As the year drew to a close, sparse, delicate snowflakes drifted past the window.
Li Susu sat in a rocking chair, watching her two babies babbling on the playmat. Their delicate, doll-like features made the corners of her mouth lift involuntarily. Yet, a hidden bitterness lingered in her smile; the thought that she would not be able to return to the countryside to spend the New Year with her grandmother felt like a heavy stone pressing against her chest.
Late that night, Li Susu was jolted awake by a nightmare. In her dream, her grandmother’s thin, withered hands hung limp, and no matter how desperately she cried out, she could not reach her. Tears soaked her pillowcase, and through the haze, she heard Bo Junyi’s gentle voice: "Don't be afraid. I’m here." The man gently patted her back, his patience and tenderness dispelling her unease.
Chapter 158