Chapter Thirty-Five: Unable to Sleep

The familiar bed, the familiar small room, the familiar cool breeze from the air conditioner.

Compared to yesterday's dream, which felt like an entire lifetime, this one was very short. It allowed Shi Fei to remember most of its contents. Many of the people and events in the dream remained crystal clear. He could even recall the sensation of his blood draining away at the very end, there in the river water.

"Next time, I’m definitely choosing a death that isn't so slow!" Shi Fei muttered to himself. The sensation of waiting for death felt far too real.

As for this particular dream, he had found the beginning interesting, but the latter part dull. Bullying others didn't bring him any joy; he wasn't the kind of person who derived pleasure from tormenting others. How could there be any happiness in one person oppressing another? Was that person in the dream—the one who used martial arts to coerce others—really him? Was the version of himself in the dream truly himself?

Sighing, he picked up his phone to check the time. It was only 2:30 AM! If he remembered correctly, he had gone to bed before nine. That meant he had only slept for five and a half hours. He got up to use the restroom and lay back down, thinking he could continue sleeping. He closed his eyes, but after a while, he realized he couldn't drift off. It was that frustrating feeling of being exhausted and desperate for sleep, yet completely unable to find it.

*Can't sleep, can't sleep, can't sleep!*

It was agonizing. Tossing and turning, he finally gave up and started playing on his phone. As everyone knows, if you play on your phone when you can't sleep, you only end up more alert. By the time Shi Fei realized his mistake and knew he had to sleep, it was already 4:30 AM.

*Damn it, why can’t I control my hands!*

At this point, Shi Fei was extremely exhausted but still wide awake. "One sheep, two sheep, three sheep... four hundred ninety-nine sheep..." He shifted from his side to his back, unable to find a comfortable position. His mind was filled with the anxiety of being unable to sleep, which made him feel miserable. *Dammit, why am I suffering from insomnia!*

When dawn finally broke, Shi Fei gave up on sleep and decided to go for a run. *Ah! I should have just gone out for a run earlier; maybe I would have fallen asleep once I got back!*

Why on earth did I play on my phone? He got up to wash his face and, seeing his bloodshot eyes in the mirror, felt a bit foolish. Yet, he couldn't blame himself; anyone unable to sleep at night would try to find a way to doze off rather than go for a run. What if the exercise just made him even more energetic?

After heading downstairs, the sky was already brightening. He followed yesterday’s route, running—or rather, walking—five kilometers. Halfway through, he was so hungry he couldn't stand it and looked for a bun shop to grab breakfast. Counting from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM, four hours had passed. How could he not be hungry?

Just as he was about to eat, he caught a savory aroma—the scent of fried fish. The smell of fish, flour, and oil blended together into a peculiar, appetizing fragrance. Following the scent, Shi Fei spotted the Erchang Farmers' Market nearby. Inside, a stall was frying fish, shrimp, and crabs. Some people bought whole fried fish to stew later, while others bought crispy little fish and shrimp to sprinkle with salt and pepper. However, it was rare to see this sold at the crack of dawn.

Shi Fei knew that the "Erchang" area used to be a glass factory. The workers there worked either three shifts or two. For most people, 6:00 AM was still the middle of the night, but for the factory workers, it marked the end of their workday. They took breakfast very seriously, calling it "Guozao" (early morning feast), and some even drank alcohol at that hour, known as "Morning Wine." Clearly, the vendor was catering to those night-shift workers.

Seeing the golden, freshly fried little fish, Shi Fei couldn't resist. "How much for these?" he asked, pointing at the fried fish. They were only about the length of a finger, battered and fried until crispy. You could eat them bones and all, and with a dash of salt and pepper, they were incredibly flavorful.

The vendor was a man in his fifties or sixties, wearing old grayish-brown clothes and an apron by the fryer. The faint oil smoke made him frown constantly. He glanced at Shi Fei and said, "Fifty yuan a catty!"

"Fifty yuan a catty?" Shi Fei couldn't help but exclaim, "Why is your fish so expensive?" Usually, this stuff cost about fifteen yuan a catty. Fifty was undeniably steep.

The vendor didn't respond, his silence implying that he didn't care if Shi Fei bought it or not. Shi Fei shook his head and turned to leave. He usually spent only seven or eight yuan on breakfast; spending over a dozen yuan on a small portion of fish wasn't worth it.

Seeing him walk away, the vendor muttered, "No eye for quality."

Shi Fei found a bun shop, ate, and continued his journey home. He wasn't too tired to run, but eating meant he could only walk slowly; running would just make him sick.

Passing a municipal park, he saw a group of people practicing swordplay. They were performing the 32-style Tai Chi Sword. In the past, watching them always felt baffling, but now, he suddenly understood a bit of it. It seemed these sword forms had been simplified, retaining only the movements meant for health and aesthetics. From this set, one could infer the original sword techniques, and even the original fist techniques.

*The sword is the fist, and the fist is the sword!*

As long as the force-generating method and the movement patterns were the same, a sword in hand made it swordplay, and without a sword, it was boxing!

*But wait, how do I know this?*

The knowledge seemed to have just popped into his head. Was this feedback from the martial arts knowledge in his dream? *Damn it, can knowledge from a dream actually be real?* He could practice all sorts of nonsense in his dreams, but could he do the same in reality? Wouldn't that be suicide?

Shaking his head, Shi Fei stopped watching and continued his walk home.

He got to work on time. When he arrived at the office, it was only 8:20 AM. He wondered if someone arriving this early would be criticized for being too "competitive." Their company was small, with only seven employees. The boss was rarely around, usually out networking for projects or playing mahjong. Aside from the accountant, the remaining six were divided into three teams to handle different clients.

Old Liu was Shi Fei's partner. Today, however, Old Liu arrived late, his eyes also bloodshot.

"What's wrong? You didn't rest well either?" Shi Fei asked, watching Old Liu place his thermos on the desk.

Old Liu sighed. "Don't ask. Wasn't there a family gathering yesterday?"

Shi Fei nodded. "You mentioned that."

"It was mostly my wife's side of the family," Old Liu said. "Her female cousins and their massive families. After dinner, we went to a KTV." KTVs weren't just for business; there were proper karaoke parlors suitable for family gatherings. "After we finished singing, I went to eat barbecue with my wife downstairs. By the time I hit the bed, it was already past two." Old Liu finished his account of the previous night: "Today is Sunday—they don't have to work, so they can go wild, but we still have to come in!"