July 22, 2014, afternoon.
Two electric bikes set off from River Dam. Xue Yuantong rode on Jiang Ning's electric bike, while Xue Chuchu sat on Aunt Gu's.
Yuzhou Train Station.
Jiang Ning carried a travel backpack, while Xue Yuantong wore a small backpack containing their IDs, wallets, tissues, and other everyday necessities.
"Mom, Chuchu, we're off!" Xue Yuantong laughed, without a trace of sadness at parting.
Aunt Gu sighed softly to herself. When a son travels a thousand miles, his mother worries. And this journey would be far more than a thousand miles.
"Jiang Ning, take good care of Tongtong," Aunt Gu instructed.
Jiang Ning nodded.
Xue Yuantong raised her little head. "Mom, I should be the one taking care of him!"
Aunt Gu stroked her daughter's head, prompting Xue Yuantong to complain, "I won't grow any taller like that."
Though it was a farewell, Xue Yuantong kept the mood lively so her mother would not be too sad.
Still, parting always came in the end.
At the station square, Aunt Gu watched her daughter enter the station. Only after her silhouette vanished from view did she look away.
"Chuchu, go to school."
Xue Chuchu replied, "Okay."
Two days later, sunny, three in the afternoon.
Guangling, Slender West Lake.
A dragon-headed sightseeing boat drifted across the lake. Countless weeping willows lined both banks, interspersed with pavilions and towers.
Xue Yuantong sat by the window and gazed outside. The clear lake water shimmered beautifully, while boat after boat floated leisurely across its surface.
As the boat moved onward, the lake alternated between wide and narrow. Xue Yuantong said in astonishment, "Isn't Slender West Lake a lake? Why does it look like a river?"
In her fixed impression, lakes ought to be round and plump.
At the bow, the tour guide