Blinded chapter 20
Xie Li walked to the bathtub and squatted down, reaching out to grab Chang Xiaojia’s arm.
Chang Xiaojia avoided him, hugging his legs with his arms, chin resting on his knees, staring coldly at the almost cold water in the bathtub.
Xie Li said, “The water is cold.”
Chang Xiaojia didn’t look at him.
Xie Li continued, “Xiaojia, I’m sorry.”
Chang Xiaojia said coldly, “Why don’t you go die?”.
Xie Li stood up by the bathtub, looking down at him. “I’ll turn off the bathroom light.”
Suddenly, Chang Xiaojia lifted his head.
Xie Li reached out to him. “Get up, Xiaojia.”
Chang Xiaojia’s breathing was heavy, his thin chest heaving violently. For a moment, Xie Li felt like he was dealing with an inflated pufferfish. However, after a while, Chang Xiaojia grabbed Xie Li’s hand and stood up.
Xie Li half-dragged, half-carried him out of the bathtub, removing his cold, wet clothes and drying him with a towel. Even after lying on the bed, Chang Xiaojia’s body remained icy, so Xie Li had no choice but to undress and embrace him, enveloping him in warmth. He caressed his back with his palm.
Chang Xiaojia said darkly, “You wanted to kill me.”
Xie Li replied, “You attacked me first.”
Chang Xiaojia, still chilly, said, “You cursed at me.”
After a moment of silence, Xie Li, sounding a bit aggrieved, said, “You kicked me in my crotch. Do you know how much it hurts?”
Chang Xiaojia didn’t answer. Xie Li simply grabbed his crotch, exerting a bit of pressure. Chang Xiaojia immediately began to struggle weakly.
Xie Li said, “That’s how much it hurts”
Chang Xiaojia remained silent.
Xie Li continued, “In the future, let’s talk it out. Don’t resort to violence when things go wrong. I can feel pain too. When you hurt me, I might lose control.”
Chang Xiaojia made a soft sound.
He then sneezed twice.
Bending down, Xie Li, using the light, looked at him. “You caught a cold.”
Chang Xiaojia rubbed his nose with his hand, and after a while, his breathing became less smooth. He struggled to leave Xie Li’s embrace, lying on his back, starting to breathe through his mouth.
Supporting his head with one hand, Xie Li looked down at him. “Do you have any medicine?”
Chang Xiaojia said, “No.”
Xie Li suggested, “I’ll go find Shi Hongqian.”
Chang Xiaojia shook his head. “No need, just sleep; I’ll be fine.”
The next morning, Chang Xiaojia was still unwell. He lay in bed, breathing heavily, and his forehead felt hot to the touch.
Xie Li got up, went downstairs to find Shi Hongqian, and soon returned with a thermometer and cold medicine.
When he tried to measure Chang Xiaojia’s temperature, Chang Xiaojia woke up, pushing his hand away. Patiently squatting beside him, Xie Li said, “Let me check your temperature.”
Chang Xiaojia felt pain in his nose every time he breathed. He opened his red and watery eyes, looking at Xie Li for a moment, and said, “You want to kill me.”
At that moment, Shi Hongqian entered the room with a cup of hot water, hearing the words and looking at Xie Li.
Knowing that Shi Hongqian had entered, Xie Li didn’t look up. He remained squatting beside Chang Xiaojia, saying, “I don’t want to kill you. I care about you. Come on, let’s check your temperature.” He opened Chang Xiaojia’s arm, placed the thermometer under his armpit, and pressed his arm back. To prevent him from moving, Xie Li lay down, tightly hugging Chang Xiaojia.
Chang Xiaojia had no strength to struggle.
Shi Hongqian placed the cup on the bedside table, squatted on the side of the bed where Chang Xiaojia was sleeping, and reached out to touch his forehead.
Xie Li asked, “Should we take him to the hospital?”
Shi Hongqian said, “Let’s try giving him fever-reducing medicine first and see if it works.”
Xie Li nodded, “Okay.”
After measuring his temperature, which showed a slight fever, Xie Li fed Chang Xiaojia fever-reducing and cold medicine, tucking him back under the blanket.
Shi Hongqian asked Chang Xiaojia, “What do you want to eat? I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare for you.”
Chang Xiaojia said, “I want Sheng Ji’s pumpkin congee and steamed dumplings.”
Shi Hongqian calmly replied, “I guess the kitchen won’t be able to make that.”
Chang Xiaojia turned away from him, showing no interest.
Xie Li looked at his downcast expression and said, “I’ll go out to buy it for you.”
Chang Xiaojia glanced at him.
Xie Li gently said, “If there’s anything else you want to eat, tell me, and I’ll get it for you.”
Before leaving, Shi Hongqian suggested arranging a driver for Xie Li. However, Xie Li declined, saying it wasn’t necessary. He went out to hail a taxi, assuring that he would return soon. The driver stayed at home in case Chang Xiaojia’s fever didn’t subside, making it convenient to take him to the hospital.
Xie Li walked out of the gate with his hands in his coat pockets, heading down the driveway. After about ten minutes, he found a small bus stop by the roadside.
He waited under the bus stop sign for almost ten minutes. A bus bound for the city approached slowly. He boarded and walked to the last row of seats.
Taking the bus to the city took him over an hour.
The nearest Sheng Ji restaurant to the Chang residence was located in the commercial district south of Harbor City. It turned out to be busier than Xie Li had imagined, making it challenging to find a traditional convenience store. Eventually, he found one in an alley behind the commercial center. Xie Li bought a pack of cigarettes and used the shopkeeper’s landline to make a call to Yu Zhengkun.
After the call, Xie Li purchased congee and steamed dumplings from Sheng Ji and, in the adjacent shopping mall, bought a morning session movie ticket. The theater was almost empty.
Xie Li sat in the last row. When the movie was halfway through, Yu Zhengkun finally arrived, sitting in the second-to-last row, just in front of Xie Li.
The packed congee and dumplings were placed on the adjacent seat. Xie Li reached out and handed Yu Zhengkun the bottle obtained from the drug-dealing young man at the bar.
Yu Zhengkun whispered, “What is this?”
Xie Li leaned forward, and his voice was completely drowned out by the movie music. “Got it from the kid selling drugs at Hong Fang Bar.”
Yu Zhengkun asked, “Is it someone from Hong Fang selling drugs inside?”
Xie Li said, “According to Chang Xiaojia, it’s not.”
Yu Zhengkun remained silent for a moment and asked, “What do you mean?”
Xie Li stared at the movie screen for a while, then said, “Chang Xiaojia recently took over the bar. I suspect he might not know a lot of things. The details might only be clear to Chang Xin and Chang Guanshan, father and son.”
“Can you get close to Chang Xin?” Yu Zhengkun inquired.
Xie Li said, “I’ll try.”
Yu Zhengkun continued, “Any progress on the Chen Haiman case?”
Xie Li’s face darkened, and after a long time, he replied, “None.”