At an exit of the station, people crowded in and crowded out and crowded me. A sea of people marched down the steps like penguins. In order to stop the pregnant suitcase from knocking me off balance, I carelessly moved my bulging backpack from my front to my back. Mei, with the white of her sore eyes lined with red and her hardworking fi ngers bleeding, was concerned about me but couldn’t insist. Ru, who suff ered from infertility, was low in despair and therefore indiff erent. The discomforts from all directions overpowered me like screaming voices. And the voices made me somewhat headstrong and heedless. I clumped down by the wall. Mei and Ru stood watching me while waiting at a corner. When the steps were conquered, I was forced all the way up a long escalator. People pushed me closely. I could barely move, let alone remove my backpack. When reaching the end of the escalator, I found a zip was unfastened and my phone missing. Yet the terrifying sea of faces pressed down upon me like the coldest mountains I could ever remember.