on the Focus that if he was lying, the car would stall immediately.
Old Song said, "Go away, go away. Why are you swearing on my beloved car?" But he then looked at Zhang Shutong's expression and found that it didn't seem to be fake. He then said seriously:
"Probably. Maybe there's a small government subsidy. Why are you asking?"
"I'm a little curious about the temple her family runs."
"It's pretty average. It's a small local temple with a courtyard and stone-paved paths. You walk in, there's a main hall, and two side halls. To me, these temples are all the same, with red walls and green tiles... and there's a big fringetree in the courtyard, and a rack where you can hang wish plaques. I even made a wish there once."
Zhang Shutong said, "I'm not asking you what's fun there. I mean, since it's called Green Snake Temple, where is the green snake?"
"Just a big green snake. I'm not a religious person, so I don't have any taboos. Since I went, I just bowed. A sincere heart will make things happen."
Zhang Shutong then asked:
"How did this Green Snake Temple come about? Why not some other temple?"
He had just searched on Baidu and found a legend, which was what Lu Qinglian told him when she was fishing:
Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple, and in the temple was a girl... No, there was a green snake. Legend has it that a long, long time ago, this place was not a small island, but a huge pit, and the Green Snake God resided here, and its body formed the small island.
Zhang Shutong even suspected that Lu Qinglian memorized it from Baidu Baike.
He told this to Old Song, who also laughed:
"Just listen to it. To put it bluntly, it's all superstition. I heard there's more of it in the coastal areas of the south. A single village can even build a temple."
"I remember two or three years ago, when you were in eighth grade, the country had a policy to relocate the mountain people living in the mountains to the city. Although her family's situation is a bit different, it still meets the conditions if they really wanted to. The government people went to ask and called me to mediate, but her grandma didn't want to. And this matter is quite complicated. Her family's temple is actually a small tourist spot. Many people come here specifically to visit. Isn't there a saying that's popular in recent years, 'building a cultural symbol and a tourism city'? The Green Snake Temple is probably considered a 'symbol.' Many things piled up, and the matter was dropped."
With that, Old Song became a little worried:
"What I'm worried about is something else. It's not a good thing for Qinglian to stay in the temple all the time. Although as a teacher, I should respect their beliefs, she still has to go to high school and college and find a job. She can't be a... a temple keeper for the rest of her life, can she?"
Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Don't worry. This time, without my interference, her going to high school is not a big problem."
Zhang Shutong then asked, "Are there any other things? Can you tell me more?"
"Other than that, I think you students know more than I do. Does her walking to school every day count? I used to ask her if she needed me to buy her a bicycle, it's not expensive, but she said no. Oh, and there's a vegetable patch next to the temple, and they raise a few chickens. Qinglian once gave me a basket of eggs..."
These were all trivial matters.
Zhang Shutong didn't want to hear about this. He was actually asking Old Song if there was anything unusual about Lu Qinglian.
After listening to a lot, he could say that everything was unusual, but that was relative to an average student.
He now realized that he knew so little about Lu Qinglian before. They were classmates for more than three years, but he knew nothing about her.
Zhang Shutong recalled and suddenly remembered that during parent-teacher conferences, they would write their names on a piece of paper and place it on their seats. Soon after, parents would find their respective seats, and the students would huddle in the back of the classroom, giggling and whispering... It would be as lively as a pot of boiling dumplings. When Old Song glared at them, the parents of the naughty students would consciously turn their heads to look for their own sons and daughters.
Lu Qinglian's seat was always empty.
So it was always awkward when they read the grades.
Lu Qinglian was always the first place. When Old Song praised her from the podium, the parents below would look at each other, but no one claimed it. When he read the second place, which was usually Zhang Shutong, his mom would stand up with a smile, accepting the applause from the people around her.
Anyway, in a student's life, a good grade was a great honor. It was the dream of many parents, who would say to their child with disappointment, "Look at how good other people's children are." But the first place in their class was absent for more than three years, and no one had ever seen what the parents of the first-place student looked like until they were about to graduate from junior high school.
Later, the parents also got used to it and automatically skipped this rank, as if the grade sheet of class 4-1 started from the second place.
But Zhang Shutong couldn't think of where Lu Qinglian went at that time. Did she stand with them at the back of the classroom? Or did she go to the rooftop by herself? Or had she already returned to the mountain?
So he asked:
"What about her parents?"
Old Song scratched his head:
"That? It seems they went to another city a long time ago. I didn't ask for details. You know, some things have the same outcome whether you ask or not, so it's better not to open your mouth."
It seemed to be true.
Anyway, her parents didn't show up at the funeral.
Zhang Shutong turned his head and looked at the street view outside the window. The road was lonely. This small piece of land had always been like this. He only studied for four years and then left. What if he stayed here for another eight years?
Or what if he lived in the same place for his entire life and never even left the island?
No matter which timeline, Lu Qinglian stayed on this island.
These eight years were a blink of an eye for him, but for others, it was a heavy amount of time.
At this time, Old Song said:
"Actually, you two are quite similar."
Zhang Shutong nodded absent-mindedly and said, "I guess so. I might not be talkative, but overall, I'm pretty normal."
"Who are you calling names, boy? Are you saying Qinglian isn't a normal person?" Song Nanshan scolded with a smile. "I think you're thinking too much about that girl. It's not just you; other students are too. Her family situation is special, but she's still a child the same age as you, isn't she?"
Zhang Shutong said, "She's much more mature than an average child."
"You're also pretty mature. What normal kid goes to the police station with his teacher?"
Zhang Shutong shrugged.
"Think about it. Why is Qinglian always first in her grade?"
"Because she's smart."
"Wrong. It shows that she loves learning."
This sentence was a bit humorous for some reason.
But Old Song said seriously:
"I'm not joking. Although this is not popular anymore, think about it. For you, going to school is a burden, like being in prison. You wish for holidays every day. But it's different for Qinglian. She has to get up at five or six in the morning, regardless of wind or rain. It takes her an hour just to get here. It can't be for exercise. So I'm saying, now that families have better conditions, you look down on things and think they're ordinary, but for some people, they are opportunities they have to work hard for."
Zhang Shutong was convinced. He thought about it and realized it was true. Regardless of what identity the girl played outside of school, at least in the role of a "student," she always performed her duties diligently.
Old Song then said earnestly:
"She's actually a lot like you. She's not without wants and desires. Can a person without wants and desires be called normal? She's just especially slow-witted. Sometimes she doesn't even realize it herself."
Zhang Shutong asked in confusion, "Is that so?" Where was he slow-witted? He had always known what he wanted, which was a normal life. But Old Song just smiled and didn't say anything.
In this way, the two of them went to the police station for a tour and quickly returned to school. That's why Zhang Shutong couldn't understand why Ruoping and the others were so excited and insisted on going with him. They really thought it was a good errand.
Zhang Shutong watched with disgust as Old Song pushed open the car door with his greasy hand—he had just finished the last sausage. The two of them were about to go to the dean's office when Zhang Shutong's phone vibrated. It was from his mom. She was finally off work.
His mom wasn't a procrastinator. She told him to call her back after school, as typing was too troublesome.
Zhang Shutong then told Old Song not to worry about him. He walked into the teaching building, found a place out of the wind, and called her back.
It was the fourth period, and the hall was empty. He could hear the sounds of lectures coming from the classrooms, but because it was almost time to leave school, the atmosphere in the classes was much more restless.
"Hello, hello, son!"
At this time, a woman's voice suddenly came from the phone. His mom's voice was super loud. He didn't know why she was always so energetic.
Zhang Shutong was startled, afraid of disturbing others in class, and moved to the stairwell.
"It's not time to leave school yet, is it?" his mom asked in confusion. "Where are you?"
He explained the situation again. His mom laughed and said, "I'd like to see what kind of girl makes my son so devoted."
Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Actually, you've already seen her. You even wanted her phone number."
He stopped talking nonsense and got to the point, asking if there were any other suspicious places besides the commercial street.
"I see why you suddenly asked me for the development map. But aren't you worrying too much? Boys who are too clingy are not liked by girls, you know?"
Fortunately, his mom was only teasing. She yawned:
"Okay, let's just consider it something to do. But I really don't remember any places similar to the commercial street... How about I send you the plan later? You be careful."
Zhang Shutong said yes. Just as he was about to hang up, his mom asked, "What are you eating tonight?"
He was going to Gu Qiumian's house later and planned to just grab a quick bite outside of school. But it was snowing today, so there were no food stalls, and he couldn't eat that strange bun. Fortunately, the rice bowl restaurant was still open.
At this time, a confused voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Huh, is it snowing?"
Zhang Shutong said, "You're so carefree. It's been snowing all afternoon."
"I've been busy," his mom suddenly became a little worried. "I'll come and pick you up then. Don't leave yet."
Zhang Shutong said no. His homeroom teacher would give him a ride home.
As for which home, Zhang Shutong didn't say.
His mom then said, "There's a down jacket for you in the third cabinet at home. Don't forget to get it out. Never mind, never mind. I'll go home tonight and take you tomorrow..."
This kind of conversation never ends. Zhang Shutong looked at the time and told his mom that it was almost time for school to end and that he had to hang up. He walked toward the class, holding the railing. There was no need to go back to the class. He just glanced out the window in the hallway and saw that parents were starting to gather at the school gate.
Many were standing next to the electric sliding doors, as if they would rush into the teaching building to pick up their children as soon as the bell rang.
School ending, melted snow, a group of noisy students and their parents...
He could probably imagine how noisy it would be soon.
Zhang Shutong simply went to the office and sat down. He found a disposable paper cup and poured some water. He had just taken a small sip when Boss Gu's development map was sent to him.
His mom was really efficient.
But as Zhang Shutong downloaded the file and looked at the screen, his temples started to throb.
This kind of thing needed to be magnified even when viewed on a computer, let alone on a small phone screen. There was a computer in the office, and he wondered if he should borrow it, but it was best not to leak this kind of plan. In fact, his mom sending it to him was already a bit against the rules.
He then frowned and squinted, moving the phone closer to his face, feeling like he was entering his senior years early.
He zoomed in on the map, moved it little by little, first confirmed the north, south, east, and west, and then rotated the phone to look for the commercial street.
Although the small island was not big, when it was condensed on the phone screen, it took Zhang Shutong a lot of effort just to locate the commercial street.
The school bell seemed to have rung, but he didn't pay attention. He was still studying the map while waiting for Old Song to come back.
Commercial street, commercial street...
This thing was too hard to find.
He changed his approach, first looked for the mall, and then moved the screen along the mall. Only then did he see a street that met the criteria.
Found it.
The future plan for this place was also a commercial street, which would connect with the expanded mall to form a commercial plaza.
Zhang Shutong then looked for other places.
It was noisy in his ears. People were going in and out. His close friends probably didn't expect him to be sitting here. In fact, they had already sent him QQ messages, but Zhang Shutong didn't have time to reply. He was still studying the map. If he exited, he would have to start over.
He remembered the commercial facilities he heard about before, including a resort, a movie theater, and a hotel...
He looked at them all, and they were all in the suburbs.
Until he found a tower-like symbol.
A tourist attraction?
Zhang Shutong didn't remember hearing about building something like this before.
Gu's father once said that he wanted to turn the island into a 5A-rated scenic area. Zhang Shutong had always thought that he wanted to rely on the natural scenery. Was it man-made instead?
But he couldn't tell what this was.
It seemed to be in the east. The east was the mountain.
He thought for a while, staring at the screen, trying to figure out where on the mountain this was. He was about to take a screenshot and thought he would just ask his mom directly.
But a cold voice suddenly came from beside him:
"This is the Green Snake Temple."