Chapter 2: The Accident That Was Destined to Happen
The dump truck suddenly crashed into a poplar tree, the thickness of a person's waist, with a loud crack, splitting the tree in two. Half of the tree violently pierced into the belly of a middle-aged man. The dump truck paused for a moment, then surged forward again— the engine was still running, and the driver accidentally pressed the accelerator— the other three men playing cards and the young man were all stunned, their bodies frozen in place, forgetting to dodge, until they were struck and thrown by the dump truck. The dump truck paused for a moment, then surged forward again— the engine was still running, and the driver accidentally pressed the accelerator— the other three men playing cards and the young man were all stunned, their bodies frozen in place, forgetting to dodge, until they were struck and thrown by the dump truck.
Zhang Ke's mind was filled with the image of the little girl’s photo posted after the accident. Seeing such a lovely little girl lying less than five steps in front of him, the thought that her small body was about to be crushed by the frenzied dump truck surged a wave of strength within him. He suddenly dashed forward, reaching out to grab the little girl and ran backward.
Ah! A young woman at the entrance of the convenience store screamed loudly
As I walked through the living room, my gaze swept over the calendar on the glass table—July 18, 1994—ah, July 18!
The dump truck charged towards Zhang Ke again
Zhang Ke walked out, passing by the young man without noticing him. The young man happened to lean over to look at something in the corner, and Zhang Ke still could not see his face clearly. A middle-aged fat man walked out of the building materials store, carrying two folding stools in his hands. A thin man followed behind him, holding a deck of cards and a stack of change, shouting: "Lao Si, Biaozi, what are you dawdling for..."
The curtain was lifted from the outside, and a young man raised it above his head, allowing the young woman behind him to lead a little girl in first. Zhang Ke glanced over; the young woman was beautiful, with a slender waist, dressed in a plain long dress that cinched tightly at the waist, making her bosom appear even more prominent. As the young woman walked through the doorway with the light behind her, Zhang Ke could almost see the shape and smooth whiteness of her long, voluptuous thighs through the thin fabric of her dress.
There was a slightly fishy and alkaline taste at the corner of his mouth. Zhang Ke wiped it away, revealing a white paste. His stomach churned, and before he could turn his head, everything in his stomach was expelled, splattering all over the little girl.
Blood surged in streams towards the top of his head, and shock rendered Zhang Ke completely paralyzed, unable to move
The ambulance arrived shortly thereafter, and the loud sound of the siren momentarily quieted Zhang Ke's chaotic mind
The little girl skipped out of the hardware store, tripped slightly, and fell to the ground, her ice cream splattering on the pavement. The driver of the dump truck over there seemed to suddenly realize he had missed the intersection, sharply turning the steering wheel, the tires screeching against the asphalt with a piercing wail. Just as the young man was about to go help his daughter, he turned back and saw the dump truck suddenly veering towards them from the center of the street.
Zhang Ke pushed the door open and walked to the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. His face was pale, full of illness, with a pointed chin, lifeless eyes, thin lips, and some fuzz on his upper lip. It was exactly the same as his sixteen-year-old self. If it weren't for seeing it in the mirror, merely recalling it would not allow him to imagine such a vivid face.
Uncle Tian's car is about to arrive, and I am watching outside... The young man in the convenience store said to the young woman, then squeezed out from behind the door curtain. Outside, the only cool spot is under the poplar trees in front of the building materials store. The young man glanced at Zhang Ke, who was standing motionless at the entrance of the convenience store, and walked towards the shade of the trees, standing there to watch the four people playing cards.
At this moment, there was no sign of abnormality on North Street. The oppressive air made one feel drowsy. Near the street corner was a building materials store, next to it a hardware store, and further along a convenience store. Heat rose in waves, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street. Here, apart from himself, there was no one else, with only the occasional car passing by in a cloud of dust. Zhang Ke stood by the street for a while, appearing not to have been in an accident, nor did he show any signs of being about to have one. Having just recovered from a high fever, his weakened body could not withstand the heat, and sweat streamed down his forehead. Zhang Ke buried himself in the convenience store, standing beneath the whirring ceiling fan.
Zhang Ke suddenly remembered that on July 18, 1994, almost all traffic police in Xicheng District were dispatched to maintain order around the Bell Tower Square. On that day, nearly a hundred employees from Xinguang Paper Mill gathered at Bell Tower Square to protest. The old factory of Xinguang Paper Mill is located by the Shugang River in the southern part of the city, where the technology is outdated and pollution is severe. The Southern District decided to relocate Xinguang Paper Mill out of the main urban area and established a new factory in the southern suburban industrial park. However, the construction of the new factory and the purchase of equipment exhausted the bank loans, leaving no working capital to procure raw materials, and it has not been able to start operations. Additionally, the employees were dissatisfied with the new factory being far from the city center and were unwilling to shut down the old factory, leading them to gather in front of the city government from time to time to protest.
The girl is fine; this young man is remarkable. He rushed over to save the girl. Look at those deep tire tracks... Someone nearby remarked, "The young man was also quite scared; he probably didn't hit her, just missed by a hair's breadth. I was only ten meters away and saw it all clearly. My legs are still shaking. Yet this young man had the courage to rush over to save the girl..."
Zhang Ke felt a twinge of jealousy towards the young man at the door, who had such a beautiful wife and daughter; it seemed that all the good fortune one could encounter in a lifetime had befallen him.
Zhang Ke lay still, but could not resist the overwhelming sensation of hunger and the tempting aroma of food. Struggling to sit up, he thought that even if he were dreaming, there was no reason to let himself go hungry. He poured the congee, eggs, and minced meat into his stomach, then lay down for a while longer, until his hands and feet gradually regained their strength
Zhang Ke put on a T-shirt, grabbed a handful of change from the ceramic jar on the cabinet by the door, and threaded a key through a colorful string—exactly as he remembered, just like the details from the books. At sixteen, Zhang Ke would hang the key around his neck—he stuffed the key and the change into his pants pocket and went downstairs
Isn't the fever reduction on July 16? Zhang Ke is able to clearly remember the date of the high fever's subsidence because on the third day after he had a high fever at the age of sixteen, which was July 18, a serious traffic accident occurred on North Street behind the dormitory, resulting in five deaths and three injuries
On the bedside table sits a bowl of congee, topped with a poached egg and minced meat sauce, exuding an enticing aroma. There is no sense of anyone being in the outer room; they have likely all gone out
***
Dad, Mom is giving you ice cream
"Here you are, you damn fool, what a loud voice!" A young man with his shirt off picked up a small square table and walked out of the hardware store, setting it up under the shade of a tree by the street. The young man behind him carried two small stools.
The dump truck suddenly veered off the sidewalk and rushed into the street, while a Jetta approached from the west, getting wedged under the belly of the dump truck
Zhang Ke instantly recalled the report from fourteen years ago regarding that traffic accident: "A major traffic accident occurred on North Street in Xicheng District, when a dump truck turned from Dongsheng Street onto North Street. The driver lost control while driving under the influence of alcohol and crashed into the sidewalk, where four young men were playing cards in the shade of a tree, unable to evade in time..." Zhang Ke turned back to look at the couple and the little girl in the convenience store. This report left a deep impression on Zhang Ke, not only because the accident happened on North Street, but also because the newspaper featured a photo of the little girl, evoking a sense of deep regret.
Upon waking up again, feeling ravenous indicates that the body has begun to recover
Zhang Ke turned back to look for the driver, who was slumped under the root of the second poplar tree he had knocked down, his face pale, as he must have sobered up long ago. Zhang Ke felt he should say a word or two of comfort, but he didn't know where to start, so he forced a bitter smile. After passing Dongsheng Bridge, he finally saw two traffic patrol cars heading towards North Street.
Zhang Ke remembered that during the car accident, he only felt his body being violently thrown out, losing consciousness in mid-air, without even having time to feel the fear of death. Looking at the bloody scene, he finally experienced the terror of the accident and the fragility of human life. Zhang Ke sat on the ground holding the little girl, in a daze.
He bought a copy of the morning newspaper from that day, which was indeed July 18. Zhang Ke looked up at the sun hanging on the corner of the tall building to the west, turned the corner, and walked north along the street
Zhang Ke did not dare to look at the person who had been struck and thrown away; anyone in Zhang Ke's position would not dare to endure this shock again. He wiped his face, the blood had dried, and in a short while, it had formed scabs. His hands and feet felt weak as he struggled to stand up, dazedly making his way out of the crowd. A nurse ran over to support him, saying, "You cannot move around carelessly..."
The little girl missed Zhang Ke's side, and Zhang Ke almost felt the little girl's dress hem brushed against his calf beneath his shorts; the dump truck drove through the center of the street, showing no signs of turning...
The sound of heavy vehicles rolling over the asphalt road can be heard from a distance, approaching the street corner, seemingly without slowing down; the sound of death is so clear
The young man stood at the door, facing inward. The light outside was very bright, making it difficult to see his face clearly. The young woman turned her head to speak to the young man in a dialect from the northern region, which Zhang Ke could not understand. He thought to himself that standing in the shop would not bring about an accident. He saw the young woman leading a little girl inside, and the little girl pointed at the ceiling fan above Zhang Ke's head, excitedly exclaiming, "Mom, there is wind, there is wind"
After the car accident, the crowd seemed to surge like water seeping from a sponge, quickly filling the street corner
The little girl held up an ice cream cone, almost bouncing out from the door, while a dusty yellow dump truck had just appeared halfway around the corner, showing no signs of turning.
What exactly is happening at https://www.hetushu.com? Zhang Ke slapped his face lightly, not daring to use much force, feeling a bit of pain. Dreams cannot simulate the sensation of physical pain, but who can be certain? Is it reasonable for time to flow backward? Unable to prove that he is in a dream, and even less able to believe that he is in the real world, Zhang Ke does not know what has malfunctioned, placing him in such a state.
As soon as the young married woman walked in, the light effect disappeared, and Zhang Ke felt a sense of regret. He thought to himself that such a beautiful woman was quite rare in Haizhou. Knowing that the woman had a male companion present, he did not dare to be too presumptuous. He noticed the weariness in her eyes, typical of a summer afternoon. The little girl holding the woman's hand was also quite beautiful, around five or six years old, pouting as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, her eyes deep and dark.
Zhang Ke felt something wet on his face; when he wiped it, his hand was covered in blood. "Wow..." Zhang Ke suddenly burst into tears, both startled and frightened. He knelt on the ground, holding the little girl in his arms, frantically searching around, "I didn't hit anything, I didn't hit anything..."
"You didn't hit me, the blood is splattered, you go take care of them..." The nurse was taken aback for a moment, and without thinking much, she turned back, not considering leaving Zhang Ke or leaving Zhang Ke's contact information.
A black sedan approached, and two middle-aged men got out of the car, shouting loudly. Zhang Ke's mind was sometimes clear and sometimes muddled; he could not hear clearly. He saw one middle-aged man come over to help the young woman who had collapsed on the ground, while another middle-aged man came over to take the little girl. Zhang Ke handed the little girl over, saying: "I don't know if she was hit, I don't know if she was hit..."
Zhang Ke was also startled, clutching the little girl's body, unsure of how to dodge to the side. Holding the little girl's stiff body, he desperately retreated until his back was pressed against the wall, unable to move. He could only tightly hold the little girl in his arms, watching as the dump truck brushed past his nose and made a sharp turn, his heart nearly stopping.