Winter Time Rendering

The other three lived in the north—not by coincidence, but because that’s where the residential district was.

Zhang Shutong was the only exception. He lived to the east because his parents had been transferred here for work. There was no need for them to build their own house, so the family of three now lived in the employee dorms built by Father Gu.

And while it was called a "dormitory," the conditions were comparable to a commercial three-bedroom apartment, a full ninety square meters.

Normally, this was how they parted ways. The three of them would go in one direction, while Zhang Shutong went off on his own. Everyone went their separate ways. But this time, there was a new variable: what about Lu Qinglian?

Zhang Shutong belatedly recalled something. Cyan Snake Mountain was also to the east, so they were heading in the same direction. How else would he know about the little convenience store at the foot of the mountain? Though, the mountain itself was even farther east than his house.

Ruoping insisted that he had to walk Lu Qinglian home before heading back himself. It was dangerous so late at night; he couldn’t let a girl walk home alone. ’If we walk back together,’ Zhang Shutong thought, ’it won’t be me protecting her. It’ll be more like her protecting me.’

But that was just a joke. There was no reason to hesitate over something so minor, so he nodded and agreed.

Du Kang had learned his lesson this time. He wasn’t jealous, nor did he pester them to go along. He just clapped Zhang Shutong solemnly on the shoulder and said, "You two be careful on your way." It made Zhang Shutong feel he’d matured quite a bit.

With that settled, they all waved goodbye.

Zhang Shutong was so tired his eyelids felt heavy. He didn’t care about propriety between men and women right now; the most important thing was getting Lu Qinglian home quickly. He was about to pat the back of his bicycle for her to hop on when he realized there was no seat. He’d long since modified it to hold a box.

’No wonder that kid Du Kang was so agreeable...’

Still, the police station wasn’t too far from the mountain. The island itself wasn’t large—why else would they call it a small island?

It was five kilometers long from north to south and about 2.5 kilometers wide from east to west, with a total area of roughly nine square kilometers. The permanent population was around 8,000. Even so, it was already the largest inland island in the northern part of the country.

Besides, the police station wasn’t on the far west side of the island. The walk to the mountain from here would take twenty minutes at most.

So Zhang Shutong pushed his bike with Lu Qinglian walking beside him, and the two of them cut through the town center.

The so-called town center was just a small block formed by a few main streets lined with department stores, restaurants, cell phone shops, and supermarkets. None of the signs lit up; the only light came from the streetlamps. The island’s residents had no nightlife to speak of. As far as the eye could see, the streetlamps cast a yellow glow upon the asphalt.

One small convenience store still had its lights on. Zhang Shutong asked Lu Qinglian if she wanted some water, but the girl shook her head, and they continued on their way.

"Your family must be getting worried, right?" Zhang Shutong asked, just then remembering she didn’t have a phone and hadn’t been able to call.

"It’s fine. She knows I’m out tonight."

’The "she" she mentioned must be her grandmother.’ He remembered Du Kang saying at the funeral that Lu Qinglian and her grandmother had relied on each other all these years.

’But where were her parents?’

’And I remember Du Kang also said that her grandmother had passed away before Lu Qinglian’s own death. In a few more years, the girl would have been completely alone.’

But Zhang Shutong didn’t want to pry into her family affairs. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he said something else instead:

"If you ever need anything, feel free to contact any of us."

’He probably didn’t even need to say that. After tonight, Ruoping and the others would likely see Lu Qinglian as a comrade-in-arms.’

’Better to talk about something more lighthearted.’

"When did you tell your grandmother?" Zhang Shutong asked casually. "After school?"

"At noon."

’Noon?’

’But you weren’t even back at school then. Weren’t you sweeping snow at the temple?’

’Did your grandmother have some kind of premonition that you’d be out tonight?’

’Guess she just doesn’t want to talk about it.’

Zhang Shutong took her answer as a signal that she didn’t want to discuss her family.

Then, another question that had been bugging him for a while came to mind.

"So, what were you really doing out here tonight?" Zhang Shutong asked, curious.

Before she could answer, he cut in.

"And don’t tell me you were out fighting crime."

"For now, you can understand it that way," the girl replied nonchalantly.

Zhang Shutong shrugged and fell silent.

’If he asked again, he would... He hadn’t decided what he’d do, but he definitely wouldn’t ask again.’

They walked in silence for a while, and another question occurred to Zhang Shutong.

"You’re so skilled. Why did you hide back then?"

Hearing this, the girl stopped in her tracks. She turned, looked directly into Zhang Shutong’s eyes, and said calmly,

"Because of you..."