Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

As dawn broke, steam billowed from one stall to another. There were few pedestrians on the road, and the vendors had not yet had a chance to call out their wares.

A thin girl, about 5 or 6 years old, rang out in a clear voice, "Boss, a bowl of wontons, please."

The little girl wore patched clothes, but they were neat. Her eyes were bright and spirited, and she possessed a determination and melancholy that were beyond her years, rather than the innocent ones she was used to.

"Alright, girl, thank you for helping me open for business so early. Here are two more for you."

"Thank you, Auntie. I'm going home to find my mom today," the girl said excitedly.

"It's your own home, why are you looking for your mother?" The shopkeeper was about to ask when another customer came in to buy breakfast, so he went back to work.

This is a little girl with a story.

Two-year-old Tingnan, along with her mother Song Xiuying and older sister Zheng Zhibei, is preparing to visit her maternal grandmother's house, which is far away from home, for the first time.

Early in the morning, the mother and her two children walked for more than half an hour to reach the ferry terminal to wait for the boat. The ticket was 5 cents per person, but Ting Nan didn't charge them.

It was Zheng Tingnan and Zheng Zhibei's first time on a boat, and they both found it very novel. The river breeze was blowing on their faces, the wide water surface was sparkling, and fish could be seen leaping in the distance from time to time. The boatman rowed rhythmically, but even at this slow speed, their mother and sister soon got seasick and were looking forward to reaching the shore.

After disembarking, we waited for my mother and sister to calm down a bit before heading to the roadside to catch a bus. There weren't many buses running at that time, and there weren't many stops, so we could get on and off at any time along the route.

The bus kept stopping and starting, it was so crowded that there were hardly any seats, the road conditions were terrible, full of potholes, and people were swaying back and forth with the bus.

The noise and the stench of chickens and ducks filled our ears and noses. My mother and sister got carsick again and got off the bus before we arrived. They vomited as soon as they got off.

No wonder Mom rarely goes back to her parents' home; the journey there must have been too arduous. By the time we arrived at Grandma's house, it was almost dusk.

I heard that my maternal grandmother, Qian Shuzhen, was once a young lady from a wealthy family. She attended a girls' school, but she had a pair of small, pointed bound feet.

Later, when Grandma washed her feet, Xiao Tingnan observed that several deformed toes had been forcibly broken and pressed into the center of the sole of her foot, pressed against the sole in a terrifying position.

Grandma looked very kind. She sat in a chair and beckoned, "Tingnan, come here."

Ting Nan walked closer and watched as she took out a handkerchief from her purse, unfolded it layer by layer, and handed Ting Nan a brand new 5-cent banknote.

This was the first time Ting Nan had received money from an elder. She looked at her mother, who nodded and said, "It is an elder's gift, and one should not refuse it."

It seemed like Mom had changed when she returned to her parents' home—her speech, her posture, she was so gentle and virtuous. Nan, sitting next to her grandmother, listened to the adults chatting idly and, out of boredom, observed her grandmother's half-hidden feet. How could they be the same size as her own? She didn't hear the adults' subsequent conversation about her.

After sleeping in an unfamiliar place for one night, Tingnan's mother asked, "Would you like to stay at Grandma's house?"

Ting Nan was a little confused. What did that mean? Did they all stay and not want her older brother and younger brother? Before Ting Nan could answer, her mother walked away.

At lunchtime, Tingnan had some delicious food again. Her uncle and grandmother had served her a lot of dishes, including fish and chicken, which smelled wonderful.

My older sister ate very well, but my mother didn't seem to enjoy it. Could it be that she was carsick or feeling unwell?

Never mind, it's a rare treat to eat well. Xiao Nan's mouth was stuffed full, and she didn't care about the adults around her staring at her.

As she chewed, she thought: It's a pity my older brother and younger brother didn't come with me, so we couldn't eat our fill together. I must brag to my younger brother when I get back. If he doesn't believe me, I'll have my older sister as a witness, hehe. Ting Nan was bubbling with joy.