In her dream, Lin Jing pulled Zheng Wei's hand and strolled through every street and alley, eating all kinds of food she loved.

  The snack that made her drool, he said: "It's too late, you're also tired, let's go back." She shook his hand, "I don't want to go back, not at all tired." But then she heard Zhu Xiaobei's voice, "Of course you're not tired, I'm the one who's tired. Hurry up and get out of bed, have you forgotten that you have class in periods 1 and 2? Ruan Ruan has been waiting for you for a long time."

  There's class! Oh no, oh no. Zheng Wei sprang up like a spring, throwing off the covers and about to get out of bed, when she heard a "bang" sound, and when getting out of bed, she inexplicably bumped into an iron-like barrier, was bounced back hard, followed by a dizzy spell, with stars flashing before her eyes.

  A pair of hands immediately supported her, and Ruan Ruan cried and laughed, saying: "The direction is wrong, that side is the wall, this side is where you get out of bed, did you hit your head?"

  She let out a mournful cry, rubbing her forehead hard, unsure whether it was the remnants of last night's drinking or the concussion from just now, but in any case she felt extremely dizzy. After finally putting on her slippers, she saw Zhu Xiaobei sympathetically stroking the wall, "What sin has this poor wall committed?"

  "You're so heartless!" She glared at Zhu Xiaobei and sucked on her slippers as she went to wash up. Meanwhile, Ruan Ruan, who was already dressed and ready, urged her on, "I've got your books, hurry up or we'll be late."

  "Coming, coming, just a moment." She poked her head out from the washstand to respond, just in time to hear the phone ringing "ding ding ding". Zhuo Mei, who was closest to the phone, was still fast asleep, while Zhu Xiao Bei, who had no classes, muttered "Who's calling so early?" and picked up the phone. After asking a couple of questions, she shouted out: "Zheng Wei, it's for you!"

  Zheng Wei hastily rushed over with a toothbrush halfway through brushing his teeth, "Give it to me, give it to me, Lin Jing must be certain."

  "Girl, it's your mom." Zhu Xiaobei gave her a glance and handed over the receiver.

  "Mom, what's going on so early?" Zheng Wei said with a mouthful of foam.

  "Mom said from the other end of the line: 'Weiwei, why don't you come home for a visit?'"

  "Why? I've just been in school for a short while." Zheng Wei was puzzled, thought for a moment and then smiled, "Mom, you're not thinking that I'm thinking too much, am I? I still have to attend classes."

  "Come back, there's something at home."

  "What's wrong?" Zheng Wei was stunned.

  "I'm divorced from your father."

  ……

  Zheng Wei sat on the familiar sofa at home, with her father and mother sitting on either side of her, while her grandmother wiped away tears across from them. Their mouths were opening and closing, but she didn't remember a single word they said. After sitting on the train for over twenty hours to get back home, facing all this in front of her, she just felt tired and didn't want to say anything.

  Dad patted her head, Mom held her hand all the time, they both looked guilty at the same time. Obviously, it was their marriage that had come to an end. They didn't feel any sadness, but only felt guilty towards her. The lives of adults are really strange!

  She thought they finally got divorced after all.

  From a very young age, Zheng Wei knew that her parents' relationship was not good. She had a beautiful mother and a kind-hearted father, but they never walked hand in hand on the street like other children's parents did. They always quarreled, constantly arguing. Of course, they deliberately avoided letting their child witness these disputes. Many times, Zheng Wei heard them shouting at each other in hushed tones from her bed, occasionally accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. At such moments, she would close her eyes even tighter, pretending not to hear, trying to fall asleep. When things got really out of hand, her parents would send her to her grandmother's house. She would put on her backpack, carry her favorite fairy tale book, and happily leave the house because they were smiling, so she smiled too.

  As she grew older, she found that all the teachers in her class were especially sympathetic to her. They would stroke her head and say, "Such a lovely child, so pitiful." She attended a school for children of employees, with classrooms located within the compound of the work unit. Everyone in the entire compound knew everything about each other's business, let alone such a big commotion as her parents' quarrels. It turned out that everyone had known all along that her parents fought fiercely, but no one had ever told her, and she had never realized that her delicate little face was actually pitiful.

  It's not as miserable as others might imagine, not every child from a broken family has to grow up too early, be melancholic or become a juvenile delinquent. At least Zheng Wei isn't like that, she doesn't think she's particularly unfortunate. Although her parents don't get along with each other, they both love her without exception. They always carefully avoid letting her notice the cracks between them and avoid hurting her. She loves them and thinks they're more pitiful than herself.

  The only times she felt like the days were unbearable was when her mom would storm out of the house after a fight, and wouldn't come back for several days. Her dad would then work overtime and go out drinking with his friends, sometimes not coming home for several days either. She had to go to school, so she couldn't just run off to her grandparents' house in the neighboring city. All she could do was hold on tight to the pocket money her parents had left behind, and be extremely careful not to spend a single cent more than necessary. She was terrified that if she ran out of money, they still wouldn't come home, and then she'd be in big trouble.

  At times like these, the neighbors would all try to invite her over for dinner. Her favorite place to go was Old Man Lin's house. Everyone said he was a high-ranking official at his workplace, but she didn't think that sounded right at all - he was always so loving and affectionate towards her. Every time she sat down next to Lin Jing to eat, the bowl in front of her would be filled with food that Old Man Lin and his wife had carefully selected for her. She'd steal glances at Lin Jing and smile secretly to herself as she ate, savoring every bite.

  After dinner, Old Man Lin would always ask Lin Jing to help her with her homework. The desk lamp in Lin Jing's room cast a warm, orange glow that made her feel cozy inside. Sometimes she'd even think to herself, "If only my parents never came back, and I could stay at Old Man Lin's house forever... how wonderful that would be!" Now that she thinks about it, she realizes she was always a heartless and unfeeling child.

  She still remembers that after she went to high school, her parents had another big fight. This time, they smashed a bowl in front of her. After the incident, while cleaning up the mess at home, they comforted her, saying "Sorry, Weiwei, it's Mom and Dad's fault, we scared you." At that time, she only said one sentence to them, "Dad, Mom, why don't you get a divorce?" They were immediately frightened, surrounding her and saying, "This child is scared silly, Mom and Dad won't get a divorce, even for your sake."

  She wanted to say that she wasn't shocked at all, and not confused in the slightest, every word was serious. How ridiculous, their marriage had fallen apart, yet they were dragging it out just for her sake, with the excuse of not wanting to hurt her. Did they really think this empty shell of a family could bring her happiness and security? But she didn't say any of this, because she knew that her carefree growth was the only thing that brought comfort to her parents.

  So, 18-year-old Zheng Wei was hastily summoned back home to face her parents' divorce decree. She only felt relieved, having been thoroughly fed up with their wars over the years and even feeling exhausted on their behalf. But why couldn't she shake off the sadness? As soon as she opened her mouth, tears welled up in her eyes.

  Dad seems tired, he persuaded grandma to walk back to another room, before leaving, he said to his ex-wife: "You'd better have a talk with your daughter alone."

  Now only she and her mother were left, but she was even more heartbroken. Her mother saw that her eyes were red and hurriedly said, "Weiwei, Mom knows this matter has hurt you a lot, but your father and I also had no choice..."

  Zheng Wei finally couldn't bear it anymore, and while crying, she said to her mother: "You two not getting along isn't something that just happened overnight, if you're going to divorce then just do it, I don't care. But out of all the men in this world, why do you have to get entangled with Uncle Lin?"

  She only found out after she came back that the main reason for her parents' divorce was not because their daughter had grown up and they no longer had to worry, but because of her mother's private affair with Lin Bo. Lin Bo wanted to divorce his wife Sun Aiyi because of this, and Sun Aiyi immediately reported it to their superior leaders, demanding that the company take a stand and give an explanation, and claiming that she would never divorce him, determined to drag down the adulterous couple. On the contrary, her mother was resolute in wanting to be with Lin Bo, cutting off all means of retreat for herself, and divorcing first.

  Mom didn't put on makeup today, and her bare face was still so beautiful that it's hard to believe she's already the mother of an 18-year-old girl. She looked at her daughter, with sadness in her eyes, but no tears. She said, "Weiwei, you can look down on me, I'm not a good woman, but I knew your Lin Bo when we were queuing up..."

  "Could he be the first love you mentioned under the old locust tree?" Zheng Wei was shocked and forgot to cry.

  "Back then, your Lin uncle and I were both young. When we were sent to the countryside, it was tough, but at least we had each other. Later, he got a spot in the college entrance exam, went to university, and gradually lost touch with me. After graduating from university, he was assigned to this unit, married your Aunt Sun, and his career has been smooth sailing ever since. I returned to the city and was recruited to work at a textile mill, where I met your father through an introduction - your father's personality doesn't match mine, but he's still a good person. Soon after you were born, the textile mill's performance kept getting worse, and your Lin uncle secretly helped me get transferred here. Whether or not you believe it, over the years, your father and I haven't had a good relationship, but between your Lin uncle and me... we've always been clear and innocent. We agreed to bury this feeling deep in our hearts and never mention it to anyone..."

  "What's wrong with you guys now?"

  "Some time ago, my unit organized a trip to Wuyuan, and for some reason, I ended up walking back alone to LIZhuang. That old cypress tree was still there, and I never thought I'd run into you, Uncle Lin, in my dreams. Things that seemed like they would pass by in the blink of an eye when we were young turned out to be a lifetime. That day, both he and I cried. Afterwards, Uncle Lin knelt down in front of me under the tree and said that for the rest of his life, he would definitely bring happiness to me."

  Zheng Wei was stunned and couldn't express the feelings in her heart.

  "Weiwei, Mom is a woman who has failed emotionally, and it's not surprising that others look down on me. But you have to understand, Mom is no longer young, perhaps this is my last chance to be carefree in my life, and also the last chance for happiness. So, no matter what others say, I cannot turn back."

  "So many years have passed without incident, why is it now?" She seemed to be saying to herself.

  "There was once a time when your Uncle Lin had an opportunity to work abroad, and at that time I had a big argument with your father and felt so disappointed. I thought about leaving with him and never coming back. But just as I reached the door, I saw you running towards me, smiling sweetly and asking where I was going. You were only five years old then, but when you held my hand, I knew I couldn't leave. I couldn't bear to part with you. Now that you've grown up, you'll have your own love and life, while I'll just keep getting older. I don't want to regret it later when I'm no longer able to move around."

  Zheng Wei tried hard to recall, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember the experience from when she was five years old. However, she believed that what her mother said was true. She thought about the grievances and resentment she had just felt, was it all just because of her parents' divorce? Children are the most selfish people in the world.

  She leaned her head against her mother's bosom, and since she was a child, her mother had been the closest to her. Others said they looked like a pair of sisters. "Mom, what if Uncle Lin doesn't get divorced?" Now that things have come to this, she began to worry about her mother.

  "It doesn't matter what happens, I didn't think about regret when I got divorced."

  When returning to school, her parents sent her to the platform together. Before getting on the train, she gave each of them a big hug and whispered in their ears with a smile: "If I can have younger siblings again, they must not be more adorable than Jade-faced Little Dragon!"

  The train started moving. Zheng Wei watched as the figures of her parents, who were reluctant to leave, grew smaller and smaller on the platform until they could no longer be seen. She said in her heart, "You all must be happy, I also want to be happy."

  Goodbye Lin Jing!