Wu Li’s illness was something she was born with.

When Xiaoxia’s grandmother was pregnant, she got sick from eating spoiled rice. In those days, medical care in the countryside was poor, and doctors didn’t bother with the traditional four diagnostic methods. Upon hearing about her diarrhea, they simply prescribed her Berberine.

After taking it for several days, Xiaoxia’s grandmother’s diarrhea stopped, but it left Wu Li with lasting health issues in the womb.

Wu Li had been burdened by heart disease her entire life, and now in her old age, she never imagined it might be inherited by her daughter.

She stared blankly at Xiaoxia, stuttering, “H-how is this possible? My condition isn’t hereditary, how could you have it? Besides, hasn’t your health always been good?”

Xiaoxia kept her eyes down and remained silent. Wu Li asked again, “Have you had it checked?”

Xiaoxia replied wearily, “No.”

Wu Li pulled back the curtain to her room. “Get dressed, I’ll take you to the hospital right now.”

Xiaoxia turned away from her mother’s outstretched hand and continued organizing her things. “I’m not going.”

“How can you delay something like this?” Wu Li frowned. “Don’t act like a child.”

“What difference would it make to know?” Xiaoxia asked. “If it were treatable, why have you suffered with it for so many years?”

“You’re different from me. You’re young, with better recovery ability…”

Xiaoxia cut in: “A surgery costs hundreds of thousands. Will you pay for my operation?”

Wu Li fell silent.

Xiaoxia’s face remained expressionless. “Since we can’t afford treatment, it’s better to know nothing and have peace of mind. Maybe I’ll live a few years longer that way.”

As she sorted through her things, she paused when she came to the black coat that Xie Huai had bought her from his street singing earnings during their first winter in university. Her cold expression instantly melted into one of tender affection.

The coat was almost new – Xiaoxia had only worn it twice, keeping it folded in her wardrobe most of the time.

She carefully folded the coat and placed it by her bedside.

“If anyone tries to set me up with a boyfriend in the future, just refuse them directly.”

“I already have a boyfriend, and even if I didn’t…” Xiaoxia’s eyes grew distant. “We shouldn’t waste anyone else’s time.”

Though Wu Li cursed Wei Jinhai harshly, years of marriage had built affection, and in her heart, she still hoped he would change his mind.

She forbade Xiaoxia from going to that woman’s house to find him, or from calling to berate him. Every day she hid alone in her room crying, neglecting to cook meals or wash clothes.

The dormitory building had basic facilities – no toilet or washing machine. She had accumulated several basins of dirty laundry, which Xiaoxia carried to the shared bathroom in the corridor to wash.

The bathroom had squat toilets separated by doorless partitions, flushed only every few days. The pit reeked of foul odors, and the cement floor was covered in puddles of dirty water, with scattered toilet paper crawling with centipedes.

On the other side of the wall were wash basins with a row of blackened faucets. When turned to full blast, the water could drown out the deafening noise from outside.

There was no hope for a quiet night here. Having lived here for ten years, Xiaoxia heard different families arguing every night – sometimes verbal fights, sometimes crashing pots and pans, the cacophony lasting until midnight.

In the dead of night, Xiaoxia would occasionally wonder if life truly held no fairy tales, but was instead a reflection of the reality that poverty breeds a hundred sorrows in marriage.

The ceiling light was dim, like a dying patient, flickering an intermittent pale glow.

After soaking the clothes with detergent in the basin, Xiaoxia stepped into the corridor for fresh air.

Night had just fallen, and the street lights weren’t on yet. The city’s twilight darkness brought an inexplicable melancholy.

Xie Huai had sent many messages asking what she was doing. Xiaoxia glanced at them, put her phone back in her pocket, and didn’t reply.

She gazed at the horizon, where the cold white moon grazed the peak of the hills, crept through thin clouds, and climbed to a corner of the sky.

Winter hadn’t passed, and the cold penetrated deeply.

Xiaoxia’s breath rose in warm clouds, reaching her eyes and obscuring the distant moon.

The moonlight became hazy.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her. She turned to see Wei Jinhai coming up with several bags.

Wei Jinhai wasn’t surprised to see her – Wu Li had called him three times a day crying and begging him to come home and had already told him about Xiaoxia’s return during their calls.

He said nothing, passing by her as if she were a stranger, and entered the house.

Though Wei Jinhai played around outside, he still needed to come home – after all, women like Wu Li who worked without complaint and saved money were hard to find.

He bought Wu Li several pieces of clothing as an apology for his recent behavior, all cheap items from the night market, but Wu Li was overjoyed and bustled about making soup and cooking for Wei Jinhai.

Xiaoxia didn’t try to persuade her to divorce him. Not only was Wu Li’s personality unsuited for divorce, but even if she were willing, Xiaoxia couldn’t support her with her current means.

“Your mother says you’ve got a boyfriend now,” Wei Jinhai said at the dinner table, his first words to Xiaoxia since their meeting.

Hearing Xiaoxia’s affirming hum, he asked, “What does he do?”

“He’s a classmate.”

Wei Jinhai crunched on fried peanuts, saying disdainfully, “Just kids playing house – what future can two students have? One of these days, have your mom ask at Old Zhang’s place. I heard they want to introduce you to some manager making over 200,000 a year…”

Xiaoxia slammed her chopsticks on the table. She didn’t hold back her strength, and the sound made Wu Li jump.

Xiaoxia’s brows furrowed in anger. “You’ve just come back from the red-light district, the smell hasn’t even washed off, and you’re already trying to sell your daughter?”

“I know what you’re thinking.” She pulled Wei Jinhai’s notebook from under the tea table and threw it in front of him. “You keep the clearest records of how much money I’ve cost over the years. I’ll repay what I owe, but given how you treat my mom now, even if I marry a rich man in the future, you won’t get an extra cent from me.”

“No matter how rich others are, it has nothing to do with you,” she said coldly. “Stop meddling in my affairs.”

Wei Jinhai swung his hand, splashing the remaining half cup of yellow wine in her face. “You’ve gotten quite bold!”

Xiaoxia didn’t flinch or cry out, calmly wiping off the dripping wine with a tissue. “Keep splashing while I finish what I have to say. Given your age and condition, you’d probably struggle to find another woman to have children with. With no sons or daughters, and your pitiful savings, you’ll end up in the cheapest nursing home when you’re old.”

“The caregivers won’t charge you when you soil yourself, leaving you in adult diapers all day, underfed and poorly dressed. When you’re paralyzed from a drinking-induced stroke, they’ll leave you in bed waiting to die…”

Wu Li scolded her: “Xiaoxia, stop talking!”

Xiaoxia casually tossed the tissue into the ashtray and looked at Wei Jinhai’s face, which had turned purple with rage, a faint smile on her lips. “It’s fine if you splash me, but think carefully about how you treat my mom, think about whether you still want to find women outside. All these years, has my mom ever complained about cooking and doing your laundry? If you insist on fooling around, I won’t stop you, but if you dare leave my mom alone at home again with no money for food, don’t expect me to support you in your old age!”

Wu Li: “Xiaoxia! Is that any way to talk to your father!”

Xiaoxia had eaten only half her meal but lost her appetite. She put on her clothes, took her keys, and went out for some air.

In the corridor by the door was a large stainless steel basin filled with small pieces of pork – this was private work Wu Li had taken from the barbecue shop downstairs. They paid her thirty yuan per basin to skewer the meat, and Wu Li brought home two large basins every day for her and Xiaoxia to work on together.

Tonight, with Wei Jinhai back, Wu Li certainly wouldn’t be able to finish skewering before the barbecue shop opened at night.

Xiaoxia carried the basin to a spot on the first-floor open corridor where the moonlight fell, sat on the steps, and began skewering meat alone under the moonlight.

The pork had just been taken from the freezer and still had ice crystals on it. Xiaoxia’s hands turned red from the cold, and her face was flushed from the incoming wind.

She sniffled and sneezed.

A phone call came in. She wiped her hands clean and answered.

Xie Huai’s voice was gentle: “What are you doing?”

Xiaoxia casually replied, “Watching TV at home.”

Xie Huai laughed softly on the other end. Before Xiaoxia could understand why he was laughing, she heard the sound of shoes scraping against the brick ground.

Xiaoxia looked up to see Xie Huai standing at the entrance of the compound’s alley.

He carried a black backpack, his tall figure straight and elegant as he held up his phone: “Sister Xia, is this how unkempt you are at home?”

Afraid of dirtying her clothes, Xiaoxia wore her mother’s old jacket, her hair loosely tied in a low ponytail. Having skipped washing her face that morning because the water was too cold, she sat there shivering with hunched shoulders, looking quite disheveled.

Xie Huai walked over, eyes twinkling with amusement: “Watching TV at home? Was it fun lying to me?”

Xiaoxia asked softly: “Why did you come?”

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” Xie Huai sat beside her. “Mom was discharged from the hospital yesterday. Since you won’t reply, can’t I come to check on you because I miss you?”

“What’s this?” He frowned at the basin of pork. “Who’s making you do this?”

Xiaoxia remained silent. He put down his backpack and took a skewer to help her.

Xiaoxia tried to stop him: “It’s work my mom took on, needs to be delivered tonight. I’ll finish soon. The pork smell is hard to wash off your hands, don’t touch it.”

“What’s there to worry about?” Xie Huai pressed her head closer and kissed her forehead. “If it smells, it smells.”

He had never done this kind of work before and was rather clumsy, either cramming too much meat on one skewer or spacing it so sparsely it looked like a dishonest vendor’s trick.

“Wow, Sister Xia, you’re amazing.” Xie Huai watched as Xiaoxia’s hands flew, quickly completing another skewer. “You’re so fast! Teach me.”

Xiaoxia: “Do it enough times and you’ll be just as fast.”

With greasy hands unable to hug her, Xie Huai bumped her with his head: “Hey.”

Xiaoxia looked at him puzzled, and he complained: “Haven’t seen you for a week, don’t you miss me at all?”

“How could I not miss you?”

“Then why are you so cold when you see me? Not excited at all.”

The wind fell silent. While the night market outside the alley buzzed with noise, the alley itself felt like its own little world. With no one passing through and no chaotic sounds, only their soft breathing could be heard.

Xiaoxia looked up. Xie Huai was very close, their warm breaths mingling together until they couldn’t tell whose was whose.

Like an energetic puppy, Xie Huai kept nuzzling her, nudging her with his elbow, glancing at her from time to time, and stealing quick kisses on her face when she wasn’t paying attention.

Under his playful harassment, Xiaoxia finished skewering the meat and carried it to the barbecue shop outside the alley to get paid.

Xie Huai asked: “What do your parents like?”

Xiaoxia froze. He continued: “I’m already here, can’t just leave like this, right? What do they like to eat? I should bring something for my first visit.”

Xiaoxia said: “You don’t need to.”

Xie Huai: “I have to buy something. Or do you not want to introduce me to your family?”

Xiaoxia remained silent. Xie Huai went to a nearby shop to buy two red envelopes, then to an ATM to withdraw money: “How about red envelopes? Is that okay?”

Xiaoxia’s face looked pale under the incandescent light of the barbecue shop’s porch.

She stared at Xie Huai for a moment, then turned away and said softly: “Come up then.”

Xie Huai had never been in such a dormitory building. The cement floor was covered in sticky dust, with over ten households per floor, all with old wooden doors. Each doorway held gas cylinders and stoves, along with various items that couldn’t fit inside, leaving little space to walk.

The neighbor next door was cooking dinner, frying dried chilies in hot oil, filling the entire corridor with a spicy aroma.

A door suddenly flew open, and through the mosquito screen came a woman’s sharp voice: “Are you crazy? Frying chilies this late? You’re choking my child!”

The other household shot back: “It’s a public corridor, I’ll do whatever I want. If you don’t want your child choking, move somewhere else! Oh right, forgot you can’t afford to buy a house.”

As Xie Huai passed through the corridor, several women cooking dinner turned to stare at him, so entranced they didn’t notice their food burning.

Xie Huai asked: “Why are they staring like I’m some kind of monkey?”

“Because girls from here don’t bring back boyfriends as young as you. You’re the first.” Xiaoxia stood before her door, hesitating. “Are you sure you want to go in? My stepfather was just trying to set me up with rich older men. He won’t welcome you.”

“Of course, I’m going in.” Xie Huai smiled carelessly. “Meeting parents is basic courtesy. If he doesn’t like me, that’s his problem. Worst case, he’ll curse at me or throw me out. It’s not like he can force us to break up. What’s there to be afraid of? You think I’m scared of him?”

He hugged her shoulders, saying disdainfully: “And forget those rich old men. You’re not allowed to see them. In a few years, Brother Huai will be richer than them anyway.”

Just as Xiaoxia was about to knock, they heard things being thrown inside.

Wei Jinhai’s voice was hoarse, clearly from yelling at Wu Li and cursing Xiaoxia: “Is she trying to rebel? Says she won’t support me in my old age? Even if I’d raised a dog all these years, it would know to guard the house and wag its tail for me. What can she do besides make me angry?”

Xiaoxia listened quietly and said to Xie Huai: “Let’s wait, they’re arguing.”

“Do they argue often?”

“Not really.” Xiaoxia thought for a moment. “My mom doesn’t argue with him. Usually, he just yells one-sidedly. I made him angry tonight, so he’ll probably rage for half the night.”

Though Xie Huai had only been upstairs for ten minutes, every middle-aged woman on half the floor knew Xiaoxia had brought a boyfriend home, and they were all peeking out their doors to watch.

Not wanting Xie Huai to be treated like a spectacle, Xiaoxia pulled him into the washroom.

Her soaked clothes were still there. As she rolled up her sleeves to wash them, Xie Huai took off his backpack and pushed it into her arms: “I’ll wash them.”

He said: “Your period is coming soon, don’t touch cold water.”

The water wasn’t just cold – it was bone-chilling.

When Xie Huai put his hand in, he hadn’t expected it to be so cold. He couldn’t help but hiss when his hand first touched the water.

Xiaoxia: “Let me do it instead.”

Xie Huai held her back: “If I hadn’t come today, you would have washed them like this?”

Her hands were still red from the cold downstairs, the color hadn’t faded. Xie Huai frowned with concern.

Xiaoxia nodded: “I’m used to it, I don’t feel cold.”

Xie Huai said nothing more.

Xiaoxia stood behind him, her gaze falling on the small skylight above the wall over his head.

The skylight had never been cleaned, almost completely covered in grime, with only a small gap letting light through. Even that light was faint, barely visible after filtering through layers of dust.

The draft made the ceiling light swing and creak in the air. Xiaoxia looked at Xie Huai.

Her young man worked silently, focusing intently on scrubbing her sleeve cuffs. His furrowed brows gave him an unapproachable, impatient look, but Xiaoxia knew he wasn’t annoyed about washing clothes – he was angry.

Angry that she didn’t take care of herself in such cold weather, soaking her hands in cold water to wash clothes.

Xie Huai had changed into new clothes to visit her. His freshly cleaned white sneakers stepped on the wet floor by the sink, with soapy water occasionally dripping onto them from the washbasin.

The area under the basin was filthy, filled with empty drink bottles, food wrappers, and used sanitary pads that had somehow escaped from the toilet, all piled there, wet and moldy without sunlight, emitting a pungent stench.

Xie Huai must have smelled the odor and seen the garbage, but he said nothing.

Xiaoxia didn’t understand how he could endure such an environment. In her heart, Xie Huai was different from other boys his age. He was handsome and clean, always carrying the fresh scent of sun-dried grass. Nothing here was worthy of him.

Just thinking about Xie Huai enduring all this because of her made her heart ache.

Xiaoxia hugged him from behind, affectionately nuzzling his back with her cheek.

Xie Huai was still angry, snorting coldly: “Cuddling up to me won’t work. I’ve told you so many times, but you never take it seriously.”

“Your cramps are severe, can’t you avoid cold things?”

Xiaoxia murmured: “I’m sorry.”

Xie Huai ignored her. Xiaoxia’s hands caressed his slim waist: “I miss you, don’t be angry.”

“They’ll probably fight all night.” Her cold lips brushed his spine, kissing it gently. “Don’t go in. Let’s stay somewhere else.”