Meng Yan's Transformation

"Liu Chun, you..."

As Zhan Yue spoke, she looked at Zhan Chun's frail body and was deeply moved.

"The sticky rice cakes won't taste good if they get cold. I'll think about whether Zhan Yue should take a break from school. Let's eat first. Zhan Yue, go get the bowls and chopsticks."

Wang Shujuan interrupted Zhan Yue before she could finish speaking.

Zhan Yue took the bowl and chopsticks to the kang table and scooped the white sugar from the sugar jar into the bowl.

"Third Aunt..."

"Everyone, start eating. Xiao Mengyan, you're not allowed to argue about Zhan Yue going to school anymore. After you finish eating, I'll have Zhan Yue take you home so you don't get scolded by your father when you get home."

Wang Shujuan interrupted Zhan Mengyan again and put white sugar and sticky rice cakes in her bowl.

After dinner, Wang Shujuan instructed Zhan Yue on how to explain to Zhan Yu that Zhan Mengyan had taken her sister on an "escape." She also packed ten sticky rice cakes for Zhan Yu and Zhan Zixun to take back.

Zhan Mengyan walked home, her heart heavy.

"Sister Yue'er, do you think your third aunt will support you going to school?"

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, she held Zhan Yue's hand, her face showing concern.

"let it go."

When Zhan Yue spoke, her eyes were empty, lacking the bright light she had hoped for.

“Sister Yue’er, why are you so indifferent? You need to have a good talk with your third aunt and try to stand up for yourself. Let your third aunt talk to the other sisters, in case anyone is willing to help. If I had your attitude, I would have dropped out of school long ago. I was locked up by my father for more than a month. If I hadn’t insisted on running away from home, I wouldn’t even know which way the gate of my high school is now.”

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, her eyes shone with encouragement.

"Zhan Mengyan, how dare you talk about your 'glorious history'? Do you know how worried we were about you when you secretly ran away from home? Are you trying to encourage your sister Yue to run away from home like you, making your third aunt worry and worsening her condition?"

When Yunqing spoke, she had a look of disappointment on her face.

"Mom, what are you saying? Why do you keep bringing up my old wounds?! I'm not 'encouraging' Sister Zhanyue to do anything bad, I'm telling her to follow her heart and not regret it later. There's no medicine for regret in this world."

Zhan Mengyan looked unconvinced when she spoke.

"You brat, who brought up your old wounds? Didn't you just tell me about your embarrassing runaway? You should stop worrying about Zhan Yue's schooling and think about how to get past your dad and calm him down so you can avoid getting a beating. Even if Zhan Yue comes home with you, she's not your shield. You'll have to explain to him yourself when it really matters that you ran away with your sister."

As Yunqing spoke, her brows were furrowed, her gaze fixed on Zhan Mengyan, her eyes filled with unease.

In April, the evenings in Northeast China are a whisper between winter and spring. As the setting sun slants over the mountain ridge, it sprinkles the last rays of warmth onto the lingering snow, immersing the entire land in amber light. The sun, with the stubbornness of the North, sweeps across the bare branches, emitting soft sobs, but the air is no longer biting, and has a touch of damp earthiness.

The western sunset resembled a glass of cooled orange juice, making the clouds fluffy and soft. Zhan Mengyan craned her aching neck, watching the sunset edge each cloud with gold. The sky was like an upside-down carpet; the clouds, which had resembled flocks of sheep, were dismantled by the evening breeze, weaving into a fine, dense veil. Sparrows returning to their nests suddenly darted by, their wings slicing through the solidified honey-colored air. These tiny black dots, like commas, landed in the willow tree canopy, startling the shadows and creating ripples of pale yellow-green.