Lü Qiaolan's tears came streaming down, and her tear glands, long since dried up, began producing liquid again.
She fell to her knees and reached out toward the bear, as if to stroke it, yet she was also afraid—afraid that this was all an illusion.
Her hand touched the bear's head. The bear was very well-behaved as Lü Qiaolan stroked it.
Lü Qiaolan burst into tears. She snatched up the bear hidden behind the door and hugged it to her chest.
The toy bear lay obediently in Lü Qiaolan's arms, its head tilted to one side. Its glass eyes seemed to be watching Chen Xiao Qiu and me.
Chen Xiao Qiu walked up behind Lü Qiaolan.
The door had been flung fully open by Lü Qiaolan's movements.
From where I stood, I couldn't see inside. I could only see Chen Xiao Qiu frowning, as if she'd spotted something disturbing.
I hurried over to her.
The entryway and the living room beyond it looked familiar. Only vaguely familiar, as if I'd seen similar decor somewhere before.
At first glance, I didn't see anything unusual. It wasn't until I noticed the two people trembling slightly inside that I realized something was wrong.
Zhang Xiaojun and his father were hiding in the corner of the living room, behind a small table tucked into the crook of the sofa. It was right against the wall and the window, and the floor-length curtains had been shoved there too, obscuring most of their figures.
They were trembling, staring at the doorway in terror.
Chen Xiao Qiu reminded Lü Qiaolan to look inside.
Lü Qiaolan stopped crying and looked at Chen Xiao Qiu in confusion, then followed her gesture toward the room.
"Junjun! Honey!" Lü Qiaolan stood up, still holding the bear.
I saw the father and