Blurb:
During the summer after graduating high school, Sheng He’s father remarried. His fourth wife moved into the house with her whole family. Unable to put up with it, Sheng He packed her bags and moved to a small town far from home.
She rented a small room facing south.
Looking down from the second-floor balcony, she saw a boy leaning against a wall, smoking and gazing at the stars.
Monolid eyes, a crew cut, and a long, thin scar on his forehead. After finishing his cigarette, he spat a mouthful of blood into the corner, then looked up at her. “I gave you a free show. Next time, I'll charge you.”
Sheng He looked across at the open doorway, where a middle-aged man was cursing and waving a broken rattan cane. “Get lost, you little bastard.”
As the days went by, the beatings grew worse.
Sheng He went from turning a blind eye to grabbing the cane, shoving the man to the ground, smashing his liquor bottle, and glaring at him. “Try hitting him again. I dare you.”
The boy pulled her away and ran. “Aren't you scared?”
Sheng He was so breathless she could barely speak. “I am. My legs are shaking like crazy. But I know it hurts you too.”
2.
His friends noticed Chen Qinian had been acting strangely lately, dressing up in private like a peacock showing off its feathers.
He dyed his blond hair black, threw away his flip-flops, and gradually quit smoking.
He started driving more and more frequently to pick up and deliver goods for supermarkets and restaurants, earning more and more money.
After being questioned over and over, Chen Qinian smiled. “I want to marry Sheng He.”
3.
“I feel like I've become your darkness and a burden.”, Chen Qinian
“Chen Qinian, I love you. You are my light.”, Sheng He
Reader's guide:
1v1, mutual salvation and healing.
Theme: Live well, freely and bravely
