Bai Li fixed things.
She repaired broken hinges, replaced loose screws, reinforced shelves,
cleaned filters, checked electrical connections, sharpened tools, and
even improved the seals around the windows. She had started keeping a
small toolbox near the living room because she had discovered that if
something went wrong, walking to the storage room for a tool was
apparently too much effort.
Yan Cijin had begun calling the toolbox "Bai Li's second child."
Bai Li objected every time.
That did not stop her from carrying it everywhere.
By noon, the apartment was warm from sunlight. The river outside
reflected so much light upward that the walls near the windows glowed
softly. Somewhere below, a child shouted. Another voice answered. A few
people were moving furniture in one of the lower apartments. Life inside
Building 9 had developed its own rhythm.
There were watches at the entrances. There were people assigned to water
