Memories and Meetings

Du Jiang pulled the reins with a bit more force. After finishing one pipe of tobacco, he lit another. Lu Yu did not urge him. The carriage remained quiet for a long while before Du Jiang's voice finally drifted over.

"Your grandmother only had one older brother, and back then, the family had a massive uproar. Your great-grandfather favored sons over daughters, and only your uncle didn't want your grandmother. Your great-grandmother even threatened suicide over this, but she still couldn't change your great-grandfather's mind. In the end, your great-grandmother begged her second sister-in-law, hoping she would take your grandmother with her when she returned to Xinjiang. Only then did your grandmother escape with her life. Later, your grandmother gave birth to your mother. More than ten years later, she wanted to bring your mother back to their hometown to see your great-grandmother. In that house, the only person your grandmother missed was her mother."

"It was only when the mother and daughter returned later that they discovered the village had been completely washed away by a summer flood, taking all the houses and land with it. The family members had vanished to who knows where. Your grandmother didn't have a letter of introduction, so she didn't even have a place to stay. The two of them were separated. Later, your mother was rescued by a wealthy family and brought to Hongmang Village, where your father happened to see her and took a liking to her. Your mother had nowhere else to go at the time, so she chose to marry your father, hoping he would help her find your grandmother. Your father kept his promise and searched all those years, but there was never any news."

Du Jiang flicked the cigarette ash and glanced at Lu Yu. "Lu Yu, your mother said the biggest mistake she made in her life was leaving you behind."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, looked out at the desolate desert, sighed, and fell silent.

Lu Yu's thin lips were tightly pursed, and his hands, resting casually on his knees, suddenly clenched. Hearing this, Jiang Nian couldn't help but feel deeply moved. She tilted her head to look at Lu Yu; the man's jaw was tense, and a dark, gloomy shadow filled the corners of his eyes and brows. Jiang Nian didn't know what he was thinking, but she knew his heart must be in a state of turmoil right now.

Not to mention Lu Yu, even she, as an outsider, felt a deep ache for what Lu Yu's grandmother and mother had gone through.

In that even more difficult era, a mother and daughter wandering from place to place—for Lu Yu's mother to survive was already a miracle.

But she couldn't help but want to ask: why did Lu Yu's mother abandon him and leave back then?

Was it to go look for Uncle Du?

In all these years, had she never thought of coming back to see Lu Yu?

Jiang Nian looked at Lu Yu with heartache. Shifting her hips forward, she reached out from under the mattress and gently tugged at the hem of Lu Yu's shirt behind his back. Seeing Lu Yu turn his head to look at her, Jiang Nian looked up at him with a small, reassuring smile. The tight furrow in Lu Yu's brow relaxed slightly, and he offered her a very faint smile.

Jiang Nian thought about asking Du Jiang why Lu Yu's mother had abandoned him, but she decided it was best to ask his mother directly.

So she asked another question instead, "Uncle Du, does Lu Yu still have any relatives in Xinjiang?"

Du Jiang's eyes grew a little red. He took a heavy drag of his tobacco before throwing the stub away, his rough voice slightly hoarse. "Shen Ai, her second grandmother, couldn't have children. Back then, Lu Yu's mother was essentially adopted under her second aunt's name. The two old folks passed away some years ago, and the adjacent yard was requisitioned by the production brigade."

Jiang Nian looked at Lu Yu. At this moment, she didn't know whether to think Lu Yu was truly tragic or to curse the author of this book for giving him such a miserable background. He was currently no different from an orphan. Although he had a biological mother, the rift between them was too deep, and a grudge of over a decade couldn't be resolved in an instant.

Lu Yu didn't say another word along the way. The journey was long, with no winding paths, just a dirt road that seemed to stretch on endlessly. It wasn't until they saw mud brick houses scattered along both sides of the road that Du Jiang finally spoke, "We'll be there in another hour."

By now, it was already six in the evening, and the sun was sinking into the west.

Half the sky was dyed a brilliant red, and the cold wind stung their faces. After traveling on this road for a whole day, moving from the desolate wilderness into a village, Jiang Nian gained a new understanding of Xinjiang.

The desert here was vast—so vast that humans felt incredibly small and helpless against nature.

If she were left here alone, she would definitely never find her way out.

Jiang Nian watched donkey carts pass by on both sides of the road, along with people hurriedly herding sheep. Gradually, the warmth of daily life filled the air. Occasionally, passersby would greet Du Jiang and exchange a few words. As the carriage neared its destination, Lu Yu asked, "Uncle Du, after she got together with you, did you know of my existence?"

Du Jiang cracked the whip and said, "I did."

Upon reaching their destination, Du Jiang made a few turns. Ahead was a narrow dirt road, with several mud brick houses spaced a short distance apart. Unlike the closely packed houses back in Yuan City, each household here raised a few sheep, chickens, and ducks. Not far away, a person stood outside a doorway. She wore a dark blue short jacket, her hair tied up in a high bun behind her head. From a distance, her features weren't clear, but her posture and aura carried a rare sense of leisure.

Jiang Nian noticed Lu Yu's gaze was locked onto the middle-aged woman. She narrowed her eyes. Could that person be Lu Yu's mother?

Sure enough, Du Jiang spoke next, "Lu Yu, that is your mother."

He pointed toward the doorway of that house. A man, looking slightly younger than Lu Yu, walked out and said something to the woman. Jiang Nian saw her smile. As the carriage drew closer and finally stopped at the gate, Jiang Nian could clearly see her features. She was a very beautiful woman with delicate eyebrows and skin that was fairer than average. Her eyes, in particular, were stunning, with deep, dark pupils. Perhaps because of the hardships she had faced in her early years, the light in her eyes had faded significantly.

Jiang Nian realized that Lu Yu's eyes and brows closely resembled his mother's.

Lu Yu didn't speak. Even when Du Jiang pointed out that the woman standing there was Shen Ai, his mother, his expression remained unchanged, offering only a cold, indifferent "Mhm."

The carriage stopped outside the house. Du Jiang was the first to jump down. Holding the reins, he looked at Shen Ai, who was waiting and staring at Lu Yu. He saw that her eyes were slightly red; she had been crying again. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, but she didn't know how to begin, looking repeatedly at Du Jiang. Du Jiang nodded gently to her, as if to say, *Yes, this is your son, Lu Yu.*

Shen Ai's eyes immediately welled up with tears, though she held them back, making her look even more heartbreaking.

From beginning to end, Lu Yu didn't look at Shen Ai once. Seeing Du Jiang take the luggage, he turned and lifted Jiang Nian down from the carriage. Peering over Lu Yu's shoulder, Jiang Nian looked at Shen Ai, who was staring in their direction. She lowered her eyes, glanced at Lu Yu's sharp, defined profile, and asked softly, "Is that your..." She paused before saying the word, "...mother?"

Lu Yu replied, "Mhm."

Although they hadn't met for over a decade, the woman's face had always been etched into his heart. Over the years, whenever he went out and met women of her age, he would pay close attention, once hoping that he might run into her on the street one day.

But as the years passed, those illusions had long since dissolved.

Jiang Nian squeezed Lu Yu's hand and followed him to the gate. Du Jiang introduced them, "Lu Yu, Jiang Nian, this is your mother. And that is your younger brother, Du Liang, he's fifteen this year."

He said to Du Liang, "Call them Elder Brother and Sister-in-law. This is your biological brother and sister-in-law."

Du Liang sized up Lu Yu, then turned his gaze to Jiang Nian. Under Du Jiang's warning cough, he quickly called out, "Elder Brother, Sister-in-law."

Lu Yu didn't reply, only nodding in acknowledgment.

Jiang Nian, however, responded. Her gaze uncontrollably drifted back to Shen Ai. Shen Ai kept her eyes fixed on Lu Yu. The tears held in the corners of her eyes finally spilled over. Her lips trembled for a moment before she managed to speak, "Xiao Yu."

Jiang Nian felt the man beside her draw a heavy breath when Shen Ai called out that name. She looked up at Lu Yu and saw him lower his eyes, coldly nodding to Shen Ai as he greeted her calmly, "Auntie."

Shen Ai's brows furrowed tightly, and more tears streamed down her face. She tried to maintain her composure and welcome Lu Yu with a smile, but she couldn't lift the corners of her mouth. That single word, "Auntie," shattered all the fantasies she had harbored about him over the years. She had imagined meeting him again—would he call her mother, or would he angrily demand to know why she had lied to him and abandoned him?

But he asked nothing, completely different from what she had imagined.

After nearly twenty years, the ten-year-old boy had grown into a mature man. The childishness of his youth was gone, replaced only by a cold detachment. She had recognized Lu Yu at first glance; his eyes and brows resembled hers, but the contours of his face were just like his father's.

Shen Ai choked back a sob, answering with difficulty, "Yes... You must be tired after a day's journey. Come inside quickly to rest and warm up."

Du Jiang said to Du Liang, "We still need to return the carriage to the brigade."

Du Liang replied, "Oh."

He ran over to Du Jiang. Seeing Lu Yu and Jiang Nian walk inside, he asked in a low voice, "Dad, is he really Mom's son with that uncle from before?"

Du Jiang remained silent for a moment before letting out an "Mhm." He then patted Du Liang's head. "Don't say things you shouldn't. Just come back to eat later, and keep your mouth shut."

Du Liang rubbed the back of his head. "I know, I didn't say anything."

By now, dusk had fallen. Jiang Nian followed Lu Yu into the yard, taking in its outline. A few pear trees were planted in the yard. Next to them, a chicken coop made of wooden stakes stood against the wall, housing chickens, ducks, and geese. On the other side of the pear trees was a vegetable patch, about a tenth of an acre. The house here was different from the ones in Yuan City, consisting of only one large building.

Shen Ai lifted the thick door curtain to let them in first. Lu Yu said, "Thank you."

Jiang Nian also politely thanked her. Shen Ai smiled somewhat awkwardly. "There's no need to be so polite with me. There's meat stewing in the pot. Sit on the bench first while I check on the fire. We'll eat shortly."

She first asked Jiang Nian, "My girl, what do you like to eat? I'll make it for you."

Half a year ago, Du Jiang had said he wanted to go to Hongmang Village in Feng County, Yun City, to look for Lu Yu and see if he could find him. When he returned, he told her he had seen Lu Yu, who was now successful, serving in the military in Yuan City, and was married to a very beautiful wife who looked just like she did in her youth.

For the past half year, Shen Ai had constantly wondered what Xiao Yu looked like now that he was grown. What was he doing? Had he started a family? Now, he was standing right in front of her, yet he felt incredibly distant.

Seeing Shen Ai staring at Lu Yu in a daze, Jiang Nian quickly spoke up, "Anything is fine with me."

Shen Ai snapped out of her thoughts and asked Lu Yu, "Xiao Yu, what do you like to eat now? I'll make it for you."

Lu Yu looked up at Shen Ai standing at the kitchen door. His memories instantly rushed back to eighteen years ago. On the day she left, she had also stood at the kitchen door, smiling as she asked him, "Xiao Yu, what do you like to eat? Mom will make a table of your favorite dishes today."

Even back then, she had already decided to leave.