The final decision was that Zhou Yue got into Qin Xiaoyu's car.

"If you're bored out of your mind, go help out at Xiaoyu's place. She used to be at a hairdressing school, and you had a job every day. Look how fat you've gotten now!" Zhou Xing's mother directly assigned Zhou Yue a task.

As Qin Xiaoyu stepped out of the house, she remembered what her third uncle had said yesterday: her mother was leaving tomorrow, and she needed to decide immediately whether or not to see her.

"Xiaoyu, you're driving, what are you spacing out for? Is something wrong?" Zhou Yue may be a bit careless, but she can be thoughtful too.

"Sister Xiaoyue, you should go back now. I'll take you to the shop tomorrow. I need to go somewhere today." Qin Xiaoyu made up her mind, and Zhou Yue obediently got out of the car and went home.

Qin Xiaoyu drove to her maternal grandmother's house and took a deep breath before getting out. The layout of the bungalows was similar, except her grandmother's yard was smaller, and her third uncle's family lived in the central house. Qin Xiaoyu turned towards the central house as soon as she entered the yard, without going into the main house.

"Little Fish is here?" It was Third Aunt who spoke; she was a very simple and kind person.

“We were just about to go out. Your mother is staying at a hotel, let’s go together.” Third Uncle understood that her coming meant she agreed to meet, and said happily.

"Okay, get in my car." Qin Xiaoyu waited for them to put on their coats before they went out together.

"Little Fish, aren't you going in to say hello?" As she was leaving, her third aunt saw her grandmother's figure flash by the window. She was still afraid of her mother-in-law.

"No, let's do it another day. I'm afraid something might go wrong today."

“That’s right, Xiaoyu came here because she wants to see her mother. We’ll talk about other things later.” Uncle and Aunt got into the car.

The neighbors, having heard the good news, ran out to see; these days, it's so rare for anyone to own a car.

Qin Xiaoyu could only honk the horn while clearing people out of the way.

"Is it a small fish?"

"Good heavens, this is unbelievable! What kind of future has he made?"

"Hey, isn't that Widow Tang...?"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Qin Xiaoyu ignored these words.

"I made some dumplings for your mom; she said she loves sauerkraut filling. Oh, and you love sauerkraut filling too. I'll bring you some when I go back later; I still have dozens frozen." My third aunt kept nagging.

Qin Xiaoyu smiled wryly when she heard about sauerkraut dumplings; it turns out that taste is hereditary.

“Your mother is in the south, where she can’t get pickled cabbage. And who knows when she’ll be back.” Uncle San sighed. She was his sister, and he worried about her too.

Outside the hotel, Qin Xiaoyu stopped. Her third uncle understood what she meant, went into the room first, and came back out less than a minute later, waving for her to come in.

When she entered the room, it was backlit, so Qin Xiaoyu couldn't see what the woman in front of her looked like, only a tall figure. She had no memory of her mother, and surprisingly, she didn't feel like a stranger at all.

She doesn't resemble her mother.

Auntie pushed her forward, laughing, "This child is shy around strangers. Go on, talk to your mother. Call her 'Mom'!"

"Don't force her," Qin Xiaoyu's mother said first, her voice icy.

Qin Xiaoyu had already walked up to her when she finally saw the undisguised disgust on her face.

She suddenly realized that her face looked so much like her father's, almost like they'd been ripped off. This brought back painful memories for her mother, but was it her fault?

"Sit down and have a good chat. I'm going to buy a pack of cigarettes." Third Uncle said, giving Third Aunt a wink, and the two of them hurried out.

"Are you doing alright?" Her mother's voice was still cold.

"not good."

"hehe."

"If you wanted me to have a good life, you wouldn't have abandoned me." Qin Xiaoyu felt a surge of resentment rising within her.

"Yes, I just don't want you to have an easy time, and I don't want him to have an easy time!" The mother suddenly stood up, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Then why do you still want to see me?"

"I don't know." Her mother's voice suddenly lost its strength, and her eyes were no longer sharp. In that instant, Qin Xiaoyu saw a helpless woman. She closed her eyes and swallowed back her tears.

"I'm leaving. Take care."

Qin Xiaoyu quickly walked out, not even waiting for her third uncle to return, and drove the car directly out of the hotel courtyard.

She wandered aimlessly through the streets all day, exploring every corner of the small city. As the city lights began to twinkle, she suddenly remembered that her mother's train was at six o'clock that evening.

She parked her car outside the train station and hesitated before walking toward the ticket window. The line moved forward little by little, and although she was unwilling, she was pushed to the front.

"Where are you going?" the ticket gatekeeper asked angrily, as if these people who wanted to go out were just trying to cause her trouble.

"Platform ticket," Qin Xiaoyu heard a strange voice say, and she mechanically took out her money.

She had just received her ticket when she felt a sudden lightness in her body as she was pushed aside by the people behind her. A more furious voice came from the window: "Change! Come back! Change!"

She couldn't hear anything anymore and walked blankly toward the ticket gate.

Someone reported the train number; the train to Nanjing goes through platform number two and departs in five minutes.

Late passengers rushed forward carrying large bags and bundles. Qin Xiaoyu, like a helpless little fish, was bumped around and swept into the passageway.

Almost all the passengers had boarded the train, and only a few people seeing them off waved from the windows on the platform. She spotted her third uncle and aunt at a glance.

Auntie San had a smile on her face, but Uncle San kept lowering his head and wiping the corner of his eye with his hand.

Qin Xiaoyu looked at the car window, which was covered in frost. Suddenly, a hand reached out and wiped away the frost, revealing a face—her mother. Her mother's gaze swept past her third uncle and aunt, searching around.

"Mom," Qin Xiaoyu heard herself call out.

The train started moving.

She avoided her third uncle, found her car, climbed in, but didn't have the strength to drive it away.

"Mommy! I want to eat candied hawthorns." A little girl skipped and hopped over, followed by a woman in a purple cotton-padded jacket and a red scarf, who looked like a mother hen with outstretched arms, protecting her from afar and chasing after her.

Something inside Qin Xiaoyu suddenly exploded, and she slumped onto the steering wheel, bursting into tears.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she felt her hands and feet were ice cold. She tried to be rational, but it seemed she couldn't pull herself out of her emotions.

Ding ding. Someone knocked on the car window.

She looked up in astonishment and saw Zhou Xing's face.

"Have you cried enough? What time are you leaving? I'm cold." Zhou Xing's nose was red from the cold.

"What are you doing here?" Qin Xiaoyu asked in shock.

"Guess." Zhou Xing sat in the passenger seat, hunching his shoulders and rubbing his hands together vigorously.

"You were following me?"

"Yeah, Zhou Yue told me you were going somewhere when she got home, so I guessed it."

How did you find the hotel?

"How many hotels are there in total? Just look for them one by one," Zhou Xing said dismissively.

"You can go now, I'm fine," Qin Xiaoyu said bluntly.

"You have something to do, I'll drive." Zhou Xing ignored her words.

"No need. I've overcome much harder things than this, so what's this?" Qin Xiaoyu smiled coldly.