Blinded chapter 21
By the time Xie Li took a taxi back, it was already past lunchtime.
The taxi driver stopped the car outside Chang’s residence, saying as Xie Li got out, “Isn’t this the home of Chang Guanshan?”
Xie Li remained silent. He waited until the taxi made a U-turn and left before walking to the side door on the left of the main gate, entering the password to open it.
As the door opened, a black car slowed down in front of the gate. The backseat window rolled down to reveal Chang Xin’s face.
Chang Xin looked at him expressionlessly, said nothing, and the two large iron gates automatically opened. Xie Li saw the car heading towards a villa in the front.
Xie Li directly took the back path to the small building where Chang Xiaojia lived. Through the garden, he heard movement in front of the villa. After Chang Xin got out of the car, he went inside the front villa gate.
The small building behind was very quiet. After entering, Xie Li stood at the staircase and looked upstairs. Then he opened the door to the kitchen on the ground floor, put the congee and buns he bought into the microwave to heat.
Sitting on a high stool by the dining table, Xie Li waited until the microwave made a “ding” sound before getting up to take out the food, still in plastic containers. He carried them to the second floor.
When he opened the door, Xie Li suspected that Chang Xiaojia might not be at home anymore. However, upon opening the door, he saw Chang Xiaojia still lying in bed, sound asleep. The blanket was pulled up to cover half of his face, his hair messy, and both cheeks were slightly red from sleep.
Xie Li instinctively lightened his steps. He walked to the bedside, placed the plastic bag on the bedside table, crouched down near Chang Xiaojia, and called out, “Xiaojia?”
Chang Xiaojia had one hand against his cheek, and his fingers moved slightly.
Xie Li reached out, hooked his pinky finger with Chang Xiaojia’s, and called softly, “Chang Xiaojia.”
After a while, Chang Xiaojia slowly opened his eyes, looking dazed as if he hadn’t fully woken up.
Xie Li said, “Have you had lunch? I brought back Nan Guo’s pumpkin congee and xiaolongbao for you.”
Chang Xiaojia’s voice was hoarse as he asked, “What time is it?”
Xie Li pulled the blanket down a bit, feeling a slight sweat on his neck, and said, “It’s already noon. Don’t sleep anymore. Get up and eat something.”
Chang Xiaojia licked his dry lips, impatiently saying, “I don’t want to eat.”
Xie Li looked at him. “You were the one who asked me to buy it for you.”
Chang Xiaojia frowned, looking very uncomfortable, a deep mark between his eyebrows. “How long have you been away? You took too long and I fell asleep.”
Xie Li replied, “Your house is remote. Can you blame me for that?”
Chang Xiaojia said, “I don’t care. Just throw it away.”
Xie Li looked at him with a serious expression. After a while, he reached out, picked up the congee and buns from the bedside table, and walked towards the door. He left the room, intending to throw everything away, but after running around outside for a while and not having had a chance to eat, he suddenly felt hungry. So, he sat in the waiting room outside, took out the food, and ate it all himself.
The congee and xiaolongbao, reheated in the microwave, naturally weren’t as delicious as when freshly made. Still, as Xie Li ate, the taste was quite good.
After finishing the meal, Xie Li stuffed the empty containers back into the plastic bag, tied it up, and threw it in the trash. He stood up, walked to the window, lit a cigarette, and then turned back to Chang Xiaojia’s room.
Chang Xiaojia was still lying on his side, not asleep this time but staring with slightly reddened eyes.
Xie Li walked to the bedside and sat down, reaching out to touch his face. Chang Xiaojia turned his head away, avoiding Xie Li’s touch. So, Xie Li withdrew his hand and asked, “Where’s Shi Hongqian?”
Chang Xiaojia didn’t answer.
Xie Li asked again, “are you really not going to eat anything?”
Chang Xiaojia still didn’t respond.
Xie Li bent down to look at his face, feeling like his eyes were a bit red, as if he was about to cry. He leaned in and said, “Tell me what you’re thinking, okay?” Sometimes, Xie Li found Chang Xiaojia extremely annoying.
Chang Xiaojia shifted his gaze.
Xie Li sighed quietly. He turned to look at the thermometer on the bedside table and said, “Let’s check your temperature again.” After that, he grabbed Chang Xiaojia’s arm to lift him up.
Chang Xiaojia tightened his lips.
After some thought, Xie Li said, “If your fever goes down, how about I take you out to eat?,” lowering his head to look at Chang Xiaojia, “Do you feel better after taking the medicine?”
Chang Xiaojia still remained silent.
After a while, Xie Li took the thermometer off him and held it up to check the temperature, saying, “No fever.”
Chang Xiaojia crawled back onto the bed.
Xie Li touched his hair and asked, “should we go out now?”
Chang Xiaojia turned his head and slowly sat up.
Xie Li picked out some clothes from the wardrobe for him and helped him put them on.
Chang Xiaojia wore an oversized long coat, making his pale and petite face stand out.
As they left, Xie Li reached out a hand to him. Chang Xiaojia looked at it for a while before slowly placing his hand in Xie Li’s, allowing Xie Li to lead him outside.
After descending a few steps, Xie Li suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, “How about I carry you?”
Chang Xiaojia neither agreed nor refused.
Xie Li released Chang Xiaojia’s hand, half-squatting down. After a while, Chang Xiaojia climbed onto his back, wrapping his hands around Xie Li’s shoulders. Xie Li supported his legs, stood up straight, and as they descended two more flights of stairs, he felt Chang Xiaojia’s face pressing against his own.
Chang Xiaojia’s face was warm and soft, with breaths carrying a strong nasal tone. It made Xie Li’s steps pause momentarily, and after two seconds, he continued down the stairs.