73: Chapter 73 Someone is coming
After that letter was sent, Yuki's computer was never turned off.
She kept it by her bedside, screen facing up, glowing. Waking up at night, the first thing she saw was the screen. Opening her eyes in the morning, the first thing she saw was also the screen.
That mysterious administrator account never sent another message.
But it was still there.
That grey avatar lay quietly in the contact list, like a dormant insect, waiting for something.
On the morning of the third day, Yuki received a message.
It wasn't from that account.
It was from the message board of the happiness map.
A new message, from a strange ID:
[ I want to come. How do I get there? ]
Yuki stared at that line of text for three seconds.
Then she turned the screen toward Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was squatting under the old locust tree, chewing on a straw, and took a look.
"Reply to him," he said.
Yuki typed a line:
[ Where are you? ]
The other person replied quickly:
[ New York. ]
Yuki looked at those two words, and many things flashed through her mind—those tall buildings, those lights, the top floor of that black glass building, the person named William.
She typed:
[ How did you know? ]
The other person was silent for a while.
Then replied:
[ I've been watching for over a hundred days. ]
---
That afternoon, everyone in Xinfeng Town knew one thing: someone was coming.
George came out of the farm, stood beside the old locust tree, and asked Lin Feng:
"Who?"
Lin Feng said: "Don't know."
George asked: "Good person or bad person?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said:
"We'll know when he gets here."
Edna walked over with her cane and stood beside George.
"Why is he coming?"
Lin Feng said: "To look."
Edna was stunned for a second: "Look at what?"
Lin Feng pointed to those people—Mike was wiping the bar, Sam was playing the guitar, Jenny was organizing letters, Chris was watering plants, Alex and Rachel were typing on the computer, Tony was reading, and that young mother was walking around holding her child.
"Look at them."
Mike poked his head out from the bar:
"Then do I need to tidy up?"
Lin Feng shook his head.
Sam stopped playing the guitar:
"Then do I need to sing a new song?"
Lin Feng shook his head.
Jenny looked up:
"What about the letters? Do they need to be arranged neatly?"
Lin Feng still shook his head.
He squatted there, chewing on his straw, and said slowly:
"Keep it the way it is."
---
Yuki agreed on a time with that person.
Three days later, at noon, at the entrance of the town.
The person said he would drive. From New York to Xinfeng Town, it was a seven-hour drive.
Yuki replied with one word:
[ Wait. ]
---
During these three days, Xinfeng Town was the same as usual.
George went to the farm every day, picked mushrooms, watered them, and talked to the mushrooms. Edna went to the church every day, sat beside the "Ear" sculpture, sometimes talking, sometimes not. Mike wiped the bar every day, stroke by stroke, wiping very slowly. Sam played the guitar every day, sitting on that stone at the church entrance. Jenny organized those letters every day, one by one, arranged by date. Chris watered the plants every day and talked to the mushrooms. Alex and Rachel stared at the screen every day, watching the messages on the happiness map. Tony read every day, the same book, which he hadn't finished after several months.
Lin Feng squatted under the old locust tree every day, watching these people.
But everyone knew that something was approaching.
George's watering motion slowed by half a beat.
Edna would occasionally zone out while talking.
Mike would stop and stare blankly while wiping the bar.
Sam would play the wrong note while playing the guitar.
Jenny would stare at a certain letter for a long time while organizing.
Chris would stand there blankly after watering.
Alex and Rachel spent longer and longer staring at the screen.
Tony's book stopped on a certain page and hadn't been turned for several days.
Yuki's fingers typing on the keyboard were a bit slower than usual.
The young mother held her child, stood at the church entrance, and looked in the direction of the town entrance.
The child asked her: "Mom, what are you looking at?"
She said: "Waiting for someone."
The child asked: "Waiting for whom?"
She thought for a moment and said:
"Someone who has been watching for a long time."
---
On the morning of the third day, the sun had just come out when Yuki sat at the entrance of the town.
She held her computer, the screen glowing. That grey avatar was still there, no messages.
Lin Feng walked over and squatted beside her.
Yuki turned her head to look at him.
Lin Feng didn't speak, just squatted there.
Two people squatted at the town entrance, looking at that road.
That road was winding, stretching into the distance. There was nothing on the road, only sunlight and shadows.
Margaret came over with a plate of mushrooms and squatted beside Lin Feng.
"Breakfast."
Lin Feng took it and took a bite.
Margaret looked at Yuki: "Have you eaten?"
Yuki shook her head.
Margaret picked up a mushroom from the plate and handed it to her.
Yuki took it and took a bite.
Three people squatted at the town entrance, eating mushrooms, looking at that road.
---
The sun climbed higher and higher.
Nine o'clock. Ten o'clock. Eleven o'clock.
There was still nothing on the road.
Yuki stared at the screen; that grey avatar had no movement. She started to wonder, was he not coming? Did something happen on the way? Was he just saying it casually?
Lin Feng finished the last mushroom and returned the plate to Margaret.
"Bring another plate," he said.
Margaret stood up and walked toward the restaurant.
Halfway there, she suddenly stopped.
She saw a small black dot at the end of the road.
That black dot grew larger and larger, slowly turning into a car.
A white car, the very common kind, bumping along the road, driving towards this side.
Margaret turned back and shouted:
"He's here!"
---
The car stopped at the town entrance.
The car door opened, and a person got out.
A man. Around forty years old, his hair was a bit long and messy, and his clothes were very ordinary—jeans, a plaid shirt, and an old jacket over it. He stood by the car, looking at the road sign for a long time.
Yuki stood up and looked at him.
He turned his head and looked at her.
The two people stared at each other for three seconds.
Then he spoke:
"It's me."
Yuki didn't speak.
He walked over and stood in front of her. He was a head taller than Yuki, but at this moment he was slightly hunched over, wanting to look at her at eye level.
"My name is Mark," he said, "That account, it's me."
Yuki still didn't speak.
She looked at him. His eyes were very bright, but there were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well for a long time. His clothes were wrinkled, as if they had been thrown on casually. His hands were in his pockets, but his fingers were moving slightly, as if typing on a keyboard.
Lin Feng was still squatting, not moving.
Mark looked at him, then looked at Yuki, not knowing who to speak to first.
Margaret came over with the mushrooms and stood to the side.
"Have you eaten?" she asked.
Mark was stunned for a moment.
Margaret handed him the plate: "Fresh out of the pan."
---
Mark sat under the old locust tree, eating mushrooms.
He ate very slowly, chewing every bite for a long time. A circle of people stood around him—George, Edna, Mike, Sam, Jenny, Chris, Alex, Rachel, Tony, and the young mother stood behind the crowd holding her child.
They were all looking at him.
Mark felt a bit uncomfortable being watched, put down the mushroom, and looked up.
"I…" he started, then stopped.
George asked: "You are that account?"
Mark nodded.
George asked: "You watched for over a hundred days?"
Mark nodded again.
George was silent for three seconds, then asked:
"Did you understand it?"
Mark thought for a moment and said:
"Not fully."
George laughed.
"You didn't fully understand, and you dared to come?"
Mark laughed too. That kind of laugh, a bit bitter, a bit astringent, as if he hadn't laughed in a long time.
"That's exactly because I didn't understand, that's why I came."
---
That afternoon, Mark followed Yuki around the town.
She took him to see the farm, the church, the bar, those letters, those mushrooms. She rarely spoke, just walked beside him, occasionally pointing.
Mark watched very carefully. He squatted down to look at the mushrooms, just like George. He stood in front of the "Ear" sculpture and spoke to it, his voice very soft; it was unknown what he said. He stood in the bar, watching Mike wipe the glass, watching for a long time. He stood at the church entrance, looking at those letters, reading them one by one.
When it was almost dark, he stood under the old locust tree, looking at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was still squatting.
Mark walked over and squatted beside him.
The two people squatted, and no one spoke.
After a long time, Mark spoke:
"I used to work at V Company."
Lin Feng nodded.
Mark continued: "Doing data analysis. Every day looking at data, looking at curves, looking at user behavior. Then one day, I saw a set of data."
He paused.
"Those three minutes. Those three minutes of Happiness Resonance. There was nothing on the data, but I knew that something had happened."
Lin Feng listened.
Mark said: "I investigated for three months. Investigated you, investigated Xinfeng Town, investigated those letters, investigated those mushrooms. I couldn't find anything. There was nothing on the data. But those people—they laughed."
He turned his head and looked at Lin Feng.
"I've been doing data analysis for fifteen years. It's the first time I've seen something that data can't explain."
Lin Feng didn't speak.
Mark asked: "What is that?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said:
"It's just laughter."
Mark was stunned.
Lin Feng continued: "What data can see is all in the past. Laughter is in the present. The present cannot be analyzed."
Mark was silent for a long time.
Then he laughed.
That kind of laugh was different from when he first arrived. It wasn't polite, it wasn't probing. It was rippling out from his eyes.
He said:
"I think I understand."
---
That night, Xinfeng Town held another small party.
Mike moved a crate of drinks out of the bar. Sam held his guitar and played that song "Heard It." Jenny took those letters out and showed them to Mark one by one. Chris picked a basket of mushrooms from the farm and grilled them for everyone to eat.
Mark sat in the crowd, watching those people.
He saw George and Edna sitting together, two old people, neither of them speaking, but they kept leaning against each other.
He saw Mike wiping the glass, humming along to Sam's guitar music while wiping.
He saw Sam playing the guitar, surrounded by a circle of people singing along.
He saw Jenny organizing letters, the young mother helping beside her, and the child crawling around on the ground.
He saw Chris distributing mushrooms, everyone getting a small piece, everyone chewing very slowly.
He saw Alex and Rachel typing on the computer, those red dots on the screen flashing.
He saw Tony sitting in the corner with the book spread on his knees, but he wasn't reading; he was watching those people, the corners of his mouth turned up.
He saw Yuki sitting under the old locust tree, squatting just like Lin Feng.
He saw Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was squatting there, watching these people.
Mark stood up, walked over, and squatted beside him.
"Lin Feng."
Lin Feng turned his head to look at him.
Mark said: "I want to stay."
Lin Feng didn't speak.
Mark continued: "Not for work. Just want to… be here."
Lin Feng looked at him for three seconds.
Then he pointed to those people in the distance:
"As long as they agree."
---
Mark walked up to George.
George looked at him.
Mark said: "I want to stay."
George asked: "Do you know how to grow mushrooms?"
Mark shook his head.
George said: "Learn."
Mark walked up to Edna.
Edna looked at him.
Mark said: "I want to stay."
Edna asked: "Do you know how to talk?"
Mark nodded.
Edna said: "Then you can stay."
Mark walked up to Mike.
Mike looked at him.
Mark said: "I want to stay."
Mike asked: "Do you know how to wipe glasses?"
Mark said: "I can learn."
Mike laughed: "Then start tomorrow."
Mark walked up to Sam.
Sam looked at him.
Mark said: "I want to stay."
Sam handed the guitar to him: "Play something."
Mark took the guitar and was stunned for a moment. He didn't know how to play.
Sam laughed: "Then learn."
Mark walked up to Jenny.
Jenny looked at him.
Mark said: "I want to stay."
Jenny took a letter out of the box and handed it to him:
"This is yours."
Mark looked down.
The letter was very short, only one line of text:
[ Welcome. — — Yuki ]
Mark stared at that line of text for a long time.
Then he laughed.
---
Late that night, the crowd dispersed.
Mark sat under the old locust tree, leaning against the trunk. Yuki sat beside him, holding her computer.
On the screen, that grey avatar was still glowing.
But Mark didn't need to send messages anymore.
He was right here.
He looked at the stars, listened to the sound of the wind in the distance, and smelled the fragrance of the mushrooms.
He said softly:
"So that's how it is."
Yuki turned her head to look at him.
Mark said: "The things that data can't explain are here."
Yuki didn't speak.
But the corners of her mouth were turned up.
---
Lin Feng was still squatting.
Margaret walked over and squatted beside him.
"Lin Feng."
Lin Feng turned his head to look at her.
Margaret said: "One more person."
Lin Feng nodded.
Margaret asked: "Did you know he would come?"
Lin Feng shook his head.
Margaret asked: "Then you let him come?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said:
"He wanted to come himself."
Margaret looked at the person leaning against the tree in the distance, looked at the person holding the computer, and looked at the houses that had already fallen asleep.
She said softly:
"Will more people come in the future?"
Lin Feng said:
"Yes."
Margaret asked: "How do you know?"
Lin Feng pointed to the road sign.
Under the moonlight, that line of text was clear:
[ Still Rising ]
[ Chapter 73 Finished ]