A single block of coffin board, ash laid in the earth—a person had thoroughly severed their ties with this world. Lin Duole looked at his mother’s smile on the tombstone, feeling completely hollow inside.
Ye Wanqiu’s grave was built halfway up the mountain, buried together with Lin Gengsheng. On the mound, dry twigs gradually sprouted tender green shoots. As light and shadow flickered, March quietly drew to a close, and the weather—which should have been warming up—grew cold once more.
The funeral preparations had taken a whole week to wrap up, and the week-long leave Lin Duole took had now expired. At home, he had no appetite and barely ate a thing. Sometimes he sat dazed; other times, whenever he missed his mother, he walked up to the grave on the mountainside to look at her.
After arranging the banquet, his grandmother paid him no mind. She did nothing but count the cash in the box against the gift registry, going over it endlessly for nearly three days and nights. His grandfather lit the fire in the kitchen. Having trouble with his legs, he used to rely on a walking stick to shuffle forward step by step, but moving around was much easier now that he had a remote-controlled wheelchair—bought and paid for, of course, by Lu Tingyu.
“Say what you will, but Boss Lu is truly generous. This amount he gave is enough for us old folks to retire in peace,” the old woman said, holding the red banknotes while the corners of her mouth nearly curled back to her ears. “Provided, of course, that young Duole doesn’t need to use it.”
Baking flatbreads, the grandfather maneuvered his wheelchair to shove the firewood behind him into the stove. “Old woman, the villagers are right. Lele needs to go to school. We can’t be that selfish.”
“Go to school? What school could he possibly want to go to? He should stay home obediently to herd the cattle and plow the fields for us.” The grandmother pulled a long face, wrapped the money in an old cloth bag, and finally locked the cash box tight, keeping the key close to her body. “This brat isn’t bad-looking. When he reaches the age, we’ll arrange for him to take a wife, and we’ll have fulfilled our duty to him.”
The Lin family home was small, with only so much space. Lin Duole sat in the yard staring blankly at the withered yellow persimmon tree before him, naturally overhearing the conversation between his grandparents inside.
It was exactly as his mother had anticipated. Lin Duole wouldn’t argue with his grandmother anymore. If he couldn’t study, so be it; he no longer had the heart or energy to fight for a vague future for himself.
After the First Seven Days passed, the Qingming Festival arrived as scheduled. The family went up the mountain again to burn incense paper, and that very afternoon, a black sedan appeared in the courtyard.
With Duole as an extra hand at home, the grandmother didn’t need to busy herself going out every day; most of the time she sat indoors cooking or feeding the chickens. Seeing a car park at the entrance, she poked her head out and met Lu Tingyu’s indifferent face.
“Now that Wanqiu is gone, what brings Boss Lu into our yard?” Seeing the man still holding gifts, the old woman forced a smiling face and went out to greet him.
“Where is Duole?” Lu Tingyu handed over the gifts and asked directly.
The old woman told a lie, trying to gloss over it: “The child is at school. Do you have business with him?”
“Today is Saturday.” Lu Tingyu frowned, exposing her lie right then and there: “Besides, Teacher Li said Lele hasn’t been to school since his leave ended.”
“So, Boss Lu came to meddle in Duole’s schooling?”
Lu Tingyu had always done things thoroughly and meticulously. Scanning the surroundings, he walked into the courtyard, speaking directly without beating around the bush: “Wanqiu just passed away, and Lele is still young. Without a breadwinner at home, it’s bound to be tough on you two elders. But the child still has a long life ahead of him. I want to ask about Lele’s future—what are your plans for him?”
“Whatever the plan is, I’m still his grandmother. Could I possibly harm him?”
Fearing precisely what had come, the old woman scratched her white hair and offered a few evasive excuses: “Is Boss Lu set on meddling in this for Wanqiu’s sake? You want to manage someone else’s grandson too? Can you even manage that much? If people didn’t know better, they’d think Lele was your own flesh and blood!”
“Old lady, speak with some respect.” Lu Tingyu straightened his posture, looking the elderly woman dead in the eye. “Respect the deceased. It doesn’t matter if you insult me with those words, but do not insult Wanqiu!”
The old woman pursed her lips, shoved her hands into her pockets, and reined herself in a bit.
“I didn’t come here to fight you for Lele’s custody.” Seeing her attitude soften, Lu Tingyu lit a cigarette, though he didn’t smoke it, letting it burn between his fingers:
“I am afraid of ruining the child’s future. Lele does well in school and is bright; he cannot remain trapped in these deep mountains. You won’t let him study simply because you’re afraid of spending money. Well, I am willing to pay for it now so he can study and develop in a better place. Give it some proper thought. Of course, any decision we make must first consult Lele’s wishes. We must respect the person’s own thoughts.”
When Lin Duole rode his bike home, he saw the sedan parked at the entrance. Early that morning, his grandmother had dispatched him to the town to sell corn at two point five yuan per catty. After shouting on the street all day, hardly anyone bothered to stop. He had left with a large gunny sack full of corn, and he returned with that very same full sack.
“Duole, you’re back?” Lu Tingyu walked forward, taking the heavy sack from his hands.
“Uncle Lu, you’re here?” Right after the funeral banquet ended, Lu Tingyu had received a phone call saying there was urgent business he had to rush back for. Lin Duole had assumed he would have to wait a while longer, but he hadn’t expected him to return right after Qingming.
“Sorry I’m late. Something came up at the company that delayed me for a few days.” As Lu Tingyu spoke, the corners of his mouth curved into a rare smile as he continued, “Lele, I just spoke with your grandmother about taking you to the city for school. She has no objections, so I want to ask what you think. If you’re willing, we can go to the school today to complete the transfer procedures.”
“What?” Lin Duole fell silent for two seconds, hardly believing his ears. “Grandmother agreed?”
Hearing this, the old woman walked out from the inner room holding chicken feed, saying slowly, “You brat, you really lucked out. Once you go to the city for school, you’d better learn to be smart and not let the city folks laugh at us.”
It was magical—so different from what he had imagined. He had thought that when Uncle Lu came to pick him up, his grandmother would fiercely object or even chase him away. Yet right now, she was calmly bantering with him without a single harsh word.
Lin Duole flushed red, carrying the sack of corn into the house while holding it in his arms. Seeing this, Lu Tingyu helped him carry the other sacks as well.
Once they sat down to rest in the inner room, Lin Duole poured a cup of tea for Lu Tingyu and asked, “Uncle Lu… my grandmother didn’t make things difficult for you, did she?”
“Of course not.” Lu Tingyu lowered his gaze and smiled, taking a sip from the warm tea on the table before saying, “Just follow your own heart. Your grandmother and I will both support you.”
Lin Duole frowned. The room was a cluttered mess with items scattered everywhere. On the heated brick bed lay two plastic bags containing his clothes for all four seasons. Clearly, his grandmother had already packed these for him.
Setting those two plastic bags there was practically an explicit declaration pushing him to leave.
Lin Duole stood to the side awkwardly, appearing to be in deep thought, though he was merely heartbroken. Having lived with these relatives for so long since childhood, even if they had never uttered a single affectionate word, they had still accompanied him all these years. Yet his grandmother was now packing him up without an ounce of emotion, abandoning him to someone else.
“Uncle Lu, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll go with you.” Lin Duole clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. Gathering his courage as if refusing to look back, he said, “I want to go study in the city too, and see the outside world.”
Upon hearing these words, Lu Tingyu set down his teacup, patted Lin Duole’s shoulder, and said softly, “Good. I’ll arrange everything next. Pack up your things, and let’s go to the school to handle the procedures.”
Carrying his backpack, Lin Duole watched as his grandmother stuffed his two bags of clothes and books into a fertilizer sack, tied the opening tight with a rope, and carried it straight into the sedan’s trunk.
The movement was executed in one smooth motion without the slightest hesitation. The car turned around, waiting for Lin Duole to get in.
Lin Duole looked at the familiar yard. The hen in the coop had hatched chicks and was clucking loudly; the persimmon tree was sprouting its first tender buds in the spring breeze. His grandfather shuffled out from the house leaning on his walking stick, muttering endlessly: “Lele, study hard when you get to the city. If you miss home during the holidays, come back and visit.”
His grandmother said nothing, but pulled some money out from her pocket and shoved it into his palm.
With departure imminent, the kin before him offered no words of restraint, not a trace of reluctance to part—not a single person truly loved him…
Lin Duole didn’t speak either, his throat choked as if blocked by a stone. He looked at his grandparents one last time and finally got into the car without turning back.
When the car arrived at the school, Lin Duole carried his backpack and followed Uncle Lu straight to the administration office. Lu Tingyu had already notified the school in advance, so the paperwork was processed smoothly in less than half an hour.
Throughout the journey, Lin Duole didn’t say a word. Sitting in the passenger seat, he turned his head to watch the scenery outside, watching his hometown’s landscape grow smaller and smaller in the side mirror until it finally compressed into a single line on the horizon.
Only upon arriving at Lu Chengyu’s home did Lin Duole realize that the “big city” Uncle Lu mentioned was actually Beijing.
In Beijing during early spring, the sky was a pale, grayish white, resembling the old cotton wadding back home. Poplar trees were planted along both sides of the orderly streets, their bare branches pointing toward the sky with only a few newly sprouted leaves hanging lonely from the tips. They looked dusty, rustling and trembling whenever the wind blew.
Having driven for a day and a night, Lu Tingyu had taken the highway and arrived home in the afternoon. Unloading Lin Duole’s belongings from the trunk, he led him into the house and said, “Lele, this will be your home from now on. If you need anything, don’t feel restrained—just tell me directly.”
“The house is small. Aside from the master bedroom, there are only two guest bedrooms left for now. One of them was turned into a storeroom and holds too many things to clear out right away. Once I have some free time later, I’ll clean out a room for you.”
Lu Tingyu carried the plastic bag labeled “Urea” into Lu Chengyu’s room, then turned around to say to Lin Duole, “Lele, will you mind sharing a room with your brother for now?”