The beginning of the story

On a sweltering summer afternoon, the sunlight poured down like molten iron, radiating distorted waves of heat, making the air thick and heavy. Cicadas chirped tirelessly, making this sweltering world even more noisy and clamorous.

Frustrated, Liang Xiaohui tugged at her sweat-soaked shirt, wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, took a breath, and continued walking briskly forward. Finally arriving at her brother's door, she took her key out of her pocket with one hand, gently opened the door, placed the bag she was carrying in the entryway, changed into indoor slippers, and turned to walk into the living room.

A sixteen-year-old boy was sitting alone on a single sofa in the living room, his head resting on the edge of the sofa, staring blankly out the window, exuding an aura of isolation and sorrow.

"Xiao An, your aunt is back," Liang Xiaohui said softly, afraid of startling the boy in front of her.

Hearing the voice, the boy slowly turned his head to face Liang Xiaohui. Even after spending the last few days together, Liang Xiaohui was still involuntarily stunned by the boy's beauty.

His features were as if meticulously sculpted by a god, three-dimensional and lifelike. His skin was an almost transparent white, shimmering with a pearly luster under the light.

His beauty wasn't sharp or dazzling, but rather possessed a soothing power, carrying the compassion of a god looking down upon all beings, refined yet gentle. His eyelashes were long and thick, and his eyes held an unintentional allure, like an enticing abyss or a clear night sky studded with stars. His nose was high and straight, his thin lips slightly pursed, and his long neck was slightly tucked in, revealing an unwavering resolve.

This beauty was so extreme, it even carried a sense of unreality, just like what had recently happened, often making Liang Xiaohui feel as if she were in a dream.

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A few days ago, Liang Xiaohui was busy at a small supermarket in Xing'an Town. Summer drinks are consumed quickly, and she was taking stock of the inventory when she received a call from an unknown number, informing her to go to Haicheng to handle her brother's funeral arrangements.

In that instant, Liang Xiaohui felt it was absurd. Nowadays, phone scammers can so easily talk people to death. It's too shameless.

She slammed the phone down.

Just as she was getting ready to get back to work, the phone rang again and again, like a deadly ghost.

Left with no other option, she answered the phone again. Just as she was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, the other party beat her to it, quickly providing accurate and truthful personal information, leaving the detailed address of the police station, and repeatedly emphasizing that there was no one in charge who could take charge, hoping that Liang Xiaohui could arrive in Haicheng as soon as possible, before abruptly hanging up the phone.

Liang Xiaohui's older brother, Liang Yan, is her half-sibling. Liang Yan's mother passed away early, and when their father remarried, Liang Yan was already in high school. He mostly lived at school, and as he grew up, his contact with his family gradually decreased.

When Liang Xiaohui was in junior high school, Liang Yan went to work in Haicheng on his own. He later established himself and started a family there. Many years passed in the blink of an eye, and his contact with his hometown was limited to holiday greetings. After their father passed away, these greetings became even more frequent, so Liang Xiaohui wasn't very familiar with her brother and his family.

After receiving the call, Liang Xiaohui considered it carefully and decided to pack her bags and head to Haicheng.

On the way, Liang Xiaohui kept receiving calls from the police urging her to get to Binjiang Police Station as soon as possible. Upon arriving in Haicheng, she took a taxi to the police station. As soon as she entered the gate, she heard a commotion, and then she saw a scene that she would never forget.

Her nephew Liang An, whom she hadn't seen for years and who was once as ethereal as a banished immortal, was lifeless, being pulled and tugged at by a group of people like a puppet on strings. Like a exhausted phoenix falling into a flock of crows, his exquisite feathers constantly being pecked off, it was a sight too painful to watch. In that instant, Liang Xiaohui's heart ached uncontrollably, and she only wanted to do everything in her power to protect the boy.

She strode over to Liang An, forcefully pushed aside the people around her, led Liang An to an empty chair, pushed him to sit down, then turned around like a mother hen, spreading her arms to protect Liang An behind her, and said loudly, "If you have a problem, come at me."

An eerie silence fell for a moment. The policeman cleared his throat awkwardly and asked seriously, "Miss, who are you?"

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Finally, after a back-and-forth struggle, the whole story was clarified. Liang Yan and his wife were killed in a mudslide while on a business trip. They were starting a business with a friend, which was still in its early stages and the business was not doing well, so the compensation for their accidental death was limited.

After the police determined the amount of compensation and the company valued the cash worth of the shares held by Liang Yan and his wife, the person in charge of the company did not shirk responsibility and took the initiative to assume and pay 800,000 yuan in cash.

So, after Liang Yan and his wife passed away, they left behind an apartment in a prime location in Haicheng and nearly a million yuan in cash. It was this money that attracted many distant relatives.

These relatives all wanted to gradually seize the house and cash under the guise of adopting Liang An; their intentions were obvious to everyone. Police officer Lao Fang, an experienced handler of family disputes, felt compassion for Liang An and proactively contacted Liang Xiaohui, hoping to offer the boy one last bit of help.

Liang Xiaohui lived up to expectations, using her sharp tongue and biting wit honed in the streets to outmaneuver these people with an indomitable spirit. She had no selfish motives whatsoever, which was the source of her confidence. Although she eventually managed to handle her brother and sister-in-law's funeral arrangements with great difficulty, only she could truly understand the bitterness she endured.

After completing all the formalities, giving her brother and sister-in-law a dignified burial, and sending away all the relatives with ulterior motives, she was finally able to have a quiet conversation with Liang An, the beautiful young man who had remained silent throughout, as if disconnected from the world.

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Liang An sat on the single sofa, looking at his aunt across from him with a loving expression. He wanted to say something in response. But his brain was like an old-fashioned black and white television, only occasionally showing a picture when it picked up a signal; most of the time, it was just an annoying hissing sound and meaningless static.

Before he turned sixteen, his life was smooth and warm. He was his parents' darling, a model student in the eyes of his teachers, the ideal man for teenage girls, and the "other people's child" that neighbors talked about. Many wonderful labels seemed tailor-made for him. His parents built a fairytale world for him with love, becoming the pillar of his world and the source of all the beauty in his sixteen years of life.

However, on an ordinary morning, the shrill ring of the telephone brought news of her parents' unexpected death. The moment she received the call, Liang An thought she was hallucinating, or that she was in a nightmare; a heavy sense of unreality washed over her. For a long time, her limbs felt out of control, her mind went blank, and she couldn't remember what to do next.

When the phone rang again, Liang An finally realized what was happening and rushed to hail a taxi to the hospital. On the way, he clung to a sliver of hope, repeatedly dialing his parents' numbers, hoping it was all just a mischievous prank. However, the moment he was taken to the morgue and saw his parents' bodies, all his hopes vanished. His parents lay peacefully before him, yet they felt so distant.

Mingming successfully finished his middle school entrance exam, and his father was excitedly showing off his acceptance letter everywhere. His mother gently prepared a large table of delicious food, and the three of them sat around the table, happily planning their graduation trip abroad. Mingming was waiting for his parents to return from their business trip so they could enjoy their long-awaited vacation together and explore new corners of the world.

On this ordinary morning, everything returned to zero. All the warmth and beauty turned into dust before Liang An's eyes, frame by frame. He silently felt the world collapse before him, powerless to stop it. This helplessness and sorrow shut down his five senses. He could only stand there blankly, unable to react, unable to wail, and unable to calmly cope, as if his soul had left his body.

The loss of his father at such a young age was a devastating blow to Liang An, who was only sixteen. He could not accurately perceive what happened afterward; his memory was fragmented and hazy, and he could not recall many details, leaving others to handle his parents' funeral arrangements.

His aunt's arrival gave him a great sense of security, and he instinctively leaned on her. However, he still couldn't give an effective response and could only listen quietly.

Liang Xiaohui and Liang An looked at each other and sighed softly, their hearts filled with worry. She had never seen Liang An cry before. Emotions are like water; it's better to let them flow than to block them. If sadness cannot be released, it will fester in the heart, slowly eroding the heart and transforming into physical pain. Like a tightly strung string, it might snap at any moment.

"Xiao An, your parents' funeral arrangements have been taken care of, and there are some things I should explain to you."

Liang Xiaohui paused for a moment, then continued, "Your parents left behind about a million yuan in savings. The burial plot and funeral cost over four hundred thousand yuan, and the receipts are all organized and kept in the dresser. The rest of the money, I've deposited in your bank account. Five hundred thousand of it is in a three-year fixed deposit, the interest rate is still quite high now, so you can use it when you go to university. The other one hundred thousand is in your savings card as living expenses for your three years of high school. Your parents only own this one house, so it's been transferred directly to your name, and all the formalities are complete."

Liang Xiaohui looked at Liang An, but received no response. She could only bite the bullet and finish what she had prepared to say.

"Xiao An, life is all about basic necessities like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. Money is very important. You should take your aunt's words to heart."

She sighed, squatted down in front of Liang An, gently took his hand, and continued, "Your aunt lives in a small county town and doesn't have much experience. You're already a teenager and can live independently. If your aunt takes you in and lets you live under someone else's roof, it might not be a good thing for you. You're so outstanding and beautiful; you're more suited to living in Haicheng. Big cities will give you more freedom, and going to Xing'an Town with your aunt will only restrict you."

She held back her sobs and continued, "Study hard, live life earnestly. The world won't make way for the cowardly, but it will reshuffle the deck for the brave. Your parents will be watching over you from heaven. You must learn to be brave."

For a fleeting moment, Liang An felt a surge of bitterness rise to his nose, his breathing became shallow and rapid, his chest felt tight, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and his tears seemed to be blocked, unable to flow out.

He took Liang Xiaohui's hand in return, looked directly at her, and nodded gently.