Chapter 1295: She Was All Alone
The only thing she could do for her parents was to offer up more joss paper to them. She hoped that they wouldn’t have to worry about money in the netherworld.
She watched as the joss paper burned and became ash.
Then, she walked up to their graves and poured three glasses of wine.
She drank one glass and poured the other two glasses over her parent’s graves.
She went through the entire process; started with three glasses of wine and ended with three glasses of wine. She started packing up after she had finished paying her respects.
“Dad, mom, I’ll be back over the tomb-sweeping festival. I’ll visit every tomb-sweeping festival as well,” she thought.
She waved in the direction of their graves before she left this gloomy place.
She came down the hill. Her uncle lived nearby, but she didn’t have any intention of visiting. She didn’t even want to walk by their house, so she chose to do a detour by walking along the small pathways between the fields before she reached the main road.
There were fields on either side of the pathways but since it was winter and New Year’s Eve, there weren’t that many people toiling in the fields. The only person she spotted was Aunty Li who was her mother’s friend pulling garlic in the fields.
Aunty Li had spotted He Xiyan as well and greeted her with a happy smile. She held the garlic she had just plucked in her hand.
“You must be Yan Yan…” Aunty Li said loudly.
He Xiyan stopped in her tracks and turned to look at this woman who was in her forties. She remembered that Aunty Li used to be on good terms with her mother in the past.
“Hello, Aunty Li,” He Xiyan said with a smile.
“Yan Yan, you must have just come from the hill. Where would you be spending your New Year’s this year?” Aunty Li asked.
He Xiyan smiled awkwardly and nodded.
She didn’t have anywhere to go for the New Year’s so naturally, she’d be spending it at home alone.
She had been spending New Year’s all alone ever since her mother passed away and this would be her third year spending it alone.
“I’m heading home now, Aunty Li. Happy New Year,” she finally said after spending some time searching for the right words to say.
Aunty Li walked up to He Xiyan, gave her a pat on the shoulder and said warmly, “Yan Yan, why don’t you have lunch over at my place today?”
Aunty Li noticed that He Xiyan seemed a little teary and guessed that she didn’t have anywhere to go. She knew that her two uncles didn’t treat her like family. They didn’t even invite their niece over to have dinner together on New Year’s Eve.
He Xiyan was touched by this kind gesture even though she knew that Aunty Li was just being polite. Her neighbors had extended more help to her than her relatives had ever done, including Aunty Li who had given her a lot of support when her mother had passed away.
“Thank you, Aunty Li, but I’ve got to head to my teacher’s home for a meal,” she said awkwardly.
She wasn’t actually planning to head to a teacher’s home. This was just an excuse.
She didn’t want to spend New Year’s Eve at someone else’s home because she would feel even more sorrowful if she were to see others having a happy meal with their families.
She exchanged a few more words with Aunty Li, then headed to the main road and took a bus that was bound for Liu City.
She was all alone this New Year’s Eve.
She turned in early that night but she couldn’t sleep because of the constant sound of firecrackers and colorful fireworks outside her house.
She stood in front of the windows and clasped her hands together in a prayer position when it was almost midnight.