“No need…” Zhou Ling shook her head as she answered in a choked voice, “If I take time off from work and stay at home with nothing to do, I’ll feel even sadder. Therefore, I might as well go back to work so I’ll be occupied, and perhaps as I stay busy I’ll gradually forget…”
“Ah…” Zhou Yue sighed heavily. She had no idea how to respond to Zhou Ling.
In the bedroom, as Cheng Zhiyan stared at Xiaotu, who had fallen asleep in his arms, he couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief.
Delicate teardrops still clung to her long lashes, while her delicate little nose had gotten all red from so much crying. Her face also was cold from the crying, and her plump little mouth hung slightly agape as she slept.
Although she had been crying hysterically just moments before, Xiaotu appeared serene now as she slept.
He carefully placed Xiaotu in the bed, tucked her in, and then he lowered his head and gave her a little kiss good night.
“I hope you never suffer such heartache in your life ever again.”
Cheng Zhiyan gazed at Xiaotu, and he reached out to caress her cheeks. Then, he sat down at his desk and opened his diary that he kept in a notebook.
He turned the mechanical pencil around in his hand and stared at the diary for a long time. Finally, he slowly wrote down some words:
Someone once said that when God closes a door, he opens a window.
Xiaotu, I hope that I can become the window in your life.
After writing down these words, he stared at them for a long time. Then he finally closed the diary and promptly turned off the lights.
…
During the Great Flood of 1998, 29 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country suffered floods of varying degrees. The affected area spanned 318 million acres, the area of damage spanned 196 million acres, the affected population was 223 million people, and 3,004 people died. More than 6.85 million houses collapsed, and the direct economic losses amounted to 166 billion yuan.
During that Great Flood, countless families tragically lost their loved ones, and Xiaotu’s family was one of them.
Time has the ability to heal all pain, and, when enough time has passed, the painful memories of the past will eventually be forgotten, or at least their pain will be lessened.
That year’s days of pouring rain left an indelible impression on Xiaotu’s young mind, yet she didn’t suffer too much pain.
Even after many, many years, every time she reminiscences about those past memories, she still feels utterly grateful that the gentle Cheng Zhiyan had stayed by her side during that year, that dreadful summer.
Autumn followed after summer, and winter followed after autumn. In the blink of an eye, Xiaotu was already in prekindergarten, while Cheng Zhiyan had risen to the sixth grade of elementary school.
Children in prekindergarten were already starting to become more self-conscious and aware of their physical appearances. Thus, because of her sweet, attractive looks, Xiaotu easily became the most popular girl in her class.
Every day, when school ended, Xiaotu would be surrounded by a bunch of little boys all clamoring to go to her house to play.
Every time this happened, Cheng Zhiyan would stare at those kids half his size with a helpless expression. Then, without saying a single word, he would scoop her up in his arms and rescue Xiaotu from the entire bunch of dwarfs.
“Brother Orange Juice! You’re here!” Every time Xiaotu laid eyes on Cheng Zhiyan, she would break out into a dazzling smile like a blooming flower.
“What?” Cheng Zhiyan carried her over to his bike as those kids, still unwilling to accept defeat, obstinately followed behind them.
“Brother Orange Juice, can I invite my classmates over to play?”