Pastoral Daily Life

When Lu Lingxi was discharged from the hospital, he left the chlorophytum he was raising to Sister Tian. The pot of chlorophytum was raised by him extremely well; its leaves were so green and lush that, in Sister Tians words, one look at it made her feel good. Since Sister Tian liked it, Lu Lingxi was happy too. This pot of chlorophytum was the first plant he had ever raised, and as a major contributor to his discovery of the white panel, it had a very special meaning in Lu Lingxis heart. If it wasnt for the fact that he had too many bits and pieces that he and Wang Shuxiu had to take back with them, Lu Lingxi wouldnt be able to bear to leave it behind.

Seeing Lu Lingxi look at the chlorophytum reluctantly, Sister Tian smiled and joked, “Dont worry, Xiao Lu, Sister Tian will help you raise this chlorophytum first to ensure that it is well nourished and then you will take it back one day when you come to the hospital.”

When Sister Tian said this, Lu Lingxi smiled in embarrassment.

After bidding farewell to Sister Tian and the other people in the ward, Lu Lingxi followed Wang Shuxiu out of the hospital. The two of them took a taxi, and Wang Shuxiu gave the address and repeated it to Lu Lingxi on purpose, telling him to remember the name of the district. Lu Lingxi nodded, looking out the car window.

Fengcheng was located in the north of China, not far from the northern capital, Zhongjing, and was a large, heavily industrial city. As it was summer, the streets were very lively, with a constant flow of traffic and people, men, women and children who walked in a hurry or looked casual. The whole city was full of vitality and Lu Lingxi was fascinated for a while. In the past, in the Lu family, he seldom went out and if he did, it was mostly to the hospital. In the oppressive and tense atmosphere at that time, he was not in the mood to watch the outside world. This was the first time he observed a city so vividly, not through videos and text, but with his own eyes.

The taxi came to a stop at a red light, and a little white puppy was struggling to get out of its owners arms on the pavement not far away from them. The owner, who seemed unable to bear the tossing and turning of the little puppy, squatted down and put it on the ground, while holding out his hand carefully around it to protect it. The puppy looked around curiously with big, wet eyes and tentatively stretched its front paw to take a step. There was no danger. The puppy was about to take the second step when a little girl passed by and exclaimed in surprise at the sight of the puppy. Startled by the exclamation, the little puppy stumbled, turned around and jumped into its owners arms, refusing to come down again.

Lu Lingxi could not help but laugh at this scene, but after laughing, he felt that his current mood was somewhat similar to that of the little puppy. Perhaps because he had been locked up in a small world for too long, Lu Lingxi was full of longing for the outside world. But when he could really walk out, he was vaguely afraid. He knew nothing and had no experience of social life at all, could he adapt to a new life? This question hovered in Lu Lingxis mind, replacing the joy he felt when he was just released from the hospital and giving rise to a hint of apprehension about the unknown life. The puppy would have an owner to show it the world, and it could jump back into its owners arms if it was scared, but what about him?

“What are you looking at?”

Wang Shuxiu leaned over and the taxi moved. She did not see the puppy outside, but saw a street square not far away and immediately pointed it out to Lu Lingxi.

“See? Your mom works there, Shida Plaza, remember.”

“En.”

For the rest of the journey, Wang Shuxiu excitedly pointed at the buildings outside the window and introduced them to Lu Lingxi. Perhaps it was because they were almost home, the surrounding area was basically the area where Lu Lingxi used to walk around. The places he used to go, the place where he used to go to school, the park where his last fight happened and where he had the accident. In the end, Wang Shuxiu patted Lu Lingxis head and concluded, “Remember these places if you can, but it doesnt matter if you cant remember, just think of them as new places to visit. When your mom came to Fengcheng from the countryside, I couldnt even read a few words, but Im still alive and kicking here. If you have nothing to do in the next few days, let that boy Yi Hang accompany you around and get familiar with the surroundings.”