During the Snowstorm by Mo Bao Fei Bao

Chapter 4.4 Affairs of the Rolling Red Dust

It was late at night, and the quietness of the small apartment was almost palpable. Yin Guo had already turned off the main light, leaving only the dim glow of the small lamp on the bedside table. The sound of the person next door snoring could be heard faintly, but otherwise, there was no noise.

Lin Yi Yang sat on the cushioned sofa with his leg stretched out, his pants rolled up to reveal the long, shallow wound on his shin. He attempted to stick the adhesive bandages horizontally across the cut, but each time he tried, the band-aid failed to cooperate, crumpling into a ball in his hand.

"I can do it myself," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, but his voice broke on the last word.

Yin Guo heard the catch in his voice and glanced over at him. The usually composed man looked vulnerable in the dim light, as if the day's events had chipped away at his armor. She reached over and took the band-aid from his hand.

"It's alright," she said softly, her voice soothing. "Let me help you."

He nodded mutely, grateful for her offer. As she began to apply the band-aids to his wound, he couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions bubbling up inside him. It was rare for him to allow himself to be vulnerable, but here in this small room, with the soft light and Yin Guo's gentle touch, he felt like he could let his guard down.

Despite his initial reluctance, Lin Yi Yang realized that it would be best to use a bandage. He carefully opened the medical gauze and wrapped it around his leg, but it was too thin, so he added another layer. As he wrapped it up, Yin Guo noticed that he had forgotten to bring scissors.

"I'll go get them," Yin Guo said, throwing the sentence over her shoulder as she tiptoed out of the room. She didn't turn on the light, instead using the bright light from her phone to navigate her way to the scissors. After finding them, she returned to the room, where Lin Yi Yang had already tied the bandage.

Taking the scissors from her, he carefully cut the gauze to the appropriate length. He then deliberately leaned the scissors against the wall so that Yin Guo wouldn't accidentally step on them.

"Are you sleepy? Can we talk for a bit?" he asked.

"I'm wide awake." Yin Guo pulled a square cushion over, positioned it on the floor, and sat before him, hugging her knees.

Lin Yi Yang's legs were too long for the sofa, so he stretched them out on either side of her body and rested his arms on his own knees. In this way, she sat between his legs, facing him.

"I don't have many relatives. My parents have passed away, and my younger brother got married last year."

"That's quite early, isn't it?" Yin Guo asked.

Lin Yi Yang fixed his gaze on Yin Guo, his mind wandering as she spoke. She wasn't surprised to hear his story; he suspected Meng Xiaodong had something to do with it.

"My brother is several years younger than me. When our parents passed away, he was taken in by a relative who had no children and raised him like his own. He's doing well, and when he got married, I tried to give him some money, but he refused to take it. He didn't want to be a burden to me," Lin Yi Yang said.

"He must care about you a lot," Yin Guo nodded, understanding his brother's reluctance to accept help.

Lin Yi Yang gave a small smile. "Yes, he's always been good to me. I don't have to worry about taking care of a big family as some people do."

Yin Guo responded with a soft "uh-huh," a pang of sympathy hitting her as she thought about his past struggles.

Their self-introductions felt awkward and forced as if they were on a blind date and exchanging family backgrounds. Yin Guo vividly recalled having a similar conversation with Lin Yi Yang on the subway, but this time it felt different.