The Man Who Picked the Stars

During the days when Jin Zaizhong was in the hospital, time seemed to slow down the sliding trajectory, covered with a passing shell, but seemed to be absorbed by a sponge, and became monotonous and dull.

The boy was wearing a loose hospital gown, wandering between the empty corridor and the lonely courtyard all day long, and was rushed back to the ward several times by the medical staff, but with little effect.The presumptuous behavior will only be slightly restrained when a man appears.

Later, when the man came to deliver food to Jin Zaizhong, Jin Zaizhong mentioned more than once that he would go to work with the man to pay off the debt when he recovered from his injury, but the man flatly refused.Although he knew that it would not be easy to agree to this matter, the man's reaction at that time was indeed a bit beyond Jin Jaejoong's expectations.

The man frowned, and his expression was rarely dignified. Kim Jaejoong thought the man thought he was not good enough, and hurriedly said, "I can do anything. Don't look at me as thin, but I'm actually very strong." 』

But the man shook his head, his frown still not loosened: "It's not your problem, that job is... not suitable for you." 』

It was only then that Jin Zaizhong remembered what the man was doing. He was picked up at the entrance of the funeral parlor, and Jin Zaizhong's face suddenly became unsightly.

The man didn't notice the change in the young man's mind, and only touched the young man's head after a while: "Let's talk, it's important to heal the injury first." 』Jin Zaizhong resisted not hiding, and the matter was left alone.

It wasn't until then that he clearly realized that the man had been dealing with the dead all along, and his hands had touched countless cold ones before he came here... Jin Zaizhong didn't dare to think about it anymore, he was afraid that he would spoil the dead people he just ate. Food spit out.

This kind of thinking is a bit harsh, but it is also human nature.

For Kim Jaejoong, death was something he was not familiar with and avoided.But now, it seems to be parasitic on Kim Jaejoong, and every night when he falls asleep, he can still feel the cold breath exhaled by his pillow.

Those in the intensive care unit are all seriously ill patients, and naturally there are many dead branches and leaves that have been burned to the end of their lives.Every time Jin Zaijoong saw their withered backs of hands and lifeless and thin faces, he would feel the slightest shudder from the bottom of his spine.The shadow of death is everywhere, making Jin Zaijoong at a loss.Even compared to kids his age, Kim Jae Joong has experienced enough.But death was too far away for him.

He never asked the man to change the ward.When he was hospitalized because there was an urgent shortage of wards, he was placed in the intensive care unit, and now he has lived patiently.There is something like guilt faintly mixed in the center of Jin, but there is no way to resolve it, and it is suppressed in his heart.Perhaps it was this inexplicable guilt that kept him from opening his mouth.

It didn't take long for the man to discover Jin Jaejoong's hobby of running outside when he had nothing to do. He often pushed Jin Jaejoong to the yard to bask in the sun in a small wheelchair. Now, Jin Jaejoong's injury has almost healed. The naked scar on the bottom was exposed, and Kim Jaejoong didn't know if it would stay there forever, it was another knife carved on the scarred body.The plaster on the arm is full of self-created graffiti. Kim Jaejoong calls it the "golden right arm", and he holds it up and swings it around when he has nothing to do.

The man didn't say anything after seeing it, but whenever the boy did this, the man would lightly pinch the boy's hand and stuff it back into the quilt, and then the boy would stare dissatisfiedly.

In the process of getting along gradually, even though there is still a layer of mist in between, the two have been able to figure out the general outline of each other's character.Jin Zaizhong knew that a man could cook good food, had a good temper but was not easy to be fooled; the man also knew that the boy never gave up his plan to settle down with him, no matter how he tried to dispel the boy's thoughts, the boy could always avoid obstacles skillfully, Make persistent efforts to attack the man.

On this day, the man pushed Jin Jaejoong to the yard again. The boy squinted his eyes and raised his head, enjoying the sunshine pouring down from the bare branches.The golden light hit the young man's fair face, revealing a jade-like texture and luster, clear and moist.The coldest season has come quietly. After a heavy snowfall in the next two days, we will usher in the spring when the grass grows and the warblers fly.The two seized the opportunity to enjoy the few warmth before the cold snap.

If there is no appearance of that old grandma.In Kim Jaejoong's thin memory, this day can almost be called perfect.

But the old lady still appeared.She was standing there, wearing a purple padded jacket made of cotton, flaxen trousers, and a gray velvet hat on her head, with a calm and indifferent expression on her old face.

Kim Jaejoong doesn't even know where she got out of.

In an instant, the warm sun withdrew its dazzling gold, leaving only the pale white to decorate the world.The color in front of him suddenly dimmed, and Jin Zaizhong lowered his eyes boredly, not looking at the inexplicable dark color.

The old lady didn't come to find Jin Jaejoong, she squinted her cloudy eyes for a long time to locate the man's position, and then she waved to him with a smile.

The man seemed to know her, and followed her into the corridor without any hesitation. Jin Zaizhong desperately resisted the urge to grab the man, and kept looking in the direction the man was leaving.In his opinion, that old woman seemed to be a messenger from the underworld, the kind who would never return after recruiting someone.

Jin Zaizhong was in no mood to doze off, he was concentrating on it, his ears were stretched to the maximum to inquire about the movement on the other side of the corridor, and his fingers were tapping restlessly on the handrail.Unfortunately, he could hear someone whispering over there, but couldn't hear what they were saying.

This feeling of wanting nothing is like a little ant crawling on Jin Zaizhong's heart. Finally, he didn't care about pretending to be sick, he stood up from the wheelchair and moved to the dark corridor.

In fact, Jin Zaizhong's health has almost recovered, but he has been pretending that he has not recovered.Subconsciously, he wanted to stay with men longer, and it was undeniable that men made him feel at ease.

Dragging his footsteps to the door of the corridor, the man just came out of the corridor and met Jin Zaizhong face to face.Both stood there, staring into each other's faces in surprise.Jin Zaizhong was completely flustered. Facing the man, he didn't know what to say, so he just kept silent.The man also looked surprised, but it didn't seem to be aimed at his condition.It is estimated that he is not unaware of Jin Jaejoong's small thoughts.

Thinking of this, Jin Zaizhong couldn't help but blush on his face.The two stood stiffly, like countless straight and silent trees, which also became a scene in the courtyard.

Finally the man broke the silence.

"Why are you here?Physical discomfort? ’ the man asked softly.

The young man shook his head and scratched on the ground restlessly with his toes: "What did you say?" As soon as the words came out, it felt inappropriate, and the young man was secretly annoyed, but this was the reason why he came here. Thinking about it this way, he felt a little calm in his heart.He looked up at the man, waiting for an answer.

The man didn't mind, he smiled and said, "It's nothing, just now the old man asked about my funeral." 』

"what? 』

"Her husband is dying, and she wants to ask how much it will cost for burial, and how much it will cost if it is shipped back to her hometown, similar questions. 』

"But grandpa isn't dead yet! 』Jin Zaizhong screamed.

Only then did he remember that the old lady was the old man who took care of his wife in their ward.The old man had a stroke, and the grandmother had to take care of all his eating, drinking and diarrhea.At the first sight of Jin Zaizhong, he felt that it would be better to die than to live like this, but now he heard that the old lady consulted about the burial, and he felt a little awkward.Didn't she take care of the old man so well, did she want him to die long ago?Jin Zaizhong's face showed a little bit of resentment, but he also forgot that he was also a member who was in favor of early death and early rebirth.

The man saw what Jin Jaejoong was thinking, and shook his head: "It's not what you think, the old lady asked because she cared about Grandpa. 』

"Caring about him and wanting him to die? 』Jin Zaizhong is not forgiving.

"When a person has lived to this extent, it is also a good start and a good end to seek.The old man probably won't be able to stay for long, and the old lady is also sick, so while she can still move, she can arrange everything as soon as possible, and she can send her wife away with peace of mind. 』

"Don't you have children?She cares so much? 』

"You have been in the ward for so many days, and you have seen her children come several times," the man looked at Kim Jaejoong who bowed his head and said nothing, and smiled in a low voice, "Every family has its own troubles. 』

"Then how do you know so clearly? 』Jin Zaizhong was puzzled.

"That couple of old people used to run a grocery store across the street. I know them," the man explained. "After the old man had a stroke, the store was also empty, and the old lady came here every day."The children have also been here a few times, and they didn't stay long after paying the medical bills. 』

"People can't bear this kind of parting between life and death, but they always have to experience it in the end. 』

Jin Zaizhong nodded and didn't speak, as if he was thinking about something.The man didn't speak again, and the two fell into a stagnant atmosphere again. Speaking of which, this was the first time that the two of them had spoken so much.

"What about the result? ’ Kim Jaejoong asked suddenly.

"What? As if the switch had been activated, the man blurted out: "There is no result. The old man wants to bury his wife back to his hometown. The cost is naturally much higher. She probably doesn't have that much money, so she didn't ask any further." 』

"oh. ’ Jin Zaizhong replied sullenly.

Seeing the listless look of the young man, the man probably doesn't touch such a heavy topic very much.Wanting to comfort the boy, but not knowing where to start, the man scratched his head awkwardly.

"We go home. ’The young man suddenly said this sentence out of nowhere.

"What? 』The man didn't respond.

"I said let's go back, my injury is almost healed, let's go back, I can help. Jin Zaizhong suggested nervously, looking at the man eagerly, he didn't want to pretend any longer, and all the pretending to be sick and procrastinating at this time was completely forgotten by the young man.

He has only one simple wish.

"Please, promise me that I will work for you.I really can do anything, I won’t lie to you, at the very least, can I ask you...to take me in for a while? 』

Kim Jaejoong was cornered.

He doesn't want to stay in this place anymore. Even if he goes back, he will come into contact with dead people, which Jin Jaejoong can't avoid. The ashes dissipated, and every time he thought of this, Jin Zaizhong felt that he was unbearable in the hospital for a moment.

"...After another week of observation and observation, if there is no major problem, we will go back. 』The man probably sensed the young man's exhausted state of mind, he was silent for a moment, and finally let go.Seeing the young man heaving a sigh of relief, he smiled and shook his head.

The man looked up at the re-clouded sky and said, "It's cloudy again, let's go back."You are here waiting for me. 』He stepped over Kim Jaejoong to push the wheelchair parked under the tree.

Jin Zaizhong stared blankly at the tall and straight back of the man, until a drop of water suddenly hit his nose, interrupting his thoughts, he flinched and wiped off the water stain on his nose.There was a faint rumble of thunder in the distance, covered by thick clouds, Jin Zaizhong couldn't hear it clearly.It seems that things are going to change.