Chapter 232 Sister, am I... dead?
Shen Yuepo stepped forward, squatted down beside them, and looked at Tongtong with a peaceful gaze:
"What Mommy said is true. Tongtong, feel it carefully. Does your body feel light as a feather? Can you move without walking? Don't you feel hungry even without eating?"
Tongtong was stunned, and then tried to feel her body again.
Indeed, it's so light, it seems like it could float up at any moment.
"Sister, am I... dead?" He finally asked the question, with the straightforwardness unique to children.
Both Shen Yuepo and the woman felt a pang of pain in their hearts.
“Tongtong,” Shen Yuepo said in a gentler tone, “exists in a different form.”
"Your body remains in the hospital, but your memories, your smile, and your love for your mother are all here."
She gently tapped Tongtong's chest. "Now, Tongtong needs to go to a more suitable new place to start a new journey."
The woman hugged Tongtong tightly, then took over the conversation, her voice filled with maternal love and reluctance:
"Tongtong, Mommy loves you more than the whole world. Mommy will never forget you and will think of you every day."
“But Mom can’t selfishly keep you here, because that new place is where Tongtong should be now.”
"There, Tongtong will no longer be lonely or afraid. She can play happily and grow up safely in a different way."
She cradled Tongtong's face in her hands, her forehead pressed against the child's cold forehead, speaking each word as if trying to etch them into each other's souls:
"Remember, Mom will always be your mom. Wherever you are, Mom's love will always be with you. But..."
"It's just that from now on, Mom won't be able to give you a real hug, cook for you, or take you to school, but Mom will be here."
"I'll keep thinking about you, and we'll definitely meet again in another place a long, long time from now."
"At that time, Mom will recognize you at first glance, and then hug you tightly and never let go again, okay?"
Tongtong listened to her mother's words, saw her mother's face full of tears, and felt the deep love in her mother's words.
He seemed to understand a little, but he was still very sad.
He pouted, wanting to cry again, but seeing how heartbroken his mother was, he tried his best to hold back.
"Is that...new place really good?" he asked softly.
"Good, very good." The woman nodded vigorously, forcing a smile.
Tongtong was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then... will Mom come to see me?"
The woman choked up and couldn't speak.
Shen Yuepo answered on her behalf: "Mom can't see you directly, but Tongtong can sense Mom."
“When Mom misses you, when Mom talks to you in her dreams, when Mom puts your favorite snacks in front of your picture, Tongtong can feel it, right?”
Tongtong seemed to understand, but he chose to believe his sister and mother.
He hugged his mother again, buried his face in her shoulder, and said in a muffled voice:
"Then...then I'll be good and go to that new place. Mom, don't keep crying. You need to eat well and sleep well. Tongtong will feel it."
The woman could no longer hold back; she hugged her child and sobbed uncontrollably, nodding repeatedly.
Shen Yuepo knew that the time had come.
She stood up and said softly to Tongtong, "Tongtong, say goodbye to Mommy one last time."
Tongtong lifted her head from her mother's arms and looked at her mother's red, swollen eyes.
He stretched out his little hand, and just like before he always went out, he said in his childish voice:
"Goodbye, Mommy. Tongtong will miss you. Be a good girl, okay?"
The woman took that cold little hand in her hand, pressed it to her lips, and showered it with countless kisses:
Goodbye, my baby. Mommy will miss you every day, every hour, every moment. Go on your way, don't be afraid, Mommy's love is with you.
Shen Yuepo opened the gates of hell.
This time, Tongtong wasn't afraid. He looked at his mother, then at Chen Yuepo, and obediently closed his eyes.
A soft, pure white light shone again, enveloping him.
The woman's gaze greedily followed the tiny figure in the light, as if she wanted to imprint it into the deepest part of her soul.
Just before entering the gates of hell, Tongtong suddenly opened her eyes, gave her a bright smile in her mother's direction, and waved vigorously.
The light faded, and the soul vanished without a trace.
The woman's outstretched hand remained suspended in mid-air in vain before slowly falling.
She covered her face, and the sobs she had been suppressing for so long finally burst forth.
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