Chapter 1

Chapter 1

August 21, 2001, was destined to become the most unforgettable day of my life.

Something urgent had come up back in my stepmother’s hometown, so my dad took the shuttle bus with her back to the town.

Before he left, he gave me five yuan and told me to look after my stepsister, An’an, and not run around outside.

I promised him I would.

But at noon, I had something to take care of and needed to go out. It wasn’t convenient to bring An’an with me, so I made a deal with her:

She would stay home like a good girl and watch cartoons.

I would lock the door from the outside, and when I came back, I would buy her bubble gum and stickers from the TV drama Happy Princess.

At 5:30 p.m., after finishing my errand, I hurried home.

It was right when the refinery got off work, and the sounds of dinner being made drifted from every household.

I prayed silently that Dad and Aunt Ma hadn’t come back yet. If they saw that I’d locked An’an at home, they would definitely beat me.

When I reached our door, the big iron padlock was still hanging there, locked in place.

I took out my key and called as I opened the door, “An’an, I’m back.”

No one answered. Had she fallen asleep?

After stepping inside, I glanced around the house. The coffee table was a mess of drawing books and watercolor pens.

But she wasn’t there.

I frowned, then saw two big bags of vegetables on the kitchen floor. My dad’s clothes from this morning were hanging on the rack.

I understood at once. Most likely, Dad and Aunt Ma had come back, picked An’an up, and taken their little family of three out for a special meal.

Heh.

Once you have a stepmother, you get a stepfather too.

A breath of resentment lodged in my throat, unable to go up or down.

After tidying up the house, I lay down on the bed, and drowsiness swept over me.

…

I don’t know how long I slept.

When I woke up, it was already dark.

I checked my digital watch. It was 7:30 p.m. The house was completely quiet, and outside, a light rain was pattering down.

They still weren’t back.

My stomach growled with hunger, and a sudden sense of being abandoned welled up inside me.

A child without a mother wasn’t even worth as much as weeds.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“Yanwei, are you home?”

It was Uncle Wu from the convenience store.

“Yeah,” I answered, switching on the light.

Uncle Wu said, “Your mom wants you to take a phone call.”

I thought it was my mother calling me. I ran out so fast I didn’t even have time to put on my shoes, only to pick up the receiver and hear Aunt Ma’s voice instead.

“What is it?”

My tone was cold.

Aunt Ma’s voice was gentle, with a hint of trying to please me. “Yanwei, have you eaten? Earlier, I asked Old Wu to call you to the phone, but you seemed to be asleep?”

I yawned impatiently. Heh. So she’d only just remembered there was still someone at home who hadn’t eaten.

“Do you need something?”

Aunt Ma gave an awkward little laugh. “Well… things here at my family’s place still aren’t settled. I probably won’t be able to come back until tomorrow.”

It was like I’d been shocked by electricity. If Aunt Ma hadn’t come back, then who had taken An’an away?

I swallowed. “Where’s my dad?”

Aunt Ma said, “Your dad went back to his work unit.”

I let out a breath. So it had been my dad who took An’an.

But then Aunt Ma continued, “Your dad’s old leader got transferred, so their department is having a farewell dinner tonight. Your dad said he went home this afternoon to change clothes and found that you and your sister weren’t home. Did the two of you go out to play?

“I called him just now and asked him to go home and check on An’an, but he’d been drinking and lost his temper. Said he didn’t care. He’s really unreliable.

“Yanwei, did you and An’an eat this afternoon? Could you help Auntie keep an eye on An’an and make sure she takes her medicine? I’m really sorry to trouble you. When Auntie gets back, I’ll definitely thank you properly.”

…

In that instant, my ears rang and my vision swam. I couldn’t hear anything at all. There was only one sentence left in my mind.

None of them had come back.

But An’an was gone.