The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

"I am Xu Xi's older brother, and my name is Xu Nian."

After Xu Xi left, Xu Nian spoke earnestly to the tombstone.

When I was eight years old, my mother abandoned me and disappeared.

"After living alone for ten years, I met Xu Xi, and she helped me find the meaning of my existence."

"Since you are Xu Xi's mother, then you are also my mother, Xu Nian's mother."

After saying this, Xu Nian knelt down and kowtowed to Li Yu.

Compared to his own mother, Li Yu was more like a mother to him.

Even though she had never raised Xu Nian.

"Mom, from now on, I will fulfill my filial duty as a son, visit you regularly, and take care of Xu Xi as she grows up."

"I swear to you, even if it means I am covered in wounds, I will not let Xu Xi suffer any harm."

Whether it was his imagination or not, it seemed as if a star hidden behind the sunlight twinkled briefly in the azure sky.

Then, Xu Xi, having wiped away her tears, came to speak with Li Yu.

Xu Xi suggested that her brother wait for her outside.

Xu Nian scratched her head, guessing that the little one wanted to whisper something to his mother and felt a little embarrassed if she was there, so she left the cemetery to give Xu Xi some time alone with his mother.

"Mom, I miss you so much..."

Xu Xi squatted down beside the tombstone, looking towards the distant sea in the direction the stone tablet was facing.

"I'm sorry, Mom, I made you worry."

She leaned against the stone tablet and told her mother about her experiences over the past two years.

Speaking of her first year of wandering around, Xu Xi's eyes welled up with tears.

Several times, she nearly lost her life.

Even when she talked about what happened after she met her brother, a smile remained on her lips.

"Mom, don't worry, Xiaoxi has met someone who treats me very well..."

"But Mommy, you must come and visit Little Creek often too. Little Creek really... really... misses you so much..."

Xu Xi stood up and dusted off the corner of her clothes.

"Mom, I'm leaving now. I'll come see you again next time."

On her way back, Xu Xi seemed to see a familiar figure.

She looked closely and saw Zhao Lin squatting between two stone tablets, struggling to pull out the weeds rooted in the cracks of the rocks.

"Linlin, you're here too."

Xu Xi stepped forward, squatted down, and took out the tools she had brought to help Zhao Lin weed.

Zhao Lin was somewhat surprised to see Xu Xi.

"Yes, I've come to see my mom and dad."

Following her gaze, Xu Xi saw two stone tablets in front of her.

The tomb of Lin Yaxin was erected by her husband, Zhao Ruilong.

The tomb of Zhao Ruilong, erected by his daughter Zhao Lin.

"Use this. These weeds are rooted too deep and are difficult to clear by hand."

Xu Xi handed one of her tools to Zhao Lin.

"Thanks."

Zhao Lin wiped the sweat from her face; her palms were cut by weeds, and blood was seeping out faintly.

This was her first time visiting a grave alone, and having no experience, she appeared quite disheveled.

With Xu Xi's help, the weeding process was much faster.

"Linlin, did your mother also leave you a long time ago?"

Xu Xi noticed that the inscription on Zhao Lin's mother's tombstone was much fainter than the inscription on her father's tombstone.

These are traces of erosion caused by the sea breeze.

Zhao Lin nodded.

"My parents' marriage was a business arrangement, without any emotional foundation, but they loved each other very much."

"My dad is very busy with his career and is often away from home, so I was raised by my mom."

"She was very skillful, unlike a typical lady of leisure. She did all the housework herself, from washing clothes and cooking to knitting and sewing."

"She often taught me to treat others with sincerity and empathy, so that others would treat me kindly in return."

"But when I was nine years old, she, who was kind to everyone, was killed in a car accident on her way to pick me up from school."

A gentle sea breeze blew by, rippling and fluttering Xu Xi's white floral dress.

She listened attentively, occasionally handing Zhao Lin a tissue as tears streamed down her face.

"After my mother left, I became insecure and wanted my father to spend more time with me."

"But my father was busy with his career and left me with a servant who only superficially catered to me."

"I gradually became rebellious, smoking, drinking, fighting, dyeing my hair, speeding, and clubbing. The more my father forbade me to do something, the more I insisted on doing it, trying to get him to look at me more."

Looking back now, I realize how immature I was.

Zhao Lin wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Sorry to have made you listen to so much of my rambling."

"It's okay."

Xu Xi patted her back reassuringly.

"Are you here to pay respects at your parents' graves too?"

I guess so.

Xu Xi glanced at the direction of her mother's tombstone.

"To be precise, I only have a mother, not a father."

Zhao Lin followed her gaze and nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm leaving now, my brother is still waiting for me outside."

Xu Xi smiled slightly and stood up.

She knew that Zhao Lin also wanted to have a private conversation with her parents.

Now that you've done your help, don't linger here any longer.

"it is good."

After Xu Xi left, Zhao Lin sat in front of her parents' tombstone, her lips moving, trying to speak for a long time, but she couldn't say anything.

Her father's imposing figure seemed to have been right in front of her just two days ago, but now he had turned into a skeleton in a tomb.

"Dad, Mom, I've come to see you."

It took her a long time to finally manage to utter that sentence.

In the past, when we visited my mother's grave, my father would always talk at length about his work, his life, and his longing for her.

She always stood silently to the side, without saying a word.

Now, when she needs to sweep two graves by herself, she finds herself at a loss for words.

I haven't had a proper conversation with my father for many years. Even if he stood in front of me, we would probably just stare at each other awkwardly.

"Dad, my grades have improved. I was in the top 20 in my class in the last monthly exam, which is the best class in the whole high school."

"I've also made some friends. The one standing next to me just now is one of my best friends. Her name is Xu Xi."

"She taught me that true friendship cannot be bought with money, but with sincerity."

"If only I had understood the lessons my mother taught me sooner."

......

Zhao Lin spoke at length, following her own ideas.

While her father was alive, she would not talk to him about what happened in her life.

My father is very busy; he probably doesn't have time to listen to her nagging.

After burning the paper money, Zhao Lin got up and said goodbye to her parents.

"I'm leaving now, Mom and Dad. I'll come to see you again next time."

Afterwards, Zhao Lin did not leave the cemetery, but instead walked in the direction that Xu Xi had been gazing at.

She found Li Yu's tombstone.

Looking at the dishes laid out in front of the stone tablet, Zhao Lin immediately recognized that they were Xu Xi's cooking.

Her gaze moved upwards, and she saw a photo that looked remarkably like Xu Xi.

With a thud, Zhao Lin knelt down.

"I'm sorry, Xu Xi's mother. You've raised an excellent daughter. I shouldn't have spoken rudely to you."

Immediately afterwards, she bent down and kowtowed heavily.

A streak of bright red blood stained the stone steps.