After graduation, I went to Switzerland to study.

There are no traces of the life I shared with Lu Yinong, everything is new.

Great, maybe this way I can forget her sooner.

Stop dreaming of her every night.

On Thanksgiving evening, it started snowing in Zurich.

I pushed open the window and the cold air rushed in, making my brain, which had been reading literature all day, much more alert.

"Ding," the computer signaled a new email.

From a stranger, with a simple message: Happy Thanksgiving.

No signature, no further pleasantries.

It seemed like a boring group email.

I frowned and hesitated over the "delete" key, but suddenly couldn't press it.

Almost impossibly, a suspicion surged in my mind.

Could it be...could it be?

I read and re-read the email, nothing stood out.

But I just had a feeling, it was from Lu Yinong.

I leaned my forehead against the glass and smiled slowly.

Lu Yinong, if this is from you, then are you letting me know you're safe?

Fulfilling the promise you didn't actually agree to.

"You just need to tell me once a year, let me know you're still alive. Can you do that?"

She didn't promise, but she did it anyway.

My breath became heavy, but the reflection in the glass made it clear that I was smiling, smiling happily.

............

During the Lunar New Year in China, a Chinese friend invited me to their home to celebrate the New Year.

The whole family, a group of overseas Chinese, was bustling about making dumplings.

Grandpa was sitting in a rocking chair, watching TV and chatting with us juniors.

The Spring Festival Gala hadn't started yet. I don't know what channel she tuned to, but the TV was playing nostalgic songs from Hong Kong.

The familiar lyrics played, I paused while making dumpling wrappers and turned to look at the TV.

"...In life, don't worry about pain, don't worry when we gather and part. Unforgettable bravery amidst the storms, let fame be light and cast aside. Alone, I roam through mountains, no need for farewells."

Grandpa, who was drinking tea, saw me staring at the TV and laughed, "Have you heard this? At your age, you shouldn't be familiar with this song."

I said, "This song is very suitable to describe a friend of mine."

No words of pain, no attachment to fame, only walking alone through a thousand mountains.

Grandpa joked, "Oh? Then your friend must be a great hero."

Everyone laughed.

I laughed too, bowed my head to make dumplings, and slowly, tears surged up.

She's far more than just a hero.

............

In the first month of the lunar New Year, Zhou Te sent me a message: "Stinky dog shit, Happy New Year!"

I replied, "Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true!"

He sighed, "Wow, that was a quick reply. It should be the early hours of the morning there. The capitalist country is truly heartless, completely exploiting our handsome Xie."

I laughed to myself holding my phone.

He sent a picture, "I ran into Xue Shishi a couple days ago, and she wanted me to give you this photo."

I opened the picture.

It was an instant photo, on my 19th birthday, I had my arm around Lu Yinong's shoulders, smiling at the camera with all eight teeth showing.

Lu Yinong wasn’t looking at the camera, she was looking up at me.

I couldn't put into words how I felt, so I asked him, "Shishi took a lot of pictures that day, what about the rest?"

Zhou Te replied quickly, "Lu Yinong took them all."

I suddenly looked up, trying to make the mist in my eyes disappear.

I think I may never forget Lu Yinong.

It’s as if the whole world is reminding me not to forget.