Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Ning Qiuyan had smashed the SUV’s bumper, and one of its headlights was cracked too.

When Dr. Ling saw it, he clicked his tongue in amazement and asked Ning Qiuyan what on earth he had done to this new car that had only recently been brought onto the island.

Ning Qiuyan was too embarrassed to admit that the very first time he’d ever touched a steering wheel, he had dared to go racing through the snow. Instead, Guan Heng only said mildly, “Can it be fixed?”

Dr. Ling crouched beneath the car and examined it carefully with a flashlight. “Of course it can be fixed. Aside from the larger parts, I’ll need some smaller components too. There are a few things on the truck that should be replaced as well. I’ll write them a list tomorrow.”

Guan Heng said, “All right.”

Ning Qiuyan asked in surprise, “Dr. Ling, you know how to fix cars too?”

Dr. Ling stood up and said with a beaming smile, “Of course. I installed these snow chains myself. I treat people, and I treat cars too.”

Guan Heng left the car in the open space outside the house where Dr. Ling lived alone, then took Ning Qiuyan’s hand and walked back to the main residence.

The sky had long since gone completely dark. The moon hung high above the Forest, casting clear, silvery light over the snow.

The night breeze blew gently. Everything was quiet, and it made one feel at ease.

Ning Qiuyan thought that living on Du Island like this for the rest of his life would truly be beautiful.

“I’ve realized everyone around you is amazing,” Ning Qiuyan said as he walked beside Guan Heng, already used to matching his pace. “Granny Bai knows how to make so many fancy dishes and pastries, Uncle Kang’s paper cutting is practically miraculous, Lu Qianque graduated from a prestigious university and is a lawyer, and even Dr. Ling has hidden depths.”

“Ling Wen was already a doctor before he came to the island, but he taught himself how to repair cars,” Guan Heng said. “After living here for more than ten years, it’s not strange to pick up another skill.”

Dr. Ling’s full name was Ling Wen.

Curious, Ning Qiuyan asked, “More than ten years? So Dr. Ling has been on the island that long. How did he end up here?”

Guan Heng said, “Ling Wen’s father was also the doctor on Du Island. When Ling Wen was still very young, his father brought him to the island several times. More than ten years ago, something happened in his life. His wife and child passed away unexpectedly from illness, so he came to Du Island to seek refuge with his father. After that, he never left again.”

Ning Qiuyan was stunned. For a moment, he could hardly describe what he felt. He had never imagined that Dr. Ling, who looked so refined and kind and loved to joke around, would have such a past. He was a doctor himself, yet he had been powerless to do anything but watch his wife and child suffer through illness and pass away. That was practically the kind of torment most capable of breaking a person.

Everyone on Du Island had a profound story of their own.

Guan Heng was the one constant factor, holding them up and supporting them steadily.

Just as he was supporting Ning Qiuyan now.

After they returned to the main residence, Guan Heng went upstairs first, while Ning Qiuyan carried a bag full of empty food containers to find Granny Bai.

Lu Qianque and Gu Yu were both absent. According to Uncle Kang, Lu Qianque had taken Gu Yu hunting.

Lu Qianque had not brought a gun, so although he called it hunting, he had probably just taken Gu Yu out in the dark to catch wild rabbits or something of the sort. It was meant as a little compensation for sending him away to study, and also a way to strengthen the father-son bond.

During the two days Ning Qiuyan had been away, Gu Yu had been making plant specimens.

Everything was still on the table in the side hall. Gu Yu had not done it carelessly; the specimens were quite properly made. The leaves had all been laid flat between sheets of absorbent paper, ready to be stacked after drying overnight and pressed beneath heavy stones.

Du Island had many kinds of vegetation, including quite a few rare plants, such as Meconopsis.

Meconopsis belonged to Papaveraceae. Its flowers were large and brightly colored, making them extremely eye-catching. During this trip with Guan Heng, Ning Qiuyan had been lucky enough to come across several plants.

Although he had been on the road the entire time, Ning Qiuyan did not feel tired after going out like this. Instead, both his body and mind felt relaxed, and he felt completely refreshed. As the old saying went, reading ten thousand books was not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Personally traveling around Du Island and lifting the mysterious veil from the quiet island let him understand it far more than sitting inside a house ever could.

Elderly people went to bed early. Usually, once night fell, they would turn in not long after.
By the time Ning Qiuyan arrived, Granny Bai had already changed into thick pajamas and was in the kitchen packing away the cooked glutinous rice.

The snowy-white, soft glutinous rice was spread over a cloth, mixed evenly with distiller’s yeast, and then placed into a jar. After being warmed with boiling water, the jar was wrapped in a thick cotton quilt. Once it was filled and sealed, it would be set somewhere warm to ferment. A few days later, the jar would be full of freshly brewed sweet rice wine, ready to cook tangyuan for the Lantern Festival.

“Let me help you.”

After washing the food container, Ning Qiuyan volunteered eagerly.

“No need.” Granny Bai said gently, “Children shouldn’t touch this so casually. You young ones have too much internal heat. The wine won’t ferment properly.”

Ning Qiuyan hadn’t known there was such a custom. He awkwardly pulled his hand back and said, “All right,” but still craned his neck to watch.

Granny Bai shooed him away. “It smells awful right now. Why are you standing so close?”

Ning Qiuyan didn’t mind the smell. He remained beside her, watching curiously. “Do you make this every year?”

Granny Bai said, “Yes. Young people like eating it. I don’t just make it for New Year’s to cook tangyuan; I make it normally too, to boil sweet soup. Old Kang loves eggs cooked in rice wine lees. When the weather’s right, I make it three or four times a year.”

The two elderly people had lived on the island for decades. Ning Qiuyan had heard that when they were younger, they used to bicker, but they understood each other deeply. Now that they were old, they cherished each other even more. When Granny Bai cooked something delicious, she thought of Uncle Kang, and Uncle Kang also kept Granny Bai’s daily needs in mind. They were old friends as well as kindred spirits.

Ning Qiuyan listened as Granny Bai rambled on about Uncle Kang being a picky eater, but the expression on her face was smiling.

Even now, she still knew nothing about Chi Yang. She didn’t know what deranged thing the person who had betrayed her decades ago had gone on to do.

Ning Qiuyan thought of what Lu Qianque had said-“As long as she’s happy, that’s enough.”

Without a doubt, Granny Bai was indeed very happy now.

“Granny, what does it feel like to stay on Du Island all this time?” Ning Qiuyan asked.

“What does it feel like?” Granny Bai replied. “It feels like home, of course.”

Ning Qiuyan said, “Then if you were given another chance, would you still leave Du Island?”

Granny Bai brushed the glutinous rice from her fingers, paused in her work, and turned to look at Ning Qiuyan. “What is it? Now that school is about to start and you won’t be able to cling to Sir anymore, you can’t bear to leave?”

Half of her scar-covered face looked fierce, while the other half was full of affection.

How could an old woman fail to see what a child was thinking? She guessed it right away.

“Mm.” Ning Qiuyan’s face grew warm. “A little.”

Granny Bai said, “If I were given another chance, if I could go back to those days, I would still choose to leave.”

Ning Qiuyan asked, “Why?”

Granny Bai said, “If I hadn’t left, if I hadn’t gone through the things that happened in my life, then I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Ning Qiuyan asked, “Was the old you not good?”

“She was fine too,” Granny Bai said. “But the me now is better. If I hadn’t gone out, how would I have learned all these cooking skills? How would I be qualified to manage the kitchen and satisfy the appetites of so many people on the island?”

Ning Qiuyan looked blank, though he knew Granny Bai was making sense.

“I can see Sir hopes you’ll stay too. He likes you very much.” She sank into her memories. “I don’t think… I’ve ever seen Sir in love. In my memory, Sir has always been alone.”

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

He didn’t know how to respond to that.

Given Granny Bai’s age, he really was a teenager. But then again, Granny Bai was Guan Heng’s junior, which made the whole thing feel a little confusing.

“But child, you have to become yourself first.”

Granny Bai spoke kindly.

“You must not feel afraid because of this affection, or worry over every gain and loss because of it. You’re still young. You have to grow strong enough to enjoy this affection with peace of mind. Only then will you be able to stay better.”