A man cannot step into the same river twice.
This sentence should have been said by the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus.
The reason it suddenly popped into my mind was because Zhang Shutong finally distinguished between the shampoo and conditioner in Gu Qiumian's house.
He had already finished showering.
To be honest, it's strange, every time he comes here, he takes a shower. But last time it rained, and today it's snowing, he always encounters bad weather.
A person's perception of something is composed of one-sided impressions, and if many years later, you ask Zhang Shutong what this villa means to him, it's probably good food and a hot shower.
The time is a little past nine, and he is now sitting on the sofa, wearing a neatly ironed pajama set, which was specially prepared for guests and has a faint smell of disinfectant.
In front of him is a television, which is finally not showing a ball game, but a late-night movie in English with no subtitles. Old Song is watching it with great interest.
Behind him, snow is falling outside the French windows. Snow, unlike rain, falls silently. You turn your head and realize that the courtyard has been covered at some point.
And he is sitting upright, only because he is on the phone with his mother.
She rarely came home today.
"Teacher Song's car broke down, so I'll be staying at a classmate's house tonight..."
"Mmm, not Qingyi and them, other classmates..."
"It's fine, I have a change of clothes, I won't catch a cold..."
His mother is indeed an open-minded mother. She didn't press him for the name of the classmate, nor did she, like a typical parent, shout about how could he stay at someone else's house and that she would come to pick him up, or say to hand the phone to the teacher so she could confirm.
The most she did was tease whether it was a female classmate, but Zhang Shutong was most afraid of her asking that.
Fortunately, he got away with it.
Actually, it wasn't "getting away with it." His mother is a smart woman and quickly guessed that the classmate was Gu Qiumian. Of course, she didn't say the name, but rather:
"Isn't she that girl you were worried about this afternoon, the daughter of Boss Gu?"
Zhang Shutong was very curious about how she guessed it, and she just said it was a woman's intuition.
A woman's intuition, like a man's romance, is something that mostly lies and is flexible and changeable, but always leaves you speechless at a critical moment.
She asked a few more questions, and Zhang Shutong answered truthfully, wondering why she wasn't digging for more information. His mother, however, smiled and said that when you're away from home, the son's face is the most important. If I control you so strictly, you won't be able to hold your head up in front of your female classmates.
"Or do you want me to gossip a few sentences?"
Of course, Zhang Shutong didn't want that, so the mother-son call ended there.
He now doesn't dare to play with his phone anymore. This small thing can easily run out of power, so he has to take good care of it.
Old Song is watching TV leisurely. For a man, the impression of a villa is probably that the color TV is big.
Zhang Shutong is not in the mood. He leans on the sofa, unconsciously rubbing his wet hair ends, thinking about the restricted area and Lu Qinglian.
The housekeeper has already returned to her room.
The TV volume is turned to the minimum, and only one light is left on in the living room.
Gu Qiumian is taking a shower on the second floor.
Her room has a separate bathroom.
"Haven't you recovered yet?" Old Song said casually, "My good disciple, learn from your master. Look, I don't care at all. I've already asked for leave for tomorrow."
That's right, Old Song just called the head of teaching to explain the situation tonight.
Although there is a garage outside the villa with tools, who knew the tire would burst and couldn't be patched? He could only find someone to come up the mountain tomorrow to deliver a new tire.
So, in a strict sense, they not only have to stay over tonight, but they also cannot guarantee they will be on time for school tomorrow morning.
There isn't even a gas station on the small island, and there's only one so-called car repair shop, which is not professional at all. It's a blessing to have them deliver a tire.
Old Song just made a call and scheduled a tire change for a little after seven.
Zhang Shutong noticed that as the homeroom teacher, he was actually quite excited, as if he had found a legitimate excuse to slack off.
"How long has it been since I last stayed up late," The only downside of the villa is that he can't smoke. Old Song is quite pent up. "The last time was when I was in college, you know, a few people would have a party, a table full of beer, oh, beer is not enough, we all drank spirits, we wouldn't stop until we were drunk, but after becoming a teacher, all these things are said goodbye to."
"Then what do you do at home, teacher?"
"Watch some ball, write lesson plans, play 'Fight the Landlord.' Oh, by the way, do you know how to play cards? How about I teach you two, and the three of us play 'Fight the Landlord'?"
Let's not. The "landlord" is taking a shower upstairs.
Zhang Shutong thought to himself.
He wasn't in the mood to play cards today. He actually wanted to go back to his room to be alone for a while, but Gu Qiumian hadn't come down yet. If he went up, it would be a bit... Zhang Shutong didn't know how to put it, he just felt it wasn't very good, and he planned to wait until she finished her shower.
Old Song was a little regretful.
The two of them chatted casually. Zhang Shutong took a moment to send a message to Qingyi, asking him to look up the legend of the Green Snake Temple. He vaguely remembered that a few of them had discussed the "profession of the temple keeper" in the group. At that time, Zhang Shutong didn't take it seriously, but now he wanted to figure out this question.
The information on the Internet is limited, and Qingyi's father has many books, so there might be local historical records.
Zhang Shutong turned off his phone, his face blank as he watched the TV. In fact, he didn't pay any attention to what was on until a faint scent of shower gel and a burst of humid steam drifted to his side.
Zhang Shutong turned his head. The girl in a wine-red dressing gown was standing behind him, her elegant swan-like neck exposed by the velvet gown. She was fanning her face with both hands, her cheeks flushed with a faint blush, looking like she was about to be fully cooked.
It's said that girls' bath water is super hot.
"Baimumei" (white, rich, and beautiful) is still a fresh term, but it suits her perfectly. If there's any part that's not accurate, it's that the degree is not enough. It should be "super white, super rich, super beautiful."
The young lady immediately asked to change the movie. Old Song was watching Wuthering Heights. She said it was already spooky enough around here, teacher, can you change it to a comedy? I want to watch Stephen Chow.
"A Chinese Odyssey?"
"Tricky Brains," Gu Qiumian lifted her chin.
Zhang Shutong didn't know why the two of them were so excited. It wasn't like this last time they stayed over; everyone went back to their rooms early.
Then he thought again, last time they caught the arsonist, but today nothing happened, it was just a trip out for a drive. He was the only one who had a lingering fear.
So he stood up, said goodnight, and prepared to go upstairs.
Gu Qiumian was not happy and said, "You're so boring, why are you going to sleep so early?"
Zhang Shutong couldn't explain. Different professions have different responsibilities, and he wasn't responsible for playing along, only for saving lives.
At this time, Old Song also advised, "It's more fun to watch a comedy with more people. If you leave, what will Qiuqian and I watch here? Sometimes you have to learn to join in the fun."
Zhang Shutong sat down again, not because he was convinced by those words, but because firstly, Qingyi hadn't called back, and secondly, he remembered what Old Song had told him last time, about being more humane, etc. Zhang Shutong didn't quite understand what being "humane" meant, but he figured joining in the fun probably counted.
If they wanted to watch, he would just be a part of the atmosphere on the side.
Old Song picked up the remote control. While the opening credits were playing, Gu Qiumian trotted away in her slippers, went to the fridge to get some yogurt, and asked the two of them if they wanted some.
What is she doing? Is she really going to have a movie party?
Old Song held up his cup and said he had coffee and not to worry about him.
Zhang Shutong glanced at it, only to remind her that it was cold. She pouted, but her eyes were curved as she put it back. She turned around, found some room-temperature juice, and hummed, asking, "This one's okay, right?"
Zhang Shutong genuinely didn't care what he drank, so he nodded and said "whatever..." no, "it's okay."
Then Gu Qiumian turned off the living room lights. She held two cups in one hand and pinched the ears of the juice box with the other, looking quite busy. She trotted back to the sofa, the belt of her dressing gown fluttering around her slender waist.
The layout of the living room sofa was like their teaching building, in an "L" shape. The short side was a separate set, occupied by Old Song.
Zhang Shutong had been sitting on the long side. Now, Gu Qiumian also came to this sofa. Zhang Shutong glanced at her, but she was only staring at the TV, her expression expectant and focused. Then she kicked off her slippers, curled her legs to one side, and sank into the sofa.
He didn't know why, but when she put on this dressing gown, she looked enchanting. Her fair skin was breathtaking. Gu Qiumian propped up her cheek, leaning on one side of the sofa. He could see the ruby-like nail polish on her toes. The floating light and shadows in front of the TV and the dim living room made each little gem glitter.
The movie started, starring Andy Lau and Stephen Chow, with Rosamund Kwan and Chingmy Yau as the female leads, a proper star cast. Zhang Shutong had seen this movie before and found it quite interesting, but he couldn't stand the young lady's extremely low laughter threshold.
Zhang Shutong was not used to watching movies with people who had a low laughter threshold.
This reminded him of going to the cinema with his three friends. Ruoping and Du kang were often a pair, both of whom had a low laughter threshold. They not only loved to laugh heartily but also always whispered to each other about the plot, which was very harmonious.
Zhang Shutong, on the other hand, sat with Qingyi. Whether it was a comedy, tragedy, horror, or even a bad movie, throughout the whole film, the two of them calmly held their popcorn. Whoever's expression changed first lost. They were clearly very well-behaved audiences.
He patiently continued to watch. The movie couldn't be said to be uninteresting, but at most, it only moved the facial muscles; it wasn't at the point of laughing heartily. Gu Qiumian, however, was laughing so much that she was shaking all over.
The high-end sofa was indeed very soft. When she smiled with her eyes curved, even the surface of the sofa rippled like water. Zhang Shutong felt a little helpless and moved to the side, thinking, "Can you stop kicking your feet?"
At this moment, his phone vibrated. It was Qingyi who had replied.
He moved his gaze to the screen, turned off the sound, and started texting. Qingyi had actually found some information about the legend of the Green Snake Temple. Zhang Shutong was instantly interested and asked him to elaborate.
But the ripple on the sofa stopped. Zhang Shutong subconsciously turned his head, and Gu Qiumian was frowning at him.
"Weren't you watching the movie?"
At this moment, Qingyi called him directly. He shook his phone and gently stood up.
When there was nothing to do, he could be a part of the fun, but when it came to business, he couldn't be blamed.
Zhang Shutong didn't want to disturb their movie watching, so he went straight to the elevator and pressed the answer button.
Talking to Qingyi was much simpler.
"Shutong, it's a bit noisy on your end."
"Wait a moment, I'll be there soon."
At this time, the elevator doors closed.
Zhang Shutong said he could talk in peace.
Qingyi asked:
"Why did you suddenly want to look this up?"
He said concisely:
"I ran into Lu Qinglian in the restricted area tonight."
"What's the situation? Why did you go to the restricted area? And it's been snowing all night, right?"
Zhang Shutong briefly explained a few things and stated his doubts.
"Mmm, so you mainly want to figure out what she was doing by the water?"
"Something like that," Zhang Shutong went up to the second floor. "But I didn't find anything else at the time, so I was thinking that this behavior can't be explained with common sense. Could it be related to spirits and ghosts, like a sacrifice?"
"Then you'd have to find the sacrificial item first." Qingyi made a joke. "And you know about this too, it's the annual summer festival. I haven't found any other customs, especially the kind related to water that you mentioned."
"Then what do you think she was doing running there late at night?"
"Who knows, you should ask Du kang to guess. He's good at that." Qingyi said bluntly. "Let's talk about what I found. There are two legends about the temple. One says that a green snake cultivated into a human and had offspring. Its descendants are the temple keepers, passed down from generation to generation until today. What do you think of the credibility?"
"Oh, Legend of the White Snake." Zhang Shutong couldn't help but smile.
"Then it should be Legend of the Green Snake." Qingyi also smiled. "And there's another very interesting thing. You know that many people on our island go to the temple to burn incense and pray for all kinds of things, like wealth and peace, many children and blessings, no disasters or illnesses, high school entrance exams, college entrance exams... But these have only become popular in recent years with the Internet. In fact, at the very beginning, the so-called Green Snake Temple only managed one thing. Guess what it is?"
"What?"
"Longevity." Qingyi spat out two words. "This relates to another legend, which says that the green snake worshipped there never died. A snake, you know, just sheds its skin and sheds it again, with an infinite lifespan, growing bigger and bigger, and it's still alive today."
"Is there really a snake in there?" Zhang Shutong remembered the snake stick.
"Of course it's fake. I've been there. It's just a very large wooden carving. But there's actually a saying about this. Have you heard of the five elements and their mutual restraint?"
Zhang Shutong said yes.
"Then guess why it's a wooden carving and not made of other materials? Never mind, I'll just give you the answer. Think about it, isn't that temple on a mountain? Can't a mountain be seen as 'earth'? Wood restrains earth. Only a wooden carving can suppress this mountain, or rather, the entire small island below it."
Zhang Shutong thought for a moment:
"But it still has nothing to do with the lakeside."
"Yeah." It was as if he could see Qingyi shrugging. "And according to your account, when you pulled back the reeds, you made a lot of noise. You should have been noticed long ago. But she didn't run at that time, she just kept crouching by the lake, but she suddenly ran when she saw you. I think that's the strangest part."
Zhang Shutong also felt that this was the most eerie part.
Lu Qinglian was very mysterious, and he had expected this, but every time he saw her, she had a calm demeanor. It was the first time she had run away suddenly like tonight.
"Then do you have any good ideas? My brain is temporarily frozen." Zhang Shutong said with a headache.
"How about we probe her tomorrow?"
"She ran away. Anyway, she's very suspicious. With nothing to lose, she definitely won't tell the truth."
"Then we'll force her to tell us?"
"...Can't beat her."
"Ah, you're right."
The two of them were silent for a while. Zhang Shutong said again:
"I think we must figure out what she's doing. The feeling she gives me now... is not good."
"How about we just avoid her?" Qingyi suggested. "If you can't beat her, can't you hide from her? Isn't her grandma at the temple? How about we just go and ask her grandma?"
It seemed like a solution, even if it wasn't a good one.
Hopefully, she's a kind old lady.
Zhang Shutong nodded, preparing to go to the temple tomorrow.
There was another problem yet to be solved. He described the situation of the Gu family villa again:
"What do you think someone who wants to harm Gu Qiumian would do to get in?"
This is what was best about Qingyi. If it were anyone else, the focus would be on how he knew so much about Gu Qiumian's house or why he was so interested in her.
But Qingyi just fell into deep thought with his train of thought and said after a while:
"Are you sure you've ruled out the housekeeper and the bodyguard?"
"Mmm, I'm sure about that."
Zhang Shutong remembered the information from eight years later. This was a cold case. If it was these people who did it, let alone "sure," even if there was a tiny bit of "suspicion," with Father Gu's power, these people would definitely not have a good ending.
"Then describe her family's door to me again?"
"Both the fence gate and the main gate are electronic. They can be opened by facial recognition or fingerprints. I've studied it, and it's very difficult to climb over."
Qingyi said:
"How to put it, to speak of something unrelated, it reminds me of high-tech crimes in movies, where they copy a person's fingerprints or face and then deceive the system. Heh, but that's just a movie and has no reference value."
Zhang Shutong agreed with this.
There were too many strange ideas. He could also say that the murderer had bone-shrinking skills. Guessing like this was meaningless.
"If that's the case, I suggest you..."
Just as the two of them were at a loss, Zhang Shutong's ears twitched and he heard the sound of the elevator door opening.
"I have to go now. It's not convenient here. I'll call you back in a bit."
Zhang Shutong said in a low voice.
"Mmm, bye-bye."
He put his phone away, preparing to wait until Gu Qiumian returned to her room. Who knew the footsteps were getting closer and closer until a knock on the door sounded.
Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment and opened the door.
Standing outside the door was naturally the enchanting girl in the wine-red dressing gown. She was pursing her red lips, her face full of anger.
But why did she come to his room?
Did she come to settle the score for him leaving in the middle of it?