Mud beads

The rain quickly intensified.

The rain in the mountains is different from that in the city. In the city, rain falls on windows, car roofs, and asphalt roads, at most leaving a layer of dusty smell; the rain in the mountains is alive, running along the ridges, instantly waking up the grass, shrubs, and rocks on the slopes. Rainwater splashes down from the tips of leaves, seeps into the cracks in the mud, and a damp, fishy smell rises from the soil, mixed with the smell of rotting leaves, moss, and wild grass roots, filling one's nostrils.

Yu Zhu's clothes were quickly soaked. She flinched and looked up at the slope.

The muddy water from where the mud had rolled down was now sliding downhill after being soaked by the rain. The slope here is too steep; if the rain gets any heavier, the water will rush down the slope, so we can't stay here.

"You wait," she said, then stood up and walked barefoot to the other side of the slope.

Echizen Toru instinctively called out to her, "Where are you going?"

Yu Zhu ignored him and continued exploring. In the mountains, rain doesn't necessarily mean finding a real cave. A slight indentation in the rock face, a tree root providing shelter, or a slightly sheltered spot from the wind can save your life. When she was a child, she cut grass and gathered wild vegetables in the mountains, and there were far more times she was in a worse state when it rained. Back then, she could only find a place to squat and wait for the rain to stop before carrying her basket home.

She took a few steps along the slope, the rain quickly soaking her skirt to her legs, making it heavier with each step. She pushed aside the bushes with her hand, a branch scratching her wrist, causing a sharp pain before the rain washed it away.

There is a black stone wall not far away.

There was a shallow indentation at the base of the rock face, enough to block the rain from the front. Inside the opening, there were empty beverage bottles and a patch of black carbonized residue, indicating that someone had once taken shelter from the rain inside.

Yu Zhu looked at it for a few seconds, then turned and walked back.

Echizen Toru was still lying in the same spot, his eyes half-closed. The rain had turned his face pale, and his soaked shirt clung to his body, rising and falling with his breath.

Yu Zhu had never seen Yue Jian Che so disheveled.

Upon hearing that she had returned, Echizen Toru's lips twitched slightly, and he opened his eyes.

"Why are you back?"

Yu Zhu squatted down, lay on her back on him, and grabbed his arm, putting it on her shoulder.

"Okay, hook that leg around me."

Toru Koshima's eyes widened: "You're going to carry me on your back?"

Yu Zhu didn't waste any more words. She crossed his hands over her chest and, using the momentum of turning over, pulled Yue Jianche onto her back. He was much taller and bigger than her, and when he pressed down on her, his weight was terrifying. Her shoulders were thin, and her body sank down under his weight, her knees sinking into the mud.

"You can't carry me." Echizen Toru's smile vanished. "Put me down."

Yu Zhu didn't speak; opening her mouth would only cause her to lose her strength. Recalling the feeling of exerting force when she used to work, she forced all her strength out from her bones, gritted her teeth, and pulled Yue Jianche up from the ground in one go.

When Koshima Toru stepped into the mud with his left foot, he instinctively tried to pull his weight back, but as soon as his right leg touched the ground, the pain made his vision go black.

"Don't move." Yu Zhu half-carried and half-supported him as she moved forward.

The path was only a few dozen steps long, but it felt endless. Rain pounded down from above, mud sucked at her feet, her breathing grew heavier, and a rusty taste rose in her throat, but she didn't stop.

Yu Zhu finally dragged Yue Jianche into the cave.

The hollow wasn't big, only two or three meters in. The front half was wet from the rain, but a small part at the very back was still dry. Yu Zhu moved the stones at the very back, swept the fallen leaves to one side, made room for someone to sit, and helped Yue Jian Che over there.

Yu Zhu knelt down beside him and reached out to take off his shirt.

"What?" Echizen looked up at her, his lips deathly pale, but he still managed a smile: "Aren't you going to ask if I'm willing?"

"Are you sick in the head?"

Yu Zhu pulled down his shirt and wrung it out forcefully. The fabric was very tough after being soaked and couldn't be torn, so she found a thin stone slab on the ground, cut it a few times along the tear, and then tore it open again.

Echizen looked down at her.

Her hands were small, with slender knuckles, and dirt clung to her fingernails. The first time he saw her, her nails were just as dirty; back then, he would throw away anything she had touched. But now, looking at her hands, all he wanted was to reach out and hold them, to intertwine their fingers and become one.

Yu Zhu was unaware of Yue Jianche's thoughts. She focused intently on catching the rainwater in her palm, carefully scooping it up to wash away the mud around his wound. She folded the torn pieces of his shirt into strips, pressed them against the bleeding area where the skin had been rubbed off, wrapped them twice, and slowly tied them tight.

Echizen gasped, his eyes reddening with pain, his neck arched back, and he leaned backward.

"Torture me?"

Yu Zhu lowered her head and tied the knot: "I don't have that kind of fetish."

Echizen looked at the top of her head.

He brought her out of the mountains, feeling like he had given her a second life. Now, after all this time, it's unclear who was actually saving whom.

How ridiculous.

He chuckled softly.

I was laughing when the sound of my laughter was cut off by the pain in my right leg.

Yu Zhu didn't stop working; she started a fire again.

There was a small pile of dry branches near the cave entrance. The outside was already wet, and the inside still had a bit of dry white residue. Yu Zhu tore the bark into thin strips, then took out the half-pack of cigarettes and lighter from Yue Jianche's pocket. The cigarette pack was wet on the outside, but there were still two cigarettes inside that were barely usable. She unwrapped the cigarette paper, rolled up the bark scraps, and gathered them in a sheltered spot on the rock.

It didn't light the first time.

The flame licked at the second flame, but was quickly extinguished by the dampness.

Echigo leaned against the stone wall, watching her press the lighter again and again. Her thumb was red from being rubbed by the metal wheel, but the scraping sound never stopped. The heavy rain blocked the cave entrance, and the world was soaked to the bone, yet she still squatted there, stubbornly protecting the nascent fire.

I don't know how many times, but the cigarette paper finally rolled up with a tiny yellow edge.

Yu Zhu immediately buried her head and gently blew air into it.

A spark glimmered in the bark shavings, slowly taking hold of a twig. Smoke billowed up, blowing in the wind and covering her face. She coughed, tears welling up, which she wiped away with the back of her hand.

The fire was lit and kept going.

The cave finally got a little warm.

Looking at the fire, Echizen Toru suddenly felt annoyed.

Once the fire is lit, she won't come closer. They could have snuggled together for warmth, his skin against her warm back, but now she'll only sit an arm's length away from him, stretching her hands to warm them by the fire.

The cave fell silent.

The rain intensified, water cascading from the cave entrance, washing the mountain scenery outside into a blurry, dark green. Yu Zhu leaned against the stone wall, wrung out her wet hair, and then bent down to tend the fire. After finishing these tasks, she felt completely drained; her shoulders slumped, and her eyes slowly closed.

She fell asleep quickly.

The fire was small, its reflection on the stone wall constantly changing color. Yu Zhu leaned against that dark yellow light, and with each flicker of the firelight, the shadow on her face moved, clearly illuminating her filth, exhaustion, and wounds.

Echigo stared at her intently for a while, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

He used the stone wall as support to slowly move over.

With each step he took, a sharp pain shot through his right leg. By the time he reached her side, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

He pulled her into his arms as he had hoped.

Her back wasn't as warm as he'd imagined; when her damp, cold body pressed against him, he felt his chest tremble slightly.

Echizen looked down at her.

Yu Zhu was fast asleep, her brow furrowed even in her sleep, whether from exhaustion or from thinking about the young boy, it was hard to tell.

That young boy might have called her dozens of times, or perhaps he'd been standing in the chaotic hotel lobby, grabbing everyone and asking where she'd gone. A smug smile played on Echizen Toru's lips as he thought this.

It's not so bad that they die here.

The rain was heavy in the mountains, and the paths were hard to find. Mud and water covered all traces, and no one could find them. Many years later, as tree roots pushed their way down and rocks collapsed, their bones lay side by side. Whether she loved him or hated him, it didn't matter.

Hatred is like a rope; if it's tied tightly enough, no one can walk away unscathed.

The flame crackled.

Yu Zhu stirred in his arms, as if dreaming of something; her fingers twitched slightly in the crook of his arm. Yue Jian Che lowered his head and gently pecked the top of her head.

He thought he wouldn't be able to sleep.

His right leg ached terribly, the rain was loud, and there was a choking smell in the cave. But Yu Zhu was in his arms, her breath pressed against his chest, suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

He still fell asleep.

When I awoke again, the fire had died down, leaving only a layer of dark red embers. The rain had lessened, and a hazy light of daylight filtered through the cave entrance.

Someone is shouting outside.

"Mr. Yue—"

More than one person.

The sound was shattered by the mountain wall and then returned through the rain and mist.

Upon hearing the sound, Yu Zhu abruptly opened her eyes, still showing signs of exhaustion. She paused for two seconds, then propped herself up and crawled towards the cave entrance.

"Here!" Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up. "There's someone here!"

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the slope; someone whistled, someone shouted, "Found them!" Echizen Toru leaned against the rock wall, his face ashen, showing no sign of the joy of being rescued.

Moth

By the time we arrived at the hospital, it was nearly evening.

Echigo was taken to the orthopedics department for treatment. Yu Zhu sat on a plastic chair in the emergency room corridor, waiting for a nurse to treat the abrasions on the soles of her feet.

She was very anxious, and the first thing she wanted to do when she got to the hospital was to call Liang Dong on her cell phone. But after getting the phone, she suddenly realized that she didn't remember his phone number.

The doctor asked her if she felt dizzy, nauseous, or had chest tightness. She shook her head, then nodded, and was eventually scheduled to have an X-ray and blood drawn.

She was draped in a thin blanket provided by the hospital, and the black dress underneath was so wrinkled that it was unrecognizable.

The test results came back quickly. There was no fracture, and the blood test was normal. The doctor said she just had low blood sugar, plus abrasions and a chill; she should go home and rest, and come back for a follow-up if she felt unwell. Yu Zhu nodded, thanked the doctor, folded the report, and put it into the transparent bag the nurse had given her.

She didn't go to see Echizen Tetsu again; he was never short of servants.

Yu Zhu had just come out of the consultation room when she heard someone call her name.

"Yu Zhu!"

The voice was familiar.

She immediately turned her head.

The emergency room was bustling with people: doctors in white coats, nurses pushing gurneys, and anxious family members seeking medical advice. Ignoring the pain in her feet, she tiptoed and looked around. Finally, in a gap where the crowd dispersed, she spotted Liang Dong.

He stood in the crowd, his baseball cap pulled low, without a mask. He looked like he had been searching for her for a long time; his usually bright eyes were bloodshot, and he had stubble on his chin.

She froze the moment she saw Liang Dong.

She opened her mouth, but before she could call out to him, Liang Dong had already pushed through the crowd, rushed to her, and hugged her tightly.