He Xiyan returned to her home, the place where she lived all alone. She deleted all her relativesâ contacts the moment she returned home, including her paternal aunts and uncles, her material aunts and uncles, and her grandparentsâ¦she blocked them all from contacting her and exited all family group chats.
She vowed that she would never contact them in the future and she would act like they were complete strangers to her.
She would still be able to live well even if she didnât rely on them. She would be able to find a good job as long as she completed her college education and lived well.
She brought out a tiny basket on New Yearâs Eve. She carried a small bottle of alcohol, three wine glasses, and some chicken, duck, and fish in small bowls. She also included candles and joss paper as offerings to her parents.
She didnât want to be all alone at home this year during new yearâs eve. She wanted to spend it with her parents.
Her parents were buried in the hill behind their old home. She would head to their graves every year over the tomb-sweeping festival. This was the only thing she could do for her deceased parents.
After she hopped off the bus, she headed up the small hill. She walked quickly so she didnât notice that her fellow villagers were talking about her as she headed up.
âIsnât that He Chendongâs daughter?â a middle-aged woman in red asked as she pointed at He Xiyan.
âI think so,â another middle-aged woman replied.
âWhat is she doing back here? Has she come back to spend New Yearâs at her uncleâs home?â
âI doubt it. She looks like sheâs heading up the hill to pay her respects to her parents,â the middle-aged woman said with a sigh.
âAye, this kid has been through a lot. Her parents have left her and her relatives donât treat her well. I heard that she borrowed money to go to school.â
âYes. I feel so sorry for her. I wonder what her two uncles are thinking. They donât have daughters of their own but they are so mean to their niece.â
âTheyâre probably afraid of having to fund her studies. Her school fees are really expensive and I heard that her school fees are several tens of thousands of dollars a month. Why would her uncles be willing to lend her money to study?â
âSighâ¦â
One of the middle-aged women sighed and paused for a moment before she said, âIf only she was younger. I would have taken her as my goddaughter. Sheâs past the age for that though and even if I took her in, she wouldnât be very close to me.
The middle-aged woman shook her head and let out a sigh of dismay. She wasnât able to have a second child due to the policy on family planning. She had a useless and unmotivated second son but she had always wanted a daughter. Unfortunately, that wasnât possible. If they were to be caught with a second child, her husband would lose his job.
He Xiyan arrived at the small hill. The winter in Ye City was exceptionally cold in winter, so the chilly spring made her shiver.
She pulled the zip on her jacket as high as she could and put on her cap as well.
Soon, she came to her motherâs grave.
She placed the basket aside, took out the alcohol and meat, and placed it in front of the grave before she lit three joss sticks and placed it at her motherâs grave.
She crouched down and gently laid her head on the headstone. The cold, hard headstone felt like ice against her face but she didnât think that it was cold.
âMomâ¦â she said soundlessly as she moved her pale lips, âIâm here to see you. I even brought yours and dadâs favorite dishes.â
She looked at the dishes that she had made.
The food was already cold and it was no longer warm.