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From the moment they boarded the train, the passengers in the carriage would occasionally glance at her, some with curiosity, others with indifference. The train sped through one small town after another, and she quietly rested her head on Yang Jingsheng's shoulder, her gaze drifting toward the endless distance outside the window.
Yang Jingsheng noticed her long eyelashes fluttering. He tightened his embrace around her waist and softly asked, "Are you scared?"
Xu Yuan pressed her lips together and buried her face in Yang Jingsheng's chest. After a moment, she lifted her head and said, "I haven't been home in over three years."
Yang Jingsheng saw countless contradictions in her eyes.
"Do you know? That day was Mother's Day," Xu Yuan continued. "I didn't tell Dad I was leaving; I just went away and haven't returned since."
Yang Jingsheng listened as she spoke again, "Did I tell you that I was studying nursing?"
He shook his head.
"I was about to graduate. Just like today, I came back home from Ningzhou. I used to visit often. My father broke both his legs in a car accident a few years ago, so I planned to become a nurse to take care of him myself."
"Then you didn't become a nurse?"
Xu Yuan smiled, but it was a bitter smile.
"I have a stepmother," she said.
Xu Yuan swallowed hard, and Yang Jingsheng waited for her to continue.
"She has a lover," Xu Yuan added.
The scenery outside the window changed rapidly as the train approached Hong Tian station.
"That day," Xu Yuan lowered her head, her tone calm as if recounting someone else's story, "she let him assault me."
Perhaps it was the jolt of the train entering the station, but Yang Jingsheng felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy hammer. Xu Yuan lifted her face, biting her lip tightly.
Yang Jingsheng was shaken by Xu Yuan's last words; an overwhelming pain surged within him. He almost forgot how they exited Hong Tian station. The bright afternoon sun of Dongning Prefecture forced him to raise his hand to shield his eyes. Xu Yuan was haggling with a taxi driver over the fare for a dilapidated cab. After some negotiation, the driver reluctantly helped them load their luggage into the trunk. They climbed into the old diesel vehicle and bumped along the city streets.
Neither Yang Jingsheng nor Xu Yuan spoke during the ride. The driver boasted about his driving skills, claiming he could do anything behind the wheel. Xu Yuan's home was quite far away; they traveled for nearly an hour and a half through rugged terrain before she directed the driver to stop at a small fork in the road. The driver helped them unload their luggage, and Xu Yuan asked for his contact number for their return trip. He quickly found a business card in his vehicle and handed it to her. After she paid him, he left happily.
Yang Jingsheng slung his large bag over his shoulder and took Xu Yuan's hand as they turned onto the small fork in the road. Xu Yuan's mood grew increasingly tense; her small hand was cold and trembling slightly. Yang Jingsheng continuously rubbed her hands together to calm her nerves.
They walked for about ten minutes until they spotted two or three scattered households ahead. A flock of free-range chickens scurried away from their unexpected guests, flapping their wings in alarm. A woman with two or three sturdy little boys was washing something by a hand-pumped well; they all turned to look at them with suspicion.
"Aunt A Shan," Xu Yuan called out.
"Ah, is that you... are you A Yuan?" The woman recognized her immediately.
"Yes, I'm back," Xu Yuan replied.
"You’re back, you’re back! Oh, why did you come back so late... you..." Aunt A Shan sighed and said, "It's good that you're back. Your father is in your family's garden. You should go see him."
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