The cemetery was quiet except for the rustling of leaves, with golden ginkgo leaves falling to the ground in the wind.
Lu Yan stared at the incense stick burning to ashes. A gust of wind blew, and her face felt cold. She touched her face, staring at the water stains on her fingertips. The smoke was blinding; she had cried.
When a person dies, all that remains is a corpse, a handful of ashes, and a handful of soil. That's the end of a person's life. From then on, they are separated by life and death, and can only be seen in dreams.
When she was little, her mother probably knew that she hated her, so she never dared to enter her dreams.
She really hated her at that time, and didn't even want to come to the cemetery to see her during the Qingming Festival.
After her death, she never celebrated Christmas Eve or Christmas again. She hated every winter, hated snow, and hated wearing red dresses.
Her family bullied her, calling her the daughter of a mistress. People at school also chased after her and cursed her, saying she was just as cheap as her mother and liked to seduce boys everywhere.
The men around her would always look at her with disgust.
When she was unable to support herself, she went through a very difficult period. Her father ignored her, and her half-sister and half-brother looked at her coldly and would humiliate her from time to time.
The servants in the house saw that she was neglected and said behind her back that she was a wild child. They often starved her and didn't cook for her. When she was five or six years old, she even rummaged through the trash can.
While others started school at six, she didn't start until she was seven. After starting school, she discovered that there were many bad people, but not all of them were bad. For example, her teachers were very kind to her. When they saw that her clothes were too small, they took her to buy new ones. They ate lunch with her and bought her bread for dinner.
Even the hardest days will pass; as long as you're alive, there's always tomorrow.
Later, she learned the Lu family's secret, the humiliation and harm her mother suffered in the Lu family, and why she chose to commit suicide.
She hated everyone in the Lu family, especially her nominal father—no, he couldn't be called her father; he was the rapist who hurt her mother.
Lu Yan touched the photo on the tombstone: "If you were still alive, I would take you to kill them. Seeing them suffer a fate worse than death would make you very happy."
"Mom, do you ever regret it now? Do you regret dying so young and not seeing them get their comeuppance?"
"Wait a little longer. The Lu family is about to fall and be replaced. They're all dead, and only Lu Yu is left. I'll have Lu Yu apologize to you soon."
Lu Yan let out a soft breath, then stood up and straightened her dress. She lifted the hem of her dress with one hand and said, "Mom, I still love red dresses all these years. There's nothing wrong with red dresses; it's those people who are wrong." But she still doesn't like cold, snowy days, just as she can never forget the night her mother died in the cold water on Christmas Eve.
When she was four years old, she met Zhuang Yan's grandmother here, and it was she who took her to the police station.
I did try to find them over the years, but too much time had passed and my memories were already blurred, and I knew too little information.
The only thing I remember is the old lady mentioning her grandson, saying he had a noticeable red mole on his neck.
Later, she accidentally saw the red mole on the back of Zhuang Yan's neck, then looked up his relatives and finally found out about his grandmother. It turned out that their fate was sown so early on.
Of course, her liking for Zhuang Yan wasn't just because of that... there were also closer connections.
"Mom, I will bring him to see you. He is very nice and is my favorite person."
All the paper money and ingots she brought were burned until they turned to ashes. Only then did Lu Yan pack up and leave. She walked a few steps on the golden leaves and then turned back to look at the photo on the tombstone. Her mother was smiling at her, as if to say, "Yan Yan, you must be happy."
...
Zhuang Yan hadn't seen Aunt Jiang for five years, or more than thirty years if you count her previous life; her memory of her had become hazy.
When Jiang Ning's address was exposed when she was an actress, Aunt Jiang moved. She couldn't get used to living in a big city, so she moved to the vicinity of the county town. The snack shop had long since closed down. She was in poor health and didn't have that much energy. Besides, Jiang Ning could earn money and could give her a good life.
It was supposed to be a 40-minute drive, but it actually took more than an hour. Luckily, Lu Yan gave him some chocolate.
Upon arriving at the location, the familiarity of the alleyway immediately struck me.
Jiang Ning, wearing a mask and a white dress, stood by the roadside waving at him. Along the way, he rarely saw young people. There were old men walking their birds and old women walking their dogs. When they met, they would chat by the roadside. There were also people doing morning exercises in the small square and people passing by to buy groceries. This environment was very similar to where he used to live.
Zhuang Yan stopped the car and got out with the gifts.
Have you had breakfast?
"Not yet. Didn't you say Aunt Jiang had prepared breakfast for me? So I rushed over to eat her breakfast. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've had anything she makes." Back then, in order to give Jiang Ning a better life, Aunt Jiang not only had to set up a night stall but also make breakfast.
The pancakes she makes, the fried dough sticks she makes, and the porridge she cooks are all especially delicious. Zhuang Yan's favorite food is the congee with preserved egg and lean pork, as well as the pan-fried dumplings she makes.
Jiang Ning felt a warmth in her heart when she saw the nostalgic expression on Zhuang Yan's face: "My mom started preparing yesterday. Knowing that you were coming, she made a lot of dumplings. This morning she got up and cooked congee with preserved egg and lean pork. She also killed a chicken to prepare chicken soup for lunch. She even remembered the dishes you like to eat and bought a lot of them yesterday."
Seeing that Zhuang Yan was carrying several gift bags, Jiang Ning asked, "Are these all for my mom?"
"Well, isn't it the Mid-Autumn Festival? I bought mooncakes and some nutritional supplements. It's the season for crabs right now, so I bought a few hairy crabs. We can steam them for lunch."
"I'll also mention two things."
"Not heavy."
Jiang Ning tried to snatch it from Zhuang Yan by force, so she simply gave her the two lightest ones.
When we arrived at the Jiang family's house, we found it to be a really nice courtyard. It was filled with all sorts of vegetables and they even kept two chickens and a duck.
“There were supposed to be three chickens, but my mom killed one this morning,” Jiang Ning said to Zhuang Yan, then called inside, “Mom, Zhuang Yan is here.”
"Xiao Yan is here? Let him in quickly." The voice came out before the person was even seen.
Zhuang Yan entered the house and saw Aunt Jiang coming towards him. She was a woman in her forties, and she looked just like the one he remembered. She seemed to be in good spirits, but she was too thin. Zhuang Yan had heard from Jiang Ning that her mother was sick and hospitalized.
In my memory, Aunt Jiang's health was never very good, especially when he and Jiang Ning were in high school.
"Aunt Jiang, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival."
"It's been a long time. You've grown so tall and handsome." Aunt Jiang looked Zhuang Yan up and down gently. "You've come all this way. Why bring any gifts? We have everything we need at home. You're welcome to come home. Don't be so polite. Come in and have breakfast. I've already prepared your favorite congee with preserved egg and lean pork. It's not too hot now, just waiting for you to come and eat."
Because it was an auntie he had known since childhood, Zhuang Yan didn't feel any distance even after so many years. Plus, the auntie's warm attitude made him feel like he was back at his grandmother's house.
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