Black Ribbon Blindfold

Scorching August.

Beep beep beep—!

The piercing sound of cicadas mixed with the incessant honking of car horns echoed through the bustling streets. The scorching sun baked the grayish-brown asphalt, heat waves rising, making the entire street seem to warp.

Under the sparse tree shade by the roadside, a few young people huddled together, smoking cigarettes while waiting for the traffic light.

Suddenly, one of the young men, exhaling a cloud of smoke, seemed to notice something. He let out a soft "Hmm?" and his gaze fell upon a spot at the street corner.

"Arno, what are you looking at?" his companion asked.

The young man named Arno stared blankly at the street corner for a while before finally speaking, "How do you think blind people cross the road?"

His companion paused, then slowly replied after a moment of hesitation, "Generally, blind people have someone to look after them when they go out, or they're guided by a guide dog. In more modern cities, there are also voice announcements from the traffic lights. If all else fails, maybe they can inch their way across using sound and a white cane?"

Arno shook his head. "What if no one is watching them, they don't have a guide dog, there are no voice announcements, and their white cane is being used to carry a bottle of cooking oil?"

"...Do you think you're funny?"

His companion rolled his eyes and followed Arno's gaze. The next moment, he froze on the spot.

Across the street, a teenager in a black t-shirt was standing there. His eyes were tightly wrapped in several layers of black cloth, completely blocking out all light.

In his left hand, he held a cheap shopping bag full of vegetables. In his right, he gripped a white cane held over his shoulder like a carrying pole. And at the end of the white cane, a large bucket of golden cooking oil gleamed in the sunlight!

Black ribbon blindfold, white cane on his shoulder, vegetables in his left hand, carrying oil in his right...

This unbelievable sight immediately drew the attention of a large crowd.

"Hey, look, that person is so weird."

"He's got so much cloth wrapped around his eyes, can he even see the road?"

"Didn't you see the white cane in his hand? He's blind, obviously."

"What era is this? Blind people usually wear sunglasses. Who wraps their eyes with cloth on a hot day? Aren't they afraid of getting stuffy?"

"Exactly. And have you ever seen a blind person use a white cane to carry things instead of walking with it?"

"Young people these days are so creative."

"..."

The summer cicadas couldn't drown out the hushed whispers of the surrounding pedestrians. They curiously observed the teenager, quietly discussing whether he was truly blind or faking it, while looking expectantly at the flashing red light.

Just then, a clear voice rang out from beside the teenager.

"Brother, can I help you cross the road?"

It was a little girl in a school uniform, about twelve or thirteen years old. A few glistening beads of sweat dotted her cheeks, and her large, dark eyes were fixed on the teenager with concern, pure and simple.

The teenager paused slightly, turned his head towards the little girl, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Okay."

He hung the bag of vegetables on his right hand, freed his left hand to wipe the sweat from his clothes, and gently took the little girl's hand.

Clack—!

The green light turned on.

The teenager stepped forward, walking towards the other side of the road with the little girl.

The little girl was very nervous, looking left and right at the passing cars, her steps cautious and timid.

As for the teenager... he walked steadily.

In the eyes of the crowd, the scene looked less like a kind girl helping a blind person cross the road, and more like an older brother taking a little sister across.

The road wasn't wide. In just over ten seconds, the two reached the other side. The teenager thanked the little girl and, without looking back, headed towards a secluded alleyway.

"He's not blind," Arno stated with certainty upon seeing this. "He can definitely see."

A young man behind Arno rested his chin on one hand, deep in thought. Then, as if struck by an idea, he exclaimed in realization, "I get it! He's cosplaying as the Blind Monk!"

Slap—!

A swift, decisive slap landed on the back of his head. Arno cursed, "Useless! You're always playing games. Who in their right mind would cosplay as the Blind Monk on a busy street? Are you trying to die?"

After a two-second pause, Arno muttered, adding, "Besides... the Blind Monk's eye covering is red. This cosplay isn't even accurate."

"Arno, you're lecturing me..."

"Shut up."

"Okay."

As the two bickered, the young man who had been silently observing the teenager's retreating figure frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Arno noticed his gaze.

"I know him."

"You know him?"

"That's right." The young man nodded. "When my cousin was still in elementary school, I heard that a student at their school had an accident and had problems with his eyes, requiring him to wear a black ribbon blindfold. They also said he had some mental issues..."

"Mental issues?" Arno blinked, recalling the situation carefully. "I didn't see any problems."

"That was ten years ago. Maybe he's already recovered, but at the time, it seemed like a pretty big deal. The student dropped out within a few days and was reportedly transferred to a special school for the blind."

Just then, another person excitedly chimed in, "Speaking of which, what kind of accident was it? It caused him to go blind and have mental problems. Maybe he was cursed?"

"I don't know." He paused. "But... I heard it was something even more bizarre."

"He's a poor soul," Arno sighed. "What was his name?"

"I think it was Lin... Lin... Lin Qiye?"

In the evening glow, Lin Qiye pushed open the door.

Almost instantly, the aroma of cooking wafted from inside, filling his nostrils. He sniffed, swallowed, and walked into the house with his purchases.

Creak—!

The old door let out a piercing squeal, drowning out the sound of stir-frying from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman pushed open the kitchen door, gasped when she saw Lin Qiye carrying bags, and hurried over.

"Xiao Qi, why are you carrying so much back at once?" The woman wiped her hands on her apron and quickly helped Lin Qiye take his things, chattering away.

"Such a big bucket of cooking oil? You child, did you misuse the government subsidy again?"

"Auntie, the government subsidy for disabled people is for living expenses. Using it to buy oil is making the best use of it," Lin Qiye said with a smile.

"Nonsense, this money is for you to go to college. How can you misuse it? Let me tell you, the money I earn from working is enough to support the three of us. Don't you spend money carelessly."

The auntie gently wiped the oil bucket with her hand, her expression pained, and she muttered softly, "Such a big bucket of oil, and it's a brand name... that must have cost a lot, right?"

Before Lin Qiye could say anything, his aunt suddenly realized something.

"Wait... with all this stuff, how did you bring it back?"

"Oh, I met some kind people on the way who helped me bring it back," Lin Qiye said calmly.

"Good, good! It seems there are still many good people in society... Did you thank them properly?"

"I did," Lin Qiye changed the subject. "Auntie, where's A Jin?"

"He's on the balcony doing his homework... Oh, right, the doctor from the psychiatric hospital is here for the routine check-up this year. He's resting in the room. Go see the doctor. I'll start cooking, and I'll call you when it's ready."

Lin Qiye's steps faltered slightly. He said "Oh," and turned towards the bedroom.

"Hello, I'm a doctor from Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital. My surname is Li."

As Lin Qiye pushed the door open, the young man sitting on a small stool in the bedroom stood up and spoke gently. He wore a pair of large, black-rimmed glasses and looked refined.

Lin Qiye raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Didn't Dr. Han always come before?"

"Dr. Han was promoted to deputy director last year." Dr. Li smiled, a hint of envy in his eyes.

Lin Qiye nodded slightly and said "Oh."

It made sense. Dr. Han was quite old and his medical skills were superb. Being promoted to deputy director wasn't surprising. It was only natural for a younger doctor to come for his regular check-ups.

Seeing Lin Qiye sit down, Dr. Li cleared his throat and took out a stack of medical records from his bag.

"I'm sorry, as I'm new here, I'm not too familiar with your situation yet. Let me get a basic understanding first," Dr. Li said apologetically.

Lin Qiye nodded.

"Your name is... Lin Qiye?"

"Yes."

"Seventeen years old this year."

"Yes."

"Birthday?"

"October 5th."

"Hmm... the medical records say you went blind ten years ago and were sent to our hospital due to some issues?"

"Yes."

Dr. Li pondered for a moment. "Did you change your name?"

"...No, why do you ask?" Lin Qiye blinked in surprise.

Dr. Li scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Ahem... it seems I was overthinking it."

He extended his hand, pointed to the age on the medical record, and then to the words "ten years ago." "You see, you went blind ten years ago. You were exactly seven years old then, and your name happens to be Lin Qiye, so I thought you changed your name after going blind..."

Lin Qiye was silent for a long time, then shook his head. "No... I've never changed my name. My parents decided on the name Lin Qiye for me before I was born."

"That's quite... ahem," Dr. Li stopped himself mid-sentence, realizing it was impolite.

"Quite a coincidence," Lin Qiye said flatly. "It really is a coincidence."

Dr. Li felt a bit awkward but quickly changed the subject. "Um... the medical records don't seem to detail the accident that caused your blindness and mental disorder. If it's convenient, could you tell me about it?"

Before Lin Qiye could speak, Dr. Li quickly added, "I don't mean to offend. The more I understand my patients, the better I can treat them. Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you."

Lin Qiye sat quietly, his eyes beneath the black ribbon seeming to fix on Dr. Li.

After a long pause, he spoke slowly:

"There's nothing I can't say... it's just that you might not believe me, or you might even send me back to the psychiatric hospital."

"No, no, no, let's not define our relationship as doctor and patient. This is just a normal chat between friends; it won't come to that," Dr. Li said with a half-joking tone. "Even if you told me you were pulled into Taishang Laojun's alchemy furnace, I'd still believe you."

Lin Qiye was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"When I was little, I liked astronomy."

"Mm, and then?"

"That night, I was lying on the eaves of my old house, looking at the moon."

"What did you see? The Moon Rabbit?" Dr. Li chuckled.

Lin Qiye shook his head. His next sentence made Dr. Li's smile freeze on his face.

"No, I saw an angel," Lin Qiye said earnestly, gesturing with his hands in front of him.

"A Seraphim, shrouded in golden light, with six white wings."