Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I knew my parents well. Having lived through hard times, they were terrified of ever going back to that kind of life-a mindset that was largely responsible for the distance between us.

This time, they likely wouldn’t stay for even a week. Since I didn’t want to see them, my only option was to stay away.

I turned off my phone and stayed at a small inn in town for seven days.

On the evening of the seventh day, my grandmother found me. Leaning on her worn-out cane, the woman in her eighties had shuffled her way from the village to the town, step by agonizing step.

I could easily imagine her stopping to ask for directions all along the way.

Grandmother’s white hair caught the orange glow of the setting sun. She smiled at me, her mouth missing almost all its teeth. “Little Ruge,” she said, “they’re gone. Grandma’s here to take you home.”

A sudden memory surfaced from my youth-no matter how late I finished evening self-study, she would always be waiting for me at the village entrance to walk me home.

I thought I had been through enough in life to be past the age of weeping, but at that moment, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling like rain.

I didn’t turn my phone back on until I returned home with Grandma.

Unsurprisingly, my parents had sent me several long-winded messages on WeChat, every word dripping with indignation over how “inconsiderate” I was being.

I didn’t even bother to open them.

Zhou Yisheng had also sent a message from an unknown number. The gist of it was that he wanted me to live a good life; he claimed he only wanted to confirm I was safe this time, since we had been husband and wife, after all.

He promised not to look for me again and suggested we both move on in peace. At the end, he added that he would send me a monthly allowance for living expenses.

I didn’t take that last part to heart.

The seven-figure balance in my bank account gave me all the confidence I needed. I wanted to see the vastness of the world, the mountains, the rivers, and the lakes. I wanted to watch the sun rise and set.