The afternoon sun was shining brightly in the town clinic.
Liu Fen, dressed in a faded white nurse's uniform, was bent over, intently applying medicine to a child with a scraped arm. Her movements were gentle and skillful, and she coaxed the child in a soft voice, "It doesn't hurt, Auntie will blow on it for you, it'll be fine in a bit. Look, it's like being gently bitten by a little ant."
She cut her hair into a short, ear-length style, revealing her smooth forehead and delicate features. In just over a month, she seemed completely transformed. The sallow, numb look of the past was gone, replaced by composure and confidence. Her cheeks glowed with a healthy rosy hue thanks to improved nutrition, and her eyes, once lifeless as an ancient well, were now bright and spirited, sparkling like stars when she smiled.
The little girl sat on a small stool next to her, holding a rag doll, neither crying nor fussing, obediently watching her mother work. She was also very well cared for; her little face was chubby, and she wore a clean little dress, looking like a porcelain doll.
Liu Jianjun stood under the shade of a tree at the entrance of the clinic, staring at this scene he had never seen before, completely frozen in place.
He could hardly recognize the woman before him as Liu Fen, who had lived a quiet and submissive life in his home for five years. She had changed, become… radiant. That radiance wasn't from pretty clothes or jewelry, but emanated from within, something called “rebirth.”
He searched for her for three days.
That night, he saw Granny Li off on the train back to her hometown without saying a word. Back in that empty house, he cleaned the entire house spotless for the first time, and then he began searching for her frantically.
He thought she would be in a terrible situation, raising a child alone, penniless, perhaps crying in some corner, waiting for him to rescue her. He even prepared his words: he would kneel down and beg her, telling her he was wrong, that he had sent his mother away, and that from now on it would only be the three of them in the house. He would give her his salary card and promise to treat her and their daughter even better.
But what he saw before him was a scene he had never imagined.
She didn't cry; she smiled. She wasn't destitute; she lived with more dignity than ever before. She didn't need him to save her; she was her own god.
Liu Jianjun felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly, the pain making it hard for him to breathe. He walked over step by step with heavy steps.
"Liu Fen".
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Liu Fen paused in her movements, but she didn't immediately look up. She carefully tied the last piece of gauze, then touched the child's head before straightening up and calmly looking over.
When she saw Liu Jianjun's haggard, unshaven face, she felt no emotion whatsoever. It was like seeing a roadside stone—unfamiliar and insignificant.
"Is there something you need?" Her voice was polite but distant.
These three words hurt Liu Jianjun more than any insult. He opened his mouth, his throat terribly dry: "I...I came to find you...and Nannan."
He tried to force a fawning smile and looked at the little stool next to him: "Daughter, Daddy... Daddy's come to see you."
Nannan glanced at him, seemingly a little unfamiliar, and subconsciously shrank behind Liu Fen.
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