Disbelief: Jiang Xu Watches Liang Xiaoqing in Silence

Wang Cai was dead. The only person in the world connected to Jiang Xu by blood was gone.

When Jiang Xu learned the news, she was still thinking about the way Wang Cai had smiled as she held her that day. It wasn't a dream. In her memory, Wang Cai rarely smiled, but that smile in her mind was incredibly real—truly real, etched deep into Jiang Xu's brain. Jiang Xu had always remembered it clearly. From childhood to now.

She heard it from a group of strangers. They got into Liang Xiaoqing's house easily, saw her curled up on the sofa, and a woman came over to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, we're staff here to help you."

Jiang Xu hadn't fully registered what was happening. She felt afraid, wondering why Sister Xiaoqing hadn't come back yet. She couldn't wait any longer—she still had to go home.

She shook her head and said to the woman, "I want to go home." Having not spoken all night, her voice came out hoarse. Not only did she want to go home, she was also wondering why Sister Xiaoqing hadn't returned.

Two people were blocking the door, and including the woman comforting her, there were three in total. Jiang Xu tilted her head, looking outside, hoping to see Liang Xiaoqing.

The woman seemed to understand her confusion and said, "Don't worry. It was Teacher Liang who asked us to pick you up. See," the woman pulled out a small key, "she's not available right now, so we'll take you somewhere first."

It was an emotion even more wistful and helpless than before. Last time, Liang Xiaoqing had told her she shouldn't stay in that house, but she hadn't learned her lesson and had stayed anyway. This time, Liang hadn't even told her in person. Jiang Xu knew she had caused trouble for Liang Xiaoqing again. Her heart twisted into a knot, and she couldn't stop feeling sad. She let out an "Mm."

"..." The woman took her hand and led her out of the house.

On the way back, she kept thinking about what Wang Cai looked like when she was active. She still couldn't believe Wang Cai had simply died. Just like before, no matter how badly Jiang Daguo beat her, Wang Cai would always be standing in front of her the next day, limping. Once her injuries healed, she'd get beaten up all over again the next time Jiang Daguo flew into a rage.

This time, she couldn't just watch coldly, and she couldn't truly obey Wang Cai and do nothing. She had to keep studying, work hard, and take Wang Cai away from Jiang Daguo. She could support her. She couldn't keep watching Wang Cai show up in front of her with a battered face, telling her it was nothing...

And she couldn't think about Sister Xiaoqing anymore.

Sister Xiaoqing had already helped her more than enough...

As she walked, she didn't notice that they weren't heading home at all. The woman led her to a single-story house where a row of rooms stretched across.

"You'll stay here for the next couple of days. Someone will bring you three meals a day."

Jiang Xu grew uneasy. "I want to go home."

The woman's face was full of sympathy, but she still forced a smile to comfort her: "Something's happened at your house right now. Just stay here for a couple of days."

"Then my mom..."

"Don't worry. Teacher Liang has already sent her to the hospital. Teacher Liang asked us to find you a place to stay first. Luckily, there's still space in the resettlement housing. Don't overthink it—once everything is settled, Teacher Liang will come get you in person."

"Sister Xiaoqing..." Jiang Xu murmured.

Oh... so this was Sister Xiaoqing's arrangement. A sudden calm settled into her heart. So she had misunderstood Sister Xiaoqing.

She trusted Liang Xiaoqing completely. If Liang Xiaoqing was there, then Wang Cai would most likely be fine too—she'd already taken Wang Cai to the hospital... The hospital, it would probably be the county hospital. That was the farthest hospital from Shuiqing Town that Jiang Xu knew of. Wang Cai had once walked there on foot, carrying Jiang Xu on her back to see a doctor. The township clinic couldn't cure her, but when she went to the county hospital and took the medicine, she got better.

Her experiences with illness were few, but Jiang Xu remembered it clearly—it was the first time she'd tasted death, strange and cold. Death was cold. Jiang Xu thought that Wang Cai's body was like an old garment patched everywhere, gray and unremarkable, as if it couldn't be worn again, yet still wearable. Wang Cai would always pull through.

She gradually calmed down.

She waited patiently, no longer saying she wanted to go home. She sat in the corner by the bed, sitting there for half a day at a time. She didn't dare sleep too much either. She was waiting, waiting for the moment when the person who pushed open the door would be Liang Xiaoqing. She could imagine Liang Xiaoqing smiling at her in comfort: "Your mom's fine now. Just go home and rest up, and she'll be okay."

She waited from day to night, then from night to day. Aside from the person delivering food pushing the door open, there was no sign of anyone else. She had no appetite and might eat only a little in a whole day. She didn't feel very hungry. She stayed there for several days. The person bringing food said she could go out for a walk, told her not to worry too much, but she was afraid of missing Liang Xiaoqing or Wang Cai. She had never felt time pass so slowly. Day and night, she waited.

Another evening came. The room was lit by a bright electric bulb, casting a pale glow on Jiang Xu's cheeks. The door creaked, and Jiang Xu stirred.

It was the woman who had brought her here that day.

The meal from noon still sat untouched on the table by the wall. The woman was carrying dinner in her hand and frowned: "Jiang Xu, why aren't you eating? Teacher Liang specifically told you to eat well."

Hearing the words "Teacher Liang," Jiang Xu's eyebrows twitched.

The woman set the plate on the table, then walked over with a bowl of congee. The soft, cooked rice fragrance kept wafting toward Jiang Xu's nose. Sweet potatoes were cooked into the congee, and Jiang Xu could smell their sugary, sweet aroma.

"Eat up. If you don't eat at all like this, you'll starve yourself." She handed the bowl to Jiang Xu, who took it. The woman went back to the table, picked up a big steamed bun from another bowl, and said, "If something happens to you, Teacher Liang will be frantic—she might even come looking for trouble with me..."

Her tone carried a hint of jest, rising slightly at the end. She handed the bun to Jiang Xu, who stared at its golden-brown crust, thinking of the buns Wang Cai used to make.

Under the woman's gaze, she took a bite of the bun and then a sip of congee. With that cooperation, the woman waited until she finished eating, then took away the untouched noon meal as well.

Before leaving, she said, "Don't worry. Teacher Liang will come get you soon."

The door closed.

Only then did Jiang Xu remember she had questions to ask. She ran to the door, trying to pry it open and ask for specifics.

Outside the door came the sound of movement—the woman hadn't come alone.

A man was talking with her, exchanging casual remarks about unimportant matters.

The woman suddenly sighed. "That Wang Cai died the moment she got to the hospital. Such a young child losing her mother, it's really pitiful..."

The voices faded as they walked away.

Jiang Xu slowly shrank back, sitting on the edge of the bed like she hadn't heard anything, taking bites of the bun. She remembered that the thing Wang Cai made most often at home was steamed buns. When she made enough, they weren't just for Jiang Daguo alone—Jiang Xu would occasionally get to eat two as well. Sometimes Wang Cai would save two with meat filling for her.

The cabbage-stuffed bun was bland and tasteless, a far cry from Wang Cai's cooking. Jiang Xu choked a little as she finished it, so she took a sip of water to wash it down. These past few days, she had barely slept at all, and after eating she began to feel drowsy. She lay down on the bed but didn't dare close her eyes. She hadn't turned off the light. Being alone in such a cold, empty silence was something Jiang Xu wasn't used to. When she closed her eyes, she could feel the light surrounding her.

Jiang Xu tossed and turned a couple of times but couldn't fall asleep, so she opened her eyes again. The big bulb on the ceiling must have just been replaced—its brightness was intense. Jiang Xu squinted, watching the bulb emit ring after ring of halos. She wasn't really trying to sleep either. If she fell asleep, she might miss Liang Xiaoqing coming to find her.

Jiang Xu was a stubborn child. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she still held her doubts. And she trusted Liang Xiaoqing. Otherwise, she wouldn't know what to do...

In her little head, Jiang Xu churned over thoughts a girl her age shouldn't have to carry, piece by piece. Seizing this rare, idle stretch of empty time, she reviewed her whole life from childhood to now, like a little adult. But the halo before her eyes grew fuzzier and fuzzier. After running through all ten-plus years of her life, she realized she had already been through worse things.

The fear of the unknown faded significantly. The halo in front of her blurred, and Jiang Xu felt like she was standing on a rainbow, with everything drifting far away from her. She closed her eyes peacefully and finally fell asleep.

Sleeping with the light on was a luxury. It felt like someone was there with you, like nothing else mattered. Jiang Xu let her guard down. Once her nerves relaxed, her body didn't want to move anymore.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already daylight.

The village loudspeaker was blaring, invigorating the townsfolk. Jiang Xu had been woken up by the noise. The bulb that had kept her company through the night was still lit, but with daylight spilling in, its glow was too dim to matter.

A slight weight by her hand drew her gaze. Beside the bed was a dark, fuzzy head, pressed against her arm buried under the quilt.

Jiang Xu wiggled her fingers, her arm still dangling at her side. The even, drawn-out breathing suggested the person leaning close was exhausted. Jiang Xu watched Liang Xiaoqing in silence, her own breath growing slow and light.

Sister Xiaoqing had come to find her. That was her first thought. It made her happy.

Since Sister Xiaoqing was back, did that mean Wang Cai wasn't in any serious danger? She thought she'd ask when Liang Xiaoqing woke up.

Liang Xiaoqing stirred, rubbing her head against the quilt. Jiang Xu thought she was about to wake up and suddenly grew nervous, not knowing what to say to her or how to ask about Wang Cai.

But it was only a false alarm—Liang Xiaoqing didn't move. Sleeping in that curled-up position must have been uncomfortable. Jiang Xu wondered when she had even arrived. Was it in the middle of the night? Jiang Xu had slept too deeply. If she had woken up in time, Liang Xiaoqing wouldn't have had to spend the whole night hunched over the bedside.

Jiang Xu gingerly moved her hand and slowly slipped her arm free. Fortunately, Liang Xiaoqing didn't wake up. Jiang Xu thought about getting out of bed and going home to check for herself. After all, Wang Cai was her mother. She knew that this time, Liang Xiaoqing had helped her again. She felt even more grateful to Liang Xiaoqing.

But she really couldn't get out of bed easily. Liang Xiaoqing's body blocked her on one side, and the wall was on the other. Jiang Xu sat up a little, reaching out cautiously, and touched Liang Xiaoqing's head. Her hair felt softer than she'd imagined. Jiang Xu snatched her hand back as if stung.

She looked at the foot of the bed, gauging the distance, and shuffled further down, her curled legs aching slightly. But she didn't want to wake Liang Xiaoqing, and she didn't want to make her worry about her affairs any more than she already had. Jiang Xu was still wearing the cotton coat from the day they'd run down the mountain. She frowned slightly—mostly at herself. She was too young. Everyone treated her like a child.

Of course, only in the literal, age-related sense.

Jiang Xu felt that very few people had ever truly cared for her. Wang Cai's kindness to her was restrained, tinged with pain. Only Liang Xiaoqing—she could feel her goodwill, and most of the time it was sincere, without any burden attached.

Jiang Xu didn't move away, so she kept looking at Liang Xiaoqing's face for a while. Her face was hidden behind her hair. Jiang Xu extended her fingertip, picked at the hair in front of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. Her fair, clean face was revealed, with deep shadows under her eyes.

As she looked at the dark circles under Liang Xiaoqing's eyes, she didn't notice the curl of Liang Xiaoqing's fingers twitch. Without any warning, those closed eyes opened, a layer of watery light sheen over her tired gaze, meeting Jiang Xu's line of sight directly.

"You're awake." Liang Xiaoqing sat up with difficulty, rubbing her eyes. "How have things been here these past few days?"

"... Fine." Jiang Xu quickly looked away and scrambled off the bed. She hadn't noticed anything unusual about Liang Xiaoqing.

She stood up, but Liang Xiaoqing grabbed her hand.

"... Xiao Xu..."

She turned her head to look, seeing Liang Xiaoqing's slender white fingers circling her wrist, her thumb gently rubbing back and forth, tickling Jiang Xu's wrist. Liang Xiaoqing had lost all her usual liveliness—she was wilted, listless, like a flower soaked through by rain, carrying a faint fragility: "... I'm sorry. Your mother, she..."

She thought, how could that be?

Her gaze landed on Liang Xiaoqing's dry, pale lips. Even though she had a bad feeling, she still clung to the hope of a miracle, just waiting for Liang Xiaoqing to say it aloud.

"She's dead..."

Liang Xiaoqing lowered her head in guilt, her lips trembling, but she still tried to stay calm: "Xiao Xu... I..."

Jiang Xu pulled at her lips. "Then where is my mom now?" She spoke almost in a daze, her mind a blank.

"... She's..."

For the first time, Jiang Xu flung away Liang Xiaoqing's hand without a trace of reluctance and ran in the direction of her mother. Jiang Xu had always been close to Liang Xiaoqing—rare physical contact would make her happy for half a day, even if she never once showed it. But now, a sadder emotion engulfed her, and she couldn't feel even a flicker of happiness.

As she rushed out of the house, tears flew from the corners of her eyes. The weather was good today, with a warm, faint sun. The winter sun was truly pleasant and cozy. Jiang Xu had never run so fast. The wind blowing in her face wasn't warmed by the sun—it was still icy cold, stinging her cheeks.

"Xiao Xu... Xiao Xu!"

Someone was calling from behind her. She knew who it was, but she ran even faster, deliberately trying to dodge the person.

She had walked the path up the mountain countless times. Almost in a single breath, she ran to the outside of that gray, drab house. Bright sunlight bathed the yard, but it wasn't as clean as usual. The ground was covered in dead branches and fallen leaves piled up. The free-range hens kept clucking lazily. When they saw Jiang Xu return, several of them scurried toward her, looking for food.

Jiang Xu panted heavily. Looking around, she didn't see the familiar figure. When Wang Cai was around, the yard outside was always spotless, and the house was tidied up neatly and cleanly.

The big yellow dog came darting out from who-knows-where, barked twice at the sight of Jiang Xu.

"Woof woof!" It ran over, tail wagging.

Jiang Xu snapped back to reality and patted Xiao Huang on the head. "... Xiao Huang..."

Xiao Huang suddenly ran off. Jiang Xu chased after it. Near the kitchen, she saw something wrapped up on the ground. It was the tattered quilt from her room. Jiang Xu hesitated for a moment. Xiao Huang stood in front of the ruined quilt, barking "woof woof woof" at her. Jiang Xu walked over slowly.

The quilt bulged in a lump. Dust floated in the sunlight. Xiao Huang let out a few low whimpers, nosing the quilt open. A flash of grayish-white, faded clothing fixed itself in Jiang Xu's eyes.

"What a damn bad omen! I'm cursed with the worst luck in the world!!" A furious voice came from the main room. "Jiang Xu!" At the sight of Jiang Xu, the man's eyes bulged wide, a hint of panic threading through his voice.

"Bang!" The man hurled what was in his hand at her. It hit Jiang Xu on the head with some weight, making her dizzy. She caught the smell of a damp, moldy odor mixed with the familiar scent of mugwort—the smell that always clung to Wang Cai. Wang Cai believed mugwort was a good thing. Whenever somewhere hurt or felt off, she'd boil mugwort into water to drink or apply it to the wound.

"Don't you dare blame this on me, you little brat!"

Jiang Xu took down what had piled on top of her head—what she touched were stiff, rough clothes. The clothes slid down, piling up by Wang Cai's face. Xiao Huang nudged her arm with its snout.

Not far away stood Jiang Lun, looking grimy and worn. His expression wasn't good either—his hair was a mess, with dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn't slept well. "Your mother was beaten by my dad! You saw it back then too! ... Dad's been sentenced to prison! ... And now I don't even know how I'm going to pay for school! It's all your goddamn fault!" The more Jiang Lun thought about it, the angrier he got. Seeing Jiang Xu, all skinny and scrawny, standing there in silence, glaring at him with those dark, hateful eyes, a surge of nameless rage kept boiling up inside him.

"What the hell are you looking at?! Look again and I'll kick you to death!" He hurled Wang Cai's belongings to the ground—clothes, her bedding and mattress, and some bottles and jars that rolled to Jiang Xu's feet. Jiang Xu picked one up to look: it was a jar of face cream. Wang Cai had told her that you apply this to your face to moisturize the skin.

"All this stuff is Wang Cai's! Pack her things up in something and bring them with me to burn, so I don't have to make a second trip!"

Jiang Xu didn't see Wang Cai's body. She held those clothes close, like Wang Cai was holding her.

"Jiang Xu...!"

She had run too fast. When Liang Xiaoqing caught up, she was leaning over, hands on her waist, panting. "Your mother's at the funeral home, not here!"

"..."

Jiang Xu turned her head and looked at her. She saw the flush on her face.

"Jiang Daguo got fifteen years..." Liang Xiaoqing said between breaths. "... Xiao Xu, come to the county town with me."