Chapter 1286: Back To Her Home
When He Xiyan returned to her hometown Liu Yang, it was noon the next day. The weather was very bad. It was snowing and the ground was even frozen.
Dragging her luggage, He Xiyan walked carefully in the community. The road was slippery, and the water in her shoes made her feel so freezing cold as if they were to lose consciousness.
She bit her teeth and walked slowly forward, occasionally patting the snowflakes on her clothes.
After walking for nearly 10 minutes, she finally came to the building No.3. Her home was room No.1302, unit 1 of this building.
He Xiyan walked in, then came to the elevator, and just then, a woman patted her on the shoulder.
“Aunt Li…” Looking back, He Xiyan found that it was the aunt in the small shop downstairs.
Aunt Li was full of smiles. A few small moles were there around her eyes.
She looked at He Xiyan and asked with a smile, “Yanyan, you are on winter vacation, right?”
He Xiyan smiled, revealing two shallow dimples. Although she was not so beautiful, she was actually pretty and smart.
“Yes, Aunt Li. We are on holiday.” In this community, He Xiyan didn’t know many people. Aunt Li was the most familiar person to her, because she was her mother’s friend.
“By the way, Auntie…” Suddenly thinking of something, He Xiyan quickly took out a small wallet from her backpack, and then took out eight hundred yuan bills.
Aunt Li was shocked. “Yanyan, you are…”
He Xiyan handed the money to Aunt Li, saying apologetically.
“This is for you. I’m sorry, auntie. I don’t have much money these years, so it took me so long to pay you back.”
He Xiyan smiled awkwardly. Although Aunt Li hadn’t urged her to pay back, she felt embarra.s.sed every time she met her.
Aunt Li chuckled. “Well, you, I do not urge you to return it. What are you making a fuss about?”
He Xiyan directly put the money into Aunt Li’s hands.
It was natural for her to pay off her debts. Besides, she was an adult now.
He Xiyan took the elevator and went to the 13th floor. Then she opened the door of her home.
It has been nine months since she came back last time for the Qingming Festival.
Her home was still the same as before, with the old furniture and the old electrical appliances. It was cold here. The tea table and the dining table in the living room were all covered with ash.
Every time she came back, it would take her about two hours to do the cleaning. It was the same today.
After cleaning, she made a bowl of instant noodles and ate them while warming herself by a fire box.
Since there was neither heating nor air conditioning at home, she felt s.h.i.+vering cold. The fire box was the only tool to keep her warm.
She sat on the sofa, with her feet in the box and her hands warm in the fire quilt.
The fire box was bought seven years ago by her dad when he was alive. She still remembered that at the end of every year, their family would sit together and warm themself by the fire box. Dad would prepare a deck of playing cards, and they would play together.
He Xiyan stroked her chest. As long as she thought of these past events, she would feel extremely uncomfortable as if her heart was going to stop beating.
She turned to look at the picture on the wall that she had drawn. It was a picture of their family having a meal together. Her father and mother in the picture were full of smiles, and she herself looked very happy as well.
But now, no more laughter could be heard in this family.