When William woke up, it was already dark outside. He felt around for his phone for a while before finding it under his pillow.
He glanced at the time and saw it was already past eight in the evening. His back ached severely, and his stomach was also cramping badly.
It was the middle of summer, yet he was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat.
He put on his newly bought slippers and first went to the pharmacy downstairs to buy a bottle of medicine. Then he went to the restaurant he used to frequent. Before he could say anything, the owner's wife spoke up: "One California beef noodle soup, no cilantro, with green onions, extra spicy and vinegar."
William licked his lips and said, "No spicy today."
"Alright, no spicy," the owner's wife replied, then added, "It's been a while since I've seen you. You've grown so tall."
"Do you still remember me?"
"Of course, you and your grandma have been eating noodles here for so many years. How could I forget? It's just that I haven't seen you much lately."
"My grandma passed away, and I haven't been back since," the young man said, lowering his eyes, exuding an air of loneliness.
The owner's wife was taken aback by his words, then she slapped her own mouth and said, "Look at me, speaking out of turn. Don't mind me."
"It's okay, it's been several years now."
The owner's wife handed William a packed beef noodle soup and said, "I forgot to ask if you were taking it away."
William took the soup from her and said, "It's fine, I was planning to take it away anyway."
William also bought a few sausages and squatted down to feed the stray cat downstairs.
It was a black cat, thin and bony, but with bright eyes.
The older generation often said that keeping black cats was unlucky, which might be why no one wanted it.
"Are you also unwanted?" he asked.
The only response he got was a "meow."
After feeding the last sausage, William stood up, picked up the beef noodle soup, and prepared to leave, only to find the kitten following him.
"Don't follow me. I can barely take care of myself, let alone you," William stopped and looked at the kitten following him.
He walked all the way home, only to find the black cat still following him.
William squatted down and faced it for a while. The black cat's eyes were very bright. He said, "Stop following me. I have nothing more to give you."
His stomach was still very uncomfortable. William closed the door, threw the things in his hand on the dining table, opened the box, and saw a generous amount of beef on the noodles. His hand paused as he broke the chopsticks.
He ate a few mouthfuls, feeling something in his stomach, then drank some warm water, swallowed a few pills, and thought of the black cat again, wondering if it had left.
He opened the door, and it was still sitting there.
"You won't get anything good by following me. Go away."
The little black cat looked at William with bright eyes.
William finally gave in. He said, "You're unwanted, and so am I. Then you might as well follow me from now on."
The black cat, whether it understood or not, meowed a few times.
William let it in, took it to the bathroom, adjusted the water temperature, and put the black cat into the basin, washing it all over with his own body wash several times.
The black cat was very well-behaved during the bath, looking at William with its bright black eyes, not moving at all, allowing him to rinse water over it.
Some cats are afraid of water during baths, but this one was very well-behaved.
Before William finished washing, his stomach churned, and he got up and vomited into the toilet.
It wasn't until he had emptied his stomach that he felt better.
The black cat struggled out of the basin, wet and walked to William's side.
William rinsed his mouth and said, "We're not done yet, go back."
The black cat obediently returned to the basin.
After washing the cat and drying its fur with a hairdryer, he carried it to his room.
There was no cat bed at home. William found the dog bed from when he had a dog before, put some blankets on it, and said, "You'll have to make do with this for tonight."
The black cat meowed a few times in the nest, showing no signs of dislike.
William looked at his constantly lighting phone and swiped it open, looking at the messages from Daniel popping up one after another.
[William, William, are you awake?]
[You haven't sent me your address yet, William.]
[William, let me know when you wake up.]
[Super large portion of rice.]
[Picture]
[Damn, the food here is really delicious, William. I'll bring you some when you wake up.]
[Today's sunset is also very beautiful.]
[Picture]
[William, make sure to let me know when you wake up. The food here is super delicious.]
William read through his messages and replied that he was awake and had bought food.
Daniel called immediately. William looked at it for a while, then answered. Daniel's excited voice came through the phone.
"William, you have no idea, the food here is super delicious."
William said, "I've eaten."
Daniel replied with some disappointment, "I know." He sensitively noticed that William's voice was a bit low and asked, "Are you not feeling well, William?"
"No."
"Where are you living now, William?"
"At grandma's place."
"Is grandma's food good? Can I come for a meal?"
"Passed away."
"..."
In the few seconds of silence from Daniel, he brainstormed and came up with an apology.
William, however, didn't mind and said, "It's okay, it's been several years."
"Is this you running away from home, William?"
William was silent for a moment and said, "I don't know."
Daniel remembered running away from home before and not being able to hold out for a few hours, coming back hungry, and finding that his family hadn't cared about his running away at all.
It seemed like he was running away to be mad at himself.
"Isn't your dad not often home? Did you have a fight, William?"
"No, it's my mom who came."
"Did you have a fight?" Daniel couldn't figure out this relationship in his mind, and it seemed that he hadn't heard William mention his mom for a long time. He thought she was gone and didn't dare to ask.
William's voice was very light as he mentioned a few things from the past.
Daniel angrily said, "Damn, there's actually such a thing. I'm so angry, William. Don't go home, absolutely not. How can she have the nerve to come back? Does she think she can just come and go as she pleases? What does she think you are?"
Daniel finished and asked, "So what's your uncle's attitude?"
William himself was calm and said, "He can't wait for her to come back."
Now it was Daniel's turn to be silent. He used all his upbringing in these few seconds of silence. After all, they were William's parents. Although he was very angry, he didn't dare to say too much. He was silent for a long time before saying, "William, send me your address first. If you need anything, I'll bring it to you."
"No need," William said, then added, "I'm going to take a nap."
"Send me the address first before you sleep, William."
William sent a location and rubbed his stomach, covering himself with a blanket.
Daniel knew William had a stomachache and didn't dare to talk to him anymore.
Sparse stars hung in the dark night sky.
Because of the stomachache, William curled up to sleep, and at some point, a warm thing nestled into his arms.