Zeng Hui's old home was located in a remote area. It took over three hours by high-speed train, and then another two hours by bus from the city to the county.
Her family lived in a mountain village on the outskirts of the county. Taxis refused to go there, so the two of them hired a three-wheeled vehicle, which bumped along for another hour before they arrived.
The driver dropped them off by the roadside, overgrown with weeds. As they walked, Zeng Hui asked Chen Dongyang, "Do you know why I wanted to come here?"
"Because my parents will never return here again. Dou Bao can live forever in the place I loved as a child, without any disturbance. Isn't that good?"
The last time Chen Dongyang saw Zeng Hui's parents was when she was pregnant.
At that time, her parents had already moved to the county town.
Indeed, Zeng Hui had been out of touch with them for so many years; they wouldn't be coming back here.
The small path was difficult to navigate. Chen Dongyang supported Zeng Hui's arm, and they pushed through thorns and brambles, turning through a large patch of overgrown woods before reaching the mountain peak she had mentioned.
There was indeed a large banyan tree on the mountaintop.
Zeng Hui said that according to the village elders, it was several hundred years old and a treasure of their village.
But now, all the young people had left, and the elderly couldn't climb up. The area beneath this treasure was completely covered in weeds.
Chen Dongyang chose a spot with the best sunlight and asked if it was okay. Zeng Hui agreed. She sat aside to rest while Chen Dongyang cleared the weeds.
Summer had arrived, and the weather was getting hotter. Although it was nearing dusk, clearing the weeds for over an hour left him drenched in sweat.
Finally, they used two branches to dig a hole in the ground and together placed Dou Bao's urn inside.
As they covered it with soil, Zeng Hui started to cry again.
"I hope my baby, like me when I was little, plays happily here every day. Mommy didn't abandon you. Mommy will come back to see you regularly. Be good with your father over there. Mommy will think of you every day."
After covering the urn, Chen Dongyang asked if she wanted to erect a tombstone or anything for Dou Bao. Zeng Hui said no.
"I don't want anyone to find him and disturb him. He doesn't know those messy people, and he'll be unhappy if he's disturbed. Let's go. Don't be too sad. His father has been waiting for him for years; he should be very happy to see him. Now his father will take care of him."
As they descended the mountain, the sky was already beginning to darken. The path was difficult. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, dusk had settled in.
There were no cars to take them back to the county. Zeng Hui suggested that Chen Dongyang stay with her for the night at the house she lived in as a child.
Chen Dongyang held her arm and walked with her. As they walked, he noticed something was wrong.
The path was well-trodden and flat, with no weeds on either side, as if people frequented it.
Could it be that someone was still living in their old house?
Could it be that her parents had returned?
Upon noticing the anomaly, Zeng Hui suddenly became hesitant to move forward.
Chen Dongyang, using his height advantage, looked into the distance and saw that there was indeed light in the small house Zeng Hui was pointing to.
"If you don't want to go, we'll walk out. If you can't walk, I'll carry you. Don't be afraid."
Zeng Hui was conflicted.
On one hand, she felt she should go back and see her parents, as they had raised her.
On the other hand, she felt she had become a nobody, a disgrace, and had no face to return.
As they hesitated, the sound of a motorcycle engine approached from behind.
Immediately after, a white motorcycle sped past them.
Zeng Hui's heart pounded. She stared at the retreating figure of the young man for a long time, then, with trembling lips, said to Chen Dongyang, "That just now looked like my brother."
Chen Dongyang understood the feeling of nervousness when approaching home. He repeated, "If you want to go, I'll accompany you. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. If you don't want to go, we'll leave. I'll carry you back to the county."
While Zeng Hui was still hesitating, the motorcycle that had just flown past turned back and stopped steadily in front of them.
The young man, without a helmet, looked at them repeatedly, then suddenly shouted, "Is that really you? Sister, you're back!"
When Zeng Hui left, her brother was still a high school student. Now, he had the demeanor of an adult.
Seeing her long-unseen brother grown so much, Zeng Hui forgot all her reservations and rushed forward, crying and laughing. "You still remember me? Xiao Er, you've grown so big!"
"How could I not? It's been years! I've already started my internship and work. Why are you only coming back now? You haven't contacted Mom and Dad for so long; they've been missing you like crazy. Come on, come back with me quickly! Mom will probably faint with joy when she sees you!"
As he spoke, he stood up from the motorcycle and shouted towards the house, "Dad, Mom! Come and see, my sister is back! Xiao Hui is back!"
Then, her parents came out of the house, and the family embraced and wept.
Zeng Hui and Chen Dongyang followed her brother inside. Zeng Hui, feeling very embarrassed, told them about her experiences over the past few years.
Her parents listened, tears streaming down their faces and sighs escaping their lips, but in the end, they chose to forgive her.
Zeng's mother said, "I told you back then not to have the child. With your education, it wouldn't be too late to start all over again. Life would get better and better. But you wouldn't listen..."
"Forget it, it's all in the past. Let's not talk about it anymore. It's good that you're back. After all, you've been a mother yourself; you must understand how my father and I have felt all these years. You didn't contact us for so long, and you have no idea how we've lived."
Zeng Hui knelt before her mother, unable to lift her head due to guilt. Chen Dongyang knelt beside her.
After speaking to Zeng Hui, her mother looked Chen Dongyang up and down. "Xiao Chen, you've had a tough time. I thought you were unreliable back then, and I was afraid you'd change your mind about Xiao Hui midway, but I didn't expect..."
"Ah, it hasn't been easy for you two to get to where you are today. Let's not talk about the child. You're still young; don't think too much about it. Live well from now on."
Chen Dongyang felt a mix of emotions, unsure how to respond to Zeng's mother's words.
Zeng Hui was currently in a difficult emotional state. She wanted to be upfront with her mother about her lingering feelings for someone else and that she wouldn't develop romantic feelings for Chen Dongyang, fearing her mother couldn't accept it.
But if she didn't say anything, even her family would misunderstand.
Fortunately, Zeng's mother didn't expect a reply. After speaking, she helped them up and started preparing dinner.
After dinner, the mother and daughter had a lot to talk about, and Chen Dongyang was sent to sleep with the brother.
The brother was young and curious about everything. He peppered Chen Dongyang with questions, to which Chen Dongyang responded with brief "uh-huhs" and "hmms," his thoughts long gone.
He missed Tiantian terribly.
When he was busy and occupied, it was bearable. But as soon as he had free time, he missed her with a desperate intensity.
He had photos of Tiantian on his phone. He hadn't slept for two days and two nights. His eyes ached when he looked at his phone, but he still wanted to keep looking.