Chapter 108: Light

“There was no other way. The little boy’s family had no choice but to find the other boy.

“This boy was only four or five years old, a little mute. After running back home in the afternoon, he kept pulling the adults in his family to go out, but the child was too young. The family thought he was just making a fuss and locked him up at home.

“Until the missing little boy’s father found him, he pulled him urgently towards the dry toilet at the village’s edge.

“A sense of dread washed over the man as they arrived. The little boy pointed at the manure pit^[1]Manure pit: A pit for collecting human or animal waste, common in rural areas of China in the past. and wept inconsolably.

“The man carried the child back to the village to call for help. Late into the night, more than a dozen men, braving their disgust, finally retrieved the drowned boy from the pit.

“The man suppressed his anguish and asked the mute boy how his son had fallen in. The mute boy made a pushing motion.

“The man then asked who the culprit was. The boy led him to the girl’s doorstep.

“He confronted the girl, demanding to know why she had murdered his son. The girl coldly denied it while her mother accused the man of slander, claiming that a mute child’s gestures couldn’t prove her daughter’s guilt. She angrily demanded evidence.

“The man was forced to call the police. Yet, despite the mute boy’s testimony, they found no physical evidence. Worse, the girl was too young to be held accountable.”

“That’s terrifying. How old was she?” Bi Qiao’an shuddered, unsettled by the darkness of the story.

“Around six, I believe. Everyone in the village knew she was guilty, despite the lack of evidence. From then on, the village children refused to play with her. Some even cried at the sinister look in her eyes.”

Bi Qiao’an fell silent, contemplating the grim complexities of the human heart.

“In that case, the two incidents of falling into the water at Qingli Mountain were really nothing in comparison,” Bi Qiao’an said, not knowing exactly how she felt. Was it sarcasm? Relief? Or something else entirely? She only knew she felt a deep sense of unease.

Shen Yanming knew he shouldn’t have told Bi Qiao’an about these things. Although she had experienced the apocalypse, her life had always been relatively sheltered. He worried that sudden exposure to such darkness would cause her nightmares.

The next day, Shen Yanming requested leave for both of them, seeing how pale Bi Qiao’an looked.

“Last night, I kept dreaming of being pushed off a cliff,” Bi Qiao’an confessed, the dream scenes still haunting her.

Shen Yanming felt helpless. He found many comedy shows for Bi Qiao’an, hoping to lift her spirits.

Bi Qiao’an spent the entire day curled up in bed, only recovering enough in the evening to drag Shen Yanming out for a walk.

The temperature had dropped again in the past two days. It was around 25 degrees during the day and only 17-18 degrees at night. Shen Yanming found Qiao’an a long-sleeved top, and the two strolled around the community for a long time.

Bi Qiao’an saw many adorable children in the community. She watched them playfully demand their parents’ attention, stuff tiny flowers into their hair, and chase after kittens and puppies with joyful abandon.

Bi Qiao’an’s mood began to improve; not all children were shrouded in darkness. The smiles on these children’s faces were like miniature suns, warming her heart.

Shen Yanming sensed the change in Bi Qiao’an and gently squeezed her hand. “In the future, our child will definitely be well-behaved and cute, beautiful and cool. Smart and quick-witted, bold and attentive, bright and upright…”

Bi Qiao’an laughed and playfully swatted his arm. “Talking about things that don’t exist as if they were real!”

Shen Yanming hugged her slender waist and whispered in her ear, “As long as you’re willing, I can make it happen anytime. However many you want, I will satisfy you completely.”

A blush spread across Bi Qiao’an’s face. She buried her head in Shen Yanming’s chest and murmured, “Let’s wait a bit longer. I’m not ready yet.”

Shen Yanming wasn’t disappointed. He stroked Bi Qiao’an’s long hair and said, “Then please, Miss Bi, keep me company in our little world of two for a while longer.”

That night, Bi Qiao’an slept very soundly. She dreamed of a soft, cute little bun clinging to her legs, acting like a spoiled child, calling out “Mommy”.

The next day, Bi Qiao’an woke up feeling energized. After breakfast with Shen Yanming, the two went to work in high spirits.

They had already completed the household registration work; next was organizing the paper forms and reporting the electronic data. Because they had been meticulous during registration, the final data summary was straightforward.

Bi Qiao’an worked at her computer all day, leaving her waist and back aching. She stood up to stretch her neck and wrists. After a short break, she went to the bathroom to wash her cup, planning to make some milk tea upon her return for a sweet pick-me-up.

As soon as she entered the bathroom, Bi Qiao’an noticed several reminders posted on the wall: “Please conserve water,” “Please do not defecate in the toilet,” and “Please pour the water you are about to discard from your cup into the wastewater bucket.”

Bi Qiao’an hadn’t been to the office recently. Back in her workspace, she didn’t notice the changes, but the bathroom made it clear that the unit had indeed undergone renovations during this period.

Bi Qiao’an took a cup of clean water and moved it over the wastewater bucket. She used her fingers to clean the cup. The wastewater bucket was nearly full of murky, yellow-black liquid, which looked repulsive. She recoiled, extending only her arm over the bucket.

Following the posted instructions, Bi Qiao’an poured the water from cleaning the cup into the wastewater bucket and gave the cup a final rinse with running water.

Back in the office, Bi Qiao’an took a packet of milk tea from her bag, tore it open, and poured it into the cup. She then fetched hot water. After brewing the tea, she sat down and took a sip.

Before she could take a few more sips, Bi Qiao’an heard Sister Xu, the sanitation worker, loudly scolding someone outside the office.

“Ungrateful bastards! It’s written clear as day on the wall—no defecation allowed! Are you illiterate or what? You actually took a dump in the toilet!”

Bi Qiao’an was startled by the outburst, but Sister Xu wasn’t finished. “Don’t you know there’s a water shortage? That little bit of water can’t flush your crap! Idiot, always causing me trouble!”

After cursing her fill, Sister Xu picked up the wastewater bucket and went to rinse it in the toilet. In all her years of working, she had never been so disgusted. But what could she do? She couldn’t just quit, could she?

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Author’s Note:

Let me tell you a little secret. More than ten years ago, there really was a seven- or eight-year-old little mute who pushed a three- or four-year-old little boy into a manure pit and drowned him.

I’ve long forgotten the specific details, but even after so many years, I still haven’t forgotten about this incident.

🍁🍁🍁

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