Mr. Lizard Outside the Window

In a stormy, rainy night, Ban Xia takes in a small, battered lizard that crawled into her house through the window. To care for it, she accidentally spends all her savings, nearly leaving herself without breakfast the next morning. From then on, every morning, she is astonished to find her home spotless and a steaming hot breakfast waiting on the table. One day, the magical little lizard suddenly disappears. Worried, Ban Xia ventures into the rain to search for it, only to find a drenched man in a bamboo grove, scales still visible on his ankles. The man lies in pain among the bamboo leaves, covering his face with pale fingers, his voice low and trembling, “Don’t come near me. Don’t look at me…” Ban Xia respects his words and stays by his side, shielding him from the storm all night with her umbrella. She doesn’t want to see him weep in winter’s cold again. She cannot bear to let him flee, scarred and broken, into a lonely world. In a world where true understanding is rare, without him, no one else could stand by her side.