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

Looking at her birth date on her ID card, Xu Xi's little face showed an expression of disbelief.

The man in front of me—no, the boy—was only a year older than me...

Strictly speaking, she's not even a year old, because she's not 12 months old.

She looked at Xu Nian's weathered face, feeling quite puzzled.

However, after her lips twitched a couple of times, she quickly changed her mind.

"Brother...brother."

"That's more like it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Nian's stomach started growling.

Having not eaten all day, he was already feeling a stomach ache.

Are you hungry?

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xu Nian realized that she had said something pointless.

Xu Xi had been running around with me all day, so she probably hadn't eaten anything either.

Xu Xi hesitated for a moment, then shook her head heavily.

However, her stomach soon began to rumble in protest.

Xu Xi's cheeks instantly flushed red with embarrassment, and she kept rubbing her fingers awkwardly.

"Not a single word of truth comes out of his mouth!"

Xu Nian rolled her eyes and went to the stove to start preparing food.

It's called a stove, but it's really just a gas cylinder connected to a simple ignition device, with a simple frame attached.

There is absolutely no security to speak of.

Xu Nian took out the last half pack of noodles and habitually grabbed a small handful and threw it into the pot.

Remembering Xu Xi's emaciated appearance, he sighed and poured the rest of the noodles into the pot.

There were no vegetables, no seasonings, just plain boiled noodles.

After taking the pot out of the pot, he thought for a moment and found a bottle of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce with only a little bit left in a corner of the room.

Pour some boiling water over it, then pour it into a bowl.

Two bowls of Lao Gan Ma noodles with a touch of chili oil are now ready.

"That's all we have at home, have some."

He invited Xu Xi to sit down and handed one of the bowls to her.

Xu Nian thought that Xu Xi would strongly resist such simple food.

Unexpectedly, she ate very quickly, almost wolfing it down.

As she ate, Xu Xi's eyes began to redden slightly.

"You can't handle spicy food?"

Xu Xi shook her head.

Xu Nian picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

It's advertised as Lao Gan Ma noodles, but it actually has almost no Lao Gan Ma flavor at all.

Apart from a few drops of red oil floating in the bowl, it's no different from boiled noodles in plain water.

Xu Nian was already used to it and ate slowly.

In contrast, Xu Xi quickly finished all the noodles, and even drank all the soup.

Xu Nian saw this and was quite surprised.

He couldn't help but feel curious about the girl's past.

After the two finished eating, Xu Xi took the initiative to wash the bowl.

"Your name is Xu Xi?"

Xu Xi paused for a moment, then nodded.

Which stream?

"The stream in the stream."

Xu Nian nodded.

"There's only one bed, so let's squeeze in tonight. You sleep at one end, and I'll sleep at the other."

He pointed to the only bed.

Xu Nian knew that men and women were different, and it was inevitably inappropriate for two people of the opposite sex of similar age to sleep in the same bed.

But he had no other choice.

Xu Xi, who was washing dishes, nodded.

Xu Nian yawned and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The heavy rain outside the window continued, with streaks of lightning occasionally flashing across the night sky, followed by rumbling thunder.

Xu Nian curled up, trembling incessantly, her tightly closed eyes twitching slightly.

......

The rain poured down, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and it was a dark, cold rainy night.

Happy birthday, Nian Nian!

Today, Xu Nian's parents returned home at the same time, which is quite rare.

Eight-year-old Xu Nian wore a birthday crown and sat at the head of the table.

The music box next to it mechanically and repeatedly played the Happy Birthday song.

"Make a wish, son."

The father cut a piece of cake, stuck a candle on it, and brought it to Xiao Xu Nian.

Xiao Xu closed her eyes, placed her hands on her chest, and silently recited in her heart.

"I hope my parents will stop arguing and we won't have to move again."

"Phew~"

Xiao Xu blew out the candle.

Just then, the sound of a lock being opened came from outside the door.

The father's face changed drastically. He quickly overturned the dining table and hid in the gap between the two sofas.

"Daddy, cake!"

The cake was smeared on the floor, and Xiao Xu Nian's tears welled up instantly.

Before he could even cry out, his mother tightly covered his mouth and hid him in the closet.

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open.

"Fuck you, you surnamed Xu, get out here right now!"

A group of people rushed into Xu Nian's house.

"You swindled me out of two million to invest, and I lost it all at the gambling table. If you don't return every penny to me today, I'll pay with my life!"

"Boss, there must be someone here. The food on the ground is still warm!"

"Search it for me!"

Soon after, Xu Nian's father's screams rang out.

"Hey, after hiding like a mouse for so long, I finally caught you!"

"Take him away! I'll harvest all his organs and sell them in northern Myanmar!"

"Keep searching! He has a wife and kids; bring them all back to recoup my losses!"

The footsteps grew closer, and Xiao Xu felt her mouth being covered tighter and tighter.

He felt difficulty breathing, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

The mother trembled all over, desperately holding her breath, not daring to make a sound.

Footsteps entered the room and stopped in front of the wardrobe.

Xiao Xu could clearly hear the wardrobe doors next to her being opened one by one.

The mother gripped the clothes hanger tightly, prepared to fight desperately.

The wardrobe was opened a crack, and outside light shone in.

"Boss, the guy surnamed Xu confessed. He just took his wife and kids to the train station, and he was all alone."

"damn it!"

The wardrobe door was slammed shut with a bang.

"Take him back and continue beating him, ask him where his wife and children are."

The footsteps grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer be heard at all.

The mother released her hand from Xiao Xu Nian's mouth, and Xiao Xu Nian breathed heavily.

"Mommy, where did Daddy go?"

Stepping out of the closet, the room was already a mess.

Everything that could be moved was smashed; the sofa was torn to pieces; and the floor was covered with cake-stained shoe prints.

Only the music box continued to mechanically repeat the Happy Birthday song.

The mother did not answer, but simply took Xiao Xu Nian's hand and walked out of the house.

Xu Nian no longer remembered how many roads she had traveled, only that she had taken a train, then a bus, and finally walked for a long time in the rainy night.

The mother stopped walking when they reached a large shopping mall that had closed.

"Mom, are we not leaving?"

The mother bent down and placed the umbrella in Xiao Xu Nian's hands.

"Niannian, you're a big girl now. You need to be more obedient from now on, okay?"

Xiao Xu nodded.

"Mommy has some errands to run. Wait here for Mommy, she'll be back soon, okay?"

This time, Xiao Xu Nian did not nod.

The mother broke free from Xiao Xu Nian's hand and ran forward in the rainy night.

Through the waterfall-like rain curtain, the mother turned around and glanced at Xiao Xu Nian.

The sky suddenly lit up as a silver snake-like bolt of lightning pierced the heavens, illuminating the entire night sky.

With the help of this flash of lightning, Xiao Xu saw his mother's face for the last time.

A woman who could be vaguely seen as once very beautiful, but now bears the marks of time, her eyes filled with weariness and confusion.

Before the thunder roared, the mother got into a taxi and drove away.

Goodbye, Mom and Dad, never to see you again.