Cambiaformas

Capítulo 12

When the middle-aged woman heard Feng Qi say this, she looked him over carefully and then suddenly realized, "Oh, you—you attended my daughter's wedding that day. You were with that girl, was she alright afterwards?"

"Are you Gu Yun's mother?" Feng Qi smiled. "No wonder you look familiar. Don't worry, she's fine. She's a very easygoing person."

"That's good, that's good..." Her voice trailed off, and she started crying again. Grandma Zhang could only pat her back gently and whisper words of comfort. Even Cao Xiangui, lying on the hospital bed, couldn't maintain his serious expression, revealing a look of helplessness.

"Uncle Cao, you have to help me," Zhou Lixia pleaded, crying.

“I said, is it really that serious? It’s not like the daughter is lost, the son-in-law is lost. As long as the daughter is safe and sound, that’s all that matters,” Cao Xiangui replied coldly, but Feng Qi could hear the reluctance in his voice.

Zhou Lixia tugged at Cao Xiangui's hospital gown sleeve: "Uncle Cao, you watched me grow up, get married, and have children. You also watched Xiaoyun grow up. Now, she's encountered something like this, and you... My daughter doesn't want me to call the police, but I can't bear to see her so depressed every day. Uncle Cao, you're the only person I can think of..."

"Alright, alright, I promise you, I won't cry anymore." Grandpa Cao's words astonished everyone present. Grandma Zhang looked at him anxiously: "Old man, your illness..."

Cao Xiangui gestured for her to be quiet. Grandma Zhang, worried about her husband but not wanting to vent her anger on Zhou Lixia, sat back down on the bed with a sour expression, tidying the sheets and such.

Zhou Lixia had been pestering him for most of the day and had almost given up hope, but Cao Xiangui actually agreed. She was both surprised and embarrassed, and said with a forced smile, "Aunt Zhang... I..."

"Ignore her, she's just worrying unnecessarily." Cao Xiangui shook his head slightly at Zhou Lixia: "Go back, I'll think of something."

After Zhou Lixia left, Feng Qi sat down in front of Cao Xiangui and stared at him without saying a word.

Cao Xiangui clenched his fist slightly and coughed twice: "The old man doesn't like being stared at like this."

"Your body doesn't allow you to travel."

"Starting to run with only a superficial understanding."

"All I need is your help in finding a son-in-law." Feng Qi looked worried: "Old man, I don't want you to get involved in this mess."

Cao Xiangui sneered: "You look down on old men."

here we go again.

Feng Qi rubbed his temples, helpless against Cao Xiangui's stubbornness. He leaned forward, his tone sincere: "Grandpa, there are some things I never wanted to say in my entire life. We haven't known each other for long, but strangely, I feel very natural and close to you. You are a strict teacher, but also an elder. I don't want you to risk your life, I don't want..." The word "leave" was swallowed back by Feng Qi.

"Disappointing!" Cao Xiangui scolded him sternly, but his eyes softened considerably: "I'm not dead yet, and you're already cursing me? Since you're so worried, come with me to investigate. Perfect, I need an assistant."

“I’d rather investigate by myself! I can discuss any problems I can’t solve with you. Please don’t get involved.” As soon as Feng Qi finished speaking, he saw a sly smile flash across Cao Xiangui’s eyes and couldn’t help but wail inwardly.

It seems we've been tricked by that old fox.

Cao Xiangui leaned against the headboard, tapping the blanket lightly with his hand. Seeing Feng Qi's wry smile, he seemed quite pleased: "Originally, I didn't plan to agree to her request. At most, she would come and complain to the old man and woman to vent her frustrations. But since you're here, that's perfect, help me solve this."

I knew it would turn out like this. Feng Qi sighed, "If I had known, I wouldn't have come to say goodbye."

Since running away from her arranged marriage, Song Zijin has been missing. Everyone searched for her among friends, colleagues, and relatives, but to no avail. It was as if a living, breathing person had vanished into thin air.

But Feng Qi felt that a person could never simply disappear into thin air for no reason.

As Feng Qi looked through Song Zijin's call records from the past few months, he smiled and said to Cao Xiangui, "Although Song Zijin's phone is currently switched off, the old records are still there. Why don't they think to check them?"

“It’s normal to get flustered when you’re concerned.” Cao Xiangui took a sip of tea and picked up a stack of call records to check.

“I’ve got it, old man. Look, he makes these calls all the time. Excluding the usual office, home, and friend/relative calls, he’s called this landline nearly ten times in the last three months. And every time it’s a weekend evening.” As he spoke, Feng Qi circled the phone number in red.

Cao Xiangui took the call log, glanced at the number, pondered for a moment, and said, "This number isn't from the city center. Hmm, 5237... it's a number from the Pianyadong area in the southern suburbs."

"I'll go check right away."

The result of the investigation was that the number belonged to a small restaurant in a remote cave. Upon receiving this information, Feng Qi immediately rushed to the restaurant to investigate.

After a nearly one-hour bus ride, Feng Qi arrived at the southern suburbs and transferred to a shuttle bus to Pianyadong. The minibus bumped along the gravel road for half an hour, and then it was another 20-minute walk before finally reaching the small restaurant in the town.

The restaurant owner had already made arrangements and waved to Feng Qi from afar, greeting him warmly: "I didn't expect my restaurant to be so famous that even reporters have come here. Come, come, please have a seat, I'll serve you a table of our signature dishes right away."

Feng Qi gulped down a cup of scalding hot tea to calm himself down, then waved to the shopkeeper, "Don't bother, I'm here to ask you something."

"What is it? Just ask. I've been running this shop for thirty years, I know everything."

"Haven't we had a young man ordering food from you a lot lately?"

The shop owner thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes, how did you know? We don't usually have many strangers here, so we remember unfamiliar faces very well. That young man started renting a house on the south side of our town about three months ago. That area has long been planned by the city government to be developed into a university town, so most of the residents have already moved out. He rents it for short periods, so the rent is high, and he seems to have a good background, which is why the landlord rented it to him. Every weekend, he would call the shop to order some food to be delivered to that house."

"Can I go and take a look at that house?"

"Why not?" Then, the boss called over a delivery boy and led Feng Qi to the house on the south side.

The house was a two-story wooden structure, no different from the other neighboring houses. The original black of the sloping tile roof had turned a dull gray. There were some wormholes in the wooden pillars, and dust would fall as soon as Feng Qi touched them.

The young man had already left, leaving Feng Qi alone.

He looked up at the second-floor window, where the sunlight couldn't reach; it was pitch black inside. He couldn't guess what Song Zijin's intentions were in renting such an old, run-down house. Would he hide in this abandoned house after running away from his wedding? And why did he abandon his beautiful new wife? Feng Qi knew that his curiosity had been piqued again.

He pushed the wooden door and found that it was not locked from the outside, but bolted shut from the inside.

There's someone inside!

"Zijin! Song Zijin! Are you in there?" He called out several times, but there was no answer. Looking around, he saw some discarded iron pieces, picked up a thinner one, and weighed it in his hand. Feng Qi revealed a confident smile. If it were a modern iron door or a security door, it would be a bit more difficult, but an old wooden door—too simple.

Sure enough, the door was opened in a few quick movements by him.

Stepping into the cluttered living room, Feng Qi couldn't help but choke on the dust. He carefully examined the abandoned house and found signs that someone had indeed lived there. Leftovers from several days ago clung to the table, emitting a sour, foul odor. Next to the living room was a wooden staircase leading directly to the second floor.

"Song Zijin, are you up there?" Feng Qi covered his nose and carefully stepped onto the stairs. The moment his foot touched the first step, the wooden plank creaked. He grabbed the handrail and looked down. The bottom of the stairs was piled high with boxes, cabinets, and other miscellaneous items, all covered with white cotton cloth. He breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that even though the stairs had broken due to long-term neglect, he wouldn't be crippled from the fall.

Slowly, Feng Qi climbed the stairs to the second floor. He noticed that the second floor was slightly brighter than the first. A few roof tiles allowed weak sunlight to filter through, casting small dots on the wooden floorboards. The second floor wasn't large; from the top of the stairs, there was only a spacious hall with calendars and newspapers from the reform and opening-up era pasted on the wooden walls. There was a passageway in the northwest corner of the hall.

Feng Qi walked to the entrance of the corridor and looked inside. The short corridor was covered with cobwebs, and there were even a lot of rat droppings on the floor. Passing through the corridor, there was a room that was even more chaotic than the first floor. A broken piano was piled up, revealing a leather sofa with foam lining, and a huge clock stood strangely on the front wall.

Faint breathing came from behind the sofa.

Feng Qi quickly pushed the sofa aside and found Song Zijin curled up on the floor.

"Song Zijin! Are you alright?" Feng Qi crouched down, nudged Song Zijin, and placed his finger on his carotid artery, finding his pulse extremely weak. He wasn't unconscious; his eyes were half-open, but vacant and unfocused. In just three days, he had lost his former rosy complexion. He was pale and thin, his lips cracked, with black bloodstains on them.

He may not have had a drop of water for three days and three nights.

After being taken to the hospital, the doctor's diagnosis confirmed Feng Qi's suspicions.

A day later, Song Zijin woke up.

He had no recollection of the three days he was missing. How he got there, why he got there, what happened there—he knew nothing. His last memory was of arguing with Gu Yun.

"That day, Gu Yun kept asking me who Xu Jing was, and I was impatient to answer. Later, we started arguing about it. After arguing for a while, there was a knock on the door saying that the wedding was about to begin. Gu Yun and I changed our clothes. Halfway through, I heard a noise behind me. As soon as I turned around, I saw Gu Yun lying unconscious on the ground. Then, everything went black and I don't remember anything else."

Song Zijin calmly stated her thoughts, and then held Gu Yun's hand by the bedside: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have argued with you on our wedding day."

Gu Yun remained aloof and arrogant, letting out a cold snort and pulling her hand away. This attitude did not discourage Song Zijin; disregarding the fact that he was still on an IV drip, he threw off the covers and knelt on the ground.

"Gu Yun, I'm sorry, really. I know what a wedding means to a woman. Would you give me another chance to take care of you for the rest of my life?" Song Zijin knelt on the ground, looking up at Gu Yun, anxiously awaiting her answer. Seeing his haggard face, Gu Yun's usually proud face showed a wronged expression: "Get up quickly, I agree."

Feng Qi and Xu Jing wisely left the ward, leaving the young couple alone.

Leaning against the railing, Xu Jing suddenly chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I never expected Song Zijin to have such a devoted side." Feng Qi ignored the envy in Xu Jing's eyes. He still had many mysteries unsolved, but since Gu Yun didn't pursue the matter, he didn't press further. Song Zijin's behavior in the hospital room was indeed something they had never seen before. Either he truly loved Gu Yun and his feelings were genuine, or his acting was superb.

Before returning to China, Xu Jing invited Feng Qi, Song Zijin, and Gu Yun to a gathering.

When Feng Qi arrived, Xu Jing was already sitting in a corner of the cafe. She was wearing a loose white shirt and super short shorts, her hair cut even shorter, almost touching her scalp. She was hugging her knees, barefoot, staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought. He approached and snapped his fingers lightly. Xu Jing turned around at the sound, flashing him a dazzling smile.

Putting down his bag, Feng Qi asked, "How much longer?"

Xu Jing smiled but didn't answer, pointing out the window. Feng Qi looked in that direction and saw Song Zijin holding Gu Yun's hand, walking towards the coffee shop from across the street. In the sunlight, their sweet demeanor was enviable.

"I think I have masochistic tendencies," Xu Jing said with a carefree laugh.

"Everyone has it."

"Then mine was the most serious one."

"It's not serious."

"Feng Qi, has anyone ever told you that you're boring?"

"Many people say I'm quite interesting."

Xu Jing pouted and said coquettishly, "Come sit down, the seats opposite are for newlyweds." Feng Qi chuckled and moved to sit next to Xu Jing. Xu Jing rested her head on Feng Qi's shoulder very naturally.

"Feng Qi, have I ever told you that I've loved him for fifteen years?"

"No."

"Yes, I'll tell you today, and from today onwards, I've decided to stop loving him."

"Well done, girl!"

"Ha, Feng Qi, you're so old-fashioned."

As they were talking, Song Zijin and Gu Yun walked up to them. Song Zijin was taken aback when she saw Xu Jing and Feng Qi acting so intimately, but then happily teased them, "When did you two get together?"

Xu Jing looked at Song Zijin with feigned resentment and said, "Look, we just got together. We were caught red-handed."

Feng Qi pushed Xu Jing's head away and said, "Don't listen to her nonsense."

"Congratulations," Gu Yun said with a smile. Her words surprised Feng Qi and Xu Jing, who exchanged a glance. They still vividly remembered her unreasonable behavior on their wedding day. In just a few days, her entire demeanor had changed, becoming gentle and compliant.

"The power of love is truly great." Xu Jing chuckled twice. "You two have both gained weight and look refreshed in just a few days. You did this on purpose, didn't you, to provoke us older single young people?"

Song Zijin smiled and said, "Aren't you two a couple too? Xu Jing, when are you coming back from this trip abroad?"

"If I meet a rich, handsome foreigner with a car and a house in America, I won't come back~" After joking, Xu Jing suddenly became serious and showed a sincere smile: "Song Zijin, Gu Yun, I sincerely wish you happiness. No matter what happened in the past, the present and the future are the most important. I hope you can seize the present."

Song Zijin shook Gu Yun's hand and said with a smile, "Thank you, and I wish you happiness too."

Chapter 3: Asakusa

Chapter Three

Since returning to Zhicheng, Feng Qi had visited Cao Xiangui at the hospital every day. Today was no exception. He was thinking about going back to write a leave request and sending it to the newspaper. Staying in hotels all the time was becoming expensive, and he needed to find a simple rental room. He also needed to buy more loaches for Xiao Hei and Fei Xue at home. There was still no progress on Song Zijin's matter. Lost in all sorts of thoughts, he walked towards the ward. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked at the two people in the garden.

I really can't bear to think of them; the moment I think of them, they appear.

Feng Qi smiled and shook his head, then walked silently toward the two people in the garden.

Song Zijin and Gu Yun were unaware of Feng Qi's approach and were talking face-to-face. Gu Yun kept her head down, occasionally shaking her head slightly. Song Zijin, wearing a white robe, appeared to be at work. He held her shoulder, gently comforting her.

As they approached, Feng Qi was about to greet the two, but Song Zijin's words forced him to swallow his words.

Song Zijin gently lifted Gu Yun's head and said ambiguously, "Jiaxi, don't you trust me?" Gu Yun did not fly into a rage as Feng Qi had expected. Instead, she said with concern, "You... you'd better be careful."

Feng Qi was relieved to be hidden by the vine-covered pillars in the garden. But their conversation aroused his suspicion. Song Zijin was actually calling Gu Yun Jiaxi. Han Jiaxi? How could she be Han Jiaxi?

Feng Qi told Cao Xiangui everything, including his doubts and feelings about some small details. When Cao Xiangui heard Feng Qi sigh about how love could change a person, he frowned. Noticing the change in the old man's expression, Feng Qi stopped and asked, "Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Cao Xiangui stroked his chin, thought for a while, and then asked Feng Qi to talk about Gu Yun's changes before and after, and what he thought were the reasons.

“Before, Gu Yun gave the impression of being very cold and aloof, perhaps because of her privileged background and striking looks. It seemed she looked down on everyone except Song Zijin and her parents. After Song Zijin disappeared, she became hysterical. But strangely, since finding Song Zijin and reconciling with him, she's changed. She's become quiet, no longer possessing that aloof coldness, but she's not particularly friendly either. I think perhaps Song Zijin's disappearance taught her a lesson, causing her to change.” He then looked at Cao Xiangui: “Grandpa, you're asking about this because…?”

“Yesterday, her mother came to see me and talked to me about the changes in Gu Yun.”