The old gentleman continued. Though his voice sounded calm, Wen Ning could still feel the heartache in it.
"That child had a hard life from the start."
He spoke slowly.
"Back then, her mother and I put all our energy into the school."
He paused briefly and turned to glance at the old lady. She had her head lowered too, lost in thought.
"We taught in the village. I taught Chinese, and her mother taught math."
The old gentleman continued.
"The school was far from home. We stayed there Monday through Friday and could only go home on weekends. Chen Mu grew up with her grandmother. After her grandmother passed away, she was home alone."
Wen Ning frowned slightly.
"How old was she when that happened?"
"She was eleven when her grandmother passed."
The old lady took over, her voice trembling slightly.
"After that, she looked after herself. We went home every Friday evening and had to leave on Sunday afternoon. Before leaving, we cooked a week's worth of food for her, divided it into seven portions, and put it in the fridge. She heated it up herself."
Wen Ning wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he had no idea how to get them out.
"She never complained to us."
The old lady continued.
"Whenever we called, she said, 'Mom, don't worry. I've eaten, I've finished my homework, and my exams went well.' Later, our neighbor Aunt Zhang told me that one winter, the water heater broke. She washed in cold water for an entire week and never said a word to us."
The old gentleman drew a deep breath and brought the conversation back on track.
"She did us proud, too."
There was pride in his voice, but also a guilt he could not