Meeting you in autumn

The two then went upstairs and returned home. Guan Qing led Chen Feng into her mother's room.

Seeing Guan Qing return, Li Yuan felt relieved. Then he noticed Chen Feng beside her and was somewhat surprised.

Chen Feng tiptoed to the bedside, as if afraid of disturbing the person in bed, and then said in a soft voice as gentle as a spring breeze, "Auntie, it's me, Xiao Feng. I came here today to visit you."

Li Xin, who was lying on the bed, slowly opened her tightly closed eyes, revealing a pale smile on her face. The smile was so weak that it seemed as if a gust of wind would dissipate it.

With all her remaining strength, she weakly replied, "Mmm...good boy..."

However, before she could finish speaking, she suddenly began to cough violently, a cough as fierce as a storm, which was heartbreaking.

As her coughing intensified, mouthfuls of blood gushed from her mouth, splattering onto the pristine white sheets like startling red plum blossoms in full bloom.

Guan Qing, who was standing nearby, panicked when he saw this. He rushed to his mother's side, sat down quickly, and carefully helped her up, tears welling up in his eyes.

With a sob in her voice, she cried out, "Mom! I'll take you to the hospital right away! We can't delay any longer!" As she spoke, she got up and led Li Xin out the door.

But at that moment, Li Xin mustered her last bit of strength, tightly grasped Guan Qing's arm, and said in a weak but firm voice, "Xiao...Qing, don't...go, Mom...is too tired...I really don't want to go through this anymore..."

Upon hearing his mother's words, Guan Qing and the others froze on the spot. Looking at Li Xin's haggard yet resolute face, they were filled with helplessness and sorrow.

In the end, the group had no choice but to obey Li Xin's wishes and gently help her back to bed.

At this moment, Guan Qing was already in tears, with crystal tears sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto her mother's hands.

Li Yuan was also silently wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes, his slightly red eyes revealing the endless sorrow in his heart.

Chen Feng stood there quietly, his brows furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with worry and heartache.

Li Xin struggled to raise her trembling right hand and gently stroked Guan Qing's face, as if trying to etch her daughter's image deep into her mind.

She murmured in a voice barely audible, "Little...Qing, you must have suffered a lot these days...Mom is so sorry...I've caused you so much worry..."

Guan Qing held back his tears and shook his head vigorously.

Aunt Li held back her tears and said softly, "Xiao...Qing, I...I'm tired, I...want to sleep for a while."

Guan Qing wanted to say something, but seeing that her mother had already closed her eyes, she had no choice but to leave with Li Yuan and the others, still covered in blood.

…………

In the dead of night, Li Xin lay quietly on her back on the bed, her face ashen, a hint of despair in her eyes. On the small table beside the bed lay a piece of paper covered in writing.

The cancer had spread throughout her body, ravaging her beyond recognition. She was becoming increasingly weak, and every breath was incredibly difficult. Pain clung to her like a demon, making it impossible for her to fall asleep.

She knew her life was slowly slipping away, and her heart was filled with helplessness and sorrow. She recalled her life, and all her dreams and loves had become unattainable.

However, she was not afraid of death. What she feared was that after she left, there would be no one to protect her Xiaoqing, and no one to love her Xiaoqing.

Thinking this, her tears flowed like a burst dam.

Finally, on this quiet night, she peacefully departed this world.

Yes, she escaped the torment of cancer and went to a world without cancer.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Guan Qing was suddenly awakened by a nightmare. She quickly sat up, feeling an unusual tightness in her chest and her eyelids twitching incessantly, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

At this moment, her movements also startled Li Yuan, who sat up as well and asked softly, "Qingqing, what happened?"

Guan Qing did not respond, but hurriedly got out of bed and walked quickly towards her mother's room. Seeing this, Li Yuan also hurriedly got out of bed and followed closely behind.

Guan Qing gently pushed open the door and softly called out, "Mom, Mom." However, her mother did not answer.

Guan Qing thought that perhaps his mother had fallen asleep, so he went to the bedside and called out again, "Mom." But there was still no response.

Seemingly realizing the situation was dire, Guan Qing slowly reached out and gently stroked her mother's face, only to be shocked to find that her mother's body was extremely cold and she had stopped breathing.

Suddenly, Guan Qing collapsed by the bedside, bursting into tears, "Mom... Mom."

When Li Yuan arrived later and saw this scene, she knew what had happened. She stumbled and ran to Guan Qing, hugged her tightly, and looked at Aunt Li lying peacefully on the bed, tears streaming down her face.

"Yuanyuan, I don't have a mother anymore, I don't have a mother anymore!" Guan Qing cried out hoarsely, her voice seemingly able to penetrate the entire world, breaking the hearts of those who heard it.

Every word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of her soul, filled with endless pain and despair.

Li Yuan felt as if his heart was being pricked by a thousand needles, and tears welled up in his eyes.

She suppressed her grief and hugged Guan Qing tightly, comforting her in a trembling voice, "Qingqing, don't be afraid, I'm here. I will always be by your side and never leave."

Time seemed to stand still as the two embraced and wept, crying all night long.

They silently stayed by Guan Qing's mother's side, as if this was the only way to preserve the last bit of warmth.

The next morning, sunlight shone faintly through the clouds, but this did nothing to dispel the gloom that hung over everyone's hearts.

Aunt Li was eventually buried in a quiet cemetery, where lush trees and gentle breezes may bring her some solace.

Jing Yi, Feng Ming, Chen Fang, Chen Feng, Shen Jia, Guan Yu, and Li Yuan stood quietly in front of Aunt Li's tombstone, their faces filled with sorrow and silence.

They gazed silently at the cold stone tablet, their minds filled with countless thoughts.

Guan Qing knelt down, leaned forward slightly, and gently stroked his mother's photograph with trembling hands.

The smile in that photo was still so gentle and kind, but he could no longer respond to his daughter's calls.

“Mom, I saw the letter you left for us. You…you made…” Guan Qing choked up, bursting into tears before she could finish speaking.

After a while, she calmed down a bit and continued, "You told me to live towards the sun, to live happily, and to bravely pursue my dreams. But Mom, do you know? You are Qingqing's whole world!"

At this point, Guan Qing burst into tears again, tears streaming down his face like beads from a broken string.

Her shoulders were trembling incessantly, as if she were enduring immense pain.