However, Xiao Zhangyou did not feel disappointed for too long. The next second, a voice came from outside. The voice was filled with joy and hope, and it broke into Xiao Zhangyou's world along with the suddenly bright light.
"There's a child here!"
"Someone come quickly! There are people here!"
“Here it comes! Here it comes!”
"Don't be afraid, little girl! The uncles will be here to rescue you soon!"
Perhaps the sudden light was too dazzling, and Xiao Zhangyou's eyes, like Zhang You's, were wet with tears, and the tears were flickering, about to fall.
Mom was right, someone would come to save them...
It's just that they came so late...
They arrived too late...
The person who rescued Xiao Zhang You was a warmly dressed man. He took Xiao Zhang You's hands from the rubble and pulled her out. He also considerately covered her head with a blanket that he had found from somewhere to protect her from the glaring sunlight.
Little Tuanzi lay uneasily in his arms, worried about his parents under the rubble. He said in a hoarse voice: "Uncle, save my parents, they are injured, please save them... I want my parents..."
After a long while, a deep, hazy male voice could be heard from above. He carefully comforted little Zhang You, "Don't be afraid... When you wake up from your sleep, you'll be able to see them..."
In the end, he still did not reveal the cruel truth to the child who had just lost his parents.
Although little Zhang You was young, her mother had taught her about life and death, and about separation. So after hearing her uncle's words, she understood clearly that it was just a white lie.
Perhaps it was at this moment that the young girl realized that she had no one to rely on and could only rely on herself to walk the unknown road, so she learned to hide her true emotions. She just curled up quietly, hugged herself, and said nothing.
The person who rescued her noticed her sudden drop in mood and guessed that she probably understood the meaning of what he had just said. He probably sympathized with such a little child pretending to be strong, so he didn't say anything, but quickened his pace and took her to the makeshift shelter.
Little Zhang You was taken in by the nurse at the shelter. There were many people in the shelter, all of whom had suffered injuries of varying degrees. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant and their occasional groans.
Little Zhang You was extremely quiet. She didn't say a word when the nurse pulled her over to check on her injuries, didn't say a word when she was placed next to a child who had also lost a family member, and didn't say a word when she was frightened by the injured people coming and going...
It wasn't until she heard the nurse, who was busy treating the wounds, say that those who unfortunately died were placed in the open space west of the shelter that her numb expression changed.
Dad, Mom...
Little Zhang You took advantage of the busyness in the shelter and secretly ran out. She just wanted to see her parents again.
Zhang You has been guarding his parents' bodies.
She saw with her own eyes that the group of people did not leave their bodies alone just because they died, but instead brought their bodies out and placed them in this open space.
This area is full of people who did not survive the disaster.
Mom and Dad were covered in blood. Just two days ago, they were a happy family. Dad had planned to wait for little Zhang You to go on a summer vacation to Hebei with the whole family. Mom had even smiled and held up a bunch of little dresses, saying she wanted to dress little Zhang You up beautifully.
Their smiling faces seemed to still be in front of my eyes, but they overlapped with the cold faces lying on the ground, and my heart ached more and more.
Zhang You raised his hand and wanted to wipe the dirt off their faces, but after wiping it more than ten times in vain, there was still no change.
Until a pair of small hands wiped away the dirt for her.
The little girl who pretended to be strong finally burst into tears.
She still can't be as strong as her mother said...
She is still the same Youyou who only wants to seek protection from her parents when she is hurt...
"Mom and Dad... why do you want to leave me alone? Why? I don't want to be alone... I'm timid... I can't do it... Wake up and look at me again, okay?... Don't abandon me... Don't..."
She cried so hard that every cry seemed to break Zhang You's heart. Zhang You wanted to hug her younger self and comfort her. She raised her hands and held the child, who was lying on her mother's body and crying heartbrokenly, to help her vent her pain.
…
If she could have skipped such a tragedy, Zhang You would have certainly wanted to escape it. But fate pushed her to accept it all and forced her to grow up.
On the third day after the earthquake, Zhang You's aunt came here from afar. She found little Zhang You who was stubbornly staying with his parents, and saw his sister and brother-in-law who had died unfortunately. She suppressed her grief, took little Zhang You away, and disposed of the bodies of her sister and brother-in-law.
When the aunt took little Zhang You away, she said to her solemnly: "Xiao You, your parents are gone. From now on, follow me. I will take you home, and you can treat me as your mother."
My aunt looks a lot like my mother. When she said these words, it was as if my mother was talking to me. Little Zhang You looked at this familiar face and suddenly burst into tears. She hugged her aunt tightly and nodded heavily several times.
She treated her aunt as her mother, as if she was still loved by someone.
Zhang You, who was standing aside, stood there without moving.
There is no doubt that my aunt really loves me, but she can never replace my mother.
If I knew at this moment that some feelings cannot be replaced and some people will eventually end up parting ways, would I not have given my true heart to them from the beginning? That way, in the end, I wouldn't have been hurt so deeply.
My aunt took my sister and brother-in-law's ashes and little Zhang You away, because little Zhang You refused to let go of the jar containing her parents' ashes. Knowing that little Zhang You hadn't adjusted yet, she decided to take her home and then bury my sister and brother-in-law.
After that, little Zhang You lived in her aunt's house.
My aunt had a brother who was two years older than Xiao Zhang You. He was very unhappy about her arrival. On her first day at their house, he threw a tantrum and smashed the books and ornaments in the room. My aunt and uncle-in-law gave him a good scolding to vent Xiao Zhang You's anger.
It was unknown what they said to him, but the brother calmed down and stopped making a scene, but he would always fight with her for things. Little Zhang You liked her aunt, but she was also afraid of her serious uncle, so she didn't dare to fight with her brother.
She once thought that such compromise was okay because she still had her aunt, who treated her very well and bought her toys. She knew her family had a stuffed doll that didn't survive the earthquake, so she bought her a similar one. She coveted her aunt's motherly love and never shared any of the grievances she'd suffered.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
