bad seeds - Chapter 17
I was startled. I turned on the light, but she still didn't react.
"Hey!" I went over and patted her head.
"Huh?" She turned her head and replied somewhat absentmindedly—normally, she would have immediately jumped up and yelled at me, "Why did you pat my head?"
When she turned her face, I could see that her dark circles were even deeper.
Two bowls of food, long since cold, sat untouched on the bedside table.
The sounds of people bustling about in the camp were filtered by the tents and became background noise, as if it were a corner forgotten by the whole world.
The atmosphere became somewhat strange.
So I tilted my head and looked Ye Tong in the eye.
Finally she said:
Why are you looking at me like that?
"Then why are you looking at me like that?" I asked back with a smile.
So she closed her eyes and said, "I wasn't looking at you."
Are you alright?
"fine."
What are you worried about?
"No."
"That's true, there's nothing for us to worry about now. When did you wake up?"
"daytime."
"Aren't you going to eat something?"
"lose weight."
I picked up my food, stuffed a mouthful of rice and half a pork chop into my mouth, and said in a muffled tone:
Why are you trying to look cool?
She suddenly sat up, brushed her long, disheveled hair behind her head, and stared at me.
My mouth was stuffed with rice and meat, and I couldn't even manage a tiny smile for her.
She suddenly asked in a very serious tone:
"Na Duo, how long have you known Liang Yingwu?"
3:30 p.m.
The alarm on my watch went off right on time, forcing me to put down my pen and temporarily pull myself out of my reverie.
Although I no longer experience dizziness and low-grade fever, I still need to continue taking medication for a year and a half to enhance my body's immunity and hematopoietic function.
After returning from Qinghai, Liang Yingwu, Ye Tong, and I all experienced varying degrees of dizziness, fatigue, nausea, low-grade fever, and a decrease in white blood cell count. At Liang Yingwu's arrangement, we all checked into Huashan Hospital for two weeks of radiation sickness rehabilitation treatment.
B University campus, First Teaching Building.
I could hear Liang Yingwu arguing with his students from afar, and the last sentence he uttered sounded somewhat familiar to me:
"Don't forget, I'm the teacher of this course, and I'm still in charge here!"
Then the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.
I smiled at him from the doorway. He rolled up his thin lecture notes and greeted me.
"Hey! Nado, you're right on time. Let's go eat."
A small restaurant near the north gate of Beijing University.
We devoured beef with oyster sauce and salt and pepper pork ribs, drinking beer, just like we did in college.
How's the spaceship?
"A secret laboratory has been established locally, and the research is progressing smoothly, but I don't know the specifics. You know, my research subjects are extraterrestrial life."
"And what about the 'mother'?"
“I’m not entirely sure either, but there haven’t been any major changes in the past few weeks. I’ve already been transferred. Now I can only come back to teach and talk to university students about amino acids and conditioned reflexes.”
"sorry."
"Hehe, actually I should be the one apologizing. I've thought about it very clearly afterward, and your point of view is correct. We should be proud of what we did, not regret it!" He said this righteously while picking up a piece of beef.
Two hours ago, at 4:30, I called Liang Yingwu and arranged to meet him at the classroom door of B University in the evening.
As for why I went to see him, I explained to myself that it was a proper class reunion with no other purpose. However, if we were to delve deeper, although our lives have gradually returned to normal, I still have to admit that I am still worried about the "bad seed" incident.
"Why didn't you come with Ye Tong? How is she now?" Liang Yingwu asked.
"Hehe, I don't know how she is doing lately. I haven't contacted her since she was discharged from the hospital."
"Ha! No way, I thought you two were showing true friendship in times of trouble!"