"Susu, I ran into Aunt Wang while I was buying groceries yesterday."
"Aunt Wang? Which Aunt Wang?" Lin Yixun looked up from her bowl.
"The one you wet yourself in front of when you were little, don't you remember?"
Lin Yixun suddenly realized, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said, "Isn't Aunt Wang in A City? How did I run into her here?"
"She retired, and she has a house in T City. Her daughter works here, and she has several relatives here as well, so she moved here too."
"Oh..." Lin Yixun drank the last sip of her porridge and stood up to clean the dishes, but she noticed that her mother seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Finally, Lin's mother spoke up, "Aunt Wang's nephew has just returned from getting his PhD abroad. He's three years older than you. I saw his photo; he's quite handsome and would make a good match for you. Why don't you..."
"Mom, I've been really busy lately. Can we talk about this later?"
Besides, who would marry a divorced woman?
"No matter how busy you are, you can't delay such an important life decision. You're already twenty-five, and after this year, you'll be twenty-six."
Thinking about how Lin Yixun has been on her own these past few years without even a male friend by her side, Lin's mother couldn't help but feel a little anxious, "Susu, my health isn't good. Who knows when I might just stop breathing... And your dad... When that time comes, you'll be all alone in this world, and how could I rest easy..."
"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about!"
"I know my own body very well. Susu, my illness has been a burden on you these past few years. If it weren't for this illness, you wouldn't have to live so hard. Sometimes I think, rather than dragging on like this, it would be better to just die cleanly. But the only thing I can't let go of is you."
Lin Yixun's eyes turned red, and she knelt down to tightly hug her mother, "Mom, don't say such discouraging things. You will get better, everything will get better."
Knowing the chances were slim, Lin's mother still nodded.
The two hugged each other tightly, seeking warmth from each other. For Lin Yixun, her mother was the only warmth she could reach in this world. To keep this warmth, she was willing to give everything.
"You've been working all night; you must be tired. Get some sleep, and I'll call you for lunch," Lin's mother gently patted Lin Yixun's back and said softly.
"Mm."
Lin Yixun pushed open the bedroom door. The bedroom was about ten square meters, just enough to fit a bed and a wardrobe.
Lin Yixun bent down, took a small glass bottle from the bottom drawer of the nightstand, poured out a pill, and swallowed it dry.
The bitter taste spread between her lips and teeth, so familiar that it couldn't be more familiar, spreading from her mouth to her internal organs. She had always hated bitterness growing up, but in the past three years, she had to rely on it.
However, these pills, while they could help her sleep, couldn't free her from nightmares.
Unconsciously, she was enveloped in a dense fog. When the fog cleared, she found herself wearing her high school uniform, standing in a hospital, being questioned by a nurse.
...
"Are you the patient's family member?"
"Well... I don't know him. I just got out of the subway station and saw the accident. The driver was nowhere to be found. He was seriously injured, so I brought him here."
...
Gradually, the nurse's figure became blurred. The hospital hallway turned into the scene of a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with her as the main character again. But this time, she was dressed in a ceremonial outfit, and in front of her stood a handsome man in a suit.
"Hi, long time no see!" She smiled and greeted the man.
He responded with a cold glance.
"So, you've forgotten me. Well, for the sake of your confusion back then, I'll let it slide. My name is Lin Yixun, so don't forget it again because... because it's the name of your future girlfriend!"
"Sorry, I already have a girlfriend."