Fate finally smiled upon my cousin.

A small fishing boat happened to be moored under the embankment, dilapidated and seemingly abandoned. Surprisingly, there was a person sleeping inside the cabin.

The boat owner was tall and sturdy, well-versed in watercraft. Upon hearing a splash, he jumped in and rescued my cousin.

My cousin coughed up some water on the shore, but was otherwise unharmed.

The boat owner, drenched and bewildered, couldn't quite grasp what had just happened, acting purely on instinct to save a life.

Inside the cabin was an antique push-button phone; I asked him to dial 110.

The wailing sirens approached from a distance, and tears streamed down my face.

That was truly the most reassuring sound in the world.

I fell ill from the shock, running a high fever for a week.

My cousin brought gifts to visit me.

She glanced around the small pink bedroom, her gaze settling on the stickers at the head of the bed.

"Kids these days are so different. In the past, we used to stick stickers on beds, doors, and wardrobes," I remarked.

She smiled, "I remember. It was a gift from you, a large one. I was a huge fan of that Super Girl back then, she was so sweet."

She chuckled, "I remember. It was a borrowed charm. A junior insisted on giving it to me, thinking I might like it."

The air in the old house felt nostalgic.

It was as if I had traveled back to my childhood, crying to my aunt to let my sister stay and play with me. My sister and I squeezed onto the small bed, cocooned in warmth.

My cousin brought up the matter of our late uncle.

"He would wake up at night, staring at me. When he saw me awake, he would leave, only to speak to me the next day.

"I added lock after lock on the door, twisting until my palms blistered, while they all watched in silence, never lifting their heads.

"But what use were all those locks? That night, he pinned me down. I grabbed a brass paperweight and struck his head hard, then ran barefoot."

"I hid at your brother's house. The next day, seeing them all lovey-dovey as they left, I felt sick to my stomach."

"Your brother was pitiable too. He was a top student, they said he was cut out for Tsinghua University. Looking back now, no matter what, he had to stay in school and finish his studies."

"But back then, we never truly believed that solving math problems would improve our lives."

My cousin fell into silence.

I said, "By the way, sis, I apologize on behalf of my mom. Sometimes she really lacks common sense."

"Huh?" She looked puzzled.

"She always talks nonsense, meddling inappropriately, which can be hurtful at times."

"But back then, Aunt was the only one who sincerely invited me to eat and kept adding food to my plate."

She gestured, "Once she served me a huge braised pig's trotter, wow, I felt so full and energized. I still crave it when I think about it."

"My eldest aunt was different. She said, 'Yuting is really sensible, she doesn't reach for the good dishes with her chopsticks.'"

"After that, I never visited my eldest aunt's house again."