When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The shadow of the old dormitory building in the West District shortened into a mass of ink stains stuck to the wall in the afternoon sun.The plastic bag in Ye Qiulan’s hand swayed slightly with her footsteps, and the corners of the medicine box occasionally rubbed together to make a slight sound, like a monotonous beat that reminded her of the direction of her return.The bus stop is opposite the west gate of the dormitory area. There are not many people waiting for the bus on weekends. A few students under the shade of the trees wear headphones and look distant.

She stood in the narrow shadow cast by the stop sign, waiting for the slow bus to the old city.His eyes unconsciously fell on the plastic bag. Through the thin white plastic, he could vaguely see the outlines of several pill boxes of different colors inside.Tranquilizer tablets, those for stomach protection, those for electrolyte replenishment… She has long been familiar with these names and shapes, like a set of codes about weakness engraved in her bones.

The car arrived, an old diesel car with a dull roar from the engine.She put in the coin, got on the bus, and chose a seat in the back seat by the window.The car was empty, and the air was mixed with the faint smell of engine oil, dust, and the plastic seats that had been exposed to the sun.The car started slowly, drove away from the campus, and merged into the slightly lazy city traffic on weekend afternoons.

The scenery outside the window gradually changes from regular campus buildings to shops lined with streets, colorful signboards, and bustling pedestrians.The sun shines on my arms through the glass window, making it a little hot.Ye Qiulan placed the plastic bag on his knees, tightening his fingers unconsciously.The closer I got to home, the clearer that familiar, sinking feeling in my chest became.It wasn’t a feeling of homespunness, but more like a physiological dullness about to step into the center of a low-pressure cyclone.

She remembered the silhouette of Ling Xueqing when she took half a step forward and spoke to the pharmacist in the school hospital just now.That calm and firm tone, that hand on the back of her hand with unmistakable warmth.The feeling of being caught and being warded off trouble in that moment became especially clear and… distant in the car that was shaking alone.Like a brief breath of oxygen, inhaling it relieved the suffocation of drowning, but the water still spread around.

She lowered her head and looked at her canvas bag.The light gray cardigan inside is stacked on the mezzanine.She reached inside and felt the soft wool-blend material with her fingertips.After hesitating, she took it out, without unfolding it, but placed it on her lap, covering it with the plastic bag containing the medicine.The clothes were folded squarely, with neat corners. The light gray looked extremely soft under the swaying sunlight that filtered through the car window.She lowered her head, brought the tip of her nose close, and sniffed lightly.

The smell of old library books and camphor trees has become so faint that you can barely smell it.But that very light, cold cedar undertone belonging to Ling Xuequing seems to be stubbornly embedded deep in the fiber. You need to get very close to catch a trace of the cold and clean breath.Like the fleeting coldness between breaths in the pine forest after snow.

It was this almost non-existent aura that strangely made her tense shoulders and neck relax slightly.She gently pressed her cheek against the folded clothes. The fabric was slightly cool and pressed against her skin.Closing your eyes, the shaking of the car, the noise of the engine, and the flowing street scene outside the window all temporarily recede.Only this familiar, reassuring cold fragrance is left, and the hard edges of the pill box on your lap bring about a realistic touch that cannot be ignored.

The car bumped, stopped, and started again on the narrow streets of the old city.Passengers were getting up and down.Ye Qiulan always maintained the posture of lowering her head slightly, with her cheek lightly pressed against the fabric of her clothes, until the station announcer came from the vague electronic sound of the station near her home.

She opened her eyes, quickly folded the cardigan again, and stuffed it back into the canvas bag.Pick up the medicine bag and get out of the car.

The platform was still some distance away from her neighborhood, and she had to cross a lively old street filled with vendors.The air was filled with the strong smell of fried food, cooked food, and various fruits. There was a lot of people and the ringing of electric car bells.Ye Qiulan lowered his head, carefully avoiding the flow of people and the occasional sewage on the ground, and walked quickly.This is a living world full of smoke and smoke. There are only a few dusty residential buildings separated from the home she is about to enter that is shrouded in the smell of medicine and weakness, but they are like two completely different time and spaces.

Walking into the familiar gate of the community, most of the bustling sounds are instantly blocked out.The greening in the old-fashioned community is a bit messy, and a few tall camphor trees are covered with black fruits that have been trampled until they become sticky.Her family lives on the sixth floor of the innermost building without an elevator.

The light in the corridor was dim, and there were various small advertisements on the walls for clearing pipes and opening and changing locks. There was dust and a faint moisture in the air.She started climbing the stairs, her footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell.One floor, two floors…the higher you go, the heavier your steps become.The medicine bag in my hand seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.

Turning the corner on the fifth floor, she stopped and gasped slightly.Looking up, you can see the dark green iron door on the sixth floor with some peeling paint.Behind the door is her home.She took a deep breath, suppressed the inexplicable lump in her throat, and stepped up the last few steps.

Insert the key into the lock and turn.The door opened a crack, and the familiar, strong smell of Chinese medicine mixed with a dull, airless breath immediately poured out and enveloped her.

“Mom, I’m back.” She opened the door and tried to sound as brisk as possible.

The light in the small living room was dim and the curtains were half-opened.Mother was coming out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of steaming concoction.She was thinner than Ye Qiulan remembered, her face was sallow from a long-term lack of sleep, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were deep.Seeing Ye Qiulan, she tried hard to smile, but the smile was full of exhaustion.

“Lan Lan is back. Did you get the medicine?” The mother’s voice was a little hoarse.

“Yes, I got it.” Ye Qiulan changed his shoes and put the medicine bag on the small shoe cabinet at the entrance, “Where’s Dad?”

“I just fell asleep.” The mother pursed her lips towards the closed master bedroom door and lowered her voice. “I didn’t sleep much last night. I just fell asleep at dawn.” She looked at the bowl of dark brown concoction and sighed, “Let him drink this bowl after he wakes up and warms up.” After saying that, she carefully placed the medicine bowl on the coffee table in the living room.

Ye Qiulan nodded, walked to the door of the master bedroom, and gently pushed it open.The room was darker, with the curtains closed and only a dim night light turned on.My father was lying on his side on the bed, with the quilt covering his chest. His breathing was heavy and uneven. Even in his sleep, his brows were slightly frowned, his cheeks were sunken, and his complexion was unhealthy gray.The bedside table was filled with pill bottles, water glasses, tissues and a monitor, with faint light dots dancing on the screen.

She only glanced at it before closing the door gently.The sinking feeling in her heart came to a head at this moment, making her almost breathless.She walked back to the living room. Her mother was already sitting on the old sofa, holding a piece of her father’s pajamas in her hand, lowering her head to sew a loose button.His movements were a little clumsy, his eyes were straight, and he didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Mom, have you eaten?” Ye Qiulan asked, walking to the kitchen door and taking a look.The stove was deserted, except for a small casserole with a lid, which should be porridge for my father.

“Eat something.” Mother replied without raising her head, her voice erratic, “If you’re not hungry, we can talk to you later.”

Ye Qiulan said nothing more.She put down her canvas bag, rolled up her sleeves, and began to tidy up the slightly messy living room.Gather the scattered newspapers, wipe the medicine stains accidentally spilled on the coffee table, and fold the pajamas sewn by my mother.Movements are skillful and quiet.

Mother sewed the buttons, put down her needlework, and looked at the medicine bag on the shoe cabinet.”You… didn’t encounter any trouble this time?” she asked, with a cautious tone in her tone.She knows that every time she takes medicine, she may encounter various trivial problems, and what her daughter is least good at is dealing with these.

Ye Qiulan paused in his cleaning action.The silhouette of Ling Xueqing standing in front of the window flashed before his eyes, with that warm hand.

“No.” She heard herself say, her voice calm, “It went well.”

The mother seemed relieved and didn’t ask any more questions.Silence returned to the living room, except for the faint, unsteady breathing sound coming from my father’s room, passing through the crack in the door, like a continuous low hum in the background.

Ye Qiulan finished cleaning up the living room and walked into his small bedroom.The room is simply furnished, with a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.There are some professional books and notes piled on the desk, as well as a photo frame, which contains a family photo from many years ago. At that time, my father was not sick, and my mother still had a bright smile on her face. She was still a little girl who was held by her parents and laughed heartlessly.

She sat down at the desk without turning on the light.The afternoon light filtered through the thin curtains, casting a hazy halo on the table.The feeling of exhaustion creeps up slowly, seeping from the seams in the bones.She lay on the table, resting her forehead on her folded arms.

The canvas bag is at my feet.She reached in and felt the cardigan again.This time, she took it out, unfolded it, and put it on her shoulders.The loose clothes wrapped around her thin shoulders, and the soft wool clung to the skin of her neck and arms. With her body temperature, it seemed to press the almost non-existent cold fragrance closer to her.

She turned her face and looked out the window.From this angle, you can only see the same old building opposite and a small square of gray-blue sky.The chirping of cicadas came from the branches and leaves of the camphor tree downstairs, muffled and intermittent.

The house is very quiet.My mother seemed to have fallen asleep in the living room, and there was a very light snore.My father’s breathing was still heavy.

She remained in a lying position, with Ling Xueqing’s cardigan draped over her shoulders, looking at the small patch of fixed sky outside the window.Time flows thickly in the smell of medicine, the sound of breathing and silence.The touch of the medicine bag still seemed to remain on the knee, but the palm seemed to be imprinted with the brief warmth and strength transmitted by the other hand.

The warmth was far away, separated from the noisy afternoon of the city, the smell of disinfectant in the campus hospital, and the swaying shadow of the camphor tree in the library.But it was very close, draped over her shoulders and pressed against her skin, like a silent word that only she could understand, breathing hard in this suffocating silence and heaviness.