Su Yao found the backpack she had used a long time ago. It had almost been half a year since she last used that big bag. She rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out some items she needed for this trip.
At first, Su Yao thought packing would be a busy task, but once she started, she realized there wasn’t much to bring besides the necessary change of clothes.
Looking at the large bag still half empty, she let out a soft sigh.
After some thought, she switched back to her usual bag. Even then, there was still plenty of space left to fill.
Once she finished organizing her things, she glanced at the time.
It was nearly 9:30 in the morning. Her train ticket was for 11:30 departure. She still had two hours to get there, so there was no rush, but Su Yao chose to leave early anyway.
As she stepped out of the house, she happened to see the Auntie from upstairs who had just returned from grocery shopping.
The Auntie smiled kindly when she spotted Su Yao, then asked with a hint of curiosity,
“Su girl, are you going back to your hometown?”
Su Yao could never get used to being called “girl” like that—it made her a little embarrassed. At school, most people just called her by name. Nicknames were only used among close friends. But elders had their own habits, and if she wasn’t used to it, there was nothing she could do about it.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to meet the Auntie more than once or twice a day; she just avoided her during the morning and evening.
Faced with the Auntie’s question, Su Yao hesitated a moment before nodding. Yes, she was going back home.
“Good to leave early then, there won’t be many people.”
Su Yao didn’t know how to continue the conversation. Standing there with her bag on her back, she looked a bit dazed. The Auntie smiled and quickly stepped aside, saying,
“You must be in a hurry, right?”
“Yes, yes, I’m in a hurry. Goodbye, Granny!”
Seeing the stairs, Su Yao seemed unable to contain herself. She quickened her pace and ran down without even glancing back at the Auntie.
By the time she reached the bottom of the building and stepped outside, it felt like she had collided with the wind. Most of it was blocked by her clothes, but a faint chill seeped into the gap at her neck.
Su Yao tightened her scarf a little more, shrinking her body against the cold.
Not far away was the subway entrance. Passing through the bustling commercial street, even livelier than usual due to the upcoming New Year, she arrived at the south square of the big supermarket. Across the square was the subway entrance, already crowded with people so early in the morning. Su Yao took a deep breath and plunged into the crowd.
She slowly descended the escalator, making several turns before reaching the ticket checkpoint. After passing through, she bought a single-ride ticket from the machine and got a taste of the daily commuter rush.
When Su Yao arrived at the terminal station, she hurried to a spacious area in the train station hall and took a few deep breaths, finally easing the stifling feeling she had been experiencing.
Had she really calmed down? Her body still felt like it wanted to vomit, but since she hadn’t eaten much that morning, the only thing she could bring up was sour water. After resting on a bench for a while, Su Yao finally regained her composure.
Looking around at the crowds of people, each with their own style and destination, she tilted her head back and exhaled deeply. Then she remembered she hadn’t told Mu Nanqiu about her current situation.
She quickly grabbed her phone and sent Mu Nanqiu a message with updates on her itinerary, along with a few photos.
She had left early, rather suddenly, since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
This trip would take a great deal of time and energy. Su Yao was traveling alone by bullet train, returning to her hometown in a closed, crowded environment. It wasn’t that far really—only four or five hundred kilometers.
After leaving the train station, a group of people immediately surrounded her. Su Yao was startled and jumped back, dodging a man. When she heard the question, “Beautiful lady, where are you headed?” she realized they were taxi touts. She suddenly felt embarrassed about her reaction, her cheeks warming as she hurriedly escaped. Behind her, some of the men chuckled softly at the girl’s adorable awkwardness.
Along the way out of the station, she was constantly pursued and blocked, but she quickly adapted to the atmosphere. Squeezing through the crowd, she headed toward the bus stop. Relying on her fading memories, she took the city bus, then transferred to a local bus. The trip was full of detours and stops, consuming a lot of time.
When Su Yao finally got off the bus, her legs felt weak. She hadn’t eaten anything since morning, fearing she might vomit later.
Her head was still a bit foggy, her chest tight, breathing not smooth. Her limbs were weak and soft. She was hungry but had no appetite. She pulled a candy from her pocket to replenish the dwindling energy.
“Is it snowing?”
The girl stood alone on the concrete road, looking at the lush land where snowflakes were indeed drifting down. She had been too tired to notice this on the bus and quickly snapped a few pictures with her phone.
She had wanted to tell Mu Nanqiu more, but seeing her phone’s pitiful battery, she thought it best to head home quickly.
Her father had moved to the city while he was still alive, but her grandfather stayed behind on his land, never going to the big city. Su Yao remembered that her father had an older brother, but no one was around anymore. Whether it was that brother, her father, or her grandfather, they were all gone.
Su Yao gathered her resolve and set off.
Wearing her short boots, she walked on the concrete road, winding and turning many times before finally seeing the relatively new Self-built House.
A flicker of light brightened her eyes. Suddenly, she noticed several old men and women chatting nearby. When they saw Su Yao, they were surprised—this beautiful young girl must be the daughter of that family.
Su Yao felt a bit embarrassed being stared at and quickened her pace toward her home.
“…”
“Looks like that’s the Old Su Family’s girl, huh?”
“She’s come back alone?”
“She’s studying in the big city. I don’t know if she passed her exams.”
“She probably did. I remember she’s the same age as my granddaughter.”
Once the topic started, it was hard to stop. They began discussing various old stories about the Old Su Family, sharing bits of gossip. But Su Yao didn’t hear a single word of it—she had already reached her doorstep.
The door was covered in layers of dust. She pulled out a tissue from her pocket and wiped the doorknob, then took out her key.
The process of inserting it was clumsy. The lock had rusted over time. One hand turned the key while the other gripped the handle, and with a gentle push, the door opened.