Chapter 49: The Blind Girl

On the third day of his arrival in Jiangcheng, Zhou Yun did not accompany Deng Yonghua to Huazhong University of Science and Technology in the morning. He had stayed up late working overtime the previous night to finish writing the materials he needed to complete. For the remaining seven days, it would genuinely be no different from a fully paid vacation.

He slept naturally until he woke up on his own, and by the time he got out of bed, it was already past nine in the morning.

After taking his time to wash up, he spent a while scrolling through his phone in bed.

Dragging his feet until past ten, Zhou Yun finally put on a crossbody bag and leisurely stepped out the door.

He had never visited Jiangcheng before. Not wanting to travel too far, he simply intended to wander around the neighborhood.

Without any specific destination in mind, he only planned to stroll through the old streets and alleys. After all, in many cities, it is precisely these old alleys that best capture the true pulse of local life.

In Jiangcheng, the late September heat had largely faded. His hotel was located on a not-too-wide street just outside the east gate of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, flanked by towering French plane trees, with occasional leaves spiraling down.

Most of the people on the street were college students from the nearby campus.

With no particular destination, Zhou Yun buried his hands in his jacket pockets and strolled aimlessly beneath the shade of the plane trees.

Passing by a breakfast shop that was quite crowded, he felt a bit hungry, but too lazy to wait in line, so he continued walking forward.

He came across a noodle shop that looked rather time-honored. Although a fair number of people were seated at the small tables outside the entrance, fortunately, there was no queue.

"Boss, bowl of noodles, with an egg!"

"Coming right up!"

The noodles were prepared quickly and were ready in no time. He sat down on a small stool by the entrance and stirred them with a pair of disposable chopsticks.

The sauce was quickly whipped through, evenly coating the noodles and rendering them an alluring deep brown.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he dug right in!

After finishing the noodles, Zhou Yun felt much more comfortable in his stomach and continued his stroll down the street. The pedestrians gradually thinned out, and the surroundings grew quiet.

Just then, a slowly moving figure a short distance ahead caught his attention.

It was a young woman wearing a simple, light-colored dress, her frame slender. She held a folded white cane, cautiously tapping the yellow tactile paving beneath her feet.

Subconsciously, Zhou Yun slowed his pace and followed behind her. He was not some weirdo, but a blind person walking on the street was still quite vulnerable, and if anything happened, he could step in to help.

Just as she was about to pass a small flower bed at an intersection, several shared bicycles were parked haphazardly beside the flower bed, the rear wheel of one of them blocking the tactile paving directly.

The girl's cane tapped against the bicycle tire. Seeming slightly confused, she shifted her cane to the side, attempting to bypass the obstacle.

However, right beside her was the curb, featuring a shallow drop. While a sighted person would think nothing of it, she was visually impaired.

Walking behind her, Zhou Yun voiced a reminder, "There's a step to your side, be careful."

The woman's body noticeably stiffened, her grip on the white cane tightening. She turned her head slightly toward the source of the voice, tapping her cane against the ground a few times.

"Right by your right hand," Zhou Yun approached a fraction closer, while still maintaining a respectful distance.

The woman carefully probed the space in front and to her right with her cane, successfully finding the edge of the step. She let out a sigh of relief, a smile blooming on her face, "Thank you so much! Otherwise, I might have really taken a spill."

She gently tapped the spot blocked by the bicycle wheel with her cane and smiled helplessly.

Hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yun asked, "Where are you headed? Do you need any help? You seem to be by yourself."

The girl stepped aside with a hint of wariness, "Thank you, but I can manage on my own."

Her guardedness made Zhou Yun pause for a second, immediately realizing how abrupt his question had been.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to pry. I just saw you almost trip a moment ago. I'm glad you're fine." Zhou Yun smiled and prepared to turn away.

"No, no, I'm the one who should apologize. This is my first time visiting Jiangcheng, and I heard the university town was nearby, so I wanted to come take a look. Because of my eyesight, I never got to attend university, so I wanted to visit a nearby campus."

Realizing that someone had just helped her and her guarded response was somewhat impolite, the girl quickly apologized to Zhou Yun.

"Then you're walking in the wrong direction. The closest one is Huazhong University of Science and Technology, which is back the way we came. Keep following this road straight, and you'll reach their main gate. But aren't outsiders usually not allowed inside their campus?"

Hearing this, the girl looked somewhat disappointed, "Is that so?"

"If you don't mind, I can take you in." He possessed a temporary campus access code, so bringing someone inside wouldn't be an issue. Coincidentally, he had nothing else to do today, and fulfilling a blind girl's small wish didn't sound like a bad way to pass the time.

"Really?"

"Of course, I don't have anything else to do anyway."

"Thank you so much! My name is Lin Wei—Lin as in the double-wood character, and Wei as the wild rose." The corners of Lin Wei's mouth lifted slightly, "Are you a student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology?"

"My name is Zhou Yun. I'm not a student there; I'm here on a business trip with my teacher."

"Oh," Lin Wei nodded, "What is college life like? Is it like what they show on television?"

Perhaps because of Zhou Yun's identity as a student, her guardedness faded a little more.

"Well... college," he paused, walking beside her, "actually, it's not as glamorous as television makes it out to be. It's probably about fifty-fifty..."

"How so?"

"Everyone's college life is different. For some, it's colorful and vibrant; for others, it's entirely ordinary. In my opinion, most people fall into the latter category. Every day consists of classes, eating, sleeping, and hanging out. Sometimes it's quite boring, but it's still better than high school."

"What about you? What made you decide to travel all alone? Weren't you afraid of getting lost?"

"I was cooped up at home for too long and just wanted to go out for a walk. As for getting lost, of course I do. But nowadays with smartphones and voice navigation, and sometimes meeting kind people like you, I eventually reach my destination." As she spoke, she gently shook the phone hanging around her neck.

Although the girl spoke casually, just imagining it made one realize how difficult it must be.

A completely dark world? Zhou Yun simply could not picture it.

"Is phone navigation accurate? Have you ever thought about applying for a guide dog?"

"Actually, it's not always accurate. Some paths aren't even on the map. As for guide dogs, there are so few of them in the entire country—how could you get one just by applying?"

Chatting along the way, Zhou Yun found his mind drifting to other thoughts.

Aside from the girl before him, there were countless other visually impaired people in this world. Was there any way to help them?

Restoring their sight was certainly beyond Zhou Yun's current capabilities, but was there any method to make their travels more convenient?