I am deeply grateful to the source of life, my parents, for giving me life and the chance to blossom in this colorful world. But the person who warms my heart most is my respected adoptive father, whose care and wisdom, steady as a mountain, guided me as I grew. Dad is a kind, resilient man who has been through three marriages. He met Mom when he was twenty-six, and they fell in love as if destined for each other, marrying in a whirlwind. I was only a baby then, but I could still feel the depth and passion of their love. They were together for sixteen years and decided not to have any more children for my sake. In the end, they parted amicably, but their love remained in their hearts.
When I was seventeen, I learned I wasn’t their biological child, and it stirred something inside me. By then, my parents had been apart for over two years. Mom told me Dad was busy back in his hometown. He left Jinzhou for Suzhou to begin a new chapter, and at forty-two he met Auntie. The two of them were like old friends reunited. Later, they had my younger brother, Xiaolong, bringing laughter to the family. But fate dealt them a cruel hand: Auntie died in a car accident, taking the warmth of home with her. Gloom settled over Dad, and I became all the more aware of life’s uncertainty.
With my help, the family grew warm again. This hard-won bond taught me to cherish what I have and be grateful.
