Time dragged and flew by all at once.
By the time the setting sun shone through the window onto Song Ge’s feet as she sat on the stool, the noise outside had died away completely.
The streetlights still came on right on schedule.
Song Ge set down the hanger she’d finished. She’d have to find a chance to check whether the landlady was still normal. If she’d turned into a monster, no one would pay her for the work. What would be the point of making hangers then?
She stood up and glanced at the bed. Miss Tong was curled up, fast asleep.
She’s got some nerve, falling asleep like that.
Maybe she was just exhausted from the fright.
Song Ge filled a pot with water at the tap and set it to boil.
Tong Xiangyu woke to a strange smell. She opened her eyes and rolled over, only to smack her arm against the wall with a Thud! She yelped in pain and came fully awake.
She sat up, feeling sore all over.
Song Ge’s little bed was made of bamboo slats, with no mattress. It was hard as a board. Tong Xiangyu had thought there was no way she’d be able to sleep on it, but she’d closed her eyes for a moment and somehow it was already night.
She saw Song Ge’s calm face through the steam rising from the pot. Tong Xiangyu’s heart sank. Her nose stung and her eyes reddened.
So it hadn’t been a nightmare. All those terrifying things had really happened…
What was she supposed to do now?
“Awake?” Song Ge glanced at her. “The food’s ready, if you have an appetite.”
“What is it?” Tong Xiangyu asked. It smelled strange.
“Instant noodles.” Song Ge went to the corner of the room and opened a box of sausages. “I’ll add one for you.”
“Thank you.” Tong Xiangyu watched Song Ge go to the little table. When she didn’t react to the thanks, Tong Xiangyu looked up at the half-window, where the streetlights shone outside.
She had never seen them from this angle before.
She looked away and quietly apologized. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
“What’s there to be sorry for?” Song Ge said. “Everyone sleeps.”
She used a small knife to cut beneath the sausage’s metal ring, then peeled away the wrapper and sliced the sausage into the pot.
Tong Xiangyu had drunk water before falling asleep. Now she sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, rubbing her feet together.
Song Ge didn’t look at her, but she’d noticed. “If you have something to say, say it.”
“I… I need to use the bathroom.” Tong Xiangyu’s cheeks reddened.
“It’s there.” Song Ge pointed to the bathroom inside the room. “The light switch is by the door.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
The bathroom was just as small, barely enough room for one person. The toilet and sink were on the left, with the shower on the right.
Tong Xiangyu stood there, looking miserable as she hesitated. Finally, she pulled a tissue over her hand and carefully lifted the toilet lid.
To her surprise, the bathroom was clean and tidy.
Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to sit all the way down.
When she came out after washing her hands, Song Ge was standing by the window again, looking outside.
The little pot had been unplugged. Steam and a delicious smell rose from it.
Song Ge glanced at her. “Eat.”
Tong Xiangyu saw that there was only one bowl and one little electric pot on the table. “What about you?”
Song Ge picked up the bowl.
Tong Xiangyu: “…”
“I usually use that bowl,” Song Ge said. “You can eat straight out of the pot.”
At once, tears welled in Tong Xiangyu’s eyes. She’d never suffered such humiliation before. How could anyone eat straight from a pot? What kind of manners were those?
Song Ge saw her expression and misunderstood. “It doesn’t taste good, but don’t be picky. Unless you want to go hungry. If help doesn’t come and we can’t get out, you’ll have to eat this sooner or later.”
As she spoke, Song Ge picked up a big mouthful of noodles with her chopsticks and slurped it down.
Tong Xiangyu suddenly felt ravenous. Her lips pressed together as she swallowed her hurt and went over to the table. But she had no idea how to pick up the little electric pot.
Song Ge understood. She took the pot to the bamboo bed, then dragged the little stool over beside it. “Sit here and eat.”
A young lady born into a wealthy family might not be able to eat unless she was sitting upright with perfect manners.
Tong Xiangyu’s eyes widened. How could Song Ge put the pot on the bed?
How dirty!
How could she possibly eat now?
With her back to Song Ge, Tong Xiangyu’s tears fell in a steady stream. She bit her lip hard, trying to hold back the sobs that threatened to break out. Her pride wouldn’t let her make a sound. She straightened her skirt and sat down on the little stool.
Song Ge felt she’d done all she could. She had no time to worry about the young lady’s delicate feelings. She finished the noodle broth, set down the bowl and chopsticks, and looked outside again.
The streetlights still shone. The neon signs were dark.
The streets that had once been full of traffic and people were now empty. Only a few monsters, like the walking dead, wandered aimlessly from time to time.
It looked like a ghost town.
Song Ge tried calling several emergency numbers. Every line was either busy or unanswered.
She didn’t check the trending topics that insisted everything was peaceful and well. She did open the class group chat, though. The conversation had stopped the night before.
“How many from the class made it down?” Song Ge asked suddenly.
Tong Xiangyu had been crying, but after trying a bite of the noodles with a grimace, she decided she could cry later. No, it wasn’t worth crying over something this small.
At most, she only had to put up with this for one night. Tomorrow she’d have her dad come save her!
For now, she needed to eat and get her strength back.
She wiped away the last of her tears and picked up the last slice of sausage, which didn’t taste like meat at all. Then she heard Song Ge’s question.
Tong Xiangyu remembered what she’d seen that afternoon. Her stomach lurched. She clapped a hand over her mouth, dropped her chopsticks, and ran into the bathroom.
Song Ge watched her go and shrugged. She hadn’t asked on purpose.
But it seemed things had been pretty gruesome.
Tong Xiangyu threw up everything. When she came out, her pretty face was pale and weak.
Song Ge hadn’t meant to upset her, but for once she felt a little guilty. She offered to make her another packet of noodles.
Tong Xiangyu shook her head and murmured, “No. I don’t want to eat anything right now.”
“You’ve lost your appetite,” Song Ge said.
Tong Xiangyu heard the flatness in her voice. Suddenly, she pursed her lips and glared at Song Ge with red-rimmed eyes. She couldn’t keep the blame from creeping into her voice. “Why are you so cold? So heartless?”
“Should I be mourning them for you?”
Tong Xiangyu let out an angry huff. She didn’t want to talk to Song Ge anymore. But after a while, when Song Ge didn’t react at all, she remembered that everyone said Song Ge was twisted and abnormal. She couldn’t help adding, “You could try having a little compassion. It’s a human emotion.”
“Oh.”
Tong Xiangyu had said it patiently and kindly. Song Ge didn’t even look up.
“You’re so dismissive.”
Song Ge glanced up from her phone. “Then I’m not human. Happy?”
“You!”
“Go to bed early if you’ve got nothing else to say, Little Bodhisattva.”
