As dawn broke, a few thin rays of light struggled through the dusty window and quietly fell upon the little boy's bed.

The little boy slowly woke up, his eyelids fluttering like butterfly wings, and what came into view was the slightly mottled ceiling of the dilapidated room.

The familiar yet old scene made him feel at ease, and he subconsciously wanted to stretch and loosen his body that had been curled up all night.

However, in an instant, a thought flashed through his mind like a sharp bolt of lightning, without warning.

His eyes, which had been still sleepy, suddenly became panicked and anxious.

He sat up abruptly in bed, barefoot, his pajamas hanging askew on his thin frame.

Without even bothering to put on his shoes, he rushed outside impatiently.

The small body appeared particularly unsteady as it ran, its legs seemingly pulled by invisible threads, each step both hurried and unsteady.

As he ran to the threshold, he lost his footing and slipped, falling forward and nearly crashing to the ground.

That threshold, which wasn't particularly high, now seemed like an insurmountable chasm standing before him.

With great effort, he braced his hands tightly against his knees, his knuckles turning slightly white from the strain, before finally managing to step over.

He hurriedly hid behind the door, his chest heaving, cautiously peeking out half his head to nervously observe the scene in the courtyard.

In the courtyard, a man and a woman were arguing fiercely.

Their voices were sharp and piercing, echoing wildly in the quiet courtyard and startling the birds resting on the branches.

The little boy instinctively pricked up his ears, trying hard to catch the words that drifted into his ears.

We are already divorced.

"Anyway, I'm not going to have the child."

"You were the one who wanted to bring this burden into the world, and now you want to give him to me? I'm telling you, no way!!"

"I'm telling you, it's your own seed, you have to deal with it yourself!"

These cold and intense words, like sharp daggers, pierced straight into his young heart.

His body froze instantly, his small hands gripping the hem of his clothes tightly without his control.

His knuckles turned white from the strain, and fear overwhelmed him like a surging tide.

He cowered behind the door in fear, not daring to breathe, and could only watch helplessly as the storm approached.

The man suddenly flung his hand away with a resolute gesture, forcefully pushing the woman away.

He then strode away from the courtyard, his receding figure showing no hesitation whatsoever.

The woman cursed "bastard" again behind the man's back.

Then he turned and left without hesitation.

That resolute departure left the little boy with not a trace of lingering affection.

The little boy stood there stunned for a few seconds before he reacted, then rushed out from behind the door and chased after them in the direction they had gone.

When he ran to the gate of the courtyard, there was no one outside.

His parents had vanished without a trace, leaving only an empty dirt road that silently testified to the fact that he had been abandoned.

He stood there blankly, his eyes empty and helpless, his small body trembling slightly in the wind, as if abandoned by the whole world.

He didn't know whether to cry or do something.

He may not yet understand the meaning of parting.

Just when he was all alone and helpless, a pair of warm hands reached out from behind and gently lifted him up.

He turned around and saw his grandmother's kind face.

Grandma's face bore the marks of time, but the gentleness in her eyes was like the warm spring sun, allowing him to find a glimmer of warmth in this cold world.

Grandma hugged him tightly and whispered comfortingly, "My dear child, don't be afraid. They've just gone out to earn money and will be back soon."

The little boy leaned against his grandmother's chest without saying a word. In his young heart, he understood that his parents really didn't want him anymore.

Strangely, he wasn't as upset as he had imagined.

Perhaps it was because his grandmother's embrace gave him enough warmth and a sense of security that he found some comfort in this sudden change.

Days flow by like a gentle stream, passing one by one.

His grandmother sent him to school and said to him earnestly, "Child, you must study hard so that you can have a bright future."

From then on, Grandma relied on her meager pension and borrowed money from relatives everywhere just to barely support his schooling.

Every night, the little boy would see his grandmother carefully counting her meager savings under the dim light, her brow furrowed and her face full of worry.

He would always pretend to be asleep so that his grandmother wouldn't find out.

He worked even harder and got first place in every exam.

Grandma always had a big smile on her face on the day she received her award certificates.

His smile held boundless pride as he strolled around the village with his certificate in hand, telling everyone he met, "Look, this is my grandson who got first place!"

That proud expression seemed to be proclaiming her happiness to the whole world, but behind this happiness lay countless untold hardships.

And every time, he would say to his grandmother, "I will definitely buy a big villa in the future, with one room for grandmother and one room for me. I will also raise a lot of cattle and sheep, and grow a lot of rice, so that we can't finish eating it all, so that grandmother can enjoy life every day, never go hungry again, and live to be a hundred years old."

Grandma would always pat his head affectionately and smile warmly: "Okay, then Grandma will try to live a few more years and live in my grandson's big villa."

However, some of the children in the village always bullied him.

They surrounded him, shouting, "Wild child, a wild child without fathers or mothers!"

They might even push or hit him.

But the little boy never fought back.

Even if you are pushed to the ground, your knees are scraped and bleeding.

He simply got up silently and dusted himself off.

He knew that the parents of these children had helped him and his grandmother to some extent.

He felt grateful, so he chose to silently endure all the injustice and humiliation.

Every day after school, while other children were playing and laughing outside, enjoying the joys of childhood, he would go home early to help his grandmother with chores.

He learned to start a fire and cook, and the choking smoke often made his eyes water, but he still stubbornly tried his best to cook the food well.

He followed his grandmother to the fields to weed and water, his small figure busy in the fields, sweating under the scorching sun.

During the off-season, he would also help out at his relatives' homes, and they would all praise him, saying, "This child is so sensible, he's a good kid."

But he didn't know whether the praise was sincere or just polite, and he couldn't tell whether it was praise or ridicule.

In his heart, as long as his grandmother was well, none of these things mattered.

During this difficult time, a warm ray of light appeared in his life—the little girl next door.

The little girl would always secretly give him the eggs she didn't like.

Every time she hands out an egg, she gives a sweet smile and whispers, "Here, have this."

The little boy thought she was the kindest person in the world.

From then on, seeing the little girl's smile and receiving her eggs every day became his most anticipated event.

But he was insecure and shy, and never dared to look the little girl in the eye.

Every time he received the eggs, he would blush and run away hastily, his flustered appearance revealing the purest feelings of his youth.

As time went by, the help from relatives gradually decreased, but the sorrow on Grandma's face seemed to increase.

Fortunately, the little boy gradually grew up and began to work part-time in his spare time to earn money to support his studies.

Those days were tough; he was often exhausted, his back aching, and he endured the physical and mental fatigue alone in the dead of night.

But whenever I think about how I can help my grandma, a little bit of happiness wells up inside me.

This happiness, though faint, was like a glimmer of light in the darkness, supporting him to keep going.

Time flew by like flowing water, and the little boy and girl gradually grew up.

The little girl was admitted to the city's medical school thanks to her excellent grades.

In order to be closer to her, the little boy also applied to a top-tier university in the city.

Due to family financial constraints, he chose early childhood education, a major he was not interested in.

Fortunately, the local government has a policy of providing publicly funded teacher training programs, so he no longer has to worry about tuition fees.

When Grandma heard the news, she was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling. She firmly believed that her grandson would become an excellent teacher in the future.

At this time, Grandma was old and her health was not as good as before; she could no longer do heavy work.

Looking at his grandmother's increasingly aged face, the little boy felt that this major was the best choice for him, allowing him to start working as soon as possible and take care of his grandmother.

After entering university, the two gradually started to contact each other more often.

After a little girl confessed her feelings, they got together, just like in a fairy tale.

When Grandma found out, her eyes narrowed into slits with laughter. She liked this kind girl from the bottom of her heart.

The three of them sat together, discussing getting married after they graduated.

Those days were filled with sweetness and hope. Every exchange of glances and every soft laugh seemed to be telling of a happy future.

Time flies, and they graduated successfully.

The little girl fulfilled her dream of becoming an excellent doctor, saving lives in the hospital.

The little boy also found a job at a local kindergarten and became a gentle and kind teacher in the eyes of the children.

He was 25 years old that year.

In the prime of his youth, full of vigor and high spirits, he eagerly anticipated that in two years he would be able to walk down the aisle with the girl he loved.

Together they carefully crafted two gold rings and hid them in a drawer.

Every time I see those two rings and imagine the proposal scene, my face is always filled with a happy smile, a smile full of anticipation for the future.

At the same time, he was able to support his grandmother, and he would send her money every month, but she never accepted it, saying that she didn't know how to use a smartphone.

However, fate always likes to play tricks on people.

One day, the little boy was teaching the children at the kindergarten. Sunlight streamed through the windows into the classroom, and everything was as peaceful as usual.

Suddenly, his phone rang urgently, and the caller brought the devastating news that his grandmother was seriously ill.

He was extremely anxious, so after asking the principal for leave, he rushed home without stopping.

All the way, he kept praying, hoping that his grandmother would wait for him to come back; every thought was focused on his grandmother.

But when he arrived home, his grandmother had already closed her eyes.

The room still had a faint smell of cooking.

The unfinished "double happiness" character on the table seemed to still be telling of their anticipation for the wedding.

The little boy stood quietly by his grandmother's bedside, his eyes vacant, without tears or sobs.

He quietly tidied up his grandmother's remains, his movements gentle and slow, as if he were saying a final goodbye to her.

He didn't seem that sad; perhaps death was a relief for his grandmother.

Not many people came on the day of the burial; it seemed as if all of Grandma's good relationships with others had vanished.

All he could do was build a low tombstone for his grandmother.

Afterward, he returned to the kindergarten and continued working as if nothing had happened.

Life continued uneventfully, like a calm lake, without a ripple.

One day the following year, he was telling stories to the children, and their laughter echoed in the classroom.

Suddenly, his phone rang abruptly, and an unfamiliar voice came from the other end.

He was told that the girl had volunteered to go to the disaster area to rescue the injured during an earthquake in a neighboring city, but unfortunately died.

At that moment, he felt as if the whole world had stopped turning, the storybook slipped silently from his hands, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.

He stumbled to the hospital, only to find the girl's cold body.

He slowly walked to the girl's side, knelt down, and took out the ring he had prepared long ago from his pocket.

Gently place it on the girl's finger.

His hands were trembling.

Then, he knelt on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.

The short tombstones have become two.

He didn't seem that sad. Perhaps he was destined not to be happy, and he had gotten used to it.

But from then on, he seemed to have become a different person, silent and withdrawn all day long, as if his soul had been taken away.

His colleagues say he's become less talkative, but he says he has nothing to say.

Later, he quit his job, packed his bags, and returned to the mud house that belonged to him and his grandmother.

During the Chinese New Year, he helped his and his grandmother's relatives buy gifts.

His relatives all said he had made a fortune.

After a long time, he decided to go to nature to relax and find inner peace.

He walked alone into the vast forest, carrying a hiking backpack that he had always been reluctant to buy.

That day, sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on him, creating patches of light.

His figure gradually disappeared into the depths of the mountains and forests, taking all his memories with him.

He had a smile on his face, as if he were on his way home.

Since then, there has been no further news of him.

The house he and his grandmother used to live in also collapsed and was razed to the ground by several relatives for other uses.

The villagers all said that the Lu family had all died out, and no one had built a tombstone for the little boy.

Later, some people said that it was because the little boy's name was bad. "Fan" (凡) means that he could only be an ordinary person for his whole life. He went to university, found a girlfriend, and then suffered the consequences.

Some people say that "凡" is actually a homophone for "烦," meaning that one will inevitably have many worries throughout life.

Some even say that the grandmother and the girl were both cursed to death by the little boy.

His short life became a topic of conversation among the villagers.

Later, no one talked about it anymore...