When Wen Mo woke up, it was already mostly daylight. He looked out the window at the pale sky, his mind still not fully activated.
"Last night...it seems like I said some really serious things."
He rubbed his sore, sleepy eyes and looked back at Xia Lian, who was still fast asleep beside him. The little girl was sleeping soundly, and her arms were tightly wrapped around his.
Perhaps because it was their first time traveling together, and given the unusual purpose of their trip, both of them were a little emotional last night. Although they didn't do anything strange, their words were still quite lucid.
"do not leave Me……"
"I'll be good..."
Xia Lian is a girl with a very insecure sense of security. When she truly receives someone's love, she doesn't think about how to carry the love through to the end, but rather how to keep the other person from leaving her.
Wen Mo raised his hand and pinched her little cheek, and Xia Lian's eyelashes trembled slightly as she was still asleep.
"Fool, I won't leave you."
Strictly speaking, both of them were still naive children who didn't understand any more rational principles; they only knew how to say everything that was on their minds.
Wenmo thought the same way. He didn't have the ability to guarantee that they would stay together forever. If he could make promises so easily, it would make him seem irresponsible.
At least until one is more mature, the promise to be with the other person for a lifetime will remain forever in one's heart, until one has the ability to support an entire family on one's own.
"Okay, get up now."
Wen Mo stretched and quietly got out of bed to go into the bathroom to wash up. Just as he was brushing his teeth, a cute little head appeared next to him.
"Good morning, aren't you going to sleep a little longer?" He said good morning with his head down, his words a little unclear as he had toothpaste in his mouth.
Xia Lian shook her head, saying nothing, but simply hugged Wen Mo's waist and gently rested her head against him.
"Wait a minute before hugging me, I'm brushing my teeth, don't get toothpaste on your clothes." Wen Mo smiled and tapped her on the head, telling Xia Lian to wait aside for a while. She quickly finished brushing her teeth and washing her face, then gave up her seat for the next person. "Alright, go brush your teeth and wash your face, we should leave soon."
It's the weekend, and the itinerary is all set. I'll visit Xia Lian's mother this morning and then take a car home this afternoon.
After his mind cleared up a bit, Wenmo put on a thick coat, stuffed his old clothes into his bag and carried it on his back, occasionally listening to the "gurgling" sound of washing up coming from the bathroom.
The sound of washing up stopped, and a cute little head peeked out from the bathroom door, its long hair tied into a big ponytail.
Wen Mo walked up and embraced the pretty young woman, cuddling her tenderly for a while before letting go. He looked down at her with a gentle expression and said, "You seem to really like wearing ponytails."
This girl wears her hair in a ponytail almost every day, and it seems she hasn't had any other hairstyles except for the last time she went to see her parents, when she let all her long hair down.
Xia Lian blinked, pressed her ear against his chest, and whispered, "Don't you like it...?"
I've worn a ponytail since I was little, not for any other reason than that it's more convenient to do things, whether it's doing homework or cooking and eating.
“I don’t dislike it. Your hair looks good whether it’s tied up or not.” Wen Mo smiled and shook his head. The girl still had the big red bow he gave her last time tied behind her head, making her stand out on the street.
"Actually, you could get a new hairstyle..."
"You want to change your hairstyle?"
Xia Lian shook her head and calmly draped her ponytail over her shoulder. "We can change it to one that Wen Mo likes."
"What I like?"
Wen Mo was a little surprised, but then she thought that she didn't really have a favorite hairstyle. Besides, she was going to meet the other party's mother soon, so it was better to be more serious.
"Let's tie it in a ponytail for now. We can talk about the hairstyle when we get home." Ruffling her hair, Wen Mo smiled and handed Xia Lian his coat. "Let's go, we should get going."
"Mmm." Xia Lian nodded and grasped that large hand.
...
Wen Mo didn't know where Xia Lian's mother—Aunt Zhou's grave—was, so he had to ask Xia Lian to be his guide.
According to her, Aunt Zhou's grave is in a cemetery, and Wen Yiquan paid for the burial. Wen Yiquan also accompanied her throughout the burial. It can be said that her father helped a lot, which explains why Lianbao respects him so much.
"You seem a little nervous." Wen Mo could sense that something was wrong with Xia Lian. Her eyes lowered slightly, and she even quickened her pace without realizing it.
Xia Lian's palms seemed to be covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her breathing became slightly rapid. She turned her head to look at Wen Mo beside her.
"Um……"
She was indeed very nervous, but more than that, she had mixed feelings—sadness and depression.
I haven't been back to visit my mother since we moved. To be honest, it would be a lie to say that I've let go of the pain; the bitterness in my heart is deeply rooted.
The departure of a loved one is not like a flood, but a lifetime of sorrow. Perhaps you have already cried your eyes out when your mother passed away, but in every little thing in life, you will remember the gentle figure that used to be by your side.
Wen Mo didn't speak. It's usually not a good idea for anyone to offer comfort in these kinds of situations, because he couldn't imagine what it would feel like if his parents were gone. He simply couldn't imagine it and felt incredibly suffocated.
He let out a long breath and tightened his grip on her hand.
Today the sun is nowhere to be seen; it's a cloudy day, and the already low-pressure atmosphere is even more stifling.
"We're almost there... turn left ahead." Xia Lian suddenly spoke, pointing to the road on the left, and then gently pursed her lips.
Wenmo felt a little heavy-hearted. When he heard that they were almost there, he subconsciously stopped, but quickly continued to walk forward.
Turn left and you'll find the cemetery.
Wenmer had never been to a place like this before. In his hometown, burial was the custom, and people would find a place with good feng shui in the suburbs and be buried there.
When Wenmo was still a child, he would occasionally be taken by adults to attend funerals. At the time, he couldn't understand why people were crying and laughing, or why the host family had to prepare so many tables of food. Now, he understands that it was to tell everyone that the family had not fallen apart and that there were still people in the family.
Xia Lian's eyes trembled slightly as she followed the route in her memory, eventually finding the familiar person in a secluded corner.
However, the mother in the photo is in black and white.
The grave was very clean, as if someone had cleaned it. A bunch of carnations remained on it, but no name was written on them. It leaned against Zhou Yu's tombstone.
Xia Lian's left hand was loosely clenched into a fist as she quietly gazed at the tomb before her, her eyes seemingly a little moist, her pupils unconsciously trembling slightly.
After a long while, she slowly uttered her first words, almost crying as she spoke the most familiar address.
"Mother……"
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