Mei Jiu didn’t dare to speak again. She closed her eyes but tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She stared at the canopy until exhaustion overwhelmed her, and as drowsiness began to creep in, an unfamiliar emotion slowly engulfed her like rising tide.
Lightning flashed, illuminating a face still bearing traces of youth—clearly that of a girl.
The girl was strikingly beautiful, with naturally snow-white skin, well-defined features, and long, jet-black hair. Her eyes were bright and clear, framed by long lashes resembling the delicate filaments of silk tree flowers, casting shadows over her eye sockets.
A woman in a beige dress frantically rummaged through drawers in the room, haphazardly stuffing items into a suitcase by the bed. The woman had long hair, but patches of baldness from illness marred her scalp. Her pallid, bluish cheeks were lifeless, like those of a corpse.
From the bottom of a drawer, she pulled out two thin booklets. Her skeletal hands clutched them tightly as she trembled with excitement. Staggering back to the bed, she embraced the little girl. "An, we can go home soon—back to China. Look, I got our passports. You’ll see your grandmother soon."
Blood began to trickle from her nose, stark against her ghostly face. She wiped it away carelessly with her hand. "She’s a good person. She’ll love you dearly."
The girl pushed her away sharply. "Mom, why won’t you tell anyone? You’re not a drug addict—you were poisoned by Dad! He used you to test his Medicine!"
"An, I tried. But the public won’t believe me." The woman slumped weakly against the bed, her eyes hollow and unfocused. "Ever since I revealed the truth a year ago, he’s been injecting me with morphine. An, he’s a Madman… Promise me you’ll stay away from him…"
"Mom, what’s wrong?" The girl panicked, jumping off the bed to wipe the blood seeping from her mother’s eyes. "I’ll call an ambulance!"
An scrambled to the bedside, quickly dialing emergency services and giving their address.
"Mom, hold on—they’re coming soon." Barefoot and sobbing, the girl crouched beside her mother, clutching the phone as her frail body trembled uncontrollably.
With great effort, the woman lifted her hand and pressed the passports into An’s grip. "An, promise me—go back to China."
An shook her head desperately, but her mother tightened her grip on the passports and her daughter’s icy hands with what little strength she had left. "An, leave. Now. Please!"
Her mother’s eyes were blurred with blood, unfocused yet stubbornly fixed on An’s direction. She murmured weakly, "Promise me."
"I promise, I promise!" An nodded repeatedly.
The woman exhaled in relief. "My child… I’m sorry."
Sorry I couldn’t watch you grow up.
Sorry I couldn’t hold on long enough to send you away.
Sorry I’m leaving you alone to face an uncertain future…
"Mom!"
A heart-wrenching scream tore through the air, mingling with the roar of thunder and the relentless drumming of rain. In the distance, the faint wail of an ambulance could be heard.
The lightning cast the room in a stark white glow. The woman’s emaciated frame was swallowed by her oversized dress, her limbs as brittle as dry twigs. She lay slumped against the bed, her gaunt, blood-streaked face devoid of color, her eyes clouded with crimson. Her sparse, disheveled hair spilled over her shoulders.
An inched forward slowly, resting her head against her mother’s chest, trying to cling to the fading warmth.She didn't cry out loud, but her tears fell as heavily as the rain outside, until her whole body went numb and her mind became muddled.
The paramedics who rushed in pulled her away. She struggled desperately, shouting, "Sancho killed my mother! It was him, he's the murderer!"
The doctor confirmed the woman's death, and everyone looked at her with shock and pity.
For a moment, An thought someone had finally stood by her side, that someone finally believed the truth. But a month later, the doctors and police told her: "We're very sorry, but we must inform you that Ms. Mei overdosed on morphine. Her mental state..."
The scene faded, and gradually coming into focus was yet another night.
Utterly silent.
An's slender figure grew increasingly similar to her mother's. With a resolute expression, she loaded the bullet, gripped the gun, and kicked open the master bedroom door.
The man on the bed woke with a start at the loud noise and glared angrily at the doorway. When he saw the frail girl pointing the dark muzzle at him, his expression immediately changed. "An, what are you doing?"
"How dare you lie in this bed with a clear conscience!" An stared coldly at him.
"Listen to me, I'm also devastated by Mei's death, but she brought it upon herself—"
Bang! Before he could finish, the gunshot interrupted him, hitting the bedside lamp. "Enough of your tricks! I know everything! Go turn yourself in at the police station now, or I'll kill you. Don't think I won't pull the trigger!"
The man adopted a fatherly tone of authority. "An, I'm your father. How could you do something like this?"
"With a beast like you as my father, how could I turn out any better? Go to the police station now!" An's eyes were bloodshot. The image of her mother's death was seared into her mind, jolting her awake from nightmares night after night.
"An, calm down. Take a deep breath." The man got out of bed and slowly approached her, trying to soothe her.
"Stay where you are." She took a few uneasy steps back.
Seemingly convinced An wouldn't shoot, the man suddenly lunged forward and tackled her to the hallway floor.
Thud!
A muffled sound. An's eyes widened as she felt a warm wetness spread across her chest, the metallic scent of blood filling the air.
Mei Jiu abruptly opened her eyes to the gentle morning sunlight streaming into the room.
Her breath hitched before coming in rapid gasps. She tried to sit up but found her temples throbbing, her body drained of strength, and her clothes and hair clinging to her skin as if she'd just been pulled from a bathtub.
"An Jiu," Mei Jiu called out shakily.
Only silence answered her.
"Were those... your parents?" Mei Jiu ventured.
"Hm." An Jiu finally responded.
From the words in the dream, Mei Jiu could piece together the general sequence of events: An Jiu's father had experimented with Medicine on her mother, then told others she had poisoned herself, ultimately causing her death. An Jiu witnessed it all but had no recourse for justice, leaving her unable to move past it. She then took up a weapon to force her father to turn himself in, but in the struggle, she accidentally killed him instead.
"It wasn't your fault," Mei Jiu said, her fear of An Jiu replaced by sympathy now that she knew the story. "It was just an accident."
An Jiu let out a hoarse, derisive laugh. "I intended to kill. I never shy away from my mistakes."That wasn't the most bloody and terrifying scene she had ever witnessed in her life, yet it would influence her for the rest of her days.
Mei Jiu felt deeply ashamed. Compared to An Jiu, her own sorrow and grievances seemed utterly laughable.
"I'm not good with words, so I don't know how to comfort you, but... you still exist in this world. Even the heavens are compensating you," Mei Jiu said.
An Jiu laughed. "Ha, come on. Are you sure the heavens aren't punishing me for being a ruthless killer by forcing me to choose an idiot like you as my host?"
Her words were still full of sarcasm, but the carefree laughter was a stark contrast to her usual cold sneers.
Mei Jiu sighed helplessly. "As long as you can see things more positively."
"I couldn't before, but ever since I met you, I've gradually learned to let go," An Jiu replied.
Mei Jiu said sheepishly, "I... I'm just a cowardly and ignorant person."
An Jiu scoffed. "At least you're self-aware. Well, if I can tolerate your intelligence—or lack thereof—that scrapes the bottom of the barrel, what else can't I endure?"
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