TSED; chapter 11

Zhang Hang wasn’t surprised. Zhao Xiaolian’s actions these past few days had given him a feeling of impending crisis. She had no source of income and didn’t engage in honest practices. No matter how much money she had, if she just sat there and did nothing, she’d eventually spend it all¹. Zhang Hang understood this truth, even if his mother did not. She simply wanted to drink and live in the moment. Tomorrow… tomorrow she’d sell the house then keep playing around.

To gain more money, the penniless Zhao Xiaolian would sell the house. Zhang Hang had long expected it, so he was just a bit dazed and at a loss. What he hadn’t expected was Zhao Xiaolian leaving him without saying a word. Even if she’d wanted to sell the house and leave, couldn’t she have at least told him? He was afraid, okay? He was afraid that, after he once again followed after her, he’d continue to drag her down, and she’d have to think of ways to make money to support him. He should be glad that he hadn’t told Zhao Xiaolian about his impending blindness. Otherwise, Zhao Xiaolian would have just abandoned him.

Perhaps, he should also thank her. At least she didn’t leave him with a bunch of loans to repay.

Zhang Hang nodded to the man outside and promised that he would move out that day. He went back to his room and packed a few clothes. The rest was books, but he only brought the recently bought Braille books.

The speed at which he packed was very fast because Zhang Hang didn’t own much. Zhang Qiming had often bought gifts for him when they lived together, but since the divorce, he hadn’t received any.

After his things were packed, he left the key in the mailbox. Zhang Hang walked out of the house slowly, followed by Big Black, who never left him. He should be glad that, at least right now, there was still a dog that was silently by his side, no matter how hard life was.

If Zhao Xiaolian had told him in advance, Zhang Hang could have at least found a good place to stay, but now, he wasn’t at all prepared. He dragged along his suitcase and stood at the street in a daze, a bewildered look on his face.

“Woof!” Seeing that he didn’t seem right, Lu Chengye barked loudly. Zhang Hang slowly turned to face him and waved his hands in front of his own face.

Lu Chengye felt as if all the blood had drained from his veins and his whole body turned to ice.

“Big Black,” Zhang Hang crouched down wearily, burying his face in his knees. “I can’t see.”

Just now, he had been able to fumble about and prepare his luggage, but when he’d stood on the street, Zhang Hang couldn’t see anything but darkness in front of him. He had been experiencing this sort of symptom for a long time, and often had periods of darkness, but his vision would recover itself quickly. Now, the world had been dark for a long time, and it wasn’t coming back. He still couldn’t see anything.

This time… he was probably really blind.

“Woof, woof, woof!” Why was it now, when Zhang Hang was the most helpless, Lu Chengye didn’t know what to do to help him? It seemed that the heavens had put all possible injustice and suffering on the poor young man, and wouldn’t stop until he was forced to die.

What now? Should Zhang Hang rent a house? That wasn’t a good idea; there will always be malicious people who would happily cheat him. If his sight didn’t recover this time around, he still had a lot he needed to do. He couldn’t do it alone.

Lu Chengye sat beside Zhang Hang, racking his brains for a solution. He wanted the child to spend this dark and helpless time in safety, which a dog couldn’t provide. Zhao Xiaolian, the person closest to Zhang Hang, was the chief culprit behind Zhang Hang’s current situation. The people surrounding him had already left, leaving him behind. Zhang Qiming… if he knew what Zhang Hang was going through now, he might be able to help, but they had already become strangers.

At this point… Lu Chengye grit his teeth. That was all he could do.

Zhang Hang sat, feeling depressed for a while. Finally, he rubbed Big Black’s head, stood up bravely, and decided to find a house to rent. However, he wouldn’t be able to see any advertisements. Even if there was one, he couldn’t read it, let alone make out the address and phone number. Rubbing his brow, he wondered where the nearest agent was and if he should go there to find a rental. He would probably be able to find someone who could recommend an agency, at least.

At this time, Zhang hang felt Big Black tugging at his clothes hard. Generally, when Big Black tugged at him like this, something important happened. Big Black wanted to bring him away.

After spending more than half a year together, day and night, Zhang Hang trusted Big Black. He’d never made a mistake and had always led him to the right places. Zhang Hang was being dragged along by Big Black for a bit when a simple rope was put into his hands, probably picked up by Big Black off the roadside.

Lu Chengye let Zhang Hang tie the rope around his neck. At one time he had hated this symbol of loss of freedom, but now he was glad to endure it².

With the rope tied around his neck, Lu Chengye could now safely lead Zhang Hang around by pulling him. He could also let him know when to start or stop walking.

He didn’t like being bound, but for this young man’s safety, he was completely willing.

“Big Black is a good dog, he doesn’t need to be leashed.” Zhang Hang didn’t want to secure Big Black, as he knew the dog had disliked it since it was small.

“Woof!” In the dark, Zhang Hang’s finger was bitten gently. It didn’t hurt, and instead seemed to be urging.

The rope which had been discarded was once again shoved into his hands. Zhang Hang’s fingers trembled slightly.

Big Black was such a neat-freak of a dog. He would keep his fur spotless, clean his paws each time he went indoors, and rinse his mouth before bed. He was a very particular dog. But now, in order to be sure Zhang Hang could walk well, the dog had picked up a dirty rope from the ground and asked to be bound. Zhang Hang didn’t know how smart other people’s dogs were, only that his Big Black was the one who cared for him the most out of anyone in the world.

Throwing the rope away, Zhang Hang opened his suitcase and started to feel around with his hands. Lu Chengye looked at its contents cautiously. There was nothing valuable in the suitcase. Plus, they were Zhang Hang’s personal belongings. It wouldn’t be good if someone targeted them.

Taking out a shirt from the suitcase, Zhang Hang tore it. Lu Chengye cried out in surprise. In these sorts of circumstances, that wasn’t something could afford to lose!

The shirt was torn into two pieces, which were then tied together. One end was stuffed into Big Black’s mouth, and the other was held by Zhang Hang.

“This way, you can lead me around.” Zhang Hang smiled faintly. “The rope is dirty, but my clothes are clean.”

Lu Chengye felt his dog nose become a little sour. He grabbed one end of the shirt and led Zhang Hang forward. His Hang Hang, even in this desperate situation, was a gentle and kind child.

Lu Chengye could only admit defeat…

He would have been okay using the rope. He wasn’t such a fastidious person, and could even be called skillful at times. So why did Zhang Hang tear one of his few articles of clothing? Actually… it seemed that Zhao Xiaolian had bought it when Hang Hang had started high school last year. It had been too big, and Zhang Hang looked like a bear in a cloth bag when he went to school that day. Later, Lin Sheng had make some jokes about it.

Zhao Xiaolian hadn’t even known Zhang Hang’s size. She had just bought a ten yuan³ t-shirt off the street. Zhang Hang had kept it all this time.

Now, it would be finally thrown away.

Lu Chengye had one end of the shirt gripped in his teeth, and thought hard as he led Zhang Hang along.

Following his heart, Lu Chengye brought Zhang Hang to the nearby police station.

Yes, the police station.

If there was a problem with the police, Lu Chengye wouldn’t want to go to such a place. However, he knew that the Chinese police were very familiar with such affairs. Those who could understand Zhang Hang’s current situation and help him without any risk of a scam would probably only be the police.

They would have to inconvenience the police, Lu Chengye thought to himself.

Zhang Hang was unceremoniously dragged to the police station by Lu Chengye. Today, there was a young policeman on duty. When he saw a high school student with luggage and a dog reporting, he asked seriously, “What’s the matter?”

Zhang Hang was confused. “Where is this?”

“You don’t know where you are?” The young policeman felt like his jaw was about to fall off his face. Even if their police station was small, the badge and logo on the door were quite large, not to mention that he was wearing a uniform.

Zhang Hang lowered his head slightly, feeling a trace of embarrassment and confusion. Although his eyes couldn’t be seen at the moment, they didn’t look damaged. They were actually quite beautiful and penetrating. When he would turn to face someone, the other person would have a feeling of being deeply watched. The policeman hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Hang said quietly, “I can’t see. My dog brought me here. Sorry, I… I don’t know where this is.”

Speaking it out loud, it no longer seemed so difficult to say. He felt a little calmer and braver.

“Right, I’m sorry.” Compared with Zhang Hang’s calm demeanor, the policeman seemed a little flustered. Stretching out a hand, he waved it back in forth in front of Zhang Hang’s eyes. He found that the beautifully-eyed boy really didn’t respond. He didn’t know why this made him sad. What a lovely child this boy was.

“Then, did your guide dog take you to the wrong place?” Xiao Ren, the policeman, tried to slow down his voice and speak gently.

“I don’t know,” Zhang Hang said, pursing his lips. “I don’t know why he brought me here. But right now, I’m… maybe I do really need help. I’m sorry…”

“No, no, no, no need to apologize,” Xiao Ren stammered. “That… what can I do for you?”

Zhang Hang put his hand on Big Black’s head. He didn’t know how smart others’ dogs were, but his Big Black would take him to the police station when he was his most helpless. Was this what ordinary dogs could do? Maybe they could. After all, dogs were very smart. It was said that some dogs could catch thieves and knew how to bring them to the police station.

He felt the soft, black head and felt like he’d regained his strength. “It’s nothing important. I need to rent a house right now, but as you know, I can’t see, so I need help.”

“What about your parents? You’re underage!” Xiao Ren slapped the table. How could a blind high school student find a way to rent a house on their own?

“My parents are divorced. My mom… I don’t know where she went.” Zhang Hang thought hard and decided to selectively disclose information.

He wasn’t aware that when he said this, he had a slightly hurt expression. Xiao Ren couldn’t help but feel his ache slightly after seeing Zhang Hang’s face.

To put it simply, there were countless unspeakable pains contained in that one expression.

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^{1. “just sitting and eating, one can deplete even a mountain of wealth”. Chinese idiom meaning to spend one’s money without generating any income↩}

^{2. “to enjoy something bitter as if it were malt sugar”, idiom meaning to gladly endure hardships↩}

^{3. $1.45 USD… ouch↩}