Die Landschaft ist wie ein Gemälde

Kapitel 10

I opened the window and looked out; there was indeed no one behind me. It was dark, empty, and quiet. All I could see was a dirt road and overgrown weeds.

"Drive! Drive! This is just a waste of time. What's so interesting about it? Nobody's taking the ride. Let's go!" the ticket seller shouted at the driver.

The car door closed, and the car continued moving forward with a rhythmic churning sound.

I closed the window, settled down, and let out a sigh of relief; perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me. I leaned back in my seat, hoping to take a nap; by then, it would be dawn. The long-distance bus moved along like an old ox, and we were all half-asleep. Through my half-closed eyelids, I thought I saw a shadow moving outside the window, and my heart skipped a beat. I opened my eyes and saw a young man reflected in the glass. He looked to be around twenty, with thick black hair, a pale face, a faded shirt, and blue jeans—typical student attire. But his face was blurry; perhaps due to the bumpy ride, the reflection on the glass grew increasingly indistinct, until it disappeared completely…

I jumped up from my seat in surprise, waking the woman next to me. She was a woman around thirty years old, with a plain face, wearing a beige short-sleeved shirt and black casual pants. Apart from a handbag she was clutching tightly in her hand, she had no other distinguishing features. We exchanged a glance, smiled awkwardly, and went back to dozing off.

The car suddenly lurched violently, and the woman next to me jumped up with a "whoosh," shouting, "Don't go! Catch the bad guy!" Her hands instinctively reached out and grabbed my sleeve, tearing at it fiercely. Her desperate shouts gave me goosebumps: Was this woman mentally unstable?

When she woke up, my sleeves were torn into a pretzel, and the people around me were also awake.

"What happened? You scared me half to death! I thought I'd seen a thief!"

"Hey! It's always better to be careful, there might actually be a thief on this bus!"

"Mind your own business! I think that woman is having a nightmare..."

After a few bursts of noise, it quieted down again.

I turned my head and saw that Apple and Jeep were still fast asleep, they must be exhausted.

"I'm so sorry, young lady! I wasn't paying attention and I pulled you. Look, I'm really sorry, I pulled you pretty hard. Are you alright?" The woman apologized to me, without any ill intent.

"It's okay, you had a nightmare, it wasn't on purpose. I'll go back and wash up and feel better." I smiled at her.

The woman's hands trembled as she pulled a few pills from her small bag and put them in her mouth. I handed her a water bottle: "Taking medicine? Just drink some water to help, it's so uncomfortable to swallow dry."

"Thank you!" She hesitated for a moment, but still took my water bottle.

"I'm not a bad person, this is water I drank myself. Look, this is my student ID." I showed her my ID to put her mind at ease.

The woman's forehead and temples were sweating. She smiled at me apologetically and began to drink water in large gulps.

"Do you have heart disease if you take 'Baiyunshan'?" I asked her, looking at the small white pill in her hand.

“I didn’t have this before, but it started after my family had that accident, a heart attack.” She still looked quite uncomfortable, her left hand constantly clutching her chest. “I feel better after lying down for a while, it’s just chest tightness.”

"You need to be careful. This is not a minor problem. If you have nightmares again, it will be even worse."

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I have this nightmare every day for seven years…” Her face gradually softened a little, but she was still pale and colorless.

"Seven years?" I took the water bottle with my left hand, while she looked at my student ID with her right hand.

“You… go to the same school as my brother; he’s in the physics department.” Her hands were trembling violently.

"Your brother?"

“Yes, my only brother. If he were alive, he would be married by now… He was only twenty-one when he passed away,” she searched my face for something, “So young! Just like your tender life, gone in an instant.”

I only vaguely understood: "Your brother...was sick...and gone?"

"No, it wasn't illness... I was murdered." Her brows were furrowed, and she looked extremely distressed.

"Don't talk. You look so uncomfortable. Is your chest tight again?"

"Sigh! It's so painful! I've had this nightmare for seven years... For seven years, every night in my dream, I see my younger brother standing at the foot of my bed, covered in blood. He resents me; I know it without him saying a word. The voice in his heart is shouting: 'Sister! Aren't you going to avenge me? I'm suffering so much! I died with resentment!' But seven years have passed, and I still haven't found the murderer..."

Section 27: Seven Years of Unresolved Issues (2)

School starts in early September.

The campus remained peaceful and prosperous, like a serene and elegant woman. The leaves of the sycamore trees turned from green to yellow, and occasionally one could step on a dried ginkgo leaf. The sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted through the air. The tender yellow coreopsis, the red torch lilies, and the blue-purple larkspur displayed rich and clear colors, creating a vibrant and thriving scene.

I walked along the tree-lined path, looking up at the withering and flourishing of the branches and leaves, the tips of the trees gradually turning into mottled yellow frost. The gloom of autumn is heartbreaking; this season is supposed to be a time of harvest, yet I have lost so much.

I remember everything that happened during the summer vacation; it was a scorching summer that burned my eyelashes.

I wanted to forget it, but the bitterness seeped into my very being and was hard to shake off.

The world is so big, yet I have nowhere to go.

"What are you thinking about?" Apple had appeared behind me without my noticing, carrying two huge lunchboxes. "Smell it, it smells delicious! This is enoki mushroom and beef brisket, and this is braised eggplant and sweet and sour fish. Don't just stand there, help me carry these, they're so heavy!"

I quickly reached out and caught it.

"See? I told you so. The food at the Fifth Student Canteen has improved. We're not going to the Fourth Student Canteen anymore. They're so arrogant and smug. We'll eat and drink just as well at the Fifth Student Canteen. You're definitely right to switch places with me."

She still had a bright, sunny smile, laughing heartily, her cheeks rosy.

I should be grateful that even without a home, I still have friends.

But friends also need their own space and can't always be with me. On Friday evening, a whistle blew downstairs in the dormitory, and Apple darted away like a four-legged rabbit—off on a date.

I leaned out the window and looked out. Under the birch trees, there were many couples entwined in love. There were quite a few people dating on the university campus. Those who were still single were either studying hard in the study rooms to prepare for the postgraduate entrance exam, or going to the so-called social dance parties arranged by the student union to learn ballroom dancing. And then there were all sorts of "green grasshoppers" (a slang term for young men in love).

Military training is a popular activity for new students entering school.

Below the window, a neat chorus of military whistles rang out: "One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, like a song, green barracks, green barracks taught me, singing makes mountains shake and earth tremble, singing makes flowers bloom and waters rejoice..."

That was the whistle signaling the start of the group meal at the cafeteria. The freshmen's voices were broad and resonant, tinged with a touch of naivety and innocence. I, too, experienced those unforgettable moments; morning and evening runs became the most joyful and laughter-filled activities. In one dorm, there were often jokes about wearing the wrong shoes, or fighting over a water tap with washbasins. But now it's too quiet. My dorm is so quiet that only the air remains.

I looked up at the ceiling, where the light cord swayed back and forth. Suddenly, I remembered that it was the weekend and the electricity should have been turned on long ago. Why were the lights off? I opened the door and went outside, only to find that the hallway was also completely dark.

"Is there no electricity today?" I asked my roommate next door.

"It seems like the transformer is broken. Someone's probably fixing it in the power distribution room!"

"Don't you know when we'll have to wait?"

"Yeah, why don't you go out for a walk? It's so stuffy inside on a hot summer day!"

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, I just said it offhand. Ruoxi, you should go out on dates. How could a pretty girl like you not have any guys asking you out?" The girl next door said, closing the door behind her as she left.

I know she's preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam. There won't be a power outage in the public classrooms. Even if the transformer breaks down, the school will use a generator to supply power to the teaching building first.

I packed a few books, walked out of the building in the dark, and headed towards Building 10, where there was light.

Building No. 10, the former haunted building, is where I once met Mingyang...

The old classroom in Building 10.

The desks are old, the wooden edges are worn and crumbling, but I like them. Touching the hard armrests makes me feel at ease, and the peaceful campus life makes me feel comfortable.

I had Shakespeare's *Macbeth* and Whitman's *Leaves of Grass* in front of me, but I stood there, stunned, not turning a single page. My mind was blank, like the static on a television screen after a program has finished airing, a constant busy tone. I didn't know what I was thinking.

"Hey, do you have an extra pen? Can I borrow one?" The boy next to me asked to borrow something.

I turned my head slowly without answering.

"My pen is out of ink, can I borrow yours?" he asked with a broad smile.

I didn't answer; I hadn't brought a pen with me anyway.

"I brought an ink bottle, can you borrow it?" The girl sitting behind me enthusiastically reached out and handed me a bottle of carbon ink.

"Damn, someone brought an ink bottle to the communal classroom too." The boy's gentle tone immediately changed as he turned around.

“I come here every day,” the girl replied.

Section 28: Seven Years of Unresolved Issues (3)

"Of course! With your pockmarked face, no one would ever pursue you. If you don't come to the classroom every day to stake out, you have nowhere else to go!" His sarcastic remarks were annoying.

"How can you talk like that? I was just trying to be helpful by lending you my things..."

"Who told you to be so kind? You're just meddling in other people's business! It's none of your concern if I'm chasing girls, why are you interfering...?"

I grabbed my books and left the classroom, ignoring the arguing behind me. The campus isn't a peaceful place; there are still hypocrites and deceitful people there. I remembered a joke Da Jeep once made: "Life is a constant struggle."

There is no peace anywhere.

Behind Building 10 is a floodlit sports field. At night, four tall lights illuminate not only the basketball court on the south side but also half of the soccer field on the north side. Couples are everywhere, and many couples sit on the soccer field.

On the small basketball court with only four hoops, people were excitedly cheering and shouting as they fought for the ball in their hands. The basketball hit the concrete court with a loud thud, followed by a small echo that swirled in the air and slowly dissipated. I stood dumbfounded at the edge of the court, clutching my books, watching a long, slender arm sink a beautiful three-pointer, and suddenly my heart raced. Unable to contain my emotions, the cheer that had been about to burst from my shy throat remained, but my eyes welled up with tears. Suddenly, I realized that the tall, slender figure who had shot the ball had turned around and it was Mingyang's face. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest—was that him?

That bright afternoon, I sat on the grass, watching Mingyang run around the basket, sweating profusely. No one was playing with him; he imagined defenses, breaking through one by one, making layups, and dunks. His movements were fluid and beautiful, without a single stumble. He smiled in the sunlight, a wide grin spreading across his thin lips, beads of sweat clinging to his golden eyelashes, dripping down and wetting the back of his hands. The basketball slipped from his grasp, flying towards me. He panicked, running towards me, and with a swift movement, deflected the ball from its arc.

I didn't say a word.

He just smiled, pursing one corner of his mouth: "I'm used to playing by myself. It would be great if you knew how to play, so you could play with me in the future."

Those were the last few peaceful days at the Di family villa...

"Watch out! The ball has passed!" someone shouted at me.

By the time I came to my senses, the ball was already flying close.

The long, slender arm that shot just now flew over with all its might to deflect the ball...

I froze, then realized that it wasn't Mingyang, but a somewhat simple-minded stranger covered in sweat.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. The basketball that had flown out of bounds was now tucked under his arm.

I shook my head and left blankly.

How could he be here? Mingyang appeared and disappeared suddenly like an alien. Only a silly girl like me would foolishly hope that he would descend from the sky like Sun Wukong.

"Are you really alright?" "Long Arms" kept asking.

I stopped, turned around abruptly, and asked naively, "Can you teach me how to play basketball?"

"You want to learn?"

"Mm." I nodded.

I want to learn so I can play with him someday, even though I don't know where he is now.

"So what do you want to learn? Layup? Dribbling? Defense? Crossover?"

What's the most direct and effective approach?

“Of course, it only counts if a score is scored.” He chuckled.

"Okay, I'll learn to shoot. Can you teach me?"

"Sure, sure." He scratched the back of his head, looking very shy.

"Mo Yan! Are you done yet? Are you still playing?" His buddies behind him shouted from under the basketball hoop, and some even blew their whistles. "You've gone off to put on a show all by yourself, and you're not even thinking about your brothers? At least say something! Don't leave us waiting like idiots."

"What are you waiting for! You're so silly. They're eating steamed buns, you're not even getting a chance to drink soup. Let's go back to the dorm and get some sleep! Maybe we'll even have a romantic encounter in our dreams." The group burst into laughter, teasing each other, and then quickly dispersed.

"Don't mind it! We're roommates, we're used to joking around like that," he explained.

"Your name is Mo Yan?"