Chapter 11: "Wang Wang Breakfast Sausage"

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Lu Qinglian had never eaten Oreos before, yet she could tell Zhang Shutong was teasing her.

She furrowed her brows. “Actually, I wanted to ask—why do they stick the white stuff between the two black cookies? Should you separate them when eating?”

Zhang Shutong surprisingly understood what she meant.

“The ‘they’ probably refers to the two black chocolate biscuits on each side; and the white stuff... you mean the cream filling in the middle, right?”

But how else would sandwich cookies stick together if not with cream? Could it be love?

Zhang Shutong also noticed something else: every time Lu Qinglian frowned, it was a sign she was “transforming.”

Though he wished she wouldn’t use such a mature, authoritative tone to ask such a naïve question.

He patiently explained, “You can eat it however you like.”

But Lu Qinglian replied earnestly, “I bought the same kind before, but there were only black cookies inside.”

“Uh... what do you mean?”

“Literally, there was no white stuff in between.”

“Are you sure you bought Oreos?”

“Yes, the blue packaging.”

“Where did you buy them?”

“At the little shop at the foot of the mountain.”

“Oh, that place,” Zhang Shutong nodded knowingly. “No wonder. You probably bought fake ones.”

That little shop at the mountain’s base was known for gouging tourists—bottled water cost three yuan, and worse, they sold counterfeit goods. Once, his father asked him to buy cigarettes there. He stopped by while playing nearby, bought some, and his father took one puff and immediately spat it out.

Since then, Zhang Shutong had blacklisted that place.

But how could a local like Lu Qinglian also get scammed? Isn’t that her turf?

“Are you saying the ones I bought before were fake?” Lu Qinglian caught on immediately.

“Yes, don’t go there anymore.”

“So the white stuff is edible?”

“Of course, it’s cream.” Zhang Shutong wasn’t sure if he needed to explain what cream was, but the question was strange. “Why did you think it wasn’t edible?”

“I also bought a kind of sausage there once, with chili spread on top, but it was actually spread on a layer of plastic.” She seemed quite resentful. “Does that make sense?”

“I get it; I’ve been fooled too.” Zhang Shutong didn’t know what else to say. “So you thought the cream in the cookie was like plastic?”

“Yes. I only bought snacks twice.”

For her, snacks were something that needed to be carefully unwrapped before eating.

“You should go to a bigger supermarket next time.”

“It’s fine, that was a long time ago.”

As she said this, Lu Qinglian nibbled on a cookie, expressionless still, but her brows relaxed as if she found it delicious. She even commented, “It’s just too sweet.”

“I told you to twist it open first.”

“Is twisting it like this?”

“Otherwise, what?”

Zhang Shutong suddenly recalled an old joke and began telling her about a country bumpkin trying Oreos for the first time, twisting the cookie while reading the slogans and wagging his hips as he ate...

“You must have seen that classic TV commercial.”

Lu Qinglian only nodded, silent, seemingly immersed in the taste.

No wonder she could focus so intently even when drinking ordinary strawberry milk. Although Zhang Shutong used to like it too, now the flavor seemed overwhelmingly artificial.

But for Lu Qinglian, who had eaten snacks only a few times and got scammed badly twice, it was understandable she held a grudge.

Besides, the island didn’t grow strawberries, nor was there a trendy fresh fruit shop. When people talked about fruit, they meant apples and oranges bought from the supermarket. Even unpleasant snake apples only appeared during festivals. She might have thought strawberry flavor was just the taste of student milk.

Zhang Shutong was a man of few words, but he knew when to speak.

“Wait, I’ll ask Ruoping for some more.”

Just as he was about to get up, Lu Qinglian shook her head, content enough.

“One piece is enough.”

Zhang Shutong nodded, saying no more.

The silence wasn’t because of Du Kang or Lu Qinglian; it was just his nature—easily leading to awkward pauses no matter who he was talking to.

Not that he was slow; he knew that saying something like “Still on a diet?” would make girls smile, or a custom version for Lu Qinglian like “Oh, I forgot you’re a cultivator.” Such lines were amusing but didn’t seem necessary to say.

In the quiet, Lu Qinglian answered the earlier question.

“There’s no TV in the temple; I don’t know the commercial you mentioned.”

“You usually live in the temple?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Well, he felt he should say more.

“A few of us went to the mountains before... is there a big tree behind the temple?”

“The Chinese fringe tree. It blooms in March; many people come to see the flowers,” the girl explained calmly.

Actually, Zhang Shutong didn’t know much about the temple itself. His family was from out of town; his parents were probably researchers, not superstitious, with no habit of burning incense. Even during the high school entrance exam, they just ate extra fried dough sticks.

He had never been to the temple, had planned to talk about sneaking in during the festival and falling off the mountain, but that happened after graduation.

“I heard there’s a rack for hanging wish plaques?”

“There wasn’t one before; it was originally for drying clothes. One morning, a few plaques appeared, then more followed.”

Zhang Shutong nodded.

“Probably a trend online. Mostly young people, students, or tourists.”

“Yes, most of them say things like ‘so-and-so and so-and-so will be together forever.’ Kind of silly.”

Lu Qinglian nodded faintly in agreement, expression still minimal.

Zhang Shutong looked at her curiously. “You actually read the wish plaques?”

She didn’t change expression. “I’m the temple caretaker.”

No blush, no embarrassment, gaze steady.

“You’re really impressive,” Zhang Shutong thought.

But the main point was, he remembered Du Kang had hung a wish plaque there. Thinking of that made Zhang Shutong feel awkward for him.

After a moment, he asked again, “What’s the temple like inside?”

“One main hall and three smaller halls.”

“How is it?”

“Nothing special, no lights, very dark.”

“Oh.”

Their conversation was strange—both staring at the water ahead, Zhang Shutong watching the ripples, Lu Qinglian watching the fish beneath.

They chatted casually, mostly question and answer, sometimes barely full sentences, just a few words, but they understood each other. Sometimes the conversation just ended abruptly, as if indifferent.

Zhang Shutong didn’t feel awkward.

“So, who do you worship in your temple... sorry, who do you honor?”

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He still didn’t fully understand, not even if it leaned more toward Taoism or Buddhism. But glancing at Lu Qinglian’s silk-like long hair, he guessed not the latter.

“The God of Wealth, Guan Yu, or someone else?”

Only after saying it did he realize it sounded rude; after all, she was the temple caretaker. Though not high-ranking, asking her which deity they invited was a big question.

Lu Qinglian didn’t mind.

“None of those. A green snake.”

Zhang Shutong was stunned.

“Uh, a green... snake?” He knew the temple was called the Green Snake Temple but assumed, like the White Horse Temple’s main hall wouldn’t really worship a horse, that the name was just historical.

Lu Qinglian nodded calmly.

“Exactly that kind of animal—a big green snake, but it’s a sculpture.”

“You really are the temple caretaker?”

Zhang Shutong was surprised, thinking: How come you use more casual terms than me, an outsider? Honestly, he would never dare call his family’s deity “that kind of animal.”

Lu Qinglian gave him a strange look. “Didn’t I say before?”

“You did, but I thought it would be called the Green Snake God or something.”

“I’m outside the temple now,” she said casually.

She really saw herself as an employee.

“If you’re curious, you can go take a look,” Lu Qinglian added.

Zhang Shutong thought better of it. That place and even the mountain nearby were on his “never visit” list. Though he had gained that strange ability after falling from the mountain, it wasn’t necessarily tied to the mountain or temple. Still, with “time reversal” happening, it was hard not to be a little superstitious.

He took the chance to ask Lu Qinglian.

“What does your deity oversee?” Since she didn’t care, he could be casual too.

“Correction: not ‘my’ deity,” she frowned. “Life and death, marriage, childbirth, everything you see on the almanac, it governs all of that.”

“Is it spiritual?”

“Even outside the temple, I can’t answer that.”

She was surprisingly responsible.

“One last question—are there any legends about the mountain behind the temple? Or is anything buried there?”

“There’s nothing behind the temple, but I know a legend about the whole mountain.” Lu Qinglian paused, speaking in her usual calm voice. “Legend says, a very long time ago...” There was something both awkward and practiced about her tone.

Zhang Shutong’s eyelid twitched.

“Wait, isn’t one of the temple caretaker’s duties to be a part-time tour guide?”

“Sometimes. You still want to hear it?”

He nodded.

After listening for a while, filtering out the embellishments, he got a cliché myth.

It told the origin of the green snake in the temple, why the mountain was called Green Snake Mountain, why there was a Green Snake Temple, and how the snake protected the island—just like every place’s legend. The snake was undoubtedly impressive. Lu Qinglian told it seriously; Zhang Shutong didn’t dare interrupt.

At this point, he had said all he wanted and fell into silence. Then Lu Qinglian asked if they had gone fishing yesterday. Zhang Shutong asked how she knew.

She said not to worry about it. She not only knew they went fishing but also knew Zhang Shutong “blanked out” because he borrowed her gloves—of course, “blanked out” was Zhang Shutong’s own term.

The temple caretaker really had some skills.

Zhang Shutong asked what she wanted to say.

She said, since he caught nothing yesterday, she’d help him catch some fish today as compensation. That was the important thing she mentioned after school. Then she casually cast her fishing rod.

“That’s not the version you told earlier.”

“You can think of it that way for now.”

Zhang Shutong wanted to ask how long “for now” would last but saw Lu Qinglian pointing at the bucket with five lively big fish swimming inside. She asked if that was enough, and if not, she’d catch more.

Zhang Shutong smirked, “Then go ahead and fish. I want to see how many you catch today.” No sooner had he spoken than the float bobbed again.

This time Lu Qinglian lifted the rod but couldn’t pull it up. The catch was much bigger. The rod bent into an arc, and splashing on the water drew the others over.

Zhang Shutong moved to help but heard her ask suddenly, “Will your rod break?”

“It’s carbon fiber, it’s fine.” But now wasn’t the time to worry about the rod. Girls usually weren’t strong. “I mean, be careful not to cut your hands...”

“As long as it doesn’t break, it’s fine.” She frowned and cut him off.

She gripped the rod with both hands, stepped back, lifted her shoulders, twisted her waist—all in one smooth motion. Suddenly, full force burst forth. A huge fish, as long as her head, arced beautifully through the air and crashed heavily onto the grass behind.

“Is this enough compensation?” Lu Qinglian picked up the fish without even looking at it, casually asking.

“Enough...” Zhang Shutong snapped back to reality, a bit helpless.

He wiped the splashed water off his cheek. Not only he but the others nearby were stunned.

Fishing like this was unheard of—usually, you’d tire the fish before reeling it in. She must have used some clever trick or just got lucky; otherwise, the rod would have snapped.

Zhang Shutong worried about the rod and wanted her to stop.

“I was joking earlier; don’t take it seriously...”

Before he finished, a clear, surprised voice came from behind.

“Oh, a bighead carp.”

“What?”

They both turned.

But Qingyi ignored them, shining a flashlight on the fish.

“This should be a bighead carp. It’s my first time seeing one caught here. Do we even have this fish around? Or is it a silver carp? Hold it for now; I’ll check...”

Zhang Shutong joined to look.

“It does look like a bighead carp—slender body, forward mouth, short tail. Silver carp are fatter...”

But catching a bighead carp in winter was strange—they usually weren’t active in cold weather. Just as they were about to study it more, Lu Qinglian suddenly lifted the fish away.

“Bighead carp?” she asked bluntly.

“Probably...”

She acted even more decisively, swiftly removing the hook and tossing the fish forward. It splashed happily with its tail, and as the water calmed, her calm voice sounded.

“Bighead carp can’t compensate you.”

Qingyi looked at Zhang Shutong in confusion; Zhang shrugs.

Lu Qinglian stopped fishing, returned the rod to Zhang Shutong, and sat alone like a cultivator.

Zhang Shutong wasn’t in the mood to fish either. He casually cast the line, pressing the rod’s butt under the bench, then stood up to walk around.

He had wanted to comfort Du Kang, but Ruoping had just pulled him aside to reflect. The kid was now happily digging for frogs by the shore.

Well, he’d been hitting walls for a while. Without a strong mental adjustment, how could he cope? Or maybe he always had a big heart. As the saying goes: what cures worries? Oneself.

Besides, being rejected after confessing at graduation hadn’t stopped him from liking Lu Qinglian for eight years.

Zhang Shutong ignored him to avoid questions.

Checking his phone, it was 7:15. An hour had passed without realizing.

Looking around, Qingyi was focused on fishing; Ruoping had quietly joined Lu Qinglian, chatting softly.

“Let’s leave by 7:30, don’t stay too late.”

Zhang Shutong called out to them, not caring if they answered.

Night had fully fallen. The moon was faint, the darkness thick.

There were no streetlights here; without the flashlight, it would have been pitch black, reminding Zhang Shutong of old zombie movies where a corpse might suddenly jump out from the reeds.

A breeze stirred the lake’s surface, making gentle ripples. The flashlight beam caught dust motes dancing in the air.

Around them was pitch dark, with only a pale circle of light on the water. Within it, strands of grass swayed in the wind—thankfully just grass, not a dead fish, which would have been terrifying.

He wandered by the lake, restless. He plucked a reed and waved it, sometimes staring at the ground, sometimes gazing across the lake.

This spot was like the 1 o’clock position on a clock, and the forbidden zone was at 3 o’clock, but it was too dark to see anything.

He wondered how the “trap” he set was doing. If he caught the culprit, maybe the island’s history would change.

—He forgot to mention, since Gu Qiumian’s death, all construction on the island had stopped. With his daughter killed, Gu’s father must have left without caring about losses, abandoning the painful place.

Eight years later, when he returned, he saw an unfinished building—probably a shopping mall under construction.

That’s why Zhang Shutong transferred after middle school. If Gu’s father’s project continued, his parents would have stayed on the island, and he’d have gone to high school in the city outside with his friends instead of returning to the neighboring provincial capital.

His family was originally from the provincial capital.

Thinking this way, maybe even his own life would change because of it.

But those thoughts were distant; first, he must confirm the culprit’s whereabouts. He planned to bike over before school tomorrow.

Snapping back, the reed in his hand was almost stripped bare.

After a few more minutes, Zhang Shutong returned to the fishing rod, thinking that, based on Lu Qinglian’s recent catch rate, there should be some action now.

Or maybe the fish just didn’t want to show him any respect.

He shone the flashlight and found no sign.

Frustrated, he picked up the rod and sat back on the bench. Nearby, Ruoping and Lu Qinglian chatted warmly—well, actually, only Ruoping was talking.

“Sorry about before. It wasn’t all Du Kang’s fault; I encouraged him. Don’t be mad...” She sounded like the group’s big sister, defending Du Kang and taking the blame herself.

Lu Qinglian shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Ruoping confirmed she wasn’t upset before relaxing and laughing about other things.

Girls’ friendships were strange; after just a few minutes, Ruoping seemed ready to call Lu Qinglian a best friend. And best friends, of course, share Oreos—at least that’s what Zhang Shutong guessed. Lu Qinglian didn’t take any, maybe shy.

Zhang Shutong kept an eye on the quiet float, thinking Ruoping was soft, not tough. Otherwise, she wouldn’t always dislike Gu Qiumian. If they faced each other and glared, it would be intense.

He then heard Ruoping say:

“Let’s leave soon. You can come anytime later. Look, it’s 7:27. I’ll call them.”

She stood, dropping the gentle tone and putting hands on hips.

“Let’s go. Are you all moving in here? Qingyi, if you keep pretending not to hear, I’ll throw your earmuffs in the water!” Then she glared at him. “Shutong, what are you still sitting for?”

“I haven’t caught a single fish today,” Zhang Shutong sighed.

“Then you’ve got three more minutes. No catch, we’re done.” She called to Du Kang, “Especially you! I told you earlier, you have something to say to Qinglian. Hurry up!”

Wait, why was it “Qinglian” now?

Du Kang responded with an “oh,” shrinking his head and walking over. Zhang Shutong heard a few words—an apology—but Du Kang couldn’t come up with it himself; Ruoping was smoothing things over.

Zhang Shutong’s attention was fully on the float.

Three minutes left. He didn’t believe he couldn’t catch a fish.

Staring at the rippling water, the group’s chatter filled his ears.

“I’ll be more careful in the future...” Du Kang said earnestly.

“I told you, you don’t have to,” Lu Qinglian’s voice held a hint of helplessness.

“Now that’s settled, Qinglian’s not hard to get along with, understand?” Ruoping hinted wildly.

Suddenly, Zhang Shutong saw the float twitch.

“Got it, got it. Hey, Lu, do you like frogs? I saw one earlier; you can take it home, just find a warm place...” Ruoping rambled.

Zhang Shutong wanted to cover his face but knew he should focus, hold his breath, count to three, and then yank the rod.

“Go, go, go!”

One.

“No, what now?”

“I really... why didn’t you just say ‘give me a toad’?”

Two.

“Don’t say that, I really heard a toad croaking when I went back to get a chair...”

“You really heard toads? What toads at this time of year?” Qingyi joined the fight.

Three!

Zhang Shutong pulled hard; water splashed everywhere. He looked toward the rod’s tip, but what appeared was... a snack wrapper?

His face darkened instantly. They say catching garbage is more frustrating than catching nothing; that perfectly summed up his mood.

Why a wrapper?

Honestly, this was rarer than fish, since none of them ever littered. The water was very clean. Thinking it over, it must have floated over from the opposite shore.

Please, have some public awareness... but he still had to remove it from the hook.

Sighing, shining the flashlight, he blinked.

It looked like a snack wrapper—red top and bottom, transparent middle—with the words “Wangwang Breakfast Sausage” printed on it. Looking carefully, he could see chili oil floating inside.

At this moment, Zhang Shutong didn’t know what expression to wear.

Was it coincidence?

He wondered if it was the same kind Lu Qinglian had bought. He wanted to show it to her, curious if she’d stay calm or furrow her brows and get confrontational. But since their conversation wasn’t over, he held back.

“It’s definitely a toad. I heard it clearly...” Ruoping insisted.

“What nonsense,” Ruoping snapped. “How did you go from apologizing to frogs to toads? If you’re so eager, go catch them tonight and don’t come back. Then Qinglian doesn’t want me!”

Zhang Shutong wanted to ask if they also wanted to see breakfast sausage wrappers because he had one here... but for the sake of his hairstyle, he kept quiet.

He put the wrapper away, stretched, and waited as the others finished talking.

He definitely needed to ask Ruoping for a trash bag. Zhang Shutong wasn’t a neat freak, but holding a greasy breakfast sausage wrapper was gross. He didn’t know if she ate straight from the package, especially with oily hands...

He frowned, raising his right hand to find chili oil dripping out.

Chili oil...

Dripping...

He suddenly froze.

“I’m serious. It’s just nearby. Walk along the dirt road five minutes; I’ll take you there later if you don’t believe me...”

“Who’s going to catch toads with you!”

Zhang Shutong aimed the flashlight above the plastic wrapper.

“I was going to go, but just as I started, someone came. I thought it was the police, got scared, and ran back.”

“Police? Why didn’t you say earlier?”

Above, a string of numbers appeared—

20121129

1129

“...”

“Because it wasn’t the police. I hid and watched for a while. Just a man, walking west. I wondered what he was doing out so late. No smell of alcohol, looked weird...”

Zhang Shutong suddenly looked up.

“Where did he go?”

“Uh...”

Before she finished, footsteps sounded from afar.

The scrape of shoe soles on the dirt road.

They all instinctively turned.

At the edge of their vision, a flashlight beam pierced the entire dirt path.

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