The Hint of Spring in the Corner

The sky was just beginning to lighten. Grey light squeezed through the pathetically small window, casting a slanting glow on the corner of the wall. The paint was peeling badly, resembling the wrinkled faces of old people, silently telling the ruthlessness of time. This room, rather than a home, was more like a pigeonhole, so cramped it made one's heart race.

Xiao Li rolled over, the bed creaking in protest against the confined space. He opened his eyes and saw his wife, Xiao Cui, staring blankly at the corner of the wall.

"What are you looking at again?" Xiao Li rubbed his sleepy eyes, his voice a little hoarse.

Xiao Cui didn't turn around and pointed to the corner: "Look, there's a blade of grass growing there."

Xiao Li followed her finger and, sure enough, saw a bit of tender green sprouting from the crack in the cement in the corner. So small, so weak, yet so stubbornly growing upwards.

"Oh, what's so strange about that? It's just a weed, they can grow anywhere," Xiao Li said dismissively.

"But this is our home." Xiao Cui's voice was low, as if she were talking to herself. "How do you think this grass grew? There isn't even a speck of soil in this corner."

Xiao Li scratched his head; he couldn't explain it either. They had rented this room for three years, and, let alone grass, there were hardly any living things, except for them and the occasional cockroach.

"Forget it, I'll pour boiling water on it in a bit," Xiao Li got up, ready to boil water for breakfast.

"Don't!" Xiao Cui quickly stopped him. "Leave it, it's kind of nice to look at."

Xiao Li was stunned. What was wrong with his wife? Usually, she hated these kinds of plants, saying they took up space and attracted bugs.

Breakfast was leftover steamed buns and pickles from last night. They ate in silence, neither speaking. The room was so quiet that you could only hear the sound of chewing and the silent breathing of the small blade of grass in the corner.

"Have you heard, they're giving subsidies for having children now?" Xiao Cui suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Xiao Li was startled, almost dropping the bun in his hand. "Yeah, it's all over the news, they give a certain amount for one child, and more for two."

"Do you think we should also..." Xiao Cui's voice trailed off, her head lowering.

Xiao Li's heart skipped a beat. They had been married for three years and hadn't had children, not because they didn't want to, but because they really didn't dare. This pigeonhole of a home was barely big enough for the two of them, let alone raising a child. Formula, diapers, schooling... which one didn't cost money? Their combined salaries were barely enough to make ends meet.

"Well..." Xiao Li stammered, not knowing what to say.

"Maybe we should try?" Xiao Cui raised her head, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "With the subsidies, life could be a little easier."

Xiao Li looked at his wife, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew Xiao Cui wanted a child; what woman wouldn't want a child of her own? But the reality...

"But our house..." Xiao Li gestured around. "There's barely room to put your feet."

"It's okay, we can squeeze in," Xiao Cui gritted her teeth. "When the child is older, we'll move to a bigger place."

"But..." Xiao Li wanted to say something, but Xiao Cui interrupted him.

"It's decided!" Xiao Cui's voice was filled with determination. "We'll have one too, no, two! Let those who look down on us see that we can live a good life too!"

Xiao Li looked at his wife, his heart aching. He knew Xiao Cui was gambling, gambling on an uncertain future.

In the following days, the young couple began to prepare for "making a baby." They scrimped and saved, buying nutritional supplements; they went to bed early and got up early, exercising; they even started researching parenting knowledge, looking forward to a better life in the future.

However, reality was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the flame in their hearts. Xiao Cui's belly remained still. They went to the hospital for a checkup, and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with either of them, just that they were under too much stress.

"Stress?" Xiao Li smiled bitterly. "Who isn't stressed these days? But can stress be eaten?"

Xiao Cui was also silent. They were constantly rushing around for their lives, like two spinning tops, constantly rotating, but never finding an exit.

Days passed, but the blade of grass in the corner grew more and more vigorously. It had already grown several leaves, green and vibrant, standing out in the dim room.

"Do you think this grass is possessed?" Xiao Li looked at the grass and suddenly blurted out.

Xiao Cui rolled her eyes at him. "What nonsense are you talking about? Grass is grass, there's no spirit."

"But it's growing so strangely," Xiao Li pointed to the grass. "Do you think it's mocking us?"

A surge of inexplicable irritability also rose in Xiao Cui's heart. She walked to the corner and pulled out the blade of grass.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Li was taken aback.

"It's irritating to look at!" Xiao Cui threw the grass on the ground and stomped on it several times.

"Sigh..." Xiao Li sighed, squatted down, and picked up the flattened grass. He gently smoothed the wrinkles on the leaves and replanted it in the crack in the corner.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Cui asked, puzzled.

"It's a life too," Xiao Li's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something. "We can't bully it just because it's small."

Xiao Cui looked at Xiao Li, a complex look flashing in her eyes. She suddenly felt that she and Xiao Li were like this blade of grass in the corner, living humbly and tenaciously. They strived to grow upwards, but they could never escape the shackles of fate.

"Do you think we should continue?" Xiao Cui's voice was laced with exhaustion.

Xiao Li didn't answer. He just silently looked at the blade of grass in the corner. The grass, flattened, was still alive and kicking, its roots deeply embedded in the cement crack, drawing in the meager nutrients.

"We should," Xiao Li's voice was soft, but firm. "We can't give up."

Xiao Cui looked at Xiao Li and nodded. She knew they still had a long way to go, a road filled with hardship and uncertainty, but they had to keep going, for themselves, and for the blade of grass in the corner.