When the light kiss cracks
It rained for several days in a row in Qingxi Village. The late autumn rain was wrapped in a chill, and its nature changed as it fell.
At the village bus stop, Qiao An held an umbrella, and Lu Yu reached out and ruffled her hair: "I'll come back to see you after I'm done with this busy period."
Joan nodded obediently.
The passing buses only stop for a minute or two, and once people get on, they immediately drive away.
A bus appeared at the bend in the road at the village entrance not far away. Qiao An pulled Lu Yu back, tilting her umbrella slightly to block everyone's view.
She tiptoed and gently kissed his lips.
The bus drove away, and Qiao An only looked away when its taillights disappeared into the muddy dirt road.
"Cut..." Director Yu called for a stop.
This round is over.
The male and female leads will no longer have any scenes together.
Director Yu called over Ling Chuan and Qiao Yu and asked, "You two have finished your scenes together. Are you going to watch her film the rest of the shoot?"
This question was directed at Ling Chuanye.
The two had discussed this activity two days ago, and Ling Chuan wanted to join in, but Qiao Yu disagreed.
Director Yu's idea was to have Ling Chuan also step aside, give him a week off, and let him get back into the swing of things.
Two days later.
The wind swept across the room, carrying raindrops at an angle. The moisture in the air turned into a bone-chilling cold. The occasional raindrops hitting the eaves made a cold, hard "tap-tap" sound.
Qiao Yu rolled over and jumped out of bed. Before she could even put on her slippers, she ran to the window.
The wind whistled through the window, its sound like a sob, gently brushing past my ears; raindrops pattered softly on the floor from the eaves...
She can hear again, though not fully recovered, but she can still faintly hear sounds.
It turns out that accepting fate with equanimity might lead to better arrangements.
Xida ran over carrying cotton slippers and squatted down to put them on Qiaoyu.
"Thank you, Shida."
Xida looked up, her eyes filled with panic and confusion, but even more so with joy, "Qiaoqiao, you... can hear me?"
Qiao Yu nodded.
Xida jumped up and hugged Qiao Yu, tears streaming down her face. "It's so good, so good! You can finally hear again. God is looking out for you."
"Should we call Yang Yu?"
"She doesn't have time right now. Give her a break and take good care of Dr. Shen."
Xi Da Qiao Yu covered her mouth and laughed.
Qiao Yu went to see Director Yu.
"Great, great, it's so good to be able to hear it."
"Thank you, Director Yu."
"We'll re-record the parts that were unclear before. Have you talked to Aya about it?"
"not yet."
"Don't tell him yet. Let the doctor check you up. If everything's fine, we'll take advantage of the weather these next few days and record one last episode."
Qiao An refused to return to the city with Lu Yu and stayed here to continue teaching, as her hearing became increasingly impaired.
In the Qiao family's courtyard, the two sat on rattan chairs. Er Mao, the village chief's son, often came to keep Qiao An company. Although he was only seven or eight years old, he knew more than most children.
"Teacher An'an, why aren't you leaving with Teacher Lu?" A pair of dark eyes blinked brightly on her dark face.
Joanne smiled and said, "My dream is no longer there."
"So what is your dream?"
"Stay here and do what I can."
Er Mao scratched the back of his head, clearly not quite understanding.
After a moment's pause, Er Mao jumped off the rattan chair, put on his little cloth shoes, and ran outside, shouting as he ran, "I understand, and I will do my best."
After the child disappeared from the courtyard gate, Qiao An got up to close it, but an uninvited guest arrived.
Wang Meng, the village chief's brother-in-law.
He pushed open the courtyard gate that was about to close, and Qiao An staggered back a few steps, her expression changing from surprise to disgust.
"What are you doing here? Get out of my way."
The man, dressed in a floral shirt and black trousers, swaggered into the courtyard, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his hand.
He glanced around furtively and chuckled, "Qiao An, you're the only one left in your Qiao family. Come with me, and I'll guarantee you a life of comfort."
Joan curled her lip. "Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? Get lost."
"Hey, you brat, I'm the village chief's brother-in-law. I own a house and land, and you've gotten all that for free. If you weren't pretty, who would want you?"
"Wang Meng, get out..."
The man stepped forward and grabbed Qiao An's arms tightly, squinting and revealing a pair of yellowed teeth: "You brat, what, you think you're so great just because you slept with a big star? He still doesn't want you, and I don't even mind, yet you dare to say I'm dirty..."
"Let me go..." Joan screamed.
"Since you've already spent time with them, can't you spend time with me too? Let me sleep with someone who's been with a big star, haha..."
Ignoring Qiao An's struggles, Wang Meng dragged her into the house.
Joan was pulled and staggered, her heels leaving two deep marks on the muddy ground, and the anger in her chest instantly flared up to the top of her head.
"Let go! Wang Meng, you beast!" she screamed, struggling all over. Qiao An lowered her head and bit his arm hard.
The taste of blood filled my mouth. "Ouch, you dare to bite me? I'll teach you a lesson!"
A vicious slap landed on Qiao An's face, and a warm stream instantly flowed from the corner of her lips and ear.
Qiao An was dazed from the beating and temporarily lost her strength, but the man dragged her into the house with even more force, causing the door to creak and shake.
"Ouch..." Wang Meng let out another pig-like scream.
"Let go of Teacher An'an, let go of..."
Er Mao dared to come back in time, and upon hearing Qiao An's shouts, he grabbed a hoe and rushed into the house, beating Wang Meng mercilessly.
Startled by Er Mao's voice, Qiao An struggled free and stumbled forward to grab the kitchen knife. Before Wang Meng could react, she turned and swung the knife viciously at his arm.
"Ah..." Blood flowed down his arm, leaving a large gash about an inch wide.
Er Mao was terrified. Qiao An shielded Er Mao behind her, gripping the kitchen knife tightly with both hands and facing him alone, her chest heaving violently: "Try taking one more step, and I'll take your life today."
Her hair was disheveled and her face was stained, but her eyes held a ruthless and resolute look, like a small beast driven to the brink of despair.
Wang Meng was stunned by her desperate appearance. He glanced at his nephew behind her, glared at the two of them, and then slunk away.
When Aunt Zhang arrived, she only saw Wang Meng running out with blood on his hand and rushing into the house. Qiao An was still holding a kitchen knife, with blood dripping from it.
"Oh dear, girl, what happened?" He quickly took the kitchen knife and threw it aside, then comforted the two frightened girls and made them sit down.
Er Mao stammered and cried as he recounted what had just happened.
"That damned bastard deserved it. I'm going to tell the village chief to break his legs..."
......
A few days later.
In the classroom, a voice asked, "Teacher An'an, will Teacher Lu be coming back?"
"We miss him so much, he sang so beautifully..."
Qiao An smiled and said, "He won't be back for a while. An An will sing for you."
As the familiar music began, she and the children immersed themselves in the music, which was also a way of remembering Lu Yu.
Outside the classroom, a hazy mist hung in the air, and muddy water mixed with gravel had already spread to the classroom doorway.
The music mingled with the downpour, like a glimmer of light in the dark night.
As school was about to let out, the torrential rain continued to pound on the tin roof, the pattering sound like rapid drumbeats.
The village chief's wife came to pick up the children from school with an umbrella, but Qiao An stopped her, saying, "Aunt Wang, the rain is too heavy now. Let's wait until it stops before going back."
The woman pushed Qiao An away, saying, "It's none of your business, you troublemaker."
Er Mao: "I'm not leaving, I'm staying here in this heavy rain..."
"Let's go. Does a troublemaker like her even deserve to be a teacher?"
"She's not, she's the best teacher, Wang Meng is the real scumbag."
"How dare you talk about your uncle like that? You've been corrupted by this woman."
"It's his fault. Why blame Teacher An'an? He's a jerk."
"You brat, I'll teach you a lesson..."
Qiao An stepped forward to stop her again, but was pushed away violently by the woman. "Get out, don't touch my son."
The woman pulled Er Mao towards the outside of the house, stepping into the muddy water.
Er Mao turned back with a smile to comfort Qiao An: "Teacher An An, I'm fine. She wouldn't dare hit me. See you tomorrow."
Er Mao's voice faded into the distance as the woman carried him by his clothes down the earthen slope into the village.
The remaining students and Qiao An looked at each other, and Qiao An smiled and said, "I'll take you back when the rain gets lighter."
Not long after, the village chief's wife came running over, crying with snot and tears streaming down her face. She threw an umbrella at Qiao An, but Qiao An turned around to shield the children around her from the flying umbrella.
"You woman, you're a jinx! Give me back my child..."
The woman collapsed to the ground, crying. Qiao An, enduring the burning sensation on her back, squatted down and asked, "What happened?"
"It's all your fault. He wouldn't come back with me. We had just gone down the slope when he started running wildly out. The rain was heavy and the road was slippery. The guardrail by the bridge was broken, and he slipped down and was swept away by the water..."
Joanne was shocked: "What?"
Qiao An arranged for the other classmates to put on raincoats and run to the bridge. The village chief had already led people downstream.
Someone was left to tell Qiao An, "The village chief said it's none of your business. It's Aunt Wang who doesn't know what's good for her. Everyone has already gone to find Er Mao."
Qiao An was worried, so she followed them downstream.
She remembered that Er Mao could swim; she had seen him swimming in the river last year.
The villagers, wearing raincoats, shouted in the rain, which grew heavier and heavier, pattering against the muddy water and splashing up half a meter high.
The water was ankle-deep, and every step made a muddy sound.
The torrential rain poured down like rain from the sky, the curtain of rain so thick that it was impossible to open one's eyes. Joan felt cold all over, and everything around her gradually fell silent.
But she still called out Er Mao in a strained voice, her eyes scanning every suspicious spot.
At the confluence of the streams, one side had a strong current flowing into the nearby river bend, while the other side had a slower current. Qiao An did not follow the others toward the river bend.
She walked to the other side, holding a dim flashlight in the pouring rain, shining it over every corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of that familiar figure as soon as possible.
After walking for about ten more minutes, Qiao An saw Er Mao shivering in the distance, his face covered with tears and mud, and his eyes were red and swollen.
Qiao An quickly took off her raincoat and put it on Er Mao. He buried his face in her arms and sobbed, his body trembling.
Qiao An could no longer hear what Er Mao was saying; her world was quiet, with only the vibrant scene before her eyes remaining.
She turned around and carried Er Mao on her back; the seven or eight-year-old child bent her back under his weight.
Er Mao patted her back as if to say that she didn't need to be carried, but she couldn't hear him.
In the torrential rain, she could vaguely smell a mixture of earthy and bloody odors. She thought that Er Mao was injured and that she had to take him back to the village as soon as possible.
I had planned to come out along the stream, but things didn't go as planned. The torrential rain caused a section of the streambank to collapse.
The torrential rain was like countless silver needles piercing down, so Qiao An had no choice but to carry Er Mao on her back and walk towards the other end of the village. She had to carefully test her footing with each step, as the muddy water reached her ankles and the gravel hurt her feet.
With her vision blurred by the rain, Joan finally saw hope when she could make out the vague outlines of houses in the distance.
Her body was already soaked through, the sweat clinging heavily to her skin, the chill seeping into her bones. But she couldn't stop walking; she could only grit her teeth and inch forward step by step in the murky rain...
County Hospital.
Joan woke up three days later.
The white ceiling of the ward made me dizzy, and the world was just a blurry silence.
The respirator was pressed against my face, each breath was scalding hot, tearing at my whole body, my throat felt like it was going to crack, and my whole body felt like it didn't belong to me.
The light outside the window was only a blurry glow, and the sunlight slanted in, falling on the glass on the bedside table and refracting into tiny, weak rays.
When the village chief came in, he was followed by his youngest sister, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. She was the village chief's adopted child and had grown up with Qiao An since childhood.
Tears streamed down Yao Mei's face. Qiao An tried to raise her hand but had no strength at all, and could only shake her head with difficulty.
My head feels like it's filled with mud; it hurts whenever I shake it.
I felt the warmth in my body gradually dissipating, like a candle flame about to burn out in the wind.
The youngest sister knows sign language, which is the village chief's main reason for bringing her along.
Tell her that you are grateful to her for saving Er Mao, but that her ear injury caused an infection that led to periostitis. Bacteria entered her brain through the bloodstream, and the persistent high fever and infection triggered a systemic inflammatory response.
The youngest sister collapsed onto Qiao An, still sobbing. The village chief hung his head, his lips moving weakly.
She also asked her younger sister to inquire whether she should inform Lu Yu, which was also Lu Yu's request to the village chief to take care of Qiao An before he left.
Joan shook her head.
A few days later, the village chief and Yaomei took Qiao An back to the Qiao family home.
The room was dimly lit, with only a faint light remaining.
Joan sat back at her desk, her face drained of color, and her eyes were dark and bluish-black.
The younger sister brought her paper and pen as requested.
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