Branching Out, Slowly

“He Sinian, people say girls don’t have a home once they grow up. Is that true?” “I can’t speak for anyone else, but my Zhizhi will always have a home.” When she was nineteen, Lu Zhizhi was He Sinian’s salvation, and He Sinian was the light in Lu Zhizhi’s life. But she lost that light, and set out alone for distant places, her heart in ruins. … When she was twenty-two, she no longer feared the crowded sea of people. She became a beautiful sun, and they warmed each other. The stars will eventually return to the universe, but you won’t return to me. “He Sinian, you were right. Now that I’ve grown up, I have a home too.” “Then I wish my girl a lifetime of peace and happiness. May you be happier than I am.”