Zeyu looked from the chain around the gate to the truck owner standing beside Jingwei’s window.
Dust had settled into the folds of the man’s shirt and turned his hair gray at the temples. He kept one hand against the vehicle while he waited, apparently convinced they could go nowhere without his permission.
"How much do you think that gate weighs, Shichen?" Zeyu asked, keeping his eyes on the entrance.
The owner frowned through the glass. "What’s that supposed to mean? I told you what I want."
Shichen leaned forward between the seats, waiting for a break in the dust before answering Zeyu.
"It’s not heavy enough to stop us. The posts don’t look particularly sound, either." Shichen shifted his attention to the road beyond it. "But until we can see what’s on the other side, I wouldn’t push through."
Zeyu nodded. The gate itself had never worried him.
The woman beside their wheels and the people scattered around the yard were another matter. Even if everyone moved clear, he still couldn’t see enough of the road to pull out safely.
The owner slapped the window, drawing their attention back to him.
"Two cases of water," the owner repeated. "Put them outside, and I’ll take the chain off. You can be on your way."
Hanchuan reached for the microphone without looking away from the man.
"You need to step back from the vehicle," Hanchuan told him. "We’ve already said we’ll leave."
"And I’ve told you what you owe me." The owner glanced toward Jingwei’s rifle before looking up again. "What are you going to do? Shoot me because I asked you to pay?"
Zeyu checked Hanchuan’s reflection in the mirror. His friend hadn’t reached for a weapon, but the owner seemed to take that as a reason to stay where he was.
Before the man could say anything else, Zhiyi leaned slightly forward.
"Zeyu, can you move straight ahead before you turn?" she asked. "Would that take the wheels away from the woman?"
He checked the side camera. The woman’s companion had her propped against his chest, with her legs stretched out at an angle. There was room to pass them, provided her bare foot came closer to the wall.
"Yes, but he needs to move her feet first," Zeyu replied. "I don’t want her slipping toward us when we start."
"Then tell him where to put them," Zhiyi said. "He may not realize how close she is."
Zeyu pressed the speaker button and waited until the owner stopped talking.
"The man sitting beside the wall," Zeyu called. "I need you to look up here for a moment."
The woman’s companion raised his head. He had pulled his shirt over her face, leaving his own exposed. Dust clung to the wet tracks beneath his eyes.
"We’re going to pull forward," Zeyu explained. "Before we do, I need you to bring her feet closer to the wall and keep them there. Can you do that?"
The man looked along the vehicle toward the gate.
"You’re leaving us here?" he asked. "There’s nowhere else for me to take her."
Zeyu kept his foot firmly on the brake.
"We can’t stay beside you," Zeyu replied. "But I won’t move until you’ve got her clear. Take the time you need."
For a moment, the man stayed where he was, staring up at the window. Then he bent his head toward the woman and spoke into her ear.
She caught his wrist as he started moving her legs, and her cry carried through the microphone despite the wind.
Zeyu waited, watching the man pause and try again more carefully.
"Is that enough?" the man asked at last. "I don’t think I can move her any farther."
Shichen checked the image with Zeyu, then nodded.
"That’s enough," Zeyu assured the man. "Keep her there, close to the wall. I’m going to move slowly."
The owner stepped back as the engine’s sound changed. Zeyu eased forward, watching the narrow strip of concrete beside the tires.
The man tightened his arms around the woman while the long side of the mobile base passed them, taking their cover from the wind with it.
Qinghe stayed beside the monitor. He watched the dust reach them but didn’t ask Zeyu to stop.
The owner hurried alongside Jingwei’s window.
"You haven’t paid me!" the owner shouted. "You think you can just drive away?"
Ahead, his companion had been returning from the gate with the metal bar beneath his arm. He stopped when he saw the mobile base moving and looked toward the owner.
"Get in front of it!" the owner called to him. "Don’t let them reach the gate!"
The other man stared at him, then looked at the approaching bumper. After a brief hesitation, he stepped toward the fence instead.
On another day, Zeyu might have laughed.
Now he was watching a pale shape beyond the gate, trying to decide whether it was a person. Another gust lifted it, revealing a sheet of plastic caught against the bars.
"Everyone sit down and make sure your belts are on," Zeyu said. "I’m going to bring the bumper against it first. We’ll see what gives before I push any harder."
In the mirror, he saw Hanchuan help Zhiyi settle against her cushion. She adjusted her belt, then rested her hand briefly against his cheek.
Hanchuan turned his face toward her fingers before lowering his eyes to check the strap across her lap.
Zeyu looked forward again. He knew what the mobile base could handle. He needed to pay attention to what was actually in front of him instead of imagining every way this could go wrong.
Jingwei switched on the speaker.
"We’re coming through the gate," Jingwei announced. "Everyone needs to move away from the entrance. Don’t stand in front of us or beside the posts."
Something hard struck the vehicle’s side. Zeyu heard the impact but resisted the urge to look.
"Leave the camera on the road," Hanchuan told Jingwei. "We need to know what’s ahead more than we need to watch him."
The bumper met the gate with a dull clang. Zeyu stopped and let the engine idle. Both panels shook, the chain swinging between them while dust streamed through the headlights.
At the edge of the display, the man with the bleeding nose pulled the truck’s passenger door closed. The woman and child were still inside. He kept his hand on the handle and stood in front of it.
The owner noticed.