“Kay is my savior,” Mrs. Fish moaned happily.

After expressing her gratitude, Mrs. Fish left.

In the rumbling thunder, the silhouette of Kay’s face softened. She became almost beautiful. Mrs. Yi couldn’t hold back from saying what she had buried in her heart for decades. “After the accident, I returned to the cliff. I fished in the hole with my hands, but I didn’t find the crag-bean vine. But back then, we both saw it at the same time, didn’t we?”

“Yes, we did. Perhaps I took the herb away with me. For decades, it never left me—not in the daytime and not at night. How else could I be who I am today?”

Kay laughed brightly. Mrs. Yi also smiled.

Kay stretched out her hands, and Mrs. Yi held the warm, dry hands and exclaimed to herself, “These hands are really big and powerful like men’s hands!”

They sat opposite each other in silence, both recalling the past.

“You . . . ,” Kay said first.

“You . . . ,” Mrs. Yi responded.

“The fishing village was the reflection of Yun Village,” Kay said.

“Under the rosy sky, I cast a net from your fishing boat,” Mrs. Yi said.

Mrs. Yi heard a man sigh in the inner room.

“Who is he?”

“My patient and my husband. He and I are both survivors from the fishing village.”

“Dear Kay, so you have found your happiness. Please accept my belated congratulations.”

“Thank you, Chunxiu. I also congratulate you. As soon as I entered Yun Village, I felt that you were surrounded by happiness. At that moment I understood everything.”

They thought of the old director at the same time, and of the bright-colored banner. Suppressing the impulse to cry, they pretended to be recalling the happiest things in the world.

A noise came from the inner room. After a while, the man staggered out. He had a full beard, and his eyes were cloudy.

“Hey, you—” he said, pointing to Kay.

When Kay approached him, he slapped her, knocking her to the floor. Then he looked at Kay in surprise as she struggled on the floor. Mrs. Yi hurried over to help Kay up, and she was punched in the back, too. Grimacing in pain, Mrs. Yi still managed to carry Kay to the couch.

The man groaned and returned to the inner room.

“He’s suffering a lot, isn’t he?” Mrs. Yi asked Kay softly.

“Yes.” Kay nodded. “A huge wave swept his son away. When he had a seizure, he did not recognize me; he thought I was the sea. We are survivors.”

“Poor man.”

“He’s my patient, and I’m in love with him.”

Mrs. Yi shivered and gripped Kay’s hand. She saw some figures reflected in Kay’s pupils.

“Come in!” Kay shouted.

It was Mr. Yi. He set a basket of food on the table.

“Here are some buckwheat buns for you. Please eat them while they’re warm.”

Kay clapped her hands happily and shouted, “Honey! Come here and have a buckwheat bun!”