Though she was referred to as a woman, she could actually be called an old lady now; her hair had turned silver, and her face was full of the marks of ti. Even the clothes she wore had been washed to a faded white. Hearing Gong Mingxia’s Mandarin, which lacked any local accent, she was at first taken aback. Squinting her eyes, she looked for a long while before seeming to recognize her eldest daughter.
"Mi-, Mingxia? Are you Mingxia?"
The old lady’s voice trembled a bit as she reached for the bed edge, trying to stand. Whether it was from sitting too long or sothing else, her legs didn’t seem to cooperate, failing to lift her twice. In the end, it was Gong Mingxia who walked over and gently pushed her back down.
"Mom, don’t stand up. It’s fine, just sit down, just sit down."
Since the last ti mother and daughter had seen each other, seven years had passed. The old lady’s eyes had grown blurry, so she strained to make out her daughter’s appearance. After looking her over, she noted that Mingxia’s complexion was fair, her attire sharp, and her color healthy—she seed...
"Where have you been all these years? Why only send money without even a way to contact you? If it weren’t for the money, I wouldn’t have known whether you were dead or alive. So much ti has passed; are you still holding a grudge against ?"
Gong Mingxia shook her head, about to speak, when she suddenly heard her father struggling to talk. Only then did she rember she had not yet greeted her dad.
Worn down by illness, the old man was frail. His bones seed only to have a thin layer of skin over them. Upon recognizing Mingxia, he was so overco with emotion that he burst into loud tears, but because of the tubes inserted in him, the crying sounded muffled, causing Gong Mingxia’s heart to ache. She quickly took her father’s hand, nodding repeatedly.
"Dad, I’m sorry, I’ve co back late,"
Mr. Gong mumbled sothing indistinct, and Gong Mingxia could hardly understand. She looked towards her mother, who was wiping away tears while speaking.
"Your dad is asking about Xiao Xiao. Didn’t she co back with you?"
Mingxia shook her head, "Dad, Xiao Xiao is at school now; she didn’t co back. When she’s on holiday, I’ll definitely bring her to see you, okay?"
"Isn’t it sumr vacation now?" the old lady, with many grandchildren, knew it was the ti for sumr vacation. Mingxia offered a kind lie; she couldn’t very well say Xiao Xiao had gone to Beijing to play with her brother, could she?
So, smiling, she explained, "Mom, you’re right, the kids are on sumr vacation, but they still have their extracurricular classes. She’s learning the piano now!"
The old lady and the old man looked at her with a puzzled gaze, and Gong Mingxia imdiately realized they might not know what a piano was. She quickly explained again.
"It’s a kind of musical instrunt," she said, and gestured the way one plays the guitar and lute. The old couple finally understood and couldn’t help but smile.
"Good, good, Xiao Xiao is really talented; she knows how to play an instrunt? Mingxia, so you are now... in H state?" The city was listed on the postal money order form.
Gong Mingxia did not conceal the truth and related everything that had occurred in those years to her parents. After hearing her story, they were moved to tears.
"That’s wonderful, you’ve remarried and even had a son? Such great news; why didn’t you tell us at ho?"
Gong Mingxia looked down sowhat embarrassedly: "Mom, I’m sorry, I always thought that you hadn’t forgiven , and I felt guilty for the problems I caused for my two little sisters’ marriages. I didn’t dare to co back, so I only thought to send you so retirent money. But I neglected your health. Then, one night, I had a dream. After waking from it, I hurried straight to my hotown. And sure enough, dad... he had an accident."
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