Muddy Moon [Not Blood-Related]

“I am trash in a foul ditch, a moon fallen into the mud.

I chew on buns made from my parents’ flesh and blood, all the while proclaiming that I have a merciful heart.

I dragged you down to hell with me. I deserve to die a thousand deaths.

I’m sorry, A Xu.

But I’ll be redeemed, won’t I?

Amen.”

*

The first time Li Shuangyue saw Li Shuangxu, he was a baby swaddled in a blanket.

His eyes were closed, his breathing steady. He was fast asleep.

Li Shuangyue sneered inwardly. This idiot had no idea he was about to be drowned.

Holding the baby, Li Shuangyue stood expressionlessly before a big red plastic basin, staring at the water filled to the brim.

The water was cold. She knew it was cold. Winter water was cold.

The baby woke up. He opened his mouth and began to cry, his voice tiny and faint, like a newborn mouse.

Suddenly, Li Shuangyue no longer wanted him to die.

She wanted him to stay with her, here in this slum, in this foul ditch, as they were slowly devoured and submerged by pain and despair.

(The male and female leads are not blood-related and are not registered in the same household.)

Theme: Even barren soil can bloom with brilliant flowers