virus

Chapter 19
Unlike usual, I woke up very early, quietly took out my household registration book from my mother's drawer, left a note, and walked out the door silently.

January 31

At 9:50:30, I looked at my watch.

Now I am at the gate of the District Marriage Registration Office, with my ID card and household registration book in my arms.Maybe something or proof is needed, but it doesn't matter, what matters is that I came and I made a choice.

Today is the first working day. There are not many people at the door, and they are all a little tired. Maybe they haven't adjusted from the long holiday.I stood quietly, the winter sun pierced my pupils, and I suddenly relaxed a lot.

It was 10 o'clock, and I simply looked at the watch. The second hand of the watch was beating one frame at a time, evenly and smoothly, like the dripping water of an ancient clockwork leak.

Gradually, my sight froze on the second hand, round after round, like an endless cycle. It's 11 o'clock.Huang Yun hasn't come yet.

What's up with her?Maybe she changed her mind?Maybe she has some urgent business?I continue to wait.

The sun was already high up, I looked away from the watch, looked up at the sun, the sun in winter was not too glaring, and it was warm on my face.

It's 12 o'clock.

"If I don't see you until 12:[-] noon, I will go to the hospital I have already contacted and have an abortion." Huang Yun's words flashed in my mind.But now I can't see her.Suddenly, I seemed to see her undergoing an abortion in the hospital. She is probably taking medicine now. I can't imagine it anymore.

I have to find her,
Because I didn't have Huang Yun's phone number or address, I thought of Dr. Mo, hesitated for a while, and called Dr. Mo's clinic, although I was extremely reluctant.

Rose's pleasant voice sounded on the other end of the phone: "Hi, this is Dr. Mo's Psychological Clinic, who are you?"

"Is it ROSE? Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year. Is that you?" She recognized my voice immediately.

"Yes, hello, is Dr. Mo there?"

"Yes, I'll turn around for you."

The other end of the phone turned into Dr. Mo's annoying male voice: "Hello."

"Doctor Mo? It's me."

"You finally called me."

"Excuse me, do you know Huang Yun's phone number?"

"Are you going to call her now?"

"Yes."

"What's the matter?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you this." I want to keep Huang Yun a secret.

"It's too late for you to call her now, you can go directly to her home." Immediately afterwards, he told me the address of Huang Yun's home.

"Thank you."

"Come on, goodbye." He hung up the phone.

I'm a bit confused, what does he mean by saying things like "it's too late to call her" and asking me to go, does he know about this?I didn't have time to think about it, and according to Huang Yun's address he gave me, I called a taxi and rushed to it.

Huang Yun's home is actually not far from here, in an old-fashioned alley, an old Shikumen house, this alley is surrounded by several tall commercial buildings, luckily it was not demolished.I pushed open the old wooden gate of Shikumen, facing a fairly open courtyard, except for the middle aisle, the courtyard is full of mud, with some unknown flowers and plants planted.There seemed to be several families living here, and I went up the high, steep stairs and knocked on a door.A woman in her 40s opened the door, wearing a small white flower on her head and a black veil on her arm.

"Who are you looking for?" She looked at me suspiciously.

"Excuse me, is this Huang Yun's home?"

"Are you looking for Huang Yun?"

"Yes."

"I'm her mother, please come in."

I walked in the door, and in the middle of the room, there was a big table with a black-and-white photo frame on it. Inside the photo frame was a black and white photo, and Huang Yun was smiling at me in the photo.

There are also several plates in front of the photo frame. On the plates are fruits and flowers, and three sticks of incense, with smoke curling up.I looked at Huang Yun's mother in plain clothes and black gauze, and everything became clear.

An inexplicable thing rose from the bottom of my heart and penetrated into my whole body like a tide.I was silent for a while, looking at Huang Yun in the photo.This black-and-white photo is well taken. Huang Yun's eyes are shining, her makeup is special, coupled with the black and white nostalgic colors and the background of old Shanghai, it should be a personal portrait photo in a photo studio.

"Auntie, can I offer incense to Huang Yun?"

"Thank you, of course."

Holding the incense stick, I lowered my head and paid three respects to Huang Yun's photo.Huang Yun's mother gave me a chair, poured me another cup of tea, and asked softly, "Are you Huang Yun's friend?"

"Yes, I'm also Lu Bai's friend."

"Oh, this kid Lu Bai is really miserable, and we Huang Yun are just like him."

"Same as Lu Bai? Is she also—"

"Yes, it was on the night of the New Year's Eve. After watching the new year, she fell asleep. When I woke up the next day, she had already gone. There was an empty sleeping pill bottle beside her bed. She When she left, she must have been in a dream. The forensic doctor of the Public Security Bureau said that she was in a dream and went down without any pain. She walked very peacefully, quietly, cleanly, and very well. We did very well. We Huang Yun are so lucky that we didn’t suffer a little bit, and she still had a smile on her face on the morning of the first day of junior high school. She must have left with a sweet dream.”

I couldn't listen anymore, and looked at Huang Yun's mother blankly. I was surprised by her calmness, as if she was talking about an ordinary little thing at home. Be strong and calm.Huang Yun once said that she was an illegitimate daughter. Her biological father abandoned their mother and daughter. Huang Yun's mother gave birth to her with the reputation of being unmarried and pregnant. Relying on her own strength and meager income, she raised Huang Yun. adult.Maybe, she was a great mother, and now, the only hope in her life is shattered.

I glanced at Huang Yun in the black and white photo again, and suddenly thought that there was still a young life in her belly.Why would she take another life with her?She has no such right.I have made a choice, but you missed the appointment.

I shook my head painfully.Huang Yun could no longer answer these questions of mine.I bid farewell to Huang Yun's strong mother, and just as I was about to leave, my eyes accidentally touched a small photo frame on the dressing table.In the photo frame is a black and white photo of a young man, the old-fashioned photo of the 70s. Although it is a photo of life, there is no background. His eyes are very bright, looking straight into the distance, as if he is thinking about something.Even by today's standards, he should be considered a very handsome man, but the expression in the photo gives people a slightly melancholy feeling.

"What are you looking at?" Huang Yun's mother asked me.

"It's nothing."

"Are you looking at him?" She pointed to the small photo frame, "He is Huang Yun's father. He only left this photo. Huang Yun has never seen him since he was born. Except for the photo, Never see it again now."

"I'm sorry." I didn't want to inquire into other people's privacy, so I left here in a hurry.I walked down the steep stairs, and the sunlight cast by the skylight in the Shikumen house shone on my eyes, which made my eyes a little moist.

(End of this chapter)