Chapter 20 - Into the Rain

By the time Yuzu had cleaned up the mess, Zwei was sitting at the table in his boxer shorts, his thin legs wrapped by a thin gauze bandage by Xiang. His right hand also had a fair amount of bandaging on it, including on his fingers. Xiang put away the medicine basket and returned to the table to find Zwei sighing.

“What’s wrong? Is it that painful?” Xiang asked.

“I’m just disappointed that the smelt was wasted.” Zwei sighed again, “And the food is cold now.”

Aside from the occasional winces of pain, Zwei seemed alright. Sitting next to Yuzu with a grumpy look, the similarity between him and his sister was extremely apparent. Across the table from them, Xiang ate voraciously as usual, often devouring an entire bowl of rice without taking a break. He also spoke with his mouth full even as he shoved and swallowed food in his mouth, a habit which Yuzu found equally crude and impressive.

“Zwei, with your marks you could go to any university you want, you know.” Xiang said, slurping his soup noisily, “Why don’t you become a doctor? Or if you like crime so much, you can become a lawyer.”

“It’s not really interesting to me, Xiang.” Zwei smiled, sipping at his soup using his left hand to hold the spoon. It was a bit awkward for him since he was right-handed, but he kept his bandaged right hand resting on his lap out of the way. “If I’m not interested then I won’t even be able to get out of bed in the morning.”

“You’re too lazy.” Xiang said casually, filling his bowl with another serving of rice. “You’re not suited for police work. You know, those guys stand on the street corner all day in the hot sun. They work long hours. They don’t get breaks.”

“It’s Zwei’s life.” Yuzu muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Zwei to hear.

“I’m not aiming for that kind of position.” Zwei said, “I’m going into detective work. Special cases. The kind that uses your brain.”

“It doesn’t matter, they all start at the bottom.” Xiang said.

“Well, I can suffer your lectures. I’m sure I can suffer a few years of menial work.” Zwei casually replied, cheerfully finishing off the food in his bowl. Unlike Yuzu, Zwei was rarely affected by Xiang’s blunt and harsh criticism. Yuzu figured it was because he was a guy, and that if he simply pushed back against Xiang, Xiang would give him respect. Yuzu on the other hand would just get yelled at more.

“You’re eating a lot today.” Zwei said to Yuzu, who had finished off her soup and the initial bowl of rice and stir fried pork. She had taken another serving of rice and was in the middle of serving herself another portion of pork.

“Ah. I guess.” Yuzu stuttered, her brows knitting gently in concern. She hadn’t even realized how hungry she’d been.

“It’s good. You’re too thin.” Xiang pointed his chopsticks at her in a brief moment where he was not shoveling food into his mouth, “Eat more.”

“You know- I think I’m fine.” Yuzu pursed her lips together in a small frown as she replaced the food in their serving bowls. She’d already eaten plenty. Based on her usual habits, it was rare that she even finished an entire bowl of rice.

Her stomach gurgled a little, protesting for more. She ignored it.

“Alright, I’ll be in the back.” Xiang said after finishing up his fifth bowl of rice. He stretched as he walked leisurely towards the back door. In the back of the shop was a small fenced off area of packed dirt. It was mostly empty, with only a few empty crates, some spare lumber and a small hand pulled cart for transporting furniture and larger items. Xiang had hung a hammock out in the back, and spent his evenings off lying in it and idly whittling at pieces of wood. On a rainy night like tonight, he’d often sit under the overhang and stare out at the rain.

“I’ll clean up.” Yuzu said to Zwei as she stood up as well, gathering Xiang’s bowl and cutlery.

“Thanks, Yuyu.” Zwei called her by his nickname for her. He groaned a bit as he gingerly stood up. There was a bit of a limp in his steps as he left the kitchen, heading to his room on the second floor. He hadn’t complained about the burns but Yuzu could tell that the pain was really affecting him.

Yuzu quickly threw the dishes and cutlery into the sink. They had finished the rice and the pork and potato stir fry dish, but there were still a few servings left of the spicy bean curd, and half a pot of soup. In the corner of the kitchen there was a trap door that opened up to a steep staircase, leading down into the larder. It was a cramped space, only a few paces long, with shelves on the three walls and the stairs taking up the entirety of the fourth.

Before her parents passed away, the larder was always full of food. Yuzu remembered there being a lot of cheese, meats and even a few bottles of wine. Once, Xiang had trapped her in the larder as a prank. Her parents didn’t realize she had been missing for a while because rather than scream and yell to be left out, Yuzu had simply curled up into a ball and shivered. Xiang had forgotten to let her out, so she had been trapped in the dark and cold cellar for an hour before her parents found her.

Yuzu always hated going down to the larder after that.

After her parents passed, the larder slowly became less and less full. Xiang believed that food should be bought and made fresh, and didn’t care much for cured or preserved foods. Since he was in charge of buying groceries, the amount of food that they stored downstairs was minimal.

Yuzu carried the two pots down to the larder one by one and placed them on the shelves near the door. After closing the trap door, she cleaned the dishes in the sink and dried them. She had perhaps spent a bit longer than usual wiping down the counter tops and dinner table. She turned off the gas lamp and lit a few candles instead to save gas.

Looking around the familiar dimly lit kitchen, Yuzu sighed. It was time to go. After glancing towards the back door, Yuzu made her way quietly to the open storage room, throwing on her boots and slinging the bag with the chest onto her back. Over top the bag she put on her coat, buttoning it up and throwing the hood over her head.

Like a mouse, she exited the room and headed into the shop. The door unlocked with a soft click and she pulled it open as slowly and deliberately as she could to prevent the bells from ringing. After slipping through the door she locked it with a key and stuffed the key into her pocket.

A dark, empty street lay before her, with only the soft hush of the rain as a backdrop against the silence. Spots of light lined the road in intervals from the lamp posts. Golden smoky threads shimmered amongst the rain drops, leading the way east towards the forest.

Yuzu walked quickly, with a conviction that she found both uncharacteristic for herself, but also comforting. She had been unsure of the necessity of the journey before and during dinner - or perhaps the better word would have been anxious - but now that she was making her way towards the shrine, she felt driven and focused.

As she reached the boundary between the city and the forest, the rain began to pick up from a light drizzle into a steady downpour. The low rumble of thunder rolled across the trees as they swayed back and forth in the growing storm.

It had slipped Yuzu’s mind to bring a lantern - she had been so concerned about sneaking out of the house that she didn’t realize it until she reached the final streetlamp on the road leading out to the forest. But for some reason she felt at ease walking into the dark.

As she stepped forward under the forest canopy an illusory golden light seemed to shimmer across the world, casting across everything in gentle smoky waves. A single golden string stood out from the rest, drifting at chest height along the path, leading the way. Yuzu intuitively knew who that string belonged to. She subconsciously quickened her pace.

The forest had a completely different appearance in the midst of the night. Yuzu did not know where she was going. The smoky light was enough to keep her footing stable and make her way quickly through the woods, but aside from that she had no impression of where she was in the forest, or what direction she was going.

“Still, I don’t feel lost at all.” Yuzu mumbled to herself. She looked up towards a spot in the distance, where her spiritual intuition told her was her destination.

Her feet were aching. Her hands were numb from the cold of the night. Her face was wet with rain and her pants were soaked. Yet these things didn’t bother her as she trudged through that dark landscape.

She was nearly there, at the base of the steep path that led up to the plateau. Above her, she could already see the black threads hanging in the air, converging towards the shrine.

The hazy golden light reflected quietly off of the trees and underbrush around her. Her hearing was muddled by the steady downpour of water and the low percussion of thunder in the distance. The forest beyond was draped in an endless shadow.

As she followed the path while looked up at the threads, her foot suddenly slipped on a patch of muddy rock. She fell forward, catching herself on her hands as she slid off the path completely.

Twigs snapped and bramble tore at her cloak as she tumbled down several meters, eventually coming to a stop at the base of a tree. Her heart was pounding as she stared up into the dark forest. The sudden shock and pain of the fall snapped her out of her reverie, a single question on her mind.

What am I doing here?