My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 37

I washed up, changed clothes, and went downstairs. Ah You was busy in the kitchen, Ah Zuo was organizing files behind the counter, Ah Hua was perched on the windowsill, wagging her tail, Ah Mo was perched on top of the bookshelf, and Ah Ju—Ah Ju wasn’t there, probably waiting for food at the kitchen door. Everything was the same as usual.

“Good morning, boss!” Ah You poked his head out from the kitchen, holding a spatula in his hand. “We’re having fried rice with eggs today. I added your favorite diced ham.”

Lin Jiqiu walked to the sofa, sat down, and picked up the warm water on the coffee table, taking a sip. “Where’s Chengran?”

“Upstairs. Didn’t come down last night.”

“Not asleep again?”

“I don’t know. The lights were on all night.”

Lin Jiqiu put down her water glass, stood up, and went upstairs. The door to the second-floor studio was closed, but light shone through the crack. She knocked twice, but no one answered, so she knocked twice more.

“Come in.”

Pushing open the door, Cheng Ran sat at the workbench, his hair more disheveled than yesterday, with noticeable dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze was clear. On the workbench lay some parts and tools—circuit boards, wires, a miniature microphone, and a small, dark gray metal casing with a matte finish. Beside him lay “Yang,” the sphere lying quietly on a velvet cloth, without vibrating.

“You didn’t sleep all night,” Lin Jiqiu said.

“She’s asleep.”

“You always say you’re going to sleep.”

“This time he really slept.” Cheng Ran rubbed his eyes. “He slept for two hours.”

Lin Jiqiu walked to the workbench and looked at the parts. The solder joints on the circuit board were very dense, and the lines were very fine, clearly hand-soldered with excellent craftsmanship. “A new communicator?”

“Okay. Last step. Put the casing on and test the signal stability.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up the dark gray metal casing and examined it closely in his hand. It wasn’t large, a bit bigger than the “Yin Yang,” just the right size to fit in his palm. The surface had a fine, non-slip texture, and there was a small switch on the side that made a crisp click when turned. “Who is this for?”

“Here you go. One for me and one for myself.” Cheng Ran took out another casing from the drawer, almost identical, except for the slightly different position of the switch on the side. “Yours has a higher waterproof rating, it can go down to fifty meters. Mine doesn’t need that high waterproof rating, but it has a higher signal transmission power, so it can cover a greater distance.”

“So you made one specifically for me?”

Cheng Ran’s fingers paused on the workbench. “You go into the water often.”

Lin Jiqiu didn’t reply, and placed the casing back on the table. Cheng Ran picked up the circuit board, aligned it with the slot on the casing, and gently pressed it in; it clicked shut. Then he picked up the “Yang” and inserted it into the groove on the back of the casing—the sphere fit perfectly. He picked up another casing, installed the corresponding circuit board and the matching components for the “Yin,” closed it, and handed it to Lin Jiqiu.

“Give it a try.”

Lin Jiqiu took it and held it in her hand. It felt different from holding the “Yin”—the outer shell had gained weight, but it felt more solid and wouldn’t slip. She flipped the switch, and a small blue light on the side of the shell flashed briefly before going out.

“Blue indicates a successful pairing,” Cheng Ran said. “If it turns red, it means the signal is weak or lost.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at the small device in her palm. “Can it make calls?”

“Yes. Press the button on the side to speak, and release to listen. It works the same as a regular walkie-talkie, but it doesn’t require an external network and uses the ‘yin-yang’ resonant frequency band.”

“What about the distance?”

“Theoretically, it should be fine within ten kilometers. Beyond ten kilometers, the signal will weaken, but it won’t completely drop. The latency will increase, and the sound will become muffled.” Cheng Ran picked up his own and pressed a button. “Test. Can you hear me?”

Lin Jiqiu’s voice came through the communicator, a little lower than usual, with a slight static, but very clear. “I heard you.”

Is the sound clear?

“clear.”

“I can hear you clearly too.” Cheng Ran released the button and hung the communicator on the buckle of his belt. “It needs to be tested underwater. Theoretically, the signal is stable within 50 meters, but it may drop beyond 50 meters.”

“Try it at the beach.”

“good.”

Lin Jiqiu clipped the communicator to her belt; it was the perfect size and wouldn’t get in the way. She turned and walked to the door, then stopped. “Go down for breakfast. Ayou made fried rice with eggs.”

“Coming soon.”

She went downstairs. Ah You had already put the fried rice on the table; the golden rice grains, orange ham cubes, and green scallions were a beautifully matched combination. Ah Zuo came out from behind the counter, and Ah Hua jumped down from the windowsill and squatted by the table. Ah Mo didn’t come down, but Ah Ju was already squatting down.

Lin Jiqiu sat down and picked up her chopsticks. Cheng Ran came downstairs and sat opposite her. Ayou brought over two bowls of soup and placed them in front of them. “Seaweed and egg drop soup, freshly made.”

Lin Jiqiu took a sip of the soup; it was just the right temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. Then she ate a bite of the fried rice; the grains of rice spread in her mouth, the salty aroma of ham mingling with the fresh fragrance of scallions. “Delicious.”

Ah You smiled, turned around and went back to the kitchen to get his own portion.

The four of them sat around a small table eating breakfast. Ah You ate quickly, Ah Zuo ate slowly, Ah Hua squatted beside them waiting to be fed, and Ah Ju had already stolen a piece of ham from Ah You’s bowl. Lin Jiqiu looked up at Cheng Ran halfway through his meal—he had also eaten half of his meal, at a moderate pace, and looked genuinely hungry.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“What are your plans for today?”

“Test the communicator. Go to the suburbs and find a place with less signal interference.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Cheng Ran glanced at her. “Don’t you need to rest?”

“I’ve rested enough.” Lin Jiqiu finished the last bite of fried rice in his bowl. “And I also want to see how far that communicator can transmit.”

Cheng Ran nodded.

After breakfast, Ayou cleared the dishes, while Azuo went behind the counter to organize the files. Lin Jiqiu went upstairs to change her clothes—a dark-colored tracksuit for easy movement. She took the communicator off her belt and checked it, making sure the casing was secure and the switch worked smoothly, before snapping it back in.

Go downstairs. Cheng Ran was already waiting at the door. A Zuo started the car.

“Where to?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“North of the city. There is a large, abandoned factory area there, free from signal interference, suitable for testing.”

The three got into the car. A-Zuo drove, Cheng Ran sat in the passenger seat, and Lin Jiqiu sat in the back. The car drove north through the city, the tall buildings gradually becoming shorter and the streets gradually widening. After about forty minutes, they arrived at the abandoned factory area. The factory area was large, with half of the surrounding wall collapsed. Inside were several dilapidated factory buildings, most of the windows shattered, and the walls covered in graffiti. There was no one there; it was very quiet, with only the clanging sound of the tin roofs in the wind.

Cheng Ran got out of the car, took out a communicator from his backpack, and hung it on his belt. Lin Jiqiu also got out of the car and stood next to him.

“You stay here. I’ll walk in. Test the call every hundred meters.” Cheng Ran pressed a button on the communicator. “Test. Do you hear me?”

“I heard you,” Lin Jiqiu’s voice came through his communicator.

Is the sound clear?

“clear.”

Cheng Ran released the button and walked deeper into the factory area. After walking about a hundred meters, he stopped and pressed the button again. “Test. Now one hundred meters away.”

“I can hear it. The sound is a little softer than before, but it’s still clear.”

“Okay.” He continued walking. Two hundred meters, three hundred meters, five hundred meters. The sound grew fainter, but it was still audible.

At 800 meters, his voice turned into a hissing noise, like a radio that hadn’t been tuned properly.

“Cheng Ran’s voice is a little muffled, but it’s still understandable.”

“One thousand meters.” Cheng Ran’s voice came through the communicator. The static was louder, and some words were swallowed up, but the general meaning was still understandable.

“Received. Come back.”

A few minutes later, Cheng Ran emerged from deep within the factory area. He walked up to Lin Jiqiu and took the communicator off his belt. “The signal attenuation is quite noticeable at 1,000 meters. But it’s still within usable range. In urban environments, there’s more interference, and the distance might shorten to around 800 meters.”

“That’s enough. My usual activity range is basically within this distance.”

“Underwater testing is still needed.”

“Test it at the beach.”

Cheng Ran hung the communicator back on his belt. “Let’s go back.”

The three got into the car. A-Zuo started the car and drove towards the city center. Lin Jiqiu leaned back in her seat and looked out the window. The abandoned factory area gradually receded into the distance, replaced by familiar streets and buildings.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“Do you plan to mass-produce that communicator?”

Cheng Ran thought for a moment. “No mass production. Only make two.”

“Why?”

“Because it uses the ‘yin-yang’ resonant frequency band. Each pair of ‘yin-yang’ frequency bands is unique and cannot be used interchangeably.” He paused, “And once it’s mass-produced, it’s no longer special.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at him. Cheng Ran’s gaze remained fixed on the window, not turning towards her. The corners of her mouth curved slightly.

It was already noon when they got back to the office. Ah You was busy in the kitchen, while Ah Zuo went back behind the counter. Lin Jiqiu sat on the sofa, and Cheng Ran sat opposite her. Ah Hua jumped down from the windowsill, rubbed against Lin Jiqiu’s feet, and then jumped onto the sofa and curled up next to her.

“Chengran, I’d like to schedule the trip to the south to find Chen Weisong for next week.”

“We’re leaving next Friday and expect to arrive on Sunday. It’s a coastal city; do we need to prepare underwater equipment?”

“We may not need it, but it’s always good to have it on hand.”

Cheng Ran nodded.

Ah You poked his head out from the kitchen. “Boss, we’re having dumplings for lunch. Chives and egg filling.”

“good.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned back on the sofa with her eyes closed. Ahua purred softly beside her, Amo had jumped down from the top of the bookshelf and was now squatting beside the coffee table, and Aju waited for food at the kitchen doorway. Everything was quiet and ordinary.

She thought about her trip to the south to find Chen Weisong in a few days, about her father, and about the mysteries that hadn’t been solved yet. But at this moment, she didn’t want to think about anything.

The ball on my wrist vibrated slightly.

She opened her eyes and glanced at Cheng Ran. He was looking at his tablet, his expression focused, but his fingers were tapping lightly on the edge of the screen—he wasn’t working, he was thinking.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“what’s on your mind?”

Cheng Ran’s fingers paused for a moment. “I’m thinking about Chen Weisong. Will he be willing to see you?”

“I have no choice but to accept it. I’ve come all this way to find him, and I won’t come back until I see him.”

Cheng Ran’s lips curved slightly. “Mm.”

Ah You came out carrying two plates of dumplings and placed them on the coffee table. The dumpling wrappers were thin and the filling was generous, with the chive filling faintly visible inside. “Eat them while they’re hot. The vinegar and minced garlic are on the table; help yourself.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up her chopsticks, took a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and put it in her mouth. Delicious. “Ayou, when did you learn to make dumplings?”

“I knew how to do it when I was little. My mom taught me.”

“You still have a mother?”

Ah You paused for a moment, then laughed. “Boss, I’m a clone. My memories are from you. You ate dumplings made by your mother when you were little, so I can make them too.”

Lin Jiqiu’s fingers paused on the chopsticks for a moment. “I don’t remember.”

“I might remember. I just don’t want to think about it.”

Ah You turned around and went back to the kitchen.

Lin Jiqiu looked at the dumplings in her bowl, remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued eating. Cheng Ran didn’t say anything, picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and put it in his mouth. “Delicious.”

Lin Jiqiu glanced at him. “It remembers everything you said.” Cheng Ran didn’t reply. The two continued eating dumplings.

The sun shines brightly outside the window. The florist is watering the plants, and the café staff are moving tables and chairs. The Wanxiang Studio sign gleams in the sunlight. Everything is quiet and ordinary. But beneath the surface, undercurrents are surging. Next week, I’ll be setting off again.