So she simply kept her eyes shut, pretending nothing had happened.
‘Mm, nothing happened. As long as I don’t see others, they can’t see me.’
But no matter what, she could still hear sounds, and no matter how she pretended, she would still be nervous.
The sounds of children running, women whispering, and an old man saying something she didn’t catch, but it was probably not proper.
But Ilya seemed to hear nothing, just kept walking forward.
Flora nestled in her arms, feeling the rhythm of her steps, steady and even. But at the same time, Flora’s face was hot, and her heart was pounding violently.
As they passed the flower shop, she heard the door open, and someone came out, pausing in their footsteps, probably looking at them.
Flora, for some reason, slightly opened her eyes and looked in that direction, clearly seeing the person looking at them. It was the girl from the flower shop, her face showing surprise and… a hint of envy and admiration.
Seeing that, Flora quickly closed her eyes. After that, nothing much happened. Or rather, she just kept lying there, being glanced at by passersby.
Then they returned to the inn room.
Then she was gently placed on the bed.
At that moment, Flora turned her head. Ilya stood by the bed, looking down at her, her expression completely different from before.
Now she was her usual self—calm, indifferent, showing no emotion. As if the person who had just been holding her on the street, saying “Let’s spoil our little princess,” wasn’t her at all, and had never existed.
Flora sat up and looked at her.
Ilya felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze, slightly turned her head, walked to the window, sat down in her usual chair, and picked up the book.
Flora stared at her back for a few seconds.
“Mother.”
“Mm.” Ilya didn’t turn around.
“You just…”
“What about just now?” Ilya opened the book, her tone flat.
Flora opened her mouth to say something, but seeing the figure seriously reading, the words on her lips turned into a helpless sigh.
“Nothing.”
Ilya hummed in acknowledgment and continued reading.
The room fell silent.
Flora sat on the bed, staring at that figure for a while, then fell back and lay down.
Being carried all the way, she kept her eyes closed the whole time, but her ears were listening.
The sounds of passersby, the hushed conversations, the feeling of being stared at—thinking about it now, her face still felt a bit hot.
‘But what bothered her more was: Why did Ilya suddenly act like that?’
‘No, not “suddenly like that,” but “suddenly like that then suddenly changed back.”
The person on the road who laughed so happily, dragged out her words, insisted on carrying her, and the person now sitting by the window quietly reading—were they really the same person?’
‘Ilya isn’t really so bored that she suddenly went crazy, is she?’
Flora turned her head and glanced at that back again.
Ilya turned a page.
Her movements, her posture, exactly the same as usual.
‘Forget it, I can’t figure it out.’
Flora withdrew her gaze and continued staring at the ceiling.
Sunlight from outside leaked through the curtain gap, falling on the blanket at the foot of the bed—a small, bright patch. Flora stared at that patch of light for a while, then suddenly thought of something.
“Mother.”
“Mm.”
“That river…”
Ilya paused in turning the page, then looked up.
“Go this afternoon?”
Flora thought for a moment, then said, “Yes.”
“Okay.” Ilya agreed, then lowered her head to read again.
‘The conversation was simple, crisp, without extra words. This was Ilya’s normal way of speaking. That Ilya on the road earlier was definitely not Ilya, definitely possessed by something!’
‘Hmph, that must be it.’
Flora lay for a while longer, then sat up, walked to the window, stood beside Ilya, and looked outside.
There were more people on the street than in the morning. Some were carrying loads on poles, some were chatting by the roadside, a few children were chasing each other, their laughter carried over from a distance.
She watched the running children and suddenly said, “I was like that when I was little.”
“In the summer, with Eileen and nine other friends, we would catch fish and have water fights. Our clothes would get completely soaked, and we’d get scolded when we got home.”
“Right by that river.” Flora continued, her gaze still outside.
She paused, then the corner of her mouth curved. “After being scolded, we’d go again the next day.”
“I remember feeling like the river was so wide, I could never swim across. Later, when I grew up and came back, it was actually just that—a few steps and you’re across.”
Ilya turned her head and glanced at her. Flora sensed it, but she didn’t look back, continuing to watch the children playing outside.
After she finished saying this, she was silent for a few seconds. Then she turned back and looked at Ilya.
“Mother, did you go to a place like this when you were little?”
Ilya was silent for a while.
“Yes.”
“What was it like?”
“There was a lake,” Ilya said. “The water was very cold, but we would go in the summer.”
After she said this, she didn’t continue. Flora waited for a while, confirming that she really didn’t intend to say more. She didn’t press further either.
The two of them just stood there like that, one looking out the window, one reading a book, neither speaking.
But Flora walked over to Ilya’s side, then stood quietly.
In the afternoon, the sunlight was much brighter, but not hot. It felt warm and cozy on the skin.
Flora and Ilya left the inn and walked toward the north of the town.
This time they walked slowly, unlike the morning when they had walked quickly.
There were fewer people on the street than at noon, probably all napping. Occasionally one or two people passed by, also taking their time, not in a hurry.
After leaving the town here, there was no dirt road, just a large grassy field with sparse trees. Flora and Ilya walked on the grass, which came up to their ankles. Their feet stepped on the soft soil, feeling a little damp.
A little further ahead, they could see the river.
“We’re almost there,” Flora said to Ilya beside her.
The river wasn’t wide—maybe twenty or thirty steps to the other side. The current was so slow it was almost imperceptible, only occasionally seeing a leaf or two drift by on the surface.
On both banks were low earthen slopes, covered not only with grass but also with some unknown flowers. A few willow trees were planted by the river, their branches hanging down almost touching the water.
Flora stood on the riverbank, looking at all this.