His heart was beating so fast it felt like it wasn't his own anymore.
He looked behind Yan Heqing; in the corridor, backlit, he could only see Lu Lin's blurry figure.
But I truly called his name!
Uncle Lu remembered his name! He remembered him!
Lin Fengzhi quickly brushed past Yan Heqing, ran into the corridor, and looked up, " Uncle Lu, you were looking for me?"
As the figure walked away into the distance, Lu Lin said calmly, "Let's go back for dinner; the banquet is about to end."
He then picked up the bag and left.
Lin Fengzhi motionless for a moment, then obeyed and ran towards the banquet hall.
Uncle Lu told him to eat properly!
--
On the subway home, Yan Heqing watched the advertisements flashing by outside the glass.
He was almost recognized by Lin Fengzhi.
Unlike others, Lin Fengzhi has a pair of eyes similar to his.
What about Lu Lin?
Was his appearance an accident?
Yan Heqing closed his eyes, listened to the trilled words in his headphones, and silently wrote them down in his mind.
I had just gotten home and taken off my coat when my phone rang.
The software indicates it's a courier number.
Yan Heqing's last online purchase was ice fishing equipment.
He answered the phone.
The person on the other end spoke politely first, "Your package has arrived, please open the door and sign for it."
Yan Heqing said, "I don't have any packages."
"We're not a courier service, we're Flash Delivery."
The original iron gate had no peephole. Yan Heqing fastened the safety chain before opening the gate.
It was pitch black outside. When the door opened, the person outside said "Hey!" and the motion-sensor light turned on.
He was indeed wearing a uniform, and was carrying two cardboard boxes.
Yan Heqing said calmly, "If you're sure it wasn't delivered to the wrong address, leave it at the door."
He wasn't sure who it was, so he double-checked the address and phone number. Only after confirming that they were correct did he put the package down, click "delivered," and rush off to deliver the next order.
Once the hallway was quiet again, Yan Heqing removed the safety chain, opened the door, and picked up the two cardboard boxes.
Neither of them is light.
Yan Heqing closed the door and tore open the sealing tape with his bare hands.
The first box... two pineapples?
I had a vague idea.
Yan Heqing then tore open the second cardboard box.
This time they're stacked up neatly, books?
Yan Heqing pulled out a book, which was well protected by a transparent book cover.
It's a comic book called Superhero.
Gently turn the page, and you'll see the words written on the title page:
Every child will meet their own Superhero.
Chapter 59
When I was a child, comics were popular in my class for a while.
It was passed around to everyone, but before it reached Yan Heqing, it was confiscated by the teacher and put in his desk.
I returned the comic book to that classmate during the holiday. After the holiday, everyone in the class started idolizing celebrities, basketball stars, and movie stars. Nobody mentioned comics anymore.
Later, when Yan Feng got a little older, Yan Heqing was cleaning his room and found a few comic books. He flipped through a few pages and was caught by Zhao Huilin, who pointed at him and scolded him for the entire morning.
She scolded him for not studying hard, coaxed Yan Feng to spend money recklessly, and bought him all sorts of frivolous books to read.
That time, Yan Heqing was scolded and slapped several times.
The first time Yan Heqing actually read a comic book was at a recycling station. It was an old pocket-sized comic book with loose binding, but Yan Heqing remembered it as a beautiful afternoon.
The sun was shining brightly, but not too hot; the sunlight felt pleasant on my face. In the backyard of the recycling center, there were piles of tires stacked upright, enough for people to sit on.
He was sitting inside a tire, with most of the sunlight overhead blocked by the tire.
No one asked him to cook, no one asked him to mop the floor, and no one asked him to run errands to buy wine.
It was exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of pages turning and the occasional breeze.
I don't remember the details of the story very clearly, but I do remember the sunlight casting shadows on the black and white images.
Yan Heqing quietly flipped through the comics.
It's clearly not a new book, but it's been exceptionally well-preserved by its owner, without a single crease.
On the coffee table is a plate of sliced pink pineapple and Cube of Light, while on the opposite wall are colorful stripes of light.
It felt like stepping back into that day, with piles of discarded tires, a peaceful and sunny world.
The shipping label does not include the sender's name or contact information.
Yan Heqing did nothing and quietly accepted the gift.
Surprisingly, Lin Fengzhi didn't contact him again in the next few days, nor did he post anything on his WeChat Moments.
Before we knew it, it was the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, and the vehicle management office resumed operations.
Yan Heqing brought her documents—ID card, a passport photo, and a medical examination certificate from her freshman year—and was the first to arrive at the window.
I filled out the driver's license application form, submitted the materials, and the window quickly approved the application. I then scheduled the theory test (Subject 1) for five days later.
After registering and leaving the vehicle management office, people started handing out business cards, advertising, "Self-taught, right? We have a driving instructor with 30 years of experience. We provide training vehicles, and charge by the hour. The faster you learn, the cheaper it is!"
Just as Yan Heqing was about to take it, the pocket vibrated slightly.
The phone rang.
He took out his phone; the caller ID showed Lu Lin.
Yan Heqing walked to a secluded spot and answered the phone, " Lu Lin?"
Meanwhile, at Lu Group's headquarters, the first morning meeting after the New Year had just ended, and Lu Group were chatting quietly in the elevator.
" President Lu adjourned the meeting early today!"
"I timed it. Except for special meetings, President Lu always finished the meeting in twenty minutes, to the second. I once suspected he had obsessive-compulsive disorder."
--
In the large conference room, only Lu Lin remained.
Hearing Yan Heqing's voice, Lu Lin put down his pen. "Have you finished registering?"
Yan Heqing took a second to react and remembered that Lu Lin had answered the car dealership's call for him last time.
He replied, "Yeah, just left the vehicle registration office."
"Can you do me a favor? I'll provide in-car instruction for your driving tests (parts 2 and 3). I'll even offer you the same training grounds as the test center for part 2."
The driving test requires dimensional reference points, Yan Heqing had originally planned to mark them out himself in the air. Now that Lu Lin had offered, he had no reason to refuse, so he said, "Okay."
Lu Lin's voice was steady, and almost no one could detect any emotion in his words, "You haven't asked what kind of help it is."
"As long as I can help," Yan Heqing replied generously, "I will definitely do my best to help you."