Once Wang Hui Fang went into the kitchen, Xiao Nian smiled and said to his dad, "Dad, Aunt Wang has forgiven me. She’s not mad at you anymore, either."

He Nan nodded at him, then went into the kitchen to help.

When Wang Hui Fang saw He Nan come in, she washed her hands to cook some noodles. The corners of her mouth curved up slightly. She didn’t say a word, just took out an egg and prepared to fry it.

The next time Xiao Nian saw Guo Jinfeng, she had come looking for him at his school.

There was only one high school in the county, and Guo Jinfeng didn’t know which class Xiao Nian was in, so she had to wait at the school gate. She finally saw Xiao Nian when school let out, called out to him, and waved.

When Xiao Nian saw his mother, he pressed his lips together and walked over.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

Guo Jinfeng smoothed down her clothes and said, a little embarrassed, "Am I embarrassing you?"

Xiao Nian shook his head. "That’s not what I meant. Mom, did you need something?"

Guo Jinfeng looked at Xiao Nian, but she started stammering, unable to get her words out clearly.

Seeing her like this, Xiao Nian asked, "Let’s find a place to sit and talk. Have you eaten?"

Guo Jinfeng shook her head and swallowed. She hadn’t eaten all day.

Xiao Nian took her to a small restaurant nearby and ordered two large bowls of noodles.

As soon as the bowls were brought to the table, Guo Jinfeng began shoveling the noodles into her mouth. Xiao Nian was about to warn her that they were hot, but her bowl was empty in no time.

She drank all the broth, licked her lips, and then looked over at Xiao Nian’s bowl.

Seeing this, Xiao Nian pushed his bowl toward her. "Go on, you eat it. I’m not hungry."

Guo Jinfeng tried to refuse, but after Xiao Nian insisted again, she started eating greedily. Only after she had finished the second bowl and let out a full burp did she finally explain the purpose of her visit.

"Has that woman gone back?"

Xiao Nian frowned. "Why are you asking that?"

Guo Jinfeng looked at Xiao Nian and said eagerly, "Tuanzi, do you think there’s any chance your dad might divorce that woman, remarry me, and give you kids a complete family again?"

Xiao Nian stared at his mother seriously and said nothing for a long time.

Guo Jinfeng noticed there was something strange in the way Xiao Nian was looking at her. She touched her own face. "Wh-what is it?"

Xiao Nian suddenly let out a laugh, which was followed by a sigh.

"I’m seventeen this year, and my sister is twenty-five. When you and Dad divorced, I was only about six or seven. We needed you back then, but you weren’t there. Now we’re grown up. We don’t need a so-called complete family to give us a sense of security anymore. I used to not understand how you could be so heartless as to abandon us, but later, I came to understand. It was simply that we weren’t as important to you as your own family was. You made a choice between us and them, so we accepted it."

"All these years, Dad raised us, being both a father and a mother. He never remarried, and my sister and I both knew it was for our sake. But now that we’re older, he has finally followed his heart and married Aunt Wang. Aunt Wang is a good person. Whether her kindness is genuine or not, at least on the surface she cares about us. And most importantly, she’s good to our dad."

"But what about you? You left for over ten years. I don’t believe you lacked the time or opportunity to come back and see us. The one and only time you did was because you found out Dad had a job and my sister had gotten into university. You came back for your own selfish reasons, and then you disappeared again for many more years."

"Now that things have come to this for you, you suddenly think of us again. Heh. Remarry? Do you really think Dad would agree to that? What he said the other day is still crystal clear in my mind. Did you not take his words to heart? His intentions were already obvious, weren’t they? I may be your son, but I really can’t help you. Mom, Dad has suffered for so many years. I am not willing to ruin his current happiness, and I won’t allow anyone to disturb them."

By this point, Guo Jinfeng’s face was covered in tears, though it was hard to tell if it was from the hurt of Xiao Nian’s words or from He Nan’s utter lack of feeling for her.

In truth, she knew full well that He Nan no longer had any feelings for her; she just couldn’t accept it. ’If only we hadn’t divorced,’ she thought, ’then all of this would be mine now.’

Xiao Nian looked at Guo Jinfeng and said with a sigh, "Mom, don’t blame me for being blunt. I know that no matter what you do, you’ll never get Dad to agree. Since that’s the case, why provoke him to the point where he despises you? Isn’t it better for everyone to just not interfere in each other’s lives? Let him go, and let yourself go, too."

Guo Jinfeng covered her face, her sobs so wracking she could barely make a sound.

Xiao Nian did not comfort her; he just watched her quietly.

Once Guo Jinfeng had calmed down, Xiao Nian opened his schoolbag. From the very bottom, he took out an object wrapped in a handkerchief. He unfolded it to reveal a stack of money.

Xiao Nian looked at the money in his hands and said to Guo Jinfeng, "This is what I’ve secretly saved up over the years. The largest part is the red envelope my brother-in-law gave me when I visited Beijing City a while ago. It’s all here—three hundred and twenty-five yuan in total."

"I’ve been carrying it around for the past few days, just in case I ran into you, so I could give it to you. You can use it to start a small business or find a place to live—it’s up to you. It’s a gesture from me."

Xiao Nian pushed the money over to Guo Jinfeng.

Guo Jinfeng looked at the money, and tears started to fall again.

Xiao Nian then smiled slightly. "I forgot to tell you, my sister’s getting married next month. Her fiancé is a professor at Beijing University, and he’s four years older than her. My sister is a graduate student and will be working at a research institute after she graduates. He’s very handsome, and his family seems to treat my sister really well. She’s going to be very happy. I have my college entrance exams next year. I want to get into a university in Beijing City, then I’ll be able to see my sister all the time."

Guo Jinfeng wiped away her tears with her hand and listened intently as Xiao Nian spoke.

"Even though you have a limp, your hands are perfectly fine. Times have changed. It’s not like it was before. As long as you’re willing to work hard, you’ll be able to support yourself. I have faith in you."

Guo Jinfeng clutched the money Xiao Nian had given her, squeezing it tightly before finally nodding.

"Okay. Mom understands."

After they left the restaurant, Xiao Nian looked at Guo Jinfeng. "Are you going back to the train station?"

Guo Jinfeng nodded, her voice hoarse. "Yeah. I’ll go look for a place to live tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself."

"Okay."

Guo Jinfeng looked at Xiao Nian intently, her eyes filled with reluctance to leave. "You’re grown up and don’t need me anymore. I won’t come by again. Tell your sister I wish her happiness, and please, tell your dad I’m sorry. I’m going now."

Xiao Nian nodded.

Guo Jinfeng gave Xiao Nian one last look, then turned and limped away without looking back.

Xiao Nian stood there, watching her back until she was out of sight. He blinked hard, trying to force his tears back down. Looking up at the darkening sky, he thought, ’It looks like it’s going to snow.’

After that day, for many, many years to come, Xiao Nian never saw his mother again.