Uncle, I'm Qiqi

After her uncle went to the county town to study, Qiqi would often walk to school by herself, head lowered, her little backpack on her back, following the riverbank. Tall trees lined both sides of the embankment, their layered crowns keeping out the sun. Sunlight sifted through the gaps in the leaves and scattered across the ground. Wild grasses grew here and there, dotted with flowers of every color that shimmered in the dappled light. Crops, melons, and vegetables filled the river flats. The adults worked in the fields, their voices and calls carrying through the air...