Angel on the Moon

The room fell into a brief silence.

After a few seconds, Dr. Li snapped back, "The Archangel?"

"Yes."

"What is He doing?"

"Nothing much. He's just like a golden statue, sitting in the center of a massive lunar crater, looking up at the Earth, as if... keeping watch?"

Dr. Li rubbed his eyes, somewhat exasperated. "Yi Yang, do you know how far the Moon is from the Earth?"

"Nearly four hundred thousand kilometers," replied Mu Yiyang calmly.

"Nearly four hundred thousand kilometers," Dr. Li repeated, "Even with the most advanced telescopes, we can barely see the lunar surface, and yet when you were seven years old, lying on the roof of your house, you saw an angel on the moon with your naked eyes?"

"It wasn't me who saw Him," Mu Yiyang murmured softly, "It was Him who saw me. I just lifted my head, and it was as if He dragged my eyes through space to meet His gaze."

"So you're saying He compelled you?"

"Sort of, otherwise how could I see the surface of the moon? I don't have clairvoyance."

"But if there really is an angel on the moon, why hasn't it been discovered by humans all these years?"

"I don't know," Mu Yiyang shook his head, "Perhaps that Archangel doesn't want to be observed, and besides... do humans really understand the moon?"

Mu Yiyang spoke earnestly, so earnestly that Dr. Li almost wanted to call for a car to take him back to the psychiatric hospital.

Dr. Li was, after all, a psychiatrist. He had seen all sorts of mental illnesses, and he had summarized a rule in his medical career: the more serious the illness, the more plausible and logical the delusions sounded.

"What about your eyes? What happened?"

Mu Yiyang reached out and gently rubbed the black cloth over his eyes. His voice showed no emotional fluctuations, "That day, I met His gaze for just a moment, and then... I went blind."

Dr. Li opened his mouth, glanced down at the case file in his hand, and fell silent.

In the section for the cause of blindness, there were only four words written.

—Cause unknown.

So... what really happened that year?

Could it be true, as Mu Yiyang said, that he saw the Archangel on the moon? Otherwise, how do you explain sudden blindness?

This thought lasted only a moment before Dr. Li suppressed it.

That was close. He almost got carried away by the delusions of a psychiatric patient!

He could almost imagine the expressions of the doctors when young Mu Yiyang, blind since ten years ago, said those words in front of them.

No wonder this child was forcibly kept in the hospital. However you looked at it, what he said sounded like the words of a psychiatric patient.

There were many such people in the hospital, some claimed to be Sun Wukong reincarnated and hung on the horizontal bar every day, some thought they were coat racks standing still in the room all night, some thought everyone looked like their husbands and would grope others' buttocks at the slightest opportunity...

Well, the last patient was a greasy middle-aged man in his forties.

"All of this you're saying is from the past. What about now? How do you see this situation?" Dr. Li adjusted his emotions and continued the examination process.

"It's all delusions," Mu Yiyang replied calmly, "That day, I just accidentally fell from the roof, hit my head on the ground, and as for my eyes, maybe some nerve was damaged, so I went blind."

He had said this many times before, skillfully and calmly.

Dr. Li raised an eyebrow, wrote something in the medical record, then chatted with Mu Yiyang about daily life. About twenty minutes later, he glanced at the time, smiled, and stood up.

"Alright, the review ends here. Your condition is fine now. I hope you can adjust your mindset and live well." Dr. Li shook hands with Mu Yiyang, encouraging him.

Mu Yiyang smiled, nodded slightly.

"Hey, Dr. Li, why don't you stay for dinner?" Auntie called out as Dr. Li left, warmly inviting him.

"No, no, I have another patient to see. I won't disturb you."

Dr. Li politely bid farewell to Auntie and then pushed the door to leave.

As the door closed, Mu Yiyang's smile disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"Delusions..." he murmured to himself.

"Bro, it's time to eat!" Little brother Yang Jin came out of the kitchen with dishes, shouting.

"Coming." Mu Yiyang responded.

Just as Mu Yiyang sat down at the small dining table, he suddenly felt warmth from his feet. At first, he was startled, then his lips curved up slightly.

Yang Jin glanced under the table, teasingly scolded, "You lazy little black spot, you never move a muscle, but as soon as it's mealtime, you're faster than anyone else."

A black little spotted dog popped its head out from under the table, its tongue hanging out of its mouth, panting and emitting heat, approaching Mu Yiyang's side, licking his feet, looking very pleased.

Three people, one dog, this was a family.

Simple, difficult, yet strangely reassuring.

For ten years.

Mu Yiyang patted its head, picked a piece of meat from the plate, and put it in Yang Jin's bowl.

"Give it a bone to gnaw on."

Yang Jin didn't refuse. With their brotherly affection, saying more would seem awkward.

He cared about something else.

"Bro, are your eyes really almost healed?"

Mu Yiyang smiled slightly, "Well, I can see now, but I still can't tolerate bright light. I need to keep wearing this black cloth for a few more days."

"For a few more days? Little Seven, Auntie said the eyes are too important. Even if you can see now, don't rush to remove the black cloth. What if... what if the sun damages them again? That would be such a waste! Let's be cautious and wear it for a while longer!" Auntie hurriedly advised.

"I understand, Auntie."

"Oh, bro, I saved up some money to buy you a cool pair of sunglasses. I'll show them to you later!" Yang Jin seemed to remember something, excitedly said.

Mu Yiyang shook his head with a smile, "Ah Jin, although sunglasses can block the light, the effect is much worse than the black cloth. I can't wear them yet."

"Alright..." Yang Jin sounded disappointed.

"But when my eyes are completely healed, I'll wear them every day for shopping. I'll buy you a pair too when the time comes, and we'll wear them together."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jin's eyes lit up again, and he nodded vigorously.

"Oh, Little Seven, Auntie has arranged for you to transfer schools. When this semester starts, you'll be able to transfer from the special school to a regular high school." Auntie seemed to remember something, and said, "But, have you really thought about it? Regular high school and special schools are different. With your condition, what if..."

"There's no

 'what if', Auntie," Mu Yiyang interrupted her, "My eyes are already better, and if I want to get into a good university, I have to start from the same starting line as everyone else."

"You child... even if you don't get into a good university, it's okay. I'll always take care of you!"

"Bro, I can take care of you too!"

Mu Yiyang's body trembled slightly, his eyes under the black cloth were unknown, his lips pursed, but he smiled again.

A firm shake of the head.

No words were spoken, but both Yang Jin and Auntie felt his determination.

Even the little black spot at his feet nudged Mu Yiyang's ankle.

"Woof!"