chapter 2 angel on the moon

The room fell into a brief silence. A few seconds later, Doctor Li snapped back, "Angel zhi?"
"Yes."
"What is He doing?"
"He hasn't done anything. He's like a golden statue, sitting in the center of a massive lunar crater, looking up at Earth, as if... it was keeping watch?"
Doctor Li rubbed his eyes and spoke somewhat helplessly, "Ben, do you know how far the Moon is from Earth?"
"Nearly four hundred thousand kilometres," Ben Lin replied calmly.
"Nearly four hundred thousand kilometres," Doctor Li repeated, "Even with the most advanced telescopes, we can only barely see the surface of the Moon. And you, at seven years old, saw an angel on the Moon with the naked eye?"
"It's not that I saw Him," Ben Lin spoke softly, "He saw me. I just lifted my head, and it was as if He dragged my eyes through space to meet His gaze."
"So, He forced you?"
"You could say that. Otherwise, how could I have seen the surface of the Moon? I don't have telescopic vision."
"But if there really is an angel on the Moon, why hasn't humanity discovered it in all these years?"
"I don't know," Ben Lin shook his head, "Maybe that Angel zhi doesn't want to be observed. Besides... do humans really understand the Moon?"
Ben Lin spoke earnestly, so earnestly that Doctor Li immediately considered calling for a car to take him back to the psychiatric hospital.
After all, Doctor Li was a psychiatrist. He'd seen all kinds of mental illnesses, and he'd summarized a rule in his medical career: the more seriously someone talks about something seemingly rational, the more severe their condition tends to be.
"What about your eyes? What happened?" Doctor Li inquired.
Ben Lin extended his hand and gently rubbed the black fabric covering his eyes. There was no discernible emotion in his voice, "That day, I locked eyes with Him for an instant, and then... I went blind."
Doctor Li opened his mouth, glanced down at the case file in his hand, and fell into silence.
Under the section of ‘Cause of Blindness,' the only words written were,
—Cause unknown.
So... what really happened back then?
Could it be, as Ben Lin claimed, that he saw an Angel zhi on the Moon? Otherwise, how could one explain the sudden blindness?
This thought only crossed Doctor Li's mind for an instant before he promptly quashed it.
That was close. He almost got led astray by a psychiatric patient!
He could almost imagine the expressions of the doctors when young Ben Lin, who had gone blind ten years ago, spoke those words in front of them. It must have been quite a spectacle.
No wonder this child was forcibly kept in the hospital. No matter how you looked at it, what he said was the sort of thing only a person with a mental illness would say.
There were quite a few people like this in the hospital. Some claimed they were the reincarnation of Sun WuKong and spent all day hanging from the pull-up bar, some thought they were coat racks standing motionless in their rooms all night, and some believed everyone they met was their husband, constantly trying to sneakily touch other people's backsides...
Well, the last patient was a greasy uncle in his forties.
"What you're talking about is all in the past. How do you view this matter now?" Doctor Li adjusted his emotions and continued with the examination process.
"It's all delusions," Ben Lin calmly stated. "That day, I just happened to fall from the roof, my head hit the ground. As for my eyes, perhaps some nerves were damaged, which is why I went blind."
He'd said this many times before, each time with practiced calmness.
Doctor Li raised an eyebrow, wrote something in the medical record, and then chatted with Ben Lin about daily life. About twenty minutes later, he checked the time, stood up with a smile.
"All right, the re-examination ends here. Your condition is no longer a problem. I hope you can adjust your mind-set and live well." Doctor Li shook hands with Ben Lin, offering encouragement.
Ben Lin smiled faintly and nodded slightly.
"Hey, Doctor Li, why not stay for a meal?" Aunt called out to Doctor Li as he left, warmly inviting him to stay.
"No, no, I have another patient to see. I won't disturb you." Doctor Li politely bid Aunt farewell, then pushed open the door and left.
In the instant the door closed, Ben Lin's smile vanished as if it had never been there.
"Delusions..." he murmured to himself.
"Brother, it's time to eat!" Cousin Carl Yang walked out of the kitchen carrying dishes, calling out.
Carl Yang was Aunt's son, four years younger than Ben Lin. He had just started junior high. Ever since Ben Lin's parents had gone missing, and he'd started staying at Aunt's, the two had grown up together. Their relationship was closer than that of blood brothers.
"I'm coming." Ben Lin answered.
Just as Ben Lin sat down at the small dining table, a warm sensation emanated from his foot. He was momentarily surprised, then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Cousin Carl Yang looked under the table, laughing and scolding, "You little rascal, you're usually so lazy, but when it's time to eat, you're faster than anyone."
A small black-and-white spotted dog poked its head out from under the table, tongue lolling outside its mouth, panting. It approached Ben Lin, licking his foot, its face full of eagerness.
Three people and a dog; that was their family. It seemed like a Simple but difficult family, yet oddly comforting.
Ten years went on like this.
Ben Lin patted its head, plucked a piece of meat from the few on his plate, and put it in Cousin Carl Yang's bowl.
"Give it a bone to chew on."
Carl Yang didn't refuse. With their brotherly bond, saying more would only make it awkward.
He was concerned about something else.
"Brother, are your eyes really almost better?" Ben Lin smiled faintly. "Yes, I can see now. I'm just a bit sensitive to light. I'll keep the black fabric on for a few more days."
"What do you mean, a few more days? Ben, Aunt says, the eyes are too important. Even if you can see now, don't rush to take off the black fabric. Just in case... just in case the sun damages your eyes again, that would be such a waste! Let's play it safe and wear it for a while longer!" Aunt hastily advised.
"I understand, Aunt."
"Oh, by the way, Brother, I saved up some money to buy you a stylish pair of sunglasses. I'll show them to you later!" Carl Yang seemed to recall something, speaking excitedly.
Ben Lin shook his head with a smile. "Carl, while sunglasses can block light, they're not nearly as effective as the black fabric. I still can't wear them now."
"Alright..." Carl Yang sounded a little disappointed.
"But when my eyes are completely better, I'll wear them when we go out shopping. By then, I'll buy you a pair too, and we can wear them together."
Hearing this, Carl Yang's eyes lit up again, and he nodded vigorously.
"Oh, Ben, Aunt has already arranged the transfer to the new school for you. When this semester starts, you'll be able to move from the special school to a regular high school. But, have you really thought it through? A regular high school is different from a special school. Given your situation, if something... if something were to happen..." Aunt seemed to be worried about something and brought it up.
"There won't be any 'ifs', Aunt." Ben Lin interrupted her, "My eyes are already better, and if I want to get into a good university, I have to start from the same line as everyone else."
"You, my child... Even if you don't get into a good university, it's alright. Aunt will support you!"
"Brother, I can support you too!"
Ben Lin's body trembled slightly. His eyes under the black fabric were unseen, his lips pressed together, but a smile still formed.
A firm shake of his head.
He didn't say a word, but both Carl Yang and Aunt felt his determination.
Even the little black-and-white spotted dog at his feet nuzzled Ben Lin's ankle.
"Woof!"

..