Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Human World

Luo Shaohua raised his head, looked at the "3" on the wall of the corridor, and felt fine sweat dripping from his forehead.He held on to the railing of the stairs, took a short breath, lifted his feet and continued to climb the stairs. Walking to the door of the house on the 5th floor, Luo Shaohua took out the key, unscrewed the iron door lightly, entered the living room quietly, and put the vegetable basket in his hand on the dining table.The doors of the two bedrooms were still tightly closed, and there were slight snoring sounds coming from the room from time to time.Luo Shaohua sat down at the table, adjusting his breathing while looking at the clock on the wall.

It was five twenty-five in the morning.The sky outside the window was no longer as dark as ink as before, and a bright white line appeared faintly on the horizon.Luo Shaohua's breath gradually stabilized, he got up and walked to the kitchen, took out a white porcelain plate from the cabinet, returned to the dining table, opened a plastic bag in the vegetable basket, and the burnt aroma of fried dough sticks came over his face.He neatly arranged the fried dough sticks on the plate, took out several cups of soy milk, and inserted the straws one by one.Afterwards, he returned to the kitchen with the vegetable basket, sorted a few vegetables and put them in the refrigerator.After all this, he looked up at the clock again: five forty.

The family does not get up until at least six o'clock.Luo Shaohua sat back at the table, turned on the semiconductor radio, turned down the volume, and quietly listened to a health care program. Gradually, the sky outside the window brightened up little by little, and the sounds of cars and people became more distinct.This is a smoggy weather, and the whole city is shrouded in a thick white cloud.Just after six o'clock, a cheerful mobile phone alarm rang from my daughter's room.A few minutes later, Luo Ying stepped out in her pajamas, rubbed her eyes, called Dad, and went into the bathroom.Luo Shaohua also stood up from the table, tested the temperature of fried dough sticks and soy milk with his fingers, took a portion and walked into the bedroom of himself and his wife.

Jinfeng woke up early, lying on the bed, reading a book wearing reading glasses.Seeing him come in, Jin Feng tried to half sit up, but Luo Shaohua held his shoulders. "Lie down." Luo Shaohua put the breakfast on the bedside table, raised his hand and touched his wife's head, "The soy milk is not too hot, do you want to boil it?" "No need." Jinfeng took a sip of soy milk, "Wake up so early?" "Well, I can't sleep." Luo Shaohua sat down by the bed and tore the fried sticks into small pieces. "Having a nightmare again?" Jin Feng pressed his hand on Luo Shaohua's.

Luo Shaohua didn't answer, but nodded slightly. "Next time you go out so early, call me." Jin Feng stroked the back of Luo Shaohua's hand lightly, "I can't see you when I open my eyes, I feel so clueless." Luo Shaohua hummed, and smiled at Jinfeng: "Eat quickly, I'll go and see the children." Soon, the small, old-fashioned two-bedroom house began to be filled with sounds.Morning news, the sound of splashing water when washing your face, the squeak of drinking soybean milk, the whine of the hair dryer, the sound of flushing the toilet, the sound of Luo Ying urging her son Xiang Chunhui.

Luo Shaohua was busy between the kitchen and the dining room, his eyes were always on his daughter and grandson.Since his daughter's divorce, apart from taking care of his wife, Luo Shaohua also took care of Luo Ying and Xiang Chunhui's daily life.He didn't think it was a burden, but enjoyed it.Having been a policeman for more than 30 years, after retiring, he can make up for the debt he owed Jin Fengniang and his wife. The clock pointed to seven o'clock, and the daughter and grandson had already had breakfast and finished washing.The busy morning time can come to an end. Luo Shaohua sat at the dining table, picked up a deep-fried dough stick, and just took a bite when he heard a "ding" sound from his mobile phone.Luo Shaohua wiped his fingers and picked up his phone to check the text message.After one glance, he stopped chewing and froze.Immediately, he called Luo Ying who lived at the door to change his shoes.

"Yingying, let's take a taxi to pick up the kids today." Luo Shaohua reluctantly swallowed the fritters in his mouth, "I want to use a car." "Huh?" Luo Ying turned around in surprise, "I'll see you off." "No need." Luo Shaohua's voice was firm and decisive. Luo Ying looked at him and let out a light breath.This is the image of her familiar father: reticent and tight-lipped about work.The old man with loving eyes, gentle speech, and even some nagging an hour ago has been isolated under some kind of hard shell. She knew the color, the smell, the texture of the shell like the back of her hand, and she knew she couldn't pull her father out at this moment.Because of this, Luo Ying didn't continue to ask, but just took out the car keys and put them on the dining table, and then went out with the child.

Luo Shaohua sat without moving. After hearing the iron door closed and the "click" sound of the door lock closing, he picked up the phone again, read the text message several times, and then slowly finished his breakfast. After washing the dishes and chopsticks, Luo Shaohua filled the thermos bottle, served Jinfeng to take the medicine, watched her fall asleep, put on her coat and went out. Even though he hadn't touched the steering wheel for a long time, Luo Shaohua still had a little excitement when he started the car with his almost instinctive skillful movements.When the dark blue Santana limousine merged into the busy morning traffic, Luo Shaohua even touched his waist habitually, wanting to check whether the holster was fastened.

It's empty.Luo Shaohua also seemed to have come to his senses, his heart sank for a moment, the place he was going to was something he didn't want to be associated with his career. It's just that there are many things that can't be easily separated by his "want" or "don't want to". Luo Shaohua gritted his teeth secretly, stepped a little harder, and galloped towards the western suburbs in a mist. Ankang Hospital is located in the suburbs of this city and has a history of nearly 30 years.Different from those large hospitals with elegant decoration in the city, Ankang Hospital looks more like a dilapidated rural primary school.Luo Shaohua parked the car beside a dirt road and looked at the rusty dark green iron gate of the hospital from a distance.

At this moment the sun has risen, but the haze has not completely dissipated.It was probably breakfast time in Ankang Hospital, and a large cloud of water vapor was floating in the yard, mixed in the smog, making people and things indistinct.Luo Shaohua rolled down half of the car window, lit a cigarette, and silently watched the hospital shrouded in fog. For more than 20 years, Luo Shaohua has visited Ankang Hospital almost every month.However, he has never been able to figure out why it is called "Ankang" hospital, which is obviously a place for treating mental patients. Ankang, if only these patients could be healthy.Luo Shaohua stubbed out his cigarette and looked at his watch, it was twenty-five past eight.He rolled down all the windows to let more cold air into the cab.After shivering for a few times, Luo Shaohua came to his senses completely.He huddled in the driver's seat, staring intently at the entrance of Ankang Hospital.

Ten minutes later, there was a sound of "jingling" in the thick fog behind the iron gate, and then, a figure appeared in the fog.He walked slowly, faltering, and seemed to be full of panic and hesitation. Luo Shaohua sat up straight and stared at him with wide eyes. Gradually, the outline of that person in the thick fog slowly became clear.This is a man about 1.75 meters tall, about fifty years old, with a thin body and thick, messy hair. He is wearing a cotton-padded jacket with no discernible color. He has a large black artificial leather travel bag on his right shoulder. There is a net bag with an enamel washbasin inside.Toothbrush sets, soap dishes, and the like jingle inside. Luo Shaohua felt his throat being strangled all of a sudden - it was him, he couldn't be wrong. The man walked to the door, seemingly helpless against the iron grille in front of him.Soon, a chunky security guard walked out of the duty room.Seeing him, the man took a few steps back, and his whole body shrunk, as if he was ready to squat down with his head in his arms at any time.The security guard walked up to him and asked something.The man stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then put down his travel bag, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.The security guard took the paper, glanced at it hastily, then turned around and opened the iron door.The man stared straight at the cracked iron door, neither speaking nor moving.It wasn't until the security guard waved impatiently that he walked out step by step stiffly. The iron gate closed behind him and locked again.Standing in front of the door, the man glanced around slowly, as if he was very strange to everything in front of him.After five full minutes, he took a step and walked towards the bus stop by the side of the road a little bit staggeringly. Luo Shaohua's mind was blank, and his eyes moved mechanically with the man, watching him raise his neck and look at the bus stop sign seriously. Soon, the man seemed to have chosen his destination and stood quietly waiting for the bus.At this moment, the fog had cleared, and the appearance of the man was clearly presented. Luo Shaohua stretched out his frozen hand, rolled up the car window, and stared at the man more than ten meters away through the glass. He has lost a lot of weight, and most of his thick, unruly hair has turned gray.The lines on the face were as sharp as a knife, and the eyes were lifeless, emotionless, and soulless. Luo Shaohua secretly clenched his fists, feeling a heavy chill slowly invading his whole body. Soon, an old bus stopped by the side of the road, and the man picked up his travel bag and got on the bus.The bus spewed black smoke from its exhaust pipe and creaked away. Luo Shaohua turned his head and found that his whole body was as stiff as an iron plate.He started the car and followed the bus. It was as cold in the cab as it was outside.Trembling, Luo Shaohua tried his best to hold the steering wheel and stared at the bus ahead.Suddenly, he raised his hand and looked at his watch. January 7.It was nine past one in the morning. The devil returns to the world. The bus drove into the urban area, and the man got off at the Xinhua Book Building, and then took another bus.He didn't seem to notice Luo Shaohua's stalking, he just sat by the car window and silently watched the street scene. Half an hour later, the man got off the car again on Xinghua North Street, walked eastward for about 700 meters, and walked into the gate of Lvzhu MSG Factory.Luo Shaohua parked the car not far from the factory gate, sat in the cab and watched his every move. In the duty room, the man had a few words with the guard.The doorman, who was about his age, was obviously full of doubts about his identity, but he still made a phone call as he asked.During this process, the man stood upright with no expression on his face.A few minutes later, a young man in a gray-blue down jacket hurried over, talked with the man for a while, and led him out of the duty room. This walk is more than two hours.Luo Shaohua was not in a hurry.He has already guessed the purpose of the man's trip, and he also knows where the man will go next.This gave him enough time to plan his next move.But even so, Luo Shaohua was still upset.The news came so suddenly, he had no idea that the man would be discharged from the hospital at this time.I thought that this person and that matter could be sealed up in Ankang Hospital forever, I thought that I could retire and enjoy my life, but his sudden appearance has shattered the future that Luo Shaohua imagined.For the first time, he experienced the powerlessness after taking off the police uniform. what to do?Without high walls and iron gates, how to restrain him? While thinking wildly, the iron gate of Lvzhu Monosodium Glutamate Factory suddenly opened, and a gray van sped out.Luo Shaohua looked up, and suddenly found that the man was sitting in the middle of the back row.Luo Shaohua threw away the cigarette butt, started the car in a hurry, and followed him away. The van drove for less than five minutes and stopped in front of a residential building in Lvzhuyuan Community.Luo Shaohua did not continue to follow closely, because he knew this residential area very well, and he also knew that the cadres of the logistics department of the Green Bamboo MSG Factory were taking the man to Room 501, Unit 4, Building 22.This is the welfare housing that the man's father received from the monosodium glutamate factory, and it is also the only inheritance left to him by his parents.During his hospitalization, the property has been kept by the monosodium glutamate factory.About half an hour later, the van drove out of the community, but the man was no longer in the car.Luo Shaohua started the car, drove slowly into the Lvzhuyuan community, and drove straight to the 22nd floor. Room 501, Unit 4.Relying on his memory, Luo Shaohua found that window without any difficulty.At this moment, the wooden windows painted blue were wide open, and the thick gray cloth curtains could be seen shaking in the cold wind.Luo Shaohua stared at the window for a while, took out his mobile phone, and dialed a number. A few seconds later, a male voice rang through the receiver: "Hello, Officer Luo." "Doctor Cao, I received your text message this morning." Luo Shaohua paused for a moment, as if unwilling to say the man's name, "About Lin Guodong." "Oh, he should have been discharged from the hospital." Dr. Cao's voice seemed exhausted, "Let me check." "No, I watched him leave the hospital." Then, there was a silence.Finally, Dr. Cao couldn't help asking: "Why, is there any problem?" "Question?" Luo Shaohua was at a loss for words for a moment, "Are you...are you sure he has been cured?" "This, of course." Dr. Cao stammered suddenly, "However, he still needs to go back to the hospital for reexamination..." "That is to say, you can't guarantee that he won't have another accident," Luo Shaohua interrupted him impatiently, "right?" "Officer Luo, unlike other diseases, the treatment of mental illness has clear parameters and indicators." Dr. Cao's tone also became tougher, "One of its characteristics is that the disease is lingering and has a high recurrence rate." "But you still thought he needed to continue treatment last month!" Dr. Cao was silent for a while, then sighed: "That's a long story." "you say." "Another day. I'm very busy today. Come to the hospital sometime and we'll discuss it in detail." Doctor Cao hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Officer Luo, as far as I know, you are not Lin Guodong's family members. You pay so much attention to him? Before Dr. Zhu retired..." Luo Shaohua didn't listen to him and hung up the phone. Regardless of whether he can find out why Lin Guodong was discharged from the hospital, he has now returned to society. This is a reality that he has to face.Decades of criminal police career have taught Luo Shaohua many things, one of which is not to have unrealistic illusions about anything.He has already made the worst prediction for this, and what he has to do is to try his best not to make this prediction come true. Luo Shaohua started the car. He knew that he had lost the convenience and power that his career had brought him, so he had to prepare in advance. What he didn't know was that at this moment, Lin Guodong was standing in front of the window of Room 501 in Unit 4, watching him and the dark blue Santana quietly, with a slight smile on his face.