At night, everyone slept together, with the elderly woman from the first floor in the very center. She served as a dividing line, separating the men from the women—females on her left, males on her right. To her left was her daughter-in-law, and to her right was her son, making it convenient for them to care for her. The members of other families were scattered around. Fei Ni slept on the far left, while Fang Muyang was on the far right, with about twenty people between them.
Fei Ni woke up very early. The makeshift earthquake shelter was separated from the outside only by a transparent plastic sheet draped over the roof and hanging down to the ground to keep out the rain. Outside, everything was still shrouded in gloom. Despite the dimness, Fei Ni noticed someone sleeping to her left, just beside her, separated by a layer of cloth. Her heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she glanced toward the far right of the shelter, searching for Fang Muyang. But at this hour, the shelter was still dark—a murky gray-black, like ink slowly dissolving in water—making it impossible to spot him with the naked eye.
She picked up a flashlight and shone it outside. The person sleeping beside her was none other than the one she was looking for. He lay steadily on a narrow wooden plank, its width barely accommodating half his body. The flashlight beam fell on Fang Muyang’s face, and through the transparent plastic sheet, it seemed to cast a soft glow over him. His features weren’t typically gentle, but now he appeared serene. Fei Ni shone the light on him, tracing his eyes, lashes, nose, and lips, yet he didn’t wake.
In the not-so-silent night, snoring sounds occasionally reached her ears, but they seemed to grow more distant. All she could hear was Fang Muyang’s breathing and the thumping of her own heart.
Perhaps out of sheer exhaustion, she gradually felt drowsy and, no longer concerned about the people outside the shelter, drifted off into a hazy sleep.
At daybreak, Fei Ni felt someone poking her arm with a finger from the left. She knew it was Fang Muyang but ignored him. He poked her again, and she continued pretending not to notice until his finger slipped through the plastic sheet to tap her cheek, at which point she grew flustered.
She tried to push his hand away, but her fingers got entangled with his. Perhaps from sleeping outdoors, his hand was cold, making her fingers feel even warmer in contrast. Her first instinct was to check on her mother sleeping nearby, who was still asleep.
She whispered a warning to him through the plastic sheet, but he just kept smiling at her, his finger lightly tracing patterns on her palm. The gentle strokes made her hand itch—he was likely sketching her flustered, angry expression. When she was angry, her eyes tended to half-close, unlike some people who widened them.
Seeing that Fei Ni was genuinely annoyed, Fang Muyang finally released her hand and said in a tone only she could hear, "Come out."
Fei Ni slipped out of the shelter quietly. She was still wearing the same clothes from the day before. Though she slept neatly and her clothes weren’t too wrinkled, she felt uncomfortable all over—sticky, especially her hair. She had planned to wash it yesterday morning but hadn’t gotten the chance.
Fei Ni was about to scold Fang Muyang when he said, "I boiled water for you to wash your hair."
Fei Ni thought he must have noticed she needed to wash her hair when he touched it last night. Or maybe he’d noticed the night before.
"Thank you."
"Don’t mention it. Just don’t refuse when I ask for your help later."Fei Ni had salvaged her toiletries from home yesterday. Now, carrying her washing essentials, she walked behind Fang Muyang, who had a towel draped over his neck. He casually took her hand and placed it on his basin. His shirt was crumpled, but he paid it no mind.
The two walked one after the other toward the building.
Fang Muyang asked Fei Ni, "Did you sleep well last night?"
How could she have? Squeezed in with so many people, and with him outside.
Fei Ni asked Fang Muyang, "Why did you sleep outside?"
"It was too stuffy inside."
But that still didn’t explain why he had deliberately gone out of his way to sleep near her.
Fei Ni didn’t press further. She vaguely sensed that the answer might lead her into an even more awkward situation.
She asked him, "Why did you get up so early?" Early enough to have already boiled the water.
"Couldn’t sleep."
Fei Ni guessed he had probably been woken by mosquito bites. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing several mosquito bites on his forearms. She silently scolded him for being foolish—sleeping outside and still exposing his forearms, as if inviting the mosquitoes to bite him.
The water room on the first floor was near the exit. Its door had been removed by someone, leaving it wide open. Next to the water room were rows of Private Rooms, each household cooking in the corridor outside their doors. Fei Ni spotted a kettle on a stove, steaming vigorously.
Fang Muyang effortlessly picked up the kettle and entered the water room.
Fei Ni placed her basin at the far end of the sink, bent over, and immersed her hair in the water. Her fingers were pale and slender; such hands plunged into her jet-black hair, working up a lather. The foam dripped onto her neck and slowly slid into her collar. Feeling an itch, she instinctively dipped her soapy hands into the water, intending to wipe the foam off the back of her neck. Fang Muyang used his towel to dry her wet hands, claiming he was worried she might accidentally wet her shirt. He forgot he was brushing his teeth—the toothbrush clenched between his teeth—as he held her hands and meticulously dried them, even between her fingers.
"Enough, stop wiping." Though he meant well, Fei Ni was annoyed by his actions.
Fang Muyang explained that he had initially wanted to wipe the foam off directly but feared she might suspect ulterior motives, so he went through the trouble instead.
Fei Ni remained silent.
Worried someone might come in, she washed quickly. After the first rinse, she wrung out her hair with her hands. Fang Muyang, understanding her intention, emptied the water from the basin. During the second rinse, he mixed cold water into the kettle. Holding it, he let the water trickle gently onto the back of her hand and asked if the temperature was suitable. The water flowed from her hand into the gaps between her fingers.
Fei Ni said it was fine.
She closed her eyes, letting the water cascade over her hair. Foam lingered behind her ears, and as the warm water slowly trickled over them, the bubbles gradually dissipated.
While drying her hair beside him, she stopped when it was about sixty percent dry and asked Fang Muyang if he needed any help.
"I want to take a shower. Could you keep watch outside? If anyone comes, ask them to wait a moment before entering."
Seeing her hesitation, he further explained, "If a female comrade comes in and sees something she shouldn’t, she might blame me, accuse me of being a pervert, and ruin my reputation."
His reasoning made sense. Fei Ni urged him, "Then hurry up and wash." Noticing he had no shampoo in his basin, she asked, "Where’s your shampoo?""I don't need that, isn't there soap here?"
Fei Ni left her shampoo for him. She didn't stand guard at the water room entrance for Fang Muyang, but walked a few more steps to the building entrance.
Fang Muyang hadn't lied to Fei Ni - he had a habit of showering daily. Yesterday he had been busy from early morning until night, working up a sweat, and he suspected he might have started to smell. But the building wasn't safe, and the streets were crowded with people, so he could only wash here.
Fei Ni stood at the building entrance to prevent anyone from coming in.
Fang Muyang's mouth, however, didn't stop: "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't mind being seen."
"What does that have to do with me?" Fei Ni only believed the latter part - he truly didn't mind being seen. She remembered his large collection of figure drawings.
"It has everything to do with you. If someone accuses me of being a pervert, we're married - if my reputation gets ruined, it won't do you any good either. Don't you think that makes sense?"
Fei Ni urged him again: "Stop talking and hurry up with your shower."
"Among women, I only allow you to look. Pretty considerate, right?"
Fei Ni didn't appreciate his gesture at all: "Who wants to look at you?"
"I'm saying you have the right. You can exercise that right anytime, or choose not to."
Time passed bit by bit, and Fei Ni couldn't help asking: "Why aren't you finished yet?"
"Almost done." Fang Muyang lifted the pot lid to put in the noodles.
She cursed his slowness in her heart, then saw someone approaching from afar and urged him: "Someone's coming! Hurry up!"
"My tomato noodles are ready, come try them. What were you thinking about? My noodles are so fragrant, how come you didn't smell them at all?"
Fang Muyang brought the noodles to Fei Ni's mouth for her to eat. From him, she caught a whiff of soap scent - his arms had just been rinsed and weren't completely dry.
But one thing was certain - he had finished his shower long ago.
She wondered to herself - with such a strong tomato scent, how had she not noticed it?
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