Mud beads

The row of poplars outside the detention center was reduced to thin branches. The wind blew from the empty road, hitting the barbed wire fence at the top of the wall and making a dry, rattling sound.

Liang Xia stood in the sheltered spot, clutching a handful of pomelo leaves in her hand.

She bought the leaves from the flower and bird market early that morning. The stall owner, hearing that she needed to ward off bad luck, specially picked out fresh leaves with branches and filled the plastic bag halfway with water. She kept them wrapped in her down jacket the whole way, but the leaves were still wilted by the cold wind, and a little green sap seeped out from the broken parts, leaving a bitter smell on her hands.

Yu Zhu stood beside her, her eyes fixed on the gray iron gate.

She didn't know exactly what Toru Echizen had done.

The week after meeting him, Liang Xia told her that the company had suddenly agreed to advance five million. The Yu family signed a letter of understanding, and the lawyer immediately submitted an application. Three days later, Liang Dong was granted bail.

A small door opened in the gray iron gate, and a staff member came out first. Then, Liang Dong was led up the steps.

He was still wearing the down jacket he'd worn the day he was taken away; his shoelaces and belt were now tied again, and he was carrying a transparent document bag. The wounds on his face had faded, the crack at the corner of his mouth had healed, only a patch of fading yellow remained below his cheekbone. He stood in the pale winter morning sun, saw Liang Xia and Yu Zhu, and smiled to the side.

Before his smile could fully open, Liang Xia rushed over and swung a pomelo leaf at him.

The leaves hit the down jacket with a loud pattering sound.

"Bad luck fades, misfortune disappears, and good fortune surrounds you." Liang Xia gritted her teeth and punched him from shoulder to calf. "Use your pig brain more often in the future. If you don't want it, you can donate it to someone in need."

Liang Dong didn't dodge, letting her slap him from head to toe, then frowned and smiled: "Sis, aren't you an atheist?"

"Shut up."

Liang Xia stared at him for a while, her eyes slowly reddening. She threw away the leaf and hugged him.

Liang Dong was knocked back half a step, the file folder in his hand tumbling out with a rustling sound. He reached out and hugged Liang Xia, pressing his palm against the back of her head, and looked at Yu Zhu over her shoulder.

"Well, we're out now."

"Get out." Liang Xia's voice muffled against his chest.

Yu Zhu stood there, her hands tucked into her coat pockets, her fingers clenched tightly. She had imagined him coming out of that door countless times, but seeing him in person still made her heart ache, and the few steps between them seemed incredibly long.

Liang Dong released Liang Xia and walked towards her.

He walked up to her, bent down, and used his long fingers to brush aside the long hair at her temples. The bruise on her temples had subsided, leaving only a faint blue mark.

"Does it still hurt?"

Yu Zhu shook her head.

She grasped his wrist and pressed her face against his palm. His hand remained warm and dry in the north wind, untouched by the chill. She closed her eyes, finally took a step forward, and buried her face in his chest.

Liang Dong bent down and hugged her.

A flock of gray geese flew overhead, their wings flapping and making a rustling sound.

Moth

The taxi entered the city, and the buildings outside the window gradually became denser. A new mobile phone was being displayed on the GG screen; the movie poster for "Letters from the North" had been removed, and a dark rectangle stood empty on the mall's exterior wall, where workers were suspended in mid-air, laying down new printed fabric.

The apartment had been cleaned very thoroughly. Liang Dong stood in the entryway for a while before entering.

He looked around the living room, then at Yu Zhu, and smiled: "Home is still the best."

Liang Xia bent down and threw his slippers out of the shoe rack: "Go take a shower, you smell like a detention center."

"Really?" Liang Dong lowered his head and sniffed his cuffs, then took off his down jacket and draped it over the entryway stool. "I can't smell anything."

"That's because you've marinated it well."

Yu Zhu listened to their commotion, silently went to the balcony, took down the clean clothes from the clothes rack, folded them, and placed them on the bathroom counter.

Liang Dong walked towards her with a warm smile on his face, as if he had just returned from a film crew with a long shooting schedule, and after taking a shower and having a meal, his life would return to normal.

Not long after the door closed, the sound of the shower began.

Yu Zhu took Liang Dong's down jacket off and put it on the washing machine, taking out the contents of the pockets one by one.

A list of returned items folded into small squares, an ID card, and a black access card.

She looked through them, tidied them up, and placed them on the cabinet in the entryway.

Liang Xia stood in the center of the living room, watching Yu Zhu busy herself, and couldn't help but call out to her.

"What did you promise him?"

Yu Zhu didn't turn around. She walked to the washing machine, stuffed Liang Dong's dirty clothes into it, and unscrewed the detergent bottle cap: "I didn't promise anything, but I said a lot of nice things and begged him for ages."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Liang Xia glanced towards the bathroom, listening to the continuous sound of water, and then said, "The company was already planning to give up on him, so why did they suddenly pull out five million? The bail was processed so quickly, just because you said a few nice words?"

Yu Zhu didn't speak.

She poured the laundry detergent, used her knee to prop open the washing machine door, leaned over to switch the electronic display to the dew wash mode, then straightened up and slowly said, "He proposed to me."

The water pattered against the bathroom glass, like a light rain.

Liang Xia seemed not to understand, and after two seconds asked, "What?"

Yu Zhu turned around and whispered, "Yue Jian Che wants me to marry him."

"You agreed?"

"Um."

Liang Xia took a step forward, her knee hitting the edge of the coffee table, causing the glass on the table to wobble.

"Are you crazy?" Her voice suddenly rose. "Marry that lunatic?"

Yu Zhu immediately stepped forward and grabbed her arm, glancing towards the bathroom: "Keep your voice down."

"How can you expect me to speak softly!"

"Otherwise what? Wait for Liang Dong to be imprisoned?" Yu Zhu frowned, her face flushed with anger. "Five million? Where are we going to get it from? Steal it? Rob it?"

Liang Xia opened her mouth, but the sound got stuck in her throat.

"I'll keep my promise to Yuejian Che." Yu Zhu released her, bent down to wipe the water off the table with a tissue, and said, "I asked him for a month's notice. Don't tell Liang Dong yet—"

"He won't agree."

"That's why we can't let him know!" Yu Zhu said in a low voice. "If you tell him now, he'll walk back on his own."

The tissue was soaked with water and limply draped between her fingers. She threw the crumpled tissue into the trash can, her tone regaining its calm.

"Let me handle this, okay?"

Liang Xia's eyes reddened again. Of course, she knew what Liang Dong would choose. Precisely because she knew, she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

The two of them looked up at the same time.

Liang Dong emerged from the restroom. He had changed into a clean white short-sleeved shirt, his wet hair swept back to reveal a full, smooth forehead. The shirt was a size too big, his shoulders still straight, but his waist looked noticeably loose. The hot water had brought color back to his pale face, and his eyes regained the brightness characteristic of a young man.

"What's wrong?" He walked into the living room while drying his hair. When he saw Yu Zhu and Liang Xia looking at him at the same time, a shy smile appeared on his face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing." Yu Zhu immediately walked over to him, cupped his face in her hands, and said, "You've lost weight."

Liang Dong's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, but he didn't press the matter. He draped the towel back over his shoulder, took Yu Zhu's hand, and laughed, "The three of us haven't been together in so long, wouldn't you say this is a blessing in disguise?"

Liang Xia turned her back and quickly wiped her eyes: "Go to hell, you're the boss."

"We share the same mother and father..."

Yu Zhu pushed Liang Dong back into the bathroom: "Okay, okay, let's dry our hair first."

The bathroom door closed. A moment later, the hairdryer roared to life.

Liang Xia slowly sat back on the sofa and covered her face with her hands.