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"Qianqian, Qianqian! Hurry up, look what I brought you—a big apple!" This was Kang Hui from the neighboring house, the only boy who would play with her and make her happy after her family's downfall. He was two years older than Jing Ning. At school, everyone thought Kang Hui was a bad boy because he liked to bully the girls. He often drew little turtles on their arms, splashed ink on their white clothes, and hid various bugs in their books just to see them scream while he laughed at them. Sometimes he would crawl under the desks and secretly tie the girls' legs to the chair legs or pull away the chairs of girls who were answering questions. Once, it got serious; perhaps because the girl was too heavy, she accidentally fell and broke her tailbone, requiring a long hospital stay. He also enjoyed annoying teachers and getting into fights. Not only in class but throughout the school, he was always involved in any fighting incidents. One time, a young math teacher came to class wearing a beautiful pink dress, and as she entered the room, he threw a firecracker at her, startling her so much that she screamed and ran away in tears. Meanwhile, he nonchalantly recited "San Zi Jing": "Human nature is inherently good." Despite his mischievous behavior, he took special care of Jing Ning, who was called "Little Mute." Whenever she was bullied, he would rush to her defense; sometimes he would get beaten up and come back with bruises but would still fight to protect her next time. Moreover, after each time Jing Ning got hurt, he would bring her something nice—food or toys—to cheer her up. This boy was also the only person willing to talk to Jing Ning besides her grandmother over the past two years.
"Qianqian, I caught a bird yesterday; it sings beautifully!" He paused to observe Liu Qianqian's expression before continuing: "I put it in the water house next to the security room. Want to go see it?" He looked at her with eager anticipation.
"Qianqian, go take a look! It must be beautiful!" Grandma encouraged Liu Qianqian to go out and have some fun.
"Kang Hui is such a good boy!" Grandma turned to Kang Hui, genuinely touched by his kindness.
Days passed slowly amid sorrow and hardship.
One day, it was very dark outside, yet there was still no sign of her mother returning. She suddenly felt scared. She wasn't afraid of being beaten every day; she had grown accustomed to the pain; she just wanted to feel her mother's love hidden within hatred. Liu Qianqian kept peering out the window, but there wasn't a single figure on the dark road. Any sound outside became an excuse for her to jump up and open the door, but her mother did not return that night.
The next morning, someone found her mother's body in the river; she had committed suicide by drowning. Her mother left no words behind; she wore a cream-colored dress that her father had once praised and clutched tightly in her hand a family photo that had become nearly unrecognizable from being soaked. Just like before, she left quietly and peacefully. Grandma didn't want Liu Qianqian to see her mother's swollen body, but Liu Qianqian insisted on holding onto her mother's hand—the one that held the photo—until after cremation, refusing to let go no matter what anyone said. It wasn't until then that this girl, who hadn't cried for two years, began to sob uncontrollably and faint several times from grief.
From then on, she relied solely on her grandmother. Life was very hard; they often had rice with pickled vegetables for meals. Some people advised Grandma to sell their house and rent a small place; real estate developers interested in the land came several times to negotiate, but Grandma always shook her head while stroking her granddaughter's head.
Six years later.
She had learned to take care of herself and her grandmother. She was very smart and did well in school but had become even quieter and remained small for her age. On the day she graduated from middle school, Grandma passed away.
Before taking her last breath, Grandma gave her a thick envelope. If losing her mother meant she still had Grandma as emotional support, now…
Fortunately, Kang Hui—who had grown tall and strong—stayed by her side through it all so that she could bury Grandma properly.
On the day of saying goodbye to Grandma, she also had to say goodbye to their home because inside that thick envelope were 200,000 yuan exchanged for their house and a letter from her father after her mother drowned.
She decided to go to Shenzhen to find her father. She hated him but missed him even more; after all, he was her only remaining family member. On the day of departure, besides the howling wind, there was Kang Hui crying like a girl as he saw her off. She shed not a single tear but felt an overwhelming bitterness in her mouth. Holding onto Grandma's ashes, she vowed never to return to this place of sorrow again.
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