Ah Heng's eyes lit up, she put on her coat and ran out.
After leaving the courtyard, I hailed a taxi. When the driver heard that I was going to the Su Dong Church, he waved his hand, looking troubled. "Young lady, the roads in Su Dong are frozen and slippery, very difficult to walk on."
"Uncle, I have money!" Ah Heng pulled out all his pocket money.
"Hey, young lady, do you think I'd stole a little money from you at my age?" The driver, an honest man from the capital, was getting a little annoyed.
"Uncle, don't be angry." Ah Heng said anxiously, "My brother is in Sudong, and hasn't come home for two days!"
"Oh. Little girl, how about this, I'll take you to G Village. It's about two miles from Su Dong. The road is a bit slippery, so the car can't go through, but you can walk. Is that alright?" The driver was a kind person. He frowned and suggested to Aheng.
Ah Heng nodded vigorously, extremely grateful.
Once on the bus, unfortunately, it was Christmas Eve and the city was packed with people, so the bus wasn't moving fast.
"Uncle, faster, faster!" Ah Heng cried anxiously.
"Any faster and you'll hit someone!" The driver chuckled, finding the young girl's words amusing.
"My brother, Su Dong, is cold!" The more anxious Ah Heng became, the more tongue-tied she became.
The driver stopped smiling, somewhat touched. He glanced at Ah Heng and said gently, "Alright, let's go faster. We can't let your brother get cold!"
It was half an hour later when we arrived at G Village.
After paying, Ah Heng hurried forward. The driver leaned out of the car window and shouted to Ah Heng, "Little girl, keep going straight. When you see the Baizipo sign, turn right and walk 300 meters. That's it!"
Ah Heng waved and nodded with a smile.
"Young lady, drive carefully." The kind-hearted driver waved from afar.
She had already walked far away and hadn't heard anything. She simply gazed at the kind stranger in the snow, smiling.
Ah Heng was mentally prepared for the slippery road the driver mentioned, but after falling several times, he still couldn't take it anymore.
But with my mind racing with random thoughts, I couldn't pay attention to the pain.
What if Siwan isn't at the Su Dong Church?
What if Siwan doesn't go back with her?
What if Siwan and Er'er are together and Siwan feels awkward seeing her?
Ah Heng held onto the trees all the way and finally found the road sign for Baizipo. By the time he found Su Dong in the dark, his whole body was soaked in sweat and snow water, which clung to his body and made him very uncomfortable.
Su Dong is small, but its design is unique, clean and warm, just like the feeling of Ah Heng seeing her grandmother in the photo.
However, this church is almost abandoned. After all, it is quite far from the city center and not as large as other churches.
Here, the church lights are on—oh, not lights, they're flickering, they're candlelight.
Ah Heng wanted to push the door open and go in, but she heard a familiar voice.
It is Siwan.
She smiled, feeling relaxed and at peace.
"Er'er, do you think Grandma can hear us?" The boy's voice was as gentle and clear as ever, but his tone revealed his trust in the other person.
"Yes, Grandma's spirit is here; she's always watching over us." The voice sounded warm and comforting.
Er'er... ?
Ah Heng pulled her hand back from pushing the door open.
Going in now would be too presumptuous.
Let them talk a little longer.
"Yes, Grandma loved this place the most when she was alive. Every Christmas Eve, she would bring us here." The boy smiled.
Ah Heng felt a little regretful.
She also wanted to see her grandmother. In Wushui, children call their grandmothers "Grandma." She wondered if her grandmother would be happy to hear her call her "Grandma."
Her grandfather had told her that her grandmother's ancestral home was Wushui.
Ah Heng smiled silently, her eyes softening even more. If only she had a grandmother who loved her. She would be a very filial granddaughter; she would massage her grandmother's back, wash her feet, and cook delicious food—oh, right, she would cook Jiangnan cuisine. Her grandmother would be so happy.
Grandma might make her a pretty sachet, smile kindly at her, chase away bad guys with a broom when they bully her, and tell her old myths and legends. Hehe.
"Brother, if Grandma were alive, would she abandon me?" A gentle female voice in the church sounded sad.
So, if Grandma were alive, would she have liked her arrival?
The boy's voice trembled slightly as he spoke softly, "No, no one abandons you. Grandma loves you the most, don't you remember? Before, when we argued, Grandma always comforted you first, right?"
"But Grandpa used to love me a lot, but now he doesn't want me anymore."
Siwan's voice was somewhat agitated—"Er'er, Grandma told me before she passed away that, like Grandpa, she knew the truth. She knew you weren't her biological granddaughter. She secretly investigated Aheng's whereabouts when we were very young, but she didn't bring her back. She didn't even visit her until she died, did she?"
Snap! She heard something shatter inside her chest, in the cold night, at the burning wound...
She quietly slid down from the corner of the wall onto the cold snow.
My whole body felt ice-cold to the bone.
Ah Heng, Ah Heng, she murmured her own name, her eyes glistening with tears.
I feel so bad, my heart aches so much.
Why, why doesn't anyone want her...?
Why...?
She earnestly faced Yun Heng, but when others pointed fingers and cursed her behind her back as a bastard, she had no way to refute them, because they were not wrong, they were telling the truth.
She earnestly served Wen Heng, yet was forgotten and hated by everyone who loved Wen Si'er, but she couldn't make a scene because they were not wrong; Wen Heng had taken everything from Wen Si'er.
In this world, after all, Wen Si'er came first, and then Wen Heng.
She had never hated herself as much as she did today—why did she even exist...
Why does it have to exist so openly?!
She has children and someone to raise her, but... no one wants her.
They can like her, they can treat her well, but there will always be people who like her more and want to treat her better.
So, for the sake of those people, it was perfectly reasonable to just throw her into a corner.
So embarrassing, like trash, you wouldn't even think about it after throwing it away...
******************************** Divider ********************************
"Wen Heng?" The voice had a nasal tone.
Ah Heng looked up and saw Yan hope.
The boy was dressed in bulky clothes, complete with a hat, scarf, gloves, and mask.
When Ah Heng saw him, she felt somewhat embarrassed, lowered her eyes, and composed herself.
"Are Siwan and the others inside?" the boy asked, pointing into the church.
Ah Heng nodded.
"Oh." The boy nodded indifferently, the tassels on his hat swaying back and forth, reflecting his big, bright black eyes, making him look quite adorable in the snow.
"Let's go then." Yan hope's voice came through the mask, sounding somewhat muffled.
"Where to?" Ah Heng was stunned.
"Let's go home," the boy replied simply, reaching out to gently pull Ah Heng up from the ground.
"Siwan, where is Er'er?" Aheng asked softly.
"I'll call Grandpa Wen and send a driver to pick them up in a bit. You come with me first." Yan hope stretched and lazily put his hands behind his head.
Ah Heng nodded, turned to look at the church, and softly said, "Goodbye, Grandma."
Yan hope said calmly, "She can't hear me."
"Why?" Ah Heng's voice was hoarse. He felt completely exhausted.
This farewell took all her strength.
She is no longer in this world.
"Is she with God?"
Ah Heng gently tilted her head back, her eyes filled with desolation.
The boy laughed, she heard his laughter, but his eyes were cold and sharp.
"If God doesn't exist, then she must be by his side."
Ah Heng stared at him blankly.
The boy remained silent, walking in the snow, cold and languid, with an indifferent gaze.
As Aheng watched his retreating figure, she had the illusion that at this moment, the boy was even more lonely than she was.
Yan hope suddenly stopped.
He was dressed too warmly, and with some effort, he took off his cotton gloves, handed them to Aheng, and smiled slightly.
"God never saves people. But people will save people, just as it is natural for a man to maintain his dignity in such a situation."
Chapter 11
Chapter 11
When Siwan and Si'er returned to the Wen family home, Aheng was already asleep.
She thought she would have insomnia, but that day was the most restful night's sleep she had ever had since arriving at the Wen family home. No dreams, no worries, no fear.
It's probably the effect of Christmas Eve, bringing peace and safety.
Even children abandoned by God will find their own salvation on Christmas Eve.
She was the first to get up in the early morning. When she went downstairs, Aunt Zhang was still diligently making breakfast. The kitchen was warm, and the sweet aroma of white porridge wafted through the air.
Ah Heng took a deep breath of the aroma, and heard Zhang Sao humming the familiar tune of Shajiabang in his ears.