I begged her to stay, saying that I would never eat candy again, just please don't leave me alone with the harsh and cruel grandmother.

　　She became impatient and tightly furrowed her brows, shaking off my hand.

　　"Why are you such an disobedient child!" "There's no time left, I have to go." I chased after the old bus, running and running.

　　In the thick yellow clay raised by the wheels, I lost track of my parents.

　　There were many left-behind children in the village.

　　But I should be the most pitiful one.

　　I took on all the household chores, cooking, laundry, feeding pigs, feeding chickens, cutting pig grass, even washing my grandmother's underwear.

　　I carefully avoided provoking her.

　　But even if she lost at cards, she would still take it out on me.

　　She poured hot water from the stove over my head.

　　She stripped me naked and pushed me into the yard, fiercely beating me with a bamboo broom.

　　On icy days, she made me wash my feet with the ice-cold water scooped from the outdoor water tank.

　　After tormenting me, she continued to go out and play mahjong.

　　I slept alone in a large brick house, and the night wind blew through the trees in the mountains, making a mournful howl.

　　I tightly wrapped myself in two blankets, curling up into a small ball, resisting the pain, loneliness, and fear.

　　At first, my mother would call back every Saturday evening.

　　I would finish dinner at five o'clock and wait at Aunt Liu's house.

　　I would always cry after saying a few words, asking when she would come back.

　　She always said, "Be more obedient and don't make her angry." Maybe she found me annoying.

　　Slowly, the phone calls became every two weeks.

　　After it got cold, it became once a month.

　　But she still promised me that she would buy me new clothes when she came back for the Chinese New Year.

　　She would also bring me the best candy from Zhejiang.

　　I eagerly anticipated the day.

　　On the day of the minor New Year, my mother called.

　　I was full of anticipation and asked, "Uncle Qi and Uncle Wu have come back.

　　When are you coming back, Mom?" "Xiaoyan, the tickets were too difficult to get.

　　We didn't manage to buy them.

　　Mom will come back to see you after the New Year." The cold wind from the south seemed to enter my ears through the phone, reaching my heart.

　　I couldn't control myself anymore and shouted, "Why didn't you keep your promise? You promised me..." My mother comforted me absentmindedly.

　　My little brother started crying and mumbled, "I want milk..." I heard my mother's gentle tone, "Be a good boy, stop crying, Mom will buy it for you soon." I called out, "Mom..." She was already impatient.

　　"If we can't buy tickets back, your father and I can't do anything.

　　Who wants to spend the New Year away from home? Can't you understand anything? Alright, your brother is hungry, I have to hang up." Mom, actually, I just wanted to say that it's fine if you don't buy candy or clothes, don't work so hard with Dad.

　　But...you don't care at all.

　　After the New Year, when they could finally buy tickets, they still didn't come back.

　　In the end, it seemed meaningless to come back.

　　I am not the concern that weighs on their hearts.

　　Grandma loses at mahjong every day during the Spring Festival and curses me as a jinx.

　　She hits my head hard with a cooking spatula, leaving a bruise that takes about ten days to disappear.

　　The swallows that return in the spring build their nests under my window.

　　I found an abandoned black puppy when I was cutting pig grass.

　　I fed it with leftovers, and it would sleep beside me every night.

　　In the morning, it wagged its tail to see me off to school, and after school, it waited for me at the village entrance.

　　There are so many sadness and sorrows in my life, but also many small moments of freshness and warmth.

　　However, I no longer expect to share them with my mother.

　　Another two years passed.

　　They finally managed to buy tickets to come home.

　　People in the village asked me, "Your parents and little brother are coming back, are you happy?"