Ch. 19
Chapter 19: Glass Doll
Jiang Haichao and Jiang Xinyue, the father and daughter, hurried as fast as they could. Yet before they could even get into the car, Xiao Qiu disappeared in Jiang Haichao’s arms, turning into a paper figure covered in runes.
Jiang Haichao held the paper figure in his hand and said to Jiang Xinyue, “Did Xiao Qiu take in everything you told her just now?”
“She definitely did. Xiao Qiu has always been very smart and very obedient,” Jiang Xinyue said.
“That’s true.” Jiang Haichao directly opened the car door. “Let’s go back.”
However, after opening the door, he did not get in immediately. Instead, he said, “Xiao Qiu, get in the car, we’re going home.”
It turned out that along the way just now, the two of them had been repeatedly instructing Xiao Qiu. When the time came and they could no longer see her, she must follow her mother closely. If she really couldn’t keep up, she should go back and find Shen the Master, and they would come pick her up again tomorrow.
Xiao Qiu was very sensible. Upon hearing this, she naturally nodded in agreement. But she was still too young, and the two of them couldn’t quite feel at ease, so they kept reminding her again and again.
After the car started, Jiang Xinyue, who was driving, couldn’t help but glance repeatedly at the rearview mirror. Of course, she wasn’t looking at Jiang Haichao, but at the empty seat beside him. Although she couldn’t see her daughter at all, she still couldn’t stop herself from looking.
Meanwhile, Jiang Haichao kept his head lowered, continuously rubbing the palm-sized paper figure in his hand with his thumb.
He discovered that the ink dots on the paper figure, as small as tadpoles, did not look like runes, but more like a kind of writing. He worked at the cultural center and was considered quite knowledgeable, yet in his memory, he had never seen such a script before.
Since no one spoke, the atmosphere inside the car gradually became silent and oppressive.
So Jiang Xinyue was the first to break the silence, because she knew her daughter definitely wouldn’t like such an atmosphere.
“Dad, about the two conditions the master mentioned just now—the first one is easy. That person is just a wandering scavenger. Every day he rides a tricycle around collecting junk. As long as we wait for him to leave his place, it won’t be hard to go in and find some of his personal belongings or hair. The difficult part is the second requirement…”
“We need to find a suitable patient, and also convince the family to bring the person to Shen the Master…”
“I already have someone in mind,” Jiang Haichao interrupted her.
“Huh? Who is it? Do I know them?” Jiang Xinyue asked in surprise.
“Do you still remember Uncle Lu?”
Jiang Xinyue thought for a moment. “Uncle Lu? You mean Professor Lu from Huinan University?”
“Yes, that’s him. When you were little, he often came to our house. Later, because of work transfers, we had less contact…”
As Jiang Haichao spoke, Jiang Xinyue also recalled many things about the Lu family.
“Is someone in Uncle Lu’s family sick?” Jiang Xinyue asked curiously.
“It’s his grandson. He’s two years older than Xiao Qiu. He has osteogenesis imperfecta. The last time I saw him, he looked extremely frail. Now the whole family’s energy is spent on that child…”
“Is it Brother Weibo’s son?” Jiang Xinyue asked.
Professor Lu had a son and a daughter. His daughter Lu Mingxi was the same age as Jiang Xinyue, while his son Lu Weibo was two years older than her. When she was little, Jiang Xinyue often followed behind Brother Weibo while playing. At that time, she envied Lu Mingxi for having an older brother so much that she even made a joke—asking Jiang Haichao and his wife to give her an older brother too.
“Yes, it’s Brother Weibo’s son. Because of this child, he’s been worried sick. At such a young age, more than half his hair has already turned white. He looks like a little old man.”
“I didn’t even know about this. Otherwise, no matter what, I would’ve gone to see the child,” Jiang Xinyue said with some guilt.
“We haven’t been in touch for so long. I only found out recently. And at that time, you were… so I didn’t mention it to you,” Jiang Haichao said.
“Then what kind of illness is osteogenesis imperfecta?”
“Have you heard of something called Glass Doll disease?” Jiang Haichao said.
“Of course I have.”
“Osteogenesis imperfecta is the scientific name for Glass Doll or Porcelain Doll. More professionally, it’s also called Lobstein disease. This illness is very terrifying…” Jiang Haichao knew so much because he had specifically looked into it.
Although Jiang Xinyue had not deliberately studied the disease, she still understood some of its conditions. It was more than terrifying—it was cruel, especially for children.
“Zhaozhao is still considered a mild case right now. But in a few years, he might only be able to lie in bed. Even turning over would have to be done carefully. A slight carelessness could result in fractures. Even sitting in a wheelchair would require specially designed supports…”
“What’s even more cruel is that fractures heal extremely slowly and often heal in deformed ways repeatedly—spinal curvature, pigeon chest, bent limbs, eventually developing into severe spinal deformities and limb contractures…”
People said the underworld had eighteen layers of hell, but some illnesses in the human world were even more cruel and merciless than those punishments…
“Then should we go find Uncle Lu now?”
“No. Let’s handle the first matter first,” Jiang Haichao said.
“And I also want to see what that beast looks like.”
At this point, even the refined-looking Jiang Haichao couldn’t help but grit his teeth.
In fact, Xiao Qiu’s death wasn’t complicated. That day, she passed by an overpass with her mother. Jiang Xinyue stood on the bridge taking a few photos, while Xiao Qiu was attracted by a helium balloon blown by the wind and went down the stairs…
The little one hadn’t gone far before she lost her way. She happened to be encountered by a passing scavenger, Qiao Sanbao. Seeing that the little girl was exquisitely beautiful, he harbored evil intentions. Pretending to help her find her mother, he carried her onto his broken tricycle.
…
Obtaining Qiao Sanbao’s personal belongings and hair went surprisingly smoothly.
The father and daughter went to where he lived and easily got what they needed.
Mainly because at that time, Qiao Sanbao had already gone out. And the shabby place he lived in, although locked, couldn’t even keep out dogs, let alone people. Otherwise, Xiao Qiu wouldn’t have been able to escape from inside back then.
Looking at the pile of clothes in the trunk, along with the carefully stored hair Jiang Haichao had collected, Jiang Xinyue pinched her nose in disgust.
“Now shall we go find Uncle Lu?” Jiang Xinyue asked.
She wanted to get everything done in a single day and didn’t want to wait even a moment.
Jiang Haichao understood his daughter’s feelings. Wasn’t his own heart just as anxious?
“I’ll call him first,” Jiang Haichao said.
So the two of them headed toward Huinan University.
Lu Guohua was somewhat surprised to receive Jiang Haichao’s call.
The two had been very close back then, but in recent years, they had less contact and gradually lost touch.
So Lu Guohua’s first reaction was that Jiang Haichao must have something important to discuss.
“Old Jiang, what made you think of calling me? Is something the matter?”
“Are you at home now, or at the university?” Jiang Haichao asked.
Although Lu Guohua had already retired, he had been rehired to continue working on some research projects, and he wasn’t very busy.
“I’m at home.”
“Then I’ll come to your place right away. No—why don’t you come downstairs instead? I’ll call you when I arrive.” After saying this, Jiang Haichao hung up the phone.
Lu Guohua listened to the dial tone on the other end, feeling somewhat bewildered.
“Old Lu, who was that?”
Lu Guohua’s wife saw him standing there holding his phone in a daze and asked curiously.
“It was Jiang Haichao. He said he’s looking for me about something, but wouldn’t say what. Acting all mysterious…”