In County B, Li Danxia’s mahjong parlor had closed down. As soon as Gu Pan got home, his dad led him to his mom’s bedroom door.

　　“Go in and take a look,” Gu Xueping said. “Your mom’s been like this for days.”

　　Gu Pan pushed the door open and went in.

　　In the middle of the room, against the wall, was a bunk bed. Li Danxia lay on it, facing away, snoring deeply.

　　On the bedside table was a cup of hibiscus tea, meant to stimulate appetite, cool down, and keep her looking young. Next to it was a bottle of jasmine-scented hand cream from a local brand. Li Danxia firmly believed that this brand’s skincare products brought her good luck, so she used them all year round.

　　“What exactly is going on?” Gu Pan tightened the loosely placed lid of the hand cream to prevent any spills. He picked up the cup, inspecting it before gently putting it back, careful not to disturb anything.

　　“She won’t wake up. Sleeps all day, can’t sleep at night. She had this when she was younger, but it got better. A month ago, she suddenly felt dizzy at the mahjong table and collapsed mid-sentence. The hospital said it might be due to high blood viscosity and lack of exercise. So now it’s all traditional Chinese medicine and dietary supplements!” Gu Xueping said, glancing frequently at the bed even though he believed his wife was deeply asleep.

　　The old wooden bed, older than Gu Pan, had long deprived Gu Xueping of his sleeping rights. He stood nearby, like a stranger in his own home.

　　“Dad, looking at Mom like this, it’s not something that’ll get better in just a few days,” Gu Pan said worriedly.

　　“Yeah, she’s not as young as she used to be.”

　　“If Mom’s sick, why didn’t you tell me?”

　　“I figured you’d be home on break soon, and it didn’t seem that serious. Didn’t want to make you worry...”

　　“Dad, from now on, don’t keep things from me about home. Whether I come back or not, let me decide, okay? Reasoning with Mom or reaching an agreement is one thing, but we still have our responsibilities.”

　　“Alright.” Gu Xueping straightened up, feeling smaller next to his son.

　　“So what does Mom do when she’s up all night?”

　　“Watches TV, scrolls through videos... Don’t worry too much. Her appetite’s gotten better, and her complexion looks improved.”

　　“So she’s still got her days and nights mixed up?”

　　“Yeah, and that might take a while to fix. But she told me to sleep through the night without checking on her. She’s pretty good at entertaining herself.” Gu Xueping smiled, showing his relief.

　　“Mom said that?”

　　“Yeah. I don’t see much of a problem. So I’ve stopped watching over her these days.”

　　“Okay, you take care of yourself too. You’ve got work during the day.”

　　“I will, don’t worry.” Gu Xueping glanced at the time—6 p.m. He patted his son’s shoulder. “Your mom will wake up soon. I’ll go make dinner.”

　　The sound of the door closing left Gu Pan in the room. About ten seconds later, Li Danxia stirred but didn’t turn over. Her breathing was lighter and more regular, which Gu Pan easily picked up on.

　　The air felt still, almost frozen. The more Li Danxia tried to control her breathing, the more convinced Gu Pan was that she was pretending to sleep.

　　So he broke the silence first, “Mom, I’m back.”

　　2

　　Gu Pan hurried into the kitchen just as his father was putting the final dish on the stove.

　　"Let me handle this," he took the spatula from his father's hand. "You and Mom sit and relax, it'll be ready soon."

　　For half an hour during dinner, Li Danxia didn't say a word. Her eyes lacked their usual sharpness, and she avoided her son's gaze as if she were hiding. What she dreaded most was looking into Gu Pan's inherited round eyes, eyes that were bright and seemed to see through everything.

　　As her son served her food, she ate quietly with her head down. Gu Xueping made a few remarks, to which she barely responded.

　　Gu Pan suddenly felt a wave of guilt. He regretted the impulsiveness of his words over the phone, realizing their impact was far greater than he had anticipated.

　　The latter half of the meal passed in tense silence.

　　He didn't encounter the anticipated tension with his mother. Yet, he grew increasingly uneasy.

　　So when late night arrived, he didn't rush into his bedroom as usual to avoid the awkwardness born of their estrangement, to enjoy the solitary time that had once belonged solely to his youth. He set aside his earphones and left the bedroom door slightly ajar, ready to catch any sound from his mother's room.

　　He believed there might be a chance to make amends.

　　Gu Pan held out until midnight. The TV show in Li Danxia's room stopped. He quickly got up from his bed and intended to visit her during the break in her show. If she had thoughts of having a late-night snack, that would be even better.

　　He was about to open the door when he heard the sound of Li Danxia locking her bedroom door. Soon after, hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs, a mix of urgency and involuntary excitement. Gradually fading away.

　　Gu Pan decisively followed.

　　Li Danxia emerged from the small iron gate on the side of the courtyard wall. It was rarely used, and weeds grew thick along the base of the wall. She stepped through, remembering to close the gate behind her.

　　Gu Pan waited a moment, estimating that his mother had walked about twenty meters away, beyond the usual detection distance for a middle-aged woman. Only then did he feel comfortable following.

　　He trailed after his mother towards where the sounds of frogs and flowing water mingled. As he approached, the scenery became clearer—it was the riverbank he had visited last summer. Back then, he had struggled with insomnia, and this place held memories that had prompted him to seek help from Su Chiyuan. But all of that felt like another lifetime to him now.

　　But what was his mother's purpose in coming here?

　　Gu Pan concealed himself among the branches, silently observing Li Danxia's every move.

　　Mother settled onto a flat stone, her legs dangling over the water's surface. She gazed towards the empty stone bridge on her right, a structure devoid of any notable feature. Yet, it was her whispered words that struck Gu Pan with sudden realization—the emptiness of the bridge carried profound meaning for her.

　　"Yonggang, I've come again," Li Danxia smiled gently towards the bridge.

　　Gu Pan had never heard her speak like this before, not since he could remember.

　　"Yonggang, this afternoon I dreamed of you again. You were wearing a grey trench coat, just to show it off to me. I commented that the shoulders seemed a bit narrow—have you been putting on weight lately? You chuckled and said, 'I'll lose some!'"

　　Gu Pan understood that Li Danxia was conversing with Lai Yonggang. This was the exact spot where he had tragically drowned years ago.

　　"Sigh, losing weight... your words are just like when you were sixteen or seventeen. Every time I pointed out something about you, you promised to change. Yonggang, I've been feeling low lately, sleeping poorly at night and napping desperately during the day. It's odd, though. Whenever I nap in the daytime, I dream of events from years ago. Yesterday I asked you, after playing cards at my place that day, there was nowhere else to drink on your way home, right? You had that small flask of yours—could it have gotten you drunk? Could it have led to the accident?"

　　Li Danxia's recounting of past events made Gu Pan's mind alert and oddly tense.

　　"You didn't say anything. Just like that day, you didn't utter a word. You finished the contents of the flask in one go before leaving, leaving nothing unsaid. The next day, I heard you were gone..." Li Danxia choked up.

　　Gu Pan stepped on a small patch of slippery weeds, his emotions swaying with his mother's narrative, nearly stumbling.

　　"They said you were gone... I couldn't believe it. I rushed to your house. Your mom collapsed from crying, your wife sat at the door in a daze. I couldn't cry, hurriedly returned home... Yonggang, I refuse to believe that little flask of alcohol took you away. I'll never believe it until the day I die!"

　　Gu Pan's heart clenched as he listened.

　　"Yonggang, so many years have passed, and we've both grown old. Sigh, please stay peaceful over there! Don't entertain thoughts you shouldn't, don't disturb those you shouldn't... Did I tell you all this yesterday too? It seems like I did. My memory isn't what it used to be, but as long as I can remember, I'll come to see you every day. Rest assured!"

　　Gu Pan tightened his fists, trying to crush his frustration and anger within his palms.

　　"Yonggang, my son has come back. When you left that year, he was still young. Now he's almost a junior in college. He's learned to argue with me. I don't like it, but he insists on liking it. He insists on going against me. I want to let him be, now that I'm this age and my health is failing day by day, I try to take it easy. But whenever I think of you, think of that night when you fell from here alone on your bike, my heart aches. I resent it!" Li Danxia touched her chest, taking a deep breath. "Alright, my legs are almost numb, I'll go back."

　　Gu Pan heard and quickly darted behind a denser cluster of trees.

　　Li Danxia got up without looking back, leaving behind this bridge filled with doubts and speculation.

　　3

　　Returning through the small iron door on the courtyard side of the wall, Li Danxia ascended the stairs unsteadily. Gu Pan, following behind her, witnessed the middle-aged woman's graceful return from another world, as if walking on water.

　　Meanwhile, in a bedroom, Gu Xueping's snoring had gained an extra pitch since they left, still lingering in the half-space before the small building.

　　Gu Pan stealthily slipped into the bedroom. He let Taylor Swift's voice fill the entire room. With the door tightly closed and the volume controlled just right, he immersed himself in the suspended world, hoping to calm his emotions quickly.

　　But he found that this kind of pent-up frustration couldn't be digested on its own. So, a few potential listeners popped into his mind.

　　He thought of Ling Hanlu, thought of Su Chiyuan, and even thought of Lu Yitong.

　　Any one of their ears, if they appeared this early morning, would bring solace. But right now, they must all be deeply immersed in their own inviolable dreams.

　　So Gu Pan turned to "Xinyuan."

　　However, she hadn't logged in to post new work for a long time. Therefore, Gu Pan's last attempt at a somewhat ingratiating tone had gone unanswered.

　　He was certain he and "Xinyuan" had seen the same environmental propaganda painting, though he hadn't received explicit recognition from her yet. He clicked again on the video titled "Afternoon," featuring handmade paintings displayed on the steps of the management school, accompanied by gentle, ambient sounds, creating a serene setting for him to calm his mind.

　　Voices and ringing replaced Li Danxia's cryptic soliloquies by the stone bridge. In the frame, sunlight filtered through leaves in the afternoon, softening the middle-aged woman's solitary figure, tinged with melancholy and hard to dispel. It seemed she even donned a coat woven by the sunny afternoon.

　　This melted some of the heaviness that had filled the young man's chest all night.

　　Gu Pan lay down. He imagined himself at a sunbathing beach. A thin blanket covered half his body, like fine sand kissing his skin.

　　Outside the window, veiled by sheer curtains, moonlight washed over. He imagined it was Ling Hanlu, seven hours' drive away, who had booked the first light of dawn for him.

　　That faint light led him to combat the chill and darkness in his heart. Just before falling asleep, he took her hand...