After Song Xu's death, the broken marriage between Li Yin and Song Qian lost its bond, and the two eventually parted ways.
Old Mrs. Song was convicted of abuse and sentenced to five years in prison.
Li Yin's world has since fallen into endless darkness and self-blame.
She felt that all this was caused by herself. If she had not had a job, she might have noticed the abuse Song Xu was suffering earlier, and Song Xu would not have become autistic, and perhaps he would not have died so quietly.
But he missed the opportunity to save the child without knowing it.
This pain and regret followed her like a shadow, gnawing at her heart day and night.
Li Yin quit her job and began to pray to God.
Every time she kowtowed and every word of her prayer was filled with her deep guilt and longing for her child.
Through a friend's introduction, she found a master in the countryside who was said to have extraordinary abilities to understand yin and yang, and to determine life and death.
Li Yin found the master and tearfully begged him to perform a ritual for Song Xu, just to save her son's wandering and helpless soul, so that he could be born into a happy family in the next life and no longer suffer such hardships.
The master looked solemn. After pondering for a moment, he suggested going to the place where Song Xu died in person.
Li Yin took the master back to the home full of painful memories.
The master looked around the room, then asked Li Yin to bring a bowl of water and motioned for Li Yin to drink it.
Li Yin didn't understand why, but she drank it all without hesitation.
In an instant, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Li Yin slowly raised her head and saw her son Song Xu sitting obediently in the corner of the room. Just like before, he was holding the Rubik's Cube tightly in his hands and turning it non-stop. The familiar scene made Li Yin burst into tears instantly.
She rushed forward desperately and hugged her son tightly, as if she wanted to keep him in her arms forever.
The master's voice drifted faintly from the distant shores of the Styx, "Everything in this world is subject to cause and effect. Your son's attachment to you and his reluctance to leave you keep him here. If you insist on keeping him by your side, you will have to sacrifice your own life. Are you willing?"
From that day on, Li Yin moved with Song Xu to the community where they live now, which is where Li Yin grew up as a child.
Li Yin discovered that Song Xu was like a child lost in the mist of time, and all his previous memories had disappeared from his mind.
There was nothing in his clear eyes, and he was not even aware of the cruel reality that he was already dead.
In his ignorant world, everything seemed to be the same as before, and life was still going on as usual.
Every morning, Song Xu would carry his schoolbag and go to school on time as usual.
At first, Li Yin's heart was filled with worries, like a frightened bird. She carefully followed Song Xu's footsteps and went to school together.
She was afraid that Song Xu would become suspicious because no one responded to his existence, and thus break the "tranquility" and "normality" that she had tried so hard to maintain.
However, Li Yin discovered that every time Song Xu stepped into the classroom, he would walk straight to the last corner of the classroom without hesitation, gently put down his schoolbag, and then quietly take out his beloved Rubik's Cube, immersed in that small world, and sit there for a whole day.
Until the afterglow of the setting sun shines through the window, gently falling on the desks, and the school bell rings melodiously.
The laughter and lively discussions of his classmates, the passionate lectures and careful instruction of his teachers, all of these seemed to have nothing to do with him. He seemed to have long been accustomed to the loneliness and silence forgotten by the world, and was content in his own corner.
Gradually, Li Yin's heart, which had always been hanging high, finally slowly fell down. She began to try to let go of the anxiety and uneasiness in her heart, and got used to this seemingly calm but hidden rhythm of life, and silently guarded Song Xu.
Li Yin especially cherishes this hard-earned time that seems like a dream.
After school, Song Xu would go straight home along the familiar road, then walk to his room without hesitation and sit down at the desk. His hands would skillfully fiddle with the Rubik's Cube, making a slight "click" sound, as if that was his only way of communicating with the world.
Although Song Xu remained silent, he would occasionally quietly accompany Li Yin in the living room.
He would curl up obediently in a corner of the sofa, staring at the flickering and changing images on the TV screen with focused and empty eyes. Those vivid characters and ups and downs of stories might never really touch his heart again, but he still sat there quietly, giving Li Yin silent comfort.
Sometimes, he would follow Li Yin silently like a small shadow, watching her busying around the house.
With the companionship day after day, Li Yin gradually got used to this dreamlike life. She was addicted to it and didn't want to wake up.
Until that day, Song Xu returned home from school as usual, but in his hand was a strangely shaped Rubik's Cube.
Li Yin's heart suddenly tightened, and the fear in her heart grew wildly like weeds.
She suppressed her inner uneasiness and asked Song Xu softly if the Rubik's Cube was given to him by someone else. Song Xu nodded slightly. At that moment, Li Yin felt dizzy.
She was afraid that this small change would be like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples and ultimately breaking the fragile and precious time she had with her child.
Finally, driven by her endless love and concern for her son, she asked Song Xu to invite the classmate who gave him the Rubik's Cube to come over...
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