He Chen recounted the story with a steady tone, but his rugged face still bore an unmistakable sadness.
He looked at Ye Manman's leg, gently pressing it, but his gaze seemed to drift towards the past, sinking into memories.
"The little boy didn't understand what it meant to lose his mom and dad; he later found out that 'lost' meant they were dead. His parents went to town to buy him candy, and on the way back they saw someone fall into the river; his dad went down to rescue them."
"But it was too cold, the river too icy. His dad pushed the person who had fallen into the river back up, but he himself never resurfaced."
"The little boy's mom couldn't accept the reality of his dad's death, insisting on jumping in to retrieve him, and as a result, she never surfaced either."
