The scorching month of August.
Drip, drip, drip—!
The piercing chirping of cicadas mingled with the intermittent honking of horns, echoing through the bustling streets. The blazing sun baked the grey-brown asphalt pavement, and the heat surged, making the entire street seem to warp.
Under the sparse patches of shade along the roadside, a few young people huddled together, smoking cigarettes and waiting for the traffic lights.
The young man named Arno stared blankly at the corner of the street for a moment before speaking. "You know... how do blind people cross the road?"
His companion paused, hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied, "Generally, blind people are accompanied by someone when they go out, or guided by a guide dog. In more modern cities, there are also audio announcements at traffic lights. If all else fails, perhaps they could rely on sound and a guide cane to slowly make their way across?"
Arno shook his head. "But what if there's no one to look after them, no guide dog, no audio announcements, and even the guide cane is being used to carry peanut oil?"
"…Do you think you're being funny?"
His companion rolled his eyes, followed Arno's gaze, and froze in place the next moment.
Across the street, a teenager in a black short-sleeved shirt stood there, his eyes tightly wrapped in several layers of black fabric, completely blocking out all light.
His left hand held a cheap shopping bag filled with vegetables, while his right hand pulled a guide cane slung over his shoulder, as if carrying a扁担. At the end of the guide cane, a large barrel of golden peanut oil shone brightly in the sunlight!
Black cloth over the eyes, guide cane on the shoulder, vegetables in the left hand, oil in the right...
This bizarre scene immediately caught the attention of a crowd of people around him.
"Hey, look, that guy is so strange."
"With all that cloth over his eyes, can he even see the path?"
"Didn't you see the guide cane in his hand? He's blind, okay?"
"What era are we in? Most blind people wear sunglasses these days. Who would wrap their eyes in silk on a hot day? Don't they fear suffocation?"
"Exactly. And have you ever seen a blind person use a cane to carry things instead of walking?"
"Young people these days sure know how to have fun."
"…"
The summer cicadas couldn't drown out the whispers of the people around them. They looked at the young man curiously, quietly discussing whether he was really blind or just pretending, while waiting for the red light to change.
Just then, a clear voice came from beside the young man.
"Brother, let me help you cross the road."
It was a young girl in a school uniform, around twelve or thirteen years old, with a few droplets of sweat glistening on her cheeks. Her large, dark eyes gazed at the young man with concern, pure and simple.
The young man paused for a moment, turned his head toward the girl, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Sure."
He hung the bag of vegetables on his right hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his left hand, and gently took the little girl's hand.
Click!
The green light came on.
The young man took a step forward and walked across the road with the little girl.
The little girl was nervous, looking left and right at the vehicles on both sides, her steps cautious and timid.
The road wasn't wide, and in just a few seconds, the two reached the other side. The young man thanked the little girl and then walked away without looking back, heading toward a secluded alley.
A young man behind Arno rested his chin on one hand, deep in thought. Then, as if he had suddenly realised something, he exclaimed:
"I get it! He's cosplaying as a blind monk!"
A loud slap echoed as a hand struck the back of his head. Arno cursed under his breath, "You idiot! Who the hell has time to cosplay as a blind monk on the street? You're just wasting your life playing games all day
A loud slap landed on the back of his head, and Arno cursed, "You idiot, all you do is play games. Who the hell has nothing better to do than cosplay as a blind monk on the street? Don't you want to live?"
After a two-second pause, Arno muttered under his breath, "Besides... Blind Monk's eye-covering cloth is red, and this cosplay doesn't look right either."
"Arno, you're still talking about me..."
"Shut up."
"Oh."
As the two were arguing, the young man who had been silent all along watched the teenager's departing figure, his brows slightly furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Anno noticed his gaze.
"I know him."
"You know him?"
"That's right." The young man nodded. "When my cousin was still in primary school, I heard that a student at their school had an accident and developed vision problems, forcing him to cover his eyes with black silk. They also said he had mental issues..."
"Mental issues?" Arno paused, recalling the recent situation. "I didn't notice anything unusual."
Just then, another person excitedly interjected, "Speaking of which, what kind of accident was it? Something that could cause blindness and mental issues? Could it have been supernatural?"
"I don't know," he paused, "but... I heard it was something even more bizarre than that."
"He's a tragic figure," Arno sighed, "What's his name?"
"I think it's... Lin... Lin... Lin Qiyè?"
...
As the evening sun set, Lin Qiyè pushed open the door.
Almost instantly, the aroma of food wafted out from inside the house, filling his nostrils. He sniffed, swallowed, and carried his belongings into the house.
Squeak—!
The old door emitted a piercing screech, drowning out the sound of stir-frying from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman opened the kitchen door and, upon seeing Lin Qiyè carrying a large bag, gasped and hurried forward. The woman wiped her hands on her apron, hurriedly took the items from Lin Qiyè, and chattered on.
"Nonsense, that money is saved for your university education. How can you misuse it? I'll tell you this: the money I earn from working is enough to support the three of us. Don't spend it recklessly."
The aunt gently wiped the oil barrel with her hand, her expression pained, and muttered softly, "Such a large barrel of oil, and it's a branded one… It must have cost a lot, right?"
Before Lin Qiyè could say anything, Auntie suddenly realised something.
"Wait… how did you bring all this back?"
"Oh, I met a few kind-hearted people on the way who helped me bring it back," Lin Qiyè said calmly.
"Good, good. It seems there are still more good people in society… Did you properly thank them?"
"I did." Lin Qiyè changed the subject. "Auntie, where's Ah Jin?"
"He's doing his homework on the balcony... Oh, the doctor from the mental hospital came for the routine check-up this year. He's resting in the room. Go see the doctor, and I'll go cook. I'll call you when it's ready."
Lin Qiyè paused for a moment, nodded, and turned towards the bedroom.
...
"Hello, I'm Dr. Li from the Sunshine Mental Hospital."
Seeing Lin Qiyè enter the room, the young man sitting on a small stool in the bedroom stood up and spoke gently. He wore a pair of large black-framed glasses, giving him an intellectual appearance.
Lin Qiyè raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wasn't it always Dr. Han who came before?"
"Dr. Han was promoted to deputy director last year." Dr. Li smiled, a hint of envy flickering in his eyes.
Seeing Lin Qiyè sit down, Dr. Li cleared his throat and pulled out a stack of medical records from his bag.
"Sorry, I'm new here and not very familiar with your condition yet, so I'll just ask a few basic questions first." Dr. Li spoke apologetically.
Lin Qiyè nodded.
"Name is… Lin Qiyè?"
"Yes."
"Seventeen years old."
"Yes."
"Birthday?"
"October 5th."
"Hmm… The medical records say you lost your vision in both eyes ten years ago and were admitted to our hospital due to some issues?"
"Yes."
Dr. Li paused for a moment, "Have you changed your name?"
"… No, why do you ask?" Lin Qiyè was taken aback.
Dr. Li scratched his head awkwardly, "Cough... I guess I was overthinking it."
He pointed to the age on the medical record, then to the words "ten years ago," "You lost your sight ten years ago, when you were seven years old, and your name happens to be Lin Qiyè, so I assumed you changed your name after losing your sight..."
Lin Qiyè remained silent for a long time, then shook his head. "No… I've never changed my name. My parents named me Lin Qiyè before I was even born."
Dr. Li felt a bit awkward, but he quickly changed the subject. "Hmm... The medical records don't seem to provide much detail about the accident that caused your blindness and mental disorder. Would you mind telling me about it?"
Before Lin Qiyè could speak, Dr. Li hurriedly added, "I don't mean to be intrusive. The more I understand about the patient, the better I can treat them. Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you."
Lin Qiyè sat quietly, his eyes beneath the black ribbon seeming to fix on Dr. Li.
"No, no, no. Don't think of our relationship as that of doctor and patient. This is just normal conversation between friends. It won't go that far." Dr. Li said half-jokingly, "Even if you told me you were dragged into a alchemy furnace by the Supreme Elder Lord, I'd believe you."
Lin Qiyè fell silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
"When I was a child, I loved astronomy."
"Hmm, and then?"
"That night, I lay under the eaves of my old house and looked at the moon."
"An archangel shrouded in golden light, with six white wings."