The tree may crave stillness, but the wind will not cease.

Li Zhiyi knelt in front of her parents' gravestone.

She placed the white chrysanthemums she had brought on the stone platform, then began taking things out of a plastic bag.

A can of Snow Beer, a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes.

And a few apples and oranges.

"Dad, Mom, I came to see you."

Li Zhiyi lit two sticks of incense and planted them in the incense burner in front of the grave.

The smoke curled upward in the morning mountain breeze.

She reached out and picked a dry fallen leaf off the gravestone, her fingertip gently brushing across the photograph.

"Grandpa had a sudden brain blockage last night. It scared me to death."

"But don't worry, he's fine now. They transferred him to a top-tier hospital in the province. The doctor said we got him there in time."

Li Zhiyi sniffled, her voice a little hoarse.

She crouched in front of the grave, hands resting on her knees, like when she was a kid coming home to report her grades to her parents.

"I'm studying law at Renmin University now."

"My grades are okay. The teachers look out for me."

"Grandma's health is all right too, though she worries too much."

"Grandpa's been weaker these past few years, but he always says he's fine, says he's waiting for me to graduate."

She sniffled again.

"I thought I could handle things on my own."

"But I guess I'm not that strong."

Chen Zhi kept a respectful distance.

At this moment, Li Zhiyi wasn't talking to him.

She was talking to the parents who had left her years ago.

"I used to think that if I just behaved and was considerate, I wouldn't be a burden to anyone."

"So there were a lot of things I never dared to say."

"I was afraid Grandma would worry, afraid Grandpa would be upset, afraid Chen Zhi would find me troublesome."

Li Zhiyi lowered her head, her fingertips lightly tracing the names on the gravestone.

"But last night, I was really scared."

"I was scared Grandpa would leave too."

"I was scared only Grandma would be left at home."

"And I was even more scared that I couldn't do anything about it."

Her shoulders trembled slightly as she spoke.

Chen Zhi set the funeral paper aside and crouched down silently, helping to pull out the new weeds growing beside the grave.

Li Zhiyi glanced at him, then turned back.

"But Chen Zhi came."

"He took me on a plane back, found the doctors, and pulled Grandpa out of the emergency room."

"Mom, you used to say that when a girl grows up, she should find someone dependable."

"I don't know if he's the kind of dependable you meant."

Chen Zhi: "..."

Li Zhiyi paused for a moment, as if afraid her parents wouldn't approve, then quietly added,

"He can be a real jerk sometimes."

Chen Zhi coughed.

Li Zhiyi ignored him.

"But last night, he really didn't abandon me."

"His mom is wonderful too."

"Auntie Zhang stuffed a bank card into Grandma's hands and said we're family."

"It's been a long time since I heard anyone say that."

She couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears fell one by one.

"Dad, Mom."

"I really miss you."

"When I was in elementary school, other kids who got bullied had someone go to school to talk to the teacher."

"I didn't."

"When I had parent-teacher conferences in middle school, Grandma sat in the classroom. She couldn't understand what the teachers were saying about the exams, but she always dressed neatly."

"When I was filling out my college application in high school, I wanted to ask you where I should go."

"But you weren't there."

Chen Zhi looked down and kept burning the funeral paper.

The flames flickered, and ashes were swept up by the wind before falling back to the ground.

Li Zhiyi talked for a long time.

She talked about how, when she was little and had a fever, Grandpa carried her on his back to the town clinic.

She talked about how Grandma knitted her sweaters in winter, the stitches crooked and uneven.

She talked about being teased in elementary school for not having parents, how she clenched her teeth and didn't cry, then went home and sobbed under her blanket until she fell asleep.

She talked about meeting Chen Zhi later.

She talked about how Chen Zhi had a sharp tongue as a kid, but whenever someone bullied her, he was always the first to charge in.

"He even tricked me once, said he was going to be the President of the Universe when he grew up."

Li Zhiyi wiped her tears, and there was finally a little laughter in her voice.

"And I actually believed him back then."

Chen Zhi looked up.

"Correction: I’m only one Earth authorization away from being the President of the Universe now."

Li Zhiyi was choked up by his words.

She had been about to cry, but now she couldn't.

"Can you be serious in front of my parents?"

"I'm just letting Uncle and Auntie see the real me."

Chen Zhi threw the last stack of funeral paper into the fire pan.

"Saves them from accusing me of fraud before marriage later."

Li Zhiyi's ears turned red. She didn't respond to that.

She stayed by the grave for another half hour.

Chen Zhi stayed with her the whole time.

Finally, Li Zhiyi pressed her hands on her knees and stood up, brushing the dirt off her pant legs.

"Let's go." She walked over to Chen Zhi, her eyes still red, but she had pulled herself together.

"Wait for me."

Chen Zhi stepped forward a few paces until he stood in front of the gravestone.

He took three sticks of incense from the bag and lit them with a lighter.

Then, holding the incense in one hand, he bowed three times to the grave.

Li Zhiyi froze in place.

Chen Zhi placed the incense into the burner, lifted his head, and looked at the photograph on the gravestone.

"Uncle, Auntie."

Chen Zhi spoke, his tone casual, like he was just chatting with elders.

"I'm Chen Zhi."

"This is our first meeting. I should have brought more things, but today was special and I came in a hurry. I'll make it up next time."

He paused, then continued.

"I've done a lot of irresponsible things in the past. I've let her down before."

"I admit that."

"But starting today, Zhiyi's life is in my hands."

"I'll make sure she has enough to eat, stays warm, has someone to back her up, and someone who cares about her."

"If she wants to study, I'll support her through it."

"If she wants to be a lawyer, I'll back her up."

"If she wants to do nothing at all, I can take care of her too."

"If anyone bullies her, I'll be the first one there."

"If I'm the one who bullies her—"

Chen Zhi paused and turned his head to glance at Li Zhiyi.

Li Zhiyi stared back at him.

Chen Zhi turned back to face the gravestone.

"Then you two come scold me in my dreams at night."

"Don't hold back. Give it to me good."

The mountain wind blew, rustling the pine needles.

Chen Zhi bent down and bowed deeply and sincerely.

"Last night, Grandpa called me to his bedside and told me to take good care of Zhiyi from now on."

"I agreed."

"Today, standing in front of you two, I promise again."

Chen Zhi looked at the photograph of the young couple.

"Uncle and Auntie, rest assured. Zhiyi's life is mine to take care of."

"I will make her happy."

"As long as I have breath in me, I will never let her suffer even a little bit of injustice."

Li Zhiyi stood behind him, tears streaming down her face.

She covered her mouth to stop herself from sobbing, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Chen Zhi turned around and walked back to her.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Li Zhiyi buried her face in his chest. Her tears quickly stained a large patch of his clothes.

After Li Zhiyi had calmed down, the two of them walked down the stone steps together.

Li Zhiyi held his arm, matching his pace.

The sun was fully up now, warm against their skin.

"Chen Zhi," Li Zhiyi suddenly said.

"Yeah."

"The last time I saw my parents, I was five years old. It was during the New Year too."

Li Zhiyi looked down at the stone steps beneath her feet.

"They were supposed to leave for work in the city after the seventh day of the New Year."

“I was young and didn’t understand back then. I just felt like they were leaving for a long time, and I couldn’t bear to let them go.”

“So I clung to that beat-up van of theirs, refusing to get out no matter what.”

Chen Zhi slowed his step, turning his head to look at her.

“And then?”

“Then my Dad tricked me.”

Li Zhiyi’s mouth twitched, as if she was both laughing and crying.

“He said, 'Zhiyi, how about we play a game?'”

“He said he would come and catch me. If he caught me, I’d have to stay home obediently and listen to Grandpa’s and Grandma’s words.”

“But if he couldn’t catch me, he would take me along with them.”

Li Zhiyi took a shaky breath, her eyes starting to redden again.

“I was so happy at that moment.”

“I wanted desperately for them to take me with them.”

“But I was also afraid they would sneak away, so I kept running around that van, turning my head to look back while I ran.”

“I thought, if I just ran a little faster, Mom and Dad would take me away with them.”

“But I was too young.”

“As I ran, without paying attention, my parents shut the door of the van and drove off.”

Li Zhiyi stopped in her tracks.

She stood on the steps, tears streaming down her face.

“I chased after them for so long, crying for so long.”

“But crying didn’t help. The van got farther and farther away, until even the smoke from the exhaust pipe disappeared.”

“And then, not long after…”

Li Zhiyi’s voice began to tremble, as if she could hardly speak.

“I heard the news that they had gotten into a car accident.”

“They were never coming back.”

“I was so heartbroken, Chen Zhi.”

Li Zhiyi lifted her head, her face wet with tears, looking at him.

“Sometimes I can barely remember what they looked like. I don’t know how I’ve gotten through the last decade or so.”

Chen Zhi reached out his arms and held Li Zhiyi tightly, gently patting her back.

She sobbed loudly in his arms.

She cried out all the pain she had buried deep inside for over ten years—the grievance, the fear, the loneliness, and the panic from almost losing Grandpa the night before.

Chen Zhi said nothing.

At that moment, any words of comfort would have been hollow.

She didn’t need logic or empty promises. What she needed was a shoulder to cry on, a place where she could let everything go.

Chen Zhi just held her, letting her cry.

A full ten minutes later, Li Zhiyi’s sobbing finally began to subside.

She pulled back from Chen Zhi’s embrace and wiped her face roughly.

“Sorry, I got your shirt dirty.”

Chen Zhi looked down at the damp patch on his chest and smiled.

“No worries, you can wash it for me later.”

“Let’s go.”

“Grandpa is probably awake by now—we need to get there soon.”

They found a small breakfast stall by the side of the road in the county town, had a simple bowl of soy milk, and then hailed a taxi straight to the provincial capital.

The county town wasn’t too far from the provincial capital—about an hour and a half on the highway.

Once the car got on the highway, Li Zhiyi leaned back in her seat. After staying up all night and going through such an emotional rollercoaster, she soon fell asleep.

Chen Zhi took off his jacket and gently laid it over her.