章 102: Heart Knots (Part One)
The afternoon sun cast its intense rays upon the quarry, where the occasional sound of stones being struck echoed softly. Little Lux crouched on a small dirt slope beside the quarry, deeply engrossed in play with her companions.
A tattered doll, a few rough insects woven from straw, and an old mask, its dye faded to a ghostly white, were the companions that had shared many such afternoons with little Lux.
The doll had been salvaged by her brother from a heap of refuse; after cleaning it, he presented it to her. Despite its worn appearance and the absence of one eye, Lux cherished it dearly, for it was a treasure found by her brother.
The charming straw insects were also crafted by him, and Lux had witnessed firsthand the effort he poured into making them beautiful.
However, despite her affection for these straw creations—little grasshoppers and butterflies—they were destined to deteriorate within a few days. Her brother explained that the straw would dry out and become brittle, making it prone to decay.
Thus, even though Lux treasured them dearly, they would soon be lost to her.
Fortunately, her brother was quite skilled at crafting these little creatures; if Lux's friends were to fall apart, he could recreate a delightful insect in just a few minutes.
To Lux, this was an extraordinary talent indeed.
In her small town, she had yet to encounter anyone who could weave such adorable creatures from straw like her brother could.
Thinking of him filled her little heart with pride.
Her brother, at just seven years old, had already learned to earn a living to support little Lux. In contrast, the son of Uncle Roar, who worked at the quarry and was of the same age, still wet the bed—what a thoughtless child he was!
To be fair, Lux had resolved not to trouble her brother by waking him in the middle of the night to help clean the sheets; by the time she was four, she had already learned to control herself.
After playing for a while on the small mound, Lux lifted her muddy little face and glanced with concern into the quarry, spotting her brother laboriously carrying stones that weighed as much as three Luxes combined, slowly making his way across the site.
Upon reaching the far side of the quarry, Garen climbed laboriously up the wooden ladder beside the sand-making machine, depositing the assorted stones he had carried into the large funnel atop the machine. Amidst the machine's buzzing roar, the ten-year-old boy wiped the sweat from his brow, his dusty hands smudging his already sun-kissed face, transforming it into a patchwork of dirt.
"Hehe…" From a distance, Lux couldn't help but giggle at her brother's muddy visage.
Seeing him brought her a sense of relief, and she returned to her play with her companions.
Though she knew her brother would never abandon her, Lux had developed a habit of glancing up every ten minutes to check on him. Only when she spotted that familiar figure in the quarry would she feel at ease and resume her games.
Occasionally, when she glanced over, she would catch the boy resting beside the sand machine, their eyes meeting from afar. In those moments, a smile would break across his sun-darkened face, and he would wave at her. Each time this happened, Lux felt a warmth blossom in her heart, as if something comforting filled her small chest.
The little girl was an orphan, and so was her brother.
Perhaps it was inaccurate to label them as orphans, for their mother was still alive. However, for the two young siblings, their experiences were akin to those of orphans.
When Lux was four, her father, who had only been in the military for six months, passed away.
Though her memories of that time were hazy, she still vaguely recalled a man who loved to carry her as they ran through the fields. The wind would joyfully brush against her cheeks, and amidst her startled cries, he would wear a radiant smile.
Yet all of that came to an abrupt end before the black coffin that was returned from the front lines.
At that time, little Lux did not comprehend what sadness meant, nor did she understand the concept of death.
She merely hid quietly with her brother behind the door, curious yet fearful as they watched their mother, who was known for her volatile temper, scream at those men who were said to be her father's comrades. Eventually, she kicked over the black coffin placed in the center of the room.
In that moment, Lux gazed upon the familiar yet distant face within the tilted coffin—once perpetually adorned with a cheerful smile, now marred by a ghastly hue of blue and black.
Is this my father?
Little Lux felt perplexed, for this version of her father seemed strange to her.
She could not fathom why her father lay motionless in that dark wooden box, and despite her mother's furious tirades, he remained silent. Though the uncles who had come with him appeared angry, why did her father not speak?
Lux was bewildered, and she felt her little hand being squeezed painfully by her brother.
Tilting her head in confusion, she curiously studied her brother's face, unsure why he seemed equally upset with their mother's behavior.
Though their mother often scolded Lux and occasionally struck her without reason, she was still their mother. After all, her father had said that their mother was Lux's most important relative, and she should respect her.
But why was her brother angry?
Little Lux was bewildered.
However, despite her brother's apparent anger, Lux still adored her mother, for she was, after all, the most important person in her life, as her father had once said.
Thus, when that evening her mother stepped out of their small dwelling, burdened by a large package, Lux followed her with uncontainable joy.
"Mother, where are you going? Can I come with you?"
Standing beneath the eaves, Lux eagerly approached as her mother unfurled an umbrella.
Yet, the innocent, cherubic smile on the little girl's face was met with a cruel shove, pushing her away without a thought for the harm it might cause. The woman, exasperated, snapped, "All you ever say is 'let's go together'! Where do you think you're going? You're so bothersome, do you even realize? I must have been out of my mind to marry that worthless man and give birth to such a useless little cling-on."
Though the shove was not forceful, it was overwhelming for tiny Lux.
Her delicate body collided painfully with the doorframe, eliciting a heart-wrenching cry of anguish.
"Mother, it hurts." The little girl, clutching her swollen head, began to sob sorrowfully.
"Cry, cry, cry! That's all you know how to do!" The sight of Lux's tears only intensified her mother's irritation, leading her to strike the girl across the face. "Stop crying! Do you hear me?"
Seeing the red imprint of her hand on Lux's cheek only made the girl weep harder. The woman, now furious, shouted, "All you do is cry! You're just as useless as your worthless father! What nonsense about going to the battlefield to achieve greatness? All that's left is a corpse and a pathetic little medal, and now I'm left with two burdens! I've had enough!"
With a heavy sigh, she flung the package onto her back, opening the umbrella as she stepped into the rain.
"Mother... sob... where are you going? sob... please don't leave, Lux won't make you angry again, sob sob... will you come back?"
As she watched her mother's figure disappear into the downpour, little Lux, though confused by the unfolding events, felt an inexplicable sense of dread and sorrow swell within her. It seemed as if her most cherished person was about to abandon her forever.
No matter how heartbroken and desolate the little girl cried beneath the eaves, her mother did not glance back even once, walking further away into the relentless rain.
"Wah... Mother... please don't go, Lux was wrong, come back quickly, sob..."
Wiping the tears streaming down her face, Lux became frantic as she dashed into the rain, allowing the icy droplets to drench her small frame.
"Lux! Where are you going?"
A panicked voice called from behind, halting the little girl in her tracks.
Standing bewildered amidst the torrential downpour, Lux felt the cold rain soak her to the bone. She wiped her tear-streaked face, unable to distinguish between her tears and the rainwater, and turned to see her brother, his face a mixture of shock and anger. "Brother... sob... Mother has left, she has left... sob... she doesn't want Lux anymore, sob..."
Watching his little sister, drenched and desolate, weeping bitterly, the boy's furious gaze shifted to the retreating figure of their mother. "Go away! Just go! If you leave, don't ever come back!"
His voice was filled with rage, as though he needed to unleash all the pent-up fury within him.
After he spoke, the boy rushed into the downpour, scooping up his shivering sister, ignoring the fading silhouette of their mother. At just seven years old, he cradled his cold, trembling sibling and hurried back into their small home.
"Brother... sob sob... Brother..." Lux cried in her brother's embrace, her sobs wracking her tiny frame. "Mother has gone, she has gone... sob... please go and bring her back, Lux will never make her angry again, I promise I will be good from now on, sob sob..."
Seeing his sister weep to the point of nearly losing consciousness, the boy's anger flared, nearly spilling over. He clenched his teeth, glaring at the retreating figure of their mother through the rain, his muscles taut with fury.
"Lux, that woman is dead to us! We will not acknowledge her! Never again!"
The rain fell heavily and mercilessly, drenching the cobblestone streets and casting an unseasonable chill over the summer night.
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