With much difficulty, Xiao Xiu and I managed to support Mimi and help her inside the house.
Xiao Xiu gently laid Mimi down onto her bedroom bed, then slowly turned around. Trusting me as if handing over a precious responsibility, he grasped my hand firmly, looked at me with determination, and said, “Sister Yan, I’ll leave my sister in your care. The room on the south side is the one you used to stay in; you can sleep in there tonight.”
With that, he left Mimi’s bedroom and returned to his own room.
I called my mother to explain the current situation, letting her know that Mimi and I wouldn’t be coming back tonight.
Afterward, I walked over to the walk-in closet, picked out a pair of pajamas similar to my size, and quickly slipped them on. Then, I picked up a nightgown and walked toward the bed.
Standing beside the bed, I looked at Mimi, who was sprawled out flat. Her delicate little face was flushed red, her lips slightly parted as she murmured indistinct words.
I gently reached out and carefully unfastened the hair clips and headwear from Mimi’s hair, terrified that I might accidentally hurt the little one.
Once her hair was undone, I patiently stripped away her gorgeous hanfu layer by layer and slipped the nightgown onto her. Then, I gently pulled the blanket up to tuck Mimi in.
Sitting by the bedside, I reached out and softly stroked Mimi’s cheek. As if sensing my touch, Mimi suddenly reached out, grabbed my hand, and muttered, “Elder Sister… don’t go…”
A wave of warmth washed over me; it seemed Mimi truly relied on me a lot.
I clasped Mimi’s little hand and responded in a low voice, “Mimi, don’t be afraid, Elder Sister is right here with you.”
I sat quietly by the bedside, watching Mimi’s sleeping face as I reflected on the days following the car accident. It was Mimi who had stayed by my side the entire time, giving me endless courage and strength. Those moments of pain and despair had become much more bearable simply because she was there.
Seeing her small body curled up into a ball, sleeping soundly like a little kitten, I carefully tucked the blanket neatly around her corner before quietly slipping out of her room and heading to the empty bedroom on the south side.
Stepping into this spacious bedroom, the first thing that came into view was a set of light, refreshing pale blue bedding.
The pattern design of the quilt was simple and elegant, and the surface was dotted with a few small, exquisite pearls a style that I would fall in love with at first glance.
Opening the wardrobe, everything that met the eye was my own clothing. Some pieces were neatly folded, while others hung neatly, varying in style.
My gaze shifted to the bookshelf nearby, where a few books were scattered about. Looking at the small characters on the spines, they looked remarkably like my own handwriting.
Curious, I opened one of them at random and discovered it was a theoretical book on simultaneous interpretation, with several handwritten notes of mine tucked between the pages.
Putting the book down, I lay back on the soft, spacious bed and stared at the ceiling, my mind racing with thoughts. I must have lived here for a period of time before.
What on earth happened in the past, and how would things develop from here on out? Just as my mind wandered with these idle thoughts, sleepiness gradually crept over me. I closed my eyes and drifted off into dreamland.
In the middle of the night, amid a hazy, half-awake state, I heard a sharp scream coming from next door. I jolted awake instantly, sprang out of bed, hurried over to her bedroom door, pushed it open, and rushed inside.
I saw Mimi sitting up in bed, staring blankly ahead with eyes full of terror, her body trembling uncontrollably.
I hurried to her side and asked softly, “Mimi, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
Mimi rubbed her eyes, looked at me, and threw her arms tightly around me, her voice choked with tears as she cried, “Elder Sister… Elder Sister…” Tears began to stream down her face in pattering drops.
I patted her back soothingly and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, it was only a dream. Elder Sister is right here.”
Mimi slowly calmed down. I helped her lie back down and tucked the blanket over her.
Her small face was still slightly flushed from the hangover, her eyes heavy with sleep as they fluttered half-closed. Raising her arm, she clutched tightly onto the hem of my shirt with her little hand, grievance evident in her voice as she mumbled in a tiny whisper, “Elder Sister… don’t go…”
“Alright, I won’t go,” I replied softly.
I slipped off my slippers, lay down right beside Mimi, gently patted her back, and began humming a lullaby.
Mimi’s breathing gradually steadied, and her grip on the hem of my shirt slowly loosened.
I breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to leave when Mimi suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Elder Sister, sleep with me…” she murmured.
My heart skipped a beat. Looking at Mimi’s adorable face, I couldn’t help but smile involuntarily.
“Alright, Elder Sister will stay with you,” I said as I carefully settled down right beside her.
Mimi pulled me contentedly into her embrace, pressing even closer against me.
Enveloped in her warmth, an incomparable sense of comfort washed over me, and soon I too drifted off into a deep sleep.
🥚 Easter Egg
(Xi Yumi’s Dream)
I stood holding an umbrella on a pitch-black, rainy night. The rain fell heavy and fierce, kicking up mist from the ground. Ahead of me on the pedestrian walkway stood a young woman dressed in a white dress, holding no umbrella. The traffic light was red, and cars flashed past her side in a blur with a loud whoosh.
I walked closer and looked intently, it was Elder Sister!
I shouted her name at the top of my lungs, but she acted as though she heard nothing, taking another step forward right toward the center of the road. At that moment, a sharp, piercing screech of brakes echoed through the air as a car grazed her right shoulder and knocked her down. She fell heavily backward to the right.
I tossed away my umbrella, bolted forward, and scooped Elder Sister into my arms, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.
“Ah—!”
I cried out loudly and snapped my eyes wide open, desperately trying to escape the illusion between reality and the dream.
I was awake. I sat straight up, my mind replaying the dream just now. It felt so vivid and real, involuntarily dragging me back to that terrifying car accident Elder Sister had suffered not long ago.
At that thought, my heart spiked into a frantic beat, making it almost impossible to breathe normally. I gasped heavily for air, desperately trying to calm the overwhelming fear and anxiety churning inside me.
Where was Elder Sister? Was she still in the hospital? I shook my head, my mind a chaotic blur.
Lately, I had been trapped in this recurring nightmare. The image of Elder Sister collapsing in my arms was something I could never banish from my mind.
Right at that moment, the bedroom door suddenly pushed open, and a figure rushed to my side, asking, “Mimi, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
I rubbed my eyes hard, looked intently, and saw it was Elder Sister! It really was Elder Sister? I threw my arms tightly around her, terrified that this might just be a dream terrified that once I woke up from it, Elder Sister wouldn’t be there anymore.