SA | Chapter 25

Double Luck

Two days passed, and they still hadn’t made any significant progress. Gu Deng couldn’t sleep, so he just sat by the sea, watching the moon.

Even at midnight, the sky wasn’t completely dark, with a faint light still covering the earth. Suddenly, silently, an elegantly dressed old man appeared beside him— Sharman.

Although Gu Deng was a materialist, facing Sharman alone left him a bit at a loss, especially at night, not knowing what the old man wanted with him.

Gu Deng awkwardly smiled as Sharman handed him a bone flute. Gu Deng looked up in confusion. The old man had feathers wrapped around his head, his face weathered with age, yet his eyes remained dark and bright, shining under the moonlight. Encouraged by Sharman’s gaze, Gu Deng reached out and took the bone flute.

The old man gestured to him, and Gu Deng tentatively put the flute to his lips, seeing the old man nod in satisfaction.

Even after leaving the seaside, Gu Deng still found it incredible. Despite the language barrier, the old man had taught him how to play the bone flute.

The next day, Gu Deng told Ali about it. Ali thought for a moment and said, “He probably wants us to try using the bone flute.”

Not only that, but when the villagers heard they wanted to use music to wake Carly, they all offered their instruments. As they were leaving, someone mentioned the whaling team.

“Wonder when the whaling team will return.”

“Hope they have a good catch this time.”

“I want to eat fresh whale blubber.”

“Whale tongue is also delicious.”

Gu Deng could somewhat understand some daily phrases, and with Ali’s hints, he pieced together the conversation.

Someone even talked about Zhang Li, asking if he was married. They lamented that their daughters were already married, otherwise, they’d seize the opportunity.

Gu Deng was engrossed in the gossip, surprised when someone said he was also a good catch. Even though Zhang Li was strong and manly, Gu Deng was good-looking and had talents for cultural heritage.

“Ahem…” Gu Deng’s face turned red with embarrassment. The women didn’t know he could understand, chatting for a while before leaving.

Finally, the surroundings quieted down, allowing Gu Deng to catch his breath and slowly exhale. Three days at sea, he wondered how Zhang Li was doing. He glanced at the satellite phone beside him but ultimately didn’t call.

.

Zhang Li stared at the calm sea, his mind highly focused.

This morning, their team had tracked a whale, but the team leader injured his palm while throwing a harpoon, failing to catch the whale, which dived into the sea with a long rope. Now they were scattered, waiting for the whale to surface for air.

It was a two-way hunt, where both the hunter and the prey had to give their all.

After a long wait, a mist finally appeared on the distant sea, the whale’s breath. The captain gathered the team, silently rowing towards the whale.

Zhang Li quietly paddled, the salty sea breeze reminding him of Gu Deng’s crying expression.

.

“Woo woo woo… I don’t want to sing anymore…” Ali buried her head, wiping tears with the back of her hand.

“Why? Are you tired?” Gu Deng patted her head gently, “Then let’s rest for tonight.”

“No.” Ali clung to Gu Deng’s sleeve, her head moving restlessly.

Gu Deng squatted down again, asking, “Then why?”

It took over a minute for Ali to lift her head, her eyes red, “I’m so tired, I don’t want to continue.”

Gu Deng patiently comforted her, “But we’re doing better than last time, and Grandma is waking up more often.”

“Only twice! Even luck would be better than this!” Ali said, then became dejected, “I feel like I’ll never wake Grandma up in my life…”

This scene repeated countless times. They were joyful over small gains but often battled overwhelming despair.

Gu Deng didn’t speak again, staying silent for several minutes before asking, “So have you decided to give up?”

Ali looked at him eagerly, “Will you blame me?”

“No,” Gu Deng shook his head, “I respect your decision.”

Ali didn’t speak, hugging her knees, her chin resting on them.

“I miss cookies,” she suddenly said, “I haven’t seen cookies in a long time.”

Gu Deng took the cookie plush off his backpack and placed it in Ali’s arms, “Don’t think too much, eat something, get some sleep, and rest up. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

Ali didn’t say yes or no. After a moment of silence, she looked up and asked, “Really?”

“Yes,” Gu Deng said confidently, “I think we’re about to succeed.”

Ali gathered herself, ate, and went to find her mom with the plush.

Gu Deng also rested. Now he didn’t think about whether they could succeed or imagine failure. He ate well and slept well, conserving energy because tomorrow they would continue.

Gu Deng closed his eyes and dreamed of Zhang Li hunting whales.

.

Three days later, cheers erupted in Carly’s bedroom as her vacant eyes gradually focused, accurately calling Ali’s name. Then Judy, her sister, and every villager who came upon hearing the news, and finally, Carly looked at Gu Deng.

Ali immediately pulled Gu Deng’s clothes and introduced, “This is Uncle Gu Deng who sang with me! Thanks to him, I could keep singing to you!”

Carly nodded, speaking slowly, “In my dream, I heard your songs.”

Ali cried out and threw herself into Carly’s arms, Judy hugged her mother and daughter, tears falling.

Some villagers cried too, amazed they had really awakened Carly. With no prior experience, no scientific basis, no shamanic aid, they had indeed brought back a lost soul—a miracle! These two created a miracle!!

Everyone looked up, their eyes bright and focused on them.

Gu Deng: “…”

Under the reverent gazes, he quietly left the room.

However, after Gu Deng left, the discussions about him grew louder. People reasoned that he and Ali waking Carly was proof they could communicate with the heavens!

Gu Deng blushed with embarrassment, about to stop them when someone suddenly shouted, “The whaling team is back!”

The person ran excitedly, shouting, “The whaling team is back! They caught a whale!!”

Everyone rushed out of the room, gathering by the sea.

The deep blue sea gradually revealed figures, and by the time Gu Deng arrived, he could already see the whale behind the small boat. The crew came backlit, initially just small black silhouettes, but Gu Deng immediately recognized Zhang Li.

When he could see clearly, he noticed Zhang Li seemed tanned and a bit thinner. But his eyes were darker and brighter than before, with an animal-like ferocity.

The crew reached the shore, working together to pull the whale onto the beach. People gently touched the bowhead whale’s body, thanking the spirits for granting them this feast.

Zhang Li took off his fur cap and walked towards Gu Deng, his steps large, stopping only when he stood in front of him.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither spoke.

Zhang Li slightly opened his arms, seemingly wanting to hug Gu Deng, but remembering he hadn’t bathed in days, he held back, simply saying, “I’m back.”

The wildness from the return journey faded from him, Zhang Li’s face softened, glowing under the sun.

Gu Deng was momentarily dazed until Zhang Li called his name, bringing him back from that warm, fuzzy feeling, asking, “Was everything smooth?”

Zhang Li: “There were some issues, but we resolved them.”

“That’s great,” Gu Deng nodded, then suddenly squinted his eyes mischievously, “I have good news too, guess what it is?”

Zhang Li: “Ali’s grandma woke up?”

Gu Deng widened his eyes, “How did you know?”

The answer was too simple. Gu Deng had been busy with only this, nothing else could make him so happy.

But Zhang Li still cooperatively said, “Because I’m smart.”

Gu Deng laughed, then playfully said, “When did you become so narcissistic?”

Zhang Li shook his head, “Because I believe in you.”

Gu Deng paused, Zhang Li said, “Before I left that day, I felt you could do it.”

Gu Deng also found it hard to say if it was luck or ability. But regardless, the result was satisfying.

Not far away, Judy was pushing Carly over to see the whale. Then everyone gathered around the whale for a ritual, and after it ended, they began dissecting the whale.

A crew member called Zhang Li, so he had to lean down and tell Gu Deng, “I have to go over.”

Gu Deng nodded.

Judy, hearing this, looked surprised, “So it was their team that caught the whale.”

Gu Deng: “How do you know?”

Judy said, “Someone just called him over to dissect the whale, an honor only for the team that caught it.”

Is that so?

Gu Deng looked up at Zhang Li, who wasn’t doing the cutting, just helping with tools and moving whale meat.

Gu Deng thought he might be scared or feel sad, but he didn’t. Maybe it was the people’s excitement infecting him, or their respect for the whale.

It felt a bit like attending a pig slaughter feast, the difference being the feast was for a pig, and the Inuit for a whale.

The fin was cut open, the black skin peeled back, revealing milky white blubber and thick, brick-like meat.

The skin and blubber were cut into thumb-sized pieces, the brick-like meat neatly stacked in the snow, the organs and whale tongue still steaming, a bustling scene.

Besides the edible meat, the whale bones were collected for building houses and cemeteries. The jawbone was returned to the sea, as the Inuit believed in reincarnation, keeping only the whale’s body, while the soul returned to the sea in the jawbone.

“Welcome back next year!”

People sent off the whale’s soul, then began sharing the whale’s body. Priority was given to the elderly, children, and hunting families, with the rest shared at a village feast.

Zhang Li’s share was given to Judy’s family, and even Gu Deng got a small piece of whale meat. Gu Deng looked at the meat, momentarily silent.

Judy explained that Zhang Li had no family, so they gave it to his closest friend. If Gu Deng didn’t like it, he could bring it to the evening feast.

The previous nausea from eating whale meat was still fresh in Gu Deng’s mind, but now he shook his head, smiling, “I don’t dislike it, I want to keep it.”

.

Splash, splash, splash—

Hot water slid down Zhang Li’s skin, wetting his nose, chin, Adam’s apple, flowing down his chest, abs, full hips, and strong legs.

Zhang Li didn’t join the feast preparations, going to bathe after the whale dissection.

The village lacked many things, but not hot water for bathing. Many homes had solar water heaters, providing a constant supply of hot water, making life more convenient, except in winter when pipes occasionally burst.

Zhang Li washed three times, finally getting rid of the fishy smell. As he turned off the shower, he heard Gu Deng’s voice outside.

“Zhang Li, are you showering?”

Zhang Li responded, his voice dampened by the hot water.

Gu Deng didn’t notice the difference, saying, “The feast is starting, Judy asked me to call you over.”

Zhang Li didn’t reply, leaning against the wall, the lingering steam enveloping his muscular body.

After nearly a month in the wild, Zhang Li’s body wasn’t as blocky and aggressive as when he first set out. The long outdoor activities made his muscles tight, elegant, and restrained, more in line with the subtle aesthetics of Asians.

But because it hadn’t been resolved, a certain organ grew more unruly, disrupting the overall subtlety. Zhang Li looked at it for ten seconds, ignored it, and just put on his clothes and went out.