Mud beads

The next morning, Yu Zhu woke up in an excessively quiet light.

She lay there with her eyes open for a while, not hearing any breathing from the other side, only a few chirping birds, seemingly landing on the nearby lawn outside the courtyard.

The lingering smell of alcohol from last night had long since dissipated, but a faint woody scent still lingered in the dry morning air. Yu Zhu lowered her head and suddenly realized that the scent was coming from herself.

She paused for a moment, then slowly lifted the covers and sat up, her feet touching the ground. Her white cane stood between the bedside table and the wall. She reached for the handle, spread it, and followed the familiar route to the bathroom.

The tip of the cane first tapped the bedroom door frame, then swung rhythmically from side to side on the wooden floor of the hallway.

After seven steps, turn around and walk five more steps to reach the washbasin.

She had walked these distances countless times, gradually turning them into a memory that required no thought. She touched the edge of the sink, leaned her cane against the wall, and reached for her toothbrush.

She squeezed out a little too much toothpaste, and the minty flavor quickly filled her mouth. She turned on the tap, and the water flowed against the ceramic basin. Yu Zhu lowered her head to rinse her mouth, and a few drops of water dripped down her chin and into the collar of her pajamas. She pulled out a washcloth from the side and wiped her mouth clean little by little.

She spent more time than usual, but didn't encounter anything truly insurmountable.

Around nine o'clock, the cleaning lady arrived as usual.

The door lock opened, shoe covers rubbed together, and the vacuum cleaner's wheels rolled from the entryway into the living room. The housekeeper greeted her and then asked if Mr. Yue was away on a business trip.

Yu Zhu sat on the sofa, holding a glass of warm water in her hands.

"I don't know."

The aunt seemed to realize she had asked too many questions, smiled, and didn't continue.

At noon, the cook arrived on time. The sounds of chopping vegetables and the clanging of spatulas filled the kitchen, and the aroma of food gradually wafted into the living room. The cook served the dishes and told Yu Zhu which plate was on the left and the soup on the right.

Yu Zhu nodded and said "thank you," fumbled around on the table for a while, and quietly finished her meal.

That night, Echizen Toru did not return.

Life continued to move forward in the pre-arranged order; even with one person missing, life did not stop.

The rehabilitation therapist arrived the following afternoon at the agreed time.

Teacher Li changed his shoes in the entryway and placed his training bag aside. Yu Zhu was already waiting in the living room with her cane. Hearing his footsteps, she turned around.

In her previous training sessions, she was already able to walk along several fixed routes in the apartment on her own. Bedroom, bathroom, dining room, balcony—every corner and obstacle was re-measured by her footsteps and the tip of her cane.

As usual, Teacher Li first asked her if she had fallen or bumped her hands or feet in the past two days.

"no."

"Is it going smoothly to walk around at home?"

"fine."

Teacher Li instructed her to walk from the sofa to the entryway and then back the same way. Yu Zhu held her white cane, the tip swinging evenly in front of her body. When she reached the vicinity of the dining table, she slightly veered off course, the tip of her cane touching a chair leg with a crisp, light sound.

She stopped, reassessed for a moment, and then went around it.

Back on the sofa, Teacher Li told her where it was. Yu Zhu put away her white cane but didn't sit down immediately.

"Teacher Li."

"Um?"

Her hand was still resting on the handle of her white cane: "Could you teach me to go outside?"

"go out?"

"Hmm." Yu Zhu turned her head towards the entrance. "I want to learn to walk outside by myself."

Teacher Li did not answer immediately.

He bent down and tidied the contents of his training bag, unzipping it and then zipping it back up. After a moment, he hesitated before speaking, "Have you spoken to Mr. Yue about this?"

Yu Zhu was stunned.

"No," she answered honestly, her fingers slowly tightening around the cane handle.

Teacher Li looked troubled.

"Mr. Yue instructed me beforehand that outdoor training needs to be confirmed with him in advance." He paused, his tone tactful. "After all, it's your first time going out, so the route, accompaniment, and safety measures all need to be arranged in advance. How about this, we practice the human guidance method and the location of entering and exiting the house today? We can teach you how to go out next time you come."

Yu Zhu did not answer.

She stood quietly in the center of the living room, her white cane hanging at her side. The wind outside the window was no longer as strong as it had been a few days ago, and the birdsong and flapping of wings above the wetlands were increasing day by day.

The door was just a dozen steps away.

She was already able to walk there on her own, to feel the doorknob, and even to distinguish the different echoes outside and inside. But whether she could actually step out seemed to be beyond her control.

After waiting a while, Teacher Li called her softly, "Ms. Yu?"

Yu Zhu came to her senses.

She loosened her grip and placed the white cane back at her side: "Okay."

Moth

That evening, Echizen Toru was not home, and the cook stayed a little longer than usual.

She cleaned the table and placed a shallow porcelain plate next to Yu Zhu.

"You can have the honeydew melon later."

Yu Zhu nodded: "Thank you."

After the aunt left, the house became quiet again.

Yu Zhu sat alone at the dining table and finished the few pieces of melon on her plate. The flesh was very sweet, and the juice dripped from her fork into her palm. She found a tissue next to her, wiped her hands clean, picked up the plate, and stood up.

She had memorized the distance from the dining table to the kitchen and knew the sink was to the right of the counter. Without her cane, she held the porcelain plate in one hand and tentatively moved forward along the edge of the table with the other.

After taking two steps, her knee suddenly bumped into a chair that hadn't been fully pushed back under the table.

He regained his balance just as he was about to lose it, but the porcelain plate slipped from his hands.

The cracking sound was particularly sharp in the overly quiet house.

"cross......"

The sound stopped abruptly before it was finished.

Yu Zhu stood there blankly for a while, took a deep breath, and slowly lowered her head.

She held onto the edge of the table and carefully crouched down. Then, she used the back of her fingers to feel for the broken pieces on the ground. She picked up the larger pieces and stacked them in her palm, avoiding the smaller fragments as quickly as possible when she touched them.

She picked them up very carefully, and the occasional pain wasn't sharp.

Finally, she stood up, leaning on the table, and groped her way to the kitchen, where she poured all the shards from her palm into the trash can.

Just as the 11 PM announcement on my phone ended, I suddenly heard the sound of a door lock turning in the entryway.

Echigo Koshima pushed open the door and turned on the small light in the entryway.

He took off his coat and stopped as he walked past the restaurant.

On the dimly lit ground, a few white fragments gleamed faintly under the wall lamp. He bent down, picked up one of them, and paused his fingertip on the sharp edge.

Then he went into the kitchen.

In the trash can, a light-colored porcelain plate was so shattered that its original shape was no longer recognizable.

Echizen stared at it for a moment, then turned and walked towards the bedroom.

Yu Zhu had already lain down.

Hearing the sudden footsteps, she sat up in bed early on, turning her face toward the direction from which the sound came.

Koshima Tetsu deliberately remained silent.

He strode towards her, walked to the foot of the bed, and yanked the blanket off her.

Yu Zhu seemed startled and instinctively retreated behind the bed, her unfocused pupils trembling slightly.

Koshima Toru grabbed one of her ankles and pulled her in front of him.

The familiar scent of wood wafted into my nostrils, suppressing the exclamation that was about to escape my lips.

Yu Zhu's rapid breathing calmed down. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realize something, freeing herself from the hand on her ankle, her face quickly burning with anger.

"Why aren't you saying anything!"

Echigo looked up and saw the blazing anger on her face. His narrow eyes narrowed, and a smile slowly crept in.

He didn't answer, but bent down to examine the soles and toes of her feet. After confirming there were no wounds, he took her hand and examined each finger one by one.

There was a small cut on her middle finger; the blood had clotted, leaving only a thin, dark red mark.

Echizen touched it with his thumb: "Next time, let Auntie clean up."

Yu Zhu coldly withdrew her hand.

Watching her crawl back into bed, Toru Koshima silently moved his lips, then raised his hand to loosen his tie: "Something came up, I have to go on a business trip."

The person on the bed had their back to him and did not respond.

Koshima Toru shrugged and turned to walk into the bathroom.

The sound of running water could be heard through the door, intermittent and lasting for a long time. After the hairdryer stopped, he opened the bathroom door and, across the hallway, saw Yu Zhu sitting on the bed.

She leaned against the pillows, her hands quietly folded on the blankets, her pale face glowing softly in the dim light of the wall lamp.

Echigo watched her from afar for a while before slowly walking into the bedroom.

He stopped by the bedside and spoke first: "The therapist told me."

Yu Zhu turned her face away.

"And what's your attitude?"

Tetsuya Echiza paused for a moment, then looked away.

"Can."

Yu Zhu nodded slightly, her voice polite: "Thank you."

Echizen turned his gaze back.

Yu Zhu had already lay back down, her face turned to the other side, the blanket covering her shoulders.

The ticking of the grandfather clock reappeared.

As Echizen watched her retreating figure, his brow furrowed slightly.