Zeng Hui's hometown was located in a remote area. The journey by high-speed train took over three hours, followed by a transfer to a bus from the city to the county town, which took another two hours.
Her home was in a mountain village on the outskirts of the county town. Taxis refused to go there, so the two of them hired a three-wheeled vehicle. After another hour of bumpy ride, they finally arrived.
The driver dropped them off by the roadside, overgrown with weeds. As they walked, Zeng Hui asked Chen Dongyang, "Do you know why I brought you here?"
"Because my parents won't be coming back here anymore. Dou Bao can live forever in a place I loved as a child, without any disturbances. Isn't that good?"
The last time Chen Dongyang saw Zeng Hui's parents was when she was pregnant. At that time, her parents had already moved to the county town. Indeed, Zeng Hui had been out of touch with them for so many years; they wouldn't be returning.
The path was difficult. Chen Dongyang supported Zeng Hui's arm, and they navigated through thorny bushes. After passing a large patch of overgrown woods, they reached the hilltop she had mentioned.
There was indeed a large banyan tree on the hilltop. Zeng Hui said that according to the village elders, it was centuries old and a treasure of their village. However, with the young people having left, and the elderly unable to climb up, the area beneath this precious tree was now covered in weeds.
Chen Dongyang chose a spot with the best sunlight and asked if it was alright. Zeng Hui agreed. She sat to the side to rest while Chen Dongyang cleared the weeds. Summer had arrived, and the weather was getting hotter. Although it was nearing dusk, clearing weeds for over an hour had left him covered in sweat.
Finally, they used two branches to dig a hole in the ground and together they placed Dou Bao's urn inside. As they covered it with soil, Zeng Hui began to cry again. "I hope my baby, like me when I was little, will be happy playing here every day. Mommy hasn't abandoned you; Mommy will come back to see you regularly. Be good with your dad over there. Listen. Mommy will think of you every day."
After they finished, Chen Dongyang asked if she wanted to erect a tombstone or something for Dou Bao. Zeng Hui said no. "I don't want anyone to find him or disturb him. He doesn't know those miscellaneous people, and he would be unhappy if disturbed. Let's go. Don't be too sad. His dad has been waiting for him for years over there; he should be happy to see him. Now it's his dad's turn to take care of him."
As they descended the mountain, dusk was beginning to fall. The path was difficult. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, twilight had enveloped everything.
There were no cars to take them back to the county town. Zeng Hui suggested that Chen Dongyang stay with her for the night in the house she lived in as a child. Chen Dongyang supported her arm as they walked. As they walked, he noticed something was amiss. The path was well-trodden and smooth, with no weeds on either side, as if people moved along it frequently. Could it be that her old house was still occupied? Could it be that her parents had returned?
Upon noticing the anomaly, Zeng Hui suddenly became hesitant to proceed. Chen Dongyang, using his height advantage, looked into the distance and saw that there was indeed a light in the small house Zeng Hui pointed to. "If you don't want to go, we can walk out. If you can't walk, I'll carry you. Don't be afraid."
Zeng Hui was conflicted. On one hand, she felt she should go back to see her parents, after all, they had raised her. On the other hand, she felt she had become a disgrace, unworthy of returning.
As they hesitated, the sound of a motorcycle engine approached from behind. Immediately, a white motorcycle sped past them. Zeng Hui's heart pounded. She stared at the receding figure of the young man for a long moment, then said to Chen Dongyang with trembling lips, "The one who just passed by seemed to be my brother."
Chen Dongyang understood the feeling of anxiety when approaching home. He repeated his earlier words, "If you want to go, I'll go with you. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. If you don't want to go, we'll leave. I'll carry you back to the county town."
While Zeng Hui was still contemplating, the motorcycle that had just passed by quickly returned and stopped steadily in front of them. The young man, without a helmet, looked at them intently and then suddenly shouted, "Is that really you? Sister, you're back!"
When Zeng Hui left, her brother was a high school senior. Now, he had a grown man's demeanor. Seeing her brother, whom she hadn't seen in so long, had grown up so much, Zeng Hui no longer hesitated. She stepped forward, crying and laughing, "You still remember me? Xiao Er, you've grown so much!"
"Of course I've grown. It's been years. I've already started my internship and work. Why are you only coming back now? You haven't contacted Mom and Dad for so long; they miss you desperately. Come on, come back with me quickly. Mom will probably faint from happiness when she sees you!" As he spoke, he got off the motorcycle and yelled towards the house, "Dad, Mom! Come quickly and see, my sister is back! Xiao Hui is back!"
Then, her parents came out of the house, and the family embraced and cried. Zeng Hui and Chen Dongyang followed her brother inside. Zeng Hui bashfully recounted her experiences of the past few years to them. Her parents listened, tears streaming down their faces and sighing, but ultimately chose to forgive her.
"I told you not to have the baby," Zeng Hui's mother said. "With your education, starting over wouldn't have been late at all. Your life would have gotten better and better. But you wouldn't listen..."
"Forget it, it's all in the past, let's not talk about it anymore. It's good that you're back. After all, you've been a mother yourself; now you must understand how your father and I have felt all these years you've been out of touch." Zeng Hui knelt before her mother, unable to lift her head from shame. Chen Dongyang knelt beside her.
After speaking to Zeng Hui, her mother looked Chen Dongyang up and down. "Xiao Chen, it must have been difficult for you. I thought you were unreliable back then, afraid you would change your mind about Xiao Hui halfway through. I didn't expect..."
"Alas, it hasn't been easy for you two to get to where you are today. Let's not talk about the child anymore. You are still young, don't think too much about it. Just live well from now on."
Chen Dongyang felt a mix of emotions, unsure how to respond to Zeng Hui's mother. Zeng Hui was already going through a difficult time. She was afraid of upsetting her mother if she revealed that she still owed a debt of gratitude to someone else and wouldn't develop romantic feelings for Chen Dongyang. But if she didn't say anything, even her family would misunderstand. Fortunately, Zeng Hui's mother didn't expect a reply. After speaking, she helped them up and started preparing dinner.
After dinner, the mother and daughter had much to talk about. Chen Dongyang was sent to sleep with her brother. Her brother was young and curious about everything, bombarding Chen Dongyang with questions. Chen Dongyang responded with brief "mm-hmms" occasionally, his thoughts long gone. He missed Tiantian terribly. When he was busy and occupied, he was fine, but when he was idle, he missed her with a frantic intensity. He had photos of Tiantian on his phone. He hadn't slept for two days and two nights, and his eyes hurt when looking at his phone, yet he still wanted to keep looking.