That year, the first time I met him, he was filthy from head to toe, with a pitiful look on his face, like a little stray puppy nobody wanted. I took pity on him and brought him home, gave him a name, and from then on he became my constant companion. We spent many years together, year after year, through spring blossoms and autumn harvests, yet I never understood the strange emotion in his eyes. Many years later, leaning against my shoulder, he softly told me where the real Huating was. At that moment, I could no longer hold back the tears in my eyes, and they flowed freely. Huating at dawn: in the end, it was a place I never wanted to return to…
