Chapter 28
At twenty-one, Lai Hui loved very few people—her mother and Jia Yi. Her love for them was deeply ingrained, yet she felt it was not enough; in her happiest moments, she often envisioned a future where the three of them lived happily together. She and Jia Yi would marry, and in the evenings, she’d come home to cook with her mother, while Jia Yi washed the dishes. Her imagination was confined to their small house, as if only within those walls could her dreams feel more real. She was certain that after graduation, she could live happily with her mother forever, without worrying about money since both she and Jia Yi could earn. She often thought this way, feeling as if it was just a matter of tomorrow. She never thought her mother might one day leave her; occasionally, the thought of her mother’s death crossed her mind, but she refused to delve deeper into it, scolding herself for being foolish. Her mother would live a long, long life. She ignored misfortune, but misfortune did not ignore her.
When she learned of her mother’s stroke and paralysis, it felt as if everything in the world shattered before her eyes. She was terrified, her heart trembling, not daring to move or even breathe, as if one breath would shatter her fragile heart as well. The faces promising her something were like shards of ice breaking away; her lips moved, and she heard a distant voice asking, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Each time she asked, Lai Hui answered in her heart, “Paralyzed! Paralyzed!” She wished she could deafen her ears, preferring not to hear anything. But she heard, and could not pretend otherwise.
