Pulling out the letters from the space, over 30 remained unopened, and about 10 had been opened. She remembered that they simply told her where the letters were sent from, what events were happening, local scenery and customs, how she was doing, and a breakdown of items mailed. She opened the envelopes in order, extracting the first letter, which started when she was 10 years old.
"Mommy's darling, Mom can't face you. Looking at your photo, I can't help but hate him. He said you were his Jiao Jiao, that he would hold you in his hands for life, watching you grow from babbling to graceful, yet he left without hesitation... He said if a man can't protect the land under his feet and the woman in his arms, then he isn't a man. But he protected that land without keeping his promise to protect us.
