When Fei Ni escorted her parents downstairs, her shoes were already trampled beyond recognition, and her ears still echoed with a deafening roar, as if she were inside a massive factory workshop where machine noises were amplified infinitely through speakers. If such sounds had occurred alone at night, they would surely have drawn a chorus of curses, but now, accompanied by the shattering of glass, they brought only panic.
Fei Ni’s exposed heel accidentally brushed against shards of glass that had fallen during the shaking. The ground was still trembling, this time swaying side to side. Oblivious to the pain, Fei Ni gripped her mother’s shoulder to keep her from falling.
The downstairs area was crowded with people—nearly everyone from the building had come out. Amid the chaos, Fei Ni heard fierce barking. The elderly woman from the second floor had brought her dog, Wang Cai, down with her. Wang Cai barked ferociously, but compared to the other noises, it sounded faint.
People around were speculating about what had just happened. Some still hadn’t recognized it as an earthquake, believing the walls had been struck by a large truck. Their minds lingered in the shock of the moment, unable to think of the future, as they exchanged experiences of the tremors. A few women, noticing they were wearing too little clothing, tried to go back upstairs but were stopped by others.
In the face of life and death, shame seemed superfluous. Or perhaps there was no need for shame, since no one was any better off than anyone else.
A flash of purple light split the sky from the south. Amid the chaotic swaying, Fei Ma noticed the blood on her daughter’s foot.
But no one had extra fabric for bandages. Fei Ni wore only a thin nightgown, and most of those who had rushed out were in their underwear or wrapped in bedsheets. Some had one shoe, some had two, and others had lost both shoes while descending, now standing barefoot on ground that might crack at any moment.
Fei Ma immediately instructed Old Fei to take off his undershirt. Without hesitation, Old Fei handed the removed garment to his daughter, urging her to bandage the wound and stop the bleeding.
As Fei Ni bent to tend to her foot, her mind raced. "We can’t stay here—what if the building collapses? Let’s head to the road for safety."
Old Fei relayed his daughter’s suggestion to the neighbors, and a group of them began moving toward the street.
"How is it? Does your foot hurt?"
"Not at all. Let’s walk faster."
Fei Ni had no time to dwell on whether her foot hurt—it was an insignificant concern.
Only when the ground steadied did Fei Ni’s mind begin to wander to other thoughts.
The elderly Fei couple grew increasingly worried about their other daughter. "Who knows how our second daughter is faring? And she has a bedridden mother-in-law…"
Old Fei declared that his wife and daughter should stay put while he went to check on their second daughter.
Fei Ni couldn’t agree. "If you’re worried, you two stay here. I’ll go."
"You can’t go. Your foot is injured—you shouldn’t be walking. And it’s so dark out. If you go, we’ll have twice the worry. Besides, if something happens to you, not only would your father and I be devastated, but we’d have no way to explain it to Xiao Fang."
"It’s nothing, just a small cut. And my eyesight is better than yours anyway."Fei Ni somewhat regretted telling Fang Muyang to leave yesterday. If he had been here, she could have ridden his bicycle to check on her sister. She wondered how he was doing now. Fang Muyang lived on the top floor of the Guesthouse, an old building with a long history. She worried whether something might have happened to him. Surely it couldn’t be that tragic—fate wouldn’t heap misfortune on one person alone. He had only enjoyed a few peaceful days. But then again, when luck turned sour, troubles seemed to seek one out on their own.
Though worried about her sister, Fei Ni remained rational. Seeing she couldn’t persuade her parents, she declared in an unassailable tone, "My sister’s building was reinforced this year, and she lives on the second floor. I’m sure she’s already downstairs, just like us. Besides, there’s an elderly person there she can’t easily manage—if you go, you’d only add to their troubles. Since you’re uneasy about me going now, I’ll wait until daybreak to check on her. That’s settled."
Fei Ni’s words carried weight in the family, especially in critical moments. Her parents said nothing more.
Standing on the street, Fei Ni felt her heart suspended in anxiety. Just hours ago, Fang Muyang had been washing bowls in the water room.
When she rushed out with her parents, she heard the sound of shattered porcelain—probably bowls knocked to the floor by the tremors. The noise was sharp and piercing.
In the chaos, Fei Ni’s mind had been clear: get her parents to safety. But now, with the immediate danger past, her thoughts grew tangled.
Amid the confusion, she heard someone calling her name. The voice drew nearer. She took a deep breath, focusing on its timbre. The caller’s voice was already hoarse, yet upon closer listening, it was unmistakably familiar. Realizing it was real, half the weight lifted from her heart. But with the confirmation of his safety came a wave of embarrassment—everyone sheltering on the street could hear him shouting her name. Each call of her name was punctuated by frantic rings of a bicycle bell, sharp and urgent, a stark contrast to his raspy voice, ensuring she couldn’t miss it. Despite her shame, Fei Ni stepped forward, waving and shouting, "I’m here, I’m here!" She feared his vocal cords would give out if he kept yelling.
The bell finally fell silent. The person ringing it had found the girl he was looking for.
Fei Ni almost felt annoyed with Fang Muyang. She wasn’t any more improperly dressed than others on the street—after all, some were wrapped only in bedsheets. But because of him, all eyes were on her. Though the sky was still dark, Fang Muyang shone a flashlight on her like a spotlight, casting her unprepared onto a stage. Even more unsettling than the light were his eyes—red-rimmed, fixed intently on her, pinning her in place. It was as if a miser scrutinizing a purchase, determined to find the slightest flaw to haggle over, afraid of missing a single detail. Fang Muyang stared at her just like that, verifying she was the same person he’d seen yesterday. Fei Ni wore a sleeveless dress without a bra, and the chafing pain from the fabric rubbing against her skin during their earlier rush now made itself known. It had hurt all along, but she’d ignored it while preoccupied. Now, the pain and humiliation surged together.
With emotions swirling inside her, she couldn’t help but urge Fang Muyang, "Turn off the flashlight, quickly."Fang Muyang’s flashlight beam fell on Fei Ni’s feet. “What happened to your foot?”
“Why is your voice so hoarse?”
Fang Muyang said, “It’ll be fine in a bit.”
Fei Ni answered his question just as lightly, “Just a small injury. It’s already bandaged.”
“Really nothing serious?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
He smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. He wasn’t dressed any better than she was. Fang Muyang wore a black tank top and beige shorts that didn’t reach his knees, with slip-on shoes that exposed his heels. It was even worse than what he’d worn last time he slept over. The hem of his tank top was rolled up, looking anything but tidy.
They looked at each other and laughed.
It was only after a long while that Fei Ni remembered Fang Muyang’s flashlight was still on. She reached to turn it off, and their hands brushed against each other. Her first instinct wasn’t to pull her hand back but to switch off the flashlight.
The sky was still dark. Fang Muyang held Fei Ni’s hand and didn’t let go, secretly tracing her silhouette in her palm, tickling her hand.
Fei Ni hadn’t forgotten about her sister. With Fang Muyang bringing the bicycle and flashlight, she didn’t have to wait until dawn to check on her.
Fang Muyang offered to take her. Fei Ni hopped onto the bicycle’s rear rack and, as he instructed, wrapped her arms around his waist. His tank top was soaked through, and he held the flashlight in one hand. Compared to safety, everything else had to take a backseat.
When Fang Muyang tried to speak, Fei Ni stopped him. “You’d better not talk. Who knows when you’ll get water? Save your voice.”
Still in that hoarse voice, he asked, “My voice isn’t unpleasant, is it?”
“It’s awful.”
“Hold me a little tighter. What if there’s an aftershock and the ground shakes, separating us?”
“I’m already holding you tight enough.”
“I don’t feel it.”
Fei Ni knew he was teasing her. She poked his waist with the flashlight. “Now do you feel it?”
The jab was a bit too sharp. Fang Muyang hissed in pain. “You really are talented in both arts and martial skills.”
“Are you okay?”
“What do you think?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s fine. Rub it for me a couple of times, and I’ll forgive you.”
Out of guilt, Fei Ni actually rubbed it a few times. “Still hurt?”
Fang Muyang magnanimously indicated it was enough.
Just as Fei Ni had thought, her second sister’s building, having been reinforced earlier that year, hadn’t suffered as much damage as her own. There was no large-scale peeling of wall plaster.
Fei Ni’s second sister’s mother-in-law had also been moved downstairs. Though the elderly woman couldn’t move her legs well, she kept herself busy with odd jobs. That night, unable to sleep from the heat, she had been folding matchboxes on her bed and was the first to notice the earthquake.
Fei Ni’s heart was completely at ease.
It was under these circumstances that Fang Muyang met Fei Ni’s sister and brother-in-law for the first time.
He looked up at the sky and asked Fei Ni’s brother-in-law, “Do you have a tent at home?”
“No.”
“What about steel pipes, tar paper, or plastic sheeting?”
“No steel pipes, but we have tar paper and plastic sheeting. Why do you ask?”
“It’ll probably rain after the earthquake. We can’t just stand here getting soaked. We need to build a shelter. I’ve got some lumber piled near our parents’ building. If you need wood, hurry and borrow a flatbed cart to come with me and haul it back. We need to set up a quake shelter quickly.”
“I can find some scrap wood here to use.”"Alright, while the aftershocks haven't hit yet, hurry into the building and bring down everything we might need—folding beds, umbrellas, all of it. And let the others in your building know too."
Fang Muyang's earthquake experience couldn't have been accumulated in just a few months. Fei Ni suspected he had already recalled his past, but with more pressing matters at hand, she temporarily set aside those thoughts.
During his time as an Educated Youth in the countryside, Fang Muyang had experienced an earthquake. It wasn't a major one, but what left a deep impression on him was the rain that followed—it poured for days, damaging many village houses. However, the house built by the Educated Youth remained intact. After the rain stopped, he went to help repair homes, and wherever he went, the locals would treat him to the best their households had to offer. That earthquake gave him some understanding of seismic events, so when his bed shook in the early hours, his first reaction was an earthquake.
As soon as he realized it, he leaped out of bed, grabbed the flashlight by his side, and ran outside, shouting hoarsely about the earthquake to ensure everyone in the Guesthouse heard him. He lived on the top floor, and any later, the stairwell would have been packed. Before finding Fei Ni, he had already gone downstairs to their floor. There, he spotted his lumber but didn't see anyone. He guessed she had gone to the road to take shelter from the quake. With so many people on the street, he feared missing her, so he searched while calling out, his voice growing raspy.
After instructing his sister and brother-in-law, Fang Muyang, his voice still hoarse, had Fei Ni hop onto the back of his bicycle. "We should go set up a shelter too."
They returned to the street where Fei Ni had taken refuge. The people there were still standing, waiting for fate to unfold.
Fang Muyang found an elderly woman wearing a red armband and told her that heavy rain often follows earthquakes, urging everyone to quickly gather materials to build quake shelters. The woman didn't believe him, so Fang Muyang, his voice strained, used knowledge he'd read in books to explain why rain occurs after earthquakes. The woman looked utterly confused, and realizing his approach was wrong, Fang Muyang cited several examples of post-earthquake downpours. This time, the woman understood the necessity and called on the young and strong in the street to start building shelters.
Some families lacked materials for the shelters. Fang Muyang generously offered that those without supplies could work with him—he had wood, and they could build a larger shelter together, faster.
Those without lumber quickly agreed to his proposal.
Fang Muyang said apologetically to Fei Ni, "I'm afraid the furniture will have to wait until this is all over."
"At a time like this, don't even mention the furniture. Is there anything I can help with?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"Rest properly."
Fang Muyang went into the building to fetch tools for building the shelter and asked Fei Ni where they kept them. He also inquired about the location of food, clothes, mercurochrome for scrapes, umbrellas, and raincoats.
"I'll go with you to get them."
"No, you stay here."
"Isn't it safe for now? Aren't others going into the buildings to get things too?"
"You're different from them."
Fei Ni insisted on going with him. There were too many items; even if she told him where everything was, he might not remember, and even if he did, he couldn't carry it all at once. But even if he could, she didn't want to stand by as an outsider.
"If you dare go," Fang Muyang leaned close to Fei Ni's ear and threatened, "I'll dare to kiss you. For every item you carry, I'll kiss you once."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Just see if I dare."When Fang Muyang entered the building, Fei Ni followed him inside. Three flashlights were shining brightly in the room as they skillfully gathered the necessary items. The five-drawer cabinet had toppled over, and the thermos on top had fallen to the floor. Fortunately, the inner liner of the thermos hadn’t broken. Fei Ni found three cups, poured water into each, and placed them in the corners of the room to cool.
Fang Muyang noticed her and knew she was stubborn—there was no use trying to send her away. While busily packing, he couldn’t resist expressing his frustration: "Are you that eager for me to kiss you?"
"I know you’re just joking. You wouldn’t do it."
Fang Muyang laughed in exasperation. "I wouldn’t? You really think you know me well."
Once everything was packed, Fei Ni handed Fang Muyang the cups of water she had set aside, one after another. He drank three cups in a row.
Without further pleasantries, they picked up what they needed and headed downstairs one after the other—Fei Ni in front, Fang Muyang bringing up the rear.
Fang Muyang handed the disinfectant to Fei Ni, urging her to clean her wound quickly, then went to set up the shelter. Fei Ni slipped a freshly retrieved shirt over her dress and buttoned it up.
The shelter was completed just as the rain began to fall—a large structure built with all the lumber Fang Muyang had bought.
The rain grew heavier. Fei Ni’s elderly parents sat resting on wooden planks, while Fei Ni and Fang Muyang stood at the edge of the shelter. Fei Ni handed Fang Muyang a biscuit tin containing treats she had bought a couple of days earlier. "Have some," she said. It was all the snacks her family had. Her parents had eaten a little earlier, but she hadn’t had a chance to try any yet.
Fei Ni gazed at the vast curtain of rain before her, munching on biscuits to the sound of the downpour.
She asked Fang Muyang, "Are we at the epicenter?"
"I’m not sure either. I’ll ask around when I go to the training session later."
"You’re still going to the training session today?"
"If it doesn’t work out, I’ll come back. I want to check on Uncle Fu, though their building is quite earthquake-resistant, so it should be fine."
Such a large shelter didn’t allow for selfishness. A nearby child, who likely hadn’t eaten breakfast, stared longingly at her. Fei Ni took out two biscuits and gave them to the child.
Soon, her biscuit tin was empty. Others, in turn, shared stale steamed buns and pickled vegetables with them.
This year had been one major event after another, and now an earthquake had struck. As Fei Ni watched the rain, she fell into worried thoughts about the future. Fang Muyang brought a bun with pickles to her lips. "Chicken stir-fried with bamboo shoots—it’s really tasty. Try it."
He offered her the half he hadn’t bitten into. Fei Ni took a bite and found it indeed delicious.
Fang Muyang simply broke off a portion for her. "Does your foot still hurt?"
"It stopped hurting a while ago."
Fang Muyang examined her foot. "Why is it still wrapped in this cloth?"
Before Fei Ni could answer, he asked the people in the shelter, "Does anyone have gauze I could borrow?"
Someone actually had managed to salvage gauze from the building.
He whispered to Fei Ni, "This is just normal wound care. There’s no need to feel embarrassed."
Fang Muyang’s voice was so hoarse that Fei Ni had no desire to argue with him, even though having a man hold her foot in front of others was mortifying. Looking at his nearly soaked, disheveled hair and thinking of his raspy voice, Fei Ni realized she had been careless—she should have brought the medicine down with her.Fang Muyang had Fei Ni sit on the wooden plank. Holding her ankle, he carefully removed the gauze previously wrapped around her wound and disinfected it with medicinal solution. Fei Ni kept her head lowered, staring at the ground. She and Fang Muyang were legally married—even if onlookers disapproved, the most they’d say was that the two were overly affectionate.
Fang Muyang, completely unbothered by any potential observers, asked Fei Ni, “Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t. You can do whatever you need to—just stop talking.”
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