My husband glanced at me and then lowered his head to continue eating the blanched Chinese cabbage that was getting cold.

Doesn't he want to ask me anything?

After cleaning up the dishes, my husband said, "Tomorrow, I'll go turn myself in. A-Ling, take good care of yourself."

"Don't you suspect me?"

My husband still patted my head, "Go live the life you want."

That look, that gentleness, it's exactly the same as when I first met him.

So it seems, he must have already forgotten about that little kid from back then.

I still remember how everyone in the village was welcoming the resort's arrival.

It could solve some employment issues and the problem of selling local farm produce.

Including our family.

Dad went to work as a construction worker at the resort and would occasionally bring home some money.

Though it wasn't much, it was better than being a carpenter.

While I was doing my homework in the yard, Aunt Wang came and asked my mom to go to the resort.

Mom told me to stay home and wait for her return.

From Aunt Wang's hesitant look, it seemed something had happened to Dad.

Aunt Wang said she was just passing along a message, urging my mom to go quickly.

My mom shakily instructed me to stay at home before heading to the resort construction site.

But misfortunes plague the unfortunate; that day, a typhoon came.

The satellite dish of our cable TV was blown over, and our mud house was shaking dangerously.

With the fierce wind and rain, I was very worried that mom didn't take an umbrella.

But the wind and rain outside were so strong that I couldn't move an inch.

I don't know how much time passed; it was already dark.

The typhoon had subsided a bit, and the rain had lessened. I put on my rain boots and set out to bring an umbrella to mom.

On the way, I ran into Wang Jian, who asked me where I was going.

I didn't want to talk to him.

Suddenly, he nervously said to me, "Do you know your father is dead?"

I glared at him.

"Your mom passed out crying next to him. Do you know where the resort construction site is?"

I didn't know, but I kept walking forward silently.

"Uncle Jian will take you there."

We had to pass by a pond, which was already flooded.

"Oh, look, we can't go through!"

Wang Jian's voice came from behind me.

Then he snatched my umbrella, "So thoughtless, you don't know to shield Uncle Jian a bit."

Wang Jian forcefully pulled my collar and pushed me down on the ground.

After that, I only remember his hands hurting me a lot. He said, if I kissed him, he'd give me a dollar.

He kept repeating, a dollar, a dollar.

Wang Jian's body was dirty and stinky, and I couldn't move at all.

Then Wang Jian screamed, and I followed his terrified gaze.

It was mom.

But it was mom in the pond.