The Day She Remarried, His Ashes Arrived

Song Yanhuai waited seven years for her husband.

She cared for her mother-in-law, raised her daughter, and kept the family afloat with a scallion pancake stall. On the day she finally decided to remarry, the bridal sedan never arrived. Instead, her husband's ashes did.

The man who brought the ashes was accompanied by a four-year-old boy.

Before she could ask where the child came from, her mother-in-law had already pulled him into her arms and affectionately called him by his childhood nickname.

It turned out that all those years, she was the only one waiting.

Her new groom urged her to leave her daughter behind. Her mother-in-law wept and begged her not to go. And her husband's final letter still contained the same words she'd heard so many times: "Please be understanding."

This time, Song Yanhuai refused.

She called off the engagement, split from the family, and moved with her daughter into a small house by the river. She lit the stove again, selling pancakes and cooking meals for boatmen to earn rent and pay for her child's schooling.

Lu Heng, the man who had brought her husband's ashes, stayed in the city. He was missing two fingers and couldn't carry anything too heavy, but he was good at mending pots.

She needed a helper willing to work, and he was looking for somewhere to settle.

They started by fixing an old pot with a leak. As for anything else, Song Yanhuai wanted to take her time and see.