Chapter 15 Star Bathing Sun: Those Unreachable Streams of Light.
Every two weeks, the labor camp would organize a group shower. Two or three people would strip naked and crawl into the same bathroom, which wasn't very big. Three pairs of eyes and six feet would face each other, washing away the grime that had accumulated on their bodies for more than half a month.
Today also happens to be the fifteenth day since Shen Mi came to this world. It feels strange, she always feels that the time that has passed here is closely connected with her in countless ways.
As dusk fell, a thick layer of haze still hung over the camp, the air thick with the smell of rust and dust. Supervisors from different sections stood along the roadside distributing soap, and the laborers were divided into men's and women's lines, queuing up and entering the bathing area in batches.
Chen Mi sighed, "Finally, there's something that feels like a reasonable allocation."
Since Chen Mi and Shavalei were positioned one in front of the other, they were naturally assigned to the same bathroom.
The bathroom was not large, even cramped, with mottled water stains and dark red rust on the walls, and the light bulb above flickered and made a crackling sound.
When the two entered, a gaunt woman was already standing in the corner, her skin appearing an unnatural grayish-white under the dim light. Seeing Shen Mi and Shavalei enter, she merely glanced up at them, then expressionlessly stepped back into the corner, making room for them.
Shen Mi's throat tightened, but he didn't say anything more.
Showering here is both awkward and frustrating—there are no individual cubicles, and several people are crammed into a narrow space, naked and facing each other, with cold water dripping from the faucet, like rusty water flowing from some old, broken pipe. The water pressure is inconsistent, and sometimes it even has a pungent smell, but no one complains. After all, you can only shower once every two weeks, and even this kind of water is a luxury.
As Chen Mi took off his clothes, he couldn't help but frown slightly when his fingertips touched the T-shirt fabric that clung to his skin after being dried by sweat the previous day. The clothes, soaked with sweat and then dried by his body, had become somewhat stiff.
Chen Mi was extremely careful when taking off her clothes, afraid of damaging the only cotton garment she owned.
Savare turned away uncomfortably, curling herself into a ball as if trying to shrink into the corner of the bathroom, afraid that others would see the marks of her emaciated body.
Shen Mi noticed her subtle movements and felt a little uncomfortable.
Everyone here bears traces of life in the labor camp—scars, bruises, or sickly emaciation and paleness due to prolonged malnutrition.
Shen Mi turned on the tap, and a stream of cold water with a rusty smell rushed down, making her shiver violently.
"Hiss—" She gasped, her teeth clenching instinctively.
Shavalei, standing to the side, also tentatively reached out her hand. Her face was pale from the cold water, but she bit her lip and dared not say a word. She just looked up at Shen Mi, as if waiting for her reaction.
Shen Mi took a deep breath, splashed cold water haphazardly on his face, and helped Savare turn the water flow down a little: "Don't rinse too hard, it'll give you a headache."
Savare nodded and mumbled a soft "Mmm".
The only sound in the bathroom was the dripping of water. Three pairs of bare feet were on the cold floor, no more than an arm's length apart, but no one spoke.
Shen Mi looked down at a scab on his wrist that had already scabbed over, which became more noticeable in the cold water.
She suddenly remembered the warmth of Danheng's fingertips when he held her waist in the mine tunnel last night.
Compared to the cold water at this moment, that fleeting warmth seemed almost unattainable.
Thinking of this, Chen Mi wrung out her clothes, her hands gripping them harder than usual. The bubbling foam in the basin made a soft, bubbling sound, stirring up the indescribable emotions in her heart.
Her hand paused for a moment, then, as if possessed, she brought the T-shirt to her nose and gently sniffed it—
...It tasted worse than she had imagined.
The smell of sweat, dust, and damp earth from the mine tunnels mingled together, pungent and sticky. She almost immediately threw off her clothes, and her brow furrowed slightly.
Shen Mi then realized that she had been wearing this very outfit yesterday, held tightly in Dan Heng's arms, and hiding behind that rock wall, not daring to move.
He didn't say anything.
Did he smell it at that time?
Shen Mi imagined the scene from last night—the atmosphere was so tense that she didn't even think about this aspect. She only felt that their shoulders were pressed together, and she was soaked in cold sweat. Her sweaty clothes and coat clung tightly to him... If she could smell this scent even now, Dan Heng couldn't have been unaware of it at the time.
But his expression remained the same from beginning to end. He even calmly devised a plan, pulled her away to escape, and cleaned the pebbles off her shoes.
—It's like I can't smell it at all. Is it just because I sweated too much today that it smells bad?
Shen Mi stared at the T-shirt that had been soaked and wrinkled, and suddenly felt that he might have been thinking too far ahead. Such a strong and pungent smell could not possibly have accumulated in just one day.
She pinched her palm to stop herself from overthinking.
"Sister Chenmi?"
Savare's voice brought her back to her senses.
"Um?"
"Your clothes are almost worn out..."
Shen Mi looked down and realized that he had rubbed his clothes so much that they had become wrinkled, and even rubbed his hands red at the collar.
She paused for a moment, put the T-shirt back in the water, held the hem down and continued washing, saying in a nonchalant tone, "It stinks, haha, I want to get it clean."
But the faint sense of resentment in her heart did not dissipate with the bubbles.
After wringing out the clothes, Chen Mi finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She thought, at least the smell is gone now, but she wondered if the feeling she left in Danheng's heart last night could be washed away...
T_T
——
By the time everyone finished washing up and returned to camp, it was already late at night. The sky on this desolate planet seemed to darken exceptionally quickly. Perhaps it was to give everyone a chance to catch their breath while they showered, but the security patrols were a bit lax than usual tonight. There were even sounds of patrol teams chatting amongst themselves, and quite a few of the bolder ones were already sitting on the railings not far from the tents, laughing and talking, and drying their hair.
Shen Mi sat alone behind the tent, her shoulder-length hair dripping wet. A cool breeze blew, and the damp strands clung to her neck. She didn't rush back, but leaned against the tent, letting the wind slowly dry her hair.
The sky was unusually clear tonight, without the usual haze or dust. It was as clear as an undisturbed pond, with stars reflected in the quiet night, twinkling with tiny lights.
She looked up for a while, her gaze slowly flowing with the night sky. Such nights were so rare here, so rare that it made her feel dazed, as if she could see the starry sky of her hometown just by looking up.
Soft footsteps came from not far away. Shavalei quietly walked over with a thin blanket, squatted down next to Shen Mi, and handed her the blanket: "Sister Shen Mi, it's a bit cold outside."
Shen Mi took the blanket, unfolded it, draped it over his shoulders, and smiled: "Why did you come out?"
Savare didn't answer. After a moment of silence, she looked up at the night sky and said, "On the night of the Star Bathing Festival, the stars are as bright as jewels."
Shen Mi turned her head to look at her and asked softly, "The Star Bathing Festival?"
Savare nodded, her voice soft yet full of life, as if afraid of disturbing the rare, pristine night: "It's our festival. On that day, we'll go to the river, wash ourselves clean from head to toe, and then put on our prettiest clothes to go stargazing!"
She paused, a faint smile appearing on her face, as if recalling some distant yet warm moment: "At night, everyone would gather together, light a bonfire, and watch the stars in the sky, shining like jewels, until the next morning..."
Shen Mi listened quietly without interrupting.
Savare lowered her head and said regretfully, "It's just a pity..."
A night breeze swept by, bringing a touch of coolness, and the blanket was lifted slightly by the wind.
Shen Mi was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, pulled one side of the blanket over Savare's shoulder, and said, "Then let's celebrate the Star Bathing Festival tonight."
Savare was taken aback: "But..."
“Didn’t you just take a shower?” Shen Mi tilted her head to show her clean hair. “Now we’re sitting here looking at the stars, it’s quite fitting.”
Savare's eyes widened, seemingly surprised by Shen Mi's words. After a moment, she gently bit her lip, a slight smile appearing on her face: "It does seem... somewhat similar."
Under the night sky, the stars were reflected in their eyes, their twinkling light like memories on the verge of shattering, or like a hope that was out of reach.
Shen Mi pulled the blanket tighter and whispered, "Although there's no fire or river, we still have the stars."
The wind was still blowing, carrying a hint of warmth, slipping between their fingers and stirring up a quiet bond.
After a moment of silence, Shavalei suddenly asked in a low voice, "Sister Chenmi... what is your hometown like?"
"Hmm?" Shen Mi was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Savare rested her chin on her knees, her voice as light as the wind: "I just want to know, in other places... is the sky yellow, and are there people like us who have minerals?"
Shen Mi paused for a moment, looking at her slightly furrowed brows, as if she were pondering, or perhaps she was afraid that something deep in her heart would be exposed.
Under the cover of night, Shen Mi didn't rush to answer; the beautiful scene was beyond words. Shen Mi simply patted Savare's shoulder gently and promised, "When we leave here someday, I'll take you to my hometown to see a different sky."
Savare didn't speak, but a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes, fainter than the stars above, yet stubbornly shining.
The wind swept through the silent camp, stirring up a wisp of dry dust, but the night sky overhead remained clear and bright, as if separated from the dirty and oppressive reality of the labor camp, forming two completely different worlds.
Shen Mi and Shavalei sat side by side outside the tent, saying nothing more. Shen Mi's hair was half-dry, a few strands clinging to her neck, swaying slightly in the wind. A blanket was draped over her shoulders, also covering a corner of Shavalei's body. The two were very close, like two amethyst flowers huddled together in the cold night. (Also known as: Desert Rose, flower language: indomitable spirit)
After a while, Savare asked softly, "Sister Chenmi, do you really think we can leave here?"
Shen Mi unconsciously tugged at the corner of the blanket, gazing at the brightest star in the sky, before finally speaking after a long while: "Yes."
Her tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
“But I don’t know when that day will come.” Savare buried her chin in her knees, her voice trembling and weary. “Every day I think, if I really stay here for the rest of my life, will I even forget who I am?”
Shen Mi turned his head and looked at her curled up in a ball because of exhaustion and anxiety, and felt as if something had stabbed him in the heart.
She paused for a moment, then reached out and gently ruffled Savare's hair: "No, it won't happen."
Savare paused for a moment, then looked up at her.
Shen Mi's voice was soft but firm: "No matter how much time passes, you will still be you. You are not a stone here, nor a cold number."
Savare looked at her, her eyes slightly red, but she didn't shed a tear.
Under the night sky, the two figures were faintly outlined by the starlight. Shen Mi knew that this moment of comfort could not truly change anything, but at least she could stay by Shavalei's side and let her know that she was not alone.
In the distance, the footsteps of the patrol team gradually approached.
Shen Mi patted Shavalei on the shoulder: "Let's go back."
Savare nodded, pursed her lips, and stood up.
They crawled back into their tents one after the other. As the wind lifted the corner of the tent, the night sky remained clear and bright, and the stars were still twinkling, like distant, unreachable lights outside a tightly closed cage.
A note from the author:
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I'm late!!! I need to work harder on my writing!!! My drafts are almost gone!!! [Pity]
On April 1st, Chapter 8 was revised: The description of the harsh environment in Area C was corrected; this "harshness" is not the same as the previous description. Content was added regarding Cullen intentionally leaking the conversation.
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