Song Li'an appeared a bit shy. He was too young to conceal his emotions, simply tugging at the bedsheet in his hands, silently blushing at the tips of his ears.
...
The yard covered in snow had been diligently swept clean. However, some remnants of pristine snow still lingered in the corners.
The children loved drawing on the snow. Jiang Yan tried her best to lure over the cat that Grandma raised, hoping to imprint its tiny rose paw prints.
Meanwhile, Song Li'an squatted nearby, huffing and puffing as he imprinted his handprints on the snow.
The cat was rather uncooperative, never stepping onto the snow. Suddenly, Jiang Yan had an idea and ran to Grandma for an unfinished fish snack.
Worried that she might get bitten, Grandma threaded a string through the fish snack for Jiang Yan to hold onto and drag it around.
As expected, the cat was enticed and chased after the fish snack, pouncing back and forth.
A makeshift shed nearby had a solar-powered light installed, absorbing energy during the day and reliably illuminating the area at night. At that moment, the light shone brightly, casting the shadows of Jiang Yan and Song Li'an on the wall.
Song Li'an, somewhat afraid of small animals, took a step back, his plump, fair face and round eyes fixed on Jiang Yan with concern that she might get bitten.
But that didn't happen, because the little cat was too clever.
As the vacation neared its end, Zhou Sisi grew concerned about their impending separation. After inquiring about Lu Yuliang's city address, her worries deepened, realizing how far apart their homes in the city were.
"It'll be so difficult for these two kids to meet up in the future!" Zhou Sisi lamented.
Lu Yuliang pondered for a moment and said, "During my days off, I can take her out to find Li'an to play, but normally, the kids will be in kindergarten, so they'll probably have to video call."
Zhou Sisi contemplated for a while, then suddenly suggested, "Are there any available units in your residential area? Why don't we buy one there? We've been thinking about buying a new place anyway. When we bought this one, we didn't have enough money, so it's too small!"
Lu Yuliang was genuinely surprised that things had escalated to this point. She clapped her hands dramatically and exclaimed, "Look at the rich person here!"
And so, their plan was tentatively set.
However, Zhou Sisi didn't immediately inform her son. She wanted to gauge Song Li'an's reaction first.
On the day of their departure, the fair and handsome yet quiet little boy turned into a crying mess.
Jiang Yan had already boarded her family's car, but Song Li'an stood outside, his tiny hands curled up from the cold, tearfully gazing at her with longing.
Everyone tried to reason with him, telling the little boy that there would be opportunities for them to meet again. In the eyes of adults, separation was a commonplace occurrence, with dispersal more frequent than gatherings.
But the child didn't understand. A child would be heartbroken over this moment of separation.