That day...
Please forgive Yi Tongxi for never wanting to recall what happened that day.
If Yi Yufei were to describe it, he could only say it was a scorching Thursday afternoon with no classes. He stayed home cooling off in the air conditioning. Yi Tongxi had just finished filling out her college applications the day before. Auntie July was planning to take her on a trip to Southeast Asia, so she'd been preparing for the independent travel over the past couple of days.
Bai Lihua should have been at work during this time, but a sudden power outage hit her district—who knows why the power company didn't give advance notice? Anyway, her supervisor let them take a half-day off and head home early.
Taking the subway home, Bai Lihua first stopped at the nearby farmers' market to buy groceries. She picked up a large watermelon weighing about ten pounds, recalling how Yitongxi had mentioned craving watermelon that morning. But knowing that lazy kid, she knew he'd never bother to run out for it himself.
With temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius in Wangjiang, there were always a few frail individuals who succumbed to heatstroke each year. Perhaps Bai Lihua's cerebral hemorrhage had been triggered by this very heat, as the doctors had speculated—especially considering she'd been carrying over ten pounds of heavy produce.
In any case, she returned home and collapsed beside the living room sofa.
It was impossible to say exactly how it happened. Truly impossible. Both children were terrified. Daring not to move her, Yi Yufei called an ambulance. They rushed her to the hospital for emergency treatment, with Yi Tongxi trailing behind like a ghost, her mind a blank fog, unable to think clearly.
After a CT scan at the hospital, Bai Lihua required immediate surgery. The siblings waited outside, their legs weak and trembling. Unable to stand, they both collapsed onto a bench. Especially Yi Tongxi—her face was deathly pale, her body drenched in cold sweat. The immense tension and terror had triggered physical distress, and she felt like she might pass out at any moment. Yi Yufei wasn't much better. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and a sudden wave of stomach cramps hit him. He ended up leaning against the wall, retching.
When Aunt Bai and Uncle Bai arrived, the surgery was still underway. They decided not to tell Grandpa yet, fearing the shock might trigger his high blood pressure.
"Sweetheart," Aunt Bai said, her eyes reddened as she pulled Yi Tongxi into her arms, comforting her with infinite tenderness. "Don't be afraid, Xixi. It's okay, everything will be fine..."
Burying her face in her aunt's embrace, she finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Three hours later, Bai Lihua was wheeled into the intensive care unit. She remained unconscious, unable to breathe on her own and dependent on life support. The doctors stated her condition was extremely critical, urging the family to prepare for the worst.
The meaning was already crystal clear.
Fearing they might miss her final moments, my uncle hurriedly brought my grandfather over. At one in the morning, my aunt also rushed back from Shenzhen, but by then Bai Lihua was already in her final moments.
Heaven, none of this is real, is it?
Everyone gathered around the bed, calling out to her. Grandfather shouted, "Lihua!" Auntie and Uncle called, "Second Sister!" Auntie San cried, "Second Sister!" How desperately they wished she could open her eyes one last time to see them.
"Mom," Yitongxi clutched her hand tightly, her whole heart trembling. "Mom, it's Xixi. Don't leave..."
Please.
Just then, Bai Lihua wept.
She couldn't move, couldn't open her eyes, but she must have heard her daughter crying, calling for her mother. So she shed tears too.
Yi Tongxi instantly collapsed, throwing herself onto her mother and wailing uncontrollably.
Yi Yufei knelt on the other side of the hospital bed. He swore he would never forget that moment—his mother's tears as she neared death, filled with untold reluctance and sorrow. She knew she was leaving. What she was thinking, what she wanted to say, would forever remain unknown.
It was all over.
***
July brought the funeral, the burial, and the subsequent series of tasks: canceling household registration, transferring property ownership, inheriting the estate. All were completed with the help of family members. It all belonged to Yi Tongxi and Yi Yufei anyway; their grandfather wouldn't want it.
During that period, Aunt San and Aunt Da's family stayed at their home. Sometimes they'd ask about the details of the day the accident happened—whether Bai Lihua had collapsed in front of them, or if she'd said anything.
Yi Tongxi clenched her hands and shook her head softly. "I don't know. I was sleeping in my room."
They asked Yi Yufei next. He said, "I was showering in the bathroom. I didn't hear Mom open the door. When I came out, she'd already lost consciousness."
Third Aunt grew increasingly distressed. She pulled Yi Tongxi close and choked out, "Be good from now on. Stay close to your brother, understand?"
She nodded silently after a moment, but her red-rimmed eyes never once met Yi Yufei's. Nor did his. The siblings seemed still trapped within the nightmare.
One night—likely the late hours after Bai Lihua's cremation and burial—around three in the morning, Yi Yufei was overcome by severe insomnia. Stepping out of his room, he found the living room air conditioner off, hot air washing over him. In the darkness, he spotted a slender figure sitting before the coffee table.
He didn't need to look closely to know it was Yi Tongxi. She was curled up on the floor, her back against the sofa. Approaching, he saw she was eating watermelon.
It was the large watermelon Bai Lihua had bought, cut in half, being scooped out with a spoon. That was enough for several people, yet she had already finished half. Now, clutching the other half, she kept shoveling it into her mouth.
Yi Yufei found that behavior utterly sickening.
"Stop eating." It was the first time he'd spoken to her in days.
Yi Tongxi ignored him.
He stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and tried to wrest the spoon from her grasp. Naturally, she resisted, but she couldn't match his strength. Eventually, he snatched it away and slammed it hard against the kitchen doorway.
"I said stop eating! Do you fucking hear me?!" He erupted suddenly.
Yi Tongxi remained unmoved. "Mom bought this for me. What business is it of yours?"
Then, she scooped a piece of fruit flesh with her finger and numbly popped it into her mouth.
In that moment, Yi Yufei wanted to lash out. At himself, or at her.
"What's going on?" The adults, startled awake, stumbled out bleary-eyed to turn on the living room light. "What are you two arguing about?"
The light stabbed her like needles. She squinted, closing her eyes briefly to adjust before opening them again and looking up at Yi Yufei.
He hadn't shaved in days, had he? His jawline was thick with stubble, his bangs hanging limp at shoulder length. His eyes were dark and dull, his cheeks gaunt and sharp, giving him a gloomy, brooding look that made him seem anything but normal.
"You want to hit me." She stated it as a fact.
A heavy weight pressed down on her chest, suffocating her. She needed an outlet, but couldn't find one. She knew he felt the same—wanting to strike someone, or to be struck.
"What's going on?" Aunt San asked with rare sternness. "Your mother's gone. You two should be closer now. Why are you fighting?"
They remained silent. Aunt San saw Yitongxi's sweat-soaked hair plastered to her cheeks, sticky watermelon juice smeared across her chin and neck—she looked utterly disheveled. She sighed, pulled her to her feet, and led her to the bathroom to clean up.
"Feifei, you're so inconsiderate," Auntie scolded. "Don't you know to let your sister have her way? How disappointed your mother would be if she saw you two like this?"
Disappointed? She was dead. What disappointment could there be?
Yi Yufei turned and went back to his room.
He was certain his chronic insomnia began that very night. If he could, would banging his head against the wall make it better?
At dawn, while the adults went out to handle matters, he climbed out of bed, hair disheveled, barefoot, and walked to Yi Tongxi's room. Silently, he sat beside her, lowering his gaze to watch her.
She opened her eyes, her pupils bloodshot.
Yi Yufei touched her cheek. This face, bearing a faint resemblance to his own, now held an expression of such profound compassion—how beautiful it was.
"Brother." Her voice was hoarse, making him doubt whether this throat could ever laugh again.
After a long, silent gaze, he slowly lowered his head, burying his face in the hollow of her neck and wrapping his arms tightly around her.
He seemed to say something.
Yi Tongxi murmured a response, then heard him cry.