Fang Yuan agreed.
In fact, she was also curious about Su Ya and wanted to know more about her.
Su Ya remained silent along the way, so Fang Yuan could only follow her silently.
After leaving the medical school, they boarded a bus and rode for over an hour, finally getting off in the far suburbs.
After getting off the bus, they saw a vast mountain covered in verdant pines and cypresses, and beneath them lay countless graves.
This was the Nanjiang City cemetery.
What was Su Ya doing here? Why had she brought Fang Yuan with her?
It wasn't a day for tomb sweeping, so the cemetery was deserted. Looking out, the gray tombstones stood silently, speechless, like a pantomime in an old black-and-white movie.
The two climbed the mountain and walked for a while, reaching a newly opened cemetery halfway up the mountain. Su Ya stopped. In front of her was a new grave. Fang Yuan studied the tombstone for a moment. The inscription on it read: "Guo Qinglong's Tomb." His birthdate was August 1984, and his death date was April 2004. A black-and-white photo was affixed to the tombstone. The boy in the photo was imposing and bright-eyed. It was a pity he should die so young.
Su Ya remained silent, lighting incense and burning paper money. The flames flickered, swaying here and there in the autumn wind. Some paper money embers leaped from the ground, swirling and drifting, trying to grasp the autumn wind's hand and soar higher into the sky. However, the relentless wind ripped them into smaller and smaller pieces, ultimately reducing them to black dust, falling helplessly and blending into the soil. For some reason, Fang Yuan felt a sense of oppression as she looked at Su Ya. An inexplicable sadness welled up within her, as if she were hearing a mournful piece of music. Throughout, Su Ya remained calm, never uttering a single cry. Her eyes grew red, as if she were trying hard to hold back tears, but she couldn't, and the tears flowed silently, unstoppable.
The incense and candles still burned, but the paper money gradually extinguished. In the vast cemetery, they were the only two people there to visit the graves. The setting sun cast long shadows on them, creating a quiet and cold scene against the backdrop of verdant pines and cypresses.
The sky seemed to be falling.
Su Ya pressed her face against the cold tombstone, her hands caressing the photo on it, and slowly closed her eyes.
—She whispered to herself, to the deceased in the grave.
Su Ya's expression began to change. Sometimes she smiled brightly through her tears, sometimes she was filled with worry and concern, sometimes she whispered quietly and looked peaceful, but more often she was filled with sadness and despair, her face ashen.
Fang Yuan didn't disturb her, standing quietly by her side, letting her talk freely and silently to the grave.
It wasn't clear how long it took before Su Ya stood up from the grave, covered in dirt. She looked at Fang Yuan, a bit embarrassed, and brushed off the dirt on her clothes. "He's the most important person in my life."
Fang Yuan forced a smile. "It's okay. Everyone has a past."
"Past?" Su Ya suddenly sneered. "I don't have a past."
Fang Yuan was stunned. She hadn't expected Su Ya to be so sensitive about the word "past."
Su Ya glanced fondly at the photo on the tombstone, wiped away a tear, and said, "You must be wondering why I asked you to come here."
"Yes."
Supposedly, this was Su Ya's private matter. Why had she specifically invited Fang Yuan along?
"You've been sitting in the woods for so long, and you haven't figured it out yet?"
"Thinking through what?" Fang Yuan was even more confused.
Su Ya gazed down the mountain and said quietly, "I asked you to come with me, not to visit his grave, but to find a chance to talk to you alone."
"A chance to talk alone?" Fang Yuan seemed to understand. "You mean..."
"Yes!" Su Ya said bluntly. "I suspect someone is plotting against our dorm. Don't you think there have been too many strange things happening in our dorm since the start of school?"
"Yes, there's something strange about our dorm. Ever since we moved in, all kinds of strange things have happened. Besides, Qin Yanping died, Tao Bing'er died, and Xu Zhaodi inexplicably became a vegetable." Fang Yuan had considered this, but She couldn't understand. "You suspect someone's behind this?"
"Yes."
"But Qin Yanping and Tao Bing'er committed suicide, and Xu Zhaodi didn't have any wounds."
"That's the terrifying thing about that person. I can't figure out how he could do it," Su Ya sighed. "Maybe it's not a person, but something else."
"Su Ya, think about it. You're so smart and calm. Maybe you can figure it out. I've been so frightened these past few days, and my mind is all over the place." Fang Yuan felt a glimmer of hope. With so much going on in the girls' dormitory, Su Ya was the only one who hadn't been caught up in it. A bystander could see more clearly. Perhaps she could really help to unravel the mystery and find a clue.
Su Ya shook her head. "Forget it, I can't figure it out. I just know they know everything we say and do. Whether it's a person or something else hiding behind the scenes, we're not safe in this dorm. That's why I've asked you out to discuss this."
Fang Yuan sympathized. "I think there's something hidden in this dorm, watching us from the shadows. So, what do you mean? Should we move?"
Su Ya gritted her teeth, her face determined. "No, on the contrary, we're not only going to continue living there, but we're also going to have to keep each other safe." "Look after each other, and find the mastermind behind this!"
"Aren't you afraid of ending up like Qin Yanping, Tao Bing'er, and Xu Zhaodi?"
Su Ya sneered. "I'm not a coward like them. I don't believe he could ever force me to commit suicide!"
"Okay!" Fang Yuan's heart suddenly surged with hope. She took a step forward and reached out to grasp Su Ya's hand. "Let's look after each other, proceed cautiously, and find him! Avenge Qin Yanping, Tao Bing'er, and Xu Zhaodi!"
The sky suddenly darkened, and thick dark clouds obscured the setting sun, swirling and surging. The autumn wind grew wilder, roaring and swirling across the cemetery, shaking the green pines and cypresses, ruffling leaves from the ground. Even the upright gray tombstones seemed to sway.
Yellow sand rose, and fallen leaves drifted. Fang Yuan and Su Ya were blinded by the gust of wind.
"Let's go."
The two of them descended the mountain and, having just taken shelter at the bus station, a torrential downpour began.
Buses to the suburbs only departed every half hour, and this bus station was particularly remote. Unless it was a special day, there were hardly any people around. And now, there were only the two of them.
Waiting grew boring. Seeing that Su Ya's expression wasn't as cold as usual, Fang Yuan, unable to suppress her curiosity, cautiously asked, "Su Ya, who are you worshipping just now?"
Su Ya was suddenly startled, her eyes cold as she stared at Fang Yuan, making her feel uncomfortable.
Fang Yuan avoided Su Ya's gaze and said, "If you don't want to tell me, don't tell me. Just pretend I didn't ask."
Su Ya's eyes dimmed. She stood in the wind, her arms folded, her figure bleak. The strong wind ruffled her hair and wrinkled the skin on her face. At this moment, Su Ya looked a little melancholy.
Su Ya said the boy buried in the grave was the most important person in her life. But what about her family? Her parents, her siblings? In her heart, none of them held as much weight as he did. He should have been her friend, but how could he have died so young?
At this moment, Su Ya seemed lost in memories again, and after a long pause, she said quietly, "He was my lover, and he died for me."
Su Ya seemed distant as she spoke, as if recounting an ancient legend.
Suddenly, Fang Yuan didn't want to ask anything. She thought of her mother.
Father and mother were her closest relatives. She remembered the old saying: There are no bad parents in the world. Parents give birth to their children, devote their heart and soul to raising them, and no matter what sacrifices they make, it's all for their children's good.
Fang Yuan had a happy childhood. Her parents didn't dislike her because she was a girl. In rural areas, abortions for girls were common, but her parents resolutely gave birth to her.
Happy days always pass so quickly. Fang Yuan never imagined she would lose the care of both her father and mother. Her father chose to sacrifice his life to protect his students when the school building collapsed. If his death was merely an accident, why did her mother so heartlessly abandon her?
After her father's burial, her mother only stayed with her for a year before leaving their home and disappearing. Fang Yuan became an orphan, unwanted. She couldn't understand why her mother didn't want her. Was she being unruly, unintelligent, or was there something else? Fang Yuan used to blame herself, crying out in her dreams for her mother to come home. Yes, she believed her mother would come home. How could she abandon her? But the days passed, one, two... a month, two... a year, two... and she finally gave up. Her mother wouldn't come back.