189: Chapter 189 Happy Recharging

After the happy clock was hung up, Lin Feng's phone finally ran out of power. It didn't happen suddenly, but slowly. He hadn't charged the phone for a long time because the system had stopped speaking and he no longer checked the happiness map. The phone just sat by the tree roots, with the cat sitting on it, its tail covering the screen. For however many hours the cat sat there each day, the phone remained on standby for that long. The battery dropped from eighty percent to sixty, then forty, then twenty, and finally to five. A low battery alert popped up; Lin Feng glanced at it but ignored it. The cat also glanced at it, tapped the screen with a paw, and the alert disappeared. A few more days passed, and the phone ran out of power completely, the screen turning black. Sitting on it, the cat felt it was no longer warm under its bottom, so it stood up and patted the phone with its paw; the phone didn't respond. It patted again, still no response. It gave up, walked to Lin Feng's feet, and looked up at him. Lin Feng looked down at the cat. "It's out of power." The cat didn't answer; it rubbed its head against his calf, then walked back into the tent, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. It seemed to feel that since the phone was out of power, it didn't need to sit on it anymore.

Margaret came out of the Restaurant, saw the phone's black screen, and asked Lin Feng, "Aren't you going to charge it?" Lin Feng said, "No. The system is gone, and I'm not looking at the map anymore. There's no use in charging it." Margaret knelt, flipped the phone over, and checked the charging port. "It's not broken. It's just not charging." She put the phone back by the tree roots. "So you won't use a phone anymore?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I'll use one. But not for the map. For other things." Margaret asked, "Like what?" Lin Feng pointed at the sky. "The sky. There are stars in the sky, and stars don't run out of power." He paused. "And for the cat. Cats don't need charging either." The cat poked its head out of the tent, let out a meow, and retracted back inside. Margaret smiled. "You're more energy-efficient than a phone." Lin Feng said, "Yeah. I'm fine just squatting here."

A few days later, Old Zhou came to deliver mail. Seeing the black screen of the phone, he was taken aback. "Is your phone broken?" Lin Feng said, "Not broken. Just out of power." Old Zhou pulled a charging cable from his pocket. "I have power on my bike. I'll help you charge it." Lin Feng shook his head. "No need. Charging it is useless." Old Zhou put the cable back in his pocket. "Then how will you know about the red dots in the future?" Lin Feng pointed at the wall by the church entrance. "Look at the wall. There are paintings on the wall, and there are red dots in the paintings." Old Zhou looked at the puzzles, rubbings, and drawings on the wall—red, yellow, blue, and green; there were indeed many red dots. But they weren't glowing; they were painted on. He thought about it and smiled. "The red dots you paint won't go out." Lin Feng said, "Yeah. Once they're painted on, they're always there."

In the evening, Lin Feng sat on the steps in front of the Restaurant. Not squatting, but sitting. Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms and sat beside him. The two of them sat watching the sky. Stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. The cat crawled out of the tent, walked to their feet, squatted down, and looked up at the stars. It watched for a long time, then closed its eyes, curled into a ball, and began to purr. Margaret looked at the cat. "It didn't play with the phone today." Lin Feng said, "The phone is out of power. It's stopped playing." Margaret asked, "Are you really not going to charge the phone anymore?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "No. It's tired. Let it rest." Margaret looked at the black-screened phone by the tree roots. "Can it still be used?" Lin Feng said, "Yes. It'll work if it's charged. But I won't charge it. If I charge it, I'll have to look at the red dots again. If I look, I'll have to worry. If I worry, I'll have to go save them. If I save them, I'll have to make things. It never ends." Margaret looked at him. "You're not worried now?" Lin Feng said, "Not worried. They've learned to smile on their own. Once they smile, I don't need to worry anymore." The wind blew, carrying the plastic scent of the phone casing, the slight acidity of the battery, the aroma of coffee, and the light sweetness of mushrooms. Lin Feng closed his eyes and took a sniff. He opened his eyes, stood up, and patted his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret also stood up. "What are you doing tomorrow?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Sitting. Watching the sky. Watching the cat. Watching the wall." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked to the tree roots, squatted by the phone, and tapped it with a paw; the phone didn't respond. It tapped again, still no response. It stopped tapping, squatted by the phone, and closed its eyes. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting the phone's shadow on the ground—small and square, like a silent box. The wind blew and the shadow flickered, but it did not dissipate. Lin Feng stood inside the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the shadow of the phone, the shadow of the cat, and the shadow of the stars. He watched for a long time, then drew the curtains and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Lin Feng was awakened by a dinging sound. It wasn't the sound of Old Zhou's bicycle chain; it was the phone ringing. He walked to the tree roots; the phone screen was lit up, showing that it was charging. The cat was squatting nearby, batting at the charging cable with its paw; the other end of the cable was plugged into Old Zhou's bicycle. Old Zhou stood nearby, holding a power bank. "I saw it with a black screen and thought it looked quite pitiful. I'm helping it charge for a bit." Lin Feng squatted down and looked at the phone screen. The battery had risen from five percent to eight percent. He reached out to unplug the cable, but the cat blocked him with its paw. The cat looked at him and meowed. Lin Feng looked at the cat. "You want it to come back to life?" The cat didn't answer; it tapped the screen with its paw, the screen lit up, and the happiness map popped up. The red dots were still there, even more numerous than before, densely packed like a red starry sky. Lin Feng looked at those red dots and was stunned. He thought the red dots would go out, but they hadn't. He thought happiness would be forgotten, but it wasn't. He smiled. He unplugged the charging cable; the phone's battery stopped at fifteen percent. He put the phone back by the tree roots, and the cat jumped on top, squatting on the phone with its tail covering the screen. Lin Feng looked at the cat. "You watch it for me." The cat didn't answer; it closed its eyes and began to purr.

[Chapter 189 End]