The boys were awake. They asked to be taken out for fun. But Mei with a scalded hand had to fi nish piles and piles of embroidery, which was their only source of income, and for which time had strict limits. If she delayed one piece, her salary would be deducted double. She had never expected it to be so, as she had never expected her children to be starving.
Mei could only concentrate on embroidery. The sun shone and fainted. The air seemed dull but not that dull. When the boys were asleep around eleven, she felt the pain of two blisters, which were abraded without her knowing. A chill crawled up her spine. The unbearable silence added a shock to the weariness of her body, as the immense emptiness crept into the softest part of her.