The Strange World

The woman's body jolted. She first looked instinctively toward the door, at her pale-faced, still-shaken eldest aunt and the other relatives holding clubs but hesitating to come forward. Then she quickly glanced at the man beside her, her "husband," who seemed to have returned from hell, his presence icy and grim.

She didn't hesitate for long. Or rather, Xiao Ran's calm voice carried an unquestionable will that clamped around her heart like an iron band. She lowered her head, not daring to look Xiao Ran in the eye again, and hurried forward, pushing hard against the heavy wooden door with both hands.

"Creak—bang!"

The heavy door swung with tremendous momentum and slammed against the frame, cutting off the faces outside, all mingled shock, fear, and greed. Silence fell outside at once, as if the door had severed even the morning birdsong and the distant sounds of the town.

The fading echo of the rattling door panels resounded through the empty front hall.

Xiao Ran stood where he was, not moving at once. He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on the woman's back. Morning light slipped through the crack in the door and cast a narrow strip of brightness across her faded, coarse-cloth shirt.

The woman seemed to notice Xiao Ran's gaze, too. She hesitated for a moment facing the door before turning around, her back pressed tightly against the cold wood, her hands nervously twisting together in front of her.

She glanced quickly up at Xiao Ran, then immediately lowered her eyes again. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, with a faint tremor she tried to hide. "Y-you're... all right? Last night... in the backyard..."

"I slept well. I just had a dream about a few noisy old rats trying to gnaw through a wine jar.