“Huh?” said Madam Liu. “You have a family?”
“Yes,” nodded Yan Huan. “I do. They live in the Sea City.”
“Sea City?” repeated Madam Liu, eyes widening. “You live in the Sea City too? That’s a long way from here.” Liu Hao had worked somewhere near the Sea City, before travelling to the Sea City. When Mr. Liu asked him how far it was from his initial workplace, he said it was very far. If that was the case, imagine how far it would be from their village!
“It’s pretty far indeed,” nodded Yan Huan. “I ended up here by accident, and I was stuck because it’s too dangerous to descend the mountain during winter. So I stayed and waited for the weather to get better. A few days back, I learned from some people that it was safe for me to make the descent now.”
“In that case, why did you come back?” asked Madam Liu, confused. Why would she come back if she could live comfortably at the bottom of the mountain?
“I wanted to make sure that Changsheng’s mother is living comfortably before I leave,” admitted Yan Huan.
“Oh, poor child…” sighed Madam Liu. “What a foolish woman, to be chasing away such a good wife.”
Wife? Yan Huan wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t. Nothing seemed likely to make her laugh again.
“But, Aunty Liu, I have never said anything about marrying Changsheng.”
“But that’s what his mother has been telling everyone!”
Madam Liu had heard it from Changsheng’s mother with her own ears, and Yan Huan’s long-term residence at the Changsheng house seemed to have proved her words.
“I’m already married, Aunty Liu,” said Yan Huan, looking up into Madam Liu’s eyes. Her eyes were pretty and crystal-clear. A year of hardship had not tainted her bright eyes in the slightest bit.
“Ah!” gasped Madam Liu. “You are married? Is that true?”
“Yes,” smiled Yan Huan, recalling the warm memories. “I have a husband and three children waiting for me at home, so I have to go.”
Yan Huan’s story made Madam Liu further realize how much of an ingrate Changsheng’s mother was. The poor child had stayed because she was worried about leaving the old woman alone, and because she felt the need to repay them, even when she could have gone home a long time ago. And what did Changsheng’s mother think? She got it into her head that Yan Huan was devoted to Changsheng! As it turned out, Yan Huan was already married!
“Let me think…” said Madam Liu, rising and walking off. Soon, she returned with a small tin case, which she set on her lap.
She opened the case, took out an identification card, and placed it before Yan Huan.
“Take a look at this,” she said, pointing to the ID.
Yan Huan scooped it up and looked. The ID belonged to a woman named Liu Hua.
The woman in the colored picture looked a little dull and unintelligent.
“This is my eldest daughter,” said Madam Liu, eyes reddening. “She wasn’t born intelligent, and we always kept her at home since no one wanted to marry her. So we thought we just had to take care of her until she turns into an old maid, and when we die, Liu Hao and Liu Fang can take over our duties. But one day Xiao Hua fell sick and before we knew it… she was gone, before we could even celebrate the New Year together. We haven’t reported her death until now, so this ID should still be usable.”
“I don’t think people will investigate too much if you tell them you suffered a disfiguration. These days, you need an ID to do everything. Without one, you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere.”
Yan Huan gripped the ID tightly. She could see that Madam Liu still loved and missed her daughter sorely, despite her looks or mental disabilities. A mother’s child would always be her child. She made her, raised her, and was prepared to provide for her for the rest of her life. And the next second she was gone. Yan Huan knew and understood the pain of a parent who has to see their child die before them.
When Lu Yi got into an accident, Ye Shuyun behaved as though she had lost her soul. When Yan Huan herself became a mother, her heart wrenched so hard she could have died whenever Xunxun fell sick.
For that reason, she was truly grateful towards Madam Liu, who was willing to lend her an identity to go home with, even if it meant tearing her own unhealed wounds open.
At night, Liu Fang came to Yan Huan and placed a bundle before her.
“Here, Sister Xiao Yan. Mom has prepared this for you. It would help you on your way home.”
Yan Huan unwrapped the bundle and found several pieces of clothing that looked very new, some of which were completely unused. Apart from that, there was 500 dollars. Yan Huan bit her lips, her fingers shaking.
Farm folks were self-sufficient and didn’t have many opportunities to earn money, and 500 dollars was enough to last an ordinary farmer family for an entire year. Even though Liu Fang’s family was considered better off in the village, they were still poor people at the end of the day. 500 dollars was probably the most they could give her, and she would never forget this debt of gratitude for the rest of her life.
On the morning of the following day, she slung the bundle onto her shoulders and prepared to leave. Inside the bundle, apart from the stuff Liu Fang had handed her earlier, there were a few flatbread pancakes, which Madam Liu had stayed up the entire night to make. She had put a lot of oil into the pancakes to make them more filling. In the cold weather, the pancakes wouldn’t go bad in a long time. Other than that, there was a small jar of pickled vegetables to go with the pancakes.
“Be careful out there,” said Liu Fang, who really didn’t want Yan Huan to go. When Yan Huan’s gone, she would have no one to chat with anymore.
“I will,” said Yan Huan, pulling the bandage on her face down a little. The hideous scars showed, but they weren’t that hard to look at once Liu Fang got used to them. In fact, she was beginning to find her very pretty.
“I have left something for you in the mountains across the village entrance. It’s in the hollow of a tree with one rock on each side. Remember to go look for it.”
“Okay,” said Liu Fang. “Don’t worry,” she beamed, “I will find it. I know the area there well, and I know exactly which trees have hollows in them!”
She slapped her chest confidently to prove her point. If Yan Huan hid something in the mountains, there’s no way she couldn’t find it!
