It's scorching hot in August.
Beep beep beep——!
The shrill cicada chirps mixed with the incessant honking reverberate through the bustling streets. The blazing sun bakes the gray-brown asphalt, making the whole street seem to warp with heat. A few young guys are huddled under the scarce patches of shade by the roadside, smoking and waiting for the traffic light.
Suddenly, one of the guys, who's puffing away, seems to notice something and lets out a soft "Huh?" His gaze falls on a corner of the street.
"Arno, what are you looking at?" his buddy asks.
Arno stares at the corner, then after a while, he says, "You know... how do blind people cross the street?"
His friend is taken aback, hesitates, and then slowly replies, "Usually, blind people have someone to guide them or a guide dog. In more modern cities, there are also voice announcements at the traffic lights. If all else fails, they might inch their way across using sounds and their cane."
Arno shakes his head. "But what if there's no one to guide them, no guide dog, no voice announcements, and even their cane is being used to carry peanut oil?"
"…You think you're funny?"
His friend rolls his eyes and follows Arno's gaze. The next moment, he freezes.
At the opposite corner of the street, a young guy in a black T-shirt stands there, his eyes wrapped in thick black cloth, blocking out all light. His left hand holds a cheap shopping bag full of veggies, and his right hand grips a guide cane slung over his shoulder like a pole, with a big, shiny barrel of peanut oil hanging from the end!
Blindfold on, cane on shoulder, veggies in one hand, oil in the other...
This bizarre sight immediately grabs the attention of a crowd around.
"Hey, look, that guy's so weird."
"With that much cloth over his eyes, can he even see the road?"
"Didn't you see his cane? He's obviously blind."
"In this day and age, most blind people wear sunglasses. Who wraps their eyes in cloth on a hot day like this? Isn't it suffocating?"
"Exactly, and have you ever seen a blind person not using their cane to walk but to carry stuff?"
"Kids these days really know how to have fun."
"…"
Even the summer cicadas can't drown out the whispers of the passersby. They curiously eye the young guy, speculating whether he's really blind or not, and some even look expectantly at the blinking red light.
Just then, a clear voice rings out beside the young guy.
"Big brother, let me help you cross the street?"
There was a little girl in a school uniform, about twelve or thirteen, with a few glistening beads of sweat on her cheeks, her big, dark eyes worriedly watching the boy, pure and simple.
The boy was slightly taken aback, turned his head towards the girl, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Hmm."
He hung the bag of vegetables on his right hand, wiped the sweat off his left hand on his clothes, and gently held the girl's hand.
Click—!
The green light turned on.
The boy took a step forward, and together with the girl, they walked across the street.
The girl was very nervous, looking around cautiously at the cars on both sides, her steps careful and timid.
As for the boy... he walked steadily.
In everyone's eyes, this scene didn't look like a kind girl leading a blind person across the street, but rather like an older brother taking a little kid across the street.
The road wasn't wide, and in just a few seconds, they reached the other side. The boy thanked the girl and walked away without looking back, heading towards a secluded alley.
"He's not blind," Anuo said confidently after seeing this. "He must be able to see."
Behind Anuo, a young guy with one hand on his chin, deep in thought, suddenly realized something.
"I get it, he's cosplaying as Blind Monk!"
Smack—!
A clean slap landed on the back of his head, and Anuo cursed, "Idiot, all day long you just know how to play games. Who the hell has time to cosplay Blind Monk on a busy street? Don't want to live?"
After a pause, Anuo muttered quietly, "Besides... the Blind Monk's blindfold is red, this cosplay doesn't look right."
"Anuo, you're talking about me..."
"Shut up."
"Oh."
As the two bickered, a young man who had been silent all along watched the boy's retreating back, his brow slightly furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Anuo noticed his gaze.
"I know him."
"Know him?"
"Yes." The young man nodded. "When my cousin was still in elementary school, I heard that a student in their school had an accident, his eyes were affected, and he had to wear a black cloth over his eyes. They say he also had mental issues..."
"Mental issues?" Arnold paused, recalling the recent situation, "Seemed fine to me."
"That was ten years ago, maybe he's fully recovered by now. Back then, the incident seemed pretty big, the student dropped out not long after, and later transferred to a special school for the blind."
At that moment, another person excitedly chimed in, "So, what exactly was that accident? How could it cause both blindness and mental issues? Was it some kind of curse?"
"No idea," he paused, "But... heard it was something even more bizarre."
"Poor guy," Arnold sighed, "What's his name?"
"Seemed like, Lin... Lin... Lin Qiye?"
...
In the evening glow, Lin Qiye pushed open the door.
Almost instantly, the aroma of cooking from inside the house filled his nostrils. He sniffed, swallowed, and walked in carrying his things.
Creak—!
The old door let out a piercing squeal, drowning out the sound of cooking from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman pushed open the kitchen door, seeing Lin Qiye with bags, she exclaimed and hurried over.
"Xiao Qi, why do you always bring back so much stuff at once?" The woman wiped her hands on her apron, quickly helping Lin Qiye with his bags, nagging.
"Such a big bucket of peanut oil? You're not misusing government subsidies again, are you?"
"Auntie, the subsidies for the disabled are for living expenses, using them to buy oil is making the best use of them," Lin Qiye smiled.
"Nonsense, that money is for your college, how can you misuse it? I've told you, the money I earn from working is enough to support us three, don't you dare spend your own money."
Auntie carefully wiped the oil bucket, her expression pained, muttering softly, "Such a big bucket, and a branded one... must have cost a lot, huh?"
Before Lin Qiye could say anything, Auntie suddenly realized.
"Wait... how did you carry all this back?"
"Oh, met a few kind people on the way who helped me carry it," Lin Qiye calmly said.
"Good, good, seems there are still many good people in society... did you thank them properly?"
"Yes, I did," Lin Qiye changed the topic, "Auntie, where's Ah Jin?"
"He's doing his homework on the balcony... oh, the annual check-up doctor from the mental hospital is here, resting in the room. Go see the doctor, Auntie will finish cooking and call you."
Lin Qiye's steps paused slightly, he hummed in acknowledgment and turned towards the bedroom.
...
"Hello, I'm Dr. Li from Sunshine Mental Hospital."
Seeing Lin Qiye enter, the young man sitting on a small stool in the bedroom stood up, speaking gently. He wore big black-rimmed glasses, looking scholarly.
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Isn't it usually Dr. Han who comes?"
"Dr. Han was promoted to vice-principal last year," Dr. Li smiled, a hint of envy in his eyes.
Lin Qiye nodded slightly, hummed in acknowledgment.
Yeah, it's not surprising that Dr. Han, who's got the experience and skills, got promoted to vice-dean. It's only natural to have a younger doc do regular check-ups.
Seeing Lin Qiye sit down, Dr. Li cleared his throat and pulled out a stack of medical records from his bag.
"Sorry, since I'm new here, I don't know much about your case yet. Let me get a quick overview." Dr. Li said apologetically.
Lin Qiye nodded.
"Name is... Lin Qiye?"
"Yep."
"Seventeen years old."
"Correct."
"Birthday?"
"October 5th."
"Hmm... The records say you lost your sight ten years ago and were admitted to our hospital due to some issues?"
"That's right."
Dr. Li pondered for a moment, "Did you ever change your name?"
"...No, why do you ask?" Lin Qiye was puzzled.
Dr. Li scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Uh... Guess I overthought it."
He pointed at the age on the record and then at the phrase "ten years ago," "See, you lost your sight ten years ago, and you were seven then. Your name is Lin Qiye, so I thought maybe you changed it after losing your sight..."
Lin Qiye remained silent for a while before shaking his head, "No... I've never changed my name. My parents named me Lin Qiye before I was even born."
"That's quite... uh..." Dr. Li stopped mid-sentence, realizing it might sound impolite.
"Quite a coincidence," Lin Qiye said calmly, "Indeed, quite a coincidence."
Dr. Li felt a bit awkward but quickly changed the subject, "Uh... The records don't seem to detail the accident that caused your blindness and mental issues. If it's okay, could you tell me about it?"
Before Lin Qiye could speak, Dr. Li quickly added, "Not trying to pry, but the more we know about the patient, the better we can treat them. Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't push."
Lin Qiye sat there quietly, the black ribbon covering his eyes seemingly gazing at Dr. Li.
After a moment, he slowly spoke,
"There's nothing I can't say... but you might not believe it, and you might even send me back to the mental hospital."
"No, no, let's not see this as doctor-patient relationship, just a normal chat between friends. It won't come to that," Dr. Li said half-jokingly, "Even if you tell me you were pulled into Laozi's alchemy furnace, I'd believe you."
Lin Qiye was silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
"When I was a kid, I loved astronomy."
"Mm-hmm, and then?"
"That night, I was lying on the roof of my old house, looking at the moon."
"Did you see the Moon Rabbit?" Dr. Li chuckled.
Lin Qiye shook his head, his next words making Dr. Li's smile freeze.
"No, I saw an angel," Lin Qiye said seriously,Hands gestured in front of him.
"A seraph with six white wings, bathed in golden light."