The sky that morning was perfectly clear. The scent of flowers blooming throughout the garden drifted on the breeze, bringing a strange sense of ease to the heart. Before leaving, Zhonghe looked at Xi for much longer than usual. He stroked her head, straightened a small wrinkle in her dress, and gave her a very loving smile.
"I'll come home early today, Xi... the three of us will go for a long walk somewhere far away." With those words, Zhonghe stepped out onto the road. Looking at him as he left, Xi's face radiated immeasurable happiness. She waved until he disappeared around the bend.
That day, she finished her household chores even faster and with more enthusiasm than usual. She swept the kitchen and even prepared a meal that Zhonghe loved. Then, wearing her best dress, she sat on the step in front of the house. I curled up at her feet.
The sun set slowly. The sky turned from gold to gray, and then to a deep blue. As the city lamps were lit one by one, Xi's eyes remained fixed on the end of the road.
"He'll be here soon... he'll be here soon..." she whispered to herself from time to time.
But time slipped away. Midnight arrived. Although a great darkness enveloped the entire city, those familiar footsteps were never heard. Xi sat on the doorstep, shivering from the cold. My demon instincts sensed a dire omen. I felt as if the surrounding environment had turned pallid. There was no sign of Zhonghe.
As time passed, Xi's joy turned to fear, and that fear turned into a profound sorrow. A single tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto her hands. She didn't even wipe it away. She sat there like a stone statue. Exhausted after staying awake all night, Xi had fallen asleep leaning against the doorframe just as the first birdsong of dawn was heard. Her face still held the painful hope that he would return.
One day passed. Two days, three... a whole week went by. Xi was still at that doorstep. She ate nothing. Her body grew weak, and she became so emaciated that the sound of her breathing could be heard clearly. Even if a leaf fell from a tree on the road, she would startle, thinking Zhonghe had arrived.
As time continued to pass, I could no longer stand to watch this. I slowly left the house. In a place where no one could see me, I returned to my true form. I had a small amount of money that Zhonghe had hidden in the house. Covering my wings and face with a cloak, I went to a shop and bought two buns.
Taking the form of a dog again, I went back to Xi with the two buns. I placed them on her lap and gently nudged them toward her hand. With a sorrowful smile, Xi looked at me and picked up a bun. But she didn't eat it. Holding it in her hand, she looked back at the road. Using my front paw, I slowly pushed her hand toward her mouth. 'Eat, sister... eat...' my heart screamed at her. Finally, she bit off a small piece. I felt a slight sense of relief.
Days turned into weeks. Xi still watched the path Zhonghe had taken that morning without closing her eyes. her rosy cheeks had sunken in, and dark circles formed under her eyes. She gripped the hair clip Zhonghe had gifted her so tightly it was as if it were a part of his body. I could no longer just stay by her side as a dog. To satisfy her hunger and save her life, I had to use my true strength.
Every day at dawn, before the city awakened, I slipped out of the house. At the end of a deserted street, I transformed into my true self. I wrapped an old cloak from head to toe to hide my wings and the secret markings on my face. Then, I went in search of the lowliest jobs in the city.
I had never done human work before. My palms began to bleed as they collided with rough stones. I washed massive piles of laundry in the city and carried heavy sacks across the market on my shoulders. Even as my body trembled with pain, the image of my helpless sister sitting at the doorstep flashed before me. "Who is this girl? Covering her whole face and working so hard?" I heard people whispering and pointing at me. But I said nothing to them. My only goal was to find a coin or two before evening to buy her something to eat.
In the evening, I slipped back into the house in the form of a dog. I placed the bit of food I carried in my mouth onto Xi's lap. Xi looked at it with lifeless eyes.
'Xi... eat... I brought this for you with great difficulty,' I told her from my heart.
Every time she was reluctant to eat, I encouraged her by nudging her hand with my paws and licking her face. Every morsel she ate was a comfort to my heart. When she shivered with cold at night, I curled up at her feet, giving her the warmth of my body.
As a few weeks passed, the small amount of money Zhonghe had left behind ran out. Now, we could not both survive on the pittance I earned. I forgot my own hunger. I sacrificed everything I earned from working all day for Xi. Even though I grew thinner day by day, seeing Xi's breath still falling rhythmically was my only hope.
But Xi was still watching that path. One day, she spoke to me in a very weak voice:
"How could he do this to me? He promised me... he won't break his promise..."
Seeing that hope of hers, I felt a pain so sharp it felt like my chest would burst. I looked at her through eyes that were not truly mine and shed tears. Zhonghe... where are you? How much longer can I keep my sister like this?