Xu Zhi had a lunch break at 12 o’clock, and family members were not allowed to visit during the lunch break, so Zhou Mu left without staying long.
The next day, when Zhou Mu was in Ji Peiqing’s office discussing matters, Wen Shuyao arrived first and brought something with him.
“Xiao Zhi.” Wen Shuyao held a bag, its contents unclear, and waved at him as he approached.
Xu Zhi walked over slowly and looked at him with an unreasonable expression.
“You scared my Brother Zhou.” Sitting on the bench, Xu Zhi accused Wen Shuyao of lacking a doctor’s heart and scolded him for not speaking up earlier.
In fact, both of them knew very well why Wen Shuyao didn’t say anything.
“Yes, yes, I have no conscience.” Wen Shuyao responded twice and gave him what he was holding.
Xu Zhi took it, opened it, and saw that it was a seedling that had grown quite well.
“What is it?” Xu Zhi held the flowerpot and turned it around twice, unable to discern its variety.
“Green plant,” Wen Shuyao smiled. “Your brother asked me to bring them to you.”
He had only stayed in the hospital for more than half a month, but when he heard about his brother again, he felt as if he was in another world.
Xu Zhi opened his mouth, wanting to ask why no one from his family came to visit him in the hospital, but in the end, he didn’t.
“Place it by the window for a better mood.” Wen Shuyao didn’t know if he had noticed Xu Zhi’s conflicted expression. He didn’t say much; he just added, “Xu Yang planted many of them, but only this one survived.”
Xu Zhi thought of Xu Yang’s innocent and timid look, and his heart moved slightly. He put the green plants back into the bag and accepted them awkwardly.
The two sat and talked for a few minutes when they saw Ji Peiqing coming with Zhou Mu. Xu Zhi smiled and poked Wen Shuyao with his arm, “Your senior brother is here.”
Wen Shuyao nodded and stood up, “Yes, I have something to do at the hospital, so I’ll leave first.”
After saying hello to Zhou Mu from afar, he ignored Ji Peiqing, turned around, and left.
Xu Zhi looked at Ji Peiqing and his face darkened. He hugged the flowerpot and went to find Zhou Mu. Ji Peiqing turned around and chased Wen Shuyao.
Zhou Mu raised his eyebrows, “Shuyao and Doctor Ji?”
Xu Zhi nodded and laughed lightly, “Shuyao said that Doctor Ji is his regular mahjong partner.”
Zhou Mu didn’t ask any questions, and led Xu Zhi around the yard.
There were many trees planted in the yard, and the crowns of the trees were very dense. Only sporadic fragments of light leaked out, hitting Xu Zhi’s face, which was too white.
Due to the effect of the drug, Xu Zhi’s whole body became rounder. Although he was still very thin, his complexion seemed much better.
Xu Zhi must have slept well last night. He was still wearing a uniform hospital gown and was walking backwards.
Professional hospitals and outpatient treatments are indeed different. Xu Zhi has been in the hospital for more than half a month, and his overall mental condition has significantly improved.
Even though he used to talk to Zhou Mu about his condition with ease, it’s not as relaxed as it is now.
Xu Zhi looked up at Zhou Mu and asked, “After I am discharged from the hospital, should I find another job?”
Zhou Mu was afraid that he would fall, so he grabbed the corner of his clothes and asked him, “Do you want to work?”
“I think about it,” Xu Zhi thought for a while and said with some distress, “but in my case, I may not be able to do it for long.”
Xu Zhi used to work for a pretty good software company. After his illness, Zhou Mu helped him apply for resignation, so now he is truly unemployed.
“Not necessarily,” Zhou Mu said. “Doctor Ji said that after discharge, there is a high probability that you will not relapse in a short period of time.”
But in fact, it is difficult to completely cure mental illness. Ji Peiqing said it very strictly. High probability does not mean no probability, and a short time does not mean forever.
There was silence between the two for a few seconds. Zhou Mu shook Xu Zhi’s clothes and said to him, “Actually, you can give it a try.”
Xu Zhi looked down at Zhou Mu’s hand holding his clothes, curled his lips, and said to Zhou Mu arrogantly, “Then forget it; you can support me.”
After he finished speaking, he stopped walking and waited for Zhou Mu to come over.
“Of course,” Zhou Mu took a step closer to Xu Zhi in an obedient manner and promised him indulgently, “I will support you.”
“Come on,” suddenly, without reason, Xu Zhi became unreasonable. His eyes gleamed, and he reminded Zhou Mu of an old debt, “You still owe me over fifty thousand yuan. Don’t you remember?”
Zhou Mu laughed lightly, reached over, and embraced Xu Zhi, pinching his waist a couple of times. “Do you know how much money you spent in the hospital this time?”
“How much?” Xu Zhi asked.
“A lot,” Zhou Mu looked down at him, saying with a solemn tone, “so much that your bank card needs to change the account holder’s name.”
“Ah,” Xu Zhi exaggeratedly sighed, looking seemingly distressed. “That much, huh?”
Zhou Mu nodded and made a thoughtful sound.
“Well then,” Xu Zhi tiptoed, approaching Zhou Mu’s ear, and in a very light voice, he proposed his repayment plan.
“Brother Zhuo, I have no money. Is… physical payment okay?”
“Okay,” Zhou Mu said quickly.
In the past couple of days, Xu Zhi has developed a preference for oatmeal porridge. Every day when Zhou Mu came over, he would bring a large bucket stored at Ji Peiqing’s place. Around lunchtime, Zhou Mu would heat up the porridge and accompany Xu Zhi for a meal.
Zhou Mu did take into consideration what Xu Zhi mentioned in the morning, but Xu Zhi’s situation obviously didn’t allow him to actively seek employment. Concealing his condition from potential employers was not something they were willing to do.
Fortunately, Zhou Mu has accumulated a lot of contacts over the years and has many friends from all walks of life. It is still possible to help her boyfriend find a job.
Xu Zhi had no sense of shame in using the back door, so he readily accepted Zhou Mu’s proposal. Before sending Zhou Mu away, he said that he would like some programming books next time.
After Zhou Mu consulted Ji Peiqing, he helped him select some popular related books and brought them to him.
Due to excessive effort, Xu Zhi bought almost all the relevant books available on the market. He ended up with dozens of thick books, some so hefty they could almost be lethal. However, he didn’t manage to finish reading them until it was time for him to leave the hospital.
In mid-August, when Xu Zhi was halfway through his study plan, he accidentally glanced outside one day and found that the green plant on the windowsill that he had ignored intentionally or unintentionally was blooming.
It’s a sunflower.
Small yellow flowers the size of a palm bloomed warmly and brightly at Xu Zhi’s window, standing vigorously in the grid-shaped sunlight that filtered through the protective window.
Xu Zhi walked over uncontrollably, staring at the stubborn flower as if in a trance.
A corner of the garden that had not yet been razed was filled with memories of the glorious years. Xu Zhi, a teenager, would lie by the window and watch them every day.
At that time, he was lonely and had a perverse personality, and he was always unwilling to easily admit that he yearned for many things.
The disk of a sunflower always rotates with the sun, and its personality is straightforward and frank. Xu Zhi’s secret jealousy and envy are all expressed through that sunflower.
He heard that there is a variety called Sunshine Bright, which grows widely in California.
Later, after he moved out of home, whenever he returned for something, he would stroll through the flower field and leave with a handful of flowers.
Later, when Xu Yang was 8 years old, small red spots suddenly appeared on his body. It was found that he was allergic to pollen. The flower field, including the corner of the sunflower, was razed.
On the day the construction started, Xu Yang called him and talked a lot intermittently, but the only thing Xu Zhi remembered was a tearful apology.
Xu Zhi said it’s not your fault, but he was blaming something in his heart. It’s just that, after years of being forgotten and abandoned, he didn’t know who to blame.
Those flowers facing the sun were like some kind of unflattering announcement. They had been preserved for so many years because of Xu Zhi’s preference, and because of Xu Yang, they disappeared in an instant.
Even though neither of them spoke.
Because neither of them could take the lead.
But many years after Xu Zhi left home, more than a year after the flower field was razed, and after Xu Yang failed to plant it many times, this sunflower still traveled to two cities and was sent to Xu Zhi’s ward.
Xu Zhi thought of 18-year-old Wen Shuyao again.
That year, Wen Shuyao didn’t come down, even though it was agreed upon for 10 minutes.
Before Xu Zhi’s emotions of despair, anger, sadness, fear, loss, and disappointment had time to ferment, Wen Shuyao quickly came downstairs.
Wen Shuyao called Xu Zhi downstairs, calling him “Xiao Zhi” one after another.
Xu Zhi pushed open the balcony door when he shouted for the third time.
It was very windy that day, and the flower beds were still there. Wen Shuyao was riding a mountain bike that Xu Zhi had never seen before, with his long legs propped on the ground, looking up and smiling handsomely.
It was a red and black car that looked sturdy, but it had no back seat.
Wen Shuyao straddled his long legs and patted the front beam angrily, “Xiao Zhi, hurry up!”
The reason why he went to find Wen Shuyao, which he had not remembered in his dream that day, became clear at this moment. He did not forget it, but he deliberately did not remember it.
That day was his birthday, and his parents took his younger brother out. They were in such a big house, and no one was willing to talk to him.
According to Wen Shuyao, he bought the mountain bike with great difficulty by taking advantage of his poor connections as a high school student, which were not yet organized.
It was placed in front of Wen Shuyao’s house, waiting for Xu Zhi to claim it.
But Xu Zhi was so full of pride and inferiority complexes that even when he arrived at Wen Shuyao’s house, he never said a word.
The sunflower petals on the windowsill had not fully unfurled yet, and the bicycle, because he deliberately never learned how to ride it, remained stored at Wen Shuoyao’s place.
Although some of the things he wanted came a little late, they were given to him without any delay.
Xu Zhi squinted and looked out the window. Xiao Cheng’s Chinese sapling had grown very tall. It is a wonder if it had something to do with Xiao Cheng talking to it every day.
Xu Zhi thought, the sun is very bright today.
The author has something to say: came back! Everyone knows that I should finish it as soon as it’s sweet, so the last chapter of the story will be tomorrow!!!!
