Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 23

 A Long Journey

Lin Chi took the high-speed train back that night, switched to a long-distance bus, and then drove for another two hours before reaching Changyu County, where he grew up.

He rushed to the hospital, hurriedly handled the procedures, paid the advance fees, and finally learned the whole story.

Lin Zhaofeng, as he was described, was a gambler, an alcoholic, and a violent addict.

When he was young, he was arrested for drug use and went through rehabilitation. Although he no longer had access to drugs, he barely managed to quit.

However, the addiction still lay dormant in his body all these years. Many times, he would scratch himself until he bled or even hit himself with a brick.

Then, this morning, possibly due to a relapse, he forcefully drank pesticide. He later fell at the door, and it was only because the neighbor found him that he was brought to the hospital…

“The doctors are trying their best to save him,” the nurse explained carefully to Lin Chi, “We will do our best, but given the situation, you should be prepared for the worst…”

Earlier, the nurse had already asked Lin Chi to sign a critical condition notice.

The hospital walls and lights were all a stark white, making Lin Chi’s face look bloodless.

But he remained very calm, not panicked like a typical family member.

He was so young, tall, and upright, but standing in the hospital corridor, he looked out of place compared to the surroundings. Clearly still at the age of studying, he had to face such a situation.

This made the nurse feel even more sympathy for him.

“I understand, thank you,” he politely thanked the nurse.

The nurse said nothing more and went back to her work.

Lin Chi sat quietly on the chair, waiting. He had nothing to do but stare at the “In Surgery” sign above the operating room.

Even now, he still felt a sense of unreality.

From the moment he received the phone call, to rushing here to confirm that Lin Zhaofeng was undergoing emergency treatment, it all felt absurd.

How could it be?

This was the person who, just a few days ago, was full of energy, viciously cursing him over the phone, scraping every penny from him to spend on alcohol, a life addicted to drinking, constantly losing at cards and owing money. His life was almost a living embodiment of the term “human scum.” Anyone would think such a scourge would live forever, yet now he was in critical condition.

It was like a joke.

Lin Chi looked at the “In Surgery” sign, his eyes indifferent.

He still didn’t believe the person inside was in any real danger.

A scourge lives a thousand years.

That person had lived muddled for more than ten years, his body worn out from the debts of youth, yet he always seemed full of energy, capable of outlasting anyone.

Besides, he and the person lying inside had nothing left but a legal father-son relationship. When he left Changyu County at eighteen, he hadn’t planned on returning.

Coming to the hospital to pay the medical expenses was his last bit of mercy.

The surgery took a long time. Later, Lin Chi almost fell asleep.

It was then that he received a call from Li Tingyan.

Seeing Li Tingyan’s name on the phone, Lin Chi was a bit surprised because he hadn’t planned to meet Li Tingyan these days. If he remembered correctly, Li Tingyan should be on a business trip now.

“Where are you?” Li Tingyan asked him.

Lin Chi glanced at the hospital’s service desk but didn’t answer immediately.

He said vaguely, “Out dealing with something.”

“Oh.”

Li Tingyan didn’t press further, his voice gentle, “I just saw a teapot on my business trip that looked like the one you liked but couldn’t get last time. I wanted to show it to you. If it’s the same, I’ll bring it back for you.”

Lin Chi was stunned, not expecting Li Tingyan to remember this.

He had indeed been trying to buy a teapot designed by a master a while ago but couldn’t get it.

Only a few hundred of those teapots had been made so far. They were niche items, not excessively expensive but rarely sold by collectors.

Lin Chi’s stiff expression softened a bit, “You remembered that, huh? Sure, I’ll check it later, but I have something to do now…”

As he was speaking, a nurse suddenly walked over, shouting behind him, “Where are the family members of patient number 17, Zhang Xihe? Has anyone seen Zhang Xihe’s family?”

Her voice was loud and filled with urgency.

With this sound, Li Tingyan frowned, “You’re in the hospital?”

“Ah… yes.”

Lin Chi didn’t know how to answer, “It’s not me who’s sick, it’s my…” He hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to explain, “My dad, he’s got some issues and is in the hospital. I’m the only family, so I had to come…”

Hearing that it wasn’t Lin Chi, Li Tingyan’s expression softened a bit.

But he quickly understood that it probably wasn’t a minor issue with his father; otherwise, Lin Chi wouldn’t have rushed over.

He was about to ask more.

But the emergency room light suddenly went out, and the doors opened.

Lin Chi instinctively tensed up and turned to look.

The doctor came out pushing a hospital bed.

On that bed was a white sheet covering someone.

Seeing the doctor’s expression, Lin Chi vaguely knew the answer.

But it still felt absurd to him.

How could it be?

But the next second, the doctor looked at him and apologetically said, “I’m sorry, the patient didn’t make it…”

Lin Chi didn’t hear what the doctor said next.

He vaguely heard the doctor explaining that because the pesticide dose was too large and he arrived too late, they missed the best timing.

His phone was still on the call, and Li Tingyan heard every word.

Lin Chi stood there for a minute before slowly regaining his physical senses and control.

He politely thanked the doctor, “Okay, thank you for your efforts.”

He didn’t say anything unreasonable, nor did he show extreme grief. He just seemed a bit dazed, his eyes resting on the bed for a moment before quickly looking away.

The doctor was a bit surprised, studying this overly calm young man for a few seconds.

But such a reaction from the family member also relieved the doctor. He didn’t bother with why this son was so calm, just nodded to Lin Chi, “Please accept our condolences.”

It was only then that Lin Chi realized his phone was still connected.

Li Tingyan softly called his name, “Lin Chi.”

Lin Chi blinked.

He gently exhaled, “Ah… I forgot to hang up, sorry about that.”

After a moment of silence, he continued, “You heard the situation on my side just now. I won’t explain more. I have to handle the follow-up matters.”

“Lin Chi…”

Li Tingyan called out again.

For some reason, he felt that Lin Chi’s voice, although calm, had a hint of stiffness and anxiety, well concealed.

But before he could ask anything, there was a beep, and Lin Chi had hung up.

In fact, there wasn’t much for Lin Chi to worry about in the follow-up matters.

In the hospital, life and death were too common. No one would pay attention to the passing of such an ordinary, even humiliating life.

Lin Chi methodically handled the final procedures.

His neighbor arrived over half an hour later. She was an aunt who had taken care of him in high school and the only person who had kept in touch with him over the years.

As soon as she saw him, she started crying, “What a tragedy…”

She gently patted Lin Chi a few times, unclear about whom she was referring to.

But her arrival did help Lin Chi a lot.

Handling a funeral was actually quite simple, especially for someone like Lin Chi who wasn’t planning a big event. He could directly contact professionals to handle the funeral, and Lin Zhaofeng would be taken directly to the funeral home. After the farewell ceremony the next day, he would be cremated.

Lin Chi looked at the sky outside, thinking who would actually come to pay respects to such a person.

Lin Zhaofeng’s parents were long gone, and his siblings had fallen out with him and gradually moved out of this county.

The only remaining relative was him, the estranged son.

There were also a few old neighbors who had known Lin Zhaofeng for decades and still remembered his once ambitious youth, so they were willing to take one last look at him out of pity.

But Lin Chi still spent money to buy Lin Zhaofeng a decent plot.

He told the neighbor aunt, “I’m not doing this out of pity. My grandmother begged me before she passed away to not completely abandon him in his old age and to give him a place to rest.”

His grandmother, Lin Zhaofeng’s mother, had passed away even earlier.

She had died when Lin Chi was a freshman in high school, but she had been very good to him.

Moreover…

Lin Chi lowered his eyes and added softly, “He did raise me for a few years.”

The neighbor aunt knew about Lin Chi’s family’s old stories from decades ago and wasn’t surprised by his explanation.

She patted his hair and sighed, “You’re a good child.”

Once everything was taken care of, Lin Chi shouldered his bag and returned to his old home.

The old house was still as he remembered, just a bit more dilapidated. In fact, the money he had given Lin Zhaofeng wasn’t little, more than enough for him to live comfortably in this county, yet one corner of the window was still broken.

Lin Chi looked at the hole, speechless.

That hole seemed to be a representation of the decades of life in this house—always so rundown, with a facade barely holding up while the inside was a mess.

He entered and turned on the light.

The nights in Changyu County were much quieter than those in the big city.

Although the lights were on in his old house, the surroundings were silent, with only the occasional sound of the cold wind rustling the leaves, which was quite eerie.

He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

The last time he lay here was about two years ago.

That was the last time he came back to see Lin Zhaofeng.

After that, they were truly estranged.

He still remembered how Lin Zhaofeng had beaten him with a stick when he was young.

He remembered the night he ran away in anger during a heavy rain.

He remembered gently touching his mother’s swollen, tear-stained face.

So many memories.

They were like a thorn in his throat, impossible to swallow or spit out.

But now, it seemed, the dead are gone, and the past is like smoke.

Lin Chi exhaled, completely awake, and decided to get up, wrap himself in clothes, and go to the yard to smoke.

Winter nights were always a bit cold, especially in this desolate and dilapidated yard. Occasionally, he could hear the sound of stray cats slipping over the wall, but wrapped in a thick coat and blanket, he didn’t feel much.

But as he smoked half a cigarette, he keenly heard some movement in front of the yard gate.

Lin Chi frowned and slowly straightened up from the recliner.

Could it be a thief at this hour?

Damn it.

His house had nothing of value; anything worth something had long been squandered by Lin Zhaofeng. Who would be so desperate to come here?

But he clearly heard someone moving at the gate, even the sound of clothes brushing against the door.

Lin Chi gathered himself, looked around the yard, grabbed a broom from the corner, and walked step by step toward the gate.

The gate was made of wooden planks, and due to years of neglect, wind and rain had widened the gaps between the planks.

He approached slowly, and from a distance, peeked through the gaps.

He thought, if it really was a thief, given his foul mood, he’d definitely call the police and have them spend some time in jail, teaching them a lesson about the law.

And he would tell them that being such a stupid thief had no future because there was nothing worth stealing in his house.

But when he looked through the gap in the planks, in the dim light, he muttered a low, “Damn.”

The late-night visitor outside the gate had a tall, slender figure, wearing a loosely draped black cashmere coat, revealing a gray turtleneck underneath.

In the dim light, the glow of his phone screen faintly illuminated his long, fair hand and a handsome face like jade.

The person outside the gate was unmistakably Li Tingyan.

On this cold, windy night.

Somehow, he had come from a city thousands of miles away to be here.

Author’s Note:

Who’s chasing their love across miles? Oh, it’s our Li Tingyan.